Ripe for Harvest

90 • R IPE FOR H ARVEST

What Is a Church? Rev. Dr. Don Davis

The Church is the community of God’s people who acknowledge Jesus as Lord, who carry out his purposes on earth, comprised of everyone past, present and future, from every place on the earth and throughout history. The Church is God’s agent of the Kingdom of God, the body and bride of Christ, who as custodian of God’s revelation has responded to his work in theology, worship, discipleship and witness (see The Story of God: Our Sacred Roots ). Each local church is an embassy, serving as an outpost of his Kingdom. There is a single story revealed in the Bible (see Once Upon a Time ). The God of the universe, existing in three Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), is the Creator of all things, visible and invisible, who made human beings in His own image. Despite the rebellion of Satan and the first human pair, God sent a Savior who would overcome evil and win everything back for the glory of God. In this unfolding drama, there is an objective foundation (the sovereign work of God in creation, Israel, and Christ) and a subjective response (the Church’s participation in God’s Kingdom). On the objective side, the Father is the Author and Director of the Story, the Son is the Champion and Lead Actor of the Story, and the Spirit is the Narrator and Interpreter of the Story. The Bible is the Script and Testimony of the Story. On the subjective side, the People of the Story respond in orthodox theology as confessors of the faith, worship together as royal priests, are formed as disciples of Christ as sojourners in this world, and witness to God’s love as his holy ambassadors. This understanding creates the foundation for every expression in a local church (see Christus Victor: An Integrated Vision for the Christian Life and Witness ) including doctrine, use of gifts, spirituality, justice and compassion, evangelism and mission, and worship. The Church is called to faithfully embody and defend God’s revelation through the apostle’s testimony, fulfilling its identity as one, holy, universal, and apostolic community (see There Is a River ). The Church is to faithfully pass down what the Spirit gave to Christ’s people in terms of what they believe, how they are to worship, and what their Scriptures would be. These foundational beliefs undergird the faith for all believers, everywhere, and is called the “Great Tradition” (see The Nicene Creed ) which is embraced by all orthodox believers. This represents the teaching and practice of the apostles, written in the Bible, summarized

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