Faith and Purpose

STATEMENT OF FAITH

We believe:

The entire Bible (Holy Scriptures) is the complete Word of God, that all sixty-six books, as originally given, comprising of the Old and New Testament, were divinely inspired by the Spirit of God, free from error, its consequent entire trustworthiness and the final supreme authority in all matters of faith, conduct, and practice and the basis of all Christian teaching and unity.
One God, Holy, Infinite, and Sovereign, the Creator of all things, who exists eternally in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, God manifest in flesh, His Virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His sacrificial death, His resurrection, His ascension, His present intercessory work, His imminent and personal return to meet His Church in the air and to establish His glorious reign.
The salvation of lost and sinful mankind only through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and the regeneration of the Holy Spirit by faith apart from works.
The Holy Spirit given without rite or invocation to all who believe in Christ through the Gospel, and by Whose indwelling the believer is enabled to live a holy life and to witness and work for the Lord.
The unity and common priesthood of all true believers, who together form the one universal Church, the body of which Christ is the Head.
The resurrection both of the saved and the lost, the saved unto life and the lost unto condemnation.
The Lord Jesus gave two ordinances to his followers: a) Baptism – by immersion of a believer in water in obedience to Christ’s command, in the Name of the Father, Son, and of the Holy Spirit, demonstrating publicly the believer’s identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection; b) The Lord’s Supper – the taking of the bread and the cup by believers together as a continuing memorial for the broken body and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is an act of thanksgiving to and remembrance of Him, and serves to unite His people and declare His death until He returns.
God created man and woman, and that marriage as instituted by God is the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.
The local church is a self-governing fellowship of Christ-followers that gather together under the Lordship of Jesus Christ to be taught the Word of God, encouraged in prayer and discipleship, participate in the Lord’s Supper, and equipped to serve one another in love.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Heather Bible Chapel is a body of Christian believers who desire as a local church, to work together under the power and direction of the Holy Spirit and who base their teachings on the Bible, God’s Word.

As believers we have entered into a personal relationship with God. We are known as “Christian Brethren” and our roots are in the Brethren movement of the last century, which was a revival of the model set forth in Acts 2:42.

Our intention is to live out the purpose that the Lord has given us as a church. This purpose is summed up in the following four statements:

a) To Praise And Worship God
b) To Prepare God’s People
c) To Proclaim Christ
d) To Provide And Care for One Another

TO PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD

We are called to praise and worship God who has revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is God who has created us, who has sought us out and adopted us into His family through the costly sacrifice of His Son…and so we gratefully praise and worship Him.

TO PREPARE GOD’S PEOPLE

God does not want His church to stand still, but rather to be strengthened and grow into “the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13)

TO PROCLAIM CHRIST

The Lord’s purpose is to make Jesus Christ known as the only Saviour. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

TO PROVIDE AND CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER

The Lord has planned that we should be dependent on one another, and each of us is needed. His purpose is to build us up into a new body of believers. In that new body, the church, we are called to care for one another.

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EXPANSION OF OUR STATEMENTS OF PURPOSE

TO PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD

Scripture tells us that we have been chosen by God in Christ so that we “might be for the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:11-12). God is building us “into a spiritual house (temple) to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). As a priesthood of believers, we exist not primarily for ourselves or even for others, but for God. This is our primary calling.

We worship:
1) With the spoken praise of our lips (Hebrews 13:15)
2) Through joyful music and song (Psalm 33:1-3, 40:3, 69:30)
3) In quiet adoration and stillness (Psalm 95:6-7, 46:10)
4) Through lives lived for Him in reverent obedience (Romans 12:1)

Our times of corporate worship are vital and should be seen as a priority by all who are members of this church. The celebration of communion is of particular importance because Jesus deemed it so and has invited us to celebrate it often. Our practice is to remember the Lord weekly on Sunday mornings.

The nature of the body and gifting of the spirit is important and should find expression in our worship together. Therefore, we should take time for preparation before we come together to worship. Our worship may take the form of a scripture passage, meditation, a song or a hymn, a word of encouragement or exhortation (1 Corinthians 14:26). All those who love the Lord and acknowledge Him as Saviour, are welcome to remember Him.

TO PREPARE GOD’S PEOPLE

God does not want His church to stand still but rather to be strengthened and grow up into “the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13)

To this end he has placed within the church particular equipping gifts so that all of His people might be prepared for the ministry that He has prepared for them. (Ephesians 4:12)

“All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the believer may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

This growth requires the church not only to understand the word of God accurately, but also to shape its life on the basis of that understanding. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22)

We are to be filled with the knowledge of His will so that we may “live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way. Bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:10)

In order that the Lord is able to work in our lives, we must be obedient. A life of devotion and prayer is required. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2)

We have a responsibility to help and encourage one another. This involves interacting with one another about the truths of Scripture and how they apply to our lives. The weekly meetings at Heather are a vital part of this process.

The ministry of God’s Word is an essential part of our life together. We at Heather are committed to the consecutive exposition of Scripture: studying it passage by passage.

TO PROCLAIM CHRIST

The Lord’s purpose is to make Jesus Christ known as the only Saviour of the world. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

The Lord desires that everyone hear the Good News about Jesus and that none perish (1 Timothy 2:4).

We are responsible to fulfill the great commission that Jesus Christ left us: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Proclaiming Christ to the world requires that we speak out the Good News about Jesus, for “How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?” (Romans 10:14). This takes place through preaching and also through the spoken witness of church members to those outside the church.

Proclaiming Christ also requires that we consistently demonstrate our faith in the world: “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Proclaiming Christ to the world also requires the church to send out missionaries to those parts of the world where people need to hear the Good News. These places include local and foreign missions. We are responsible before God to support those we send both in prayer and financially.

It is our desire that we fulfil our responsibility to see that everyone comes to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

TO PROVIDE AND CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER

The Lord has planned that we should be dependent on one another and each of us is needed. His purpose is to build us up into a new body of believers. In that new body, the church, we are called to care for one another.

This caring for one another is made possible by the fact that we are a body made up of different parts, indwelt with and equipped by the Holy Spirit.

Scripture tells us that the church is actually the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27), as opposed to any building or facility.

We are intricately connected with one another. As a result we are to:
1) Share the joys and pains of one another (1 Cor. 12:26)
2) Consider the interests of others (Philippians 2:4)
3) Bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)
4) Pray for one another at all times (Ephesians 6:18)

The oneness of the body is also a gift from the Lord and a valued possession. When Jesus prayed for the church on the night He was betrayed, He prayed again and again that the church would be one (John 17:11, 21-23). We are called to live out a life together that preserves that “unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).

In this way, we will lovingly care for one another as we have been called to do.