We believe each of these three aspects are critical to following Jesus Christ's instructions to his Church...
Christ Exalting
We are Christ Exalting because Jesus Christ is everything. There is no person or thing more wonderful than Jesus. He existed before all things and is above all things. By Him and for Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him, and in Him all things hold together. He is the eternal Son of God. And yet Jesus Christ laid aside his glory to come into this world as a human being to save us from our sin. He came as our substitute, living a perfect life for us, then willingly giving His life for us on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. He has reconciled us to God by shedding His blood on the cross so that we now stand forgiven, holy and blameless before God. We belong to Jesus. We (the Church) are His body, and He is the head of the body. We (the Church) are His bride, and He is the bridegroom. He is everything, and everything to us. His name and renown are the desire of our hearts.
Gospel-Centered
We are Gospel Centered because the gospel is what inflames us with love for Jesus Christ, enabling us to live holy lives full of freedom and love and grace. The reality and message of this gospel is not only for sharing with non-believers, it is the fuel that burns in the heart of every Christian, every day, motivating us to love Jesus and live for Him. Without the message of the gospel constantly informing our thoughts and actions, we would easily slip into duty bound religion, legalism, formalism, and many other forms of idolatry. What is The Gospel? It is the good news that Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God, came to this world as a man to be our substitute. He lived a perfect life in our place because we are sinners, incapable of meeting God’s requirements of perfect holiness. Then He willingly gave His life for us on the Cross, taking our sins upon Himself, shedding His own blood and dying in our place, thus satisfying the wrath of The Holy God. But Jesus did not stay dead: He rose from the grave on the third day, conquering death for us. Now, He has been exalted by God the Father to the highest place of honor, and He grants forgiveness and eternal life to all who confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe in their hearts that God raised Him from the dead. This Gospel makes us both humble and grateful. Humble because the Cross shows us how awful our sin is; Grateful because despite our sin, we are declared “Not Guilty”, credited with Christ’s righteousness, and adopted into God’s family when we forsake our sin and put our faith in Christ and Him alone to save us. The Gospel is the message at the center of our life as a Church – not a certain brand of theology, or style of worship, or political ideology – giving us great joy and hope and love for Jesus Christ. It is the message that we want to remember and cling to every day of our lives, and it is the message we want to share with the whole world.
Disciple-Making
We are Disciple Making because we love Jesus Christ and we seek to live wholly for Him. One of the commands He gave His followers is to “go and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). Colossians 1:28 says, “Him we proclaim… that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” At SGCC, we desire not only to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but to help believers grow in their maturity in Christ so that they can be faithful witnesses to proclaim the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. We fulfill this mission by cultivating an all consuming love for Jesus Christ by living Gospel Centered lives in our homes, schools and places of work; by financially supporting other church plants; by raising up men to be future pastors and leaders in our own church and future church plants, and by actively supporting Sovereign Grace Ministries, a church planting organization of which we are a part. Effective discipleship leads to men and women who are passionate about spreading the good news. This eventually leads to planting other healthy, vibrant churches where Christ is exalted and the Gospel in all its fullness is preached and applied to every area of life. It is in such churches that Christians can mature in Christ and live out the gospel by ministering to one another and the community in which they live.