South Hope Community Church focuses on 5 essential principles that under-gird who we are and what we do:
1. The CORE of the Gospel is what is known as the kerygma (Romans 16:25). It is the announcement from God and through the prophets of a promise of a Savior from sin and death. It announces the story and facts of His life, His sacrificial death, His resurrection and ascension, as well as His return to judge the living and the dead. It is the facts of what God did in, to, and through his Son to restore rebel humanity to a right relationship with God. (Acts 10; 1 Corinthians 1:13-31)
2. The CONTENT of the Gospel (Romans 1:16-17) is the invisible and spiritual work of God behind the scenes that the historical facts of the kerygma actually accomplished. God treated His Son as though He were a sinner, in order to treat sinners as though they were righteous. He does this when by grace through faith they have repented and believed the kerygma. The NT word euangelion, “good news,” when referencing the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus, is the good news that the sinner who believes is counted as justified and righteous. The content of the Gospel explains what the cross achieves in the purpose of God; i.e. forgiveness, righteousness, union with Christ, adoption and redemption etc. (Romans, Galatians).
3. The CONDUCT of the Gospel (Romans 12:1-2), the teaching known as the “didache,” is what every believer is expected to learn and live out in their personal walk before God, their families, the larger family of families, the Church, and the watching world. It includes living out gospel teaching in the midst of the world through sound doctrine (Titus 2:1), good occupations, and good deeds. The Household order of the Church and the family is central to the propagation of the kerygma, euangelion, and didache.
4. The CONTEXT of the Gospel: The local Church is the ordained context as a family of families of the establishing process of believers. Ephesians 3:8-11 shows the eternal purpose of God of structuring a unique people in Christ who would show His wisdom to the principalities and powers in the heavenlies. Believing Jew and Gentile become one new man in Christ, living according to the kerygma, euangelion, and didache as a well-ordered community as God’s people display God's glory (1 Peter 2:9-12). Christ's church benefits from strong families and strong families make a strong church. A strong church is a witness for the progress of the gospel (Phil. 1:27).
5. The COMMISSION of the Gospel was given to the Apostles to plant believing communities throughout the world. Making disciples (Mathew 28, Luke 24) to multiply Gospel communities is the task of the church. To evangelize strategically, establish churches, and entrust well-trained leaders is the cycle that Luke records in Acts as the model to be used for the sake of the Great Commission. Developing leaders who are prepared in skill, character, and Biblical theology, is vital to the furtherance of the gospel.
1. The CORE of the Gospel is what is known as the kerygma (Romans 16:25). It is the announcement from God and through the prophets of a promise of a Savior from sin and death. It announces the story and facts of His life, His sacrificial death, His resurrection and ascension, as well as His return to judge the living and the dead. It is the facts of what God did in, to, and through his Son to restore rebel humanity to a right relationship with God. (Acts 10; 1 Corinthians 1:13-31)
2. The CONTENT of the Gospel (Romans 1:16-17) is the invisible and spiritual work of God behind the scenes that the historical facts of the kerygma actually accomplished. God treated His Son as though He were a sinner, in order to treat sinners as though they were righteous. He does this when by grace through faith they have repented and believed the kerygma. The NT word euangelion, “good news,” when referencing the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus, is the good news that the sinner who believes is counted as justified and righteous. The content of the Gospel explains what the cross achieves in the purpose of God; i.e. forgiveness, righteousness, union with Christ, adoption and redemption etc. (Romans, Galatians).
3. The CONDUCT of the Gospel (Romans 12:1-2), the teaching known as the “didache,” is what every believer is expected to learn and live out in their personal walk before God, their families, the larger family of families, the Church, and the watching world. It includes living out gospel teaching in the midst of the world through sound doctrine (Titus 2:1), good occupations, and good deeds. The Household order of the Church and the family is central to the propagation of the kerygma, euangelion, and didache.
4. The CONTEXT of the Gospel: The local Church is the ordained context as a family of families of the establishing process of believers. Ephesians 3:8-11 shows the eternal purpose of God of structuring a unique people in Christ who would show His wisdom to the principalities and powers in the heavenlies. Believing Jew and Gentile become one new man in Christ, living according to the kerygma, euangelion, and didache as a well-ordered community as God’s people display God's glory (1 Peter 2:9-12). Christ's church benefits from strong families and strong families make a strong church. A strong church is a witness for the progress of the gospel (Phil. 1:27).
5. The COMMISSION of the Gospel was given to the Apostles to plant believing communities throughout the world. Making disciples (Mathew 28, Luke 24) to multiply Gospel communities is the task of the church. To evangelize strategically, establish churches, and entrust well-trained leaders is the cycle that Luke records in Acts as the model to be used for the sake of the Great Commission. Developing leaders who are prepared in skill, character, and Biblical theology, is vital to the furtherance of the gospel.
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