Called to be in a Relationship with God in Kingdom Community
| Our hope is to be simply Christians in Christ’s church… SHAPED BY SCRIPTURE. |
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Fellowship of the Church
The church is not a sacred building, but a gathering of God’s people. It is composed of all who have experienced the new birth (baptism) through faith in Jesus. Each new Christian, at the moment of salvation, is added by the Lord to His one universal church. Jesus is the only head of His church. His church finds expression in local congregations which, in the New Testament, were interdependent, each having its own leadership of elders. Once a person is saved and added to the universal church, he or she needs to join the fellowship of a local congregation that honors the teachings of Scripture.
In the Bible, the church is referred to as “the people of God” who are to be a holy nation and a royal priesthood.
- 1 Peter 2:9-10
The church is also referred to as being the “body of Christ”. Christ’s presence in the world today is represented by the church as they continue His ministry in the world. The different parts of the body represent many talents within the church where each member contributes to the growth of the whole body.
- 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
- 1 Corinthians 12:18
- 1 Corinthians 12:27
When we become Christians, the Holy Spirit’s indwelling of us brings us together into community. The Holy Spirit gives the church the gift of unity. Jesus charges us with keeping this unity in the bond of peace with all humility and love.
- Ephesians 4:1-5
Being added to Christ’s church includes becoming a part of His loving spiritual family. This new family is both a privilege and a responsibility.
- Matthew 12:48-50
- Mark 10:29-30
- Romans 8:1
- 1 Timothy 3:15
The Bible leads us to understand that we all have important roles within His family. God asks men to fill some roles while asking women to fill others. We trust God’s infinite wisdom concerning our roles in our homes, in church leadership and in assembly worship.
- Genesis 1
- Genesis 2
- Genesis 3
- Galatians 3:26-29
- 1 Corinthians 11:3
- 1 Corinthians 14:33-35
- Ephesians 5:25-33
- 1 Timothy 2:11-15
- 1 Timothy 3: 1-2
- 1 Timothy 3:12
Worship & Assembly of the Church – Coming Before Our King
Worship covers the Christian life as well as Christian assembly. However, in assembly, the church manifests itself by being together as a family. Not everything that is acceptable in daily Christian living has a place in assembly worship. Assembly worship is celebrative and relevant worship that adores the Creator according to His will. The Bible refers to this kind of worship as being in “spirit and in truth”. When we approach our Heavenly King in this manner, our spiritual needs are met in a way that leads to unity, vision, maturity, blessing, and empowerment.
- John 4:23
- 1 Corinthians 11:20-22
- 1 Corinthians 11:33-34
- 1 Corintians 14:23
Christians need one another. God created us this way. Christian faith always includes expression as community because God exists in community. As opposed to being based on ritual, our assembly worship is based on relationship… to God and to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
- Hebrews 10:25
- Acts 17:24-25
The Bible teaches us to approach our assembly worship with an attitude of dependence and humility before God the Father. Because of our salvation in Christ, Christians come to God with an attitude of thanksgiving and joy. From the Holy Spirit comes expectation and hope as we look towards eternity.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18
- Romans 15:13
The proper goals of the assembly are to glorify God and to edify the church. The apostles’ teaching sets the standard for how we participate in this as a church.
- Acts 2:42
- Ephesians 3:21
- 1 Corinthians 14:9, 12, 15
As we see in the New Testament, the Lord’s supper is the central act of the church in its weekly assemblies. These assemblies took place upon the first day of the week. The Lord’s supper is expressive of the central principles of the Christian faith, namely, remembering what Jesus has done through His death, burial, and resurrection and remembering what that means to our lives.
- Acts 20:7
- Matthew 26:26-28
- 1 Corinthians 11:23-28
Much of our assembly worship is focused on the spiritual communication necessary for a healthy relationship to grow between each Christian and God and between each Christian and our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
- Ephesians 5:15-17
- Prayer
In assembly worship, our prayers voice the family concerns of the church. We pray through the name of (or by the authority of) Jesus. Through Christ, we are allowed to come boldly before the throne of God with our prayers. The goal of prayer, however, is our submission to the will of God. Within this context, we trust God with our requests, and pray His will be done.
- 1 Timothy 2:1
- John 16:26
- Hebrews 4:16
- Matthew 6:10
- Matthew 7:11
- Matthew 26:42
- A Cappella Singing
Singing spiritual thoughts from our hearts to God and to one another is an important part of growing our relationships in Christ. Singing is a sacrifice and confession of our faith made with our lips. We sing to one another for mutual edification and for affirmation of unity. Our song involves the whole person and provides an outlet for deep religious emotion. Musical instruments occur in the New Testament as a part of everyday life but are never mentioned as part of the worship assembly of the church. In light of this, we participate in a cappella singing in our assembly worship.
- 1 Timothy 3:16
- Hebrews 13:15
- Ephesians 5:18-19
- Colossians 3:16
- Romans 15:6
- James 5:13
- Bible Study
The Bible encourages the public reading of scripture in assembly and to the receiving of teaching from the Bible. The New Testament establishes the Christian faith and interprets the Old Testament for us in the light of Christ.
- 1 Timothy 4:13
- Matthew 17:5
- Hebrews 1:1-2
The everyday life of a Christian is marked by giving. However, giving also finds worshipful expression in the weekly assembly. In assembly, our giving is to be personal, intentional, planned, and according to how God has blessed us. Our attitude in giving is also important to our relationship with God.
- 1 Corinthians 16:1-3
- 2 Corinthians 9:7
Purpose of the Church
As a church, we seek to be about our Father’s business in ways outlined for us in scripture. We seek to challenge ourselves as a church with connecting all of the various aspects of our lives to the will of Christ.
- Luke 2:49
- Romans 12:2
We seek daily to walk as Jesus’ disciples and trust that Jesus, Himself, is working to finish what He has begun in us.
- John 13:35
- Hebrews 12:1-2
- 2 Timothy 1:12-14
Jesus wants his people to work together, worship together and strengthen each other.
- Acts 2:42-44
Our ministries extend beyond ourselves as we seek to demonstrate the love of Christ to the community around us.
- Ephesians 4:7-11
- Galatians 6:9
We seek to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the world around us so they too may become His disciples.
- Matthew 28:19-20
- 2 Corinthians 5:18-20
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All scripture quotations in the Beliefs section use the English Standard Version (ESV®).