Our Beliefs

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Holds to a set of beliefs which come from the Bible. These beliefs inspire our worship week after week, inform and shape the life transformation we’re pursuing, and rally us around common causes in our community and world.

  • We believe there is one God, who is infinitely perfect, existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 5:48, 28:19)

  • Jesus Christ is true God and true man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He died upon the cross, the Just for the unjust, as a substitutionary sacrifice, and all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood. He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures. He is now at the right hand of the Majesty on high as our great High Priest. He will come again to establish His Kingdom of righteousness and peace (Philipians 2:6-11, Luke 1:36-38, 1 Peter 3:18, Hebrews 2:9, Romans 5:9, Acts 2:23-24, Hebrews 8:1, Matthew 26:64).

  • The Holy Spirit is a divine Person, sent to indwell, guide, teach, empower the believer, and convince the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment (John 14:15-18, John 16:13, Acts 1:8, John 16:7-11).

  • The Old and New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men. They constitute the divine and only rule of the Christian faith and practice (2nd Peter 1:20-21, and 2 Timothy 3:15-16).

  • Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God; he fell through disobedience, incurring, thereby, both physical and spiritual death. All men are born with a sinful nature, are separated from the life of God, and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The portion of the impenitent and unbelieving is existence forever in conscious torment; and that of the believer, in everlasting joy and bliss (Genesis 1:27, Romans 3:23, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, Revelation 21:8, Revelation 21:1-4).

  • Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all men; and those who repent and believe in Him are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become the children of God (Titus 3:4-7).

  • It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly, being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service. This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion (1 Thessalonians 5:23, Acts 1:8, Romans 6:1-14).

  • Provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body. Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this present age (Matthew 8:16-17, James 5:13-16).

  • The Church consists of all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and are redeemed through His blood, and are born again of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church, which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the gospel to all nations. The local church is a Body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the worship of God, for edification through the Word of God, for prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel, and observance of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Ephesians 1:22-23, Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:41-47).

  • There shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust’ for the former, a resurrection unto life; for the latter, a resurrection unto judgement (1 Corinthians 15:20-23, John 5:28-29).

  • The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent and will be personal, visible and premillennial. This is the believer’s blessed hope and is a vital truth which is an incentive to holy living and faithful service (Hebrews 10:37, Luke 21:27, Titus 2:11-14).

Having been led, as we believe by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour and, on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.

We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations.

We also engage to maintain family and secret devotions; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the sale of, and use of, destructive drugs or intoxicating drinks as a beverage; to shun pornography; to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Saviour.

We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and Christian courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Saviour to secure it without delay.

We moreover engage that when we remove from this place we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.

“Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people [God] the Father is out looking for…” (John 4:23, paraphrase in The Message). Jesus told the woman of Samaria that God is seeking worshipers! What is worship? Volumes have been written to answer that question. I appreciate John Piper’s definition, “Worship is a way of gladly reflecting back to God the radiance of His worth”. His definition includes the same ideas that Jesus spoke – spirit and truth. The Father is seeking worshipers and that is why the church exists. The church of Jesus Christ exists to worship God.

Some 400 years ago, one of the greatest theologian-musicians of all time said, “The aim and final reason of all music should be nothing else but the glory of God and the refreshment of the spirit.” J.S. Bach knew from which he spoke. We still sing some of his best works such as, “Jesus, Priceless Treasure” and “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded.” These works are filled with passion and truth! There seems to be a profound consistency of ideas among the great Christian writers in history, regarding the important elements in worship. Piper uses the words, “gladly…His worth”, Bach says, “refreshment…glory of God”, the Westminster Catechism says, “enjoy…glory of God”, and Jesus says, “spirit…truth.” All are unified in two ways. Worship, especially music, must glorify God and delight in Him. From this concept flows our music philosophy phrase, “Glorifying and Delighting in God through Music.” This system of values should guide music ministry.

Five indicators must dominate worship music:

  • The first is sovereignty (authority). God is the focus of our music (Psalm 150, 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

  • The second is clarity. “If the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?” (1 Corinthians 14:8). The message of each piece must be clearly communicated.

  • The third indicator is charity. The music ministry is one of exhibiting love to others. Music is not about any one individual (1 Corinthians 13:1, Philippians 2:1-4).

  • The forth is sincerity. It must flow from the heart of the redeemed (Mark 7:6-7, Ephesians 5:19).

  • Lastly, we are committed to diversity. Music should express the full range of God’s attributes and the believer’s experience (Psalms, Ephesians 5:19). These are the motivating principles behind the music ministry as we glorify and delight in God through music.