BELIEVE about GOD?

FIRST
BAPTIST

What do we

CHURCH
S L

God is growing in us...

a love for Him, a love for His church and a love for His world.

Section One:

Our Purpose
At FBCSLO, we believe that God is growing in us a love for Him, a love for His church and a love for His world.
A purpose statement built on love must begin at the Source. 1 John 4:8 tells us that God is love. The love we desire to experience in these three areas is based in and flows from the very essence of who God is. Gods love Gods love begins with His love for Himself. Because God is triune, He has eternally overflowed with love for Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is a mystery, but we revel in the fact. God has never been lonely, unhappy or needy. God is and always has been fully delighted in love. That love overflows to His creatures in a special way. Even though we rejected His love and built our lives around selfish desires, God loved us. He perfectly declared that love on the Cross. God the Father sent God the Son, in the person of Jesus Christ, to bear the guilt and punishment for our sins. In historys darkest hour, Gods burning passion for His glory and His burning passion for His world came together in His willing sacrifice of His Son. John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son. Gods love for His world was and is, perfect. This sacrificial death was more than a demonstration of His love, or simply the price to forgive sins. God was purchasing for Himself a bride. Through the blood of Christ and by the power of His resurrection He has drawn people from every corner of the world to become united through faith in Christ to be His Church. There is no one in the universe who has a deeper passion and love for the Church than God. And so, Gods three lovesfor Himself, for His world and for His

churchare all perfect. In all He does, God pursues His glory, the redemption of the world and the good of His church. It is helpful here to picture three rings, each representing one object of Gods love. There is a ring for Himself; a ring for His Bride, the Church; and a ring for His world.

Now, because in all things God loves all three perfectly and at once, Gods rings are entirely convergedthey completely overlap one another. When God loves one, He loves the other two as well.

Our love As Gods people, we are called to participate in what God Himself has eternally and purposefully pursued. God wants us to grow to the place where we, too, truly love Him, love His church and love His worldand, moreover, to that place where those loves are all merged into one. If you drew a diagram of a perfectly matured Christian, the rings for the three loves would perfectly overlap, just like Gods. Of course, thats not true for any of us yet. If you drew a diagram of our present hearts, our three rings wouldnt line up perfectly. For some of us theyd hardly line up at all. Theyd resemble a Venn diagram, where the three share intersecting parts but also have parts that do not overlap.

It is possible for us to love God and love His church, but hardly love His world and be relatively unconcerned for the needs and welfare of

those who are outside His church. On the other hand, we may be entirely consumed with passion for showing Gods love to unbelievers, but remain cynical and distanced from Gods people, His church. In both these cases, our hearts are still immature. They do not represent the heart of the Father. In this way of looking at Christian discipleship, only the overlapping part of the rings represents maturitythat place where our love for God produces a passion for a lost and hurting world and His beloved bride. It is not enough to simply care for the world or be enthusiastic about the Church. God wants all of that to flow from an active relationship with Him.

This process of drawing closer and deeper in all three areas of relationships we call convergence. In the diagram, convergence is represented by our rings drawing closer and closer together. Maturity comes as they overlap and begin to become one. This process of convergence is also known by another namediscipleship. We imitate Jesus, and learn to love like Him. What our purpose means for us An important point to recognize is that Christian maturity isnt about doing the right thing. Instead, maturity is about love. If maturity were about doing good deeds, then love wouldnt be necessaryyou could feed the homeless, or do something nice for a fellow believer, and not care for the person youre serving. Instead, becoming more mature is about becoming the kind of person who loves God and other people. As disciples, its not our job to produce love. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, producing the fruit that only He can bear. We cant manufacture it; we could fake it, but thats not real maturity. Faking love leads only to pride. As we focus on Gods purposeto grow in us a love for Him, a love

for His Church and a love for His worldinstead of pride we find we are humbled. Were humbled, first, because we acknowledge that it is God who is at work in us to produce real love. We discover that any good deeds we produce by self-righteous effort are counter-productive to true spiritual maturity. Secondly, were humbled because we acknowledge that we are all on a path to convergence. We havent arrived at full maturity, because we find in every-day small ways that we dont love God fully, or love His church perfectly, or love His world in our hearts. This realization leads us to act in gracious humility towards those who are still less mature, knowing that we are all on the same journey, together. By orienting all our church ministries and purposes around this central purpose of Gods heartthat He is growing in us a love for Him, a love for His Church and a love for His worldwe are helped in keeping FBCSLO healthy in two ways. First, this purpose insists that everything we do is fundamentally relational. Every program and ministry of the church will either facilitate growth in my relationship towards God, other believers, or those outside the church, or a combination thereof. No program exists as an end in itself. Whatever we do, the aim is deeper, richer love. Secondly, this purpose helps us check our motives. When our activities are foundationally relational, our chief motive will be love. If we cant accomplish a programmatic goal from a real love for one of the three groups, that reveals a deeper heart issue which we will have to address. In all of this, our goal is to become the Church Jesus described in John 17. Jesus prayed that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. As we draw closer to God in love, and nearer to one another, doors will open for us to demonstrate Gods love and grace in the world. And when this happens, well be careful to give God all the glory, because well know that it was He who grew love in our hearts.

Section Two:

Membership
What it means to be a member
The difference between attenders and members can be summed up in one word: commitment. At FBC we recognize the need for formal membership, and encourage a commitment to membership for four reasons: 1. A Biblical Reason: Christ is committed to the church. ... Christ loved the church, and gave himself up for her. (Eph. 5:25) 2. A Cultural Reason: It is a unique commitment in our society. We live in an age where very few want to be committed to anything... school... a relationship... our country. This attitude has produced a generation of church shoppers & hoppers. Membership swims against the current of Americas consumer religion that switches groups for any reason. Membership is an unselfish decision. Commitment always builds character. 3. A Practical Reason: It defines who can be counted on. Every team has a roster. Every school has an enrollment. Every army has an enlistment. Membership identifies our family of believers who can be counted on in our attempt to fulfill our purpose. 4. A Personal Reason: It encourages spiritual growth. The New Testament places a major emphasis on the need for Christians

to be accountable to each other for spiritual growth. Its tough to be accountable when youre not committed to any specific church family.

What is expected of members?

At FBC we never ask our members to do more than the Bible clearly teaches. We only encourage our members to do what the Bible expects every Christian to do. These responsibilities are spelled out in the Membership Covenant. The FBCSLO Membership Covenant
Having received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and being in agreement with First Baptist Churchs purpose, priorities, and leadership, I now feel led by God to unite with the FBC body. In doing so, I commit to growing in...

Love for God By maintaining my hope and faith in Jesus Christ By attending worship services regularly By participating in spiritual formation classes and disciplines By living a godly life by His Spirit

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deut 6:4-5) Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. ( Joshua 23:11) But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. (1 Cor 8:3) For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3)

Love for His Church By being equipped to serve by my pastors By gathering in love with other members By refusing to listen to or spread gossip By actively participating in the lives of small group members By giving regularly to support the ministries of my church

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:10) Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another. (1 Thess 4:9) Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:7) I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph 4:1-3) Love for His World By inviting unchurched friends to attend with me By warmly welcoming those who visit By using my time and abilities to pursue justice and mercy for the hurting By developing caring relationships to share Jesus with others By supporting our missionaries in prayer

Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matt 5:16)

Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widows cause. (Isaiah 1:17) He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8) And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matt 28:20) May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! (Psalm 67:1-3)

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Section Three:

Our Statement of Faith

What we believe
In essential beliefs, we have unity. There is one body and one Spiritjust as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all... (Eph. 4:4-6) In non-essential beliefs, we have liberty. As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand So then each of us will give an account of himself to God The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves (Rom.14:1, 4, 12, 22) In all our beliefs, we show love. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (1 Cor. 13:2)

The essentials we believe

1. 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. The three

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are co-equal and are one God. Gen. 1:1,26-27,3:22; Ps. 90:2; Matt. 28:19; 1 Pet. 1:2; 2 Cor. 13:14 2. About Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a 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 Heavens glory and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Matt. 1:22-23; Isa. 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Heb. 4:14-15; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Rom. 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Tim. 6:14-15; Tit. 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. 2 Cor. 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 2:12, 3:16; Eph. 1:13; Gal. 5:25; Eph. 1:13; Gal. 5:25; Eph. 5:18 4. About the Bible The Bible is Gods Word to us. It was 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 of error. 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; 2 Tim. 1:13; Ps. 119:105, 160, 12:6 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 Gods creation. Although every

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person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of selfishness and independence from God. The Bible calls this attitude sin. Through Adams sin in the Garden of Eden, sin has spread to all people. This sin nature has separated us from God. Because of Gods great love, He sent Jesus to reconcile His People back to Himself. Gen. 1:27; Ps. 8:3-6; Isa. 53:6a; Rom. 3:23; Isa. 59:1-2 6. About salvation Salvation is Gods free gift to us, but His saving work always is manifested in our actual, responsible choice to receive Him. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as Gods offer of forgiveness, can anyone be saved from sins 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. Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9; John 14:6, 1:12; Tit. 3:5; Gal. 3:26; Rom. 5:1 7. About eternal security Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you 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 that gives us this security. John 10:29; 2 Tim. 1:12; Heb. 7:25; 10:10,14; 1 Pet. 1:3-5 8. 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; Rom. 6:23; Rev. 20:15; Matt. 1:8; Matt. 2:44,46

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Section Four:

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: 1. Bible as our sole authority. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. (2 Tim. 3:16) Since Gods 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. 2. Autonomy of each local church. And [Christ] is the head of the body, the church... (Col. 1:18) Christ is the recognized head of our church, not any person, group, or religious organization. While recognizing the value of associating or 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 its own strategy, structure, and style. 3. Priesthood (Ministry) of every believer. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who

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called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Pet. 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. 4. Tithing Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lords; it is holy to the Lord. (Lev. 26:30) At First Baptist we practice tithing for the support of Christs Body, the church, as God commands. We recognize that giving 10% of our income is the biblical standard of giving. 5. Immersion having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. (Col. 2:12) We practice baptism by immersion under waterthe way Jesus was baptized, and the way the Bible commands. 6. Spirit-led living We believe the only way possible to live the Christian life is by Gods power within us. So we seek to practice a daily dependence on Gods Spirit to enable us to do what is right. (Phil. 2:13; Eph. 5:18) 7. Telling others about Christ but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. (1 Pet. 3:15) It is the responsibility of every Christian to share the Good News with those whom God has brought us into contact. We practice personal sharing about Christ and inviting friends to church.

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FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH SLO 2075 Johnson Ave San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 office@fbcslo.org 805.543.0945 | www.fbcslo.org