What We Believe

A Process of Drawing Close to God

Seeking the face of God is the process of drawing close to God, and therefore attracting His presence to your life and community. It is hard work to seek God's face, which takes time and effort like anything else worthy of pursuit in this life. Becoming a Christian is only the first step, and without diligently applying yourself, you will never draw close to the Lord or experience His presence and power in your life.

To live what we call a Seeking God Lifestyle is to truly invest yourself in seeking digilently to discover what He loves and values, and connecting with Him in order to have those same values permeate your own heart. It's about knowing the heart of God, identifying with Him and carrying out His purposes. As you seek Him, He responds to you and comes upon your life in power so that you may fulfill your destiny and you and your community will be blessed.

You should know that it is costly to seek the Lord wholeheartedly. Not only does it take a lot of time and effort, but it means making His plans and purposes the focus of your life. It's disruptive, almost always entails some degree of suffering, and puts Him as Lord of your life instead of yourself.

Seven principles are found to characterize the lives of biblical believers, early Christians, and Christians today of many other nations. Seeking God with the energy that God expects of you will result in periodic fillings of the Holy Spirit in your life which you need for joy, revelation and victory over sin.

1. Humility

The Christian should humble himself/herself profoundly, taking advantage of the help that fasting provides. He should fast regularly (the first-century Christians fasted twice a week), and should fast for longer periods of time for special occasions (examples in the Bible include periods as long as three days, ten days, 40 days, 70 days, and 120 days).

2. Fervent and Frequent Prayer

Including Bible reading and memorization, a Christian should spend two or three set times per day in prayer, totaling 1.5 to three hours, either alone or with others. This is in addition to time spent lifting up prayers throughout the day or before meals.

3. Massive Intake of Scripture

The amount of time a Christian should take in the Bible each day is explained in #2 above. Taking in the Scriptures includes reading the Bible, memorizing it, reciting it, meditating on it, listening to it, studying it, and listening to good sermons explaining it.

4. Personal and Corporate Repentence of Sins

Christ must be LORD of everything in your life including your sex life, your recreational life (it can't be so time-consuming that it crowds out your prayer and Bible reading), and your finances.

5. Obedience to God, Day by Day, Moment by Moment

Living a consistent righteous life over time draws God's presence.

6. Perseverance in Seeking After God Day After Day, Month After Month.

There's no way you can seek God wholeheartedly for a whole year and not see significant changes, but seeking God is not something to be pursued just for a year, but as a way of life for the rest of your life.

7. Gathering with Others

For your two or three set times per day praying and reading the Bible, join with other Christians as much as you can. Of the 14-21 times per week, try to join with others for many of those sessions. Additionally, set aside time for two week-long Christian conferences per year so that you stay strong in your devotion to Christ. Lastly, encourage and plead with others to join you in seeking the LORD.

Does a Christian really need to do all of the activities mentioned above? That depends on your perspective in two ways.

Protection of Human Life

In virtue of being created in the image of God, human life is sacred. We furthermore affirm that human life begins at conception. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life.

Opposition to Racial Discrimination

In virtue of being created in the image of God, people of all ethnicities, nationalities, and races are of equal worth. Furthermore, the diversity of human cultures, languages, experiences, and individual makeup is intended by God and showcases his creativity and diversity. Jesus has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, uniting them in himself in a glorious display of God’s love and unity. Therefore Christians have the responsibility to oppose any form of ethnic, national, or racial discrimination.

Care for the Poor

In virtue of being created in the image of God, people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and statuses are of equal worth. Furthermore, God defends the cause of the fatherless, the widow, the alien, and the poor, and Christ rescued us when we were poor and helpless. Those who have been made new in Christ and who seek to serve God will likewise defend the cause of the oppressed and show compassion to the poor. Therefore Christians have the responsibility to aid the poor and needy.

Stewardship of the Environment

In virtue of the earth being created by God and graciously given to humanity as its habitat and physical means of sustenance for the purposes of human flourishing, Christians have the responsibility to steward the environment in a way that brings glory to God and shows love to others.

Justice and Integrity in Government

In virtue of God’s governance of world affairs, his desire for justice, and the Christian’s call to pray for government leaders for the sake of peaceful and just societies, Christians have the responsibility to seek integrity among government officials and that they would promote justice in broader society.

Financial Generosity

In virtue of God’s generosity and the biblical call to love God more than money, to be generous, and to steward resources wisely, Christians have the responsibility to avoid greed, consumerism, and materialism and to give generously and sacrificially for the sake of making disciples of Jesus Christ, relieving human suffering, and blessing others.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, though he was rich, became poor for our sake, that through his poverty we might become rich. These riches––physical, spiritual, relational, and otherwise––Christ gives to his church in part even now and in their fullness in the life to come. When we sow these riches bountifully, using the varied abundance God has given each of us to supply the needs of others, we will also reap bountifully. God will multiply our seed for sowing and increase the harvest of our righteousness, enriching us to be generous in every way. We therefore joyfully affirm God’s principle that we reap what we sow, for our joy and good and for his glory, and we thank God for this inexpressible gift!

However, God makes his grace and gifts abound to us not so that we may serve our remaining selfishness or greed, but so that we may abound in good works and increase the harvest of our righteousness. We also recognize that the Holy Spirit distributes the varied gifts and riches of God through Christ’s merit, not our own, and sovereignly, as he wills and not necessarily as we will. Furthermore, we will nevertheless face trouble in this world until our Lord comes again to renew it. The chief and only assured blessing among these riches is restored fellowship God, now and forever. We therefore deny any teaching that offers blessings of our choosing––health, wealth, or any other––as God’s assured promises in this life.

Affirmation of the Image of God in Male and Female

In virtue of all people being created uniquely, distinctly, and equally in the image of God as male and female and being called to live holy lives with respect to sexuality, Christians have the responsibility to affirm marriage, legally and morally as exclusively between one man and one woman as the only place for legitimate expression of God’s gift of sexuality. Christian ministers are obligated to teach and defend God’s truth in these matters. They have no recourse to allow other Christians or Christian ministers to hold views different than those stated above, without refuting them. Furthermore, all Christians have the responsibility to flee all manner of sexual immorality, including fornication, pornography, adultery, and homosexuality in their personal lives and romantic relationships.