What is the goal of FBC?  Why do we gather week in and week out on Sundays and in our Care Groups?  Is Christian fellowship and sanctification all there is to the Christian life?  Or is there another aim in God’s design for our lives and for our church?  The answer should be obvious, and it is when we believe what God’s Word says about the goal of the church.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “... I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”  This is the first time in the Gospels that the term “church” is used.  Jesus was predicting the birth and growth of a new entity He calls “My church.”  Later in Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gives the “Great Commission” to His disciples to go into all the world and make disciples of all the nations.  When one turns the pages from the Gospels to the book of Acts, we see exactly how the disciples understood Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:19-20.

What emerges from the pages of Acts is the unfolding of Jesus’ prophecy, that He will build His church.  The 120 Christians who gathered in Jerusalem formed the membership of the very first church ever established by God (Acts 1:15).  But notice what happened?  The apostles began preaching the Gospel to their unsaved Jewish brethren, and before long, there were thousands being saved and baptized in the city of Jerusalem! (cf. Acts 2:41; 4:4).  The excitement in these chapters of Acts ought to bring us to our knees for Christ to be glorified in South Orange County in a similar way!

God’s plan wasn’t for the church in Jerusalem to become a “country club” since their membership had grown into the thousands.  No, His plan has always been for the Gospel to spread out into areas where it’s never been heard.  And the way God did this for the early church was through persecution – first of Stephen, and then of the entire church (Acts 8:1).  This literally forced the people out into the regions of Judea and Samaria, all under the sovereign plan of God to establish new churches in those regions.  I imagine that the fellowship was so sweet as these new Christians got together daily to hear the Word, pray, and love each other!  No wonder it was necessary for God to “force” them out!

Philip preaches Christ in Samaria and an Ethiopian official gets saved!  Peter preaches the Gospel in Caesarea, and a Roman centurion gets saved!  The next thing you know, another church is formed in the northern city of Antioch.  And from this multi-ethnic church, the Holy Spirit sends out two of their very best leaders, Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:1-3).  This missionary team goes throughout Asia Minor, visiting major cities, preaching the Gospel to Jews and then to Gentiles, and seeing the power of God in numerous conversions!

Paul later took three more missionary journeys (from what is recorded in Acts), and he went further and further West in cities where Jesus Christ had never been proclaimed.  Sinners got saved and these were gathered together.  Elders were raised up and these small gatherings formed into churches (Acts 14:23), who then took the baton of the Great Commission and heralded the Gospel further into their neighborhoods and communities.

And this commission is still going and moving ahead today, all by the gracious work and sovereign power of God!  The baton has been passed to Faith Bible Church of South Orange County.  It’s been passed to you and me.  Our goal is to grow in our love for Christ AND to spread the good news of Christ to those who do not yet know Him!  This is why we say, “We gather for edification, and we scatter for evangelization.”  It is not for us to huddle together and insulate our lives from the world around us… we gather to strengthen each other’s faith so that we can be bold witnesses in our neighborhoods, in our families, at our workplace, and Lord willing, throughout the world!

So where does this leave you?  Is there someone God has providentially placed in your life for the specific purpose of you sharing the Gospel with that someone?  I’m sure there is, and many others.  It is typically not a lack of opportunity (Matt. 9:37) that keeps us from witnessing, rather it’s fear or inconvenience.  If these “excuses” pop up in your mind, turn back to the Gospel and remember the grace and mercy God poured out to you as a once-lost sinner.  Let His love melt your heart once more and let it change your desires to demonstrate compassion and boldness towards those who are headed for everlasting destruction!  Let’s beseech the Lord to open our mouths and to herald the greatest news in all the world… that the death of Jesus Christ saves sinners!

So what is the aim of our church?  It is to grow up and become more and more conformed into the likeness of Christ (Eph. 4:11-16) AND it’s also to share boldly and joyfully the precious Gospel of Christ with those who do not yet know Him.  May we be faithful to God’s call upon our lives and upon our church!

            Over the past decade, Christianity has seen a resurgence of Gospel-centeredness in the church.  By God’s grace, many believers have been awakened to the power of the Gospel, not only for our justification, but for our sanctification.  It has been refreshing, to say the least, and liberating in so many ways.  The entire Christian life can be radically altered when we put on “Gospel glasses” and take off our “performance shades.”

But why is Gospel-centeredness so critical?  Why is Gospel-centeredness being promoted as central to the Christian life?  Books such as C.J. Mahaney’s “The Cross-Centered Life,” Jerry Bridges’ “The Disciplines of Grace,” John Piper’s “Future Grace,” and Milton Vincent’s “The Gospel Primer,” all make this case that the Gospel truth must be at the center of our justification AND our sanctification.

The Bible gives us the answer, and it goes way up to the highest and best reality in the universe… the glory of God!  The glory of God is the ultimate aim in creation (Isa. 43:7), redemption (Eph. 1:4, 6), and eternity (1 Tim. 1:17).  And since God’s glory is the aim of all spiritual growth, He has perfectly designed the plan so that all sanctification might point to His glory, not ours.

In 2 Corinthians 3:18, God shows us how we grow… “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”  Spiritual transformation takes place as we behold (“see and savor” as John Piper would say) “the glory of the Lord.”  But what does the glory of God look like?

Paul goes on the give us the answer in 2 Corinthians 4:6… “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”  The clearest revelation of the glory of God can be seen in the person and work of Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:3).  So that when we look upon Christ, we see the glory of God!

But what does Paul have in mind when he speaks of “the face of Christ?”  Jesus is no longer walking the earth, so how can we possibly “see” His face?  Paul gives the answer back in verse 4 when he says this phrase, “the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ.”  The Gospel is the apex of Christ’s glory (John 17:1-5)… it is the Gospel that shines light upon the person of Jesus, so that the Cross ultimately reveals the glory of Christ.

So there is a chain from God-centeredness, to Christ-centeredness, to Gospel-centeredness that has been designed by God as the plan for sanctification.  As we “abide hard by the Cross and search the mystery of His wounds” as Spurgeon once said, we will be transformed into the likeness of Christ.  And this spiritual transformation will be God-glorifying (1 Pet. 4:11), not self-exalting.

The starting point of our sanctification will determine who gets the glory.  If the starting point is my self-effort, my performance, my legalistic bent to earn God’s favor, my duty despite any dependence on or delight in God… then in the end, I will get the glory.  This may look like sanctification, but in reality, it is simply man-centered self-righteousness subtly masked to look like genuine godliness.

The starting point for all God-glorifying, and thus, genuine sanctification must be the Gospel.  This is why Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”  Love for Christ precedes obedience to His commands.  And therefore, it is through the Gospel truth that God comes and changes out the sinful, selfish desires and motives of the heart, and replaces them with a love for His Son!  Gospel truth is powerful truth, and it affects us down to the deepest level of our desires and affections.  It radically melts cold and hard hearts and produces a fresh and passionate love for Christ.  And it is this love for Him and His exaltation that fuels all genuine, lasting sanctification.

This is where the “rubber meets the road” in our pursuit of Christlikeness.  This is where the spiritual battle must be fought, for this is where it’s either won or lost.  It is my hope and prayer that God will only increase our understanding of these incredibly precious and powerful truths, so that we might grow spiritually and give God all the glory!

Dear Church Family,

What an excellent, encouraging, and Christ-exalting time we had at our Family Retreat!  All praise to our faithful God for blessing our hearts and our lives through His powerful Word, loving fellowship, passionate praise, and lots of laughter.

Our retreats get better each and every year, and by far, this was our best.  I take home so many fond memories... the faithful and convicting exposition on Titus 2 from Todd Dykstra, the family prayer time on Sunday morning, the yearnings for God's glory during our times of singing and praise, the joy of seeing all of you serving with gladness and loving one another, the many laughs during our meetings, from our "Guess the FBC Celebrity" game, to "The Backsplash Boys" ...what cherished memories!

Above all, we returned home spiritually refreshed and more in love with the Savior!  I pray that the fruit of this weekend will continually be harvested in the years to come... that FBC will mature into a church with godly, wise, sensible men and women, both young and old!  May the Lord be pleased to grow us more and more into the likeness of His great Son!

"Father, thank You for loving us so much!  Thank You for the incredible time we shared at the Family Retreat.  We praise You for Your Son and for giving us the privilege - through His life and death - to know You and to worship You!  Help us to mature and grow in our faith and allow us to be the men and women You have called us to be... all for Your great glory!"

Amen!