Commitment to Jesus: Jesus calls each of us to follow him. When we put our faith in Jesus, we are pledging our allegiance to Jesus as King, turning from our former way of life (repentance), and seeking to follow him in the ways of his Kingdom. Part of our response to Jesus is to be baptized by immersion. This is a public way to say with our whole person that we want to be plunged into the reality of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and give up our own ways of living to embrace Jesus’ Kingdom way of life (Mark 1:9-11, Acts 2:38, Romans 6:1-14)
Practices that Grow Our Connection to God: Jesus engaged in practices that strengthened his connection with the Father. These practices included attending Synagogue every week to participate in corporate teaching and worship (Luke 4:16) and withdrawing to quiet places by himself where he could communicate with his Father through prayer and other spiritual disciplines (Mark 1:35, Luke 6:12). As growing 3C Christ-followers, we learn from Jesus’ example by engaging in practices to grow our connection to God. We consistently participate in weekly adult, student, or kids services throughout our four expressions (Locations, Online, MicroChurches, Community Freedom) where we can receive teaching from God’s Word and join with other Christ-followers in worshiping him. We also pursue a closer connection with God through prayer and spiritual disciplines such as journaling, fasting, meditating on God’s Word, silence, etc. We make this time with Jesus a priority in our lives and schedules.
Commitment to Scripture: Jesus often quoted from the written Word of God (Matthew 4:1-11, Matthew 22:34-40). He was familiar with Scripture and applied its values, principles, and ideals to everyday living. As Christ-followers, we learn from Jesus’ example by continually increasing our understanding of God’s Word through regular reading and study of the Bible. We can apply what we learn from God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We can let God’s principles and commands guide every area of our lives, including our relationships (Matthew 7:12, Philippians 2:3-4, Colossians 3:12-14), sexuality (Genesis 2:21-24, Matthew 19:4-6, Hebrews 13:4), and finances (Matthew 6:19-24, 1 Timothy 6:17-19).
Kingdom Living that Honors God: Jesus taught and demonstrated how life in the Kingdom of God is meant to be lived and called his followers to join him in his Kingdom way of living (Matthew 5-7, John 13:34-35, John 13:15). Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we commit to following Jesus in the ways of the Kingdom. We want our values, ethics, beliefs, and practices to be shaped by the Kingdom, not by the cultural norms or political ideologies of our world. We are mindful of how our words and actions reflect on Christ as we interact with people in person or on social media and seek to honor him in all things (Titus 2:7-8, Colossians 4:5-6).