“Lord, let Grand Rapids Flourish by the preaching of Thy word and the praising of Thy name.”

Our heart is to see God glorified in the city of Grand Rapids. Like every city, Grand Rapids is in need of the Gospel. All people are born in sin, rebel against the Creator, and live under His wrath (Ephesians 2:1; Romans 1:18). The good news is that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15), to transform people by the power of His Holy Spirit, all “to the praise of the glory of his grace” (Ephesians 1:6). The Gospel is “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16) and is able to change any man, family, or city. An example of the power of the Gospel is Kidderminster, England during the 17th century. Kidderminster was a dark and godless town until God worked through the preaching of Richard Baxter. Baxter describes the work of God, “As you passed along the streets on the Sabbath morning, you might hear a hundred households singing psalms at their family worship. In a word, when I came to Kidderminster, there was only about one family in a whole street that worshipped God and called upon His name. When I left, there were some streets where not a family did not do so.”

This is our vision! We at First RPC wholeheartedly believe that “the Lord God omnipotent reigneth” (Revelation 19:6) and He is able to do in Grand Rapids what He has done in Kidderminster and elsewhere. Our prayer and labor are that Grand Rapids would be so transformed that she too would abound with the sound of praise as families gather daily to worship the Lord their God.

How will this be accomplished? Here is a brief summary of our mission and means we hope God will use for His glory:

Prayer

We are weak impotent sinners; we cannot change a single heart. However, the Lord is “mighty to save” (Isaiah 63:1) and no one is able to resist His power. Jesus Christ has commanded His people to pray for His kingdom to come (Matthew 6:10), the Father has promised the Holy Spirit to those who ask in faith (Luke 11:13). The Lord delights in believing and persistent prayer, He exhorts us to “give him no rest, till he establishes, and till he make Jerusalem [His Church] a praise in the earth” (Isaiah 62:7). Therefore, as a congregation we consecrate ourselves to depend upon God through prayer individually, as families, and corporately.

Preaching

It has “pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21). The proclamation of the Gospel is the primary means that God uses to save sinners and sanctify saints. In our worship services the good news of salvation is faithfully proclaimed, and sinners are freely offered Christ in the Gospel. However, we also acknowledge that most people are not in Church on the Lord’s Day, nor any other day. So, we proactively go to where the people are and declare to them the unsearchable riches of Christ. The Lord Jesus commanded His preachers to herald the gospel openly to every creature. He said, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23). Therefore, we go out to the streets of Grand Rapids every week to declare this message of salvation to all people. At our Tuesday and Saturday evening outreach we go downtown to open-air preach, hand out Bibles and tracts, and engage in one-on-one conversations.

Personal Witnessing

God has sovereignly called us to in the world as salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). He is pleased to use our lives as open Bibles to all whom we know and love. By abiding in Christ, we seek to live holy and godly lives that abound in the fruit of the Spirit (John 15:1-5; Galatians 5:22-23). Grace creates a zeal for good works that demonstrates love and kindness to all (Titus 2:11-14). The Lord also uses the long-term faithful witness of family, friends, and workmates to save people in our lives. Therefore, we seek to glorify God in all that we do by living according to His will, serving others, and sharing the Gospel in all the relationships of life.

Persevering

The Lord is sovereign and all wise. He works as He pleases, in His own time, for His own purposes. Although we have our responsibilities and duties, the fruit is His prerogative as Paul testifies, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). Therefore, we esteem faithfulness as success not numbers. Our duty is to “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season” (2 Timothy 4:1); “Pray without ceasing”(1 Thess. 5:17); “not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:1); “do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:1); and finally “Wait on the LORD, and keep his way” (Psalm 37:34).