A People Who

The biblical vision for the church is big--we are called to be a royal priesthood and ambassadors for Christ. And yet Jesus also says that, in order to enter the kingdom of God, we must humble ourselves and become like children. How do these visions interact? How can we do great things while still being childlike? Listen as Dave concludes our series on the church by emphasizing the church's rest and play.

The church is a people who witness, sharing the love of Christ with others through their words and deeds. But this will not easy. In John 15, Jesus tells his disciples they will be hated, but he will send a Helper. Listen as CJ preaches on both the challenge and promise of our call to witness.

Jesus told his disciples, "Abide in me and you will be much fruit." That’s a promise. The church, if it makes its home with Jesus, is a people who grow. The beauty of the gospel growth is that growth is not primarily about my resolve to be obedience, but about God's resolve to save. Listen as Dave encourages Citizens from 2 Peter with the promise of growth.

Investing in Christ’s eternal kingdom is the only way to secure a satisfying future. From the very beginning, God designed people to be people of faith--people who lived not by sight, but by faith in a future hope. The people of God are a people who give out of faith. Listen as C.J. walks through the biblical principal of tithing, and explains why generosity is the way of wise flourishing.

One of the greatest gifts of the gospel is belonging. If we belong to God in Christ, we are never without a home, an identity, a purpose, a future. Wherever we are, that's where we should be. And our belonging is not only a gift for us, but for our city. Listen as Dave encourages us to remember this gift, and carry it with us wherever we are.

A clear marker of the church is worship, not just on Sunday but everyday. What we believe about God in Christ compels us to whole-life worship. Anything less signals a faith which is out of step with the reality of the gospel. Listen as CJ challenges us from Romans 12 to give our very selves as living sacrifices, being transformed by God and not conformed to the world.

Today begins a new series on church life. What verbs mark the church's identity and presence in the world? The foundation of the church is the gospel of God and so the first verb of church life is "Believe." Listen as Dave encourages Citizens to hold onto the peculiarity of our faith in the face of a doubting world.