Faith Foundations

What we know to be true of God is only possible because He has chosen to stoop to our level, reveal some of His qualities to us, and be known by us.

We believe in one eternal God who exists as three distinct Persons equal in power and glory: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. All things were created by Him and for Him, and He actively sustains the universe. (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:8, 48:16; Matthew 28:19-20; John 10:30; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:3).

God is spirit, by nature intangible (John 4:24), infinite (1 Timothy 1:17), and incomparable (2 Samuel 7:22). God exists everywhere (Psalm 139:7-12), knows everything (Psalm 147:5; Isaiah 40:28), and has all power and authority (Ephesians 1; Revelation 19:6). He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Through the Bible, God has revealed His character to be perfectly loving, just and completely holy, or above and beyond all else (1 John 4:16; John 14:6; Deuteronomy 32:4; Isaiah 6; Revelation 4). God shows compassion (2 Corinthians 1:3), mercy (Romans 9:15), and grace (Romans 5:17). God judges sin (Psalm 5:5) but also offers forgiveness (Psalm 130:4) as He carries out His eternal plan for all of creation (Ephesians 1:11), which involves freeing humanity from slavery to destructive behaviors that keep us apart from Him and saving us from death that comes from being separated from God (Galatians 3:13-14).

We believe that the chief characteristic of God is love and that our highest priority in life on this earth is to love God and love one another (Matthew 22:37-40; Mk. 12:30-31).

GOD THE FATHER

We believe the Father is the initiator, the ultimate source or cause of: the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11), divine revelation (Revelation 1:1), salvation (John 3:16-17), and Jesus’ human works (John 5:17, 14:10).

God is our Father in the sense that He created us and that he is our Redeemer, the One who sets us free from being slaves to the destructive choices and cycles of behavior that keep us apart from Him and lead to certain death. By His grace, we have the opportunity to put our faith in Jesus and receive God’s forgiveness for behaviors that break relationship with Him, which allows us to relate to Him as Father and enjoy Him forever.

God the Father and Jesus (God the Son) remain distinct persons, but they work together for the salvation of those who receive God’s grace by faith in Jesus. In the Bible, the Father is revealed to us as the One who plans the work of salvation and who sends the Son to carry it out.

Jesus claimed God as his Father and taught his followers to do the same. We can relate to God as Father through Jesus the Son, sharing in his sonship by the adoption into God’s family we receive through Christ’s redeeming work for us. By nature, we are not children of God. As his creatures, we have nothing in common with our Creator’s divine being, but when the Holy Spirit makes His home within our hearts at the time we profess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are able to approach the Father as His sons and daughters and enjoy the personal relationship with Him He has always desired (Isa. 63:16–17; John 5:17-18; John 10:30; Phil. 2:5–8; Gal. 2:20).

GOD THE SON

We believe Jesus, the Son, is the agent through whom the Father does the following works: the creation and maintenance of the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17), divine revelation (John 1:1, 16:12-15; Matthew 11:27; Revelation 1:1), and salvation (2 Corinthians 5:19; Matthew 1:21; John 4:42).

We believe God the Son became a human being in the person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who was both fully God and fully human. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died a substitutionary death for all of humanity, was raised from the dead on the third day after his death, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God (John 1:1, 14-18; Luke 1:26-35; Matthew 1:18-25; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Hebrews 10:12-13; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6).; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Hebrews 10:12-13; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6).

The Son of God became the Son of Man and is therefore the “bridge” between God and humanity (John 14:6; 1 Timothy 2:5). It is only through the Son that we can have forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7), reconciliation with God (John 15:15; Romans 5:10), and eternal salvation from death (2 Timothy 2:10).

Because God the Son is one with God the Father and all the fullness of God lives in his bodily form, if we really want to know who God is, all we have to do is look at Jesus (John 14:9).

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe the Holy Spirit is the means by whom the Father does the following works: creation and maintenance of the universe (Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13; Psalm 104:30); divine revelation (John 16:12-15; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Peter 1:21); salvation (John 3:6; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:2); and Jesus’ works (Isaiah 61:1; Acts 10:38). Thus, the Father does all these things by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We believe the Holy Spirit was sent by the Father and the Son to convict and awaken the world to the realities of sin, judgment according to God's laws, and the grace extended to us through Jesus.

We believe the Holy Spirit facilitates the spiritual rebirth of all who believe in Jesus, makes His home in their hearts, transforms their hearts to be more like our Lord Jesus Christ, and He empowers them to live as His witnesses (John 14:16-17; John 16:7-11; Titus 3:5-6; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 1:13-14; Acts 1:8; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12-14; 1 Peter 4:10-11).

The Holy Spirit is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide (John 16:13, 14:16-17, 16:8-11; Romans 8:26). The Spirit enables us to use spiritual gifts mentioned in the Bible, which are given by God through the Spirit for the sake of God’s glory and the common good  (Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 12:4–11; and 1 Corinthians 12:28).

We believe the Bible is God’s Word recorded for us and it is living and active because it’s how He speaks to us, tells us His story and helps us understand our part within that story.

We believe the Bible was written without error by men chosen by God who were inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Corinthians 2:13), and therefore the Bible is accurate, authoritative and applicable to our everyday lives.

While humans were the vessels God used to write down the passages, the truth of the Bible did not come from human understanding or knowledge. Every part of the Bible is God-breathed. While various writers bring different perspectives, writing styles and wrote in various literary genres, the Bible is inspired by God and reveals who He is, what He is like, and His divine plan for all of creation.

We believe the Bible is the only and final authority in every area it addresses for every individual Christian and the Church as a whole (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21; John 10:35). We believe the Word of God supersedes any earthly law that is contrary to the Holy Scriptures (2 Peter 1:3-4, 21).

Genesis, the very first book of the Bible, gives us an account of creation in broad strokes focused on Who created the universe, and how God spoke all things into existence, including humans.

We believe that God created human beings, male and female, in His own image. He created them sinless, equal in value, dignity and worth (Genesis 1:26-28; Ephesians 5:22-6:4; 1 Timothy 3:1-7).

Scripture tells us God placed the first humans, Adam and Eve, into a garden called Eden to work it (Genesis 2:15). These humans were special, set apart from the rest of creation because God breathed his own breath of life into them and gave them dominion over all living things (Genesis 2:7).

We believe God created men and women different from one another by design to complement and complete each other. God created and instituted monogamous marriage between one male and one female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6; John 4:16-18; Romans 1:18-32; I Corinthians 5:11, 6:9-11,18-20, 7:1-3,8-9; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:3-7; I Timothy 1:9-11).

We believe the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman in a marriage covenant or binding agreement before God (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22- 23).

We also believe God created sex as an expression of love and intimacy to be enjoyed by one man and one woman within the context of marriage, forming a powerful physical and spiritual union as two become one. For this reason, God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:24; Genesis 19:5, 13; Genesis 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1: 26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4).

According to the Bible, sin is any act that opposes God’s perfect character, His commands and will for our lives. When we sin against God, we break relationship with Him, which is why sin has separated each of us from God and His purpose for our lives.

Put a different way, sin causes a separation between humans and God, who is so holy and perfect in every way that His presence cannot tolerate sin. When we act out of line with His nature, we create a divide between us and our Creator.

God’s intention from the very beginning was for humans to bear His image throughout the world and thrive in loving relationship with Him. But He gave us free will and a choice: to live according to His wisdom and thrive in relationship with Him, or live according to what we think is best and suffer apart from Him.

In the Garden of Eden, God placed a tree known as the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He commanded Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree, but rather to trust in His knowledge of good and evil. But, tempted by satan in the form of a serpent, Eve then Adam took from the tree and ate the fruit, acting in disobedience to God and introducing sin into the world, a sequence of events commonly referred to as The Fall (Genesis 3).

The serpent in Genesis 3 is satan, the devil, an opposer of God and our spiritual enemy. Throughout scripture we see satan and his followers deceive and destroy God’s creation. Jesus and his apostles warn us time and time again to resist satan and not fall into the same trap as Adam and Eve. (2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 John 3:8; John 8:44)‍.

Adam and Eve’s disobedience had a ripple effect across creation and human history, introducing division, decay and death, all because they chose to go their own way rather walk in God’s way.

We believe that as a result of The Fall, all people are sinners by nature and choice, falling short of God’s standard and breaking His commandments, rightfully putting humanity in all its imperfections and rebelliousness against God and His ways under God’s righteous judgment (Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-3).

Because sin separates us from God, the Source and Sustainer of life, sin results in pains and experiences of spiritual “death” as well as eternal separation from God after physical death (Romans 6:23).

Facing judgment for our rebellious and destructive patterns of behavior that lead to death, we are all sinners in need of a Savior.

The good news of the gospel is God so loved the world that He already had a plan to save us from our sin (John 3:16), and throughout the entire Bible and human history, we see His salvation plan in motion.

Before Jesus ever entered the world, God made Himself known to people and demonstrated His desire to be close to us. He did this most often through the people of Israel, known as His chosen people (Deut. 7:6) because it was through them that God chose to show the rest of the world what it looks like to be close to Him. Through the bloodline of Israel, He would send a Savior into the world.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the one and only Savior of the world, who, being both God and man is the bridge between us and God, and the only One who can reconcile us to Him (1 John 4:14; John 14:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; Acts 4:12). He did what we cannot: he faced the same temptations we do but lived a perfect, sinless and exemplary life, died on the cross in our place for our sins, conquered death and rose from the grave on the third day after his crucifixion to prove His victory over sin and death, and personally appeared to his followers (1 Corinthians 15:1-8;
 Romans 4:25).

We believe the risen Jesus is alive and present with us in the person of the Holy Spirit, (2 Corinthians 13:5), and by God’s grace through faith in Jesus, all who turn from sin and put their trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior share in his victory over death and eternal life with God. Because Jesus died for the sins of the world, the invitation to believe in Jesus and receive the free gift of God’s grace is open to anyone. Whoever desires may come into a saving relationship with Jesus for new, eternal life and forgiveness for your past, present and future sins (Matthew 11:28; John 3:16; Acts 3:19, 20:21; Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:8-9, 8-9; John 2:2; Revelation 22:17).

Because of Jesus, we now have a way to be rid of our sins and draw close to God. Jesus gave his life once for all of us, taking our place and absorbing God’s wrath that should have come upon us, and he invites us to leave the pain of a sinful lifestyle separated from God behind to follow him, live in a way that is pleasing to God, and enjoy an intimate close relationship with God that He has always wanted to have with us.

SAVED BY GRACE

We believe salvation – being forgiven of our sin, spared the eternal consequences of sin, and given new life in Jesus, is not earned or deserved, but received as a gracious gift from God on the basis of faith in His Son Jesus Christ, a relationship that compels us to turn away from sin and submit to God’s will for our lives (Ephesians 2:8,9; Hebrews 9:12,22; Romans 5:11).

Salvation is about what God has already done for you in Jesus – not what you can do for Him. There is nothing you could ever do to earn your salvation, because even on your best days, you still sin. No matter how often you attend church, how many days you read your Bible, or how nice you are to people, those things will never get you into Heaven. There is nothing that you could ever do that will make God love you more, and there is nothing that you have ever done that has made God love you any less. Your salvation is secured because of Jesus and Jesus alone.

SAVED THROUGH FAITH

We believe all of salvation, including repentance and faith, is a result of God drawing near to us, opening our eyes, and changing our hearts. The faith God requires of us for salvation is belief in what the Bible says about who Jesus is and what He accomplished and fully trusting in Jesus for that salvation (Acts 16:31). Biblical faith is always accompanied by repentance (Matthew 21:32; Mark 1:15). Repentance is turning from sin and idolatry to serve the true and living God (Ezek. 14:6; 1 Thess. 1:9). This does not mean that believers will not struggle with sin anymore but rather that sin no longer has dominion over us (Rom. 6:12). Sin no longer sits on the throne of the believer’s heart.

Once you are saved by God and adopted into His family, you become a child of God, and when God the Father looks at you He doesn’t see your sin or mistakes, He sees Jesus. Because of God’s grace you have been saved, and there is no sin that is too much for God to forgive. He has already forgiven all sins because of Jesus.

HOW TO BE SAVED

We believe all you need to do to be saved is summed up in Romans 10:9 which says, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Change your mind from embracing sin and rejecting God to rejecting sin and embracing God through Jesus Christ. Fully trust in the sacrifice of Jesus as the perfect and complete payment for your sins. If you do this, God’s Word promises that you will be saved, your sins will be forgiven, and you will spend eternity with Him in heaven.

You don’t have to work for God’s free gift of salvation – you can simply believe for salvation. (Romans 3:20, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:13)

We believe in the resurrection of the dead, and that our eternal destination of either Heaven or Hell is determined by our response to the Lord Jesus Christ (Daniel 12:2; John 5:25-29).

We believe in a literal Heaven and a literal Hell and that all those who place their faith, hope and trust in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in Heaven with God. Those who reject Jesus’ free gift of salvation will spend eternity separated from God  (Psalm 9:17; Matthew 5:3, 5:22, 18:9, 25:31-34; Mark 9:42-49; Luke 12:5; John 3:18; Hebrews 12:23; 1 Peter 1:4; Revelation 14:10-11, 20:11-15).

We believe Jesus Christ rose from the grave, appeared to his followers and literally returned to heaven in bodily form to be glorified at the right hand of God (John 14:2-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

We also believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back again as He promised, in a literal return to earth for the completion of God’s redemptive plan as Jesus’ heavenly kingdom is fully realized (Jude 1:14; Revelation; Revelation 20:4). This will be a very public, visible return without any question of who he is (Philemon 2:10-11; Revelation 19:11-16), as Christ in full power and glory carries out the final judgment and eternal blessing of the righteous and endless separation of the wicked (Matthew 16:27; Acts 1:11; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:11-15).

Since Adam and Eve first disobeyed God and the decay and death brought about by humanity’s sin swept across the earth, all of creation “has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth” (Romans 8:22) as it awaits the fulfillment of God’s plan and “the children of God to be revealed” (Romans 8:19). When he returns, Jesus will restore the earth to what it was always meant to be, only this time without any threat of satan, sin, and death (Rev. 21:1-22:5). Christ will establish what the Bible calls the new heavens and the new earth (Isa. 65:17), where the original goodness and perfection of Eden will be restored and humanity will flourish in a renewed creation that has been set free from its slavery to decay (Rom. 8:21).

The new earth will be free from sin, evil, sickness, suffering, and death. It will be similar to our current earth, but without the curse of sin. It will be earth as God originally intended it to be. It will be the Garden of Eden restored (Isaiah 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13).

We believe salvation begins the process of sanctification, which is the ongoing process of submitting to God’s Word and His Spirit to complete the development of Christ’s character in us. Sanctification is a work God begins in us when we are spiritually reborn and united with Jesus at salvation (1 Corinthians 1:30). It describes the way we increasingly become more like Jesus as we submit to His Spirit at work in us and obey God’s Word in our everyday lives (2 Peter 3:18).

Sanctification is not about perfection – it’s about progression. It is the Holy Spirit’s continued work in us to become more like Jesus. God is the one who does the work of making us more like Christ, and He will see it through to completion (Philippians 1:6).

We participate in that work by pursuing sanctification earnestly (1 Peter 1:15; Hebrews 12:14), continually turning away from sin and demonstrating our faith in Christ by obeying God’s commands (John 17:17; 2 Peter 3:18). Sanctification means that your former way of life has ended and a new life with Jesus has begun. You are no longer bound to past mistakes and failures because you now live in the freedom that Jesus brings (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:1).

We thrive in the freedom we have in Jesus and resist the temptation of sin by staying connected with Jesus through daily practices like reading the Bible, prayer and connecting with brothers and sisters in Christ at church.

We believe the supreme evidence of the Spirit-filled life is the fruit of the Spirit, especially love (1 Corinthians 13:13). Love is core to God’s character and central to the Christian life (1 John 4:8). Jesus said the greatest two commandments are to love God and love others. Love infuses all that God does and should infuse all that we do.

We believe all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Scripture are available to and active in His church today, and that the Holy Spirit empowers us to use those gifts at God’s discretion and command (John 14:16-17; John 16:7-11; Titus 3:5-6; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 1:13-14; Acts 1:8; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12-14; 1 Peter 4:10-11).

We believe in the healing of the body by Divine power, or Divine healing in its varied aspects as practiced in the Early Church. (Acts 4:30; Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 12:9, James 5:14)

We believe that the worship of God should be in Spirit and in Truth, therefore we emphasize singing songs of praise and thanksgiving along with the preaching and teaching of God's Word (John 4:23).

We believe in the practice of water baptism by immersion in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We baptize because Jesus commanded it and modeled it for us in his own baptism (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:34-38; 19:1-6; Luke 3:2), and we are baptized as an outward and public confession of an internal change brought about by salvation and receiving the Holy Spirit.

Baptism is a public testimony of what Christ has done in your life as a Christ-follower. Water baptism is a symbolic representation that identifies you with Jesus in his death, burial, resurrection and new life (Romans 6:1-4). Water baptism portrays your sins being forgiven and cleansed. Your sins are forgiven when you confess them (1 John 1:9) and are cleansed by Jesus shed blood (1 John 1:7). Your baptism shows others a vivid picture of that cleansing and forgiveness as you are immersed in water and then raised from the water into your new life in Jesus. 

We believe that biblical baptism is symbolic – the practice of baptism itself doesn't "save" you because you can’t earn the grace God gives you freely. However, baptism is very important in the life of every believer because it’s an outward symbol of an internal change that Jesus has made in you, and it’s a public declaration of your commitment to Christ and to His church that should be done soon after making a decision to follow Jesus. 

When you are baptized, you’re obeying Christ's command in the Bible for all believers, and you’re telling the world that Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life. By being baptized, you are saying to the world, “My life is committed from this point forward totally and completely to Jesus Christ.” 

No matter what your age, stage of life or background, baptism is an important step in your journey as a Christ-follower.

We believe prayer and fasting are powerful ways we can pursue intimacy with God.

PRAYER

Prayer is not meditation or passive reflection – it is direct communication and communion with God. It is the connection of the human soul with the Lord who created the soul. Prayer is the primary way for the believer in Jesus Christ to communicate our emotions and desires with God and to enjoy deep, personal relationship with God.

God’s desire is for prayer to be a real and personal connection between Himself and us. The act of prayer is what creates our intimacy with God, deepens our dependence on Him and sharpens our faith. We can practice the spiritual habit of prayer knowing that our requests go to a God who hears us, draws near to us, and who invites us to be intimately involved in His plan (Jeremiah 29:13; James 4:8).

WHY WE PRAY

We pray to praise God for who He is (Acts 13:2-3), tell Him how much we love Him, and thank Him for what He has done, is doing and will do (Philippians 4:6). We pray to enjoy His presence and tell Him what is going on in our lives. We pray to make requests (Ephesians 6:18; 1 Timothy 2:1), seek guidance and ask for wisdom. We pray to confess our sins and ask for God’s help in overcoming our struggles. God loves this kind of personal interaction and heart-to-heart communication with His children, and that relational intimacy is God's desire for our prayer life with Him. Too often we lose sight of how simple prayer is really supposed to be.

HOW TO PRAY

Prayer can be audible or silent, private or public, formal or informal. All prayer must be offered in faith (James 1:6), in the name of the Lord Jesus (John 16:23), and in the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26). God does not answer our prayers based on our word choices, when we pray, where we are, or what body posture we take.

God tells us we can pray in confidence when we come to Him in prayer, knowing He hears us, He can do far more than we could even ask or imagine and grants whatever we ask as long as it is in agreement with His will (1 John 5:14-15). Through prayer, we choose to put everything in God’s hands knowing that His hand will show up in every aspect of our lives (Matthew 26:39).

Jesus’ own prayer life is an example for us to follow by praying often and in private (Luke 5:16), in a group (Luke 9:28), and using simple words (Matthew 6:7). Jesus also assures us that even though he returned to heaven after his resurrection, he still prays for us as the high priest of all who believe in him (Hebrews 7:25) and through him we have direct access to God the Father (Hebrews 4:14–16). Despite what we may face in this life, we can live with the confident assurance that, if we belong to Jesus, He is always praying for us.

God also assures us that we don’t have to worry about anything, but that we should pray and talk with Him about everything (Philippians 4:6-7). God wants us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), which doesn't mean non-stop talking, but rather an ongoing state of God-consciousness and surrender to Him where we take every thought captive to Him (2 Corinthians 10:5) and bring every situation, plan, fear, or concern before His throne. Unceasing prayer includes prayers that are spoken, whispered, shouted, sung, and silent as we direct our thoughts of praise, requests for others or yourself, and thanksgiving to God.

Every waking moment is to be lived in an awareness that God is with us and that He is actively involved and engaged in our thoughts and actions. Praying continually is an essential part of Christian living and flows out of humility and dependence on God.

FASTING

Fasting is an ancient spiritual discipline, meant to be kept between you and God (Matthew 6:16-18), in which you choose to abstain from food or other things for a certain period of time for the purpose of removing distractions, breaking the power of our desires, cravings, and drawing closer to God. Fasting is not about getting from God but it is about getting to God.

God does not require or command Christians to fast. At the same time, fasting and prayer are often linked together in the Bible (Luke 2:37; 5:33), and Scripture presents fasting as something that is good, profitable, and beneficial. The book of Acts records believers fasting before they made important decisions (Acts 13:2; 14:23).

Although fasting in Scripture is almost always a fasting from food, there are other ways to fast including television, social media, technology, etc. Anything given up temporarily in order to focus all our attention on God can be considered a fast (1 Corinthians 7:1-5). Fasting should be limited to a set time, especially when fasting from food, because extended periods of time without eating can be harmful to the body and fasting is not intended to punish the flesh or be reduced to a dieting method, but to redirect our attention to God. Some may not be able to fast from food due to a medical condition, but everyone can temporarily give up something in order to draw closer to God.

No matter the method or what you choose to give up, the point of fasting should be to take your eyes off the things of this world to focus completely on God. Fasting is a way to demonstrate to God, and to ourselves, that we are serious about our relationship with Him. Fasting helps us gain a new perspective and a renewed reliance upon God.

We believe in the Lord’s table, commonly called Communion or the Lord’s Supper, for followers of Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:28-32; Matthew 26:26-28).

Communion is a practice started by Jesus during the Last Supper with His disciples (Mark 14:22-26), and one he commands his followers to continue (Luke 22:19). Communion is a way for believers to outwardly show love for and relationship with Jesus, to reflect on our sin and need of forgiveness, to remember the gracious and loving sacrifice he made in our place on the cross, a celebration of what we receive as a result of His sacrifice, and look forward to the time when He will commune with us in his kingdom. When followers of Jesus take communion together, we demonstrate our unity with one another and Jesus.

In Mark 14, Jesus is sitting at a table with his disciples on the final night before his crucifixion, celebrating Passover. Jesus gives every part of the Passover meal a new meaning to explain to his disciples the meaning of why he must die.

In re-defining these elements of Passover to be symbols of a new covenant, Jesus is inviting us to remember what he did for us. We are to remember that our freedom did not come without a cost. In fact, our freedom was bought by the blood of Jesus himself, the slain lamb. His death and resurrection has rescued us from death itself and given us the opportunity to experience new life in him.

Before followers of Jesus take communion, it’s important for us to examine our hearts, motives and actions to making sure they line up with the significance of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:28). We take communion together, just as Jesus celebrated Passover with his disciples, to remind one another of this gift we don't deserve, but are grateful to receive. We remember the new covenant through Jesus: that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jesus’ design for His church is one diverse body of people unified in him.

We believe there is one Church, the body of Christ, consisting of men and women from every tribe, tongue, people and nation. We believe that each local congregation is an expression of that universal Church. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:4; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Revelation 5:9; Acts 2:42-47).

We believe in the power and significance of the Church, and the necessity of believers to meet regularly for teaching and learning from God’s word, fellowship, prayer and breaking bread together (Acts 2:42).

We believe every local church is under the sovereign Headship of the Lord Jesus Christ, exercising autonomous government under Him as we serve, minister and share the Gospel (Acts 15:22; Matthew 16:18; 18:15-20). Nothing captures a picture of unity quite like the picture of Christ being the head and believers being parts of a single body working together under Jesus’ authority and direction for the sake of his glory (Ephesians 4:15–16).

We believe unity in diversity best represents a biblical understanding of Jesus’ desire for the local and universal Church (Ephesians 4:4-16) today, as Christians from many different backgrounds working in unity display the power of the gospel and how its saving message applies to all people (Galatians 3:26–28). Unity in diversity also describes what Jesus’ fully realized, heavenly kingdom will be like as people from every tribe, language and nation are gathered to worship him forever (Revelation 7:9).

Christians bring honor to God’s name by pursuing unity in the power of the Holy Spirit, who brings us together and makes it possible to love each other, have a like mind, mission and belief (Philippians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 13:11) as one through faith in Christ. For this reason, we believe in unity over the need to be right on non-essentials of the faith. As a non-denominational church made up of people from many different church backgrounds and experiences, we recognize there are some doctrines on which two Christians may agree to disagree, even though they are in the same local church. Examples include: the dating of events in Genesis, order of events associated with the Lord’s return, and degree of separation from worldly practices. When teaching in any such area, it is made clear these beliefs are not essential for salvation or a sin issue. We may state the case for our position but will also acknowledge that sincere and intelligent Christians hold different views. We are committed to nurturing the unity we share as the family of God, learning and growing together, and to obeying His command to love another (
1 Peter 3:8; Romans 14:1-15:7; 2 Timothy 2:23-24; Titus 3:9; John 13:34)

We believe God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: the home, the Church, and the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are subject to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the Church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God (Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-14).

We also believe the Word of God supersedes any earthly law that is contrary to the Holy Scriptures (2 Peter 1:3-4, 21).

We believe every follower of Jesus, as a steward entrusted with a portion of God’s resources, is called to give back to God what is already His and respond to His radical generosity with our own.

The Bible says a lot about giving, and God calls His people to give offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the local and global Church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel (Acts 4:34-37; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17).

Jesus declares that our attitude toward money is indicative of the focus of our hearts: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). It’s helpful to look at our finances and observe how we spend our money, because our love for God and people is demonstrated in how we give our money away.

We believe God’s concern is not how much we give, but the condition of our hearts as we give (Mark 12:41-44). Whether we have a lot or a little to give, we all have the opportunity to give as an act of worship, a response of gratitude, an act of trust and an act of obedience to God. Giving financially is a powerful way you can say, “Yes!” to the work God wants to do in your heart and life and giving is an opportunity for each of us to participate in God’s plan for restoring the world around us in Orange County and beyond.

We believe every follower of Jesus, as a steward entrusted by God with time, energy, talents and spiritual gifts, is called to give back to God what is already His through a life of service as “living sacrifices” to God (Romans 12:1).

From a Biblical perspective, you worship God by serving Him. When you work for God in everything you do, your work becomes worship (Colossians 3:23-24; Psalm 100:1-2). As Jesus affirmed in the Sermon on the Mount, God made you to display His glory through the way you live, so that others will see your good deeds and give God the glory He deserves (Matthew 5:16). Christians serve in response to God’s love and grace expressed in Jesus (Mark 10:45; John 13:34), who calls his followers to deny themselves and pick up their crosses daily after his own example (John 13:12-15; Matthew 16:24-25). Finally, we express our love for God when we serve His people (Hebrews 6:10).

We believe part of our privilege as adopted children of God is to act as His “royal priesthood” in word (1 Peter 2:9; 3:15) and deed (1 Peter 2:5; Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:10), as we live out our purpose to serve and glorify God. When we invite Jesus to make his home in our hearts, our bodies become a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and God calls us to serve Him from our hearts by offering our lives as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2) in preparation for the time when we will serve God for eternity (Revelation 22:3-4).

Giving ourselves to God is our spiritual act of worship. It’s only reasonable that we would serve God, who has served us in the ultimate way through Jesus and given us salvation from sin and death so we can have eternal life with Him in heaven.

When we worship and glorify God through service, we discover our true purpose and put the transforming power of Jesus Christ on display for the world to see.