CTKC Core Values
- Love For God.
- Love For One Another.
- Love For Others.
I. Love for God
1. We love God by living for God’s glory.
Christ the King Church exists to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Because of what he has done for us through Christ, our greatest delight is to exalt the one, true God with every area of our lives. He is our King and the spreading of His fame is our all-governing passion. Christ the King Church is intentionally and explicitly Gospel-centered in all that we do. We live for Christ. Ps. 96:1-3; 1 Cor. 10:31; 2 Cor. 5:15
2. We love God by living according to God’s Word.
We, as a church, believe that God inspired every word of the Bible. Therefore, the Bible is completely true, fully trustworthy and authoritative in everything that it says. God’s powerful and life-giving words transform all who receive them by faith. Therefore, we as a church eagerly and carefully listen to God’s Word with the intent of live according to what we hear. We are committed to saturating every aspect of our church life with the Word of God. 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Matt. 4:4; Heb. 4:12; James 1:22-25
3. We love God by living in the good of the gospel.
The gospel is the life-transforming message about the person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. His work of salvation - His perfectly righteous life, His substitutionary death and His victorious resurrection - is at the heart of Christ the King Church. The gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s power for salvation to all who believe. The moment a sinner believes in Christ’s death on their behalf, God the Father declares that sinner forgiven and righteous in His sight. This gracious declaration by God is what it means to be justified. Therefore, the gospel is our greatest source of confidence and joy, making a vital difference in the way we live our everyday lives. It defines who we are and drives all that we endeavor to do as a church. The people of Christ the King Church must have a clear understanding and a deep personal appreciation for the gospel so we can live in the goodness of this amazing grace day after day. Romans 1:16, 1 Cor. 15:1-4, Eph. 4:1
4. We love God by living in dependence on the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit ministers to His people in a variety of ways: He counsels us, He comforts us, He convicts us of sin, He guides us into truth, He illuminates our mind to understand God’s Word, He impresses God’s Word deep upon our hearts, He guarantees and assures us of our salvation, He gives us power to overcome temptation, He causes the fruit of righteousness to be born in us, He apportions particular gifts to particular people for the good of the church, He empowers us for effective ministry and bold witness, He gives evidence of God’s presence in our midst. In short, the Holy Spirit is actively seeking to glorify Christ in and through God’s people. Christ the King Church longs to experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s presence and ministry in our life together. John 16:14; 1 Cor. 12:7-11; Gal. 5:16-25.
II. Love for One Another
1. We love one another by speaking the sanctifying truth of God’s Word to each other.
Sanctification is the gradual process of becoming more like Jesus. Christian growth does not take place in isolation. A Christian’s sanctification is a community project. God uses many means of grace to grow Christians in Christlikeness. One of the primary means God uses is the body of Christ, the church, speaking the word of Christ to one another in love. Our love for God and each other motivates us to speak the truth of God’s Word to each other in order to become more like Christ. Matt. 22:37-39; John 17:17; Heb. 10:14; Eph. 4:15-16
2. We love one another by patiently enduring hardship together.
We believe that God sovereignly uses hardship for the good of His people. As we experience hardship individually or as a church, we remember that trials are an effective means of grace employed by our loving heavenly Father to make us more like Christ. The refining of our faith through trials results in greater maturity and depth of devotion to God. Rom. 5:3-5; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7
3. We love one another by humbly pursuing peace with each other.
The peace that is to characterize Christian fellowship doesn’t come easy. Indwelling sin in our hearts often leads to putting our selfish desires ahead of others. Selfishness results in conflict which can disintegrate fellowship. The peace of Christian unity is the result of daily remembering the gospel, dying to oneself, and putting the good of others first. The people of Christ the King Church humbly strive to be at peace with one another. Phil 2:1-11; Eph. 4:1-3; James 4:1-6
4. We love one another by exercising God-given gifts for the common good of the body.
We believe that God, by His Spirit, has apportioned specific spiritual gifts to individual Christians in order to build up His body, the church. We are all members of the same body and use our gifts for the common good. Therefore, the work of building up the church is the responsibility of the entire church. The elders of Christ the King seek to equip every member of our body to meaningfully serve in building up the church in order to advance our mission as a church. Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4:11-16
III. Love for Others
1. We love others by telling them the life-transforming gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ commissioned all Christians everywhere to wisely and boldly bear witness to the gospel. We are unashamed of Christ our King. In fact, we believe the most loving thing we can do is to tell others of the salvation God offers them through Jesus Christ. So we speak the gospel to our children out of love for them. We speak the gospel to our friends, neighbors, and our co-workers out of love for them. We actively support the proclamation of the gospel around the globe. God so loved the world that He gave his only son to redeem men and women from every nation, tribe, people, and language. Matt. 28:18-20; Rom. 1:16; Col. 4:5-6; 1 Peter 2:9
2. We love others in need by showing them mercy.
As a church within the city, we seek the welfare of those living in the city. We love the people of the city of Kenosha and long to be used by God to bless them. We are eager to help others in real need in a way that is marked by wisdom and compassion. We want to have a long-term impact of practical blessing upon individuals, families, and neighborhoods within the city. We believe that our acts of mercy will provide opportunities to speak the gospel to people’s greatest need, which is to be reconciled to God through Christ. Matt. 22:39; Luke 10:25-37; Gal. 6:10
