gospel-driven

Everything that we are and everything that we do is through and because of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ.


The Gospel is a word – it is good news – it is a message. The Gospel is Jesus Christ, the Word become flesh that dwelt among us and made God known. The Gospel is the mind blowing news that the Almighty and Eternal God wrote Himself into His own story to rescue us and restore His Creation. Only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the redemption of man and the restoration of creation made possible. Through faith in Jesus Christ, by the power of the Gospel, we have been given salvation and brought into the Story of God, adopted as His children, and are invited to participate in His restorative work — all for His Glory.


The Gospel is not the just the entry point to the Christian life. The Gospel IS the Christian life. The Gospel has past, present, and future implications for every believer in every aspect of life. We must live our life in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ while it provides the foundation, the formation, and the motivation for our loving obedience to Him.




essential beliefs

“There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

(The Bible)

The Bible is the inspired, inerrant and authoritative Word of God for the Christian faith and living.

(God the Father)

That there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

(God the Son)

In the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His vicarious and atoning death, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father and His personal return in power and glory.

(God the Holy Spirit)

In the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling every Christian is able to live a godly life.

 (Salvation)

All people are lost sinners and must turn to Christ in saving faith and repentance for regeneration by the Holy Spirit.

In the resurrection of both those who believe in Jesus and those who do not believe: those believing to eternal life with Christ and those unbelieving to eternal punishment in hell.

The Gospel Message

"God saves sinners"

GOD – the Triune Jehovah, Father, Son and Spirit; three Persons working together in sovereign wisdom, power and love to achieve the salvation of a chosen people, the Father electing, the Son fulfilling the Father’s will by redeeming, the Spirit executing the purpose of Father and Son by renewing. 


SAVES – does everything, first to last, that is involved in bringing man from death in sin to life in glory: plans, achieves and communicates redemption, calls and keeps, justifies, sanctifies, glorifies. 


SINNERSmen as God finds them, guilty, vile, helpless, powerless, unable to lift a finger to do God’s will or better their spiritual lot. 

Gospel priorities

The Gospel drives what we see as important and urgent.  Therefore, at Living Stones, we prioritize the following ministries:

  • reconciliation    

    (Romans 5:11; II Corinthians 5:18-19, Ephesians 2: 14-16)

    Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ we have been reconciled (restored to a right relationship) and have been given the ministry of reconciliation. Through the Biblical account, we understand that reconciliation is more than just individuals being saved by God and given eternal life. The Gospel is the good news that God has come in Jesus to begin his work of reclaiming and redeeming (reconciling) the entire creation. This reconciliation is one work and involves reconciling People to God (Individual) and People to People (Corporate).


    People to God:

    Because of our sinful nature we are separated from God and our relationship has been broken. In this condition, we are completely incapable of repairing this relationship. But God, through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, while we were still sinners demonstrated his great love for us by not only making a way, but actually becoming The Way for us to be reconciled and experience life eternally in Him. Having embraced this grace through faith, we now recognize that we are ambassadors of Christ and that God seeks to make his appeal to be reconciled, on behalf of Christ, through us.


    People to People

    The Gospel transcends all human racial, social, ethnic, and language barriers. Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are concurrently reconciled to God and those of the household of God. All barriers have been removed and we have been made one body, one new community, through the cross. As part of the Body of Christ, we actively seek to unify people across social and cultural boundary lines that have been manipulated by Satan and human sinfulness to divide and destroy humanity. This unity is not demonstrated by tolerance or amicable partnerships, but rather through interdependent, mutually-serving and benefiting relationships that exist in community. A Biblical Gospel, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, demands both reconciliation to God and to others in the Body despite differences of the flesh.

  • embodiment      

    (Ephesians 2:10, I John 2:3-6)

    "The people of God do not merely possess the message of the gospel; the people of God are the message, embodying and making manifest the gospel of God’s reconciling all things under the loving Lordship of Jesus Christ.” – Tim Gombis


    Humanity is unique in that it is the only part of all of God’s creation that was made in the image of God. Being made in the image of God, we are the only part of creation that can display his visible attributes (love, kindness, mercy, justice, etc.). So when we reflect His visible attributes, we are revealing the glories of God himself. Yet, because of sin, we are unable to rightly reflect these attributes. But through the Gospel, the image of God within us has been redeemed. As redeemed children of God, we as the Church are designed to be a billboard for God to the world. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.


    So as we walk, we are to walk like Jesus. If we claim to be in Christ, then we should live our lives in the same manner as Jesus did. We are indebted to emulate his thoughts, attitude, AND his actions. We consider not only what would Jesus do, but also how, where, and with who he would do it. Jesus was sent by God, in love, and on mission. He dwelt among and fully identified with those he ministered to. He had a dual nature of humanity and holiness. He broke down the spiritual/material division through a ministry of word and deed. He was a sinless friend of sinners and a warning to the religious and the self-righteous. He was fully submitted to God and a humble servant.


    As Christ fully embodied the invisible and Almighty God, we, the church, through the power of the Gospel, are to fully embody Christ. Just as the father sent Jesus to represent Him, we the Body of Christ, are now being sent to represent Jesus.

  • proclamation     

    (2 Corinthians 4:5, Romans 10:17)

    We proclaim the Kingdom of God – The Gospel – Jesus Christ… nothing else. Authentic proclamation is through declaration and demonstration. Our proclamation is through declaration of God’s Word and demonstration of our transformed lives under its authority. Therefore, our proclamation is ultimately of the Word of God – the Bible. We seek to rightly handle the Word of God and share it with authority and boldness to others. We preach the Word of God because we believe that individuals cannot believe in Him of whom they have never heard, and they cannot hear unless someone preaches to them. The Kingdom grows as people hear the Word of God, faith is elicited, and they accept it.