vision
The truth of the Gospel – that though I mock and belittle God’s name by choosing his stuff – his creation – over Him and yet He chooses to be slaughtered on a cross in my place for my sins – this truth, this redemption in my life, has led to the vision for The Paradox Church.
Glorifying God
In Acts 19 Paul goes to the city of Ephesus. He immediately runs into some church folk. They believed in God and were followers of John the Baptizer. Meaning – they believed in God, they went to church, and they ascribed to morality – they wanted to be good, moral church folk. And Paul begins to explain that they need the Holy Spirit, they need to be transformed, they can’t do it on their own, they need the Gospel – they need the Cross.
The Paradox Church will be centered on the Glory of God, not the glory of man’s good deeds. Moralism either leads to self-righteousness or despair. If you think you are pretty good than you become self-righteous. If you think you fall short you end up in despair. But if you are centered on the Cross of Christ it leads to joy, worship, and the glory of God. Fort Worth has enough religious “church folk”. What Fort Worth does need is men and women who are hardcore followers of King Jesus.
Lives Transformed
Later in Acts 19, as Jesus’ name spreads, people start coming out of the woodworks confessing their sin. People start dealing with their pride, their pursuit of money and success, their idolatry of comfort over mission, selfishness over selflessness. Lives are transformed.
The Paradox Church will be raw and gritty, not safe, neat, and polished. We want to create a place where people can come in and not have to hide. If folks come to The Paradox Church Sunday after Sunday and are unmoved and unchanged then why exist? There are plenty of country clubs. If we invite people into our homes and share our lives together but nothing ever changes – if husbands are still passive with their wives, women still live in shame from past abuse, bibles are still not being read, Jesus is still not being worshiped – then church is a waste of time.
A City Transformed
The last half of Acts 19 shows the city of Ephesus in an absolute uproar. The whole economic landscape changed as lives were transformed by the Gospel. As men and women were transformed the city became transformed as well.
At The Paradox Church we seek to serve our city well. We will see God transform Fort Worth from within. The growth of Fort Worth is well-documented. It is the fastest growing big city (+500,000 people) in the nation. But will the Gospel also grow? Will Jesus be even more worshiped? As we eat, drink, play, work, party, walk, hobby, live, laugh, and breathe in the urban core, Fort Worth will see the Gospel permeate and saturate every domain of the city – business, education, medicine, government, arts – all of it, to the Glory of God.
:: lives transformed for the good of the city and the glory of God ::
Consider joining us on this mission.
