The biblical narrative tells The Story of the creation of things, the tragic fall of all things, how God rescued (or redeemed) the world through Jesus, and how from that point God has been working to restore the people and the world that was broken due to the fall. Shortly after creation humanity falls and breaks the relationship between God and Man and the relationship between Heaven and Earth. The middle section of the biblical story is about God gradually bringing Heaven to Earth, restoring what is broken and making what is wrong with the world right again.
Every biblical story revolves around three key themes: fall, redemption, and restoration. The climax of this rhythm is at the cross. Every biblical story points to the cross. At the cross Jesus redeemed a fallen humanity through his death and began the work of restoration in Jesus’ Church through the gift the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead.
Jesus has promised to come again and establish a new creation, a new city of God. At the re-creation of all things, believers in Jesus will finally be restored to their true selves as image bearers of God and all that is wrong with people and the world will be made right. Until then Christians are to walk with the Spirit working to Create Heaven on Earth now. That is, they are to be in the world as Jesus was in the world. In Matthew 6:10 Jesus asks us to pray for God’s will to be done “on Earth as it is in Heaven.” We create heaven on earth by working to redeem what is fallen and restoring it to its heavenly purpose.
New City exists to be like Jesus in community and to our community. Jesus is on a mission to rescue and replenish a world lost and broken by sin, thereby “making all things new” (Revelation 21:5). This is the mission that New City shares with Jesus.