Purpose & Beliefs

01

About God

There is only one true, living God. He is the Creator, Ruler, Redeemer, and Sustainer of the universe. He is at once intelligent, spiritual and personal. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three are coequal and are one God.

02

About Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. He is coequal with the Father. In His incarnation as Jesus He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross. He arose from the dead on the third day 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.

03

About the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the eternal Spirit of God. He is coequal 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 the believer a spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians we seek to live under His control daily.

04

About the Bible

The Bible has God as its author. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is God’s Word to us. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian fancy-list and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is completely true, without any mixture of error and is the full and final authority in all matters of truth.

05

About Human Beings

People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are special, the supreme object of God’s creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude that separates us from God and causes many problems in life. Because of this, only the grace of God through the sacrificial death of Jesus can bring man back into relationship with Him and allow man to fulfill the creative purpose of God.

06

About Salvation

Salvation regards the redemption of the whole man. It 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 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.

07

About the Eternal Security of the Believer

Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If one has been genuinely saved, he cannot “lose” it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God and the specific ministry of the Holy Spirit that gives us this security.

08

About the Church

The church is the true body of Christ in our world. Jesus Christ is its head. Universally, the church is made up of all redeemed people of God who by faith have trusted in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. It includes people from all nations, people groups, and ethnic backgrounds. Locally, they gather together in a community of love and care to worship, pray, encourage, evangelize and fellowship in the name of Jesus Christ. The Church observes the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, exercises its gifts in ministry and shares the message of Jesus with the world.

As a church, The Heights Fellowship exists to reach people for Christ, to network them with other believers, to help them build their faith, to challenge them to develop their ministry, and to lead them to be passionately devoted to God in their Christian walk.

09

About Eternity

People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by our 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.

10

About Relationships

God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Gen 1:26-27.) Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.

We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Gen 2:18-25.) We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (1 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 13:4.) We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.

We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. (Matt 15:18-20; 1 Cor 6:9-10.)

We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of The Heights Fellowship as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to The Heights Fellowship members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by The Heights Fellowship in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality. (Matt 5:16; Phil 2:14-16; 1 Thess 5:22.)

We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Rom 10:9-10; 1 Cor 6:9-11.)

We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31.) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of The Heights Fellowship.

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