DGCC’s Vision Part VI: Showing Jesus to All Peoples as His Witnesses in Our Neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the World

Preface

Why We Exist: Gospel Purpose

Our mission statement at DGCC says the following:

We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.

This is why we exist. This has been DGCC’s identity from the time it was planted twenty years ago. This is our gospel purpose. And, by God’s grace, this will be DGCC’s gospel purpose for the next twenty years and beyond. The question is, though, what exactly do we aim to do in order to live out this gospel purpose.

 

What We Do: Gospel Pursuit

For the past several months the Vision Team here at DGCC has met regularly to pray and discern DGCC’s vision for the foreseeable future. Essentially, the Vision Team aimed to articulate what we do, that is, our gospel pursuit. And, by God’s grace, in our most recent members meeting, the Vision Team shared with our fellow members the vision we believe God has led us to. This statement below captures that vision.

We glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture birthed this statement. Specifically, Ephesians 3:14–21 became the foundational text that informed and shaped this vision statement. I unpacked that passage over three previous posts: DGCC’s Vision Part I, Part II, and Part III.

Here I outline how we accomplish our vision or our gospel pursuit. We do so through our gospel practice.

 

Gospel Practice: How we do it

So our mission statement and our vision statement make clear what our gospel purpose is and what our gospel pursuit is, respectively, at DGCC. Our gospel purpose is who we are and our gospel pursuit is what we do. But how do we aim to do this? Our Vision Team at DGCC felt it was necessary to answer this question as well. So to go along with our gospel purpose and gospel pursuit, we also articulated our gospel practice to answer the question, “How will we glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit”? We, DGCC, will do this

By seeing Jesus together as a family.[1]

By sharing Jesus with one another as his disciples.[2]

By showing Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.[3]

As you can hopefully see, to answer this question we aimed to not reinvent the wheel. The call of every Christian is twofold—(1) love the Lord God with all you heart, soul, mind, and strength, and (2) love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34–40; Mark 12:29–31; Luke 10:25–28). These are the two most important tasks for us as Christians. We only know God and carry out this call through Jesus. The normative context for carrying out this call through Jesus is the local church.

The three-dimensional life of the local church of Jesus Christ is the natural ecosystem in which we live out the call to love God and love our neighbor. The church exists to joyfully love and worship God together in truth, to build itself up in love and in truth by ministering to one another within the body, and to spread the love of God and love for God in truth to the lost (John 4:23–24; Ephesians 3:10; 4:1–16; Matthew 28:18–20; 1 Timothy 3:15). Or, in short, the church exists to worship God, buildup one another within the body, and evangelize the lost.[4] In the past, we’ve expressed this three-dimensional purpose of the church here at DGCC as (1) expressing joy in Christ, (2) deepening joy in Christ, and (3) spreading joy in Christ. So this is what we aim to make our gospel practice. So you see, it’s nothing novel. It is the same, simple, reproducible gospel practice and rhythm that the local church has embraced since its founding.

We’ve considered the first two dimensions of our gospel practice, seeing Jesus together as a family and sharing Jesus with one another as his disciples. Here consider the third and final dimension of our gospel practice, showing Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.

 

By Showing Jesus to All Peoples As His Witnesses in Our Neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the World

This gospel practice speaks to our outreach. That is, it speaks to our participation in the advance of God’s kingdom on earth through showing Jesus via the spread of the gospel of Jesus. The word choice of showing comes from the Greek φανερόω, which mean to make clear, visible, or manifest; to reveal; or to disclose, that is, to show. This is how Paul captures Christian gospel witness in 2 Corinthians 2:14–16:

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads (φανερόω; to make known) the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.

Paul says that we are the aroma of Christ to God among the world. That is, our very manner of life testifies to the world of Jesus. Jesus himself says as much:

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden… let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:14, 16).

This means, for the Christian, our good works in the world are bound up with the gospel. Therefore, we do not separate our good works from our gospel witness. All of our good works point to and testify of and show Jesus. Our good works are done with a view to showing Jesus. So too, we are also always ready to show Jesus not through our works merely, but through gospel proclamation.

Paul makes clear that making known the fragrance of Christ relates directly to the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus (2 Corinthians 2:17). Indeed, the task of Christian evangelism and outreach is to clearly show Jesus, or as Paul says, to make the mystery of Christ clear.

At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear (φανερόω), which is how I ought to speak (Colossians 4:3–4).

Christians show Jesus with their words both in bold gospel proclamation and in gospel-seasoned, wise speech that leaves outsiders thirsty for more. So Christians show Jesus through gospel good works that organically connects to gospel proclamation. Therefore, we at DGCC aim to show Jesus in our gospel good works and in our gospel proclamation. To whom do we show him? We show Jesus to all peoples.

We show Jesus to all peoples. Jesus commanded his people in his final commission to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (ἔθνος)” (Matthew 28:19). Nations can also be rendered peoples. Christians aim to take the gospel and make disciples of every people group. Jesus chose this word for a reason. By divine design, this great commission fits into the overarching redemptive narrative. God promised to bless all the families, that is, all the peoples of the earth through Abraham’s offspring (Genesis 12:1–2; 22:15–18). God fulfills this through Jesus. Therefore, we at DGCC have always sought to be a church of the nations, of peoples. It’s our prayer that our body would testify to this in a diverse makeup, and it is our aim to always carry the gospel to the nations. In this way, we participate in God’s unified, diverse kingdom on earth right now, while anticipating the coming heavenly reality when “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” stands before the throne of God giving glory to God in Christ (Revelation 7:9–10). In Jesus, God makes good on his ancient covenant promise of blessing for all peoples, and he has invited those of us who are in Christ to take part in carrying that blessing out as Jesus’ witnesses.

When we show Jesus to all peoples, we do so as his witnesses. Jesus called his disciples his witnesses (Luke 21:12–13; 24:45–48; John 15:26–27; Acts 1:8). Jesus says to his followers in Acts 1:8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8)

Amazingly, Jesus has fulfilled this declaration. Jesus bore witness of himself to the end of the earth through the Holy Spirit working in his original followers. That is, the original disciples, as witnesses of Jesus, have ultimately passed the gospel baton down to us, those at the end of the earth. Thus, we fall in line with past saints and bear gospel witness to those around us. At DGCC, we aim to show Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses both near and far. That is, we show Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.

God in his sovereignty has placed DGCC in a particular time and place. And, God in his providence has brought peoples from all nations close to us. Therefore, at DGCC, we want to lean into God’s providence regarding our place by showing Jesus in our neighborhood. We do this by bearing gospel witness as a unified body in our church neighborhood, and we do this by bearing gospel witness as individual members in our individual neighborhoods. We do not look past the neighborhood God has placed us in. But we do look beyond it by seeking to show Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in Charlotte as well. We aim to bear gospel witness in all corners of this city by working cooperatively with other gospel-centered local bodies and by raising up and sending out mature believers to plant theologically robust, gospel-centered, Christ-treasuring, Holy Spirit empowered,  local churches. And finally, we strive to show Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in the world. While we make every effort to bear gospel witness locally, we also look to global horizons by sending and supporting missionaries, especially those who labor among unreached peoples.

 

Showing Jesus to All Peoples as His Witnesses in Our Neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the World

So taking this aspect of our gospel practice and adding it to our gospel pursuit, we at DGCC joyfully treasure Christ and prayerfully pursue Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit by showing Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.

 

Trinitarian Conclusion

I hope it has become clear by now that our vision at DGCC takes on a Trinitarian tincture. We glorify our triune God by knowing the Father’s love for us through the grace of the Son, Jesus, by the power and fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Paul’s final greeting to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 13:14 outlines our Trinitarian salvation:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14).

Regarding this passage, Bavinck notes “In the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is contained the whole salvation of men.”[5] Thus, through the time-tested gospel practices of corporate worship, ministry and discipleship within the body, and local and global outreach—seeing Jesus, sharing Jesus, and showing Jesus—we at DGCC aim to know more of God the Father’s love through the power of the Holy Spirit so that we would be ever-treasuring Christ and ever-growing in Christlikeness for God’s glory. This is what God has created us for, and this is our destiny, his glory and our joy (Psalm 16:11).

 

[1] “seeing” Exod 33:18–19; 34:5–9; Isa 6:1–5; Ps 27:4; John 14:810; 2 Cor 3:18; 4:6; “family” Gen 12:3; 28:14; 2 Sam 7:12–13; 1 Chr 17:11–14; Ps 22:27; 87; Jer 32:39; Mark 3:31–35; 10:29–31; Acts 3:38–39; Rom 8:15–16, 29; Gal 3:28–4:7; 6:10; Eph 2:19–22; 1 Tim 5:8; Heb 3:6; 1 Pet 2:5

[2] The various Greek words that convey  “sharing” occur often in the context of the faith community. That is, Christians share in Christ with one another in the faith as disciples. And therefore, they share with one another Christ, his gospel, his good gifts, etc. For example 1 Thess 2:8—So, being affectionately desirous of you we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” Christians, then, as disciples share Christ through love, service, and building up one another. For examples of this concept see: John 13:34–35; 15:12, 17; Acts 2:42–47; Romans 12:3–13; 15:7, 14; 1 Corinthians 12:4–7, 25–26; 13; 14:1–3, 12; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Galatians 5:13; Eph 4:1–16; 5:19, 21; Colossians 3:1–4, 12–17, 18–25; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 4:9, 18; 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Titus 2:4–8 ; Hebrews 3:13; 10:25; James 5:16; 1 Peter 1:22; 4:8–10; 5:1–5, 19; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; 2 John 5

[3] “showing…as witnesses” particularly the Greek φανερόω (show, make known) often occurs outside the context of the faith community. That is, Christians “show” Christ and his gospel to those in the world, those outside the faith and outside the Church. For example, “But thanks be to God who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads/shows (φανερόω) the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere” (2 Corinthians 2:14). Also, “all peoples”; and “witnesses”; Genesis 12:1–3; 22:15–18; Leviticus 19:18, 34; Psalms 22:27; 87; Isaiah 49:1–7; 52:7; 61:1–2; Joel 2:28–32; Matthew 5:16; 9:37–38; 10:18; 24:14; 28:16–20; Luke 21:12–13; 24:45–48; John 1:7–8, 15, 32, 34; 3:11; 13:35; 15:26–27; Acts 1:8; 2:22; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39, 41, 43; 13:31, 46–47 (cf. Isa 49:1–7); 26:16; Romans 1:16; 10:9–10, 14–15; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 1:6; 1 Peter 3:15–16; 2 Timothy 2:15; 4:5

[4] Time Challies offers simple, helpful, and thoughtful insight that cuts through the common misconceptions of the day regarding the local church. See “What’s the Purpose…of the Church?”.

[5] Herman Bavinck, The Wonderful Works of God: Instructions in the Christian Religion According to the Reformed Confession (Glenside, PA: Westminster Seminary Press, 2019), 143.

DGCC’s Vision Part V: Sharing Jesus With One Another as His Disciples

Preface

Why We Exist: Gospel Purpose

Our mission statement at DGCC says the following:

We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.

This is why we exist. This has been DGCC’s identity from the time it was planted twenty years ago. This is our gospel purpose. And, by God’s grace, this will be DGCC’s gospel purpose for the next twenty years and beyond. The question is, though, what exactly do we aim to do in order to live out this gospel purpose.

 

What We Do: Gospel Pursuit

For the past several months the Vision Team here at DGCC has met regularly to pray and discern DGCC’s vision for the foreseeable future. Essentially, the Vision Team aimed to articulate what we do, that is, our gospel pursuit. And, by God’s grace, in our most recent members meeting, the Vision Team shared with our fellow members the vision we believe God has led us to. This statement below captures that vision.

We glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture birthed this statement. Specifically, Ephesians 3:14–21 became the foundational text that informed and shaped this vision statement. I unpacked that passage over three previous posts: DGCC’s Vision Part I, Part II, and Part III.

Here I outline how we accomplish our vision or our gospel pursuit. We do so through our gospel practice.

 

Gospel Practice: How we do it

So our mission statement and our vision statement make clear what our gospel purpose is and what our gospel pursuit is, respectively, at DGCC. Our gospel purpose is who we are and our gospel pursuit is what we do. But how do we aim to do this? Our Vision Team at DGCC felt it was necessary to answer this question as well. So to go along with our gospel purpose and gospel pursuit, we also articulated our gospel practice to answer the question, “How will we glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit”? We, DGCC, will do this

By seeing Jesus together as a family.[1]

By sharing Jesus with one another as his disciples.[2]

By showing Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.[3]

As you can hopefully see, to answer this question we aimed to not reinvent the wheel. The call of every Christian is twofold—(1) love the Lord God with all you heart, soul, mind, and strength, and (2) love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34–40; Mark 12:29–31; Luke 10:25–28). These are the two most important tasks for us as Christians. We only know God and carry out this call through Jesus. The normative context for carrying out this call through Jesus is the local church.

The three-dimensional life of the local church of Jesus Christ is the natural ecosystem in which we live out the call to love God and love our neighbor. The church exists to joyfully love and worship God together in truth, to build itself up in love and in truth by ministering to one another within the body, and to spread the love of God and love for God in truth to the lost (John 4:23–24; Ephesians 3:10; 4:1–16; Matthew 28:18–20; 1 Timothy 3:15). Or, in short, the church exists to worship God, buildup one another within the body, and evangelize the lost.[4] In the past, we’ve expressed this three-dimensional purpose of the church here at DGCC as (1) expressing joy in Christ, (2) deepening joy in Christ, and (3) spreading joy in Christ. So this is what we aim to make our gospel practice. So you see, it’s nothing novel. It is the same, simple, reproducible gospel practice and rhythm that the local church has embraced since its founding.

In the last post, we considered seeing Jesus together as a family. Here consider sharing Jesus with one another as his disciples. In the next post, we will consider showing Jesus.

 

By Sharing Jesus with One Another as His Disciples

This gospel practice speaks to our discipleship within the body. That is, it speaks to the building up the body of Christ through our ministry to one another through sharing Jesus with one another. Through the gospel, God has truly, spiritually unified all believers and purified all believers in Christ  (1 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 2:16; 4:4). This unity and purity most visibly expresses itself in the life of the local church. And the gospel calls local churches to build upon that unity and purity—to live it out more and more, to grow in unity and grow in purity. We do this by building up one another in the love of Christ that we “may be filled with all the fullness of God,” that is, until we attain to “the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 3:19; 4:1–16).

“The fullness of God” and “the fullness of Christ” speak to Christian maturity. To that end, God has given us gifts to equip us for the work of ministry in order to build up the body (Romans12:4–8; 1 Corinthians 12:4–11; 27–31; 14:2; Ephesians 4:4–16; 1 Peter 4:711). And when we engage in ministry with one another and use our gifts to build up the body, we are more specifically building up one another’s faith in Jesus and the knowledge of God’s love for us in him (Ephesians 4:15–16). Indeed, Paul makes clear in his prayer for the Ephesians that the key to growing in Christian maturity, “the fullness of God,” is growing in the knowledge of God’s love for us in Christ (Ephesians 3:14–19). Thus, by our gifts we point one another back to the gospel and back to Jesus, who through the Holy Spirit gives these gifts to us in the first place. In this way, we share more than just our gifts with one another. We actually share Jesus himself. Indeed, the language of sharing Jesus in our gospel practice rises from this reality in Scripture.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:8, Paul declares his eagerness to share both gospel of Jesus and himself with other saints.

So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us (1 Thessalonians 2:8).

Sharing Jesus with fellow saints is bound up with the sharing of ourselves. Elsewhere Paul makes clear that the sharing of his spiritual gifts with fellow saints ties directly to encouragement in and increase of faith in Jesus for both those with whom he shares and himself (Romans 1:11–12). Indeed, sharing Jesus is what builds up the local church in unity and purity and, thus, shapes the church more into the fullness of Christ. Therefore, in all aspects of our church life we desire to and aim to share Jesus. And of course, we aim to do this with one another.

Scripture makes clear, that the life of the local church is marked by loving, serving, and sharing Jesus with one another. We are to

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor (Romans 12:10)

Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16)

welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you (Roman 15:7)

through love serve one another (Galatians 5:15)

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:32)

encourage one another and build one another up (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Thus, we desire and aim to share Jesus with one another just as the church of Christ has always done.

Finally, and importantly, we do this as his disciples. Indeed, it is this love toward one another in Christ that marks people as Jesus’ disciples.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35).

And in this way, we have come full circle. The local church is made up of disciples who make disciples. All of our sharing Jesus to build up one another in the body of Christ is the gospel practice of discipleship. This falls in line with Christ’s commission to his disciples to make disciples (Matthew 28:19). As God’s people, we are followers of Jesus—disciples. And we desire to grow more and more and conform more and more into the likeness of Jesus. Therefore, we disciple one another through sharing Jesus with one another. And the normative, natural ecosystem for discipleship, by God’s design, is the local church. Therefore, we lean into this reality by saying, we aim to share Jesus with one another as his disciples.

 

Sharing Jesus with One Another as His Disciples

So taking this aspect of our gospel practice and adding it to our gospel pursuit, we at DGCC joyfully treasure Christ and prayerfully pursue Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit by sharing Jesus with one another as his disciples.

 

 

 

[1] “seeing” Exod 33:18–19; 34:5–9; Isa 6:1–5; Ps 27:4; John 14:810; 2 Cor 3:18; 4:6; “family” Gen 12:3; 28:14; 2 Sam 7:12–13; 1 Chr 17:11–14; Ps 22:27; 87; Jer 32:39; Mark 3:31–35; 10:29–31; Acts 3:38–39; Rom 8:15–16, 29; Gal 3:28–4:7; 6:10; Eph 2:19–22; 1 Tim 5:8; Heb 3:6; 1 Pet 2:5

[2] The various Greek words that convey  “sharing” occur often in the context of the faith community. That is, Christians share in Christ with one another in the faith as disciples. And therefore, they share with one another Christ, his gospel, his good gifts, etc. For example 1 Thess 2:8—So, being affectionately desirous of you we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” Christians, then, as disciples share Christ through love, service, and building up one another. For examples of this concept see: John 13:34–35; 15:12, 17; Acts 2:42–47; Romans 12:3–13; 15:7, 14; 1 Corinthians 12:4–7, 25–26; 13; 14:1–3, 12; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Galatians 5:13; Eph 4:1–16; 5:19, 21; Colossians 3:1–4, 12–17, 18–25; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 4:9, 18; 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Titus 2:4–8 ; Hebrews 3:13; 10:25; James 5:16; 1 Peter 1:22; 4:8–10; 5:1–5, 19; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; 2 John 5

[3] “showing…as witnesses” particularly the Greek φανερόω (show, make known) often occurs outside the context of the faith community. That is, Christians “show” Christ and his gospel to those in the world, those outside the faith and outside the Church. For example, “But thanks be to God who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads/shows (φανερόω) the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. Also, “all peoples”; and “witnesses”; Genesis 12:1–3; 22:15–18; Leviticus 19:18, 34; Psalms 22:27; 87; Isaiah 49:1–7; 52:7; 61:1–2; Joel 2:28–32; Matthew 5:16; 9:37–38; 10:18; 24:14; 28:16–20; Luke 21:12–13; 24:45–48; John 1:7–8, 15, 32, 34; 3:11; 13:35; 15:26–27; Acts 1:8; 2:22; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39, 41, 43; 13:31, 46–47 (cf. Isa 49:1–7); 26:16; Romans 1:16; 10:9–10, 14–15; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 1:6; 1 Peter 3:15–16; 2 Timothy 2:15; 4:5

[4] Time Challies offers simple, helpful, and thoughtful insight that cuts through the common misconceptions of the day regarding the local church. See “What’s the Purpose…of the Church?”. 

DGCC’s Vision Part IV: Seeing Jesus Together as a Family

Preface

Why We Exist: Gospel Purpose

Our mission statement at DGCC says the following:

We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.

This is why we exist. This has been DGCC’s identity from the time it was planted twenty years ago. This is our gospel purpose. And, by God’s grace, this will be DGCC’s gospel purpose for the next twenty years and beyond. The question is, though, what exactly do we aim to do in order to live out this gospel purpose.

 

What We Do: Gospel Pursuit

For the past several months the Vision Team here at DGCC has met regularly to pray and discern DGCC’s vision for the foreseeable future. Essentially, the Vision Team aimed to articulate what we do, that is, our gospel pursuit. And, by God’s grace, in our most recent members meeting, the Vision Team shared with our fellow members the vision we believe God has led us to. This statement below captures that vision.

We glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture birthed this statement. Specifically, Ephesians 3:14–21 became the foundational text that informed and shaped this vision statement. I unpacked that passage over three previous posts: DGCC’s Vision Part I, Part II, and Part III.

Here I outline how we accomplish our vision or our gospel pursuit. We do so through our gospel practice.

 

Gospel Practice: How we do it

So our mission statement and our vision statement make clear what our gospel purpose is and what our gospel pursuit is, respectively, at DGCC. Our gospel purpose is who we are and our gospel pursuit is what we do. But how do we aim to do this? Our Vision Team at DGCC felt it was necessary to answer this question as well. So to go along with our gospel purpose and gospel pursuit, we also articulated our gospel practice to answer the question, “How will we glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit”? We, DGCC, will do this

By seeing Jesus together as a family.[1]

By sharing Jesus with one another as his disciples.[2]

By showing Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.[3]

As you can hopefully see, to answer this question we aimed to not reinvent the wheel. The call of every Christian is twofold—(1) love the Lord God with all you heart, soul, mind, and strength, and (2) love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34–40; Mark 12:29–31; Luke 10:25–28). These are the two most important tasks for us as Christians. We only know God and carry out this call through Jesus. The normative context for carrying out this call through Jesus is the local church.

The three-dimensional life of the local church of Jesus Christ is the natural ecosystem in which we live out the call to love God and love our neighbor. The church exists to joyfully love and worship God together in truth, to build itself up in love and in truth by ministering to one another within the body, and to spread the love of God and love for God in truth to the lost (John 4:23–24; Ephesians 3:10; 4:1–16; Matthew 28:18–20; 1 Timothy 3:15). Or, in short, the church exists to worship God, buildup one another within the body, and evangelize the lost.[4] In the past, we’ve expressed this three-dimensional purpose of the church here at DGCC as (1) expressing joy in Christ, (2) deepening joy in Christ, and (3) spreading joy in Christ. So this is what we aim to make our gospel practice. So you see, it’s nothing novel. It is the same, simple, reproducible gospel practice and rhythm that the local church has embraced since its founding.

Here, we consider seeing Jesus together as a family. In subsequent posts we will consider sharing Jesus and showing Jesus.

 

By Seeing Jesus Together as a Family in Our Corporate Worship

This gospel practice speaks to our corporate worship of the Triune God. But the language leans into the reality that we only come to know God through the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. Indeed, seeing Jesus is what saves us and changes us. Consider the following passages.

18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18).

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1).

As these passages make clear, seeing Jesus is what transforms and conforms us into his very image. Indeed, this is the eschatological destiny of every Christian—looking like Jesus.

2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2).

Therefore, in all aspects of our corporate worship, we desire to and aim to see Jesus. Thus, God’s Word in the Bible and the gospel of Jesus saturates our corporate worship. From our singing, to our prayers, to our taking part in the Lord’s supper, to our baptism, and certainly to our expositional, gospel-centered preaching, God’s Word and the gospel of Jesus shapes and soaks our worship. We desire and aim to see Jesus. And, importantly, we do this together as a family.

In Christ, God has adopted us as his children (Romans 8:15). Again, Scripture overflows with this reality that we are God’s family in Christ. In Christ, we are brothers and sisters, members of God’s household (Romans 8:29; Ephesians 2:19; 1 Peter 2:5; cf. 2 Samuel 7:13; 1 Chronicles 17:12). In Christ, God has made good on his covenantal promises and made us all Abraham’s offspring (Galatians 3:29; cf. Genesis 17:5; 28:14). Jesus himself notes that we are his family (Mark 3:31–35). Thus, when we gather to see Jesus in our corporate worship of our Triune God, we do so together as a family.

To this end, we intentionally shape our liturgy (our order of service) to reflect our common kinship. From our opening gospel welcome and responsive call to worship to our final benediction and closing call and response—and every Scripture reading and prayer that falls in between—we aim to imbue our service with familial hospitality and the participation of all members. This gospel won family reality then spills over into our fellowship after service. We are a family in Christ, and we see Jesus most readily together as a family in our corporate worship.

Seeing Jesus Together as a Family

At DGCC, we joyfully treasure Christ and prayerfully pursue Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit by seeing Jesus together as a family.

 

[1] “seeing” Exod 33:18–19; 34:5–9; Isa 6:1–5; Ps 27:4; John 14:810; 2 Cor 3:18; 4:6; “family” Gen 12:3; 28:14; 2 Sam 7:12–13; 1 Chr 17:11–14; Ps 22:27; 87; Jer 32:39; Mark 3:31–35; 10:29–31; Acts 3:38–39; Rom 8:15–16, 29; Gal 3:28–4:7; 6:10; Eph 2:19–22; 1 Tim 5:8; Heb 3:6; 1 Pet 2:5

[2] The various Greek words that convey  “sharing” occur often in the context of the faith community. That is, Christian’s share in Christ with one another in the faith as disciples. And therefore, they share with one another Christ, his gospel, his good gifts, etc. For example 1 Thess 2:8—So, being affectionately desirous of you we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.”; John 13:34–35; 15:12, 17; Acts 2:42–47; Romans 12:3–13; 15:7, 14; 1 Corinthians 12:4–7, 25–26; 13; 14:1–3, 12; 2 Cor 13:11; Galatians 5:13; Eph 4:1–16; 5:19, 21; Colossians 3:1–4, 12–17, 18–25; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 4:9, 18; 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Titus 2:4–8 ; Hebrews 3:13; 10:25; James 5:16; 1 Peter 1:22; 4:8–10; 5:1–5, 19; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; 2 John 5

[3] “showing…as witnesses” particularly the Greek φανερόω (show, make known) often occurs outside the context of the faith community. That is, Christians “show” Christ and his gospel to those in the world, those outside the faith and outside the Church. For example, “But thanks be to God who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads/shows (φανερόω) the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. Also, “all peoples”; and “witnesses”; Genesis 12:1–3; 22:15–18; Leviticus 19:18, 34; Psalms 22:27; 87; Isaiah 49:1–7; 52:7; 61:1–2; Joel 2:28–32; Matthew 5:16; 9:37–38; 10:18; 24:14; 28:16–20; Luke 21:12–13; 24:45–48; John 1:7–8, 15, 32, 34; 3:11; 13:35; 15:26–27; Acts 1:8; 2:22; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39, 41, 43; 13:31, 46–47 (cf. Isa 49:1–7); 26:16; Romans 1:16; 10:9–10, 14–15; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 1:6; 1 Peter 3:15–16; 2 Timothy 2:15; 4:5

[4] Tim Challies offers simple, helpful, and thoughtful insight that cuts through the common misconceptions of the day regarding the local church. See “What’s the Purpose of…the Church?”.

DGCC’s Vision Part III: In the Love of the Father and the Power of the Holy Spirit

Preface

Why We Exist: Gospel Purpose

Our mission statement at DGCC says the following:

We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.

This is why we exist. This is our gospel purpose. This has been DGCC’s identity from the time it was planted 20 years ago. And, by God’s grace, this will be DGCC’s gospel purpose for the next 20 years and beyond. The question is, what exactly do we aim to do to live out this gospel purpose.

 

What We Do: Gospel Pursuit

For the past several months the Vision Team here at DGCC has met regularly to pray and discern DGCC’s vision for the foreseeable future. Essentially, the Vision Team aimed to articulate what we do, our gospel pursuit. And, by God’s grace, in our most recent members meeting, the Vision Team shared with our fellow members the vision we believe God has led us to. This statement below captures that vision.

We glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture birthed this statement. Specifically, Ephesians 3:14–21 became the foundational text that informed and shaped this vision statement. Over the next several blog posts, I will unpack this vision statement. And I aim to do that by unpacking Ephesians 3:14–21 in order to (1) reveal the wonderful truths within this glorious prayer of Paul and to (2) hold those truths up as a glorious vision for the saints of DGCC.[1]

In our initial post, we considered the core of this vision: We glorify God. In the second installment of this series, we considered the means by which we glorify God: by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness. Now, here in the third post of this series, we will consider the final portion of our vision statement: in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Paul’s Petitions in Ephesians 3:14–21

In the first two articles regarding our visions, I observed the following:

So, Paul’s ultimate aim in this prayer for the Ephesians is God’s glory (Ephesians 3:21). This is why the core of our vision at DGCC is this: We glorify God. And here in Paul’s prayer, we see what Paul prayed for so that the Ephesians would do just that. Paul prayed that the Ephesians would (1) have Christ dwell in their hearts through faith, or treasure Christ, and (2) reach full spiritual maturity as Christians, or be Christlike.

Thus, the purpose of Paul’s petitions is for the Ephesians to treasure Christ and grow in Christlikeness all for the glory of God. But what makes this treasuring and this conformity to Christ possible? For that, we consider Paul’s petitions themselves. What are those petitions? We’ve noted them in our previous articles. Let’s revisit them.

Paul makes two petitions in his prayer to God the Father on behalf of the Ephesians in Ephesians 3:14–21: (1) Holy Spirit power and (2) a greater revelation of God’s love. First, Paul prays that God the Father would strengthen the Ephesian Christians with power through the Holy Spirit. Second, he prays that God the Father would strengthen the Ephesian Christians with Holy Spirit power to grasp and know God the Father’s love for them in Christ.[2] Paul petitions God on behalf of the Ephesians for the power of the Holy Spirit and a greater revelation of God’s love for them in Christ. More power and more knowledge of God’s love.

 

Holy Spirit Power

Paul first prays for the Holy Spirit’s power to strengthen the Ephesians — “that…he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16). We have already unpacked the purpose of this power in the previous post. The purpose of this request is that the Ephesians would treasure Christ even more — “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Ephesians 3:17). But consider the reality of this request. As Christians we should treasure Christ in our hearts. Christ should take up permanent “residence” and make our hearts his home, and we should conform more to him and his ways as he has greater and greater influence on our hearts.[3] However, given Paul’s prayer, we are incapable of doing this without God acting on our behalf. We cannot rightly treasure Christ without power from the Holy Spirit. Or, to say it positively, we need power from the Holy Spirit to treasure Christ.

 

Revelation of the God’s Love

Paul makes a second petition that grows out of his petition for power through the Holy Spirit. Paul asks that the Ephesians would have a greater knowledge of God’s love for them in Christ — “that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:17–19). Again, we have already unpacked the purpose of this greater revelation of God’s love. The purpose of this petition is that the Ephesians would grow in spiritual maturity, that they would become more and more Christlike — “that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19; 4:13). But again, consider the reality of this request. Christians should grow in spiritual maturity. Christians should become more and more Christlike. Christians should pursue holiness and Christlikeness. However, given Paul’s prayer, we are incapable of doing this without God acting on on our behalf. We cannot rightly become Christlike or pursue Christlikeness without a greater revelation and knowledge of God’s love for us.

Carson notes the following regarding the nature of this knowledge of God’s love: “This cannot be merely an intellectual exercise. Paul is not asking that his readers might become more able to articulate the greatness of God’s love in Christ Jesus…He is asking God that they might have the power to grasp the dimensions of that love in their experience.”[4] The measure of this love is, well, immeasurable. Therefore, Carson rightly observes that Paul “resorts to metaphor and then to paradox” in order to try and describe it.[5] God’s love for us in Christ is multi-dimensional — “the breadth and length and height and depth” (Ephesians 3:18). God’s love for us in Christ cannot be bound by knowledge — “the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19). We could never, on our own, grasp this love. We need God to reveal it to us. Only in the knowledge of God’s love for us can grow in spiritual maturity. We need a greater revelation of God’s love for us to become more Christlike.

 

Conclusion: In the Love of the Father and the Power of the Holy Spirit

So, Paul’s ultimate aim in this prayer for the Ephesians is God’s glory (Ephesians 3:21). This is why the core of our vision at DGCC is this: We glorify God. And in Paul’s prayer, we see the purpose of his petitions for the Ephesians — (1) that they would treasure Christ and (2) that they would be Christlike. And according to Ephesians 3:14–21, the two things that make this possible, the two petitions Paul laid before God were (1) power from the Holy Spirit and (2) a greater revelation of God’s love. When these two petitions are considered together, we clearly see that we are completely dependent upon God to treasure Christ and pursue Christlikeness. As Carson notes, “Paul assumes that we cannot be as spiritually mature as we ought to be unless we receive power from God to enable us to grasp the limitless dimension of the love of Christ.”[6] We need the power of the Holy Spirit and we the knowledge of God’s love for us in Christ in order to treasure Christ and pursue Christlikeness.

Therefore, we at DGCC make this our aim: We glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness. And we recognize the only way we are able to do this is in complete dependence upon God, that is, in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

[1] Exegesis of this passage was aided by and leans heavily on Carson, who unpacks this passage in D. A. Carson, Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation, Second. (Baker Academic, 2015), 159–81.

[2] Carson, Praying with Paul, 161.

[3] Carson, Praying with Paul, 163–64.

[4] Carson, Praying with Paul, 168.

[5] Carson, Praying with Paul, 169.

[6] Carson, Praying with Paul, 173. Emphasis mine.

DGCC’s Vision Part II: Joyfully Treasuring Christ and Prayerfully Pursuing Christlikeness

Preface

Why We Exist: Gospel Purpose

Our mission statement at DGCC says the following:

We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.

This is why we exist. This is our gospel purpose. This has been DGCC’s identity from the time it was planted 20 years ago. And, by God’s grace, this will be DGCC’s gospel purpose for the next 20 years and beyond. The question is, what exactly do we aim to do to live out this gospel purpose.

 

What We Do: Gospel Pursuit

For the past several months the Vision Team here at DGCC has met regularly to pray and discern DGCC’s vision for the foreseeable future. Essentially, the Vision Team aimed to articulate what we do, our gospel pursuit. And, by God’s grace, in our most recent members meeting, the Vision Team shared with our fellow members the vision we believe God has led us to. This statement below captures that vision.

We glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture birthed this statement. Specifically, Ephesians 3:14–21 became the foundational text that informed and shaped this vision statement. Over the next several blog posts, I will unpack this vision statement. And I aim to do that by unpacking Ephesians 3:14–21 in order to (1) reveal the wonderful truths within this glorious prayer of Paul and to (2) hold those truths up as a glorious vision for the saints of DGCC.[1]

In our initial post, we considered the core of this vision: We glorify God. Here in the second installment of this series, we consider the following portion of our vision statement: by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness.

 

Purpose of Paul’s Petitions in Ephesians 3:14–21

Paul’s prayer to God on behalf of the Ephesians ultimately aims at glorifying God. But what exactly does Paul request of God on behalf of the Ephesians? Paul makes two petitions in his prayer to God the Father on behalf of the Ephesians in Ephesians 3:14–21. First, Paul prays that God the Father would strengthen the Ephesian Christians with Holy Spirit power. Second, he prays that God the Father would strengthen the Ephesian Christians with Holy Spirit power to grasp and know God the Father’s love for them in Christ.[2] But these petitions are not ends in themselves. Paul makes these each of these petitions for specific purposes: the treasuring of Christ and Christlikeness. We can apply those purposes to all Christians, including us.

 

First Purpose: Treasuring Christ

First, Paul prays for the Holy Spirit’s power to strengthen the Ephesians in order that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:14–17).[3] Thus, we as Christians need Holy Spirit power in order that Christ would dwell more richly in our hearts, that he would have the throne of our hearts, and that he might begin to shape and mold our hearts, fashioning them to reflect his desires. Carson likens this to remodeling a recently purchased, dilapidated house in order to make it a permanent, livable, lovely home, that is intentionally shaped and curated to the renovator’s specifications, desires, and purposes.[4] Thus, we as Christians need the power of the Holy Spirit to open up even more of our hearts to our king so that he would have full access to “take up residence in our hearts as we exercise faith in him.”[5] This exercise of faith in Christ so that he dwells in our hearts is the treasuring of Christ above all things and submitting ourselves to him (Philippians 3:7–8). Because Jesus is our greatest treasure, this isn’t done begrudgingly, but joyfully (Philippians 3:1). In short, we as Christians need the Holy Spirit’s power in order that we might joyfully treasure Christ more.

 

Second Purpose: Christlikeness

Second, Paul prays that God the Father would strengthen the Ephesian Christians with Holy Spirit power to know God’s love for them in order that they might be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:18–19).[6] Being “filled with all the fullness of God” refers to Christian maturity (Ephesians 4:11–14).[7] Elsewhere, Paul uses the phrase “fullness of Christ” to make the same point (Ephesians 4:13). Thus, we as Christians need the Holy Spirit’s power to strengthen us to know spiritually, emotionally, experientially, and intellectually God’s love for us in Christ in order to grow in our maturity as Christians—in order to become more Christlike.[8] Indeed, the entire Christian life aims at Christlikeness—conformity to the Son—which God has predestined (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:9; 1 John 3:2–3). Therefore, we as Christians live out our identity in Christ by actively pursuing Christlikeness. Notably, though, we are completely dependent on the Holy Spirit to give us this greater revelation of God the Father’s love for us in Christ. Therefore, our pursuit of Christlikeness is a prayerful pursuit. In short, we as Christians need the Holy Spirit’s power and a deeper knowledge of God’s love for us in Christ in order that we might grow in Christlikeness.

 

Conclusion: Joyfully Treasuring Christ and Prayerfully Pursuing Christlikeness

So, Paul’s ultimate aim in this prayer for the Ephesians is God’s glory (Ephesians 3:21). This is why the core of our vision at DGCC is this: We glorify God. And here in Paul’s prayer, we see what Paul prayed for so that the Ephesians would do just that. Paul prayed that the Ephesians would (1) have Christ dwell in their hearts through faith, or treasure Christ, and (2) reach full spiritual maturity as Christians, or be Christlike.

According to Ephesians 3:14–21, then, Christians glorify God by treasuring Christ and pursuing Christlikeness. This treasuring of Christ is a joyful treasuring of Christ rising from deep gratitude for God’s kindness toward us in Christ (Ephesians 5:20). And this pursuit of Christlikeness is a prayerful pursuit that recognizes our utter dependence on God to fill us with all his fullness (Ephesians 3:14–21).

Therefore, we at DGCC make this our aim: We glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness.

 

[1] Exegesis of this passage was aided by and leans heavily on Carson, who unpacks this passage in D. A. Carson, Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation, Second. (Baker Academic, 2015), 159–81.

[2] Carson, Praying with Paul, 161.

[3] See Carson on this point in Carson, Praying with Paul, 163–67.

[4] Carson, Praying with Paul, 163–64.

[5] Carson, Praying with Paul, 164.

[6] See Carson on this point in Carson, Praying with Paul, 167–76. Especially 172.

[7] Carson, Praying with Paul, 172.

[8] Carson, Praying with Paul, 173.

DGCC’s Vision Part I: We Glorify God

Why We Exist: Gospel Purpose

Our mission statement at DGCC says the following:

We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.

This is why we exist. This is our gospel purpose. This has been DGCC’s identity from the time it was planted 20 years ago. And, by God’s grace, this will be DGCC’s gospel purpose for the next 20 years and beyond. The question is, what exactly do we aim to do to live out this gospel purpose.

 

What We Do: Gospel Pursuit

For the past several months the Vision Team here at DGCC has met regularly to pray and discern DGCC’s vision for the foreseeable future. Essentially, the Vision Team aimed to articulate what we do, our gospel pursuit. And, by God’s grace, in our most recent members meeting, the Vision Team shared with our fellow members the vision we believe God has led us to. This statement below captures that vision.

We glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture birthed this statement. Specifically, Ephesians 3:14–21 became the foundational text that informed and shaped this vision statement. I aim to unpack this vision statement in a series of blog posts here. And I aim to do that by unpacking Ephesians 3:14–21 in order to reveal the wonderful truths within this glorious prayer of Paul and to hold those truths forth as a glorious vision for the saints.[1] Here in this initial post, we will consider the core of this vision: We glorify God.

Before diving in though, let’s first orient ourselves to the context of Ephesians 3:14–21.

 

Context

Paul has just heralded God’s glory in the gospel of Jesus in one of the densest and richest treasure troves Scripture has to offer in Ephesians 1 and 2. He penned astounding realities such as

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3–6)

And

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4–7)

Paul goes on to exhort the Ephesians to walk in this new life, to grow in their gospel-forged unity as a local church,  and specifically to grow “to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:9).

Ephesians 3:14–21 fits right in between Paul’s heralding of these wonderful gospel realities—the gospel indicatives—and his powerful gospel exhortations—the gospel imperatives—to the Ephesians. Moreover, Ephesians 3:14–21 is a prayer. And this prayer makes clear to us what Paul understands the necessary ingredients for Christian growth—growth in both love for God and Christlikeness—to be. Consider Paul’s prayer.

 

Ephesians 3:14–21: A Prayer for God’s Glory

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:14–21)

First, notice the obvious that I have already pointed out. This is a prayer. Paul says, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named” (Ephesians 3:14).

“For this reason” refers to all of the gospel realities that Paul has just touched on in Ephesians 1:1–3:13. Paul essentially says, “God in his sovereignty planned to save you through the gospel of his Son, so ‘for this reason’ I pray as a minister of this grace for you, Ephesians.” The fact that this is a prayer informs us immediately that Paul assumes the Ephesians have need for God to act in order to bring about whatever Paul is about to pray for. Thus, we have need for God to act in order to bring about for us the things Paul instructively petitions for here. The Christian life is completely dependent upon God to act. So prayer colors everything we aim to do as Christians, and of course what Paul is about to request here.

Second, notice the ultimate aim of Paul’s prayer. The ultimate aim of Paul’s prayer reveals itself in verse 21: “to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever.” At the bottom (or top, depending on how you look at it) of all of Paul’s requests here is this—God’ glory. This is what his prayer for the Ephesians ultimately aims at, as it should. Carson notes regarding this, “It is possible to ask for good things for bad reasons.”[2] He goes on to note that we “can distort…good requests by envisaging their fulfillment within a framework in which the entire universe revolves around our improvement.”[3] But Scripture makes clear that God’s work of creation is for glory:

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)

And, Scripture makes clear that God’s work of redemption is for his glory:

In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:4–6)

Indeed, God’s glory is what the entire Christian life aims at, no matter if we’re enjoying breakfast or taking the gospel to an unreached people group in a foreign land—”So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Thus, since all things work for God’s glory in creation and salvation, we too join with Paul in saying, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36).

Therefore, our vision as DGCC is to first and foremost fall in line with the purpose of all of creation and redemption history. And that purpose is to bring glory to God. This is why we exist: we exist for God’s glory, we exist to enjoy God’s glory, and we exist to spread that enjoyment of God’s glory. This is why our mission statement at DGCC reads

We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.

Thus, our vision at DGCC begins with this—We glorify God.

 

 

[1] Exegesis of this passage was aided by and leans heavily on Carson, who unpacks this passage in his book D. A. Carson, Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation, Second. (Baker Academic, 2015), 159–81.

[2] Carson, Praying with Paul, 280.

[3] Carson, Praying with Paul, 180.