“Christ loves us, and by His death He has freed us from our sins and made us a kingdom of priests to serve God…” Rev. 1:6 (GN) “You are...the King’s priests…God’s own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God.” 1 Pet. 2:9 (GN)
The Bible teaches that every Christian is called to “full time” Christian service, regardless of his or her vocation. We practice the truth that every believer is a minister by encouraging every member to find a place of service and ministry. Every believer has direct access to God through prayer and Bible reading.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer”. Acts 2:42-43 NIV
Beliefs are not worth much unless they are translated into actions. Based on what the Bible teaches, we feel very strongly about the following practices:
Bible Reading and Study
“The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us to do what is right.”
2 Tim. 3:15
Since God’s Word is the only completely reliable and truthful authority, we accept the Bible as our manual for living. Our first question when faced with a decision is “What does the Bible say?” We practice daily Bible reading, Bible study, and Bible memorization. The Bible is the basis for all we believe.
Prayer—Communication with God
“After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.“
– Mark 4:46
“They all joined together constantly in prayer …” Acts 1:13-14
C.S. Lewis writes, “We must lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us.” In this he stresses honesty and thought in our prayers. Prayer is communication with our heavenly Father. We talk, we listen, we ask, we cry, we meditate.
In Matthew 6:5-9 Jesus teaches on prayer. In John 17 he prays. The book of Psalm is a book of prayers. All are good places to learn about prayer.
Fellowship
Heb 10:25
“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” NIV
Scripture tells us that the church, “The Bride of Christ” is a body. It’s an interesting analogy because of the vital connection of the parts. A body is one thing, made to be together, separation of any part is traumatic. Fellowship, therefore, calls the body of Christ to a special unity that goes beyond responsibility and duty to purpose and vital life.
Communion—Breaking of Bread
“On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight”
Acts 20:7 NIV
“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me’.“
Luke 22:19 NIV
We believe partaking in communion weekly to be a very spiritually healthy practice that follows the example of the New Testament church. Communion is the focus of our faith.
Giving
“A tithe of everything you produce belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.” Lev. 26:30
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
2 Corinthians 8:6
At Morello Hills we encourage tithing for the support of Christ’s body, the church, as God commanded the Hebrew children to practice. We recognize that giving 10% of our income is a Biblical standard for giving. We know through scripture and experience as individuals that God blesses those who give sacrificially.
Spirit-led Living
“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.“
Gal 5:16-17, 22-23 NIV
We believe the only way possible to live the Christian life is by God’s power within us. So we seek to practice a daily dependence on God’s Spirit to enable us to do what is right. (Phil. 2:13, Eph. 5:18)
Telling Others About Christ
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15
It is the responsibility of every Christian to share the Good News with those with whom God brings us into contact. We practice personal sharing about Christ and inviting friends to church.