What We Believe

WE ARE SINNERS WHO NEED SALVATION

As human beings we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and was raised to life in a total victory over sin, death and the devil.  We are saved not by works or what we do, but by God’s grace.  Forgiveness and salvation are gifts which we receive by faith in Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:23-24).

You receive the assurance of salvation in Jesus Christ when you, “Confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead” (Romans 10:9).

There are two Sacraments – Communion and Baptism.  In both, three things are present – 1. Earthly Element (wine, bread, water) 2. Promise of God’s Presence and thus grace, forgiveness and life 3. The command from Jesus to share in the Lord’s Supper and to Baptize.  (Luke 22:19-21), (Matthew 28:16-20).

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WE BELONG TO GOD’S FAMILY: THE BODY OF CHRIST

The church is a gift of God’s grace given to His children. Believers in the church are family: brothers and sisters in Christ, who are called to encourage spiritual growth and accountability in each other. (Mark 3:33-34).

The heart of a believer desires to worship God.  In our worship of God, we glorify Him through word, song, and sacraments.  We come to understand our sin, our need for a savior, and our dependence on God.  God uses worship to speak to us and nurture our faith. (John 4:24).

We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  Our faith and discipleship leads to works, not in order to earn God’s acceptance, but to glorify God for the gift of salvation given by grace.  We are in this world to share the good news of Jesus Christ. (James 2:14-17).

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 WE CAN HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS

At the center of our ministries is our desire to “Come to know Jesus”.  God is our Father and Creator.  Jesus is God’s only Son.  The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to us, dwelling in our hearts to guide our faith, our life, and to gift us for ministry and vocation. There is one God, but three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (2 Corinthians 13:11-14).

Jesus calls us to follow Him in a life of discipleship.  As we grow and mature in our faith we come to see that God continues to work in our hearts and in our lives. We teach that followers of Jesus seek to grow in relationship to God and each other through: daily prayer, weekly worship, Bible reading, service, relationship with other believers, and faithful stewardship. (2 Timothy 4:1-5).

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THE BIBLE IS GOD’S WORD

We believe that the Bible is God’s ancient, eternal word of truth for all people forever.  We believe that “the word is God, was God, and was made flesh through Jesus Christ. (John 1:1-14).  The Bible is God’s inspired, authoritative, inerrant and infallible word.  Because God speaks to us in the reading of the Bible, Christ’s disciples are called to read the Bible on a regular basis. As we do, God uses His Word to reveal Jesus to us and guides us in our walk of faith. (2 Timothy 3:16-17).   The Word of God is living & active, sharper than any double-edged sword. (Hebrews 4:12).

MARRIAGE IS A GIFT FROM GOD FOR CREATION

We believe that the institution of marriage is a sacred covenant designed by God as a lifelong commitment between one man and one woman.  Christians are called to defend and protect God’s marriage design and to minister in Christ’s name to those who suffer the consequences of its brokenness. (Matthew 19:4-6).

We value home and family as a place where we are nurtured and equipped in a lifestyle of faith in order to carry the message of God’s love in Jesus Christ into all aspects of daily lives. (Proverbs 22:6).

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WE ARE CALLED TO EVANGELIZE, GROW, ENCOURAGE AND REACH OUT

Every follower of Jesus is called to faithfully pray, serve, give and evangelize.  Churches are responsible to prepare believers for growing in their relationship with Jesus and their understanding as to how to live the Christian life.  As guests, friends and members the body of Christ praises God in worship, studies the Bible (individually and together) and grows through opportunities such as small groups, mission trips and retreats. 

In a word: we are called to participate.  The church organizes itself around a mission and a vision, employing paid and volunteer co-workers who proclaim the truth of God. 

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Together we incorporate, discern and display the gifts of the Spirit (Romans 12) such as service, leading, mercy, giving, exhorting, teaching and prophecy.  We have different roles but the same spirit: prophets, apostles, evangelists, shepherds and teachers (Ephesians 4:11) .  The way we interact is by the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22).           

We believe that every Christian has at least one spiritual gift, “a special attribute given by the Holy Spirit to every member of the body of Christ according to God’s grace.” (1 Peter 4:10 and 1 Corinthians 12:8-10)

As family, and co-laborers we ask God to help and guide us as we live for Jesus, study and apply God’s word to our lives, engage with the community and proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, serving all people by following the example of Jesus, seeking God’s justice and peace.