Formation
Be with Jesus and become like Him—that’s the easy yoke for followers of Jesus. In communion with Christ, we are formed by His teachings, His ways, and His affections—resulting in a full and fruitful life, bringing glory to the Father.
Formation is inevitable. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, every day of our lives, we’re being formed by what we read, what we hear, what we watch, what we do, and who we engage with. These things, repeated over time, shape our desires and beliefs, forming us in the image of one of two things—Jesus or the world. Followers of Jesus have a new King, who happens to be our Father, meaning we learn a new way to live in the unhurried rhythms of grace while unlearning the ways of our previous kingdom.
We believe deep fellowship with the Father is central to healthy spiritual maturity and formation which takes place personally and communally. We desire to encourage spiritual rhythms that deepen our affection for God, grow us into healthy Christlike maturity, and empower us for life-giving ministry inside and outside the local church. Developing a heart for the mission of God originates with a deep love for God—being with God informs doing for God.
Our prayer is believers get out from under the weariness and burden of cultural or religious expectations, ideals, identities, performance, and productivity—replacing that burden with the easy yoke of Jesus where we receive rest, healing, and satisfaction at the deepest level of our souls.
Spiritual rhythms or habits aren’t religious burdens. Think of them as a trellis, providing a structure to the way in which the Spirit shapes and grows us.
Personal Devotion
All that God has called us to do—love others, live in generosity, make disciples—begins with a love for God. That’s the goal of Life Community Church — deepening our love for God and becoming fully aware of His love for us. According to Scripture (John 15), abiding in Christ, remaining connected to the Vine, produces the fruit of the Spirit and it undeniably grows our affection for Him. The passage goes on to say, apart from Him we produce no fruit — in our own power, out of our own love, we can’t live the life God intended. Abiding in Christ is the key to faithfulness, fruitfulness, and flourishing. However, abiding isn’t just about obedience, it’s about our design. We were created for satisfaction in Him—the longing of our soul is for our Creator, where we find fullness and flourishing.
Spiritual practices don’t earn righteousness, nor are they religious bondage, quite the opposite, they free us from all other identities and life purposes. They serve as a conduit by which the Spirit transforms our hearts. These practices are a helpful tool in centering our lives around God, taking us on a path from knowing to believing. It’s a process of allowing the Spirit of Truth to bring illumination to the lies in our lives. A life spent abiding in Christ reveals our acceptance, our dependence, our righteousness in Christ, and freedom from religious and irreligious enculturation.
Communal Devotion
The Corporate Gathering of Life Community Church
Gathering with the people of God is both an act of love and discipline. There are moments in life we long to gather for worship, followed by moments we don’t. This is where abiding life is integral—we need the Spirit of Truth to reveal the lies preventing us from gathering as one body to worship the Father. Whatever prevents us from the presence of brothers and sisters in Christ isn’t truth.
We gather to join with the family of God in communing with the Father. It’s a time of spiritual encouragement (Hebrews 10:25) when followers of Jesus, despite our circumstances, unify in the hope we have in Christ Jesus. The corporate worship gathering has a humbling effect on our pride – it’s a time where we’re giving not receiving, we’re denying our preferences not catering to them, acknowledging our dependence and our reverence. It’s a gathering filled with people we didn’t choose to be part of our family but God did.
Our Sunday gathering is singular in focus, we gather to worship God. Free from entertaining distractions, competing allegiances, or unrealized idolatry. It’s freedom from what our flesh would have us believe.
Gathering with the body of Christ isn’t about comfort, it’s about completion.
The Fellowship of Life Community Church
Abiding in Christ reveals God’s heart for His children. Through abiding we discover His desire for selflessness, sacrifice, and generosity amongst brothers and sisters. As our love grows for Him, it grows for our spiritual family and compels us to love others as He intended.
Fellowship is where Spirit-empowerment within each believer does the work of building up one another. It’s where the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit are in operation. It’s where we bear one another’s burdens, rejoice when others rejoice, mourn with those who mourn. It’s the Spirit of God working through us to bless the Church.
Whether it’s organic fellowship that occurs out of relationships or a formal group gathering like Family Table, the desire is to embrace our diversity. God uniquely and intricately created us to be distinct from one another, so the goal isn’t uniformity…it’s unity. In Christ, we are equal and united!
A faithful walk with Christ leads us into more fellowship, not less.