Every kingdom can be identified by its ruler, people, and place. At Rowan Community Church, we are advancing a kingdom ruled by Jesus; God’s promised King, who has been given all power and authority in heaven and on earth. Jesus has done all the work to rescue us from the kingdom of darkness and transform us, by His Spirit, into citizens of the kingdom of heaven. This kingdom is not of this world, but it exists wherever people have submitted to His reign. By proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and living according to God’s rule, we desire to see Christ’s kingdom advance through every hill & hollow of Kentucky, Appalachia, and to the ends of the earth.
The Bible is God’s Word revealed to us. It tells us who God is, what He is like, who we are, and what He requires of us. In a world that is not our home, the Bible is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, useful for our teaching, rebuking, correcting, training in righteousness, and equipping us for every good work. (Psalm 19: 7, 119:105; Matthew 4:4; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
We have been given a new family as citizens of Christ's kingdom. As members of this new family, the Bible calls us to: live in unity and peace with one another; confess our sins, rebuke, admonish, and forgive one another; bear one another's a burdens, and through love, serve one another. By obeying these commands, the watching world will know that we are His disciples. (Psalm 133:1; Mark 3:35; John 13:34; Romans 12:9; Galatians 6:2; Colossians 3:13; James 5:16)
Jesus in His earthly ministry taught that God is a good Father who delights to give good gifts to His children. He instructed His disciples to persistently pray with the confidence that God the Father will provide whatever is best. We continue to follow these instructions by casting our cares on Him, praying that His kingdom would advance, and expecting Him to answer knowing that He is able to do far more abundantly than all we think or ask.(Psalm 55:1-2; Matthew 6:9-11, 7:11; Luke 18:1-8; Ephesians 3:20-21; 1 Peter 5:7)
As citizens of Christ’s kingdom, we have been united with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection to life. Jesus says in the Gospel of John that He is the vine, and we are the branches. Our union with Christ is like being a branch grafted onto the vine. Just like the health of a vine will lead a branch to bear fruit, our union with Christ in life, death, and newness of life causes us to bear the fruit of the vine – good fruit. As citizens of Christ’s kingdom,m we are committed to abiding in Christ, obeying his commands, and actively fighting sin in our lives. We also welcome the loving discipline of God, who, like a vinedresser, will prune us like branches that we would bear more fruit and grow in holiness. (Matthew 7:17-18; John 15:1-17; Romans 6:5-11; Hebrews 12:6-11)
Jesus commissioned the citizens of His kingdom to proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth, baptizing and discipling anyone who would repent of their sins and profess Jesus as Lord. In this world there are many who are ready to receive this gospel, for the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Because of this, we are committed to laboring for this harvest by sowing gospel seeds with our words and deeds, calling on people to repent of their sins, and praying to the Lord that even more laborers would be sent into this harvest. (Matthew 9:35-38, 28:16-20; Acts 1:8)
