A.) Foundational Values:

 

What Is a Foundational Value?

A “foundational value” is a doctrine that we, as a church, agree is essential to a person’s salvation and their hope of eternal life in GOD’s presence.

Our five Foundational Values are:

1. The trustworthiness and credibility of the WORD of GOD.

2. Salvation is found through Jesus Christ alone.

3. Repentance of sins.

4. The public act of Baptism.

5. The partaking of Communion.

 

These are our “Line in the Sand” issues—the beliefs on which we, as a church, are unified.

 

1. The Trustworthiness and Credibility of the WORD

The Bible is GOD’s unique revelation to humanity. It is the inspired Word of GOD and provides an authoritative and trustworthy standard for our faith and how we should live our lives. We believe that the WORD of GOD should be the foundation for our beliefs, our decisions, our conduct, and our relationship with GOD.

 

2. Salvation

Salvation is found through Jesus Christ alone.

 

Jesus Christ is GOD’s only begotten Son. He was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, willingly took upon Himself the sins of humanity, died on the cross, and rose again bodily. He is now at the right hand of the Father. Jesus will return to consummate history and fulfill the eternal plan of GOD.

Therefore, we believe that salvation is found in no one and nothing other than Jesus Christ.

 

Salvation cannot be earned through personal goodness, good deeds, or human effort. It is a gift that must be received through humble repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross.

 

We are not saved by our works, and we are not saved away from our works. Rather, we are saved by the power and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

When we are saved and become a new creation, we should want to please GOD. We should be motivated by the Holy Spirit to fulfill HIS purposes for our lives—not simply do the bare minimum according to our own human will.

 

Our good works do not purchase our salvation. Instead, our desire to live differently, serve others, obey GOD, and produce good fruit should be evidence of a genuine faith and a changed life.

 

3. Repentance

Repentance is an essential part of our relationship with GOD. We believe that we should acknowledge our sins, sincerely turn away from them, and seek GOD’s forgiveness.

 

At The Safe Haven Grace Worship Center, we will provide a private and confidential space for anyone who feels more comfortable speaking with a minister one-on-one about repentance and seeking forgiveness.

 

You may also choose to confess a sin publicly before the congregation if you feel led to do so. You should never feel pressured to publicly share something that you are not comfortable sharing. Our goal is to provide a safe environment where people can be honest about their struggles, seek GOD, and move forward in their relationship with Him.

 

Before baptism and before participating in weekly Communion, we encourage everyone to sincerely examine their hearts, repent of their sins, and ask GOD for forgiveness.

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4. Baptism

Baptism is a very important step in the life of a Christ-follower. We do not believe that baptism, by itself, saves us. Rather, baptism is an outward sign of an inward change that GOD has made in our lives.

 

Jesus Himself modeled this for us when He was baptized. Baptism is a public expression of our commitment to follow GOD’s direction through Jesus Christ.

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Baptism is a symbolic and public declaration that you have chosen to follow the example of Jesus Christ. Much like a wedding ring is a visible representation of a person’s commitment to their spouse, baptism is a visible representation of our commitment to GOD. However, just as a wedding ring is not the marriage itself, baptism is not salvation itself.

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Baptism should be accompanied by genuine repentance, faith, and a desire to live a life that reflects GOD’s will. Our actions should provide evidence of the faith we profess. When we are baptized, we enter into a covenant relationship with GOD. We promise to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, always remember Him, keep His commandments, and serve Him to the end.

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Why Do We Baptize?

Here at The Safe Haven Grace Worship Center, we believe baptism is important because Jesus commanded His followers to baptize.

In His final instructions to His disciples, Jesus told them to go and baptize people from all nations. He not only commanded His followers to be baptized—He also set the example by being baptized Himself.

 

Although Jesus had no sin from which He needed to repent because He lived a sinless life, He chose to be baptized by His cousin John because it was pleasing to GOD, the Father.

 

As followers of Christ, we should continually seek to conform ourselves to HIS image and example. We should follow Him in obedience, including following His example through baptism.

 

When we truly understand the weight of sin and the magnitude of HIS sacrifice for us, our question should not simply be, “What is the bare minimum I HAVE to do for GOD?”

 

Instead, our question should be: “What CAN I do to honor GOD with my life?”

 

What Are the Five Baptismal Vows?

As followers of Christ, we commit ourselves:

1. To live among God’s faithful people.

2. To hear the Word of God and share in the Lord’s Supper.

3. To proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed.

4. To serve all people, following the example of Jesus.

5. To strive for justice and peace in all the earth.

 

These vows are more than words spoken during a baptism ceremony. They represent a commitment to live out our faith through our daily choices, our relationships, our service, and the way we treat others.

 

5. Communion

Here at The Safe Haven Grace Worship Center, we firmly believe in offering weekly Communion to our congregation.

 

Jesus established the practice of Communion as a way for His followers to remember His sacrifice. He instructed His followers to use bread and wine to remember the sacrifice He was going to make when He died for our sins on the cross. (1 Corinthians 11:23–26)

 

We believe that everyone falls short and that we all need GOD’s forgiveness. Because of this, we should take time each week to examine our hearts and ask GOD to forgive the sins we have committed since our previous Communion.

 

Do not take weekly Communion lightly.

 

Before participating, take time to pray and ask GOD to forgive you for anything you know you have done that is contrary to His will. Ask Him to reveal anything in your life that may be sinful or displeasing to Him so that you can recognize it, repent of it, and seek His forgiveness.

 

Communion is a time to remember Jesus, reflect on His sacrifice, examine our hearts, repent, give thanks, and renew our commitment to follow Him.

It should never become something we simply do out of habit or routine. It should be a meaningful time between each individual and GOD.