values &
BELIEFS
What we believe is directly connected to what we do.
VALUES
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In John 16, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will guide us into all Truth. In Acts 1, we are told believers will “receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us to be witnesses.” In Acts 3, Peter and John are on the way to a prayer meeting in the temple and encounter a paralyzed beggar, full of the Spirit; they command “in the name of Jesus” to walk.
We want to be a community that not only believes in the Holy Spirit but welcomes the Holy Spirit into all we do. We believe for and long to see the miraculous in our midst. So, we make room for Him to do what He pleases.
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In Matthew 4, Jesus was tempted by Satan. Satan knew the scripture and quoted it to Jesus. What did Jesus do? He quoted scripture BACK to satan with its proper context and meaning.
In Acts 17, Paul and Silas were preaching to the Bereans, and it says, “...they (Bereans) received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. " They not only heard what Paul and Silas were preaching, but they looked to scripture to see if it was true.
We want to be a community that grows in Biblical literacy and understanding. So that way, we can know Jesus’ voice, and when we are faced with false doctrine, life decisions, & in need of guidance, we are equipped.
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Acts 2:46 - 47 says, “They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.“
We aren’t interested in surface-level relationships and community. Scripture teaches that discipleship and growth happen when people are committed to His presence, authenticity, vulnerability, and one another.
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Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 that as we become a new creation in Him, He has given us the ministry of reconciliation. He is entrusting us with the message that we have been reconciled back to God through Jesus.
We are all in a unique context that didn’t happen by accident. We’ve been placed in our families, workplaces, gyms, etc., not just to exist but to be God's mouthpiece, to tell people the wonderful news that, through Jesus, we are reconciled. In this way, we live on mission with Jesus.
BELIEFS
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We believe that there is One true God, the eternally self-existing “I AM,” who has revealed himself to us in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that the persons of the Trinity are co-eternal, co-equal, and yet with unique functions.
(Ex. 3:14; Deut. 6:4; Isa. 43:10, 11; Matt. 28; Jn. 8:58; 2 Cor. 13:14).
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God the Father is the First Person of the Trinity. God revealed Himself as Father in both Old and New Testaments. God adopts believers in Jesus Christ into a relationship with Him as their Father. Through Christ, believers have the privilege of being heirs to God’s glory. As Father God actively prunes and disciplines believers so they may grow in character, wisdom, and knowledge of Him and bear the fruit of Christlikeness.
(John 15:1-4; Deuteronomy 32:6; Isaiah 9:6, 63:16; John 20:17; Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 4:6)
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Jesus is the Second Person of the Trinity. He is a distinct person from the Father and the Holy Spirit, yet of the same substance, two natures in One person (Fully God and Fully human). We believe that Jesus Christ is God, the Son of God, who was incarnated as a human, lived a sinless life, was born of a virgin, was crucified, was buried, was resurrected, and is seated at the right hand of God on high.
(Mt. 1:20; Mk. 16:19; Jn. 1:1, 14; 3:16; 20:1-2; 1 Cor. 15:3-5; Hebrews 2:17; Gal. 4:4 Phil. 2:8; 1 Pet. 3:22).c
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The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity. He is a distinct person from the Father and the Son of God, sent by the Father to equip the Body of Christ with grace for work. In all he does, he glorifies Christ. He convicts the world of sin and regenerates sinners, and in him, they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted into the family of God. The Holy Spirit is received at salvation and assists us in our weaknesses by enabling us to live victorious, bold, Christlike lives.
(Jn. 14:16-26; Rom. 8:9, 26; Eph. 4:30; 1 Cor. 12:7-11; Heb. 10:29).
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We believe the Old Testament and the New Testament are the infallible Word of God in all matters of life and doctrine; that the Bible is completely relevant today for every area of the human experience because it is living and active; that the Bible is the exclusive and only authority for faith and lifestyle; and that the original autographs are without error. It is to be believed, practiced, trusted, and hoped in.
(1 Cor. 2:13; 2 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 4:12; 2 Pet. 1:21).
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We believe in the continuation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and that they did not cease after the Apostolic age. The purpose of the gifts is to equip the Church to carry out its mission until Christ returns, as well as to be a foretaste of the life to come. Believers should seek God in prayer for the gifts of the Spirit to operate in their own lives and ministries and should not only agree to them theoretically but practice them outwardly as the Spirit leads.
(Rom. 1:11; 1 Cor. 1:5, 7; 12:1, 31; 1 Cor. 14:12; 2 Tim. 1:6-7; Heb. 6:5).
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We believe that humankind was created in the image of God but voluntarily sinned when tempted by Satan and fell short of God’s righteousness. Sin is a willful transgression of the law of God and deserves death. At the fall, humankind incurred physical death and spiritual death, which is separation from God. All human beings are in union with Adam and are sinners by nature and by choice. Sin has alienated humankind from God and subjected it to his wrath.
(Gen. 1:26, 27; 2:17; 3:6; Rom. 5:12-19).
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Fallen humankind’s hope of redemption is only possible through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, his work on the cross, and the resurrection. The redemption offered to humankind through the work of Christ must be received by belief and repentance toward God and faith in Christ, who shed his blood. Those who receive God’s offer of grace by faith are born again, justified, regenerated, adopted into the family of God, made heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, and are partakers of eternal life to come.
(John 3:3; Acts 4:12; Eph. 1:7; Rom. 5:10; 8:14-17; 10:9-10; Titus 3:5-6).
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Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence.
(John 3:16, 36; Romans 6:23; 1 John 2:25; 5:11-13; Revelation 20:15)
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The church is a local community of believers unified through faith in Christ. It is committed to the teachings of Christ, obeying all His commands, and it seeks to share the gospel with the world. The Church works together through love and unity to fulfill the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ.
(Matthew 16:18-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-47; 5:11-14; 13:1-3; 14:23; 16:5; 20:28; 1 Corinthians 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:10-12; 5:22-32; Colossians 1:18; 3:15; 1 Timothy 4:14; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 21:2-3)