Purpose & Beliefs
Love God. Grow Together. Serve Others
Our Purpose
The purpose of the church is summed up in the commission Christ gave His disciples just before He ascended to Heaven: “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 alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:18–20).
This last command of Christ should be our highest priority; every facet of church activity should in some way relate to this, the purpose of the church. Acts 5:42 records that the Jerusalem church was indeed fulfilling this purpose: “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” This young church was constantly engaged in making the Gospel known to the world.
At Lighthouse Baptist Church, we have emphasized this purpose in our three-point mission statement:
Loving God
Loving God begins in the heart, with a personal relationship with Him. As we gather and participate in Christ-honoring worship services and respond to the preaching of God’s Word, this love flourishes. Mark 12:30 says, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”
Growing Together
We grow together, in Christ, through the study of God’s Word. This occurs in our weekly services, in our smaller adult Bible fellowships, and in one-on-one discipleship.
Serving Others
We serve others as we find a place of ministry in the local body. We also serve by sharing the Gospel with those who need the Lord—through witnessing to friends, coworkers, neighbors, and loved ones, as well as in participating in church outreach and giving to missions.
As a church, our mission is to reach the world with the Gospel of Christ. We want to utilize every available biblical means, and we want to disciple and train every member to participate in accomplishing our church’s purpose.
Our Beliefs
The following comprise the Scriptural beliefs of this church and its members.
The Bible
We believe the Bible to be the word of God. We believe the Bible is inspired and preserved by God, and that it is perfect and true. We use the King James Version of the Bible in all of our ministries. (Psalm 12:6–7; 2 Timothy 3:15–17; 1 Peter 1:23–25; 2 Peter 1:19–21)
God
We believe in one holy and loving God—eternal, self-existent, infinite, and immutable—and that He has one nature, essence, and substance; yet He manifests Himself to man in the Trinity as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Timothy 1:17; James 1:17; 1 John 4:4)
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh and the only Saviour of mankind. We believe He came to earth, lived a sinless life, and offered Himself on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. We believe He resurrected bodily and ascended into Heaven where He now dwells until His return. (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6, 43:11; John 1:1, 3, 14, 18, 29; Romans 3:19–25; Romans 5:6–15; Philippians 2:5–11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 1 Timothy 2:5, 3:16; Titus 2:10–15; Hebrews 7:26, 9:24–28; 1 Peter 1:19, 2:2; 1 John 1:3; Revelation 20:1–6)
The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit of God is a person of the Godhead who is presently indwelling and directing the development of believers and advancement of the gospel in the world. The Holy Spirit is sent to regenerate, sanctify, seal, and indwell all who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. (Genesis 1:2; John 3:5–6, 14:16; Acts 1:5, 11:15; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19–20; 1 Corinthians 12:13)
Sin and Salvation
We believe that all men are sinners by nature and are therefore separated from God. Faith in Jesus Christ is the only hope of salvation and redemption from this broken and fallen condition. Those who reject Jesus Christ as personal Saviour are separated from God for eternity, but those who receive Jesus as Saviour are adopted into God’s family and given His gift of eternal life. (Genesis 5:1–5; Acts 4:19, 16:31; Romans 3:10–23, 5:6–12, 6:23, 10:9–10; Ephesians 2:8–9; Titus 3:5–6; Revelation 20:11–14)
The New Testament Church
We believe the local church is Jesus’ institution for advancing His gospel and doing His work in the world. The church is made up of those who have been saved and biblically baptized—uniting and faithfully gathering together for the purposes of Bible teaching, worship, prayer, fellowship, service, and observance of baptism and communion. (Matthew 16:16–18; Acts 1:15, 2:41–43, 11:15, 20:28; 1 Corinthians 15: 51–58; Ephesians 1:12–14, 5:25–30; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 1 Timothy 3:4–15)
The Last Days
We believe in the literal interpretation of the Scriptures in context and with a dispensational view of biblical prophecy. This literal approach provides the following most likely timeline of future events: first, the rapture of the church, followed by a seven-year tribulation and the return of Jesus to the earth, followed by His literal rule of one thousand years ending with the Great White Throne Judgment, culminating with the creation of a new Heaven and new earth. (1 Corinthians 15:51–58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, 5:1–9; Revelation 19–22)
Separation
We believe that a Christian should grow in grace, learning a lifestyle that is becoming of the gospel and honoring to Jesus Christ—properly reflecting His love and holiness. We believe in separating from biblical heresy and from sinful, self-destructive, and immoral behavior. (Romans 12:1–2, 14:13; 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1; 2 Timothy 3:1–5; 1 John 2:15–17; 2 John 9–11; Leviticus 19:28; 1 Corinthians 6:19–20)
Creation
We believe that God supernaturally created the universe in six literal days, and therefore we reject any theories of evolution, theistic evolution, creation gaps, or intelligent design not attributed to the narrative of scripture and the power of God. (Genesis 1–2; Exodus 20:11)
Civil Government
We believe that God has created structures of authority for the blessing of mankind, existing in three basic institutions: (1) the home, (2) the church, and (3) the state. God has given each institution specific biblical responsibilities and balanced these responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other, but that all should work in harmony under God’s word and His authority. (Romans 13:1–7; Ephesians 5:22–24; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13–14)
Human Sexuality
We believe that God, for humanity’s flourishing, has designed the sexual relationship to exist exclusively within the bounds of lifetime marriage between a man and a woman. Therefore, any deviation from the biblical pattern of sexuality (homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography) are harmful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We respect gender distinction as created by God, we and do not endorse the altering of one’s gender by surgery or appearance. (Genesis 2:24, 19:5, 13, 26:8–9; Leviticus 18:1–30; Romans 1: 26–29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8; Hebrews 13:4
Family Relationships
We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God, but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and in the church. We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society, and that husbands and wives should grow in the biblical pattern of marriage and parenting. (Genesis 1:26–28; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4–9; Psalm 127:3–5; Proverbs 19:18, 22:15, 23:13–14; Mark 10:6–12; 1 Corinthians 7:1–16; Ephesians 5:21–33, 6:1–4; Colossians 3:18–21; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1–7)
Biblical Marriage
We believe that the only God-recognized marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22–23)
In keeping with these beliefs as expressed in our bylaws:
All people are welcome to attend our regular worship services. Those who attend may not display behavior that is indicative of the unbiblical sexual behaviors listed above in church services, at church functions, or on the church grounds.
Church representatives are not to display disrespect for those who are involved in sexual sin, though our teaching ministry will be consistent with our beliefs and the biblical patterns.
Abortion
We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being, and therefore the life of the unborn should be valued as the life of any other human being. (Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5, 139:14–16; Isaiah 44:24, 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5, 20:15–18; Luke 1:44)
Love
We believe that we should demonstrate love for others—believers and unbelievers alike. We respond graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly to those who oppose the gospel. The church should be an environment where unconditional love flows from God’s grace at work in every heart. (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 5:44–48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34–35; Romans 12:9–10, 17–21, 13:8–10; Philippians 2:2–4; 2 Timothy 2:24–26; Titus 3:2; 1 John 3:17–18)
Missions
We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the gospel to all nations, and that salvation is made available to anyone who will believe on Jesus, regardless of nation, tribe, ethnic group, language, or culture. As co-laborers together with God, we desire to actively, generously, and faithfully engage in worldwide missions and church planting until Jesus returns. (Matthew 28:19–20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46–48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:20)
Giving
We believe that every Christian is a steward of the material gifts of God entrusted to him. Every Christian should grow in grace—understanding the generous heart of God and learning to reflect that heart with generosity toward God’s church and toward those in need. This generosity should be driven by grace (not obligation), empowered by gratitude, and should flow from a willing and cheerful heart for the development of the church and advancement of the gospel. (Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9–10; Acts 4:34–37; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6–7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:17–18; 1 John 3:17)