This past Sunday we celebrated the Redeemer Anniversary together with a message from Dr. Don Davis. The message from Dr. Davis was a gift and if you didn’t have a chance to be present with us on Sunday, the link to the message will be below under the announcements. 

 

Dr. Davis themed his message on Christ the King: Rediscovering the Supremacy of Jesus Christ. Dr. Don spoke highly of committing to the church and how this is essential to the life of a follower of Jesus. Who can claim God as Father without the church is their mother? In other words, “if the church ain’t yo mama, then God ain’t yo daddy.” 

 

To belong to Christ is to belong to somebody. It is the question, whose story do I live out now? An individualistic approach to life with Jesus that separates you from his church is an incorrect view on apprenticeship to Jesus. As Dr. Don said, when I came to Christ, “my identity changed.” I must now start to think differently. I am myself AND I am part of a community. Dr. Don expressed this as who we are historically and who we are theologically. In Dr. Don’s words, “I am fully African American and I am fully a disciple of Jesus.” 

 

In the same way that we must see ourselves as belonging to others, we must also care deeply for one another. This attitude is captured in the quote, “if you belong to Christ, you belong to me.” This isn’t an oppressive or authoritative statement of ownership. Rather this is the loyal, loving attitude of commitment to one another. This is the belonging of the family of Christ.  

 

We must rediscover and represent as a congregation the supremacy of Jesus Christ as Lord. Dr. Don showed us from Philippians 2:5-11 3 exhortations of Paul to the church:

 

The perspective of Christ is what “we” share, not on what “I” share. We are to own the mindset of Jesus together. Real health follows adopting the mind of Jesus. The pattern of Christ counterintuitive to our American pattern. The movement is downward with Christ, it is not up and to the right. This is not American, therapeutic, capitalistic, communist… it is distinctly Christ. We must go low so that one day we will be lifted high. The preeminence of Christ is that one day all will bow to Jesus. One day every tongue will confess Jesus as Lord. Christ is Lord of all and over all. 

 

What if Redeemer was an embassy in our city? We who believe are citizens of the already-not yet kingdom. We have duel citizenship. We are citizens of our country, and we are citizens of heaven. 

 

Here are our takeaways from Dr. Don: