MVC is a Gospel-centered Church; it is Christocentric. We celebrate the Doctrines of Grace! What does that mean? It simply means that MVC is defined by the Gospel. The Gospel affects everything we do. It defines us; it motivates us. It is our beginning, our end, and everything in-between. We, therefore, seek to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ in every aspect of people’s lives.

The Gospel defines our relationship with God. The Gospel moves us from an impersonal “boss-employee” relationship with God to a personal “Father-child” relationship with Him—from a self-centered, fear-based motive to act morally to a love-based desire to delight (and delight in) God.

The Gospel defines our service to Christ. If we are saved by God’s grace at such an infinite cost to Him, then He can ask anything of us and it can still be a joy for us to obey.

The Gospel defines our self-identity. We no longer base our identity on what others think of us—or even what we think of ourselves—but on what God thinks of us in Christ (1 Cor. 4:3-4). The Gospel produces neither an inferiority complex (since God sees us as beautiful in Christ) nor a superiority complex (since we know we are sinners saved only by grace). The transforming power of the Gospel simultaneously produces in us both confidence and humility.

The Gospel defines how we deal with problems. The moralizing approach to solving problems says, “Repent, you are not living right.” The psychological approach says, “You must accept yourself just as you are.” The Gospel says, “You are relying on something other than Jesus Christ to save you.”

The Gospel defines reconciliation between individuals. Through the Gospel we become a new people of God, united to Christ and to each other. Since the Gospel both humbles us and yet assures us that we are loved, we are now free from both envy and pride, both inferiority and superiority. We no longer receive our sense of worth through approval from people or through power over people. This makes our relationships things of beauty driven by love (Gal. 5:6). We neither use people nor are overly dependent upon them; rather we are free to serve, affirm, or confront others—whatever is best for them.

The Gospel defines reconciliation between people. The Gospel removes cultural pride and diminishes race as a component of identity, making it possible to avoid idolizing one’s cultural strengths while appreciating those of others.

The Gospel defines our communal worship. Worship is the process by which we continually attribute the most worth to Jesus. He alone is worthy of our worship and He alone can fulfill us. Many other things compete for this place of worthiness in our lives, and the Bible calls them idols. In fact, John Calvin referred to our hearts as “idol factories” that constantly manufacture new objects of worship. We must continually repent of our attempts to seek independence from Him or to find satisfaction in anything else besides Him. Through the Gospel we strive both personally and corporately to identify, expose, and destroy all idols that compete with the one true God for our attention and devotion. If there is no personal transformation occurring within our body, then corporate worship will be like a committee meeting instead of an encounter with the living God. If, on the other hand, we are being personally transformed, then our worship will be alive and outsiders will be attracted to what is happening (1 Cor. 14:24-25).

The Gospel defines our respect. The Gospel teaches us to have deep respect for non-Christians. Since we are saved only by grace, it is our responsibility to humbly demonstrate our reliance on Christ and live out our security and peace as we boldly tell His story.

The Gospel defines our hope. The Gospel teaches us to have hope for non-Christians. We do not see anyone as hopeless since every conversion, including our own, is a supernatural miracle of God.

The Gospel defines our courage. Since the Gospel prevents us from basing our identity on the approval of others, we are enabled to speak confidently and directly while not speaking haughtily.

The Gospel defines our love. The Gospel keeps us from being defensive and taking things personally. Because our value is derived from Christ, we do not feel the need to win arguments or prove ourselves through witnessing. We evangelize because we love people, and we love people because God first loved us.

The Gospel defines our mission. Paul says that the Gospel “is the power of God for salvation” (Rom. 1:16). The manifestation of the kingdom of God is gradually but inexorably growing (Matt. 11:12; 13:1-23).

The Gospel defines our ministry. The Bible teaches that the body of Christ is a “royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9). Every believer is a prophet, priest, and king. At MVC, the members are equipped and encouraged to minister to one another.

The Gospel defines our partnerships. We desire to see the entire region transformed by the Gospel of Christ. This goal will take more than a single church to accomplish. MVC will work with all Gospel-centered churches to see God’s glory manifested.

The Gospel defines our occupations. When the Gospel cleanses us of the kind religiosity that is itself an idol, then our so-called “secular” work becomes as valuable and God-honoring as full-time Christian ministry. When you use your gifts in work—whether by practicing law, tilling the field, swinging a hammer, digging ditches, mending broken bodies, or nurturing children—you are answering God’s call to serve the human community. Everyone has a worldview which shapes the motives and methods that we employ in our work. The Gospel motivates us to strive for excellence in our work, not out of greed or selfish ambition, but out of gratitude to God and a desire to see Him glorified among our employers, co-workers, customers, friends, and families. We encourage each other to perform our work as unto God out of gratitude for the grace He shows us in the Gospel. We do not want fellow Christians to privatize their faith away from their work or express their faith in terms of subculture. Rather we want to see growing Christians working in their vocations with Christian distinctiveness, thus transforming the culture from the inside out.