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~ our six purposes
MINISTRIES:
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our six purposes prayer God calls us to approach Him through the person of Jesus Christ. This is a great privilege and foundational to the spiritual growth and vitality of every believer. It is also the foundation for the effective spiritual life of a believing community. We want to encourage and rejoice in the opportunity to approach our Heavenly Father to converse, ask for ourselves and pray for others. worship The greatest privilege and purpose of the church is to worship the Lord. To worship God means to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. While worship includes every aspect of our life, it especially involves our corporate acts of worship. Singing praise, celebrating the sacraments of baptism and communion, exercising spiritual gifts, and devoting our lives together to God is an important mark of the body of Christ. fellowship Koinonia is the New Testament word which describes the common life the disciples enjoyed together after the day of Pentecost. Its meaning includes the idea to have a common life, common interests, or common concern for one another. We are called to connect with one another in Christ-centered relationships. It is our desire that a common concern for one another would mark our fellowship. This concern is expressed both in a ministry of compassion as well as holding one another accountable as disciples of the Lord Jesus. In order to experience true spiritual life and to grow in Christ-likeness, we must be in relationship with one another. Some of God’s most remarkable works take place in the context of structured small groups or in spontaneous unstructured fellowship. the Word of God God’s Word is alive and active; it discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart. It is also the basis of our beliefs and practice. The teaching of the scriptures cannot be replaced as a central practice and tenant of the church. It is by them we are instructed and transformed. The scriptures are a primary means God speaks to us and causes us to be conformed to the image of Christ. the Holy Spirit Jesus promised to leave another Counselor after His departure. God comes to us in the person of the Holy Spirit or paraclete. The paraclete comes alongside of us and makes the things of Christ real to us. Apart from the Spirit of God we cannot know Christ or inherit His kingdom. The Holy Spirit brings us into a new birth and is continually at work sanctifying us and empowering us for ministry. The normal Christian life is marked by powerful and often life-changing encounters with the person of the Holy Spirit who bestows His gifts on His people today as He wills. service and mission Doing the work of ministry means stepping outside of our own personal interests and comforts and serving others in such a way that God’s people are strengthened and God’s kingdom is advanced. As the church, we are called to be about the work of ministry, from small practical details to power prayer and evangelism. Jesus said that his people were to be a city on a hill, shining like a lamp set atop a lampstand and giving light to all those around it. God has transformed our lives by his grace and set his Spirit in our hearts. Our response is to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those around us through our lives and our message. In order to fulfill the mission Christ has given us, we must be deliberate about going beyond cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and geographical boundaries to share the life of Christ within us. Every church is called to participate in fulfilling the Great Commission. This requires a deliberate act of stepping beyond the boundaries of our comfort zone into the lives and cultures of those who don’t know Him.
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Staunton Grace Covenant Church ~
410 West Beverley Street, Staunton, VA 24401 |
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