What do we believe?
Based on the Bible we believe:
1.
God’s greatest desire is for us to see a clear picture of his character because when we do, we will find his love irresistible
So, this is about understanding God and what he is about, rather than seeing God’s actual face.
There are three key events in history where what God is about is most clearly revealed:
1. The moment God created human beings with the freedom to choose to love him or not
2. The moment when Jesus, God’s only son, died on a cross and showed that God is willing to suffer on our behalf and do everything he can to give us the opportunity to reach his ideal for us
3. The moment Jesus rose again. Not only does this confirm the first two events, it means he is alive and has overcome death and evil
It doesn’t stop there! To know God leads to a lifelong adventure that’s about personal growth and serving others
2.
The Bible tells the story of how God relates to us in the past, present and future
It is amazing how so many different writers over thousands of years wrote the books that make up the Bible and ended up describing the same God in ways we can understand and apply in our lives today. In the Bible there is poetry that speaks to the heart, stories that tug at our emotions and challenge us, parables (or illustrations) that make us think, and instructions that inform our conduct. Because it inspires us and more, we also believe it is in turn inspired by God.
By the way, that story it tells makes the best sense of what is going on. It begins with creation and ends with recreation and an earth made new. In between God is seen to be dealing with the problems we see all around us: injustice, inequality, inhumanity and just plain evil. In the end, God has promised to deal with all of this – so the story the Bible tells reaches a conclusion that brings us perspective and hope.
3.
Jesus is Creator, Saviour, Friend, God's Son, and God Himself!
Jesus is at the centre of our life of faith. It says in the Bible "in Him [Jesus] all things hold together." (Colossians 1:17, New Living Translation) This includes everything in our lives. He keeps us whole when things around us are trying to make us fall apart – and even when we feel totally alone in the universe, Jesus is right there in the centre of it all, offering personal peace and hope.
To know Jesus is to know God. Knowing God through Jesus leads to a relationship that changes who we are and the way we live. This does not mean we are better than anyone else, but, through none of our own doing, we are better versions of ourselves.
We believe that Jesus is one of three persons, called the Trinity, who make up our one God. The Bible describes Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit as each being committed to our growth as Christians and to our salvation as their children. This salvation was made possible when Jesus came to Bethlehem as a human baby. He lived a life perfectly in accord with God's will and then died innocently for all of our sins. He was placed in a borrowed tomb, but he came back to life three days later. Now he is in heaven interceding with the Father for us, preparing for our deliverance from sin and death.
4.
God loves you, and wants to give you the highest quality of life imaginable
As God is our creator, he knows what is best for us and how we can have the highest quality of life, here and in eternity with him. God is lovingly concerned about every aspect of our lives. That means all of our relationships and our mental, physical and spiritual well-being. So he provides:
The way for us to feel valued as unique individuals
Gifts and talents so we can live life to the full
Church families where we can belong
Wisdom and principles that enhance every area of our lives
Blessings before we’ve even said thank you for those we have already received
God doesn't want anything to get in the way of our friendship. He especially doesn't want us to get involved in anything damaging or hurtful. He's like a loving father or a good big brother. He's someone who loves you so much that he's always looking out for you.
5.
In the heart of God is a place you can experience belonging. God loves you, and wants to spend time with you as a friend
We don’t have a relationship with God because we have to, but because we want to. God is much more than a cosmic Santa Clause granting our wishes – he is our friend.
So, we spend time talking to him in prayer and reading about him in the Bible. We also have one day a week, Sabbath, when we take time out from the worries and stresses of everyday life to experience being with him and others. Putting aside the seventh day benefits us spiritually, physically and mentally, while also allowing us to take time out to be a blessing to others.
6.
God gives us ways to remember what he has done and is doing for us through symbols associated with baptism and the Lord’s Supper
Jesus’ death on the cross and the resurrection that followed changed the course of human history. It is vital that we regularly reminded of this, so we celebrate his victory upon the cross shown in him rising again when we participate in the Lord’s Supper.
This meal includes three symbols:
Foot washing (which symbolizes our commitment to love others as Jesus loves us)
Bread ("this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh." John 6:51, NLT)
Wine or grape juice ("But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life." John 6:54, NIV)
To help us understand how God transforms us into His children, Jesus himself modelled the process of baptism for us. Baptism symbolises dying to self and coming alive in Jesus. We practice full immersion baptism because by being fully buried beneath the water we symbolise that God's grace fully fills us with his new life for the future. Through baptism of the Holy Spirit we are truly born again in Jesus.
7.
There is no way the world and life as it is, is as it should be. So it’s good to know God has a plan in place to put things right
We believe that sin and evil are to blame for the troubles we see around us. God’s ultimate aim is for us to no longer be subject to the evils of systems such as slavery, diseases such as cancer, social issues such as homelessness and poverty. God’s plan is to save us from all of this and even from ourselves.
As individuals, his plan of salvation doesn’t depend upon us doing good or being holy because he accepts us as we are. We just need to agree to take up what he is offering which allows us to begin to experience the transforming power of his love. It's like a giant war: one side pulling us toward empty pleasure and destruction, and God urging us to accept his offer of forgiveness, peace, purpose and hope.
8.
God not only created us free to choose, he created us as physical beings
From the very beginning God’s creation has to do with stuff we can see, touch and smell. When Jesus rose again he did so in a body that needed to be sustained by eating fish. Jesus took the path from death to life so we can do the same. When he returns for a second time, we will have new bodies free from disease and decay. Those who have died will be released from their graves and along with those who are alive will, only then, experience heaven. This is just for a while, because God has promised that a new home is on the way in an earth made new where we will experience life in unimaginable and exciting new ways.
