The Sacrifice of the Church
Discover the transformative power of authentic Christian discipleship through the inspiring example of the early church. Learn about the five essential costs of following Christ: abandoning comfort, embracing unity, understanding true power, practicing sacrificial love, and generous giving.
The God We Serve
Majestic and Almighty
He is uncreated, limitless, eternal, and infinite - breathing the universe into being with a word.
Holy and Good
He is utterly unique, without flaw or imperfection, pure unmixed light, and unapproachable in beauty.
Gracious and Promise-Keeping
A God who loves to give, bless, and share. The greatest promise He kept was sending His Son Jesus Christ.
Our Mandate as the Church
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Acts 1: Our Mandate
To be witnesses of Christ throughout the world.
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Acts 2: Our Message
A Spirit-empowered message that speaks Jesus.
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Acts 2-4: Our Strategy
Through preaching, fellowship, sacraments, and prayer, God rolls back darkness and makes known His Son.
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Acts 4: Our Cost
Letting go of what is behind and pressing on to what is ahead.
The Early Church's Example
Unity of Heart and Soul
The early believers were of one heart and soul, united in identity and purpose - a fulfillment of Jesus' prayer in John 17.
Powerful Testimony
With great power, they testified of the resurrection of Christ - not just a past event but a present reality of a living Savior.
Radical Generosity
They shared possessions, ensuring no one had need. Barnabas even sold his field and laid the money at the apostles' feet.
Letting Go of the Path of Least Resistance
Embrace Hardship
Our faith is not convenient. Being the Lord's people means living in the headwinds of the world.
Face Opposition
The early church faced arrest, threats, and persecution, yet remained faithful.
Seek Heavenly Reward
"Blessed are you when others revile you... Rejoice, for your reward is great in heaven."
Are you willing to be inconvenienced for the sake of Christ and His church? To embrace hardship in obedience to the Great Commission? We are a people defined not by attachment to this world, but by looking to another world.
Letting Go of the Old Way of Walking
Unity in Spirit
Unity is not natural to the human soul, but comes through the Spirit.
Common Identity
We share the same Spirit of God that unites us to Him and to each other.
Grace-Centered
We are unified in acknowledging our sins and God's lavish grace.
Walking Worthy
"Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you've been called."
Letting Go of Earthly Notions of Power
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The Paradox of the Cross
"The cross is the great reversal where exaltation comes through humiliation, glory is revealed in shame, victory is accomplished through surrender."
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Power Through Weakness
"The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God."
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Love-Controlled Power
"The cross is not weakness, but rather power controlled by love. The death of Jesus is not foolishness, but rather God's wise way of saving."
Letting Go of Selfish Love and Sacrificial Getting
Christ-like Love
Love as Jesus loved - selflessly, expecting nothing in return
Radical Generosity
Giving as an act of worship, not just emotion but action
Eternal Perspective
No cost in following Jesus won't be repaid a thousandfold in eternity
"But one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind, straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." As a church, we practice the disciplines of worship by detaching ourselves from this world and reorienting our lives to eternity.
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