What We Believe

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." - A.W. Tozer

What We Believe

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable
for teaching, for reproof, for correction,
and for training in righteousness."

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Our beliefs are the mental grid by which we understand God and His work in and through us. Below, you will find our essential, core beliefs. We have adopted a saying that describes us well...“In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty and in all things love” That means we will strive for unity in our core beliefs while giving grace and liberty in the things that we feel are not essential. Because of our diversity, we won't agree on everything, and we are ok with that! But, in everything we will love...following the example of Jesus! Take some time to read over what we consider to be our essentials below:

[Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws are currently under revision and will be posted here soon.]

THE NATURE OF GOD

We believe in one God, creator and sustainer of the universe, who eternally exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and we affirm His desire to be intimately involved in the lives of men and women.
God as Creator: Genesis 1:1; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalms 33:6, Psalms 102:25; Jeremiah 10:12; Acts 17:24-25; Hebrews 11:3
God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 28:19-20; John 15:26; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 
Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 4:4-6; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-5; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15; 1 Peter 1:2; Jude 20-21
Man Created in God’s Image for Fellowship with Him: Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 5:2; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 John 1:3

THE SCRIPTURES

We believe Scripture to be the inspired Word of God, without any mixture of error in the original writings, and that they are the complete and final authority for the life and practice of all who follow Christ.
Exodus 34:27-28; 2 Samuel 23:2; Romans 15:4; Hebrews 1:2; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21

THE NATURE OF HUMANITY

We believe all men and women to be created in the image of God for the purpose of fellowship with Him, and that we have all forfeited that fellowship because each of us, according to our nature and by
acts of our wills, have rejected God.
Man Created in God’s Image for Fellowship with Him: Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 5:2; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 John 1:3
The Result of Sin: Psalms 14:1-3; Psalms 51:5; Romans 5:12-14;Romans 7:5; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:19-21; Ephesians 2:1-5; Jeremiah 7:9

THE NATURE OF JESUS CHRIST

We believe in Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, who in His nature is both fully human and
fully divine, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
Jesus’ Human Nature: Luke 2:6-7; John 1:14; Matthew 1:20; Luke 2:52; Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 4:2. 
Jesus’ Divine Nature: John 1:1-4; 1 John 5:20; John 1:18, Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:25; John 5:18; Romans 9:5; Philippians 2:5-6; Colossians 2:9-10; 
Hebrews 1:3; 2 Peter 1:1

THE NATURE OF JESUS CHRIST’S DEATH

We believe that as an ultimate act of God’s love Christ came to earth, lived a sinless life and accepted upon Himself the penalty for our sin through His death on the cross.
Isaiah 53:5-6; Matthew 20:28; John 3:14-15; Romans 5:6-8; Galatians 3:15; Colossians 2:13-15;1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 2:2

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST

We believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ and accept it as an affirmation of His power over death and promise of eternal life for those who place their faith in Him.
Romans 1:1-4; Romans 4:25; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22; Ephesians 1:18-21; 1 Peter 1:3-4; Matthew 16:21; Matthew 28:1-11; Luke 8:31-33;
Luke 24:45-47; Luke 2:19-22; Acts 2:24; Acts 13:31; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8

ETERNAL LIFE

We believe that God freely offers eternal life to anyone who would place his or her faith in Christ and that this comes as God’s gift to us apart from our own merits or standards of righteousness. We believe that all true believers, once they have placed their faith in Christ, are kept secure in Him forever.
Eternal Life: Romans 6:23; John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 5:24; John 11:25; John 20:31; Romans 8:38-39; 1 John 5:11-13; Titus 3:5; John 10:10
Eternal Security: John 10:28-29; John 4:13-14; John 6:35, 37, 39; Romans 11:29; Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:13-14

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, who indwells, directs, and enables those who are in Christ and endows the body of Christ with supernatural gifts for the accomplishment of His purpose and ministry.
Ezekiel 36:27; Romans 8:9, 11, 26; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Ephesians 2:22; 1 Corinthians 12:2-11; 
John 14:16-18, 26; John 16:7-8; Acts 1:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:13

THE BAPTISM AND FULLNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs at the moment one places his or her faith in Christ and is the act through which a new believer is incorporated into the body of Christ. We believe that the fullness of the Holy Spirit occurs as a believer willingly turns from sin and yields to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in his or her life.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit: Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; John 7:38-39; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:3-6
The Fullness of the Spirit: Romans 8:9; Romans 8:13-15; Galatians 5:16-17,25; Galatians 6:7-8; Colossians 3:15


THE CHURCH

We believe that the Church exists universally, is made up of all those who have come to faith in Christ and expresses itself in local congregations who have banded together to glorify Christ
in their lives and ministry.
Church as Body of Christ: 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 2:19-22; Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18; Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Acts 2:42-47
Church Expressed in Local Bodies: 2 Corinthians 8:23; Galatians 1:2; Acts 8:1; Acts 13:1; Acts 18:22; Acts 20:17; Romans 16:1-5


THE ORDINANCES

We believe that the Lord Jesus instituted the ordinances of baptism and Lord’s Supper (Communion) to be observed by all believers until His return. We believe that baptism is not necessary for salvation but is a public testimony of the believer’s personal relationship to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and is therefore an essential act of Christian commitment.
Baptism: Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:37-41; Acts 8:12, 36-38; Acts 10:47-48; Acts 16:31-33; Acts 22:14-16; Mark 16:16
Nature of Water Baptism: 1 Peter 3:21-22; Acts 2:38; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:16, Acts 22:16
Lord’s Supper: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; 1 Corinthians 10:16; Luke 22:14-19; Acts 2:42


HEAVEN AND HELL

We believe in a literal heaven and hell and that all men and women are eternal beings who either spend eternity in God’s presence as a result of their faith in Jesus Christ or separated from God because of their rejection of Christ.
Heaven: Isaiah 66:1; John 14:2-3; Psalms 16:11; Psalms 23:6; Psalms 73:24-26; Matthew 6:20; Luke 23:43; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Revelation 21:23-27
Hell: Isaiah 66:24;Matthew 10:28; 25:46; Luke 16:23-26; Romans 2:8; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9; Mark 9:43


RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST

We live in anticipation of the Lord’s promised and bodily return.
Matthew 16:26-27; Matthew 24:30-31; Matthew 25:31-33; Luke 9:26; Luke 12:40;  Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Our Purpose

Northlake Church loves Jesus and brings gospel hope to every man, woman, and child on the North Shore.

Our Values

Northlake Church is an authentic community of Christ-followers, empowered through prayer, who give generously to make disciples and saturate the north shore with the gospel.

Authenticity

There is great freedom in living in authenticity. In fact, it is contagious.  We believe we do not have time to be posers.  We desire to be real. What you see is truly what you get. No one at Northlake has their act together, and we do not pretend that we are perfect. We accept one another in spite of our flaws.  We believe the best way to live out the value of authenticity is by being in a Community Group.  Living in relationships with others is where we will experience vulnerability and grow in Christ.  Life is richer because we journey together, serving and being served, loving and being loved, knowing and being known.  We aim to create nothing less than a community filled with love and acceptance.

Prayer

Our greatest privilege is to be a praying church. The very act of prayer is a blessing for us.  In prayer we grow in our love for Christ and learn to abide in him.  Prayer opens up the resources of God here on earth.   Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “Whenever God determines to do a great work, he first sets his people to pray.”  We are asking God to do a great work, to bring renewal to our community.  We desire to lives, churches and communities transformed as God ours our His Spirit on us. Prayer is our lifeline.  We will never progress in grace if we forsake prayer. As goes prayer, so goes the spiritual vibrancy of the church.  As a church we put prayer as a foundation in our times of worship, in our Community Groups, and it is also expressed in our monthly prayer gathering. We believe prayer can never be in excess.

Generosity

God commands us to give and be generous - but more importantly he shows us how. God gave us everything we have.  Furthermore, Jesus gave generously himself as an atoning sacrifice for us. God is extremely generous and we believe God calls us such generosity as individuals and collectively as a church.  A lack of generosity is a refusal to believe that all we have is actually God’s.  We believe we can never out give God.  At Northlake we encourage everyone to grow in generosity. We believe that growing toward regularly giving is a step towards living generously.  As a church, we demonstrate generosity by funding ministry partnerships, community initiatives, and ministry  outside of our walls.  Currently, our goal is to ensure 25% of our budget is directed toward funding ministry outside our walls.

Disciple-Making

The Great Commission was very clear, “go and make disciples.”  We strive to build, grow and multiply disciples.   We are disciples making disciples. We are engaged in helping others take their next step with Jesus and to see them do the same for someone else. Last words are important. Jesus' last words are even more important. He releases his followers with authority to make disciples. Not just the clergy, but all believers.  At Northlake our disciple-making engine includes one-on-one relationships, Community Groups, Next Steps Classes and even leadership development groups.  We want to show ourselves obedient in making disciples as this shows our love for Jesus.

Kingdom

There is only one church in the world and one church on the North Shore - that is the Church of Jesus Christ.  Northlake is one expression of God’s people on the North Shore, but we are not “THE” expression.  Our heart is advancing the kingdom!  We believe it takes every Christ-follower, every church and every ministry to see our community become a e known as a city on hill, a light in the darkness.  Kingdom people, working toward kingdom advancement that brings God’s “kingdom come, and his will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”  We value kingdom partnerships.  Northlake lives out this value by helping support kingdom partnerships with our time, treasure, and talents.