KNOW the gospel. CONNECT to others in gospel relationships. LIVE out the gospel in the world. At the heart of Summit Crossing is the gospel. It is the truth of the gospel that gives us reason for existence and joy for living. Our Mission is built around the gospel, our Ministry is built around the gospel, our Expression of Worship is built around the gospel.
The gospel is the heart of the Christian faith. And therefore, to Know the gospel is the heart of the Christian life. It was the Apostle Paul who wrote to the Corinthian church, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3). In Romans, Paul writes, “[The gospel] is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” To Know the gospel is necessary for salvation. Or, in other words, without knowledge of the gospel one cannot be saved. Thus, the necessity of the gospel preached (Romans 10:14-15) cannot be ignored.
Connecting to others through gospel relationships is a vital part of our Christian communities. Knowing the gospel is the critical precursor in applying connection. Connection is applied first among Christian brothers and sisters who understand this scriptural mandate. Once it has been applied among others who understand it, it is applied in situations among non-Christians who will not understand it. It is applied differently among Christians and non- Christians. Among Christians, open discussion and loving accountability accompany the infusion of the gospel in their relationships with each other.
Jesus summarizes the vertical and horizontal requirements of the law in Matthew 22:37-40 when He tells us to love God and to love our neighbor. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states that those who are in Christ are a new creation. As a new creation, we are given the ability through the Holy Spirit to love God and to love others. Our desires change from the self to that of selflessness. It is only through Christ that we are able to show a holy and righteous love to others. How does this work itself out practically in our missional communities?
To Know the gospel is not merely mental assent— although the mind is necessary to understanding the gospel. But mere mental assent does not save. To Know the gospel is to have it illuminated to our understanding by the Spirit of God in a manner, whereby we believe in the person and work of the Son of God for our sins, and in response, repent of our sins. As understood within the context of Romans and other Pauline epistles, salvation is to be understood to imply the whole of salvation— justification (God’s act of declaring or making a sinner righteous before Him through Jesus’ death on the cross), sanctification (the lifelong act of being made more like Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit), and glorification (the finality of our salvation: we will receive perfected bodies and experience a state of unending joy in the presence of God). Therefore, the gospel is necessary, not simply to be declared righteous, or justified, before God, but for continued growth in godliness, or sanctification. Thus, it is necessary to preach the gospel to ourselves every day.
At Summit Crossing, the Know precedes Connect and Live but it cannot be isolated. James 1:22 commands us not to stop at hearing the Word but to be those who are doers of the Word. Taken farther, we believe that those who truly Know the gospel will be those who also Connect and Live the gospel. Know happens here at Summit Crossing in three primary venues: corporate gatherings, missional community gatherings, and in the personal life of each believer. In corporate gatherings, our priorities include gospel proclamation through preaching and gospel worship through music and creative arts. In missional community gatherings, our priorities include gospel proclamation through sermon discussion and gospel conversations through intentional discipleship and mentorship. Finally, every believer should commit himself to personal study as he strives to know God and live as one of His children.
At its simplest, connecting with others from an “awareness of the gospel” point-of-view means recognizing our own broken, depraved state and how God has forgiven us. Then we approach others expecting them to be imperfect and in need of God’s grace. We are imperfect and flawed, but forgiven. We approach others first with God’s grace, but for Christian brothers and sisters, the next step is important. Because of God’s grace, we are called to pursue holiness, and we can only do that with the help of God and through his grace and forgiveness. This gives us strength and encouragement to continue pursuing holiness. We approach others with grace and truth, and we encourage others to approach their relationships with grace and truth.
At Summit Crossing, the bible is clear that Know without Connect is dead, and Connect without Know is ignorant. Connection demonstrates love for others that goes much deeper than mere feelings and acceptance. John 17 reminds us that our unity in connection gives the world all the proof they need to accept the reality of Christ. Connection happens here at Summit Crossing in two primary venues: gospel-centered church membership and missional community gatherings. In gospel-centered membership, it our desire to have a body of believers unified both in vision and in passion for reaching our city and our world through gospel proclamation and missional living. In missional community gatherings, our priorities include gospel connection through gospel conversations and gospel outposts (missional life, see Live).
Jesus calls us in the great commission to be disciple makers. God has given all of us unique gifts and talents and placed us where He has us in life with those around us who can be influenced and ultimately transformed by the Gospel. To live the Gospel is to let people in on the sanctification process in your own life. Living the Gospel moves from microscopic to universal. We learn to Live first in our own home and with our own family. This proceeds into our neighborhood, our city, and terminates on the world.
Service is central to the authentic Christian life and the authentic Christian community. The world will see the legitimacy of Christ in us through our unity and through our service. We Live when we love the city by our willingness to give to and serve those in need. This should happen both individually and corporately. Live happens here at Summit Crossing on three fronts: family mission, individual mission, and corporate mission. Live begins at home. It is our passion that worship starts in the home. And so the first mission field is at home and families learn to worship God together and live the gospel together. Individual mission happens wherever you are. We are called to live life “on mission” and this includes work, play, etc. Finally, corporate mission involves collaborative works of the body of Christ in our missional communities, church body, neighborhoods, cities, and around the world. See the appendix for our missions support.
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Worship Center :: 7200 Governors Huntsville, AL 35806
Office :: 347 Hughes Rd. Madison, AL 35758 | 256.325.9905
Mailing Address :: P.O. Box 148 Madison, AL 35758
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