• Love God

Matthew 22:37–38 Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment.

This speaks of the intimacy that we, as believers, pursue through our desire to understand and know the Lord in an ever-deepening way.  One of the primary ways we build intimacy with God is growing in our understanding of His Word, through obeying His commands out of a pure heart, and regular and frequent communion with Him through prayer.   

• Love our Neighbor

Matthew 22:39- the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

Our neighbor isn’t the person who is most expedient to us, but is that person who is most needful of us.  Jesus made this clear in His parable of the Good Samaritan when He was asked by a scribe, “who is my neighbor.” 

• Love One Another 

John 13:34–35- A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Church is not a building we go to on Sunday mornings, and it is not an organization that is rigid; it is a living organism where God’s love is the glue that sets it apart from the rest of the world and every other human institution that exists.  The Holy Spirit is crucial in the manifestation of this kind of love, for we know that “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit that was given to us” (Rom. 5:5). 

• Love our City

Jeremiah 29:7 And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.

In the verses preceding this verse the Lord instructs His people, through the prophet Jeremiah, to pretty much make the place a better place than when they arrived.  Christ Community Church is bent on loving our city, which we’ve seen played out in ministries such as New Creations and KYAM, giving of food to those in need, the “Well” where needy people are able to get clothing, the afterschool program the youth are running.  We also see this in things like our Probation/District Attorney appreciation lunches, or gift cards during Christmas for foster kids and those in Juvenile Hall.

• Love our World

John 3:16, For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son….

It doesn’t say, “For God so loved the Imperial Valley” although He does, nor say, “For God so loved the United States” although He does; it says, “He so loved the world…”  It’s important that we as a church maintain a global vision.  It’s my conviction, tethered to scripture, that every local church needs to have a global vision.  This comes in the way of supporting missions through finances and prayers, short and long term missions’ trips, and even sending missionaries out.  Christ Community Church has seen some of this through launching John and Alicia to Mexicali, our mission trips to Thailand, and our mission trips to Haiti, New Creations Thailand. 

• Live out our faith among one another

Our faith is lived out on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights as we gather together for corporate worship, through community groups that meet in homes during the week, and other smaller gatherings where we can exercise the gifts that God has blessed us with.  The Holy Spirit gifts individuals as “He wills” in order to build up the body, which only happens when we live out our faith among one another.  1 Corinthians 12:7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

• Live out our faith among the unbelieving world.

1 Thess. 1:8, “For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.”

Our faith is to be made known throughout the unbelieving world.  This means our faith is lived out, not only at church or our homes, but the public square- the marketplace if you will.  People should know we’re Christians and why, whether we’re at the workplace, coaching soccer, sitting on the PTA, in the classroom, etc., etc.   Our faith is not a dead faith, it’s a living faith grounded in the Word of God.  We live in a fallen world tainted with sin and ruled by the powers of darkness.  People need to know the way God always intended life to be lived and how to be overcomers as presented in His Word. 

Matthew 28:19–20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

• Live out our faith in light of eternity. 

The people of God are a people who are willing to sacrifice the present on the altar of the future.  This entails sacrificial giving of our time, treasure, and talents for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus.  We believe that whatever sacrifices we make, and suffering we endure, for the kingdom of God pales in comparison to our future home with Jesus.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18).

We firmly believe that our lives here are short as James so vividly states, “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:14).  Christians are to live out their “little time” on earth in a way that reflects a solid belief in the promises of God that will yet be fulfilled in the future.  Men and women burned at the stake because of this kind of faith.

• Lead in our homes.

God has called us to lead our homes the way He originally designed it.  This includes the role of men as priests, providers, and protectors; the high calling of women as wives and mothers guided by the Word; and the children’s role beginning with honoring their parents.  This is becoming increasingly more important as we see the attack on families and gender identity. (See Ephesians 5:22-6:4)

• Lead in our churches.

The Lord’s intention for His people is they become more than attenders at a local church, He desires them to become leaders.  This may entail formal positions of leadership, or simply leading through an exemplified life of what it means to walk with Jesus.  The misperception of the American Church is that a pastor leads and everyone follows.  But according to scripture pastors are equippers, not the “do-all” in ministry. 

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:11–16)

• Lead in our communities.

The church is not just a place where people get blessed, but, in the spirit of the call of Abraham, a people that blesses the community and world it exists in.  The leadership of God’s people should spill over into the communities we live out our daily lives in.  We know that our communities would be a better place if they were led by God-fearing servants of the Lord.  If God’s people were more visible in leadership positions- senate, congress, school boards, city councils, etc. etc., our communities would benefit dramatically. 

Matthew 5:13–16 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

In order to become leaders in our home, churches, and communities we need to become mature followers of Jesus Christ.  A person is unable to lead from God’s perspective if they aren’t students of the Word of God and established a powerful prayer life.  So we place great emphasis on teaching and learning God’s Word and encouraging people to build a prayer life that fosters an intimate relationship with God and penetrates the darkness that has overtaken our world. 

Hebrews 5:12–14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

God’s Word is the source where Christians learn their identity in Christ, their values to live by, and the answers to an unbelieving world that is filled with evil and confusion. 

Ephesians 6:18–19, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel”

1 Thessalonians 5:17, “pray without ceasing.”  This verse only contains 3 words, but should be taken to heart if we are to remain in the will of God and become what Jesus sees for His church.

As a church we are called to fulfill both the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.  This results from Gospel-centered living.  It is only the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit that can transform our hearts to enable and empower us to love, live and lead in a way that pleases God and offers hope to a dark and lost world.