Learning the Gospel
Our church is a community of learners. If there’s one thing we enjoy learning about it’s the gospel. Learning about the gospel begins with the fact that God alone is God. There are no other gods before Him. He is altogether sovereign, consummately good, thrice holy, and perfect in power. All exists for the glory of God. He has created all things for His glory, for His purposes, for His worship, and for His pleasure. The God who created us calls us to worship Him and to reflect His glory. As we learn about the gospel together we will talk about a high view of God. A lot.
Learning about the gospel also involves understanding ourselves. When we see God biblically, we see ourselves biblically. Even the two people who had a running start at perfection could not pull it off. Whether it’s Adam and Eve, or you and me, all fail at reflecting God’s holiness and all have fallen short of God’s glory. Humanity is overcome with depravity. The Apostle Paul echoes the heart cry of each person who understands their sin, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Learning about the gospel involves a low and humble view of ourselves.
One of the constant frictions in the Christian life is developing a high view of God and a low view of ourselves. The answer to our desperate dilemma is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ alone. Herein lies the heart of the gospel: There is One who lived the perfect life of holiness; the life we could never attain on our own. And there is One who died the sacrificial death; the death that would once and for all satisfy the holiness of God. And there is One who rose victoriously from the grave; displaying His resurrection power and flexing His sovereignty over sin and death. His name is Jesus. He is the One who knew no sin, yet would become sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. He alone reconciles us to holy God. To answer Paul’s problematic question above, the gospel leads us to exult with Paul, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” This is why the term gospel literally means, “good news!”
It’s been said tongue in cheek, “If you ever find a perfect church, don’t join it, because it won’t be perfect anymore!” Highview Bible Church is not a perfect church. We are however, a church who continually learns about the perfect God who graciously saves undeserving people like us through the perfect life, death, and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ!
Learning about the gospel also involves understanding ourselves. When we see God biblically, we see ourselves biblically. Even the two people who had a running start at perfection could not pull it off. Whether it’s Adam and Eve, or you and me, all fail at reflecting God’s holiness and all have fallen short of God’s glory. Humanity is overcome with depravity. The Apostle Paul echoes the heart cry of each person who understands their sin, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Learning about the gospel involves a low and humble view of ourselves.
One of the constant frictions in the Christian life is developing a high view of God and a low view of ourselves. The answer to our desperate dilemma is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ alone. Herein lies the heart of the gospel: There is One who lived the perfect life of holiness; the life we could never attain on our own. And there is One who died the sacrificial death; the death that would once and for all satisfy the holiness of God. And there is One who rose victoriously from the grave; displaying His resurrection power and flexing His sovereignty over sin and death. His name is Jesus. He is the One who knew no sin, yet would become sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. He alone reconciles us to holy God. To answer Paul’s problematic question above, the gospel leads us to exult with Paul, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” This is why the term gospel literally means, “good news!”
It’s been said tongue in cheek, “If you ever find a perfect church, don’t join it, because it won’t be perfect anymore!” Highview Bible Church is not a perfect church. We are however, a church who continually learns about the perfect God who graciously saves undeserving people like us through the perfect life, death, and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ!
Loving the Gospel
Our love for the gospel is reflected in a high view of the Scripture. We love to preach, teach, and read the Bible as the inerrant, inspired and authoritative Word of God. While the Bible is full of instruction, it is far more than instructional. The ultimate message of Scripture is divinely autobiographical. Throughout the Bible, we see who God is, what God does, and what God commands. The Word of God continually exalts the God of the Word. A strong theological and inerrant view of the Scripture develops a strong Christological view of the Scripture. In other words, from Genesis to Revelation, God is pointing us to a glorious understanding of Jesus Christ. To preach the Word of God is to proclaim the Son of God. The written Word is meant to continually point us to the Living Word. The message of the Bible is all about God and the gospel.
Loving the gospel involves loving the church. The term church literally refers to the gathering of “the called out ones.” In His sovereign grace, God has mercifully called out sinners from darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His Son. The church is made up of imperfect people who have been saved by a perfect God. Some have reduced the understanding of the church to institutions of organized religion. The Scripture describes the church as Bride of Christ. Jesus loved the church so much He gave His life for her. We love the church, because Jesus loves the church. Gathering as a church on Sunday morning extends far more than tradition or obligation. Gathering as a church is continually seen as an opportunity to love, serve, and give just as Christ has loved, served, and given to us. Church is a time to sit under the preaching and teaching of the God’s Word together. Church is a time to corporately worship together, singing praises to the God who is alone worthy of our worship. Church is a time to take communion together as we continually grow in our understanding of the one who loved us and gave Himself up for us. Church is a time to invite others in our local community to be part of our gospel community.
The adage says, “Love is how you spend your time.” Much of our time on Sunday mornings is dedicated to preaching. God’s Word is preached at Highview Bible Church. Preaching is to display divine authority and power. Due to the unique and peculiar demonstrative aspects of the Spirit, power, full conviction, and boldness, preaching is to be distinctly different from all other forms of communication. At our church, God empowers imperfect men to declare the excellencies of a perfect God through the proclamation of His perfect Word, to point themselves and their hearers to the perfect Son and His perfect gospel.
Loving the gospel involves loving the church. The term church literally refers to the gathering of “the called out ones.” In His sovereign grace, God has mercifully called out sinners from darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His Son. The church is made up of imperfect people who have been saved by a perfect God. Some have reduced the understanding of the church to institutions of organized religion. The Scripture describes the church as Bride of Christ. Jesus loved the church so much He gave His life for her. We love the church, because Jesus loves the church. Gathering as a church on Sunday morning extends far more than tradition or obligation. Gathering as a church is continually seen as an opportunity to love, serve, and give just as Christ has loved, served, and given to us. Church is a time to sit under the preaching and teaching of the God’s Word together. Church is a time to corporately worship together, singing praises to the God who is alone worthy of our worship. Church is a time to take communion together as we continually grow in our understanding of the one who loved us and gave Himself up for us. Church is a time to invite others in our local community to be part of our gospel community.
The adage says, “Love is how you spend your time.” Much of our time on Sunday mornings is dedicated to preaching. God’s Word is preached at Highview Bible Church. Preaching is to display divine authority and power. Due to the unique and peculiar demonstrative aspects of the Spirit, power, full conviction, and boldness, preaching is to be distinctly different from all other forms of communication. At our church, God empowers imperfect men to declare the excellencies of a perfect God through the proclamation of His perfect Word, to point themselves and their hearers to the perfect Son and His perfect gospel.
Living in light of the Gospel
Highview Bible Church firmly believes learning and loving the gospel results in living in light of the gospel! We don’t want to merely be hearers of God’s Word but doers of God’s Word.
Living the gospel means we are seriously intentional about discipleship. Jesus discipled others. The Apostle Paul discipled others. Biblical discipleship is encouraged in the local church and in the home. Pastors, congregants, and families should all consider themselves as “disciple-making disciples.” A primary focus of our church discipleship process is the participation in Growth Groups. Men of integrity are intentionally trained and discipled to lead Growth Groups. Everyone who calls Highview their church home is expected to be part of a Growth Group.
Another opportunity to live out the mission of the gospel is to plant churches. Just as we want to develop individuals to be disciple-making disciples, we want to develop our church to be a church- planting church. We are eager to see how God’s grace leads us in our desire to plant God-glorifying, Bible-preaching, people-loving, community-serving, gospel-living, and Christ-exalting churches.
In addition to living out the gospel in our local community, we want to see the gospel be the joy of all people throughout the world. We want to train and disciple our people to go to the ends of the earth. We want our people to joyfully send those we’ve trained and partnered with in gospel work. With all boldness and joy, we want to take part in what the Holy Spirit is doing to display the glory of God globally, drawing people to repentance and faith through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Much of the Bible is dedicated to the family. In light of God’s attention and affection for the family, our church welcomes families, and loves to encourage, exhort, and equip families to live out the gospel for the glory of God. Living out the gospel in our families includes a high view of marriage. God Himself designed marriage. Marriage is meant to reflect the gospel of Jesus Christ. The joys, the challenges, the intricacies, and the intimacies of marriage are tools in the hand of a good God to shape and sanctify us more and more into the image of His Son. We believe marriage is to reflect the fact that both men and women were created equally in the image of God. In addition, we believe God created men and women distinct of one another and distinct in role. We believe the Bible teaches a “complementarian” view of men and women. We celebrate the biblical calling of both men and women in the home and in the church.
When it comes to a particular philosophy of family ministry and parenting, our church would reflect the Family-Equipping model. While the Family-Integrated and Family-Based models have good points, our understanding of the Bible’s teaching on the family would align us more closely to the Family-Equipping model. In short, the Family-Equipping model “espouses a partnership between the home and the church where the church oversees and equips the members of their church, in particular parents, to disciple their children.” On a practical note, children are welcome in the corporate worship service and are welcome to participate in our children’s ministries. Our goal is to partner with parents and to equip families for the purpose of raising a godly generation who fears and loves God, and are transformed by the gospel. So whether you’d like your kids to learn about God and His Word in a children’s ministry classroom, or if you would like to have them sit with you in the service, we’d like to support you.
Living the gospel means we are seriously intentional about discipleship. Jesus discipled others. The Apostle Paul discipled others. Biblical discipleship is encouraged in the local church and in the home. Pastors, congregants, and families should all consider themselves as “disciple-making disciples.” A primary focus of our church discipleship process is the participation in Growth Groups. Men of integrity are intentionally trained and discipled to lead Growth Groups. Everyone who calls Highview their church home is expected to be part of a Growth Group.
Another opportunity to live out the mission of the gospel is to plant churches. Just as we want to develop individuals to be disciple-making disciples, we want to develop our church to be a church- planting church. We are eager to see how God’s grace leads us in our desire to plant God-glorifying, Bible-preaching, people-loving, community-serving, gospel-living, and Christ-exalting churches.
In addition to living out the gospel in our local community, we want to see the gospel be the joy of all people throughout the world. We want to train and disciple our people to go to the ends of the earth. We want our people to joyfully send those we’ve trained and partnered with in gospel work. With all boldness and joy, we want to take part in what the Holy Spirit is doing to display the glory of God globally, drawing people to repentance and faith through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Much of the Bible is dedicated to the family. In light of God’s attention and affection for the family, our church welcomes families, and loves to encourage, exhort, and equip families to live out the gospel for the glory of God. Living out the gospel in our families includes a high view of marriage. God Himself designed marriage. Marriage is meant to reflect the gospel of Jesus Christ. The joys, the challenges, the intricacies, and the intimacies of marriage are tools in the hand of a good God to shape and sanctify us more and more into the image of His Son. We believe marriage is to reflect the fact that both men and women were created equally in the image of God. In addition, we believe God created men and women distinct of one another and distinct in role. We believe the Bible teaches a “complementarian” view of men and women. We celebrate the biblical calling of both men and women in the home and in the church.
When it comes to a particular philosophy of family ministry and parenting, our church would reflect the Family-Equipping model. While the Family-Integrated and Family-Based models have good points, our understanding of the Bible’s teaching on the family would align us more closely to the Family-Equipping model. In short, the Family-Equipping model “espouses a partnership between the home and the church where the church oversees and equips the members of their church, in particular parents, to disciple their children.” On a practical note, children are welcome in the corporate worship service and are welcome to participate in our children’s ministries. Our goal is to partner with parents and to equip families for the purpose of raising a godly generation who fears and loves God, and are transformed by the gospel. So whether you’d like your kids to learn about God and His Word in a children’s ministry classroom, or if you would like to have them sit with you in the service, we’d like to support you.