Community Beliefs

We do not define ourselves by what we are against; we define ourselves by what we are for.  We are Jesus-enthralled people.  Our belief system is the simple, historic creed used by the earliest followers of Jesus: Jesus Christ is Lord. This means that Jesus is the ruler over and central to every aspect of life.

What We Know – As Lord, He is the centerpiece of divine truth, speaking out of an eternal, love relationship with God the Father and God the Spirit and exhibiting the very fullness of God, three-in-one.  He is the very Word of God, the clearest expression of God to humanity.  Through Him, we see and hear God most fully.

Who We Are – As Lord, He is the centerpiece of redemptive history as well as our personal stories, directly involved at every turn to save His people from an eternity of being lost without Him: entering time and space as one of us, living as a perfect example, dying innocent on a cross, defeating sin and death, rising from the grave, empowering saints, defeating the enemy, and ruling as the head of the church, the name above all names that every tongue will confess as Lord in the New Heavens and Earth.

What We Do – As Lord, He is the centerpiece of our religious ethics, providing the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of our obedience.  He sets the example and the standards around which we are to wholeheartedly pattern our lives; He also provides His very own presence that enables us to grow towards the standard He set.  This teaching is found in Holy Scripture, the breath of a speaking God that is useful for adding light and life for the follower who wants to obey Jesus as Lord.

We believe the main governing expectations God has placed upon us can be summarized by three simple commands: love God (Matthew 22:36-40), love people (Matthew 22:36-40), and make disciples (Matthew 28:16-20).  All of life must be an expression of these three overarching commands.  This is the standard towards which every community participant seeks to grow, one measure by measure.

To assist us in the accomplishing of these three commands, every Christ-follower has 1.) the indwelling powerful presence of Jesus, Himself, in the form of the Holy Spirit, 2.) the witness of divine truth in Holy Scripture, and 3.) the loving guidance of the regenerate community.  All three are powerful resources that speak to any and every situation.   There is no situation in which we can find ourselves that will not find guidance and empowerment from these three resources as we take seriously our calling to love God, love people, and make disciples.

 

  

(A Prayer of St. Patrick)

As I arise today,

may the strength of God pilot me,

the power of God uphold me,

the wisdom of God guide me,

May the eye of God look before me,

the ear of God hear me,

the word of God speak for me.

May the hand of God protect me,

the way of God lie before me,

the shield of God defend me,

the host of God save me.

May Christ shield me today.

Christ with me, Christ before me,


Christ behind me,


Christ in me, Christ beneath me,


Christ above me,


Christ on my right, Christ on my left,


Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit,

Christ when I stand,


Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,


Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,


Christ in every eye that sees me,


Christ in every ear that hears me.

Amen