1. We are committed
to glorifying God and acknowledging His sovereign
lordship over all that we do.
The only King and Head of the Church is the Lord
Jesus Christ, to whom all power in heaven and
on earth has been given. From His throne of glory,
He rules the Church through His Word and Spirit.
Christ, being ..."ascended far above the heavens
that He might fill all things, " (Ephesians 4:20)
gave gifts to His church, for us to use in glorifying
Him.
2. We are committed
to developing mature Christians through bold preaching
& teaching of the Scriptures.
The Word of God is the primary means of grace
for the believer. The whole counsel of God must
be
proclaimed, in season and out of season. All Scripture
is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness.
The Word must be explained and applied by those
who teach. The Word must be loved, believed and
obeyed by all. In order to promote the peace,
purity
and prosperity of the church it is sometimes necessary
to exercise church discipline. The use of church
discipline has as its design to reclaim the erring
Christian and teach the fear of God to the whole
body of Christ.
3. We are committed
to Scriptural worship that practices the presence
and power of God.
Jesus said, "God is Spirit, and those who worship
Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24)
The greatest commandment is "You shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, and with all
your soul, and with all your mind, and with all
your strength." (Mark 12:30) "The acceptable way
of worshiping the true God is instituted by Himself,
and so limited by His own revealed will, that
He may not be worshiped ...(in any) way not prescribed
in the Holy Scripture." (WCF, Chap. 21, I.) God
has set aside one day in seven to be kept holy
unto Him. The first day of the week, called the
"Lord's Day", is the Christian Sabbath.
4. We are committed
to acknowledging and expressing our dependence
upon God through earnest prayer in the church,
in the family and by the individual Christian.
God is glorified in man's dependence upon Him.
Since He is the source of all blessing, then it
is to Him that we must look for receiving the
things we need. Jesus said, "Your Father knows
what things you have need of, before you ask Him.
Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you
shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you."
(Matthew 6:8, 7:7) Prayer is the chief way in
which we express our dependence upon God, therefore
prayer should be practiced without ceasing.
5. We are committed
to promoting the biblical model of the family
and ministering God's grace to broken families.
God design for families is always in the context
of faithful, monogamous marriage. The biblical
model
presents the man as the leader and head of the
home. Wives are to submit to their husbands, and
children are to obey their parents. Husbands are
to love and instruct their wives. Fathers are
to love,
discipline, train and instruct their children.
The Christian home should be well ordered, obedient
to the Word of God, and full of the fragrance
of Jesus Christ. Since we live in a sinful world,
many
families today have been damaged. Single mothers,
single fathers and their children face challenges
that require much of the grace of God and assistance
from the body of Christ. While not condoning sinful
behavior and wrongful divorce, the church ought
to get involved to help bring healing and hope
to those who need it.
6. We are committed
to the development of godly leaders who meet the
qualifications of Scripture and who lead according
to the standards of Scripture.
The church of Jesus Christ is the family of God.
God has commanded men to be the head of their
homes and Scripture also requires male leadership
in the church. In both Old and New Testaments,
the great importance of strong spiritual leadership
is taught and modeled. In the New Testament epistles
especially, qualifications are given for the office
of elder and deacon, which we must take seriously.
Men who become elders must be men who know the
Scriptures, who can teach the Scriptures, and
who will apply the Scriptures in church discipline.
7. We are committed
to being witnesses of Jesus Christ in word and
deed, locally and globally, depending on the Holy
Spirit to bring people to saving faith.
Acts 1:8 says, "But ye shall receive power, after
that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall
be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in
all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost
part of the earth." Our risen Lord, just before
He ascended into heaven, gave the apostles and
the Church the Great Commission to proclaim the
gospel to all nations. We must begin in our own
community, and seek to take the good news from
there to ever widening geographical and cultural
circles. Our success in witnessing will always
and only be the result of the Holy Spirit's work,
who calls the elect to faith in Christ when and
where He chooses.
8. We are committed
to practicing godly love, seeking to meet the
spiritual and material needs of those within and
without our local church.
Jesus said, "A new commandment I give unto you,
That ye love one another; as I have loved you,
that ye also love one another." (John 13:34) Godly
love is the mark of the Christian. Without love,
even if we are faithful to all of the above values,
we are nothing. Everything we do must be done
in love. Love does not seek its own, but always
seeks the spiritual and physical welfare of others.
Vineyard Mission Church is a member
of the Korean Presbyterian Association and the ARP
(Associated Reformed Presbyterians)
