About Grace Presbyterian Church
Synopsis of Beliefs
Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)
The Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice.
There is only one God, eternal and self-existing in three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) who are to be equally loved, honored, and adored.
All mankind participated in Adam’s fall from his original sinless state and is thus lost in sin and totally helpless.
The Sovereign God, for no other reason than His own unfathomable love and mercy, has chosen sinners from every nation to be redeemed by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit and through the atoning death and resurrection of His son, Jesus Christ.
Those sinners whom the Spirit quickens, come to believe in Christ as Savior by the Word of God, and will persevere to the end.
Justification is by faith and through it the undeserving sinner is clothed with the righteousness of God.
The goal of God’s salvation in the life of the Christian is holiness, good works, and service for the glory of God.
At death the Christian soul passes immediately into the presence of God and the unbeliever’s soul is eternally separated from God into condemnation.
Baptism is a sign of God’s covenant and is properly administered to children of believers in their infancy as well as to those who come as adults to trust in Christ.
Jesus Christ will return to earth, visibly and bodily, at a time when He is not expected, to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.
The Gospel of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ must be published to all the world as a witness before Jesus Christ returns.
For more information about the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) go to:
http://www.pcanet.org/
The Purpose of Grace Presbyterian Church
Our Purpose Declared:
The Purpose of Grace Presbyterian Church (GPC) is to glorify God by equipping individuals and families with the Word of God so that by God’s grace they will grow in their service and worship of God, cultivate a genuinely loving fellowship, and influence the world for Jesus Christ.
Our Purpose Defined:
- To Glorify God
The chief end of GPC is to bring glory to our triune God and to enjoy Him forever. All that we do in word, deed, and thought has that as our ultimate motivation. Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone be the glory) is our theme. (Romans 11:36; Ephesians 3:20-21; I Peter 4:10-11; Jude 24-25) - To Equip individuals and families with the Word of God.
It is our aim to equip the saints with the truths of God’s Word so that they may be able to carry out the work of ministry in the church, home, school, workplace, and community. “To equip” literally means “to perfect” or “to make complete.” Our desire, goal, and prayer is that God would be pleased to use GPC as a major means by which God’s people are made mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13)We recognize our responsibility to equip not only individuals but also families with the Word to the end that Fathers are strengthened as the spiritual leaders of the home, that mothers are encouraged and strengthened as “helpmates” to their husbands and as caregivers and teachers to their children, and that covenant children are consistently and continuously taught the Holy Scriptures and raised in the fear and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 4:11-16; Colossians 1:25-29; II Timothy 3:16-17; Deuteronomy 6:1-9) - To Grow in the Service and Worship of God.
We believe that the doctrines of Scripture, properly understood and applied by the Holy Spirit, will move God’s people to serve the Lord in all spheres of life using the gifts, talents, and abilities sovereignly given to them by God’s grace. GPC is committed to teaching the saints what it means to be a servant, as well as to provide avenues of service, which utilize the spiritual gifts andpassions of every communicant member and instruct our covenant children in the ways of godliness.We also believe that the doctrines of Scripture, properly understood and applied, will move God’s people to worship the triune God in spirit and in truth. GPC is committed to teaching the saints what it means to worship God in the church, in the home, and in all of life. Worship is the focal point of the ministry of GPC for without it all other practices are meaningless. (Matthew 20:25-28; Romans 12:8; Ephesians 4:11-12; Hebrews 12:8-29; Matthew 4:10; John 4:23-24) - To Cultivate a Genuinely Loving Fellowship.
We are committed to cultivating a true sense of love and unity within the body of Christ and a level of fellowship that reaches beyond the superficial to a genuine, caring concern for one another. We believe that the developing and deepening of friendships are vital to our growth as Christians, our health as a body, and our influence in the community. We desire to be known for our love for one another. (Acts 2:42, 46-47; Philemon 2:1-4; Proverbs 27:17; Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12; Romans 12:9-18; I John 4:7-11; Colossians 3:12-13; Ephesians 4:1-3) - To Influence the World for Christ.
We are committed to teaching the saints the importance, meaning, and implications of possessing a biblical world and life view. We believe the Christian’s relationship with God is to so permeate every aspect of his life that the unbelieving world around him cannot help but be influenced for Christ by his very presence, words, and lifestyle. We recognize that we are fellow strugglers in the journey with the gospel as our continual hope and strength; therefore, we seek to be real with others in regard to our struggles and our hope that Christ may be exalted through our weakness.We believe that the gospel alone is the power of God unto salvation for every individual, family, community, and culture; therefore, we are committed to taking the gospel in word and deed to our neighborhoods and community, but also beyond the boundaries of Putnam County to the entire nation and the world. (Matthew 5:16; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; Colossians 3:17; Galatians 2:20; Philemon 1:21; Colossians 4:5-6:1; I Peter 3:15-16)
The Values of Grace Presbyterian Church
1. Biblical Worship (John 4:23-24; I Corinthians 14:33-40)
Worship is our greatest value. The Psalmist tells us that worship is giving unto the Lord the glory due his name (Psalm 29:1-2). But where do we find the substance of and our direction for our gathered, corporate worship? The Bible. Much that is amiss in modern worship practice would be corrected if we took for our principle of direction: “Sing the Bible, Pray the Bible, Read the Bible, Preach the Bible.” We ought to strive to be sure that all that we sing is scriptural, that our prayers are saturated with scripture, that much of the word of God is read in each public service, and that the preaching here is based on the Bible.
We are a church that is committed to a high view of public worship. We earnestly strive for our worship to be God-centered rather than man-centered, defined by scripture rather than culture, liturgically rich, meaningful, and relevant rather than empty ceremony, a reverent and joyful response to the character and works of our great God and Savior.
There is perhaps not a more emotional issue within the evangelical church today than the use of music in worship services. Should there be instrumental music at all? What style of music should we use? Shouldn’t we be seeker sensitive in our music? Shouldn’t we try and reach the unbeliever through our musical practice and thus cater to the current musical trends in our culture? Such concerns have divided many a church. Indeed, the issue of music has become so large in the church today that it seems we have become guilty of worshipping music rather than God.
We believe that music plays a significant role in corporate worship. As the Psalmist declared, “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods (Psalm 95:1-3).” Likewise, we agree with Martin Luther: “The devil takes flight at the sound of music, just as he does at the words of theology, and for this reason the prophets always combined theology and music, the teaching of truth and the chanting of Psalms and hymns…. After theology, I give the highest place and greatest honor to music.” In other words, there should be a consistency between our theology and our singing. Just as we should not tolerate bad theology being preached from our pulpits nor should we tolerate bad theology being sung by our choirs and congregations. There should also be a consistency between our singing and our music. The tunes that we use should reflect and express the content of the songs that we sing.
2. Expository Bible Preaching (II Timothy 4:1-2)
Expository Bible Preaching is not a style but a principle. Its controlling concern is to expound what Scripture says in a particular passage, carefully explaining its’ meaning and applying it to the congregation. It is a commitment to hear God’s Word and recover the centrality of the Word in our worship. We must understand and the next generation must be taught the difference between preaching that is Bible-based and preaching that merely uses the Bible as a starting point to discuss the matter at hand. Therefore it is our ordinary practice to preach through books of the Bible for the building up of the body of Christ.
3. Morning and Evening Worship (Exodus 20:8-10)
If we believe, with the majority of Christians in all ages (and with the Westminster Divines!), that the Old Testament Sabbath command has a weekly new covenant fulfillment in the Christian Lord’s Day, then we will believe that the whole of that day (following the explicit one day in seven pattern of the old covenant of grace) is to be spent in worship, deeds of mercy, necessity and witness, and rest. If that is the case, then both prudential factors and the testimony of history indicate that the best way to help the Lord’s people keep the Lord’s Day (as opposed to the Lord’s hour or the Lord’s morning, or even the Lord’s Saturday night!) is to frame the first day of the week with gathered praise: morning and evening. And such is not without Biblical precedent. Sinclair Ferguson once said that those who wished to do away with the Lord’s Day evening service “betrayed a fundamental misunderstanding of the theology of Lord’s Day experience.” Again the Psalmist helps us, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night (Psalm 92:1-2).”
4. The Lord’s Day (Mark 2:27-28; Revelation 1:10)
We need to resuscitate a high view of the Lord’s Day in our circles. We understand that there will be differences in our specific practice, but the big picture and the central message need to be displayed and trumpeted again. As J.C. Ryle bluntly put it: “As a rule there is a general flight of steps down from ‘no Sabbath’ to ‘no God’.” Protestantism cannot survive without the Lord’s Day, but some of our own brethren are working for its extinction with all good intentions, and our culture is obstructing and tempting our people at every turn. We want to recapture the Spirit of Robert Murray Mc’Cheyne “A well-spent Sabbath we feel to be a day of heaven upon earth . . . we love to rise early on that morning, and to sit up late, that we may have a long day with God” and Richard Baxter “What fitter day to ascend to heaven, than that on which He arose from earth, and fully triumphed over death and hell. Use your Sabbaths as steps to glory, till you have passed them all, and are there arrived. ”
5. Family Worship (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)
Strengthening the spiritual foundation and life of the family is vital for the stability of our marriages, the well being of our children, and the long-term health of the church. Recovering the once common practice of family worship is needed to accomplish that goal. As a church we strive to encourage parents in regard to the importance of family worship (including singing, Scripture reading and prayer), along with family attendance of the corporate worship of the church. A sense of the strategic role of parents in the Christian nurture of their children needs to be freshly pressed home. If the prime and main focus of our promotion of spiritual life in covenant children is on Sunday School, youth programs, retreats and conferences, vacation bible school, and various other special Christian educational emphases (as wonderful and helpful as these can be), then we will neglect the plan that God himself established for the discipleship of covenant children: godly parents living, talking and teaching the faith in the home. We desire to have a vibrant, growing small group ministry in every home…the family.
6. Evangelism/Church Planting/Missions (2 Timothy 4:5; 1 Corinthians 1:17-18; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8)
We desire to be a church that loves God’s word, embraces sound Reformed theology, and has a zeal for souls. We want to have by God’s grace Paul’s twin attributes of heat and light and share his energy for the work of evangelism and church establishment. We have as a genuine aim in our ministry the drawing in and building up of the Lord’s people in response to Jesus’ commission and promise. Horatius Bonar said, “We take for granted that the object of the Christian ministry is to convert sinners and edify the body of Christ.” Durham adds: “This is the great design of all preaching, to bring them within the covenant who are without, and to make those who are within the covenant to walk suitably to it. And as these are never separated on the Lord’s side, so should they never be separated on our side.” We will be committed to the spread of the Kingdom of God through our own personal spheres of influence (neighborhood, occupation, activities, etc.), through a commitment to local and foreign missions, & through a commitment to church planting as God blesses us with growth.
7. The Gospel and Evangelism (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 2 Timothy 4:5)
The Gospel is the heart of Christianity. Yet many today are confused about what it is! Some view the Gospel as something that makes people’s lives better (only partially true), some think the Gospel is “God loves you,” (again, only partially true), but the Biblical Gospel is that God loves sinners at the cost of his Son. Anything less than this rich, full, biblical presentation of the Gospel will produce spurious conversions. The whole truth is that we are dead in sin and in need of spiritual life, and God graciously grants that life by his Son – that is Good News! We must tell the next generation this wonderful truth and pray that they imbibe it.
How someone shares the Gospel is closely related to how he understands the Gospel. We need to be more concerned to know and teach the Gospel itself than to teach people methods and strategies to share it. Indeed, what we want our people to be excited about is the Gospel itself. Biblically, evangelism is presenting the Good News freely and trusting God to convert people. We must cultivate a Gospel-embracing and Gospel-sharing people, if we are to be faithful in the days to come.
8. Conversion and Discipleship (1 Timothy 1:5)
The spiritual change each person needs is so radical, so near the root of us, that only God can do it. We need God to convert us. Conversion should not be equated with or stereotyped as an emotionally heated experience, but it must evidence itself by its fruit if it is to be what the Bible regards as a true conversion. Our people must have experienced such a real conversion and have started down the road of understanding it biblically if we are to be a healthy church.
Our concern as a church must not be merely with growing numbers, but with growing members. Discipleship, Christian growth according to the Bible is marked by a life of increasing holiness, love for God and neighbor, brokenness over sin, repentance, etc.– all rooted in the transforming grace of God. We must emphasize & re-emphasize as a church the ordinary means by which God works His sanctifying grace in us (the means of grace): the word of God (preaching, reading, studying, meditating), prayer (public and private), the sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper), worship (public and private), and fellowship with other believers. All of these are indispensable for Christian growth…without them we become malnourished and weakened as believers. Recovered for today, true discipleship would build the church and promote a clearer, more vibrant witness to the world.
9. Church Membership and Discipline (Hebrews 13:17; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:42-45)
When we are united to Christ by faith, we are united to all who are united to Christ by faith. This mutual accountability is visibly manifested in the way we care for, look after, encourage and challenge one another to the life of godliness in the local church. The whole church has an interest in the spiritual health of every individual member. Especially church officers, and especially elders as shepherds should seek to promote true Christian discipleship and mutual accountability among the flock. We should long to be a godly and close Spiritual family in our church, but this will not happen unless we work at it.
Membership must be the reflection of a living commitment to a local church in attendance, giving, prayer and service or it is worthless. To be a member is knowingly to be traveling together as aliens and strangers in this world as we head to our heavenly home. But we live and minister in a day of unparalleled lack of commitment, so we must restore a high view of what it means to be a church member.
10. A Reformed Worldview (Acts 17:28; 2 Corinthians 10:5; 2 Peter 3:15)
The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We need ministers and members who think Christianly about all of life, who see this world as God’s world, who understand that every good gift comes to us from the Father of lights. Thus, Christianity is not just for Sundays; Christian worship is not to be confined within the walls of a church building but is to extend to all of life, to both work and play. When we enjoy a picnic with our families in the midst of God’s beautiful creation we celebrate the goodness of God. When the farmer, lawyer, home-maker, student, business man, etc. strives for excellence and integrity in his/her vocation for the honor of God, God is glorified as much as when a pastor faithfully carries out his calling. We seek to abide by Paul’s liberating command: “Whether you eat, drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
These are the values that will form the foundation of the ministry and life of Grace Presbyterian Church not only in this generation but also in every generation that follows as God preserves His church by His grace and by His most holy and wise providence. To God Alone Be Glory!