Values of a Gospel-Centred Church

7th March 2022

What are the values of our church family? Who are we seeking to be and become? In this 5-part series, we will look at the five values of our church, which seek to keep the gospel at the heart of who we are and what we do.
These values are not new to Calderwood Baptist Church but whether you have been part of the church family for a long time or a short time, it is really helpful to be reminded of the culture we are seeking to cultivate in our church family at Calderwood.

Rooted in God's Word

It perhaps comes as little surprise that one of our church values is that we are Rooted in the Word of God. Surely this would be a value of every church? But to be rooted in God’s Word is more that just occasionally referencing it; it is more than turning to it for a bit of wisdom; and is more than paying lip-service to it.

Think about the feeding of the five thousand as John records it in John 6. Jesus miraculously feeds this massive crowd from the smallest of packed lunches. The crowd is utterly amazed at what Jesus can do and so, even though Jesus crosses the lake later in the day, they go in search of Jesus. It seems like such an encouraging scene of people searching out Jesus. However Jesus knows what is really going on and he tells them that the only reason they are searching him out is because he filled their stomachs. And he exhorts them to believe in Him and in God who sent Him – he explains that He is the bread of life and whoever comes to Him will have eternal life. But this was too much for the crowd – John tells us that nearly the whole crowd left. With just his disciples remaining, Jesus asks them, ‘do you want to go away as well?’ And Peter famously answers, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’ (John 6:68)

Just as roots in plants and trees are essential for life, the believer must be rooted in God’s Word because they are the words of eternal life. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8 when he said,
'Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' (Deuternomy 8:3)

In Equip, we were looking at the opening chapters of Genesis and noting how the Spirit breathed life into Adam and he became physically alive (Gen 2:7). In the New Testament, it tells us that God breathes out his life-giving Word, which makes us spiritually alive (2 Tim 3:16).

To be rooted in God’s Word is not simply to give assent to particular doctrines or to consult it like a handbook when we face particular challenges. To be rooted in God’s Word is to have life in Jesus. Jesus says this Himself in John 15, when He says that to abide in Jesus is to abide in His words.

Every aspect of life in Christ is found in His word and is taught to us by the Holy Spirit – Paul tells Timothy that God’s Word shows us the way to salvation in Jesus Christ, that God’s Word enables us to persevere, that God’s Word equips us for good works (2 Tim 3:15-16). The Psalmist says that God’s Word comforts us in our afflictions because it is a life-giving promise (Psalm 119:50), that God’s Word strengthens us because it is the source of our life (Psalm 119:28), and that God’s Word directs us as the only light to our path (Psalm 119:105).

And so to be Rooted in God’s Word is to recognise the utter centrality of God’s Word in giving us life. Therefore, as a church that is Rooted in God’s Word we seek to be a people who hold out God’s Word as the only message that gives eternal life. We believe the words of scripture are life-giving words.

We trust that God’s Word is indeed powerful to bring about salvation and sanctification in our lives.

We believe that God’s Word is His chosen means to equip us, mature us, comfort us, strengthen us, and grant us peace and joy.

Therefore, as a church, God’s Word is central in our worship services, in our evangelism, in our discipleship, in our ministries, in our prayers, and in our songs.

We seek to teach the whole counsel of God believing that all of scripture are God's perfect, infallible words.

We submit ourselves to all of God's Word because to submit to God's Word is to submit to God.

And we believe that where we struggle to believe or accept God's words, the difficulty lies within ourselves and not with scripture.

And, as a church, we seek to make God’s Word central in every part of our lives and in our conversations because we believe that God’s words are powerful to give and sustain our spiritual lives.

Next - Empowered by the Spirit