Sunday Gathering
Art Centre of Plano
WELCOME
Welcome to our web site. Providence Community Church is a kingdom oriented church dedicated to the creed "Jesus is Lord." We are made up of small communities scattered throughout the metroplex, all with a commitment to our core practices of believing the gospel, belonging to one another, and blessing the city.
If you are new to Providence Community, you have probably noticed the words Believe, Belong, and Bless seem to appear all over the place. These words are rich in meaning as they serve as our "rule" of life in the community.
The Early Church
You could say the church in the book of Acts was characterized by their devotion to three things: the gospel message, the gospel community, and the gospel mission.
And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)
Gospel Message
"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching..."
The early church was devoted to the apostle's teaching -- the gospel. The gospel preached by the apostles centered on the life of Jesus, the death of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, and the exaltation of Jesus. It was not simple advice, or just another option, rather it was a royal announcement that demanded repentance and allegiance to Jesus. The apostles were teaching that the Holy Spirit had been poured out on God's people -- an end time event signaling the restoration of God's people...because Jesus had been exalted on his throne as Israel's king and the world's true Lord...therefore all people everywhere all called to reorient their life to Jesus (repentance) and show their allegiance to him (baptism).
Gospel Community
"And they devoted themselves to...the fellowship [koinonia], the breaking of bread, and the prayers...And all who believed were together and had all things in common [koinos]. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes..."
The early church was devoted to one another -- fellowship. Fellowship had a much richer meaning than it often times carries today. It did not mean gathering for a potluck meal. It meant commonness, togetherness, or oneness. It was not just some who lived this way, not just the radicals; it was all the believers. This was common, normal, typical Christianity. Every Christian lived in community breaking bread together daily. They truly were family and lived as such. Their understanding of gospel community was demonstrated in the way that they cared for one another.
Gospel Mission
"And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved."
The early church was devoted to its empowered purpose -- mission. They understood their identity to be missional by nature. As a community that was missional by nature, we can easily say that for the early church community and mission could be characterized as community through mission and mission through community. The early church was nothing less than a missional community.
As a church, it is our desire to be characterized in the same way that the early church was characterized, characterized by our devotion to the gospel message, the gospel community, and the gospel mission. We have a simple way of describing this in our church using three verbs: Believe, Belong, Bless.
Believe -- Believing the Gospel
As a church we want to be characterized by believing the gospel. Believing is meant to convey a continuous, ongoing commitment to the gospel.
Belong -- Belonging to One Another
As a church we want to be characterized by belonging to one another. Belonging is meant to convey a continuous, ongoing commitment to one another.
Bless -- Blessing the City
As a church, we want to be characterized by blessing the city. Blessing is meant to convey a continuous, ongoing commitment to the welfare of the city we live in.
As you continue to explore our site, here are a few key pages to help you discover more about our community:
- Learn about our understanding of confessional belief vs functional belief.
- Learn about our understanding of mission.
- Participate in a missional community.
- Listen to our sermons.
If you don't find what you're looking for, feel free to contact us directly. We are more than happy to help.
