By Pastor Stephen Hess –
At Highview, our mission is “To glorify God and make disciples who are completely transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.” That mission statement reminds us that a Christian is someone who has been transformed by the gospel. The gospel message isn’t merely about information; it is about transformation! To put it another way, Christians don’t just believe in Jesus with our heads, but we also receive him with our hearts, and once received, Jesus begins to change us from the inside out. This process of transformation doesn’t happen all at once but continues throughout the course of our lives. Nevertheless, every disciple of Jesus is in the process of being transformed by the gospel.
This truth is illustrated for us in the way that Paul wrote his letters. For example, in the Book of Romans, Paul spends the first eleven chapters explaining the gospel message. He exposes our sin and our need for a savior, he explains how we can be justified through faith in Jesus Christ alone, and he examines the future hope that we have as the children of God. But he doesn’t stop there. In the last five chapters he explores how the gospel begins to transform us right here and now. He says in chapter 12, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). The message is clear: The gospel isn’t just a message about hope for the future but transformation in the present.
In September we will begin a new sermon series called “The Gospel in Life” where we are going to explore how the gospel transforms us. During this 8-week series, we will examine the gospel message itself and how it is distinct from all other man-made religions. We will see how the gospel diagnoses the human problem and exposes our need for a Savior. As the series continues, we will go on to discover what it means to live by faith in the Savior and how the gospel transforms the various spheres of our lives.
In addition to a sermon series, this will also be a small group series. Each week during the series we will have several small groups working through a Bible study that parallels the sermons. This small group study, which features teaching from the late pastor Tim Keller, will explore how the gospel can change our hearts, our community, and how we can live as disciples of Jesus in this world right now, even as we look forward to the promise we have in him.
These small groups will provide an opportunity to get connected in fellowship with other people at Highview and dig deeper into the topics we will be exploring in the sermons. On Sunday mornings there will be sign-up sheets available at church to join one of these groups, and I highly recommend that everyone take advantage of this opportunity.
Why are we so focused on the gospel at Highview? To put it simply, because the gospel is “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). This is why the gospel is at the heart of our message and the core of our mission. We want to see gospel transformation in the lives of everyone who comes through our doors, and we hope that you will join us this fall as we embark on this new series!