Churches of Christ the King: Our Vision and Hope

Dr. Don Davis

Churches of Christ the King Our Vision and Hope

Table Of Contents The Vision of CCK Our Areas of Focus

2

Rediscovering the Primacy of the Faith Giving God s Story First Place In Everything

3

Gathering Exiles From Around the Diaspora Belonging and Being the Church Together

3

Confessing The Historic Christian Faith Understanding Our Faith Together

5

Gathering in Christ s Name for Mutual Edification Rehearsing the Story in Worship

6

:

'

:

:

'

:

Walking the Paths of the Talmidim Formed Spiritually Through God s Story :

6

'

Making Joyful Invitations to the Kingdom Living Out God s Story in Today s World

7

Join Us Become a CCK Member Affiliate or Associate

8

:

'

'

!

,

,

The Association of Churches of Christ the King: A Fresh Experience of Our Ancient Christian Faith Dr. Don L. Davis November 13, 2024 A Story That Rules and Explains It All

In a world changing fast, and when many no longer find church life compelling, the Church of Jesus faces new challenges from outside and within. With the rise of competing, conflicting worldviews and stories, the Association of Churches Christ the King CCK seeks to capture the biblical tale of God's salvation with zeal and clarity. We desire to live out this Story in a fresh, compelling way, in a manner that all people may both understand and believe.

We thrive as a shared communion of churches that operate individually as communities of Christ's disciples that confess his person, experience his presence, follow his path, and fulfill His Kingdom's purpose. We seek to multiply healthy congregations of Christ in historically ignored and neglected communities due to neglect and brokenness. We will strive to carefully examine how we live out our Faith to ensure that the Story of God is at the center and heart of all we do and pursue.

It's time to learn from Christians throughout history—from the earliest disciples to today's believers, including Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant traditions. We must rediscover the Christian Story as the heart of our Christian Faith and make it the center of our theological reflection, communal worship, spiritual formation, and missional purpose. The early Christians overcame obstacles and many societal and spiritual challenges but survived and thrived by keeping God's Story at the center of everything.

Amid so many different and conflicting voices telling us what life is all about, CCK is reviving the Story of God so that we can let it be our guide again.

Association of Churches of Christ the King Page

2

The Vision of CCK: Our Areas of Focus Rediscovering the Primacy of the Faith: Giving God's Story First Place In Everything CCK is committed to returning to the biblical and historical God tells of his work in Christ and his Kingdom. The structure of the Bible Story--Creation, Incarnation, and Rerecreation—maps out the working of God in the world, his commitment to sending Jesus to earth, and making all things new through his Son, Christ the Victor. For disciples of Jesus, this biblical Story transcends all other things. Our Story will not be reduced to rules or a list of abstract ideas. For us, it is the final, true Story of creation and the Story God invites us to share in union with Christ through repentance and Faith.

This Story can never be summarized as mere family ethics, religious rules, a list of theological ideas, or moral platitudes. We will never conform to today's cultural landscape.

Instead, we acknowledge God's revelation of his working through Israel, Jesus, and the Church. God's telling of his intentions through the prophets and the apostles, with Jesus at the center of their message, affirms the centrality and supremacy of the Christian Story for those who believe. This Story of Jesus' incarnation rules all others and is the legitimate final telling of God's ultimate plan for his creation. Therefore, the anchor of our Faith and life together centers around the apostolic testimony regarding God's love shown in the incarnation and salvation he demonstrated in Christ. Without affirming this particular truth of God's working in his Son, we hold there can be no legitimate worship, theology, discipleship, or mission done on behalf of the God and Father of Jesus Christ. We are not ashamed of the Gospel and hold that good news to be the saving message of God for the nations.

Association of Churches of Christ the King Page

3

Gathering Exiles From Around the Diaspora: Belonging and Being the Church Together Peter addressed his first epistle to the disciples of Jesus scattered throughout parts of the Roman empire as "elect exiles of the Dispersion" (i.e., the Diaspora), i.e., those followers of Christ living in the world but not of it. This picture of believers as aliens and strangers in the world resonates deeply with our understanding of representing Christ in the world today. As the people of God, our vision at CCK is to see a local Christian assembly serving as a flourishing Kingdom outpost in every broken neighborhood on earth. Our citizenship is in heaven, and we serve the living Christ in the world system but do not embrace its values and practices.

Indeed, the local church is both a locus and an agent of the Kingdom of God in their locale. We are ekklesia, the called-out ones, who identify with and seek to embody the life of Jesus in this world. God has made his Church the guardian of this testimony of his plan to restore creation under Christ, his Son. The local assembly provides literal evidence of the Kingdom of God on earth. We are an outpost of God's Kingdom authority, a kind of embassy representing the Kingdom and bearing witness to the truth of the Story's substance and power where we gather, worship, and serve. Each assembly provides gatherings where the gifts of all believers can be shared in open fellowship for mutual edification and equipping in discipleship, where in friendship, prayer, dialogue, and mutual encouragement, we grow together as one body and people. In every local assembly, we unite in fellowship to worship the triune God through Jesus of Nazareth, and together, we serve as a living example and tangible witness of the Kingdom of God in our respective cities and neighborhoods.

Association of Churches of Christ the King Page

4

Indeed, being disciples of Jesus can never be about "me and Jesus" but always about our unity as the body of Christ and individual members of one another. We seek to engage in the biblical exhortations of "one another" to ensure that every believer, whatever age or station, is seen, encouraged, and strengthened in their Faith. We hope to see thousands of people who have never experienced community become a daily part of God's family, the Church, expressed tangibly in local gatherings where the gifts are exercised for the upbuilding of all. Sadly, many churches have proven unwelcoming to poor, broken, and disaffected disciples of Jesus, made the Faith about being separate from the lost, not about being rescued and welcomed, and forgotten that God wants to create faithful communities of disciples who reflect, worship, gather, and bear witness to Christ and his Kingdom in rough places. We reject individualized Christianity, and any form of church life that seeks to establish churches unthinkingly just like businesses or pretend that faithful Christian community is either impossible or unnecessary. We affirm our allegiance to Jesus as our Master and our identity as those seeking to reconnect with the whole family of God, past and present.

Confessing The Historic Christian Faith: Understanding Our Faith Together CCK embraces the Story of God in Christ and seeks to understand all things— individuals, families, churches, governments, and societies—through the lens and perspective of the Story. As those unashamedly dedicated to understanding all things through Christ and his Kingdom, we are rooted and committed to what all Christians have always believed everywhere and at all times. This summary, broadly referred to as the "Vincentian canon," is that time-tested rule in theological circles of judging the essential nature of doctrines based on whether the doctrines have always been believed by followers of Christ in the Church, everywhere, by all of us. Truly, the Church has confessed and guarded the fundamental core of Christian belief concerning Christ from its beginning and still confesses the same things.

Association of Churches of Christ the King Page

5

We seek to be faithful to the apostolic testimony regarding Christ, with no desire to deviate from their claims of revelation. We strive to stand true to what the prophets and apostles have taught regarding God and his purpose in the world, expressed in the canonical Scriptures that witness Jesus Christ. We embrace the apostolic tradition and its guardianship through the Great Tradition defended in Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant traditions. Given the Church's 2,000-year defense of this essential revelation, we reflect on present-day issues through the lens of the Church's commitment to the Great Tradition.

With complete confidence, we affirm the truth of Hebrews 1 that the God who spoke to his people at times past in many diverse ways has finally spoken to the world through his Son, Jesus of Nazareth. In this spirit of Faith, we are committed to learning and affirming the truths that believers have clung to and defended throughout history, i.e., that "faithful cloud of witnesses" who have confessed Christ as Lord. This faithful company mainly includes those early church leaders who helped to articulate and explain our core beliefs and their formational confessions, which we call our "Sacred Roots." When we separate ourselves from this rich history of faith and reflection, we risk misunderstanding God's story and failing to show the world who God is and his purpose for his creation.

Gathering in Christ's Name for Mutual Edi cation: Rehearsing the Story in Worship CCK is dedicated to rehearsing the Story of God in its rituals, celebrations, praise gatherings, and shared communal meetings. We seek to be the people of God together, edifying one another in our constant joyful gatherings of praise, baptism, and communion, our play and prayer together, and in our meetings of worship and praise.

We are the people of God; we do not go to temples, we need no new altar, and we are all priests and priestesses of the Most High God through Christ.

Association of Churches of Christ the King Page

6

God's Spirit has called and gifted every disciple to use their graces to build up each other mutually through the shared gifts of the Body in the community. Our worship tells and acts out God's grand Story in our gatherings and celebrations. Through our communal times, our baptism, and all our times of life together and fellowship, we do all things for our mutual upbuilding and edification, all for the glory of God. We seek to recover meaningful traditions that help us experience God's Story throughout the year through observing and practicing the Christian year in our spiritual formation and worship liturgies. Unlike many churches, which have turned worship into mere lectures, rock concerts, entertainment shows, and egoistic personal stages, we seek only to recover Christian gatherings as venues that allow ordinary believers to build up one another in small, reproducible, and dynamic fellowships of disciples.

Walking the Paths of the Talmidim: Formed Spiritually Through God's Story As disciples of Jesus, we acknowledge that the Christian community affirms three interconnected journeys of Jesus's talmidim, his followers. To begin with, the journey to Faith leads us from being honest seekers to becoming baptized followers of Jesus through repentance and Faith. In the second journey of discipleship, we go from being baptized converts to the Nazarene toward the path of spiritual formation of striving toward maturity in Christ. Through the disciplines of the Word and prayer, through submission and obedience to Christ, through the ongoing rehearsal of the Story in our daily lives, the filling of the Holy Spirit, and through the participation in the Body of Christ as one of Christ's members, we grow to maturity,

Association of Churches of Christ the King Page

7

Finally, in the third journey of ambassadorship, we rely on apostles, evangelists, prophets, pastors, and teachers to equip us to use our gifts to represent and share Christ with our family members, friends, colleagues, associates, neighbors, and strangers. As committed disciples of Jesus, we seek to conform our lives to his pattern, embodying his Story in our lives as individuals and together as his community. We grow in our Faith in a way firmly rooted in God's Story and life with Jesus. For us, spirituality is shared in the body of Christ, individual disciples living in a community seeking to walk with Jesus alone and together. We refuse to define spirituality as obedience to rules, concocted moral and ethical systems, applied self-therapies, or self-improvement strategies. We welcome new members into our communities as confessing disciples of Jesus, affirming allegiance to being members with us as we seek God's will, and welcoming new members through the time-tested ways of welcoming and growing disciples' Faith in ways learned by Christians worldwide and throughout history.

Making Joyful Invitations to the Kingdom: Living Out God's Story in Today's World As ambassadors of Christ and his Kingdom, we are charged with the duty and privilege of representing Jesus in our worlds. We are called to be torchbearers of the light of the Word and standard bearers carrying the banner of victory and triumph of the Kingdom.

As 21st followers of the Nazarene, we flesh out in our lives in real-time what it means to be his disciples in our homes, neighborhoods, jobs, and lives. To follow Jesus means we live differently from those who do not believe in him and those who embrace alternative visions in the world. As representatives of Christ, we readily affirm that we are aliens and strangers in this world today. We represent Christ, standing up for what's suitable for all people, caring for God's creation as stewards of the earth, speaking out against injustice and cruelty, and displaying the humility and grace of God before our friends, families, associates, and neighbors.

Association of Churches of Christ the King Page

8

We are neither deceived nor Pollyannaish that we, as believers, have any hope to transform any community, society, or nation by our initiatives or powers. No lasting change is possible in anyone's life apart from the working of the Spirit of God. Yet, we are not deterred. We are citizens of the Kingdom, called to show in our lives its power and relevance. We embrace this Kingdom vision and strive to embody that Story wherever we live and work. Whether or not the life of the Kingdom is accepted or adopted, we represent the living Christ and seek to display his life everywhere we live.

Although we have yet to always show the actual ethics of the upside-down Kingdom before others, we will be ambassadors of Christ right here. Of course, we have often failed to speak prophetically both to ourselves and our neighbors regarding persistent injustices like racism, greed, environmental damage, or the mistreatment of people experiencing poverty. Still, in the simple and most honest ways we can, we will seek to let our lights shine before others so they may see our good works and glorify God our Father. More than anything, we want CCK communities to express radical hospitality and extravagant generosity. We want to demonstrate in every way the love of Christ and his Kingdom offer among our family and to our neighbors. We stand ever-ready to show others the promise and hope of the Kingdom of the Age to come here now, where we live.

Join Us!: Become a CCK Member, A liate, or Associate If these elements intrigue or interest you or your church family, we invite you to learn more about them and join our movement. Whether your church or church plant team joins our movement as a Member, connects with us as an Affiliate partner, church or organization, or as an individual or family chooses to become an Associate serving as a Standard Bearer of our vision, we welcome your friendship and connection! We believe leaders, lay ministers, pastors, disciples, chaplains, missionaries, and churches serving broken communities want to belong to each other, welcome one another, and show and tell the Story of God to those in our ministry circles. Together as Members, Affiliates, and Associates together we can represent Christ and his Kingdom in communities where he is neither known nor confessed.

Association of Churches of Christ the King Page

9

Our desire is ambitious but straightforward. We hope to befriend like-minded churches and individuals, providing belonging and camaraderie to make ourselves, our resources, and our friendship available to all who desire to make the Story of God, the Story to rule all others, their central vision. We only wish to live out its power with humility and grace, confessing and declaring it to all who will listen. Join us as we show and tell this majestic tale of liberation, triumph, and victory in the name of the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth.

He is the Story's protagonist and hero, the cosmic Story's purpose and end. God is inviting the entire world to participate in his salvation story, which is won for creation through Jesus, his Son. For us, there is no more excellent Story in the whole world.

Association of Churches of Christ the King Page

10

One Story to Rule Them All It s time to learn from Christians throughout history from the earliest disciples to today s believers including Orthodox Catholic and Protestant traditions We must rediscover the Christian Story as the heart of our Christian Faith and make it the center of our theological reflection communal worship spiritual formation and missional purpose The early Christians overcame obstacles and many societal and spiritual challenges but survived and thrived by keeping God s Story at the center of everything from page 2 "

'

—

'

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

'

." --

.

,