We believe that there is only one true God (Deut. 6:4; Mk. 12:29), that He has revealed Himself to us as YHWH (Ex. 3:14), and that we are called to love Him with everything that we are (Deut. 6:5; Mk 12:30). He is the Creator of everything (Gen. 1) and has invited His people into a covenant relationship with Himself (Ex. 19:5-6; Jer. 31:33).
We believe that Jesus is the son of God (Matt. 3:17; 16:16) and came into being at his birth (Matt. 1:1; Lk. 1:30-32; Jn. 3:16). We believe that he is the Messiah, the Savior of the whole world (Jn. 3:17). Jesus is the only way to the Father (Jn. 14:6), and that he is the only way to immortality in the Kingdom of God (Acts 4:12).
We believe that the Holy Spirit is God's active power and presence in this world (Gen. 1:2; Lk. 1:35). This power now resides in all of those that accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior (1 Cor. 3:16), and it was the power that was able to raise Jesus from the dead (Rom. 8:11). This Spirit empowers believers to live out faithful lives (Gal. 5:22-24) and to actively participate in showing the world God's glory through various gifts (1 Cor. 12:4-11)
We believe that the Kingdom of God will be a literal kingdom with its headquarters in Jerusalem, as promised to King David (2 Sam. 7:12-16). This Kingdom will come when Jesus comes back (1 Thess. 4:13-17) and will be established on a new earth (Rev. 21:1-4). Jesus' main message that he preached during his ministry was about this coming Kingdom (Lk. 4:43) and what we need to do to enter it. The Kingdom is also presently available to believers as a "preview of what's to come" (Matt. 12:28). Jesus showed what the Kingdom of God will be like in his ministry of miracles (Matt. 13:31-32) and his disciples are invited to participate in this as well (Matt. 10:7-8).
We believe that Jesus literally died an execution-like death at the hands of the Romans, as attested by all the Gospel accounts. We believe that it is through Jesus' death on the cross that our sins have been redeemed and forgiven (Jn. 1:29; Rom. 3:21-25). Because of his death on that cross, we now have been justified before God (Rom. 4:23-25) and can confidently approach God's throne (Heb. 4:14-16). This cross has also rendered Satan and sin powerless for believers since Jesus has already paid the penalty (Heb. 2:14-15).
We believe that there will be a literal resurrection of the dead at the end of the age (Dan. 12:2; Jn. 5:28-29; 6:40; 11:23-24; 1 Thess. 4:16). Those that have believed in Jesus and followed him will receive immortal life (Jn. 3:16), and those that did not will be destroyed forever (1 Jn. 5:12; Rev. 2:11; 20:14; 21:8). We believe that Jesus rose from the dead before anyone else (1 Cor. 15:20-24) and that he is currently seated at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55-56), awaiting his return. Those that have died are currently "asleep" in the dust of the ground (Dan. 12:2; Jn. 11:11-14; Acts 7:60; 1 Cor. 15:20, 51; 1 Thess. 4:13-15; 2 Pet. 3:4) and are awaiting the resurrection to come.
We believe that the Bible contains the messages (i.e. words) of God to His people and are meant to direct us to the person of Jesus (Jn. 5:39-40; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). Since we are commanded to listen and obey Jesus (Matt. 7:24-26; Jn. 14:23-24), we rely on the Bible to give us instructions about what Jesus taught. The Gospel accounts of Jesus' life are the best historical documents that we have for what Jesus said and did.
Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to love God with all that we are (Mk. 12:29-30). The second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mk. 12:31). Based on these two commands, we attempt to obey God and Jesus to the best of our abilities. We believe that we are able to fulfill the commands of God when we practice these two commandments.
After Jesus rose from the dead, he gave his disciples a mission: to make disciples of all the nations (Matt. 28:18-20). He has given us the power of the Holy Spirit in order to complete this mission (Acts 1:8). This mission is not about making converts, but creating disciples that will make more disciples. We attempt to fulfill this mission through our worship, evangelism, fellowship, discipleship training, and ministry.
God ordained marriage at the beginning of creation between a biological man and woman (Gen. 2:22-24), which Jesus himself affirmed during his ministry (Matt. 19:4-6). For a Christian, the only options for marriage is a heterosexual union between man and woman, or to be celibate (Matt. 19:11-12).
Marriage is meant to last forever, and divorce is only permissible because of sexual unfaithfulness (Matt. 5:31-32).
Because of our convictions about what Scripture teaches about marriage, Maple Grove gracefully declines to bless any form of marriage union that is apart from the will of God. However, all are welcome to join in worship, fellowship, and service, as we all have fallen short of God's ideals.
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