OUR VALUES & BELIEFS
GOSPEL
In an amazing act of grace, God sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross. There he took God’s punishment for human sin and defeated death. He rose again, is ruling from heaven now and will return. It’s the greatest message in the world! Those who believe in it are saved for eternity.
Kids
CHANGED PEOPLE
The gospel changes us from the inside out. Our salvation should never be a source of pride or self-righteousness because we have done nothing to deserve it. This keeps us humble in the way we relate to God, to other Christians and to those who don’t share our beliefs. We can even rejoice in times of suffering, safe in the knowledge that God has made our future secure.
COMMUNITY
God’s plan is to draw together a community of changed people, united in Christ. This unity transcends any differences in race, age, income or culture. We make every effort to keep this unity by humbly and gently caring for one another.
EQUIPPING
We want to be a community in which God’s people are equipped to live out the Christian life, in front of the watching world. So, when we gather together, we are equipped for our works of service through the gifts that God so generously continues to give. As we carry out these works of service, the body of Christ is built up.
MISSION
God’s new community is at the forefront of his mission to bring the rest of the world under the loving rule of Jesus Christ. We want to share the good news of Jesus Christ with all types of people, so that they might turn to put their trust in him, and be saved.
SERVING
Though we joyfully invite every person to faith in Jesus, we are committed to sacrificially serving our neighbours whether they believe as we do or not. We do this by using our gifts and resources for the needs of others, especially the poor and the weak.
GLORIFYING
As we prayerfully seek to maintain these biblical values, we always do so with God’s glory as our chief aim.
WHAT WE BELIEVE AT GRACEFIELDS CHURCH
ABOUT THE BIBLE
The Bible is God’s revelation to us. It is divinely inspired and infallible as originally given, and has supreme authority in all matters of faith, conduct and experience. Scripture is sufficient for knowing God. It is not only central to the well-being of the church but is able to thoroughly equip the Christian community for life and godliness. There is no other way to know God unless He reveals Himself to us.
ABOUT GOD
There is one unique and eternal God, who exists in an everlasting loving relationship of Father, Son and Spirit – one God in three persons. God is sovereign in all things: including creation, revelation, redemption, judgement and the establishing of His Kingdom. As sovereign loving creator and redeemer, He is worthy of all glory, honour and praise.
ABOUT HUMANITY
Men and women together are created in the image of God, and therefore enjoy a unique dignity in creation and a unique relationship with God. Men and women together have dominion over the created order. Tragically, human nature is universally sinful since the Fall and all are guilty before God. This leaves us under the wrath and condemnation of God. We are unable, without prior regenerative work of God’s Spirit, to turn ourselves to God.
ABOUT JESUS
Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He is both fully God and truly human. He entered fully into human experience. He endured temptation and he suffered and died. He was perfectly obedient to God his father. Jesus took on himself the consequences of human sin. He died and was buried. On the third day he rose from the dead bodily and is now exalted as ruler over all. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.
ABOUT SALVATION
There is only one name under heaven by which we can be brought into relationship with God: the name ‘Jesus Christ’. It is only through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, that the guilt, penalty and power of sin can be removed completely. In that death, God demonstrates his love to us most perfectly and establishes his victory over Satan and all his foes. The work of the Holy Spirit is necessary to make the death of Jesus effective in individual’s lives. The Spirit enables sinners to repent and put their faith in Jesus Christ, so that salvation is entirely of God’s grace and not of human merit or works. Although we enjoy now the blessing of union with Christ and secure relationship with God, we await the final consummation of our hope with the return of Christ, the resurrection of our bodies, and life with him eternally.
ABOUT THE SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the father and the Son and indwells all true believers. His role is to bring glory to Jesus Christ thus making Jesus Christ central in all things. The Spirit works to illuminate believers’ minds to grasp the truth of Scripture, producing in them his fruit. He grants his gifts for the purpose of service, not self-indulgence. Their use is determined not by personal desire for fulfilment, or satisfaction but by the principle of building the church. Not every gift of the Spirit is given to the church at every moment of its life, only those gifts necessary for building the church, Christ’s body.
ABOUT THE CHURCH
The visible church is the gathering of all the believers around Christ in his word. It is a community of people intended by God to bear witness to him and actively seek the extension of his rule. Within its community both men and women are to seek proper expression of their gifts as they work to build the church in love. The Bible makes clear that in church leadership, as in marriage, the roles of men and women are not interchangeable. We are committed to expressing those differences within relationships of mutual dependence.
