Our core passions are summarized in our endeavor to love God, love others, and love loud. Our core passions were not formulated arbitrarily, nor in accordance with our preferences, but out of the belief that these are the central concerns of Scripture. At Gracepointe, we believe that loving God, loving others, and loving loud is the essence of the Bible as well as our drive for ministry.
“And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” – Luke 10:27
Churches used to teach their children about the Bible by using catechisms, a series of questions and answers about major points of doctrine. One old catechism begins with the question, “What is the chief end (or main purpose) of man?” The answer those old pastors gave was “To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Loving God is not an afterthought of the Christian faith, but rather the essence of it. We believe that the Bible calls for more than a dry, academic belief in God (Matthew 7:15-27, James 2:19). Jesus does not simply ask that we know about him- who He is, what He has done, how many miracles Jesus performed while on earth. Jesus wants your heart. As Paul says, knowledge without love is worthless (1 Corinthians 13:2). Our aim is that everything we do- at home, work, or recreation- be motivated by love for God.
“And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:31
By loving others, we mean growing, equipping, worshiping, and enjoying God together. We believe that love of God naturally pours over into love for our Christian brothers and sisters (1 John 3:14). We believe that the Christian life was never intended to be a solo sport, but as Scripture says, we are “not to forsake the assembling of ourselves” and “provoke one another to good works” (Hebrews 10:24-25). Part of our call to love others is the call to community: growing, serving, and living life together, as well as welcoming others into our community.
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” –Matthew 28:18-20
By loving loud, we mean showing the love of Jesus through our lives, as a church body serving as the hands and feet of our Lord. We mean to say that the call of the church is not to hide the Gospel “under a bushel,” but rather to be a “city set on a hill” (Matthew 5:14-16). This means that in our community, we strive to live our lives in such a way that we make Jesus look beautiful. Loving loud also means that we have our eyes to the world, obeying Christ’s command to “make disciples” of all the nations. We live out the Gospel of Jesus in our neighborhoods with an eye to and a heart for the world.
We at Gracepointe theologically would identify with Reformed Baptists, and have therefore adopted a historic confession as the basis of our teaching here at Gracepointe. Confessions allow us to be strong on the essential points of doctrine, while allowing freedom in the non-essentials. We has chosen not associate with any denomination in our name, because the purpose of the church is to reach the lost and unchurched.
The New Hampshire Baptist Confession of 1853
Having been brought by God’s grace to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we now, in dependence upon His Spirit, resolved to live by faith, and to follow after the core passions of our Lord Jesus Christ: to Love God, love others, and love loud. So we establish this covenant with each other.
The Membership Covenant is what we feel being a part of the body should look like. All members of Gracepointe strive to live out the scriptural principles written in the document.
I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me