Ten Years of Gospel Unity!
On Sunday, March 12th, 2017 we (Corydon Baptist Church) celebrated our 10th Anniversary! The history of CBC is unique. In 1994, First Baptist Church of Corydon had an ugly split that resulted in a group leaving and forming Cross of Calvary Baptist Church. But in 2007, by a mighty act of God's grace and power, those two churches reunified under the banner of Corydon Baptist Church! We pray that our unique history will become commonplace, as churches that were once at odds lay down their offenses at the Cross and unite for the sake of God's glory in the gospel of Jesus Christ!
To open the celebration this past Sunday, I read John 17, and spoke these words:
We gather here today to celebrate! We celebrate Jesus, our Lord and Savior. We celebrate God the Father who sent Him to us. We celebrate God the Holy Spirit who imparts His eternal life to us. We celebrate the Triune God. He is a Tri-Unity. And we celebrate unity. True unity. Not unity that the world celebrates. But unity in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
By God’s Grace, Ten Years ago, two churches that had once been at odds made a decision. To honor God and His Gospel above all. Above all other differences. Above all other preferences. Above all other offenses. And Corydon Baptist Church was born! It was Gospel Unity birthed in hearts by the Holy Spirit that brought this church into being. And it is the Gospel which unites us still.
The Gospel of a Holy, Sovereign, Righteous, Just and Loving Creator God.
The Gospel of unholy, sinful, rebellious, fallen man.
The Gospel of mankind helplessly and rightly condemned by God and spiritually dead before God.
The Gospel of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, living a perfectly righteous life, dying a substitutionary death in our place, rising from the dead to justify His people before God, and ascending to reign at His Father’s right hand until His enemies be made His footstool.
The Gospel of the Sweet Holy Spirit convicting men and women of their sin and powerfully, irresistibly drawing them to faith in Jesus and granting them repentance of sin.
The Gospel of the Loving Rule and Reign of Christ in and through His New Covenant People, the Church, as He sanctifies us and sends us out to make Him known in Corydon and to ends of the earth.
This is our unity! This is our identity! The Good News that God rescues and forgives sinners through the Person and Work of His Son, Jesus. This is our heartbeat. Let all lesser things never come between us. And while not every Christian who comes our way wants to be a part of God's work among us, we must stay the course of living to please God and not men! Because we are Gospel People, first, foremost and always. This is how the world knows that God sent Jesus – a oneness that defies all worldly explanation. A family resemblance that comes only through a common commitment to let Jesus get bigger while we all get smaller.
This is our unity! This is our identity! The Good News that God rescues and forgives sinners through the Person and Work of His Son, Jesus. This is our heartbeat. Let all lesser things never come between us. And while not every Christian who comes our way wants to be a part of God's work among us, we must stay the course of living to please God and not men! Because we are Gospel People, first, foremost and always. This is how the world knows that God sent Jesus – a oneness that defies all worldly explanation. A family resemblance that comes only through a common commitment to let Jesus get bigger while we all get smaller.O God thank You for making us one! Make us one still. Let this Church be known, be marked by one thing and one thing only – The Glory of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Hallelujah! Amen.
by Keith McWhorter