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Our
Purpose
"To
magnify the glory of God through
Jesus Christ in all things (1),
by responding to His grace in worship (2),
applying
His grace in discipleship (3),
and extending
His grace in outreach (4)."
2. Responding to His Grace in Worship
We glorify God and enjoy Him by acknowledging
His inestimable worth through worship and praise (1).
Worship involves both adoration (2) and
action (3). It is a holy activity that
embraces our whole being and is rooted in a true and growing
knowledge of our living God (4). Grace
Bible Church is a community of saints grateful to God for His
grace towards us in Jesus Christ. The grace of God in all that
salvation encompasses (5) consumes us with
a sense of awe and overflowing gratitude. Gratitude means we
actively praise Him and live with accountability before Him
(6). In song and instruction (7),
through baptism (8) and the Lord's Supper
(9) we regularly assemble to acknowledge
Him and receive and respond to His grace. The Lord's day morning
is the corporate expression of our passion for worshiping and
delighting in God. In all our activity as individuals and as
a church, we represent Him and seek to honor and praise Him
(10).
Initiatives in Worship 2007
GBC has adopted the following initiatives as a part of our corporate worship renewal in 2007.
- We must maintain the reverent and clear reading of God’s Word.
- We must promote an awareness of the awesome privilege and duty of
worship.
- We must utilize lyrics that are primarily directed towards God and about
God.
- We must endeavor to incorporate a variety of music that can carry the weight
of God’s multifaceted nature.
- We must maintain preaching that is God-centered, cross saturated and Christ
exalting.
- We must provide a place in worship for repentance and confession as well as
joy.
- We must use elements in worship that promote greater congregational
participation versus a performance/audience mentality.
- We must include explanations of the gospel with the ordinances/sacraments.
- We will encourage the use of testimonies of God’s current mighty works in the
lives of His people.
- We will develop a variety of liturgies that center around the person of Christ
and the gospel and involve the entire congregation more.
- Preaching must address the issues of the day in light of the postmodern
setting.
- We must utilize language that is intelligible in our contemporary context and
free of insider jargon.
(1) " 'Worthy
art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor
and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of
Thy will they existed, and were created'." (Rev. 4:11)
"Let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone
is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven." (Ps.
148:13)
(2) "Come, let us worship and bow
down; let us kneel before the LORD our maker." (Ps. 95:6)
(3) "I urge you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and
holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual
service of worship." (Romans 12:1)
(4) "But an hour is coming, and now
is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit
and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit
and truth." (John 4:23-24)
(5) "...in Him we have redemption
through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according
to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us. (Eph.
1:7-8)
(6) "If you love Me, you will keep
My commandments." (John 14:15)
(7) "Let the word of Christ richly
dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing
one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
with thankfulness in your hearts to God." (Col. 3:16)
(8) "So then, those who had received
his word were baptized; and there were added that day about
three thousand souls." (Acts 2:41)
(9) "...and when He had given thanks,
He broke it, and said, 'This is My body, which is for you;
do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same way He took the
cup also, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant
in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance
of Me'." (1 Cor. 11:24-26)
(10) "And whatever you do in word
or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
through Him to God the Father." (Col. 3:17)
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