What We're About...

posted by Jeffrey on Saturday, March 05, 2005 at 2:38 PM


*I've moved, and my posts have come with me! Check out my new blog at www.jeffrey-davis.net/blog/*

AUTHENTICITY: We long for all people to be real, honest, and open. No "churchy" attitudes needed here ;o). We expect people who do not have a relationship with Jesus to act just like what they are...people without a relationship with Jesus. For far too long these people have been held to the standards of those who are followers of Jesus and the followers of Jesus have not engaged in the fullness of a life in Christ which should produce joy and obedience. (Matthew 22:37-40; 2 Corinthians 5:16-17; Ephesians 5:8)

RELATIONSHIPS: The Church is a living organism. It is made up of people who love and follow Jesus Christ and is held together and characterized by the strongest bonds possible--relationships rooted in unconditional love. It is in response to the love of Christ for us that we love each other, and by His standard and demonstration, that we love and serve everyone--no exceptions! We long to interact with and meet the needs (as God provides the means) of the people in our community through real and loving friendships--that's right, real friendships. Then as Jesus draws and reveals Himself to them, we may have the privilege of leading our friends into a relationship with Jesus! (Matthew 9:9-12; John 15:13-17; Romans 5:8)

SPIRITUAL FORMATION:Just as a child naturally progresses through different stages of development, it is our privilege as a community of faith to press on toward maturity into the many nuances of the Christian life while still embracing the mystery of all we cannot understand about God. We understand that it is not by our knowledge or intellect that such formation occurs, but by being transformed into the likeness of Christ by the work of God. The involvement of everyone is essential for the church "body" to function, so as God begins to reveal what part of the "body" He has designed each of us to be, each person will be able to utilize their giftedness and talents accordingly. Jesus did not call his disciples to live a life of inactivity, but to be involved and active. (Matthew 28:18-20; John 3:5-8; 1 Corinthians 12:12-26)

MISSIONAL: It is important to us that we live our lives as followers of Jesus in the culture in which we live, not create a "churchy" subculture. (1 Chronicles 12:32; Luke 5:37-38; John 17:15)

EXCELLENCE: Since we as the Church are the children of a Father who originally designed us to be perfect and then, after we screwed up, still made His design attainable, everything we do will be set to the backdrop of excellence. (Genesis 1:27 & 31; Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 5:48; Romans 3:21-24; Hebrews 10:13-14)

MARRIAGE & FAMILY: The Bible holds the God-centered marriage relationship between man and woman above all other things. This is because this relationship reflects the primary illustration of how Jesus interacts with us--He as the bride groom and we, the church, as His bride!! In light of this, we value the individual family as a whole, but specifically the health of the marriage and the time the husband and wife spend together above all else. (Genesis 2:18 & 24; Deuteronomy 24:5; Isaiah 54:5; Ephesians 5:22-33; Revelation 19:6-7)

LIFESTYLE OF WORSHIP: Our idea of "worship" can be summed up in three words: Authentic Orderly Freedom. This description is a little bit long, so if you want more info, email me. Nevertheless, here are the Scriptures that drive this value--meditate on them if you so choose.
Authentic
: Matthew 6:5-8 & 22:37-40; John 4:23-24
Orderly: 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 & 14:26-33; James 3:13-18
Freedom
: Deuteronomy 16:17; Psalm 139:13; Romans 12:1-8

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The thing about marriage etc is great but just remember that not every Christian is living this as a reality.
Some of us are married to non-beleivers. Some of us are not able to have children either...sometimes it seems to me that the church has made a false idol out of "family."
Don't forget about the rest of us, ok?

November 25, 2005 8:06 PM

 

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