Before examining who we are or what we should do, we need to start with who God is — and God has most clearly and powerfully revealed himself in Jesus Christ.
It is all about Jesus.
The only way we can rightly understand who we are as individuals and a community is through Jesus. We can only know how we should live by knowing who Jesus is and who we are in light of him.
The big picture.
The Gospel is the good news that God sent his Son to rescue the world from the effects of sin; to create a new humanity. Every human is separated from God, the source of life, and is spiritually dead and deserves death. Through Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension, he makes a way for us to be reconciled to God and receive eternal life.
Jesus offers us an invitation.
He will forgive our sins, welcome us into his family, and change us from the inside out. Jesus takes the death we deserve and gives us the life we cannot earn on our own.
One day...
The whole world will be renewed and restored to the way God originally created it. Rebellion, death, decay, injustice, and suffering will all be removed. When everything is restored, God will be seen by all for who he truly is — he will be glorified. (Ephesians 2:10 and 14-22; 2 Corinthians 5:15-21; Revelations 21)
The gospel is not just about your individual happiness or God’s plan for your life — it is about God’s plan for the world.
The gospel is not just about your individual happiness or God’s plan for your life — it is about God’s plan for the world.
That is the big picture.
For more information, here is a summarized statement of our beliefs.
CityLights is part of the PAOC denomination.