Ministry Objectives

Anyone who does not know Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior is separated from God with a heart darkened by sin. We do not believe that all unbelievers are as sinful as they could be, but that all people sin because they are sinners, and none can make any credible step toward God on their own. The only hope for sin-darkened hearts is God’s gospel grace providing their justification before God through the atoning work and imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Gospel Message

The gospel found in Scripture says the one true holy and righteous God had mercy on sinful people by providing His sinless Son (Jesus) as a sacrifice on the cross. Jesus willingly offered Himself as an innocent and sinless blood sacrifice, appeasing the wrath of God by paying the penalty for the sins of those He came to save. The confirmation of victory over sin, death, and hell was verified when Jesus rose from the dead after three days. More than 500 people saw Him over the course of forty days (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) before He ascended to a place of exaltation at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Through the grace of regeneration, the darkened sinful hearts of men and women are given life by the Holy Spirit and enabled to receive Jesus as the sole means of their cleansing and forgiveness. Because they trust the work of Jesus they are declared righteous before the righteous God. By the power of the resurrection, made effectual by the Holy Spirit, believers are enabled to live lives that are transformed more and more into the likeness of Jesus.

Being recipients of such abundant mercy creates a longing for needy believers to share this gospel hope with other needy unbelieving people. In a sense, evangelism is beggars trying to show other beggars where to find bread. Consequently, those who have been brought to saving faith in Jesus should never be puffed up and arrogant but humble and thankful. The reality of being made right with God through the work of Jesus should also fill every believer’s heart with delight and the desire to share gospel truth with others.

Gospel Commission

The desire of every believer should be to make the most of every opportunity to present the gospel to unbelieving people in his or her natural web of relationships (co-workers, friends, neighbors, etc.) as well as unbelieving spouses and/or children of attendees and members of Nor’wood Bible Church. Nor’wood Bible Church should be characterized by gospel intentionality as we lovingly connect with unbelievers whom God brings across each member’s path.

The following is a list verses that are connected to Jesus describing the gospel mission of His followers.

Matthew 28:16–20 “16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”

Mark 13:10 “And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.”

Mark 14:9 “And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done [anointing Jesus with a very expensive oil] will be told in memory of her.”

Luke 24:44–49 “44 Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.’”

John 20:21 “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’”

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The verses above relate to what is commonly known as “The Great Commission.” These were the instructions Jesus gave to His disciples after His life, death, burial, resurrection, and just prior to His ascension. As such, these commands carry much weight. These verses do not apply only to the original disciples. The fact that Jesus says, “I am with you always, to the end of the age,” makes it clear these verses apply to all the followers of Jesus in the New Covenant era. These commands certainly have application to the global mission activity of the church, but they also have direct application for every church and every follower of Jesus in a local church. Specifically stated, followers of Jesus are commanded to make disciples of Jesus. Sharing the gospel is to be the common responsibility and main concern of every local church and every member of that church. What we must do at Nor’wood Bible Church is to understand this responsibility and take the necessary steps to see it realized.

Gospel Focused

Biblical disciples need to be actively and purposefully looking for opportunities to initiate, pursue, and develop relationships so that the glory of God through the gospel can be shared with unsaved individuals. These relationships will be with people with whom we come into meaningful contact, often in the natural course of our daily lives (family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, shared interest groups, church attendees, etc.). In these relationships, we want to intentionally raise issues that will stimulate thought and conversation on significant subjects such as the existence of God, religion, suffering, evil, the life purpose of men and women, etc. God can use such interactions to cultivate the soil of an unbeliever’s heart. God is ultimately in control of all things, and He uses hardship, trauma, and tragedy to unsettle the unsaved and cause them to question their worldview. Followers of Jesus need to be attentive to these circumstances in the lives of unbelievers with whom they have relationships. In such times of distress, an intentional believer may be blessed with the opportunity to share the gospel message of salvation. As the relationship continues and deepens in trust, the unbeliever may accept invitations to attend an evangelistic course, attend a small group or attend church. This is the fruit of an intentional follower of Jesus with a God-centered and gospel-focused life who consistently seeks opportunities to present the gospel.

A person becomes a follower of Jesus by understanding and trusting certain truths about the gospel. The Holy Spirit exposes personal sinfulness and brings conviction of sin before the holy and righteous God whose standards he or she have violated. The Holy Spirit then shines the light of hope on the sacrificial work of Jesus on the cross and inspires the confession and repentance of sin, and confession of wholehearted trust and surrender to Jesus. The truth of the gospel must be revealed and accepted for eternal salvation to be realized. In other words there must be gospel comprehension to experience justification before God. Continuing to progress in gospel comprehension establishes a life-long process of experiencing saving grace as believers continue to grow in the knowledge of biblical truth, the knowledge of personal sinfulness, and the knowledge of the sufficiency of Jesus. As a church we want to encourage gospel comprehension because it brings glory to the God of abundant grace and mercy.

Understanding is Essential

The following verses show the importance of gospel comprehension as a foundational component of people coming to faith and a characteristic quality of followers of Jesus.

Matthew 13:23 “As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

John 3:3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Romans 10:9–10 “…9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

Colossians 2:6–7 “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

Gospel Opportunities

God calls the people of Nor’wood Bible Church to cultivate the ground of unbeliever’s hearts, to plant the seed of the gospel in those tilled hearts, to water the seed of the gospel with loving concern and tender care, but it is God who brings life and produces spiritual growth (Cf. 1 Corinthians 4:5-9). The following are some planting and watering activities made available through Nor’wood Bible Church that our members can prayerfully promote.

• Christianity Explored (Seven-week study of the Gospel of Mark focused on sharing Jesus as the only way of salvation to unbelievers and skeptics)
• Events and meetings for men and/or women that provide an opportunity to connect with unbelievers
• Pertinent subjects addressing life issues from a biblical perspective in the Adult Sunday School class
• Biblical truth presented in our graded Sunday School classes aids parents as they form a biblical worldview, drawing unsaved children to a saving knowledge of Jesus
• Passages from the Bible unpacked from the pulpit each week coupled with consistent gospel presentations
• Regular meetings of small groups of believers from the church where unbelievers can be invited to hear and witness the gospel at work in the lives of followers of Jesus
• Holiday meals are delivered through Mercy’s Gate (a fellowship of churches in Colorado Springs for the purpose of benevolence ministry to needy people in the city)
• Christmas Eve Service (an opportunity for the people of our church to invite unbelievers to a one-hour Christmas event where the gospel will be shared)

Exposure to the Truth of God and People of God

We are sure that the good work God begins in people He will bring to completion (Cf. Philippians 1:6). Because this is our biblical conviction, our desire is to help people to develop a regular practice of prayerfully growing in their knowledge of the Bible, their understanding of God and their appreciation of the beauty and relevance of the gospel. This is an ongoing need throughout the Christian life because learning and walking in gospel truth is a life-long process.

As a local church, we desire to be used by God to nurture gospel comprehension. This will be done as the gospel of justification and the gospel of sanctification are shared verbally and visibly. Day after day we want to live God-centered, Christ-exalting, Holy Spirit-inspired, and others-oriented lives that God will use to enlighten the hearts and minds of unbelievers around us. Since we believe the local church is the center of God’s purposes in this age, through time and trust we want to encourage unbelievers to attend Nor’wood Bible Church. When unbelievers attend our services, small groups, and events we want them to be exposed to:

• Worship in song, public prayers and communications expressing biblically accurate truths, humble awareness and thoughtful enthusiastic expressions of God’s greatness and glory
• Manifestations of delight and satisfaction in God displayed by God’s people. This would be evidenced by, but not limited to:
  • Countenances that display warmth and joy in the presence of God and His people
  • Prayers that communicate the need and anticipation of God’s glorious grace
  • Conversations that share awareness of God’s activity in and through His people
• Worshiping God in the Holy Spirit’s presence and power which creates sensitivity to God and others
• Displays of true humility, brokenness, gratitude, dependence, and praise before God while singing, being biblically instructed, or interacting with others

1 Corinthians 14:24-25 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.

We pray that God will use experiences like these in our church to lead unbelievers to grow in gospel comprehension and come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Baptism

As the gospel is shared, and people come to saving faith in Jesus, we want to teach them the importance of openly declaring their faith by meeting the Lord Jesus in the waters of believer’s baptism. Baptism is important, but it does not wash away sins. Only faith in the finished work of Jesus cleanses us from sin (1 Peter 3:21). Baptism is important because it portrays a beautiful picture of the believer’s union in the death, burial and resurrection life of Jesus (Cf. Romans 6:1-14). This glorious sacrament communicates grace to the believer and represents gospel comprehension.

Church Membership

The ministry of gospel comprehension is continued when baptized believers become visibly united with Nor’wood Bible Church as the visible body of Christ in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (We do not believe we are the only local church, but a local church that is a true and viable manifestation of the universal invisible Church.) Those who become members of our church will receive instruction about the doctrine and direction of Nor’wood Bible Church through reading our Ministry Information Notebook and being involved in a membership class taught at the church. In addition to receiving information about the doctrine and direction of the church, they will be instructed concerning the Covenant of Membership that they will be making before God and the people of the church. The Covenant of Membership expresses the God-enabled devotion embraced by individuals with the congregation and the congregation with the individuals, witnessed and empowered by God before His people. Since gospel grace is an important part of the life and function of the local church, membership in a church shows growth in gospel comprehension.

Communion

Regular participation in Communion, or the Lord’s Table (or Supper), is an important way for believers to experience grace from Jesus as we meet Him at His table to reflect on His life and work on our behalf. The corporate and humble remembrance of Jesus gives us an opportunity to take time to examine our hearts, confess our sins, and find cleansing for those sins (Cf. 1 John 1:8-10). As we remember how Jesus humbly offered His body as a sacrifice of atonement for our sins we are encouraged to renew our commitment to humbly offer ourselves to God and one another in a spirit of unified devotion to our Lord (Cf. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 11:17-34). Learning the value of remembering Jesus like this is a significant part of corporate development in gospel comprehension.

God’s gospel work continues in the church through the process of ongoing gospel sanctification. In the “equipping” description of followers of Jesus, God brings humble believers into vital connection with other humble and dependent church members to establish Christ-centered and others-oriented hearts in the people of God at Nor’wood Bible Church.

Founded on Truth

God uses the truth of His word and the fellowship of God’s people, both empowered by the Holy Spirit, to transform the lives of His people. As the people of God grow in their understanding of sound doctrine and experience life in the fellowship of God’s people, their lives will produce evidence of godly character. The following verses show why a solid foundation of biblical truth is essential to gospel transformation.

John 17:14–17 “14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.17Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

Romans 12:1–2 “1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

2 Corinthians 3:17–18 (In the context of reading the Scripture, Paul makes the following point) “17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

James 1:22–25 “22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

Since the truth of the Bible is so important to gospel transformation, we desire to be a church that communicates biblical truth from the pulpit, in the classrooms, in small groups, and in the events associated with our church. We encourage our members to be involved in an annual Bible reading program and in our church’s Bible memory programs.

Realized in Intentional Relationships

It is critical to understand that it is not enough to simply learn about God and gain knowledge of the Bible. God desires the truth of His word to transform the lives of His people. When a believer is transformed or sanctified by the truth, the Holy Spirit brings about a humble awareness of changes that need to be made in attitude, motivation, and the action of applying biblical truth. God designed the application of biblical truth to occur in a context of active and intentional interaction among God’s people. Proper gospel transformation cannot be achieved through independent or isolated followers of Jesus (Proverbs 18:1).

Although the pulpit ministry is not designed to be interactive, the preaching of God’s word in the context of the congregation is important because truth can be shared corporately with directness and forthrightness in a manner things could not be shared in a small group or one-to-one (2 Timothy 4:1-2). Truth shared in this fashion can be used by the Holy Spirit to transform the hearts of God’s people as they are convicted of sin and pressed into Jesus for forgiveness and transformation. Biblical messages presented from the pulpit also become common points of conversation and application. This is encouraged through “Recap and App” times that take place in small groups. As biblical followers of Jesus share and interact with one another, the truths of Scripture being the foundation of that interaction, God uses this interaction to bring about gospel transformation.

Humility and Dependence

The spiritual growth process is energized by the vital connection of brothers and sisters in Christ as they care for and support one another by sharing in each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and spiritual giftedness. Our desire is to be a congregation where the power of God is sought through confession of sin, humble prayer for God’s grace, and the mutual ministry of God’s people. This will result in God’s grace being made evident through repentance and faith in the transforming promises of God’s word, which produces God-honoring fruit in the believer’s life. Healthy followers of Jesus are characterized by humility and dependence upon God and one another. Spiritual growth that produces comparative condemnation is not true spiritual growth. We must protect against fleshly pride and worldly arrogance!

Attentive to One Another

Just as gospel comprehension is a life-long process, gospel transformation is an ongoing process as well. As the process unfolds, believers will experience a variety of circumstances and situations in life. As a congregation, we need to develop corporate awareness and sensitivity to those in our realm of influence to help one another grow and develop as a church experiencing consistent gospel transformation. The following verses help us to understand that this is a responsibility and a blessing for every member of the church.

Ephesians 4:11-13 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…

1 Corinthians 12:7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Hebrews 3:12-13 12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Hebrews 10:24-25 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

1 Peter 2:4-5 4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

We want to see our church produce intentional interaction to stimulate gospel transformation as we meet with one another at church, for fellowship, in small groups, for instructional courses, during retreats, at church events, and at outreach endeavors. When we meet together with hearts blessed with spiritual sensitivity toward one another, the following are areas in the lives of our brothers and sisters where we need to develop ongoing sensitivity.

Need Help

When we meet with one another, our interaction will bring to light people in our midst that need help. As followers of Jesus walk the narrow path, there will be repeated times help is needed. It may be the need for insight from God’s word, encouragement to keep pressing on, or the prayerful advice of a fellow believer. We want to develop sensitivity to those among us who need help because God uses our needs to connect us to one another.

Hurting or Struggling

Because we live in a fallen world, there will always be times of heartache, pain, suffering, and sorrow. Those who follow Jesus go against the flow of this world and other religions. This can cause opposition and persecution for believers. Our role as a church is to provide loving support for the persecuted and hurting, communicating the faithfulness of our God and encouraging perseverance as God’s people go through the refining fires of suffering. Unfortunately, hardship and trial can become an opportunity for the flesh to manifest a self-centered attitude. When the people of God drop their guard, they need to be lovingly encouraged to address their selfishness and to trust God and the faithfulness of His promises. Sinful and selfish choices also cause problems. The best thing that can be done for people who are overtaken in sin is to approach them in a humble and loving manner, illuminate their sin in the light of biblical truth, encourage them to confess their sin, and return to the joy and satisfaction of obeying God.

Steadily Improving

The journey of walking with Jesus through life is not one where the achievement of perfection is possible but where consistency in a God-honoring direction is pursued. The church can help people consistently pursue God by encouraging devotion to biblical instruction, encouraging fellowship with God’s people, encouraging the consistent observance of communion, and encouraging the practice of prayer. This helps them keep their lives centered on the gospel. As we witness the grace of God enabling the steady improvement of our brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to affirm God’s grace in them through words of encouragement to them and prayers of praise to God for the fruit He is producing in the lives of His followers.

Our church needs to pray for gospel grace in our life-long process of sanctification. We believe this grace will be evidenced through the lives of believers that are mutually founded on biblical truth. This truth will give substance to the relationships we have in the church that are vital to our growth. These relationships must be characterized by humility and dependence on our Lord Jesus Christ and on one another. When this happens, we will be properly attentive to each other as we are empowered to love one another, support one another, and affirm God’s grace in one another’s lives.

The natural result of Christ-centered and others-oriented hearts is the desire to joyfully communicate gospel truth with fellow believers and with unbelievers. A God-centered gospel presentation brings about gospel comprehension. This results in gospel transformation, which in turn produces gospel communication. The full fruit of progressive sanctification is made known when a believer and a church actively engage in gospel communication. Sharing the joy and truth of Jesus with others is a necessary manifestation of the believer’s faith. Arriving at this stage in our flow of ministry development brings the description of followers of Jesus full circle.

Avenues of Gospel Communication

Gospel communication can take place in a variety of ways and in a variety of contexts. The following verses of Scripture present some of the ways believers can engage in gospel communication.

Evangelistic Communication

Matthew 5:13–16 13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 28:18–20 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Acts 4:29–31 “29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”

Colossians 4:2–6 “2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. 5Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

Parental Communication

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Ephesians 6:4 “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Edification Communication

Romans 12:6-8 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Romans 15:14 “I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.”

Ephesians 4:15–16 “15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

2 Timothy 2:1–2 “1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

2 Timothy 3:16–17 “16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

Hebrews 3:12–14 “12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.”

Hebrews 5:12 “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food…”

Hebrews 10:24–25 “24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

1 Peter 4:10-11 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Owning the Truth

As we steadily grow through our knowledge of God and the Bible, experiencing transformation in attitudes, motivations, and actions, we will start to take ownership of the precious truths of God. We will be consistently filled with the Spirit and the word of Christ will dwell in us abundantly (Cf. Ephesians 5:18-21; Colossians 3:15-17). Our hunger for God and His righteousness will become insatiable. We will display perseverance as a general characteristic of life because we have heard the teaching of Jesus Christ and have put it into practice. As “engaged” members, we are established in the faith and have been tried and proven in the fires of life and ministry (Cf. James 1:2-5). Through these experiences we promote the authority of Jesus Christ and show ourselves to be lovingly committed to ministry in and through Nor’wood Bible Church. We can be greatly aided to engage in gospel communication by the following studies and books. (More could be given, but this is a start.)

• Foundational Truths (Nor’wood Bible Church)
• Doctrines of Grace (Nor’wood Bible Church)
• The Forgotten Trinity (James R. White)
• Christ and Culture (D.A. Carson)
• The God Who Is There (D.A. Carson)
• Desiring God (John Piper)
• The Pleasures of God (John Piper)
• Chosen for Life (Sam Storms)
• Convergence (Sam Storms)
• A Praying Life (Paul Miller)
• If You Bite and Devour One Another (Alexander Stauch)
• Don’t Waste Your Life (John Piper)
• The Trellis and the Vine (Colin Marshall & Tony Payne)
• God Is The Gospel (John Piper)
• Reforming Marriage (Doug Wilson)
• The Fruit of Her Hands (Nancy Wilson)
• Masculine Christianity (Zachary M. Garris)
• Shepherding A Child’s Heart (Tedd Tripp)
• Age Of Opportunity (Paul Tripp)
• Family Shepherds (Voddie Baucham Jr.)
• The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates (Matthew J. Trewhella)
• Slaying Leviathan (Glenn Sunshine)
• Fault Lines (Voddie Baucham Jr.)
• Strange New World (Carl R. Trueman)

Communicating the Truth

True discipleship is not achieved if the student of Jesus and the Bible is isolated and self-contained. Sharing the joy and truth of Jesus with others is a necessary manifestation of our faith as believers. God loves believers, and as a result, believers love God. But this is not a private experience; the Spirit of God empowers us to love others. People who are filled with love desire to benefit the ones they love. Those blessed with great riches of transforming truth desire to share those truths with others. Our loving heart as followers of Jesus will be seen in our desire and efforts to share the gospel of justification with unbelievers, as well as our desire and efforts to share the gospel of sanctification with fellow believers. So the proper goal of a believer is to lovingly and prayerfully bring the word of God to others—others meaning: unbelievers through evangelism and missions, new believers through sharing the basics, and other believers through growth in fellowship and mutual ministry. This entails time and personal connection with people, where there is an intentional focus on communicating sound doctrine and sharing life and ministry so that an example of godliness can be established. (Godliness is not legalism, but the whole of life immersed in the reality of God.)

Training to Communicate Truth

The following are some of the ministries where members of Nor’wood Bible Church can receive help in developing as gospel communicators. In each of these areas, training is provided to help people develop skills in leading a group or class and communicating truth. Members can start as assistants or helpers and then embrace the opportunity to lead or teach.

• Sunday School Teachers or Helpers (Please see Pastor Mark Landess – Elder of Children’s Ministries)
• Christianity Explored – group leaders or assistants (Please see Pastor Mark Landess)
• Small Group Ministry – group leaders or assistants (Please see Pastor Mark Landess – Elder of Small Group Ministries)
• Musical Worship (those interested in communicating truth through music should see Pastor Chris Gaona – Elder of Musical Worship Ministries)

Establishing Others in the Faith

We want to see each of our Engaged members of Nor’wood Bible Church take a new or needy follower of Jesus under his or her wing to help them get their footing on the basics of the Christian faith with helpful gospel communication. The following are recommended resources to help accomplish this goal.

• Just for Starters (seven foundational Bible studies from Matthias Media)
• Christian Living for Starters (seven foundational Bible studies from Matthias Media) NOTE: These are basic studies and each session can easily be completed in less than an hour.
• Six Steps to Reading Your Bible (Matthias Media)
• Six Steps to Encouragement (Matthias Media)
• Six Steps to Talking about Jesus (Matthias Media)
• Gospel-Centered Ministry – Justification & Sanctification (Nor’wood Bible Church)
• Foundational Truths Study – (Nor’wood Bible Church) exposing and describing foundational biblical truths and teachings that undergird the Christian faith

Vision for the Future

We want to see God fulfill His desire to make us a people that are truly satisfied with all that He is for us in Christ Jesus. We envision a church that longs to express and live the joy of knowing God and declaring His glory so that every adult and child influenced by our people and our ministries are inspired to see, savor, and treasure our Lord Jesus Christ.

As the Holy Spirit helps us to establish a God-centered, Christ-exalting, and gospel-focused ministry, we anticipate God will provide us with spiritual and numerical growth. As numerical growth happens we want to be prepared to make adjustments and changes in ministry structure to help us continue to progress in ministry and obey the Great Commission. As the following verses indicate, we are not trying to be presumptive toward God and His plans but humbly prepared to fulfill His purpose in our church ministry.

James 4:13-15 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

Proverbs 19:21 “21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”

For planning, we have the following plans for church growth:

Stage One – In February of 2022, we were approached by a property development company. We reached an agreement with them to exchange our 5-acre property for a 5-acre property near the corner of Judge Orr Road and Curtis Road outside of Falcon. They will build an 11,000-square-foot building that will seat 300. The new building is slated to be completed in November of 2024.

Stage Two – As we approach 250 and 300 in attendance, we will start making plans to plant another church in the area.

Stage Three – Over time we would like to see additional churches planted along the Front Range in cooperation with our sister congregations (our additional church plants).

We want to be involved in communicating the gospel in our city, in our state, in our country and around the world. In order to help us achieve that goal we support the following missionaries and their ministries of gospel communication.

Gene and Frances Davis – (From Nor’wood Bible Church) Athletes in Action – Colorado Springs and around the world

Kirk and Paula Dunham – Green River Bible Church in Green River, Utah

Eddie and Inday Gerodias – National pastor in the Negros, Philippines

Paul and Brenda Mattson – Training church leaders in Europe through Crossworld

Rodger and Lynne Schmidt – Mozambique, Africa through World Venture

Jeff and Mary Townsend – International Students Incorporated

Mercy’s Gate – a cooperative effort of local churches to help families in need

Life Network – a ministry committed to helping protect the lives of the unborn and newborn, as well as providing support to new moms and dads

It is our hope and prayer that God will use people from our church to connect with our missionaries and the people with whom they minister through short-term mission projects.

We pray that God will be our center and the gospel will be our focus as we seek the Lord’s direction and power to develop through these stages as a local church in Colorado Springs.