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405 West State Street, North Aurora, Illinois 60542 |
Our Mission |
Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m. |
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Union Congregational Church exists: Why should our congregation be focused on knowing Christ? Because Jesus alone is the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). He is the heir of all things, through Whom God created the universe; He is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of God’s being (Hebrews 1:2-3). This is why every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).
I hope you noticed that it is the “Christ of the Bible” we want to know and serve. There are many lesser “christs” floating around in our society — “christs” who have been formed in the imaginations of people, rather than the Christ revealed in Holy Scripture. Union Congregational Church unashamedly believes that the Bible is the Word of God The desire of our church is to know the Christ of the Bible better, so we will love Him more and be used by the Holy Spirit to help others know Him too — which helps to extend Christ’s kingdom upon the earth (Matthew 6:9-10). Unfortunately, there are some Christians who believe that when Christ said His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), it means that Christ’s kingdom doesn’t have much to do with this world. That is a wrong understanding of Christ’s words. When Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world, He was referring to the fact that the source or origin of His kingdom was not of this world — it was from His Father in heaven — and therefore would not operate in a worldly fashion, having ego-driven leaders bent on achieving self-centered agendas (Mark 10:42-45). Jesus prayed in John 17:14-17 that His followers would remain in the world. Why? So they could influence it (Matthew 5:13-16), but not be of the world, conformed to its values. Christ came into the world to seek and save the lost. And just as the fall of man affected every area of life, so salvation in Christ is to affect every area of life — our families, our community, our culture, and ultimately the peoples and governments of all the world (Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 1:17-21). Nothing is outside the Lordship of Christ, because the One who created and sustains the universe rightfully owns the universe and everything in it. As King David prayed in I Chronicles 29:10-12 (ESV): Blessed are you, O LORD . . . forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hands are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. This is why everything our church does is to be for God’s glory alone. Pastor Mark C. Alvis |
(I Thessalonians 2:13; II Timothy 3:16-17). It is all that God wanted said (John 20:30-31; Revelation 22:18), and only what God wanted said (John 8:26-28). The Lord Jesus taught, “Until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18).