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Our Values

Love is the defining characteristic of God (1 John 4:8). God’s plan to save the world involves the sacrificial act of sending His Son to die and atone for our sins on the cross (John 3:16). This act is to define love for us (1 John 4:10).

Love is the distinguishing characteristic of Jesus’ disciples (John 13:35). Without it we are nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2), and it exceeds all other values (1 Corinthians 13:13).

In our lives love is to be directed…

• Toward God – and manifested in our turning away from the world in our repentance (1 John 2:15) and turning to God by obeying His commands (1 John 5:3)
• Toward one another – We are to lay down our lives for one another (1 John 3:16). The extent to which we are called to love one another is the extent to which He loved us (John 13:34 – “as I have loved you…”) God’s love is made complete in us when we love one another (1 John 4:12)
  

Faith is the one thing that amazed Jesus in the Bible (Matthew 8:10).

Faith consists of 3 parts:

• Belief – Faith requires us to believe the facts about God (Hebrews 11: 1,3,6)
• Trust – Through faith we trust in His goodness. (Matthew 8:23; Matthew 9:20-22)
• Obedience – We are called to walk in obedience to our heavenly Father (Hebrews 11:8). James says that our faith is made complete by our actions (James 2:21-22)

Peter speaks about a living hope that we are born into (1 Peter 1:3) This would imply more than just a general “hopeful” feeling, but rather something concrete that we are to look forward to with great anticipation.

Peter instructs us to set our hope fully on the grace that is to be given us (1 Peter 1:13). Indicating it is something that we will receive at the appointed time. What are the elements of this grace?

• “We shall be like him” (1 John 3:2)
• “The sons of God “ will be revealed (Romans 8:19)
• “The creation liberated from its bondage to decay” (Romans 8:21)
• “Our adoption as sons” (Romans 8:23)
• “The redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:23)
• “You also will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4)

The appointed time is shown to be “when Jesus is revealed” (1 Peter 1:13). Similarly, when speaking about hope John points to the time “when He appears” (1 John 3:2). See also Colossians 3:4.

This hope is intended to motivate us towards holiness (Colossians 3:5; 1 Peter 3:13-16; 1 John 3:3).

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Our Mission Statement

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” ~ Matthew 28:18-20

This verse also known as the Great Commission seems to have special importance in the gospel of Matthew as it contains the last recorded words of our Lord before he left his disciples and ascended into heaven.  This will be the last thing that the reader of Matthew sees and it seems to be carefully chosen and worded.

Jesus is Lord

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…”

In this amazing phrase Jesus claims His title as the King over the Kingdom of God.  As his disciples, we are to proclaim that kingdom, while we ourselves subject ourselves to His rule over our lives.  Our lives are offered wholly in service to our King.  We encourage others to submit to His Lordship as well.

Engaging in the Mission

“Therefore, go and make disciples…”

We are called to engage in Jesus’s mission.  This is not an academic exercise.  Many times, in the gospels Jesus called people to follow him and become his disciples.  This same calling is extended to us as well. As a disciple of Christ, we are to “hold to” his teachings (John 8:31), deny ourselves and take up his cross (Luke 9:23), and love one another (John 13:35).  Additionally, we are to call others to be followers and fellow disciples; subjects of our gracious King.  We believe that this command of making disciples was given to all Christians.  It is not to be left up to those few individuals who seem to be gifted in evangelism.   If the gospel was spread in the first century by a group of “unschooled, ordinary men” (Acts 4:13) there is no reason it can’t be carried in our times by similar people.

Kingdom Without Walls

”…of all nations…”

It is easy to miss the significance of this phrase in the context that it was given.  It would have been unthinkable for a group of Jews to consider gentiles worthy of God’s kingdom.  This idea was truly revolutionary in Jesus’s day and would be truly revolutionary if it was practiced in modern Christianity.  We are called to follow Jesus as  He breaks down the dividing walls of hostility (Ephesians 2:14-16)  In the interest of advancing the kingdom we are to die to the things that separate us (i.e. race, politics, age etc.) and embrace the kingdom values that allow us to love those that are considerably different than us.

Born Again into the Kingdom

“….baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

Jesus stipulates that a person must be “born again” to enter the kingdom (John 3:3).  When Nicodemus challenges Him, Jesus clarifies that a person  must be born of water and the Spirit.  Through faith at baptism we:

1. Become sons and daughters of God
2. Are brought “into Christ”
3. Are “clothed with Christ”
4. Receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit

(Refer to Galatians 3:26-29 and Acts 2:38)

Baptism is a death where we die to sin with Christ’s death, and are raised to walk in “newness of life” (Romans 6:1-13)  The great commission commands us to call people to follow Christ and then to baptize them.

Maturity in Christ

“…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…”

Notice that this phrase does not say “teaching them the commandments”, but rather “teaching them to obey”.  A disciple of Jesus is characterized by a changed life.  Through the sanctification process of the Holy Spirit and instruction and support of the body of Christ (the church), the disciple begins to conform more and more into the likeness of our Lord.   As disciples we are called to walk alongside one another and help each other mature into Christ.