The purpose of expanding the explanation of our mission statement is to give a fuller picture of what it means to be a disciple, which in turn will lead to a fuller variety of groups, classes, and ministries that our church can support in fulfillment of our mission statement. We want to pay particular attention to the call to evangelism as a key element of what it means to be a disciple. Edification of the body is of co-equal importance, however, and we need not limit our focus on that work in order to become more intentional about evangelism.
Our Mission
For God’s glory, we are making disciples of Jesus as we worship, love, and serve
Introduction
We are making disciples
To be precise, we partner with the Holy Spirit, who makes disciples by grace. Our session agreed upon the definition of a disciple as “[one who] follows Jesus as a new creation, loving God and neighbor, seeking to advance His Kingdom.” We note here that we seek to make disciples of the kingdom, and we celebrate any advances in Jesus’ reign whether in Lexington, South Carolina, or the ends of the earth.
Worship
Worship is the highlight of the life of the church. A disciple of Jesus first realizes that he has been called by God. The gift of faith is not something that can be either inherited or earned; it is purely a gift of God. When God calls a person to himself, He gives him the Holy Spirit who takes up residence in the believer’s life. The Holy Spirit convicts the disciple of his sin and assures him that Christ has paid for his sins. This results in a desire to give thanksgiving to God in worship and to tell others what He has done for us! So, on Sunday, the first day of the week, we begin our week in corporate worship. We come here among a body of believers to give praise to God and to offer back our lives to Him. In our reformed faith, we also believe that all of life is worship, and even as we begin the week in worship, we continue to worship God in our hearts throughout the week.
Key points to summarize:
- We boldly present the gospel from the pulpit each Sunday
- Worship begins with God’s gift of the Holy Spirit to us
- We respond in worship (confession, thanksgiving, and praise) and to offer ourselves back to God
- Worship continues in all of life
Love
Love is the most important characteristic of a disciple; in fact, Jesus said that others could judge our faith by our love. Jesus also said that the two most important commandments are to love God and to love others. A disciple loves God by getting to know Him through reading his word, by spending time with him in prayer, obeying his commands, and denying his sinful desires. A disciple’s love for others includes both believers and unbelievers. Getting involved in a small group is a key way to live out love for others – it allows us to know and meet the needs of others while also helping us to be accountable to others as we are known.
Key points to summarize:
- Love is both vertical (love for God) and horizontal (love for others).
- We love God through Bible study, prayer, and obedience (denying ourselves).
- We love other disciples best through close relationships and accountability.
- We love unbelievers best by serving them (through service), inviting them into our lives and sharing the gospel with them.
Serve
Service is the overflow of love in a disciple’s life. Jesus said that he came not to be served but to be a servant. Service takes a wide variety of forms based on the need, the disciple’s gifts and abilities, and the leading of the Spirit. A disciple, out of the abundance of love poured into his heart, should seek ways of putting the needs of others before his own needs. A particular emphasis on service should be service toward unbelievers mixed with prayer that kindness will lead them to repentance.
Key points to summarize:
- Service is the overflow of love in a disciple’s heart.
- Service involves putting the needs of others before our own needs.
- Service is varied based on the needs and the disciple’s gifts and abilities.
- Service toward unbelievers mixed with prayer is a priority (particular) goal of a disciple as we seek to evangelize.
