Have you ever attended a wedding and found yourself at the end of the evening without so much as a glance at the bride and groom? Not once witnessing the bride in her full white dress at the altar? Not once catching the groom in his svelte black tux cutting his dance moves on the polished wood floor?

No, probably not, because to attend a wedding ceremony and not once lay your eyes on the bride and groom would be to miss the integral component of that day—the union of these two people. You would, dare I say, miss the centerpiece of the event.

I use this illustration loosely to demonstrate that if we are a church that does not read Scripture aloud during our Sunday gatherings (or our weekly Citygroup gatherings), then we are a church that misses entirely the centerpiece of why we gather

Sound theology fuels joyful worship and obedient Christian living. The Protestant Reformation was aimed at rooting the wayward Church in sound theology once again. While there is a gap that exists to this day, the focus of this article is on the all-important fifth sola: the exaltation of God's glory.

In Christian circles there seems to be a revival of Jesus-centered churches. We love to talk about Jesus, which is great! But, as much as we love to say Jesus, we don't seem to speak of Christ all that often.

Faith. A word tossed around so frequently in the Christian world that it loses its significance over time. Faith is both complex and simple, and so the meaning can also be lost on us. If you have been a Christian for a long time, it’s easy to gloss over the word in Scripture. It’s one you’ve seen a thousand times before, and your brain doesn’t pause anymore to revel in its meaning. Or, if you are a new Christian, it’s a word you’ve started hearing in sermons and city group discussions. You keep spotting it in the New Testament, and you wonder how important it is to understand.

When I think about mission, I often think about businesses or incredibly driven people. Every business has a mission statement that, hopefully, drives the decisions of that business.

But then I think that the most driven people also have a clear mission in life. I think of athletes that I have heard say “I was born to play this game”, or musicians that proclaim “Doing this is all I’ve ever wanted”, or a man like Steve Jobs who was so driven by a singular mission that he became iconic.

And yet, I think mission really drives all people. For some, their mission may be grander or more clear. But if you think you aren’t driven by mission, I think you’re mistaken.