Forward Church Core Values and Beliefs

Forward Church Core Beliefs

WE BELIEVE in one God, who exists in three Persons—the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is loving, holy and just.

WE BELIEVE that the Bible is God’s Word. It is inspired and accurate. It is our perfect guide in all matters of life.

WE BELIEVE that sin has separated us all from God, and that only through Jesus Christ can we be reconciled to God.

WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is only begotten son of God and the prophesied Messiah. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He led a sinless life, took all our sins upon Himself, died and rose again. Today, He is seated at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest and Mediator.

WE BELIEVE that salvation is the gift of God to man. This gift is effected by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and it results in works pleasing to God.

WE BELIEVE that water baptism is a symbol of the cleansing power of God and a testimony of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit is our Comforter. He guides us in all areas of our lives. He also blesses us with spiritual gifts and empowers us to yield the fruit of the Spirit.

WE BELIEVE that the Holy Communion is a celebration of Jesus’ death and our remembrance of Him.

WE BELIEVE that God wants to transform, heal and provide for us, so that we can live blessed and victorious lives that will impact and help others.

WE BELIEVE that we are called to preach the gospel to all nations.

WE BELIEVE the gifts (graces) of God’s indwelling spirit in each believer did not cease with the early church but are for today. We believe it is God’s will for us to be healthy and experience abundant life. Jesus is the exact representation of the invisible God and he went about doing good and healing sicknesses and demonic oppression.

WE BELIEVE that marriage is a holy, spiritual union between one man and one woman.

WE BELIEVE that our Lord Jesus Christ has established his kingdom through the victory of his resurrection and it will continue to increase.

Forward Church Core Values

GOD IS GOOD

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

The Lord is good and his mercy endures forever. Psalm 136:1

JESUS IS ENOUGH

Colossians 2: 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

BELIEVERS ARE NEW CREATIONS

2 Corinthians 5: 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

GRACE IS TRANSFORMATIVE POWER

We believe this passage perfectly describes the function of grace, it’s an inner divine influence on your heart.

Ephesians 3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

TRUST GOD

And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 1 John 3:23

LOVE PEOPLE

John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

GOD IS ACTIVE

And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed. And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. And after that, Jesus Himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Mark 16:20

CHURCH IS ENCOURAGING

…not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:25

You should feel better about yourself and God when you leave church. If the Holy Spirit is a comforter, we should be too. Church is not where you go to get beat up and judged for your failures, it’s the place you should go to be build up and strengthened. The church is more of a hospital than an elite club.

GET YOUR OWN VISION

But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. 1 John 2:27

KEEP MOVING FORWARD

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

Ephesians 4:20 But you did not learn Christ in this way, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

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