Gospel Centered, Outward Focused

After seven weeks in Judges we are spending the next month leading up to Easter walking through what it means to be Gospel Centered & Outward Focused. Though we are prone to separate the physical and the spiritual; the sacred and the secular; who we are from what we do; the Bible teaches the exact opposite. From beginning to end, Genesis to Revelation, God speaks into the identity and activity of His people. In fact, sin entered into the world because Adam and Eve forgot who God declared them to be and acted out in subsequent disobedience. But when we rightly understand who we are as God's people, forgiven and restored through faith in Jesus, we will commit our whole lives to faithfully living out the mission He has invited us into.

Because All of Life is All for Jesus, we will take four truths that God declares over His people and connect the dots to four areas of life that have direct, gospel application:

1. IMAGE OF GOD >>> Because every person is made in the Image of God we must engage in loving our neighbor, valuing all human life, and defending the marginalized.-Action Points: Peace Feast & Racial Reconciliation: Woodlawn

2. ADOPTION >>> Because we are adopted as sons & daughters of God through faith in Jesus, we must reach out to the widow and the orphan.-Action Point: Enter into the crisis of foster care and adoption that has effected so many in Pima County (details TBD)

3. RESTORATION >>> God is in the business of restoration. Every human relationship is in need of restoration: man & God, man & self, man & others, and man & creation. The Good News is that God restores us and makes us whole in Christ. As the Christmas hymn says, "He comes to make his blessings flow, far as the curse is found!”-Action Points: Prayer Event & Spring Break Trip + Culture Tour

4. HERALD >>> God spoke the world into creation and declares what is good and true in all that He has made. Jesus, who is referred to in John 1 as The Word, speaks to create, judge, guide, forgive, and commission His people to be communicators, heralds, and proclaimers of His Good News.-Action Points: Participating & inviting those around us to be a part of our Good Friday & Easter services