We want to be united on the essentials and give liberty and grace in the non-essentials and to show love (God’s love) in everything. We try to be a place of love and a place of truth. We believe we glorify God by doing this.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one…” John 17: 21-22
“Now, dear brothers and sisters, I appeal to you by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ to stop arguing among yourselves. Let there be real harmony so there won’t be divisions in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.” 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NLT)
ABOUT GOD
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.
Biblical references: Genesis 1:1, 26, 27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; I Peter 1:2.
ABOUT JESUS
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again someday to claim His own and take them to that same Heaven.
Biblical references: Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:22, 23; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 1:3, 4; I Corinthians 15:3,4; I Timothy 6:14, 15; Titus 2:13; Hebrew 4:14, 15.
ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, guidance in doing what is right, and is our intercessor. As Christians we seek to live under His control daily.
Biblical references: John 14:16, 16:7-14, 17; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:26-27; I Cor. 2:12, 3:16; II Cor. 3:16-17; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 1:13; Ephesians 5:18
ABOUT THE BIBLE
The Bible is God’s Word to us. Human authors, under the supernatural
guidance of the Holy Spirit, wrote it. It is the supreme source of truth
for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is God inspired, it is the
truth without any mixture or error.
Biblical references: Ps. 119:105,160; Pr. 30:5-6;
Mt. 5:18; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 3:15-16;
2 Peter 1:20-21
ABOUT SALVATION
People who accept the message and hope of Christ must repent, confess and be immersed (baptized) into the authority of Christ. One must be able to understand consequences of sin and the gift that Christ brings – forgiveness and eternal life!
ABOUT COMMUNION: “Remembering Jesus”
Remembering Jesus at Family Life is defined as Scripture defines it.
“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The
Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He
had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is
for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after supper
He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
It is a distinctive of our church that we take communion (“Remembering Jesus) every week.
We do not believe it is a commandment to take communion each week, but we want to do our best to follow the patterns of the early church as described in the Book of Acts.
ABOUT THE PRIESTHOOD of every believer
The Bible teaches that every Christian is called to “full time” Christian service, regardless of his or her vocation. We practice the truth that every believer is a minister by encouraging every member to find a place of service and ministry. Every believer has direct access to God through prayer and Bible reading. We believe people are called to witness and to minister.
ABOUT THE END TIMES—(This is a non – salvation issue)
We have people with many views on this issue in our church. Some are pre-millennial, others are amillennial, and there are various other differing views. But, this is not a salvation issue. We believe that there will be a literal return of Christ, a rapture, and a Judgment Day.
ABOUT PEOPLE
People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin”. This attitude separates people from God and causes many problems in life.
Biblical references: Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 3:23;
ABOUT ETERNITY
People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.
Biblical references: John 3:16; John 14:17; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:17-18; 1 Corinthians 2:7-9; Revelation 20:15
ABOUT TITHING
At Family Life we practice tithing for the support of Christ’s body, the church, as God commands. We recognize that giving 10% of our income is the Biblical standard of giving (at minimum).
Biblical references: Lev 27:30; Malachi 3:7-12; Matthew 23:23