THE GOSPEL
Acts 16:31,”Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved”
The gospel is the proclamation of the good news that sinners (those who have lived contrary to what God wants) can be brought back into a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, and He alone is able to bridge the gap between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5-6). Th
ere is no hope of salvation apart from Christ (Acts 4:12). Jesus came to earth and lived a perfect life, and He died on the cross to take the place of punishment deserved by sinners (2 Corinthians 5:21). God has promised to forgive the sins of those who trust in Jesus Christ and to adopt them as His children (Romans 10:9-13). All who have trusted in Christ have the present benefit of the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. The Spirit works in Christians to daily turn us from sin to God. This is a process, and we see progress in this transformation as we believe the promises of God because we trust God is both willing and able to fulfill these promises through Jesus Christ.
This message of Jesus being the only hope of forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God must be accepted or rejected by all who hear. Those who come to realize their own personal sin, along with the conviction there is nothing they can do to save themselves, are the ones who turn to Jesus Christ and embrace Him as their Lord and Savior. Everything we see going wrong in this world is either a direct or indirect result of sin. But the good news is that God is at work to make all things new and to remove the stain of sin. Jesus Christ will come again to bring to completion His work of salvation. When He returns, the final judgment will take place; everyone who has rejected Jesus Christ will be cast into hell, and everyone who has trusted in Christ will enter into the fullness of joy of the kingdom of God.
OUR VISION
Developing lives that count for God through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ
Colossians 1:28
“Christ we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.“
OUR VALUES(1) Worship: Know God
We want to grow in our understanding, experience, and love of who God isRomans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
Human beings are called to live for God and to worship Him in all that we do. Worship is as common and ordinary to people as breathing; everyone worships. The question is not whether you worship–the question is what do you worship.
Worship is about what we value; it is how we put the “spotlight” on something and declare: “this is important!” Christians worship the one true God because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is through the cross of Jesus that our sins are forgiven, our relationship with Father is restored, and the Holy Spirit powerfully works to enable us to love like Christ. Our ability to worship properly depends upon the grace of God (His power at work to transform).
We learn about how to worship God through the Bible, which is God’s infallible word to us. We cannot properly worship God without embracing what He has revealed and responding appropriately. Our response may be joy, love, praise, or relief because of God’s mercy and grace. Or, our response may be sadness over sin, a sense of our need, or a call to new obedience. But since God has determined to save a people for Himself, we gather with other Christians to worship as a church. We cannot worship God fully without joining ourselves to other individuals for whom Christ died.Worship is our opportunity to be reminded of what is true and to be reoriented to God’s will. We need others to help apply the Word of God to our lives. That is why our worship includes reading from God’s Word, prayer, congregational singing, and expository preaching (explaining what the Bible means in context). We believe our greatest need as Christians is to hear from God and experience His love at work in the midst of His people.
(2) Witness: Share God
We want to share the good news of who God is and what He has done with those God has placed in our sphere of influence
Matthew 28:19-20, “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.”The main mission for every Christian is to make disciples (followers) of Jesus Christ. The will of God is that people would trust in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of the their sins and be transformed to live a new life of following Jesus. This work of making disciples starts with Christians going out and telling others about the power of God to save through Jesus, the Son of God.
Witnessing to who God is and what He has done is essential in the life of a Christian. Someone who has truly met God has been affected by Him. Therefore, if we are truly worshipping God, then we will share Him with others. The evidence of God’s work in our lives will come through our words and actions if we are worshipping Him as we should. We witness to God through speaking the Word. Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” We also give witness to God’s grace through our living as faithful followers of Jesus in view of others. Christians are called to live in such a way that “in everything [we] adorn the doctrine of God our Savior (Titus 2:10).” What we profess to believe should be the same message that is given through the way that we live. When someone trusts in Christ for salvation, they are given gifts by God that they are called to use for the benefit of others. As Christians use these gifts, evidence of God’s saving power is displayed for the benefit of those watching. Additionally, every Christian has a different sphere of influence in which they have the opportunity to share Christ. Every Christian matters in the kingdom of God. Every Christian is called to be faithful in the exercise of their gifts in the arenas in which God has placed them. God intends to save all kinds of people from all walks of life, and it is the call of all Christians to tell the gospel (good news) of salvation through Jesus Christ to people everywhere and anywhere.
Northside Presbyterian Church was formed January 3, 1983. We are a local congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America. We believe there is One True God who exists in three Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). We believe the Bible is the Word of God (inspired and inerrant) and that one is saved through faith in Jesus Christ. We also believe that the local church is the ordinary place in which the Holy Spirit applies the benefits of salvation purchased for us by Christ at the cross, and all of this is according to the perfect will of of God the Father. For a fuller explanation of what we believe, please read here.