The Primacy of the Gospel

Radiant Church, January 13, 2019 Mike Rydman Welcome to Radiant, Part 1 The Primacy of the Gospel Our IDENTITY STATEMENT: Radiant Church is a family of servant missionaries learning to be and make disciples. (Who we are) RADIANT VISION: Our vision of Radiant Churches is to be a Radiant Reflection of the Gospel to our cities and throughout the north by being Gospel Communities who multiply disciples and churches. We want to see Gospel Saturation across the north, where every man, woman and child have repeated opportunities to hear, see and experience the gospel.” (How we live) WHAT SHAPES THE CHURCH? How is the church typically defined? Many people define the church primarily by what she does, not who she is How should we define the church? We need to define the church in light of: 1. Who God is 2. What God has done 3. Who He has made the Church to Be (Family) 4. What He has saved and created her to Do (make Disciples) A healthy family would be defined in three ways: 1. Our parents birthed us or adopted us – so we belong to them. 2. We are all related and share identity – so we belong to each other 3. We do what families do together – life lived together defined by love The same is true for the Church: 1. We are the Church because the Father has made us His children through the life and work of Jesus, giving us new birth by His Spirit 2. We have a new identity as children of God 3. We live out lives of love and good deeds because we are His children you are already deeply loved -We are not defined by what we do. We are defined by what God has done in the person and work of Jesus Christ -What we do is based on and motivated by what God has done and who God has made us to be. This is all the outworking of faith in God The Church is Formed and Informed by the Gospel – It’s our Foundation 1 Corinthians 15:3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures The Church is God’s People (who we are) saved by God’s Power (what He has done and is doing) for God’s Purposes (the good works he created us in Christ Jesus to do) Said differently: “Who God is and what He has done defines who I am and how I live” THE STARTING POINT…AND THE GOAL A gospel-centered missional church doesn’t first ask the question, “What works best?” Instead it asks, “How do we fulfill the mission of Jesus to make disciples who believe and live out the gospel by displaying and declaring who God is and what He has done in and through Jesus, teaching and training other to do so as well.?” The goal is not to convert people to our church. Our goal is to see people converted and discipled to Jesus through the gospel so that they can BE THE CHURCH. Problem for us is, many people believe the gospel but cannot state what the gospel is; we cannot all articulate the gospel. 2 GOSPEL PERSPECTIVES, BOTH TAKEN FROM THE BIBLE One way to read the Bible is “across the grain (Thematically) Or, we can read the Bible “with the grain” (Storyline, Narrative) Thematically The Means of salvation – the power of the gospel Colossians 1:27-28 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. God – Sin – Jesus – Faith We have been saved from the penalty of sin, are being saved from the power of sin, and will be saved from the presence of sin, all because of God’s power and work, not our own. Martin Luther said that the first commandment is the gospel – “You shall have not other gods before me” is the same as, “You shall have no other justification for your life, your righteousness, your significance, your security, etc…other than Me.” Storyline/Narrative Here we come to know the Reason for salvation – the purpose of the gospel 2 Corinthians 5:15-21 And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised. From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, ye now we no longer know him in this way. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God. He made that one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Creation – Fall – Redemption – Restoration In this case, the Good News is that God sent His Son to redeem the world and create a new humanity. God is saving a people for Himself, and sending them out for His Mission so that Christ will be glorified in all things. The Church has been saved BY God’s work FOR God’s work. We need both gospel perspectives” If we only focus on gospel power, we tend toward a gospel that is only about saving individuals, me If we only focus on the purpose of the gospel, we tend toward a gospel of good works without the power of God. Therefore to be acceptable and significant I have to do more, hence is gospel is totally dependent on me WHOSE STORY IS IT ANYWAY? Every one of us is walking out what we believe our story to be. Bu the question is, “Whose story is it?” We see the story primarily as God’s story…or our story God as the primary, or ourselves as the primary Our point of view is directly connected to our belief/unbelief in the gospel GOD’S STORY Creation - He is the Creator and Originator and Sustainer of all things – I exist because of Him Fall – We rebelled against Him and His word stands – we get to die Redemption – He saves us by His work and we put our faith in Him to save us by His grace and not anything we’ve earned Restoration – He has work for us to do which He prepared and enables us for OUR STORY Creation – I become what I actualize or determine to be – I am my own god FALL – I am good and others are evil OR I am not good, but it is not my fault; it is because of some outside influence – not my rebellion and sin – in this case I am deceived/dishonest Redemption – It is through my work that I am saved, healed, made acceptable – I must perform – in this case I or someone else I determine is my savior Restoration – I can fix me and this place if I will just work harder and more effectively – in this case I am all wise and know best what needs to happen Ephesians 2:8-9 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift – not from works, so that no one can boast The gospel is not just about my individual happiness or God’s plan for my life. It is about God’s glory and His plan for the world. So how do we, as Radiant Church, live in such a way that points to God’s glory, and participates in His plan for the world?