Priorities

Romans 11:36 says, "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen."  True worship is an expression of:

• our awe and gratitude for who He is and what He does (all things are from Him)
• our complete dependence upon Him (all things are through Him)
• and our commitment to serve Him exclusively for His pleasure and glory (all things are to Him).

Worship is expressed with our lips as well as through living in a way that honors Him both publicly and privately.  Hebrews 13:15-16 says, "Through [Christ] then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."

Acts 2:42 says the believers in the early church "were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching."  The church needs God's truth as delivered to us through His apostles, which means consistent teaching from the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments.  The teacher has no authority in and of himself, but he does have God's Word, which is authoritative. Paul told Timothy to "command and teach" the Scriptures (1 Timothy 4:11), and he told Titus to "Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority" (Titus 2:15).  Instruction, whether public or private (including preaching, teaching, counseling, and discipling), is authoritative only in so far as it is biblical.

God's word can only truly be received in humility.  James 1:21 says to "put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness [humility] the implanted word..." That means that we don't just listen to and agree with God's word, but submit to its authority in our lives and apply it by faith — trusting it to change us for our good as we obey. Paul said to the Thessalonians, "And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers" (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

Acts 2:42 says the believers in the first church "were continually devoting themselves to... fellowship." Verse 44 says, "And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common."  Because believers share in Christ, they share all things as interdependent members of his body, with Christ as our head.  We are devoted to one another as members of God's family, obeying our loving Father in his "one another" commands throughout the New Testament:

This priority of fellowship is expressed in our regular public gatherings, in small groups, and in one-on-one relationships.

Christians have been given a message, the gospel of Christ, and called to live as "lights the world" (Philippians 2:15).  This treasure was given not to be hoarded, cloistered within the walls of our church buildings, but shared freely! (Matthew 10:8)!   As individuals that means knowing the gospel well, cultivating a love for our neighbors through prayer and relationships,  and prayerfully seeking opportunities to share the good news.  Some will be especially gifted at public evangelism, but all are called to be "always... prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you... with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15).

As a church, we want to publicly proclaim the good news to our neighbors not only by inviting them to hear it preached on Sundays, but also engaging with our community through creative and sacrificial service.  We want our outreach to our neighbors always to point to Christ as Savior, not ourselves.