We’re called to worship.
We believe that Christ is present with His people in a special way whenever we gather in His name (Matt. 18:20; Eph. 1:22–23; 2:22). When we worship, our aim is to hear from God through the public reading and preaching of His Word, seek God through prayers of adoration, repentance, and petition, and celebrate what God has done for us in Christ.
It is our conviction that Christ disciples His church by His Spirit through His Word (Matt. 28:18–20; Eph. 5:18–20; Col. 3:16–17). For this reason, our desire is that God’s Word might permeate our worship. It is the focus of our confessing, preaching, singing, and praying. In other words, when we worship, our primary concern is that we hear the Word, preach the Word, pray the Word, sing the Word, confess the Word, and “see” the Word (in the Lord’s Supper).
We believe that God has revealed in His Word how we are to draw near to Him in worship. (Historically, this understanding of worship is called the “regulative principle.”) And we believe that God works powerfully through the “ordinary means of grace” (preaching, praying, celebrating the ordinances, etc.) to bring glory to His name, edify His people in faith, hope, and love, and draw unbelievers to salvation in Christ.
We’re called to proclaim.
The gospel “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). We declare the depravity of man, the reality of heaven and hell, the sovereignty of God, the substitutionary atonement of Christ, the necessity of faith in Christ, and the beauty of the imputation of Christ’s righteousness. We declare that Christ is a mighty Savior who propitiates an offended God through His substitutionary sacrifice, thereby rescuing sinners from God’s righteous judgment.
We proclaim that we receive the blessings of Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice through faith in Him. When we believe in Him, we become partakers of the Holy Spirit who brings us into fellowship with God. We rest in Him as the dearest Father, wisest Guide, strongest Shield, greatest Good, closest Friend, kindest Comfort, finest Beauty, deepest Truth, and sweetest Love. In a word, we’re “filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:19).
This is the good news we proclaim to a lost world.
We’re called to disciple.
God “predestined us to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29). He has decreed that His people will be conformed to the image of Christ in holiness and happiness. (1) We’re to be conformed to His death. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” (Rom. 6:3). (2) We’re to be conformed to His life. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). (3) We’re to be conformed to His character. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:23). (4) We’re to be conformed to His suffering. “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2).
At FBC, we are committed to discipleship whereby all of life is brought into conformity with Christ.