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FAITH
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is actively building His church upon the faith that was once for all
handed down to the saints in the Scriptures (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:19-22; Jude 3). The building of His church is the working out of the covenant of
redemption between the members of the Trinity before all time. We also believe that the church is the
expression of His fullness in the world today and is God's chosen vehicle to accomplish global evangelization
(Ephesians 1:22-23; Matthew 28:19-20). We also believe that it is through the ministry of the
church that God's ordinary means of saving and sanctifying grace are conferred upon sinners. These ordinary
means of grace are the preaching of God's word, the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper, church
discipline, and the use of our spiritual gifts for the growth of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16). It is in and through the right and regular practice of
these ordinary means of grace that the true church of Jesus Christ is recognized.
PRACTICE As God supports the physical and earthly life of His creation, so He has
ordained the means for supporting the spiritual and heavenly life of His church. Believing God's fatherly
favor and spiritual life are exclusively provided to His flock, the church, we highly prize the gathering of
the saints for worship and God's ordinary means of grace for salvation and sanctification. Therefore, we
strongly encourage sanctification of the Lord's Day by participation in both public and private worship
services and the ordinances of Baptism and Holy Communion.
While the church gathers weekly to worship God on the Lord's Day, worship ought to be part of the everyday
life of believing households as they grow in a passion for God's sovereignty in all things. Therefore, we
encourage the head of each household to be leading his family in private worship on the Sabbath and
throughout the week. Family worship should include things such as singing Psalms and Hymns, reading the
Bible, catechizing children, confession of sin, prayer, the reading of biographies of godly saints and other
such activities. Like the gathered church, individual households are small congregations that give visible
expression of God to the world. Households exhibiting healthy biblical relationships are vital for evangelism
because in them the loving relationships among the Godhead, and between Christ and His church, are most
clearly visible in everyday living.
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