Growing the family of God
Do you have a vision for your life?
As we grow as a church family, we’ve been seeking God for His continued vision. What does He have for us, as a community and as individuals? Why does this matter, you might ask? Because we, together, are the church, the people of God. We believe God has called us to this city – but what has He called us to? This what is why we’ve sought God, and prayerfully, come up with this vision statement:
Central Community Church exists to grow the family of God for the glory of God, by enjoying Jesus, loving boldly, making disciples, and reaching the nations.
Who We Are
The enemy can compromise the vision of a church by challenging whose they are; so that’s where we’re starting. Who are we and whose are we?
Ephesians 1:3-14 says that we are God’s chosen possession; His people. This anchors our entire vision! When we know that we belong to Christ, we won’t believe the lie, “It’s all up to me.” Look at Paul, who wrote Ephesians from a prison cell; he knew his limitations, yet also knew that God is capable of so much more. If we want to grow in vision for our lives, let’s recognize that it’s not about us, or all up to us.
Ephesians 1:7 says that we become God’s children through one avenue: the redemption and the blood of Jesus Christ. This is the only way God’s family grows! As a church, we will preach this truth because it’s impossible to become God’s possession except through the cross of Christ. And as a part of God’s family, we don’t put stock in our own name, but in bearing the family resemblance: always looking more and more like Jesus.
What does your life look like? You’re God’s beloved possession who bears His name. Do you believe this? As you walk in God’s redemptive grace, you’ll look more and more like Him.
Living By His Will
Another characteristic of being God’s people? We live by His will. Paul, the greatest missionary in church history, didn’t fill Ephesians with records of what he was up to – He wrote all that God was doing. “In Him” shows up six times in this passage; it’s Christ who is at work! Do you want a greater vision for your life? Tap into the fact that God is very, very active. As a church, we believe that God is already at work in our city. Our hope is that we can be a part, playing one sweet note in God’s symphony. Let’s find our story in God’s story, and we’ll have a greater vision for our lives.
So what is He up to? God is actively uniting all things back to Himself, in Christ (Ephesians 1:9). He’s causing everything, in heaven and earth, to work together in harmony with His will. God takes each of our lives and blends them together to create a beautiful sound of harmony with Him, for His glory. As He does this, we’ll bear the fruit of His Spirit and look more like Him. As we surrender to Him, our lives will sing. How incredible!
Yet this invitation isn’t extended just to us. Ephesians 1:13 tells us that God is for the “you also’s” — the people who haven’t been united to Christ yet. We pray that as a church, we will be a community that advocates, always, for the “you also’s.” Who are the “you also’s” in your life? We don’t just exist for ourselves, but for the widow, the hurting, the orphans, the strangers, extending them an invitation into God’s family. We do this through evangelism, and also through desiring healing for our city. Let’s not hoard the beautiful sounds of Christ inside of our church, but actively seek to do something about the things that don’t harmonize (line up) with Jesus. As God’s people, we don’t ignore bigotry, racism, or poverty; we act with God to do His will of uniting all people back to Him.
Our “Why”
Finally, being the people of God means that we do it all for His glory. Why do we even seek God’s vision, desiring to play our part in God bringing harmony to our city and our world? Our “why” is not that we accomplish something great as a church, but the glory of God.
God gets glory from His creation – both in nature and also, us! As we simply be who God made us to be – He gets glory! This means we should help each other be all that God designed for us because our jobs, quirks, and talents all matter to God. God is also glorified through His works of grace in our lives. It’s easy to display how great we are, but this doesn’t glorify God; He is glorified when people see His grace in our real, messy lives. No, we don’t try to sin more, but we invite people into our struggles, letting others know that if God can love us broken people, He’ll certainly love them, too. Do you want a greater vision for your life? Set your sights on the grace of God. He shines in our losses and disappointments; this is the message we get to share with the world.
Paul wrote this letter to give vision to the new church family in Ephesus from an unlikely place: prison. Yet Christianity was birthed in this unlikely place! Where is that unlikely place in your life, where you’d love the vision of God to burst forth? Isn’t Seattle a bit of an unlikely place? But God specializes in unlikely places and unlikely people, for His glory.
If we belong to this family of God, what’s holding us back from living for His will and His glory? If it’s fear, let His love capture your heart and fill you with His hope and faith. May He fill us with the vision He has for us, because when we live for His glory, we have nothing to lose.
—
This is the first blog post in a series to accompany our vision series, “For the Glory.” We’ll recap and further unpack each week’s sermon. If you want to listen to each full-length sermon, head to our podcast page. Read along with us each week as we explore God’s vision for Central Community Church. Follow along in Ephesians 1:3-14.