Christ-Centered Identity: The Heart of Our Church

Summary

In our new sermon series, "Our Church," we explore the foundational DNA of our community, beginning with the concept of being gospel-centered. This series aims to delve into the essence of our church's identity and mission, focusing on the five core DNAs that define us. Today, we start with the first DNA: being centered on the gospel. This is not merely about adhering to a set of doctrines but about placing Jesus Christ at the heart of everything we do. The gospel is not just a message; it is the person of Jesus, His life, death, and resurrection, which reconciles us to God and gives us hope beyond this life.

We examined Colossians 1:15-20, a passage that highlights the supremacy of Christ. This scripture, possibly an early Christian hymn, emphasizes Jesus as the image of the invisible God and the creator of all things. It underscores His preeminence and His role as the head of the church. The early church's worship was revolutionary, as it included Jesus in the devotion traditionally reserved for God alone, signifying His divine nature and centrality to the faith.

The church exists because of Jesus. Without His death and resurrection, there would be no church. The essence of the church is not found in its buildings, programs, or even its leaders, but in Christ Himself. He is the head, and we are His body. Our purpose is to glorify Him, and our mission is to live out His teachings and share His love with the world.

As we reflect on what it means to be a gospel-centered church, we are reminded that everything we do should be for Him and through Him. Our ministries, our worship, and our community life are all expressions of our devotion to Christ. We are called to serve with humility, recognizing that the church belongs to Jesus, and we are stewards of His mission.

Key Takeaways:

1. Christ as the Center: The church's foundation is Jesus Christ, who is the image of the invisible God and the creator of all things. Our identity and mission are rooted in Him, and without His presence, the church loses its essence. [22:46]

2. The Essence of Worship: Early Christian worship was revolutionary, including Jesus in the devotion traditionally reserved for God. This highlights the importance of recognizing Christ's divinity and centrality in our worship today. [31:32]

3. The Church's Purpose: The church exists because of Jesus' death and resurrection. Our purpose is to glorify Him and live out His teachings, making Him known to the world. Without Christ, there is no reconciliation with God or hope beyond this life. [35:53]

4. Stewardship and Service: As stewards of Christ's mission, we are called to serve with humility and recognize that the church belongs to Jesus. Our ministries and community life should reflect our devotion to Him. [38:40]

5. Faithfulness Over Success: Jesus calls us to be faithful, not necessarily successful. Our focus should be on being faithful stewards of the gospel, trusting that God will bring growth and transformation in His time. [50:32]

Youtube Chapters:

[00:00] - Welcome
[20:51] - Why is There a Church?
[21:32] - The Origin of Church
[22:46] - Christ as the Image of God
[31:32] - Jesus as Creator
[35:53] - The Church's Purpose
[38:40] - Christ as the Head of the Church
[39:41] - The Essence of Church
[40:47] - Ownership and Stewardship
[42:18] - Serving with Humility
[50:32] - Faithfulness Over Success
[52:47] - Christian Education and Growth
[54:17] - Fullness in Christ
[01:05:54] - Announcements and Closing
[01:09:12] - Prayer for Los Angeles Fire Victims
[01:12:27] - Benediction

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: Our Church - Gospel-Centered

Bible Reading:
- Colossians 1:15-20

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Observation Questions:

1. According to Colossians 1:15-20, how is Jesus described in relation to God and creation?
2. What does the sermon say about the early church's worship practices and their significance? [22:46]
3. How does the sermon describe the relationship between Jesus and the church? [31:32]
4. What is the role of Jesus' death and resurrection in the existence of the church, as discussed in the sermon? [35:53]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. What does it mean for a church to be gospel-centered, according to the sermon? How does this relate to the identity and mission of the church? [35:53]
2. How does the concept of Jesus as the head of the church influence the way we view church leadership and community life? [40:47]
3. The sermon mentions that Jesus calls us to be faithful rather than successful. How might this perspective change the way we approach our roles within the church? [50:32]
4. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the church's purpose is to glorify Jesus and live out His teachings? [38:40]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your personal involvement in the church. How can you ensure that your actions and service are centered on Jesus rather than personal recognition or success? [50:32]
2. Consider the ministries you are involved in. How can you align them more closely with the mission of glorifying Jesus and sharing His love with others? [38:40]
3. The sermon emphasizes serving with humility. What are some practical ways you can demonstrate humility in your interactions with others in the church? [42:18]
4. Think about a recent decision or action you took within the church. Was it motivated by a desire to be faithful to Jesus' teachings? How can you ensure future decisions are aligned with this motivation? [50:32]
5. Identify one area of your life where you struggle to keep Jesus at the center. What steps can you take this week to refocus on Him in that area? [39:41]
6. How can you contribute to creating a church environment that reflects the fullness and abundance of Christ, as mentioned in the sermon? [54:17]
7. The sermon discusses the importance of recognizing Jesus' ownership of the church. How does this understanding affect your view of your role and responsibilities within the church community? [40:47]

Devotional

Day 1: Christ as the Foundation of Our Identity
The church's foundation is Jesus Christ, who is the image of the invisible God and the creator of all things. Our identity and mission are rooted in Him, and without His presence, the church loses its essence. This foundational truth is not just a theological concept but a living reality that shapes every aspect of our community life. Jesus is not merely a figure in history; He is the living head of the church, guiding and sustaining us. As we center our lives on Him, we find our true purpose and calling as His followers. [22:46]

Colossians 1:17-18 (ESV): "And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent."

Reflection: In what ways can you make Christ the center of your daily decisions and actions this week?

Day 2: Revolutionary Worship
Early Christian worship was revolutionary, including Jesus in the devotion traditionally reserved for God. This highlights the importance of recognizing Christ's divinity and centrality in our worship today. Worship is not just about singing songs or attending services; it is about acknowledging Jesus as Lord in every area of our lives. This understanding calls us to a deeper, more authentic expression of worship that goes beyond rituals and traditions. It challenges us to live in a way that reflects His lordship and love. [31:32]

Hebrews 1:3 (ESV): "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high."

Reflection: How can you incorporate the recognition of Christ's divinity into your personal worship practices this week?

Day 3: The Church's Mission and Purpose
The church exists because of Jesus' death and resurrection. Our purpose is to glorify Him and live out His teachings, making Him known to the world. Without Christ, there is no reconciliation with God or hope beyond this life. This mission is not just for church leaders but for every believer, as we are all called to be ambassadors of His love and truth. Our lives should be a testament to His grace, drawing others to the hope we have in Him. [35:53]

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (ESV): "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us."

Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear about the hope and reconciliation found in Jesus? How can you share this message with them this week?

Day 4: Humble Stewardship
As stewards of Christ's mission, we are called to serve with humility and recognize that the church belongs to Jesus. Our ministries and community life should reflect our devotion to Him. This means prioritizing His will over our own ambitions and desires, seeking to serve others as He did. Humble stewardship involves recognizing that our gifts and resources are entrusted to us for His glory, not our own. It calls us to a life of service, where we put others' needs before our own. [38:40]

1 Peter 4:10-11 (ESV): "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ."

Reflection: What is one way you can serve someone in your community with humility this week, reflecting Christ's love and grace?

Day 5: Faithfulness Over Success
Jesus calls us to be faithful, not necessarily successful. Our focus should be on being faithful stewards of the gospel, trusting that God will bring growth and transformation in His time. This perspective shifts our priorities from seeking worldly success to pursuing spiritual faithfulness. It encourages us to trust in God's timing and plan, even when we don't see immediate results. By focusing on faithfulness, we align ourselves with God's purposes and find peace in His sovereignty. [50:32]

Galatians 6:9 (ESV): "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to shift your focus from success to faithfulness? How can you trust God with the outcomes this week?

Quotes

"这五个 D NA 是解释我们教会是怎样的教会 Who we are 我们的教会是怎样的 As a church Who we are as a church 我们教会的身份还有我们的使命当然我们除了五个 D NA 之外还有五个 M issions 五个 M 所以大家去我们的网站看我现在不去解释这个东西但是我们的教会的这个讲道系列会围绕着这五点去讲教会我们的教会是怎样的存在 What is it What does it make up our church What is it that our church is different Why do we behave in this particular way So we will focus We will be using these five different DNA s and to be our series We will talk about each one of them 我们每一点去讲那么今天的第一讲我们第一个的讲道就是第一样我以福音为中心的那么我们一会儿会和大家继续讲下去那么除了这个我们新的我们的教会的这个讲道系列之外接着我们都会有由马太福音我们开始马太福音的书卷 We will start the series on the book of Matthew so it will be a lot of mini series com prising the whole book of Matthew the whole series 我们不同的细的系列接着组成一个大的整个马太福音的讲道那么我们将它分成细个我们可以每一个细的讲道系列里面有一些特别的重点特别的 f ocus 去和大家讲 We will focus on a different aspect of that mini series or that per ic ope 让大家去看角度这个主题那么在这些讲道系列中间 B et ween all these series We have top ical ser mons Top ical series 那么呢那么特别就是我想在九点钟从不放在这里我想有一些给大家一些的 in put 给大家一些的参与 So I want your input about what those topic could be If I were If you want to If you want to Listen to a top ical sermon 你想听听想听到什么主题 What do you want to hear What are the things that you are concerned about thinking about on your heart And I want to ask P ast or Antonio I want to I may not have the answer Okay But I want to ask I want to know about that 这样所以你们可以参与这个 in put 在我们现在我们的 Y F M 的 IG 以及我们 C anton ese S ervice 的 IG 上面有一个 post 我没有打出来如果你上 IG 应该看到有一个 post 是问你们想问什么问题 There are comments in the post com ment in the post and tell us What do you want to know In the form of question 用一个问法问题的方式去问的那你可以说比如说究竟圣经是怎么看 trans gender 这个 iss ue 呢就是" [00:15:52]

"专生这个议题圣经是怎样去想的呢你可以问这个问题我们就会在你们所发布的问题上面就会去选一个我就会尽量去准备在一个 top ical sermon 的时候就和大家去分享究竟圣经怎样看 trans gender 这个是我就是求其 make up 的 What 's on your mind could be different 你们在想的你们想知道的可能是不同的可能你说究竟末世是怎样可能你们在读启示录末世究竟是怎样的一回事 top ical sermon 我们就会从那些问题里面去选然后就会去那里和大家分享 So we 'll pick from the question that you submit We may not cover all of them If we have too many And I may not be the best person To explain them as well If I think there are some things that I don 't know I don 't think I know them very well I may have other speakers To answer these questions Okay You can go to our IG And ask your questions If you don 't have an IG You can email me But try your best to use our IG You can take advantage of the flow Like this So get it done Get us some activities going Okay 我们回到今天讲道的主题 So back to our topic today Our church 如果我们问先给大家一个问题 Why is there church? Why there is church? How would you answer that question?" [00:20:51]

"那又是什麽意思呢你要越問其實如果是讀哲學的那些越問就越多問題越問就去不到什麽是什麽然後你就會說 Oh it 's a matter of sem antics 解釋了字意的意思而已那不是的但是我們要尋根問底是問 Where do we come from What is that 最最最開始的時候什麽意思福音為中心以福音為中心我們有問什麽是叫福音福音為中心的教會是怎樣的一個教會呢跟大家解答一樣問題或者解答這一堆的問題最後我都要回來了就會一起看《哥羅西書》第一章的十五到二十節會跟大家看《哥羅西書》的第一章十五至二十節 We look at Col oss ians 1 15 - 20 That is the chapter the paragraph we are going to look at today to answer all of these questions What does it mean to be gospel centered to be to answer the question of why there is a church We will start with that 在《哥羅西書》的書信裏是保羅寫給《哥羅西教會》的一個書信 It 's a letter that Paul wrote to the church in Col oss ae 十五至二十節 in particular 是一個他們說是一個 hy mn It 's a hy mn that was probably sung by the church in Col oss ae in the churches 在那個時候關於這些詩歌其實是一個很特別的地方 It 's very interesting 因為這個書信 The letter that was written to the Col oss ae church It was as early as in the AD 60 - 62 這個書信最早成書的時間是大概 most commonly 最多人認為的時間是主後 60 - 62 年左右成書的即是說主耶穌基督死了如果當是 33 年左右的時間祂釘十字架死復活那段時間發生的話在 30 年 in 30 years People are singing this hy mn about Jesus" [00:22:46]

"being equal to God being equal to God It 's very dramatic In 30 years They have a massive change in their worsh ipping and worship styles 在這個猶太背景猶太教的背景下他們也會唱詩的也會唱詩去敬拜但他們敬拜只有一個上帝是一個 mon othe ism 在獨一真神的那個宗教背景下 They are singing the ir attribute the ir worship can only be toward God only one God 但現在變成 Jesus is among the worsh ipped 所以在 L arry H urt ado 一個新約的學者他有這樣去說他說 The singing chanting of such old hy m ns is one of the several phenomena that demonstrate the remarkable and innovative nature of early Christian worship in which Jesus was programm atically included in the devot ional pattern of early Christian circles al ong with God and in ways otherwise we serve for God 他說你唱中任中你唱中你唱中" [00:25:07] (89 seconds)

"这些纵歌诗歌是展示早期基督教崇拜一种非凡特别的创新的一种现象之一原本只是保留给上帝的这种敬拜现在变成将耶稣和上帝摆在一起摆在他们的敬拜模式里如果我们知道犹太他们早期很多教会都是犹太人出身犹太人开始而去接受耶稣基督成为救主成为他们的新的敬拜对象的时候早期的教会已经传颂着这些诗歌代表了什么代表了耶稣已经是一个很重要的一环由之前没有教会到有教会最大的分别是耶稣 It 's Jesus me aning the critical d if ference between their past worship and their new church the early church worship Now let 's look at the s cript ure let 's look at the hy mn itself It could be a selection of part of the whole long er hy m ns We don 't know but this is what Paul quotes or rec ites in the letter 这个是可能只是一小段的成就诗歌里面其中一小段但这个就是保罗所所说所说所说写下去书上里面给教会的选段十五节这里说爱子是那看不见的神之像是守生的在一切被造的而先因为万有都是在他里面造的无论是天上的地上的能看见的不能看见的或是有权位的统治的或是执政的掌权的一概都是借着他为他做的他在万有之先万有也靠他而存在他是身体教会的头是原始是从死人中复活的守生者好让他在万有中居首位因为神喜欢使一切的丰盛在他里面居住对不起在他里面居住借着借着他神使万有与自己和好无论是天上的地上的天上的都借着他在十字架上所流的血促成了和平" [00:26:32]

"六节的经文讲了所有关于基督的一个很 conc ise 的 ch rist ology 一个很 conc ise 的 g ospel 这个我刚才讲的不是一个一个整段的诗只是可能可能有可能抽取出来都可能是整段的诗歌我们不知道的但是我们只是看这六节的经文我们可以看到几样东西几样东西我们不会我们不会全段诗去解释但是我们会只是 I 'm just going to present to you I 'm not going to explain the whole p sal m like one line by line because there will be a lot of things to talk about but I 'm just going to talk about what they are trying to present about Christ and then we 're going to draw the implication about what that means for the church ok 我不会讲全部只是讲他们所讲到的东西对于教会的意义是什么接着我们去做一个 im plic ation" [00:29:14]

"首先由十五至十七節 From verse 15 to 17 These two things are very evident 兩樣東西很突出首先耶穌他說耶穌是神的形象" [00:30:22]

"神是無形無象 It's invisible God is invisible 他們說不可以 Attribute任何的icon 任何的idol, image to God But then here it says Jesus is the icon of God It's very subversive 是很顛覆性的對於當早期的基督教徒來講就好像如果你現在對於我們現代人來講就好像我們說少如耶穌是黑人對於某些人來講耶穌是African 對於某些人來講會覺得好 It's inconceivable When you say that Jesus is African Or North African 我想像不到 But it could be fact" [00:30:37]

"這裡講耶穌是神的形象那種顛覆性和我們平時所想到所見到的東西是很不同的 First thing He is the representation of God 祂是上帝的那個形象和上帝有什麼形象 It's in Jesus That's the first thing that he talked about 第二樣東西他說 Jesus is creator Not created beings 十六十七節不斷地重複所有東西都是藉著祂做的 All things were created through Him And for Him 所有東西都是為了祂做的祂不是被做的雖然祂是人的樣式但是祂是pre -eminent 是元首的所有萬有的元首萬有被做之先的" [00:31:38]

" 其實這也是很瘋狂的事情講一個曾經活在祂當中的人原來這個就是做物主 That kind of impact That kind of shock values 是當時是同所以為什麼祖籍教會受到這麼多的逼迫不是開始逼迫不是來自羅馬教廷是來自猶太教猶太的其他信徒直到保羅其中一個逼迫教會的早期的一個人物是猶太教的人去逼迫這一幫信了耶穌的猶太人 It wasn't the Roman Empire that persecuted the Christian at the very early stage It is those who are in the Jewish faith of the Judaism Paul is one of those who persecuted the early church" [00:32:22]

Chatbot

Transcript

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