5 Core Beliefs
November 10, 2002 Sermon

Life Changing Faith
March 30, 2002 Sermon

Loving one another, serving one another and caring for one another are essential ingredients in God's plan for us.

Within this plan, God has ordered his priorities for us.

First and foremost, we are to know Him and to love Him completely.

While God has given us a mind that enables us to love him fully, He gave us that same mind in order that we might "test everything." We encourage and welcome questions and discussion about God's existence, His nature and His written word. Through this process we will come to know Him and grow closer to Him. God made Himself known to us through His written word, the Bible, and through the inward action of the Holy Spirit. We can build our relationship with God through the study of His word, both on our own and through the teaching of others, and through prayer, which brings the Holy Spirit more actively into our lives.

As an outgrowth of knowing God and building a relationship with Him, God empowers us to achieve His second priority for our lives: to love, serve and care for one another.

The daily demands of life in Fairfield County often create a barrier to quality relationships with others, both within and outside of our families. God desires that our lives be full of joy, both in our relationships with others and within our soul. The closer the relationship, the more relevant and effective is God's plan. The all-powerful God has drawn each of us to Him through the path of humility and grace. His example serves as the model by which we can achieve peace, unity and joy in our relationships with others, and in our own being. Loving one another, serving one another and caring for one another are essential ingredients in God's plan for us. In Jesus' words, "when you love another, you do this for me."

Third, we are to come together as a collective body to worship God.

Fortunately, within our culture, Sunday morning is a time when life slows a bit, when we can come together as a community to worship and give thanks to our Lord and Savior. This is also a time when we can share our thoughts and lives with one another, toward the greater goals of building our relationships with God and with one another. God calls us to live out His plan in obedience to His will at all times, in all places and with all people. Sunday morning is part of a process, not an end in itself.