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PURPOSE The purpose of the Church is to bring glory to God. (I Corinthians 10:31; Ephesians 1:6, 12) “Our mission is to Love God, Love people and Make Disciples.” (Matt. 22:37-40, Matt. 28:19 – 20) At Big Valley you will: Worship – experience God’s presence (Heb 13:15, I Pet 2:5, Phil 3:3) Worshiping in spirit and in truth, offering a variety of worship styles that will help to draw all generations and cultures into a relationship with our Lord. Connect – know you belong (Rom 12:5, Acts 2:42, Eph 4:2) Living in authentic community, loving and supporting one another as we journey through life together, encouraging everyone to be a part of a small group. Grow – become like Jesus (Matt 11:29, Matt 10:38, Luke 9:23) Equipping believers to love and grow in obedience to His Word through a variety of classes and ministries. Serve – discover your passion (Matt 25:34-36, Gal 5:13-14, 1 Pet 4:10) Helping people discover and use their God-given talents to serve in our church and community. Reach – offer his grace (Matt 28:19, Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8) Actively reaching people in Modesto, the surrounding communities, and the world with the love of Jesus through compassion efforts, training church leaders and multiplying churches. STATEMENT OF FAITH We believe and accept the following statements as essentials for the unity and practice of the members of this church: We believe the 66 books of Old and New Testaments are a complete and final revelation from God, without error in the original autographs, and sufficient in themselves as our only rule of faith and practice. 2. THE TRIUNITY OF GOD We believe that God is one, manifesting Himself in three distinct and separate Persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each of Whom is God and to be honored and worshiped as God. 3. THE PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS CHRIST We believe that Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh, born of a virgin, sinless, crucified for our sins, resurrected from the dead, ascended to heaven, and coming back again to establish His Kingdom on earth. 4. THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT We believe the Holy Spirit is God, convicting the world, causing spiritual birth, baptizing all believers into one body in Christ, indwelling, sealing, sanctifying, guiding, and teaching every believer, as well as filling and controlling those who walk in obedience to God and His Word. 5. THE CREATION AND FALL OF MAN We believe that man was created by God in His own image, and not the product of evolution or animal ancestry; that he fell into sin by personal disobedience to the revealed will of God, and that all men and women are sinful in nature and practice, and unable to save themselves. 6. THE SALVATION OF MAN We believe that salvation is the free gift of God’s grace, from sin, death and hell, to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Every believer has eternal life and complete security in the finished work of Jesus Christ when He died on the cross for our sins, and arose from the dead, thus guaranteeing our own resurrection and eternal life. 7. HUMAN DESTINY We believe in the eternal life of all believers in a new heaven and a new earth, and that upon physical death, they go immediately to be with Christ in heaven awaiting their future bodily resurrection at the second coming of Christ, and in the resurrection of all unbelievers to stand before the Great White Throne Judgment of God from which they will be cast into eternal fire and everlasting punishment. 8. THE EXISTENCE OF SATAN & EVIL We believe that all angels, including Satan, were created by God, and that Satan, through pride and sinful ambition, rebelled against God, becoming the great adversary of God and His people. These spirit beings possess supernatural powers, but are limited by the permissive will of God. Satan, as leader of evil angels, demons, was defeated and judged at the cross of Jesus Christ, and his final destiny is everlasting punishment in the lake of fire, hell. 9. THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST We believe that all believers from the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 until the return of Jesus Christ are members of the Church, the body of Christ, and that the visible manifestation on earth is local churches where believers assemble for teaching, fellowship, prayer, and observance of Christ’s commands regarding baptism and communion. We believe in water baptism by immersion in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and in remembering the night our Lord was with His disciples in the Upper Room by regularly observing the Lord’s Supper. 10. THE GREAT COMMISSION We believe that our Lord commanded us to preach the Gospel and to make disciples of all nations, and that every believer is to be a witness for Jesus Christ, trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit; and that we are responsible to pray for, support, and send missionaries into all the world. 11. MARRIAGE and HUMAN SEXUALITY We believe God intentionally designed and created humanity male and female. We believe marriage is ordained and instituted by God and, according to the Scriptures, can only exist and be fulfilled between one man and one woman. A civil government’s sanction of a union will be recognized as a legitimate marriage by the church only to the extent that it is consistent with the definition of “marriage” found in this Statement of Faith. We believe marriage is a picture of the relationship of Christ and the Church and is to be a lifelong, covenant relationship between a man and a woman based on love, respect, mutual submission and personal sacrifice. We believe God intended sexual intimacy to be enjoyed only within the context of the male and female marriage relationship; and that all other sexual relations outside of marriage are personally destructive, sinful, inconsistent with the teachings of the Bible and the Church, and forbidden by God. |
