In the last two posts, I started to unpack the vision we have for Kingsgate which is to: Raise a 300-strong church community, that is devoted to gospel-shaped Witness, Discipleship and Compassion
Today I want to focus our attention on a vitally important idea: Gospel-Shaped
GOSPEL-SHAPED
We’re looking for everything we are and what we say and do, to be a pointer and reflection of the message of the cross (see 1 Cor 1:18-31). As a result, there may be some good things that we could do, but if it isn’t a stepping stone to people seeing and savouring the work of Jesus on the cross, we may choose not to do it, so that we can invest our time and energy into the things that are more intensely gospel-shaped.
Friends, this is a really important point and one I would like to underline. Let me give you an example of how being gospel-shaped impacts the way we live together on this mission – serving on a team is never ‘my right’. Why? Because we’ve all given up our rights when we chose to follow Jesus! Everything we now have is ours because of his lavish and extravagant grace (that’s undeserved favour) and as a result, we’re encouraged to live in the place of humility and be like Jesus, who in the Garden of Gethsemane said, “not my will but yours be done”. When you become a Christian, you give up your rights (because your rights were to rightfully experience external separation from God) and you start a journey of becoming increasingly dependent upon God. So how you and I talk about finding my place, is not on the basis of this is my right, but rather on the basis of how I might serve, how I might strengthen and build others up.
Having a gospel-shaped focus to everything places Jesus’ cross-work at the centre of everything we think, feel and do. That’s massive!
