Our Convictions

It is no secret that we’re about discipleship, as we encourage people to become Christ-followers in our city. From God’s Word it’s clear that this is the mission He gave the church. Our heart is about the quality of disciples and not the quantity.  However, we do desire to see both quality and quantity increase as the Lord moves and blesses our work. We do love the work with passion.

As a family journeying in faith together, we agree and share that the focus of our life is to glorify God through the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) in the spirit of the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37–39) because of the Great Exchange (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is fulfilled as disciples of Jesus Christ are made. God is glorified as we manifest His presence in doing so (2 Timothy 2:2; 1 Corinthians 10:31). For more information about The Winepress’s heart and focus, please spend a little time reading and bouncing around the site.

The Great Commission

Living And Sharing

In the Great Commission, Jesus calls every disciple to step out in faith and spread the Good News. This is faith in action. We are called to obey this command and change lives forever. It could be spreading the Good News to a neighbour, spreading the Word in a city or town, or moving to another country to reach the people there. Wherever we go, every faithful disciple is compelled through love share the Gospel. The Winepress takes small and large steps “to make disciples of all the nations”.

The Great Commandment

Loving

Loving God means honouring Him, revering Him, and paying close attention to His desires as expressed in the Bible.  Jesus added something more to the greatest Commandment: “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39 ESV).  In the book of First John, the connection is explicit: “We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.  And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” (1 John 4:19-21 ESV).

Loving God empowers us to love other people. The focus on love helps us not to settle for a minimum concern for our neighbours, but to reach out to them.  Love helps us to understand the real thrust of the commandments, and to give us concern for actual obedience, not merely listening. Jesus loved us perfectly and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20).  He saved us when none of us could save ourselves (Romans 5:6-10).  And now, when we put our trust in Him, we are united to Him, and we are transformed so that we can imitate the pattern of His love: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 ESV).  Through Jesus Christ we receive not only understanding of God’s will, but power and motivation to serve Him. In receiving His love, we can, in turn, love others and this drives our passion for the Great Commission.

The Great Exchange

The Good News

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV). Martin Luther called it the Great Exchange, and at The Winepress it’s the hub on our wheel of ministry.  Paul here is echoing Luke and they’re both echoing Jesus regarding the work Jesus would do for those who trust in Him. Jesus, who is righteous and knew no sin, became our sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. In theological land, we call this double imputation. My sin goes to Jesus, Jesus’ righteousness comes to me. This is really good news; we really get excited about the work Jesus did for us and we really like teaching about this work at The Winepress. Without the Great Exchange, the Great Commission and Commandment have no power!

The Winepress is distinctly
committed to:

  • Holistic worship, without compromise in living
  • Expository, application-oriented preaching
  • Elder-led church government
  • Church-planting churches
  • Complementary roles
  • Community life
  • Soul care
  • Truth
  • Love

“The preacher’s task is to declare what God has said, explain the meaning, and establish the implications so that no one will mistake its relevance…We find Christ in all the Scriptures. In the Old Testament He is predicted, in the Gospels He is revealed, in Acts He is preached, in the epistles He is explained, and in Revelation He is expected.”
~ Alistair Begg