"We never move beyond the gospel -- only into a more profound understanding of it." -- David Pryor
People don't earn God's approval or receive life and
salvation because of anything they've done. Rather, the only reason
they receive life and salvation is because of God's kindness through
Christ. There is no other way.
Many Christians are tired of hearing this teaching over and over.
They think that they learned it all long ago. However, they barely
understand how important it really is. If it continues to be taught as
truth, the Christian church will remain united and pure — free from
decay. This truth alone makes and sustains Christianity. You might hear
an immature Christian brag about how well he knows that we receive
God's approval through God's kindness and not because of anything we do
to earn it. But if he goes on to say that this is easy to put into
practice, then have no doubt he doesn't know what he's talking about,
and he probably never will. We can never learn this truth completely or
brag that we understand it fully. Learning this truth is an art. We
will always remain students of it, and it will always be our teacher.
The people who truly understand that they receive God's approval by
faith and put this into practice don't brag that they have fully
mastered it. Rather, they think of it as a pleasant taste or aroma that
they are always pursuing. These people are astonished that they can't
comprehend it as fully as they would like. They hunger and thirst for
it. They yearn for it more and more. They never get tired of hearing
about this truth.
--Martin Luther
Delighting in God’s glory as our highest aim, we passionately embrace these core values in all we do:
1. The functional centrality of the gospel
2. The great commandment of wholehearted love for God
3. The pursuit of holiness motivated by grace
4. The priority and profitability of sound doctrine
5. The active presence and ministry of the Holy Spirit
6. The expression of our dependence on God through prayer
7. The eager cultivation of relationships marked by honesty, humility and joyful servanthood
8. The proclamation of the gospel to our families, community and the world
9. The demonstration of God’s redemptive mercy through compassion to our community
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