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concerning followers of Christ
“You are chosen by God for the high calling of priestly work, God’s instrumentsto do His work and speak out for Him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference Jesus makes— fromrejected to accepted.” —1Peter 2
nicene creed
About 327ce church leaders from throughout the Roman Empire gathered together for the first time in history. At that council they summarized the essentials of Christianity. Hope Community has established this first creed as our statement of faith.
╬ We believe in one God the Father, All-Sovereign, maker of heaven and earth, and creator of all things visible and invisible.
╬ We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten of the Father before all creation. Eternally existing as God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten — not made. He is of one substance with the Father, through whom all things were made.
╬ For all people and for our salvation Jesus came from heaven and was made flesh by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate.
╬ Jesus suffered and was buried. On the third day He rose again as recorded in the Scriptures (Bible), and ascended into heaven.
╬ Jesus is at the right hand of the Father. He shall return to earth in glory to judge both the living and the dead. His Kingdom shall have no end.
╬ We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Life-giver, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, and spoke through the prophets.
╬ We believe in one universal and apostolic church, acknowledging one baptism. We anticipate the resurrection of the dead, and life eternal.
a way too simplistic overview of the Bible
The Bible accurately records the Creator’s revelation of Himself to His creation; and through it God the Holy Spirit communicates to every generation. These revelations were recorded over the course of centuries in 66 books that make up the Bible. The entire New Testament was written down within a single century—the first century C.E. (Christian / Common Era). The Bible begins with the account of God’s creation of the first male and the first female and placing them in an pristine eco-system. Unfortunately, they rebelled. That rebellion broke the world, prohibiting them from becoming what the Creator designed them to be. God refused to delete or abandon humanity. Instead, He inaugurated a plan for humanity’s ultimate redemption, a way for women and men to become what the Creator meant them to be. That plan began when God called Abraham to be the father of a new ethnic group. Abraham’s descendents became enslaved in Egypt until God empowered Moses to lead them out of Egypt and into the “Promised Land”. Over time they became a rich and powerful nation under the reigns of David and Solomon. Upon Solomon’s death the kingdom divided and their society declined until the two nations were taken captive. A small remnant of that captive people were returned to the Promised Land and re-established their national identity. About 400 years later Jesus was born within that culture. He was the Messiah of Old Testament prophecy. Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, life eternal is made available to all people everywhere. The Bible ends with the account of His followers spreading the story of Jesus throughout the world, and an exciting revelation of how God will reclaim this world as His own.
home identity beliefs sundays children students adults leaders |
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practices
The Bible is central & understood to accurately record God’s revelation of Himself to His creation.
Believing God speaks through the Bible, we seek to allow Scripture to speak into our lives rather than impose any theology upon the Word of God.
The Lord’s Supper is usually celebrated the first Sunday of each month.
Sunday mornings include songs of praise and sung prayers, time for personal prayer as well as Bible teaching.
Individuals personally participate via Psalm readings testimonies drama etc.
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beliefs |
