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Identities

When the gospel takes root in a person, it creates a fundamental change of identity. Those who were formerly God’s enemies (Romans 5:10) become his friends (John 15:13-15). Those who were previously slaves to sin become slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:17-18). Those whose hearts were dead toward God are made alive in him (Ephesians 2:1-6). Those born into sin are reborn in Christ and become “a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Exactly what does this change look and feel like? A Christian’s new identity can be viewed through multiple perspectives or “lenses.” So we speak not just of a new identity, but of our gospel identities. The gospel transforms us in a holistic way that can’t be summarized in just one way of speaking.

Learner

Before the gospel changes us, we are enslaved to “the desires of the flesh and of the mind” (Ephesians 2:1-3). We act as our own gods, pursuing our own desires and committed to our own independence. But through the gospel, we become “obedient from the heart” to Jesus’ teaching (Romans 6:17-18). We are changed into disciples, or learners – people who want to come under Jesus’ teaching, submit to his ways, and learn what it means to live life for His glory.

As learners, we study the Bible to understand what God has said. We practice the disciplines of prayer, solitude, and reflection so that we can discern the leading of the Holy Spirit. We learn from the teaching, training, and wisdom of godly leaders and teachers. We create communities of discipleship so that we can learn from each other. And we engage the world around us so that we can relate with relevance and wisdom to those who share our cultural setting.

Family

Before the gospel changes us, we are “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:1-3). We are subject to God’s judgment because of our sin. But through the gospel, we are adopted into God’s family (Galatians 4:4-7). We become his sons and daughters. We are no longer orphans, alienated from God and each other, but brothers and sisters in God’s family.

As family, we live by the “house rules” given in Scripture. We look out for each other and care for one another. We are jealous for the honor of our Father’s good name (Matt 6:9). And we feel love and kinship toward those alienated from God, longing for them to be reconciled to our Father who created them in his image and likeness (Genesis 1:27).

Servant

Before the gospel changes us, we love to “follow the ways of this world” (Ephesians 2:1-3). Our sin, which feels like an expression of freedom, actually enslaves us (Romans 6:16). But in the gospel, God delivers us from our slavery to sin and self so that we can freely serve him by the power of His Spirit (Romans 6:18-22). Released from self-absorption, self-concern, and self-worship, we can joyfully die to ourselves in order to love and serve others, just as Jesus did (Luke 22:27).

As servants, we see all of life as service to God. We seek tangible ways to love and serve others. We meet the needs of our city through acts of compassion, mercy, and justice. We joyfully submit to God (James 4:7), to qualified spiritual leaders (Hebrews 13:17), and to each other (Ephesians 5:21). And we cultivate a lifestyle of simplicity and generosity to show that we worship Jesus and not the American idols of comfort, affluence, and success.

Rhythms

Our name, Coram Deo, is a Latin phrase that means "before the face of God." We chose this name to reinforce the fact that all of life is spiritual. Every moment is lived in the presence of God. There can be no division between sacred and secular - "everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:13).

This means that our gospel identities work themselves out in the stuff of everyday life. Every event of our lives becomes an opportunity for gospel formation and gospel mission. We are called and sent to be the church - the people of God - everywhere, all the time. Instead of passively experiencing life, we are to actively engage the world around us for the sake of God’s mission and glory.

This is what we mean when we talk about gospel-centered missional living. As a church community, we live missionally by observing the rhythms of living out and inviting in.

LIVING OUT: We live out the gospel as people immersed in the culture around us.

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. - 1 Peter 2:12

The Bible assumes that Christians will actually be living life "among the pagans." But many Christians have fallen victim to separatism, choosing to isolate themselves from the world and adopting an adversarial relationship to culture. This leads to a weak and anemic form of Christianity that prides itself on being distinct from the world, but has lost credibility and common ground and is therefore incapable of displaying the gospel in relevant ways.

The gospel empowers us to live as God's "sent" people (John 17:18) - missionaries within our own culture. We are shaped by our culture, but not defined by it. We do not isolate ourselves from the world; instead we seek to engage the world around us for the glory of God and the good of humanity.

We practice the rhythm of living out by:

  • Loving, blessing, and serving our neighbors in the culture
  • Listening to the questions, objections, and concerns people have about God
  • Hanging out "where people are" - joining the celebrations going on around us
  • Paying attention to the dominant stories that have shaped the people we know, so we can learn how to tell God's story in relevant and engaging ways
  • Giving generously and sacrificially to meet the needs of others
  • Working against injustice, oppression, and poverty in our city and in the world

INVITING IN: We invite others into community so they can experience the gospel as they sojourn among us.

Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Jesus to listen to Him. The Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." - Luke 15:1-2

Jesus welcomed anyone who was interested in learning from him. He hung out with people who didn't fit the religious mold. He regularly shared meals, conversations, and life with others, inviting them to encounter the kingdom of God. In the same way, we invite others into community so they can experience the gospel among us (not just hear it from our lips).

In our cultural setting, many people have become jaded toward the message of Christianity. They are not willing to hear about God unless they can see the kingdom of God in action. So we encourage them to journey alongside us and observe how the gospel affects our patterns of living, relating, working, and worshipping. Anyone who's curious about Jesus can sojourn among us, no strings attached. We're not trying to get people to just come to church. We're looking to be the church among them.

We practice the rhythm of inviting in by:

  • Practicing hospitality (opening our homes and lives to others)
  • Eating meals together
  • Cultivating generosity
  • Loving and serving the city
  • Gathering together in missional community
  • Living in repentance and faith (being open and honest about our sins and shortcomings)
  • Welcoming sojourners and skeptics to belong in our community - even if they don't believe yet