Discipleship
We encourage and assist members of the body to grow and mature in the faith by following the example of Jesus Christ.
Discipleship is a lifelong process of learning and teaching, mentoring and being mentored. We have the undeniable privilege and responsibility both to be teachers and students of what it means to be in Christ, walk in the spirit and live by faith. We have a role in our family, church and community that requires us to embrace specific accountability to bring people to maturity in the faith by learning, teaching and mentoring and nurturing.
Evangelism
We are committed to spreading and preaching the gospel of salvation in order that men and women can be saved from sin.
As Children of God, we want to see everyone saved (I Timothy 2:3-4). People will be lost forever if they do not have the gospel preached to them, giving them the opportunity to receive Christ as Savior (Romans 10:13-15, 17). As Christ’s followers, we are humble but diligent in spreading this good news throughout our sphere of influence, and in sending others to carry the message afar. The Holy Spirit directs us to be persons prepared to receive the gospel and empowers us to share this triumphant news. We will be successful in our efforts because we are obeying God’s commands, and it is His will that none should perish (II Peter 3:9); He gave His Son that all might receive everlasting life (John 3:16-17).
Corporate Worship
We are a people committed to meeting together in unity to worship God.
The Christian journey was not meant to be traveled alone. We need each other. Beyond our families and small groups, it is important to gather with the larger body for times of corporate worship – celebration. Jesus spent time alone with His Father. He spent time with his small group of disciples, but he also went to the Temple to mee with the larger body. Through the synergy of meeting as a Body, the saints are exposed to all the gifts of Power and of the Spirit, and as a result, are in a position “…to stimulate one another to love” and to “encourage one another.” II Chronicles 7:1-4 tells us that the glory of the Lord filled his house. It is in corporate worship that the Body is most capable of comprehending God’s vision for his people. An encounter with God in corporate worship emphasizes the glory and the greatness of God and the majesty of His throne.
Kingdom Family
We are committed to developing every household into a training center of Christian faith.
A life of peace and blessing is most likely when one’s family lives in harmony with the will of God. Acts 16:29-34 shows us that the formerly unbelieving jailer and his household were offered salvation. Joshua 24:15 affirms that the family is to be the key social group within which spiritual commitment and growth are fostered. Please note that the jailer had servants as well as blood family members in his household. God gave us the structure of man, woman, and their children from the beginning. Children are molded by the example set by their parents. What better place to train people in the ways of the righteous? As we are nurtured, blessed, and taught by our Everlasting Father, so are we to minister to our earthly children, spouse and other family members. Children may minister to siblings and parents. Students, roommates, etc., may have the privilege of sharing the gospel with persons unsaved. The objective is that each household is a fortress of discipleship and faith.
Fasting
We encourage members of the body to fast. (Psalm 69:10, Isaiah 58, Matthew 17:21, Matthew 6:18, Luke 4, Acts 14:23)
Fasting and Prayer are petitioning for divine intervention (Psalm 69:10). Biblical instruction will guide parishioners in understanding that willfully not eating food though it is available, in conjunction with a healthy prayer life, is a combination healthy for the mind, body, emotions, and spirit (Romans 8:26). Following Christ’s example in Luke 4 as He prepared Himself for temptation by disciplining Himself in fasting, we also celebrate this essential discipline. We also know that some things only happen by “prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29).
MULTI-Cultural Body with a Global Vision
We are people of different colors, nationalities, ethnicities, and cultures. The invitation to all peoples to be part of the Body of Christ paints a scriptural picture of God’s people.
Christ’s command to go, share the gospel, baptize, and make disciples is without exception as to language or culture. We are empowered to take the gospel to our community and to the uttermost parts of the earth.
Membership
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body – Jews and Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-14).