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Worshipping God
-We worship a big God whose project is to redeem the world (In Ephesians 1:10-14 “plan” can be translated, “project”) in Jesus.
-Worship is not just music. Real worship is our choice to
live for Christ as our response to the grace of his going to the cross
for us (Romans12: 1-2).
-Worship helps us live out the purpose of our creation, which is to bring glory to God (Isaiah 43:7).
-Worship brings the local church together, connects us with
Christ, serves as a witness of God’s greatness to our community, and
energizes us for the tasks and challenges God calls us to, as a church
and as individuals. (Hebrews 10:25).
-Generous giving is a reflection of a changed heart and a witness of our faith (2 Corinthians 8:7-9).
Walking with God
- There is an expectation throughout the Scriptures that true followers of Christ grow to be increasingly more like Christ (Romans 8:29). The theological term for this consistent spiritual progress is sanctification (from Latin meaning, “to clean or purify”).
-We recognize that every disciple’s faith journey is different. God is a hand-crafter, not a mass-producer (Psalm 139: 13-16). But common to all Christ-followers, no matter how new or mature, there is always a next step toward Christ-likeness (2 Peter 3:18). None of us reach perfection in this life (Romans 3:23).
-We believe the Bible is the word of God and are committed
to teaching it. Our goal is not to hit people over the head with the
Bible. Yet we refuse to water down or avoid its truth in our teaching.
Scripture is not simply taught by the Pastor. It is taught from one to
another within the church, as those who are further along in their
spiritual journey instruct the next generation in the ways of faith.
- We grow spiritually by spending time with the Lord in
prayer, studying God’s word and listening to those God gifts to teach
and mentor believers newer in their faith. Becoming willful students of
Christ also requires becoming practitioners of Christ in our daily
lives (John 14:12; 2 Peter 3:18; 1 John 2:3-6).
Working for God
-In Christ, disciples are recreated to work for God – to do ministry (Ephesians 2:10).
Not as assistants or co-workers, but by making ourselves available for
God to work through us to accomplish his will as the hands, feet and
voice of Christ (Philippians 2:13, Colossians 1:27). Those who fail to serve miss what their ministry is, and in turn, miss the reason for which God created them.
- Christ has given us the ministry of sharing how He changed our lives as way of helping to lead others to faith in Him (Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19; 1 Peter 3:15).
The joy of Christ’s friendship is something we are compelled to share
with others. Directly, with those around us, and through our support of
those Christ calls to other cultures, to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 2:8).
-We serve God by serving others (Matthew 25:40). And as the body of Christ, we don’t just go to church – we are the church, and bring it with us wherever we go (1 Corinthians 12:27, Ephesians 4:12).
-We glorify God by doing everything with excellence (1 Corinthians 10:31). Excellence is not perfection, but doing the best we can with what we have.
-While to pray is to worship, prayer is also our greatest
ministry. Since prayer engages God’s power to advance his Church and
transform lives (James 5:16).
-Working together builds up the church and accomplishes things we can’t do as individuals (Ecclesiastes 4:9, Ephesians 4:12).
Consequently, United’s commitment is to:
Offer God honoring and celebrative worship designed to help you connect with God and others.
Offer Bible studies, prayer and fellowship events designed to encourage and further your walk with God.
Offer opportunities to use your spiritual gifts and talents to serve God by serving others.
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