Celebrating God with Us.
Through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ–personal
Through Community with others–relational
Through the study of God’s Word together–intentional
Through the practices of the faith–transformational
Through inviting others to do the same–missional
STATEMENT OF BELIEF
The Tri-une God: We believe in one God, omniscient, omnipotent, and eternally existing in three equally divine Persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1-2, Genesis 1:26-27, Matthew 1:23, Matthew 3:16-17, Matthew 28:19, Luke 1:35, John 10:30, John 14:16-17, Romans 14:17-18, 1 Corinthians 8:6, 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Colossians 2:9) God possesses perfect knowledge of all things, past, present, and future, including all human thoughts, acts, and decisions. (Psalm 147:5, Psalm 139:1-4, 1 Chronicles 28:9, Proverbs 15:3, Psalm 33:13-15, Jeremiah 23:24, Matthew 6:8, Hebrews 4:13)
Revelation: We believe that the sole authority for the Church is the Bible: Verbally inspired, completely sufficient, and totally trustworthy. It is our final word in our teaching and our practice. (Isaiah 55:10-11, Jeremiah 15:16,Psalm 19:7-8, Psalm 119:105, Proverbs 30:5, Matthew 4:4, John 8:32, John 14:6, John 17:17, Romans 10:17, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 4:12)
Creation of Humanity: We believe that God created human beings, man and woman, in His image. Humanity was created to know, enjoy, worship, and live in perfect fellowship with God. Because we are created in God’s image, every human being, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religious upbringing, or social status is of great value to God. (Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 2:7, Isaiah 45:12, Psalm 100:3, Psalm 139:14, Job 33:4, Mark 10:6, Acts 17:26, James 3:9)
The Fall: We believe that in the Garden, Adam and Eve, made in the image of God, distorted that image and forfeited all that came with the blessing of God’s presence by falling into sin. This willful decision to declare independence from God led to all of humanity’s being alienated from God, corrupted in every aspect of their being (physically, mentally, willingly, emotionally, spiritually). Because Adam and Eve’s rebellion is our rebellion, this corruption has left us condemned and under judgment. To remain in rebellion and continue under judgment in this life will lead to an eternity of separation from God in the next. Every human being is in need of a restored relationship with God, which Healone makes possible. (Genesis 2:17, Isaiah 53:6, Romans 5:12, Romans 5:18-21, 1 Corinthians 15:22, Ephesians 4:18)
Redemption of/in Christ: We believe that from the beginning of the world, it was God’s plan to freely offer rescue from our rebellion by faith in His one and only Son, Jesus. By faith, a once separated, guilty, and condemned person is pronounced reconciled, innocent, and free. By faith, not our behavior, are we restored to right relationship with God. By faith, not earning, do we receive this free gift of eternal life. By faith, anyone who calls on the name of the Lord, will be saved. (Isaiah 44:22, Psalm 49:7-9, Psalm 111:9, Psalm 130:7, John 3:16, John 7:38, Acts 3:19, Romans 3:24, Romans 5:10, Romans 10:9-10, Galatians 1:4, Galatians 2:20, Galatians 3:13, Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:18-19,Hebrews 9:12)
The Gospel: We believe that Jesus is the plan. The Gospel means “good news.” Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection (and eventual return), announces the way home for us. The Good News is that Jesus, the promised Rescuer of God, God Himself, put on flesh, came close to broken and rebellious humanity so that we might turn from our rebellion and receive His Kingdom. Though He Himself was sinless, He died for sinners. Jesus lived, Jesus died, and Jesus rose from the grave, defeating sin and death, and proving that all He said and did was true. (Isaiah 52:7, Mark 1:1, Mark 10:45, Luke 4:16-21, Acts 13:32-33, Romans 1:1-4, Romans 1:16, Romans 15:20, 2 Timothy 2:8)
The Power of the Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of unbelief, and is responsible for salvation. He unites the believer to Christ and justifies us before God the Father. By the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, we are renewed, sanctified, and adopted in to God’s family. Through the Holy Spirit, believers participate in the divine nature and the gifts that God distributes to every believer. The Holy Spirit indwells, guides, instructs, equips, revives, and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service. (Luke 12:12, John 15:26,John 16:7-10, Acts 13:52, Acts 15:8, Romans 5:5, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 1 Corinthians 12:3, 1 Corinthians 12:11, 2 Corinthians 6:6, Galatians 5:22-23, Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 4:30, Ephesians 5:17-18, Hebrews 10:15-16, Titus 3:5)
The Kingdom of God: We believe that Jesus came calling people to repent and to enter the kingdom of God and delight in the blessings of this New Promise: the forgiveness of sins, the inward transformation that awakens a desire to glorify, trust, and obey God, and the prospect of the glory yet to be revealed. Jesus said that this Kingdom was very hard to enter, because it is a Kingdom received by faith, not something we can pay to enter (hence the phrase being “born again”). Living as salt in a world that is decaying and light in a world that is dark, believers should neither withdraw into seclusion from the world, nor become indistinguishable from it: rather, we are to do good to the city, for all the glory and honor of the nations is to be offered up to the living God. Because we are citizens of God’s kingdom, we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, doing good to all, especially to those who belong to the household of God. The kingdom of God, establishes a new community of human life together under God’s complete and total reign. While we live, we experience the Kingdom in partial, but the day will come when God’s Kingdom will be revealed completely. (Psalm 103:19, Mark 1:15, Luke 9:2, Luke 17:21, Luke 18:18-29, John 3:3-6, Romans 14:17, 1 Corinthians 4:20, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 1 Corinthians 15:50)
God’s New People: We believe that Jesus’ work on the cross purchased us back from sin and death. Because of that work, Jesus defeated the power of sin in our lives and the penalty for sin, death. While we still struggle against sin, we are not controlled by it. While we are not free from our temptations, we now have a new strength against them. As a people purchased at such a high price, the Church is not her own. Because of the Good News, Christ-followers surrender our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ priorities become our priorities. Jesus’ mission becomes our mission. Jesus’ family becomes our family. We desire to reflect the One who has loved us the most. The Church is a people sent to announce God’s Kingdom in both word and actions until Christ’s return. We believe that good works display evidence of having been saved by God’s good grace. (1 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 6:15-16, Ephesians 2:14-18, Ephesians 5:3,Colossians 1:12-14, Colossians 3:12, 2 Thessalonians 1:10, Titus 3:5)
The Restoration of All Things: We believe history is headed in a direction. From the creation of the world, God has had a plan of an image reflecting people, living in His presence. He had that in the garden, and though humanity rebelled, through Christ, God’s plan will succeed. At the return of Christ, death will be defeated, sin and evil will be judged once and for all, and what was broken will be restored. What we have believed by faith, we will one day experience by sight. (Job 19:25- 27, Acts 3:18-21, Romans 8:18-20, 1 Peter 5:10, Revelation 21:1-7, Revelation 22:1-7)