The above principles and practices are not given as a “formula” for success, though the Lord has blessed these biblical commitments in our body and I can’t help but think he would do so in any congregation. My intent is to acknowledge publicly the Lord’s immeasurable goodness to us undeserving sinners! And, by extension, to acknowledge what the Lord is doing in many congregations around the world – for Christ is the exalted King of the church and his Kingdom shall have no end!

I don’t know about you but reading my news feed is getting flat out depressing. So much confusion about what is right and wrong. Heartbreaking persecution of Christians. Sobering scandals within the Church. Immorality rampant in the world.  And on and on and on.  But praise be to God this is not the whole story!  Despite what seems to be evidence to the contrary, the Lord is building his church. Yes, Christianity is under attack and it would be unwise to put our heads in the sand and ignore the obvious. Yet, I feel compelled today to shine light on the good things God is doing in the church- to focus on what is commendable and true.

I am blessed to be a member of a PCA congregation that is growing in the knowledge of Christ by leaps and bounds.   A vibrant church that unapologetically proclaims the truth and strives to love sacrificially. A church with a healthy cross section of all ages in which many children sit not only with their parents but with grandparents who grew up in the same church.  A church whose young people leave for college and once finished look for ways to move back so they can return to their church.  And, yes, a church replete with sinners who know our righteousness is found in Christ alone!

Why is our church thriving in what’s become a world hostile to the Truth? The simple and most profound answer: God’s grace!  I say this without an iota of hesitation~ it is all of grace from first to last.  It is God’s grace that writes his Word upon our hearts.  And, it is his grace that has led us to embrace these foundational biblical principles and practices that have given us abundant life:

1. The Word of God is central. It is our absolute authority.  Allof our ministries are ruled by the Scriptures. Our pastorsdevote themselves to the study and proclamation of the whole counsel of God.  They preach the Word in season and out of season.
2. Jesus plus nothing!  Nothing saves but the blood of Jesus.  Nothing.  No work, no good deed, no kept law! In Christ alone our hope is found!
3.  “We never mature beyond the cross” is a constant refrain!  There is not a minute of the day we do not need to remember we are saved by the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ.  The gospel is as necessary for our sanctification as it was for our justification.  We are encouraged to preach the gospel to ourselves daily and to remember the Christian life is one of ongoing faith and repentance.
4. Worship is God-centered and reverent. Our primary reason for gathering on Sundays and Wednesdays is to do what we were created to do~worship the Triune God. Our services are first and foremost about God and for God. We sing hymns dripping with life giving theology, we recite creeds that have been uttered by God’s people for centuries, we confess sin and hear God’s assurance of pardon, we sit under the Word with hopeful expectation that He will use it to conform us into the image of Christ, we gratefully partake of the sacraments by which God makes sensible what might otherwise be abstract, we pray corporately for the many needs that plaque our body, our nation, and the world that, in all, the name of God would be honored. We are encouraged to do this with a reverent posture knowing that He is the Creator to whom we owe all our worship and praise. Jesus is our Friend who is nearandHe is also God who is high and lifted up. We bow before him in humble adoration!
5. The means of grace are emphasized. Once saved we are called to grow in holiness.  The Lord has given ordinary means to grow us: his Word, prayer, the sacraments and fellowship with God’s people.  We are called to be active participants in our sanctification and take very seriously the call “to be holy as I am holy.”   These means are never an end to themselves- the end is always intimate communion with and conformity to The Lord.
6. Church discipline is practiced.  Lest I’ve given you the wrong impression:  we are sinners.  We are sheep prone to wander and leave the One we love.  We are blessed to have shepherds who go after wandering sheep- gently, lovingly, with the goal of bringing staying sheep back into the fold- all for the glory of God and the good of his church!
7. The body cares for one another. I’m constantly amazed with the behind the scenes care I see in our body.  Yes, we have organized ministries of mercy and congregational care but so much happensorganicallyin response to the gospel. We pray for one another.  We encourage each other daily in the Word. Meals are provided, homes are cleaned, children are cared for, lawns are mowed, hospital visits are made, hands are held, joys and tears are shared ~ just some of the many expressions of love seen in our body day in and day out.
8.  We ask and grant forgiveness to each other. Despite our best efforts to love well, we fail one another all too often. We repent often.  We forgive much.  We ask God for more grace to love better.
9. We are taught that theology is quintessentially practical.  The knowledge of God as revealed in the Word puts steel in our backbones.  It is the knowledge of God’s Word that helps us weather the storms of life, that grants wisdom for daily living, that teaches us how to love God and love neighbor. We know we have three foes – the flesh, the world, the devil – and it is solid theology that helps us faithfully battle our foes and grow in our ability “to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”  And, it’s sound theology that reminds us when we fail that our hope and identity are built on Christ’s blood and righteousness.

The above principles and practices are not given as a “formula” for success, though the Lord has blessed these biblical commitments in our body and I can’t help but think he would do so in any congregation. My intent is to acknowledge publicly the Lord’s immeasurable goodness to us undeserving sinners! And, by extension, to acknowledge what the Lord is doing in many congregations around the world – for Christ is the exalted King of the church and his Kingdom shall have no end!

If nothing else, I offer this as a flicker of light in an increasingly dark news feed.

CB Campano is a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Lakeland, Fla., where she serves as its Congregational Care Coordinator. This article first appeared on her blog and is used with permission.