Our DNA

These are The Paradox Church's biblically-driven core identities—who we are because of who He is and what He is making us. We are…Joyful WorshippersWe are a worshipful people that turns to Jesus and celebrates God's great grace. The whole purpose of God’s great cosmic plan of redemption, or the Gospel, is “to praise His glorious grace” (Eph 1:6). Worship isn’t just something we do when we gather on a Sunday—(though that is a huge part of it and Sunday gatherings should be a joyful, celebratory time to worship with the saints), rather worship is all of life (Rom 12:1), everything we do, “whether we eat or drink, all should be done to the glory of God” (1 Cor10:31). Over and over in the bible we see worship and the glory of God working hand in hand with our joy. In fact God’s joy is so much that it fills ours (John 15:11).As well, there are repeated commands for God’s people to celebrate (Nehemiah 12:43; Psalm 2:11, 32:11, Psalm 70:4, 118:24; Is. 64:18-19) and rejoice (Phil 4:10). The mark of a maturing Christian has less to do with our knowledge about God or the bible, and more to do with our experiential knowledge of God and His great grace toward us—joyful worship in all of life is a defining mark of a mature Christian and a maturing church.Community of LightWe are a community of light that pushes back darkness. God's objective from the beginning was to create for a Himself a people—a Bride. Though God does save individuals and makes us his children (Eph 1:5; Romans 8:15,23; ), saving us from sin, He also saves us to a Family. He makes us “one” (Eph 2:22). As a family we practice the “one-anothers” in Scripture as we “love one another” reflecting the radical love of God. Growth occurs through authentic, gritty, raw community (Pr 27:17).  We meet regularly in homes and throughout the city celebrating life with good food and good laughs, stirring one another up to love and good deeds (Heb 10:24).  We pray together, struggle together, and party together. Through grace and love and truth the Gospel is made known and a beautiful mess of a family is formed.However, we are not a family that is to bunker down and hide from the big, bad world. We are to be light—“a city on a hill” (Matt 5:14). As light we are to “expose” (Eph 5:11-13), or push back darkness, transforming it, renewing it by the power of the Gospel. Ultimately, our power is in Jesus—the Head of the Church (Col 1:18)—who is light that has come into the darkness, “and the darkness shall not overcome [Him]” (John 1:5). Because we have been made justified by faith—right-standing before God not by a righteousness of our own, but by Christ’s righteousness—we practice justice. We are for the “widow”: the single mom, the battered wife, the sexually abused—any woman who has suffered from the abdication of responsibility. We are for the “orphan”: those without daddies, the unborn, and the many (6000+ in Texas alone) who are awaiting adoption. We are for the “immigrant”: the refugee and minority races that are oppressed. We are for the “poor”: the homeless and the needy.Multiplying ChurchWe are a multiplying church: disciples that make disciples; missionaries that send missionaries. We know that as the Father has sent the Son, Jesus sends us (John 17:18). We are a “sent people”, missional in posture, sent to love our neighbor (co-worker, classmate, friend, family, and even enemy) and proclaim to them the Good News that Jesus saves sinners. We believe that discipleship happens in community (as a family) and on mission (as missionaries to our city and to the Nations).As disciples are made, our focus is to “equip the saints for the works of ministry” (Eph 4:12); sending disciples out to make more disciples. We have a great mission—purpose and meaning in everything we do—to proclaim and display the glory and grace of God to people in desperate need of both glory and grace. God has determined where we would live and when (Acts 17:26) which infuses intentionality and purpose for everything we do as missionaries in Fort Worth and to the Nations. Simply put: We believe our primary purpose as a church is to see more people meet Jesus for the glory of God.