What Do You Believe?

This article explains some of our core beliefs.

• Jesus Christ is the Son of the living GOD. He is GOD, the Lord, and the Christ. Jesus was crucified for the forgiveness of the sins of humanity. He rose from the dead and lives in heaven at the right hand of the Father today.
• We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Neither good works nor faith without works can save us, but Jesus alone. Jesus has chosen the means of water baptism as the point at which His blood washes the believer’s sins away.
• When we are saved, we are born of GOD and born into His family. Church life consists not only of church meetings, but also of sharing life together with other Christians. Prayer, love, accountability, speaking the truth to one another, and fellowship are all a part of being the church.
• We have no paid staff, building funds or utilities to pay. Therefore we aren’t forced to collect money every Sunday to operate. As in the New Testament (NT), when opportunities arise to give and share with others, we act. We take up collections when a need is identified and all funds go toward meeting the identified need.
• For church meetings, we meet in homes in small groups. These meetings are patterned after what we read in 1 Cor. 14:26. When we gather together, the church is fed and built up through many members contributing and participating, not just one individual.
• The church is to have plural leadership (1 Pet. 5:1-4). Each participant has valuable input to give. Although there are older and more experienced men among us, no one person is the sole leader (as is the NT example). The scriptures are the final authority, not a man. We will obey the Lord through Scripture and we are to humbly listen to the Lord speak through one another.
• We have a high regard for Scripture. The Bible is the Word of God. Scripture always takes precedence over “hearing the Lord, being led, or feeling impressed upon”—although these are valid experiences at times, but only if they point us to Scripture and are backed by Scripture.
• Simplicity and sincerity are important in the life of a Christian. We are not formal. As a group, we do not dress up nor are we uptight in our meeting times. We are prayerful, sincere and reverent. Our aim is simple authentic Christianity, in word and deed.

For more information about our congregation and journey, download a copy of my e-book, House Church Reflections, here.