transformative gospel relationships

Perhaps the most foundational value of our nation is individual freedom. Our country loves to celebrate liberty. We have made “the self-made man” into the American ideal. To be clear, hard work is a good thing, so is freedom; but we must be careful not to let cultural values influence our view of the Christian life. The idea, “It’s just me and Jesus, and that’s all I need” is a lie. We cannot effectively grow in Christ in isolation. God never intended for us to try to live the Christian life by ourselves. “It is not good for the man to be alone” –Genesis 2:18. We need one another to increasingly grow into the image of Christ. 

Sanctification is a team sport. It’s a church effort. There’s an old hymn that laments our propensity to go wayward:

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it

Prone to leave the God I love

Because of the ongoing battles with unbelief and sin, God gave us Christian brothers and sisters to remind us of God’s goodness, of Christ’s sufficiency, and of the Spirit’s presence to help and guide. The body of Christ is a primary instrument of mercy that God uses to sanctify us. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote, “The truth on my brother’s lips is truer than the truth on my own.” He meant that sometimes we need to hear what we already know to be true from someone else. God uses that to sear the truth to our hearts. 

At Immanuel, we have organized our church to ensure that every member is in a context to be known, loved, and cared for by other believers. We want every member regularly spending time with other believers in prayer, Bible study, and accountability because this is how God intends for us to live and grow as disciples of Jesus.