The gospel makes us a serving community of Christ’s kingdom

By his cross, our King rendered to us the ultimate service. As we have seen repeatedly, the cross is to be our pattern for living even as it is the ground of our redemption. We are to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13) the way God in Christ has served us.

Because the Son of Man has gone the way of the cross in order to serve his church, we must follow him in that way, by dying to ourselves in acts of service, service first toward one another within the community of the kingdom, then toward those who are still outside the kingdom.

The church then is Christ’s community of kingdom servants.

God’s light will shine in Austin as we embody the mercy of Christ’s kingdom; the life and justice of the new heavens will be brought into the present era. At Redeemer, as we have been shown the mercy of God in Christ, so we must be faithful to show mercy and love to those around us. The gospel of the King – a message that starts and ends by challenging us with of our own great ongoing need of God’s mercy – calls us not to ignore the poor and needy, either spiritually or materially, but rather draws us to them in love.