The Gospel

Life. Place. Meaning.

Incarnating the Gospel in Our Time

To see the fullness of the Gospel we look to see what God created in the beginning, what was lost in the fall, what is being redeemed now and what will be fully restored in the future.

The Gospel story is the message of the Church. To be able to tell the Gospel story we need to be able express this in a way that makes sense to our modern eyes and ears. The Gospel language we use is our attempt to tell God’s story through our story and be able to share that in a way that makes sense to those around us.

Eternal

Life

God spoke the world into existence and created all things and gives life through His sustaining word. God created us in His image from the dust and breathed life into us.

All was declared good. Mankind was designed to worship his creator but he sins, allowing death and pain to enter the world. Our hearts now replace God with unsatisfying idols. God comes to us as Christ, the Word made flesh. In Christ, we can receive a second life, and a new man takes the place as our head. In Him is life. The promise made at the fall to defeat the enemy through the offspring of woman is fulfilled.

We are no longer separated from God. He is with us. All things will be reconciled to Christ, death & pain will be no more, and life will be eternal. Through faith in the right works of Christ, we have new life.

Internal

Place

God gave mankind a standing in the created order, relationships with each other, and the Garden to dwell in.

Life was harmonious and balanced. As a result of sin, we were removed from the Garden, but place is more than geography. Place is people. We are now separated from God and relationships are marked by conflict. Where we failed in the Garden, Christ succeeds in the desert – and redeems us as a perfect sacrifice through His atoning death.

Hope, joy, peace, and love should now mark our relationships. Once again, we may approach God through Jesus Christ, our High Priest. Ultimately Christ will reconcile His Church to be His bride, invite us to live in the eternal City where all who call on His name will worship Him in perfect unity.

External

Meaning

God instructed man to follow and teach the Word, steward the earth, and multiply His image.

Due to the fall, we no longer find fulfillment in our work and purpose; instead we find turmoil, meaninglessness, and the suffering of futility. Christ’s resurrection restores us, and He reigns as our King and supplies us with abundant life. We are called to steward the mystery of His Gospel and strive to reflect Him more fully by being present, proclaiming truth, and demonstrating mercy.

We see this in part, but when Christ returns we will see this in full and ascribe pure glory to Him. His rule will be fulfilled, and all creation restored to the right balance under Him.

Blue / Eternal

Represents sky and that all people have an idea of eternality; there is something infinite and beyond us that we reach towards.

Red / Internal

Represents blood and that all people have an internal sense of identity; who we are and what our story is.

Green / External

Represents the verdant world around us and that all people have will have an impact on it, or leave a legacy behind them.

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