Our regular and healthy diet as a church is to hear Christ preached from books of the Bible in a chapter by chapter sequential way. There are also times and seasons we preach in a systematic way. If biblical theology is the study of God’s revealed plan of salvation throughout books of the Bible, then systematic theology is the study of the doctrines of Scripture in themes or topics.

We generally preach on the doctrine of church, and therefore church culture, from a Book of the Bible in the 3rd term each year. So that from a Book of the Bible we are seeing how a culture of Christ so shapes a church in our life and doctrine. Yet, this coming Sunday and the following Sunday we’re pausing that sequential preaching through a book for systematic teaching & preaching.

Systematics are important, the Bible has systematic teaching on topics in it. Confessions such as the Westminster Confession of Faith, and Creeds such as the Apostles Creed are systematics.

There is a sense where we are always undertaking systematic theology, every time we read the Bible, teach the Bible, preach the Bible and sing the Bible we are undertaking systematic theology by bringing what we know from other parts of Scripture to bear upon what we are reading.

For us in this two-part mini-series, the systematic preaching that is expository from what the Bible says will show us what Jesus says ought to be a church’s mission-vision-values. Our pray is that we would hear and by faith receive God’s word, and so shape us as Jesus’ church.

You can see our preaching plan here.