Love God - Love People - Serve the World
Love God. The world is full of misdirected love that leads to pain, sorrow, and suffering. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he responded, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." (Matthew 22:37)
Loving God is the daily goal for every Christian, but it is specifically expressed in church life through our active participation in corporate worship through song, fellowship, and Christ-exalting preaching. When we gather as the church, we seek to build our love for God.
Love People. The fruit of loving God is loving people. When a person tastes and sees the goodness of God in their life, it naturally overflows into a love for others. This is why Jesus said in response to the question regarding the greatest commandment that the "second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:39)
Loving all people is a privilege for every Christian, but it is uniquely expressed in church life through our genuine and loving care for one another in the church body by praying for, seeking the good of, loving, serving, and spending time with one another. (Philippians 2:1-4)
Serve the World. Just as a genuine love for God overflows into a genuine care for one another in the church, it also overflows into a love for the world and those in it who do not know of the glory of God. We long to see others come to know the goodness and majesty of God in their own lives.
Serving the world is expressed through Gospel proclamation and acts of service to those who are yet to trust in Christ as their Savior, whether in our community or in the uttermost parts of the earth. (Matthew 28:19-20)
A detailed copy of our "Articles of Faith” is available upon request; however the fundamentals of our faith may be summarized as follows:
- Inspiration and Authority of Scripture – God authored the entire Bible – every word of it and every part of it (2 Timothy 3:16).
- Trinity - We believe in one God, creator and sustainer of all things, eternally coexisting in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in their work. (Exodus 20:2–3; Matthew 3:16–17; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Revelation 4:11).
- Humanity - We believe that God created all things, including humans. He created them male and female, in His image. We further believe that humans became and are sinners by both nature and choice and are therefore spiritually dead (Genesis 3; Romans 5:10–19; John 1:1–3, 14; Acts 16:3–33; Ephesians 2:1-3; Hebrews 10:4–14).
- Salvation - We believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. This salvation is based upon the sovereign grace of God, was purchased by Christ on the cross, is received by man through faith apart from any human merit, works, or ritual, and is eternally secured by the finished work of Christ. We further believe salvation results in righteous living and good works. (John 10:28–29; Acts 16:31; Romans 19:9–13; Ephesians 2:8–10; Titus 3:5–8; 1 Peter 1:1–5; 1 John 5).
- Deity of Jesus Christ – We believe that Jesus is fully God and fully man. He has always existed as God, and will always be God (I John 1:1; John 20:31).
- Jesus' Virgin Birth – Jesus was born of the virgin Mary (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1) and was sinless (Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22).
- Jesus' Resurrection – Jesus arose from the grave, triumphing over death, assuring believers of their future resurrection (I Corinthians 15:1-20).
- Jesus' Return – Jesus assured His disciples that He will come again (John 14:1-3).
Our core commitments come from Luke's narrative in Acts 2:42, where he described the priorities of the early church in Jerusalem. When we think of what we want to make sure takes place each week, we think about these dynamics.
"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."
—Acts 2:42
The early church was devoted to the Apostles' teaching. Therefore, we endeavor to be Bible-saturated and biblically-guided in all that we do (II Timothy 3:16,17; II Peter 1:3).
The early church was devoted to the Fellowship. Therefore, we endeavor to prioritize our congregational meetings (Hebrews 10:24,25; I John 1:3ff; Romans 12; I Corinthians 12) and seek to minister to each other (John 13:35).
The early church was devoted to the Breaking of Bread. Therefore, we will endeavor to regularly incorporate a meaningful celebration of the Lord’s Supper into our congregational meetings (Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 11:17-34).
The early church was devoted to the Prayers. Therefore, we will endeavor to facilitate corporate prayer times and encourage private prayer (Colossians 4:2; I Thessalonians 5:17; Psalm 62:8; Matthew 6:5-15).
