"Love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and prohets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37-40
The Great Commission
"Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Matthew 28:19-20
These scriptures give us
Five Core Purposes
around which the church is built:
Fellowship - "Baptizing them. . ."
Discipleship - "Teaching them to obey. . ."
Ministry - "Love your neighbor as yourself. . ."
Evangelism - "Go and make disciples. . ."
Worship - "Love the Lord with all your heart. . ."
All our ministries, programs, and activities are organized around these five purposes. You will also see these purposes reflected in five "M's", which make them easier to remember:
Membership - Knowing Christ - Knowing Christ as Savior and Lord and being a member of His family, the church.
Maturity - Growing in Christ - Growing in Christ through prayer, Bible study and interaction with other Christians.
Ministry - Serving Christ - Serving Christ by serving one another with our spiritual gifts and resources.
Missions - Sharing Christ - Sharing the Good News of salvation in Christ with our neighbors and the rest of the world.
Magnification - Worshipping Christ - Putting Christ first in our lives and giving Him the praise He deserves.
TEN CORE LIFESTYLES
Our core values are only of significance when we live them out in our daily lives. Based on what God's Word teaches, we feel strongly about the following ten lifestyle issues. These are basic Christian issues which help guide our day to day living as a church body
Lifestyle One: The Bible is our Sole Authority
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." II Timothy 3:16-17
The bible is the Word of God on which we base our beliefs and practices. The Bible is our sole authority. No traditions, man made rules, or cultural practices are equal to the authority of God's Word. The Word of God will be central to our preaching, study, and devotional experiences.
Lifestyle Two: Prayer is our Life Support System
"It is written," he said to them," My house will be called a house of prayer,..." Matthew 21:13
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
Prayer is necessary if we are to develop intimate relationships with God. Through prayer our will is aligned with God's will. When that happens we begin to experience the power of God at work in our lives and in His church. Someone has said that when we work, we work, but when we pray, God works. Prayer releases the power of God.
Lifestyle Three: Autonomy of the Local Church
"And he(Jesus) is the head of the body, the church...." Colossians 1:18
Christ is the recognized head of our church, not any person, group, or organization. We believe every local New Testament church should be self-governing and independent from any denominational control.
Lifestyle Four: Priesthood of All Believers
"To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father.." Revelation 1:5-6
Every believer is a priest with direct access to God through prayer. Every believer should have a ministry through which he serves God. We want to help every believer by equipping them for ministry.
Lifestyle Five: Protect the Unity of the Church
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:2-3
It is the responsibility of every believer to protect and guard the unity of the church body. Our many differences become unimportant in the light of our common faith in Christ. Our dependence upon His Spirit will keep us as one.
Lifestyle Six: Giving
"But just as you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us - see that you also excel in this grace of giving." II Corinthians 8:7
At Sylvan Hills First Baptist we practice joyful and generous support of Christ's Body, the Church, as God commands. We believe that the grace - giving of the New Testament helps us understand the Old Testament tithe (10% of our income) as we use Biblical standards in our giving.
Lifestyle Seven: Immersion
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." Matthew 28:19
We practice baptism by immersion under water, in conformity with the New Testament word: baptizo, which means to plunge or to immerse. This also serves as a public identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
Lifestyle Eight: Spirit-led Living
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5
We believe the only way to live the Christian life is by God's power within us. Therefore, we must seek to practice a daily dependence on God's Spirit to help us do what is right.
"...for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Philippians 2:13
Lifestyle Nine: Be Salt and Light to our Culture
"You are the salt of the earth....You are the light of the world....let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:13-14,16
As Christians we are to live our lives in such a positive way as to have the preserving effect of salt and the illuminating effect of light on the culture in which we live.
Lifestyle Ten: 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. But do this with gentleness and respect." I Peter 3:15
We believe it is the responsibility of every believer to share the Good News with those God brings across our path. We need to personally share our faith and reach out to our friends and neighbors with the love of Christ. We want to encourage guest to return by making them feel welcome and providing an uplifting experience for them.
