Understanding the VISION of CEFC
"Calling Our Community to Christ"
“We, at Community Evangelical Free Church (CEFC) gather together with an aim to...
GLORIFY God, remain GOSPEL centered, and GROW in Jesus.
GLORIFY God, remain GOSPEL centered, and GROW in Jesus.
We Desire to GLORIFY GOD:
I. The Bible is clear that glorifying God should be the aim of every believer’s life.
- 1 Corinthians 10:31 “… whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
- Other references ~ Psalm 115:1; Matthew 5:16; Revelation 4:11
- To “glorify” God means to ~ Bless, Honor, Revere, & Praise Him.
- “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever”
- Through Bible based, & God honoring preaching & teaching (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Timothy 4:1-5)
- Through encouragement in putting God’s Word into action (James 1:22-25)
- Through biblically sound singing & prayer (1 Thess. 5:17; Colossians 3:16-17)
- Through dying to self & living in accordance with our new lives in Christ (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20)
We Desire to remain GOSPEL Centered:
I. We believe the gospel to be of first importance & from which godly living flows.
- 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “For I delivered to you that of first importance, the gospel…”
- 1 Corinthians 2:2 “For I decided to know nothing … except Christ & Him crucified.
- Marriage ~ Ephesians 5:22-33
- Parenting ~ Ephesians 6:1-4; Colossians 3:1-4; 20
- Loving Others ~ Ephesians 5:1-2; 1 John 4:10-11
- Forgiveness ~ Matthew 18:21-35; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13
- Suffering ~ 2 Corinthians 4:13-18; Philippians 3:10-11
- Mission ~ Matthew 28:18-20; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
- Works & Service ~ Matthew 20:25-28; 1 Corinthians 15:10; Ephesians 2:8-10
- Fruitfulness ~ John 15:4-5; Galatians 5:22-25
- Generosity ~ 2 Corinthians 8:9, 14
- And on, and on we could go…
- Consistently, and clearly proclaiming the message of the GOSPEL – magnifying Christ!
- Allowing the GOSPEL to shape how we do church, relationships, & all areas of life, etc.
- Engaging in & training people FOR GOSPEL MISSION in our community & world.
- Remembering that the gospel of Jesus Christ is what binds us together as the Body of Christ – from every nation, tribe, & tongue!
I. The Bible teaches that growing in Christlikeness is essential to the Christian life:
- Romans 8:29 “… predestined to be conformed to the image of the Son…”
- Ephesians 4:11-16 “… we are to grow up into Him who is the Head, into Christ…”
- Philippians 1:6 “… He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion…”
- Philippians 3:12-16 “… I press on towards the goal of the upward call of God in Christ…”
- It is our PRAYER that God would continue to make His people more & more like JESUS!
- By recognizing & submitting to the work of the Holy Spirit in us (sanctification)
- By placing emphases on learning & applying the Word of God
- By being involved in & serving the local church (using gifts,working w/others, visiting widows & shut-ins)
- By being involved in & serving our community (service projects, food bank & less fortunate)
- By intentionally gathering together in Life Groups, Prayer meetings, etc. (fellowship)
- By purposefully engaging in the ordinances of the faith (Baptism & Communion)
As God leads us here at CEFC, it is our prayer & aim according the will of the Father, the grace of the Son, & the direction of the Holy Spirit, that the vision listed above would be accomplished in our gatherings. We do not claim to be the perfect church, but as C.S Lewis once declared in his book Mere Christianity:
"We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man."
May our progress as a church family continually be rooted in the truth of God’s word, the power of the gospel, & the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. And where we falter, may we repent & fix our eyes on Jesus once again.
"We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man."
May our progress as a church family continually be rooted in the truth of God’s word, the power of the gospel, & the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. And where we falter, may we repent & fix our eyes on Jesus once again.