A Call to Live Out Our Family Values
Dear Redeemer Church Family,
As I reflect on our recent night of worship, my heart overflows with gratitude for each of you. Our gathering was a powerful reminder of the incredible work God is doing among us. I am deeply humbled and honored to walk alongside you as we pursue Jesus together.
I want to share with you the three primary family values that I believe God is calling us to focus on. These values are more than just principles—they are commitments that will shape our lives, our families, and our community as we strive to be a Gospel-centered, disciple-making family.
1. Collective Devotion to Jesus Through Family Discipleship
Our first value is cultivating happy families that are collectively devoted to Jesus. We live in a time where there is an abundance of amazing discipleship materials. While these resources are valuable, they can sometimes lead to disjointed or individualistic pathways that disconnect us from one another. I believe God desires us to grow together as one body, just as the letters of Paul were written to entire churches.
At Redeemer, we have crafted a harmonious pathway for discipleship that unites us in our pursuit of Jesus:
Discipleship Guide: Men, I encourage you to lead your families using our Discipleship Guide. This resource provides a singular focus each week, beginning with our Sunday worship. It offers morning and evening verses and a "North Star" theme to meditate on with your children.
Unified Teaching: What we introduce on Sunday is reinforced throughout the week in our Gospel Communities and children's lessons. Our kids review on Sunday mornings what you've discussed at home, ensuring a cohesive learning experience.
Shared Scriptures: By reading and meditating on the same passages, we allow the Holy Spirit to teach, sharpen, and unify us. This like-minded commitment fosters a deeper connection as we grow together in faith.
Let’s embrace this collective devotion, ensuring that all aspects of our church life—from family discipleship within our homes to our personal devotion and GC gatherings—are aligned and harmonious.
2. Building a Gospel-Fluent Community Through Radical Hospitality
Our second value is fostering a Gospel-fluent community marked by radical hospitality. I want to encourage all our covenant partners to be deeply invested in our Gospel Communities. These are the spaces where we utilize our gifts, serve one another, and magnify Jesus together.
If you feel called to dive deeper into the Bible with peers, please don't wait for my permission to cultivate those relationships. We have many gifted leaders among us who can foster greater hunger and devotion to Jesus on a weekly basis. However, I urge you not to create rival groups that draw you away from our Gospel Communities. Instead, let’s enrich these communities with your gifts and passions.
For the majority of our covenant partners, I call you to:
Radical Generosity: Share your time, resources, and love generously within our community.
Deep Devotion: Commit wholeheartedly to your Gospel Community, investing in the lives of those around you.
Fervent Prayer: Pray earnestly for one another, building each other up as living stones in God's spiritual house.
Our unity and collective devotion serve as a powerful testimony. When the world sees a diverse group of individuals united in love and service, they are drawn to the Gospel. Let’s create a dwelling place for God's presence that shines brightly in our city.
3. Embracing Joyful Modesty and Passionate Purity
Lastly, I want to share the importance of joyful modesty and passionate purity in our lives. We are called to live in a way that reflects God's holiness, prompting others to ask about the hope we have in Christ.
Modesty, according to Scripture, is about drawing attention to our faces—the reflection of God's image in us—rather than our bodies. Our attire should highlight the joy and hope we have in Jesus, not promote sensuality or pride. By dressing modestly, we focus on inner beauty and allow our countenance to testify to God's goodness.
1 Peter 3:3-4 (ESV) says, "Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."
In terms of purity, we are not called to "white-knuckle" our way through avoiding sin. Instead, we are invited to delight in what God loves—purity, modesty, and self-control. Let’s treasure and celebrate these virtues, fixing our eyes on Jesus.
Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV) encourages us, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith..."
As we focus on Jesus, the temptations of this world will lose their appeal, growing dim in the light of His glory and grace. By embracing God's love and walking in His ways, we find true joy and freedom.
In Closing
Redeemer Church, these values are not mere ideas but a heartfelt calling I believe God has placed before us:
Collective Devotion: Let's unite in a harmonious pathway of discipleship, growing together as one body.
Gospel-Fluent Community: Let's practice radical hospitality, invest deeply in our Gospel Communities, and use our gifts to serve and love one another.
Joyful Modesty and Purity: Let's live lives that reflect God's holiness, embracing the virtues He treasures.
I love you church with all my heart. It is my life's calling to point us towards Jesus. Let’s continue to passionately pursue Him together, allowing His love to transform us and shine through us to the world around us.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May His face shine upon you and give you peace.
With deep love and commitment,
Pastor Cody
