What We Believe
Most statements of faith are fairly generic and have just been copied from others and often do not really answer your questions about what they really believe. Also people who are interested in finding out more about you do not want to have to wade thru a huge amount of information to get a basic idea of what you stand for. So in a concise way this statement of faith will try to hit the major points. If after reading this you need clarification or more info, please feel free to contact us and get your questions answered.
Salvation
2. Everyone has an eternal soul and will live forever with God or with the wicked one in hell. This life might seem like a long time but it is really very short. A vapor really in comparison with eternity.
3. God loves every single soul and is not willing that any should perish. He has provided a way for anyone to be saved. He has not made salvation hard or complicated. Salvation is believing that you are a sinner, turning from your sin and turning to Jesus. It is believing that Jesus paid for your sin on the cross, that He died, and rose again 3 days later. It is calling upon the name of the Lord to save you with a repentant heart.
4. Salvation is thru Jesus and only thru Jesus. Salvation is not of works. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. The only payment for sin that is accepted of God is the payment for sin that Jesus made on the cross.
For a deeper look at what we believe about Salvation see:
Jesus
What you believe about Jesus is critical. There are many groups who profess the name of Jesus but really have no clue about who He really is. One major group says that Jesus is the brother of Lucifer and was a man first and then grew into a god. Another group teaches that Jesus is just a lessor god. Another group teaches that Jesus is under the authority of His mother so you should pray to her instead. None of these wrong beliefs about Jesus are biblical.
The truth is that Jesus always existed. He is a co-equal member of the trinity. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit were all involved in creation. Jesus left the glories of Heaven, came to a sin stained earth, lived a sinless life, and went to the cross to be our substitute and pay for our sin, the just dying for the unjust. Jesus became fully man and at the same time was still fully God.
Jesus has a perfect character and He is our Mediator, our Shepherd, and our King. He is faithful. He has a heart for the lost. Jesus is to be the head of each local Church and He is to be the only head of each Church. Jesus is to have preeminence in all things in the Church. And Jesus is coming again.
For a deeper look at what we believe about Jesus see these 13 lessons about Jesus.
Bible
The Bible is the most amazing book ever written and there will never be anything ever written in the future that will be more amazing than the Bible. It is stunning in its beauty, incredible in its scope, deep in its thoughts, absolute in its truths, and its love is beyond description. And the Bible is not just words on a page. Thru the working of God it does amazing things in us. The Bible changes lives and has century after century after century. It can and does do much more than teach men how to be saved. The Bible was also given to help us in our everyday lives. The God who cannot lie promised to preserve His word and that His truth endureth to all generations. He also commanded men to not change it. We are to get what we believe, and how we act, and how we worship from the Bible and not from our reasoning or our feelings.
For a deeper look at what we believe about the Bible see:
Bible Teaching is Extremely Important
Good Works
Good works is an area that is sadly lacking today. Jesus told us to love our neighbor as yourself. We have been told over and over again in the New Testament that we are to be involved in good works. I have included just a few of the verses on this below. Good works does not save, but after we are saved we are to be involved in good works, and not just to other saved people, but to all men. We are to actually have some zeal for it. We are to care and we are to do something about it. Church of Grace spends a minimum of 10 percent of our budget on the poor, and the fatherless. Often the percentage is higher. I have seen a few Churches do nothing in this area, and I have seen others do a little just so they can say they are doing it. But they often have no real heart or zeal for it.
Gal. 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Titus 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
2 Tim. 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Matt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Church
We are told to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Believers are to meet together and not just for any purpose. Each Local Visible Church is not to be a clubhouse or an entertainment center. We gather for edification and to encourage each other in the faith. We gather to provoke one another unto good works. We gather to be obedient to the command to sing hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs. We gather to love the brethren.
But the main purpose of any local Church is to be to carry out the last set of instructions that Jesus gave before He ascended. This is what we call the Great Commission. This is our primary work. As mentioned above we are involved in helping others and we spend 10 to 20 percent per month on it. But everything else goes to the great commission. We believe that when Jesus said preach to every creature that He did not put any loopholes or qualifiers on it. Many churches will not admit it, most cannot even see it, but many do put limits upon it. Such as if they only live in houses. Or only if we can do it for very little money. Sad to say most of the budget at most churches goes to clubhouse or entertainment type programs. Most churches ignore apartments and mobile home parks because it costs too much money to mail them the Gospel. Church of Grace spends a large percentage of the budget on stamps to get the Gospel to apartments and mobile home parks.
We also believe that the Great Commission is to teach them about Jesus so they can believe. The material that most churches do put out to houses is not very instructional. Mostly what they put out is this is where our church is come grow with us. And maybe a few verses. Church of Grace believes in planting seeds and watering seeds. We believe in giving people reasons to believe. Giving them something to think about. So we put out a variety of material from John and Romans to information on why Evolution is an error, to tracts that explain salvation.
For a deeper look at what we believe about the Great Commission see The last words of Jesus before the ascension.
Services
Our services are very simple as you might expect in a tiny house Church. We start with some teaching, then we sing a few hymns, then a message is preached and we close with a short time for prayer. Very simple and straight forward.
When Jesus was dealing with the woman at the well He said:
Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Jesus said God seeks people to worship Him in spirit and in truth. And He said that the time for that already started. This is of course was said before the giving of the Holy Spirit. So He was talking about the spirit of man; from your heart. God wants to be worshiped from the heart and in sincerity. And He wants to be worshipped in truth. Later Jesus says that God’s Word is truth.
Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
We are to worship him in the truth of His Word. So we put a premium on God’s Word and on getting it out to others. After all that is what Jesus told us to do. He did not tell us to build lukewarm clubhouses, or entertainment centers.
We are Savior sensitive and not seeker sensitive. We do things based on the Bible in simple faith and not on what people want.
This in no way covers all we believe but should give you an idea of who we are. Again, if you have any questions at all, please let us know.
I wish you all the best
Bryan