Membersip 101 - Session 3

Discovering

Church

Membership

C.L.A.S.S. #101

Church of the Highlands

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Membership 101

Session 3

Our Statements

Name:_________________________________________________

Date:__________________________________________________

Address:_______________________________________________

______________________________________________________

Home Phone:____________________________________________

Work Phone:____________________________________________

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Session Three

The Highlands' Statements

"Let there be real harmony among you so there won't be any split in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose."
1 Corinthians 1:10 (LB)

OUR PURPOSE STATEMENT
Why We Exist As A Church

The purpose of our church is summarized in a single sentence based on two key scriptures:

"WE BELIEVE A GREAT COMMITMENT TO THE GREAT

___________________________ AND THE GREAT

____________________________ WILL GROW A GREAT CHURCH!"

The Great Commandment: "Jesus said, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart...soul...and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.'"
Matt. 22:36-40

The Great Commission: "Jesus said, 'Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.'"
Matt. 28:19-20

· To "Love God with all your heart" is "WORSHIP."

· To "Love your neighbor as yourself" is "MINISTRY."

· To "Go...make disciples" is "EVANGELISM."

· To "Teach them...all things" is "DISCIPLESHIP."

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HIGHLANDS CHURCH EXISTS:

1. TO ___________________________ GOD'S PRESENCE (worship)

2. TO ___________________________ GOD'S LOVE (ministry)

3. TO ___________________________ GOD'S WORD (evangelism)

4. TO ___________________________ GOD'S PEOPLE (discipleship)

I. WE EXIST TO CELEBRATE GOD'S PRESENCE
WORSHIP:

"Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only." Matt 4:10

"...The Father seeks worshipers...and His worshippers must worship Him in spirit and in truth." John 4:23-24

Expressions of Worship

Singing (Eph. 5:19)
Commitment (Romans 12:1-2)
Praying (Ps. 95:6)
Hearing the Word (John 17:17)
Giving (1 Cor. 16:1-2)
Baptism (Romans 6:3-4)
Mediating (Hah. 2:20)
Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:23-26)

COH Worship Style

"Celebration" "Inspiration" "Preparation"
Psalm 122:1 Isaiah 40:31 Eph. 4:11-12

II. WE EXIST TO COMMUNICATE GOD'S WORD
EVANGELISM:

"His intent was that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known..." Eph. 3:10

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"Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. But how shall they ask him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them." Rom. 10:13-14 (LB)

Why Our Church Must Never Stop Growing

1. BECAUSE _____________________________________

"The Lord...is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but wants everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9, 2 Cor. 5:14, Luke 15:3-10, Matt. 9:12-13

2. BECAUSE _____________________________________

"Go out into the country...and urge anyone you find to come in, so that My House will be full." Lk. 14:23 (LB)

"...you will be my witnesses..." Acts 1:8

3. BECAUSE _____________________________________

"Under Christ's control, the whole Body is nourished...and grows as God wants is to grow." Col. 2:19 (GN)

"(Jesus) I will build my church." Matt 16:18

Unbiblical excuses for not growing:
· "God isn't interested in numbers"
· "Our church wants quality not quantity"
· "Large churches are impersonal"

We believe our church must grow ______________________ and ___________________ at the same time.

"And the Good News of the Kingdom will be preached to the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and THEN the end will come." Matthew 24:14

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III. WE EXIST TO EDUCATE GOD'S PEOPLE
DISCIPLESHIP:

"Let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity..." Heb. 6:1

"Grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
2 Peter 3:18

"(God had given)...some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of ministry, so that the Body of Christ may be built up until we all...become mature...like Christ."
Eph. 4:11-13

The C.L.A.S.S. Institute &
Discovering Spiritual Maturity #201

IV. WE EXIST TO DEMONSTRATE GOD'S LOVE
MINISTRY:

"By this shall all men know that you are my disciples - that you have love for one another."
John 13:35, 1 John 3:16-17, Matt. 25:34-40, Heb. 13:16, Rom. 12:13

The heartbeat of Highlands is our _____________________. Every member needs to be part of one.

"Now God gives us many kinds of special abilities...and there are different kinds of service to God (ministry)...All of you together form the one Body of Christ and each of you is a separate and necessary part of it." 1 Cor. 12:4-5, 27 (LB)

AT CHURCH OF THE HIGHLANDS...

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OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH
What we believe

· In essential beliefs - we have unity.

"There is one Body and one Spirit...there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of us all..."
Eph. 4:4-6

· In non-essential beliefs - we have liberty.

"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgements on disputable matters...Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls...So then each of us will give an account of himself to God...So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God." Romans 14:1,4,12,22

· In all our beliefs - we show charity.

"...If I hold in my mind not only all human knowledge but also the very secrets of God, and if I have the faith that can move mountains - but have no love, I amount to nothing at all."
1 Cor. 13:2 (Ph)

THE ESSENTIALS WE BELIEVE:

I. ABOUT GOD

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.

Genesis 1:1, 26,27;3:22 Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; II Corinthians 13:14

2. ABOUT JESUS CHRIST

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven's glory and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

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Matthew 1:22, 23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14, 15; 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4; Romans 1:3, 4; Acts 1:9-11; I Timothy 6:14, 15; Titus 2:13

3. ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians we seek to live under His control daily.

II Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16,17; Acts 1:8; I Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13, 5:18; Galatians 5:25

4. ABOUT THE BIBLE

The Bible is God's Word to us. It is written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is the truth without any mixture or error.

II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20,21; II Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5

5. ABOUT HUMAN BEINGS

People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God's creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called "Sin." This attitude separates people from God and causes many problems in life.

Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59;1, 2

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6. ABOUT SALVATION

Salvation is God's free gift to us, but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin's penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.

Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8, 9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1

7. ABOUT ETERNITY

People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.

John 3:16; John 2:25; John 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelations 20:15; Matthew 1:8; Matthew 2:44, 46

OUR LIFESTYLE STATEMENT

What we practice

Beliefs are not worth much unless they are translated into actions. Based on what the Bible teaches, we feel very strongly about the following seven practices:

Bible as our sole authority.

"The Whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us to do what is right."
2 Tim. 3:15

Since God's Word is the only completely reliable and truthful authority, we accept the Bible as our manual for living. Our first question when faced with a decision is "What does the Bible say?" We practice daily Bible reading, Bible study, and Bible memorization. The Bible is the basis for all we believe.

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Priesthood of every believer
"Christ loves us, and by his death he has freed us from our sins and made us a kingdom of priests to serve God..." Rev. 1:6 (GN) "You are...the King's priests...God's own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God."
1 Peter 2:9

The Bible teaches that every Christian is called to "full time" Christian service, regardless of his or her vocation. We practice the truth that every believer is a minister by encouraging every member to find a place of service and ministry. Every believer has direct access to God through prayer and Bible reading.

Tithing
"A tithe of everything you produce belongs to the Lord: it is holy to the Lord." Lev. 26:30

At Highlands we practice tithing for the support of Christ's Body, the church, as God commands. We recognize that giving 10% of our income is the Biblical standard of giving.

Immersion
"For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised with Christ..." Col. 2:12 (GN)

We practice baptism by immersion under water- the way Jesus was baptized, and the way the Bible commands.

Spirit-led living
(Jesus said) "I am the vine, you are the branches. If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; but apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5

We believe the only way possible to live the Christian life is by God's power within us. So we seek to practice a daily dependence on God's Spirit to enable us to do what is right. (Phil. 2:13, Eph. 5:18)

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Autonomy of the local church.
"Christ is the head of his Body, the church. He is the source of the Body's life..." Col. 1:18 (GN)

Christ is the recognized head of our church, not any person, group, or religious organization. While recognizing the value of associating and cooperating with other groups of Christians, we believe every local church should be self-governing and independent from any denominational control. In relating to our "daughter churches" that we sponsor, we encourage each congregation to determine it's own strategy, structure, and style.

Telling others about Christ
"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15

It is the responsibility of every Christian to share the Good News with those God brings us into contact with. We practice personal sharing about Christ and inviting friends to church.

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