What we Believe

Tapestry is a Christ-Centered and Biblically Based Church The Essentials We Believe:

  1. About GOD

    We believe that there is one true, holy God, eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—each of Whom possesses equally all the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personality.  In the beginning God created out of nothing the world and all the things therein, thus manifesting the glory of His power, wisdom and goodness.  By His sovereign power He continues to sustain His creation.  By His providence He is operating throughout history to fulfill His redemptive purposes. (Genesis 1:1, 26-27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19)

  2. About Jesus Christ

    Jesus Christ is the eternal second Person of the Trinity who was united forever with a true human nature by a miraculous conception and virgin birth.  He lives a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of all by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone.  He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died.  He ascended into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of the Father, where He, the only mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for His own.  He shall come again to earth, personally and visibly, to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.  (Isaiah 9:6-7; Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:1-5, 14, 14:9-14, 28-30; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 1:3-4; I Corinthians 15:3-4; I Timothy 2:5-6, 6:14-15; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 4:14-15)

  3. About The Holy Spirit

    The essential accompaniment of a genuine saving relationship with Jesus Christ is a life of holiness and obedience, attained by believers as they submit to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity.  He was sent into the world by the Father and the Son to apply to mankind the saving work of Christ.  He enlightens the minds of sinners, awakens in them a recognition of their need of a Savior and regenerates them.  At the point of salvation He permanently indwells every believer to become the source of assurance, strength and wisdom, and uniquely endows each believer with gifts for the up-building of the body.  The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the Scripture.  His power and control are appropriated by faith, making it possible for the believer to lead a life of Christlike character and to bear fruit to the glory of the Father.  (John 14:16-17, 26, 16:7-15; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:11, 26-27; I Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; II Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 1:13-14, 5:18)

  4. About The Bible

    The sole basis of our belief is the Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament.  We believe that Scripture in its entirety originated with God, and that it was given through the instrumentality of chosen men.  Scripture thus at one and the same time speaks with the authority of God and reflects the backgrounds, styles and vocabularies of the human authors.  We hold that the Scriptures are infallible, expressing the truth without any mixture of error.  They are the unique, full and final authority on all matters of faith and practice, and there are no other writings similarly inspired by God. (Psalm 119:105, 160; Proverbs 30:5; II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21)

  5. About Human Beings

    Mankind was created in the image of God as the supreme object of all creation.  Because man disobeyed God's command in the Garden of Eden, mankind is alienated from God.  Marred by sin, man's attitude is one of rebellion towards God's authority.  The only way fellowship with God can be restored is through the Lord Jesus Christ.  (Genesis 1:27, 3:1-24; Psalm 8:3-8; Isaiah 53:6, 59:1-2; Romans 3:23, 5:10-14, 8:1-14; James 1:13-15, 4:1-3)

  6. About Salvation

    The central purpose of God's revelation in Scripture is to call all people into fellowship with Himself.  Originally created to have fellowship with God, man defied God, choosing to go his independent way, and was thus alienated from and suffered the corruption of his nature, rendering him unable to please God.  The fall took place at the beginning of human history, and all individuals since have suffered these consequences and are thus in need of the saving grace of God.  The salvation of mankind is, then, wholly a work of God's free grace, not the result, in whole or in part of human works or goodness, and must be personally appropriated by repentance and faith.  Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness and turning from our self-ruled life can we be saved from sin's penalty.  Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ as into his life as Savior and Lord by faith. (John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:10-12, 5:1, 8, 6:23, 10:9-10, 13;Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5)

  7. About Eternal Security

    If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot "lose" it.  Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian.  It is God's grace and promised power that gives us this security.  (John 10:29; Ephesians 1:13-14, 2:8-9; Philippians 1:6;II Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; 10:10-14; I Peter 1:3-5; I John 2:19, 5:11-13)

  8. About Eternity

    People were created to exist forever.  We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation.  To be eternally separated from God is Hell.  To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life.  Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.  Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. (John 3:16; Romans 6:23;I John 2:25, 5:11-13; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20;15)

  9. About The Church

    The effect of the union with Jesus Christ is that all believers become members of His body, the church.  There is one true church universal, comprised of all those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.  The Scripture commands believers to gather together to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of baptism and the Lord's Supper as the ordinances established by Jesus Christ, fellowship, service to the body through the development and use of talents and gifts, and outreach to the world. (Matthew 16:16-20 & 18:18-20; Acts 2:42-46; Romans 12:4-8; I Corinthians 11:33, 12:17 & 14:26-33; Ephesians 3:10; Hebrews 10:24-25)
Essential Christian Practices Encouraged

  1. GUIDANCE THROUGH GOD'S WORD

    “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (II Timothy 3:16-17)

    The Bible is the basis for all we believe.  It is the standard by which all else is measured.  The Bible is the only completely reliable and truthful authority, therefore, we accept the Bible as our manual for living.  Our first question when faced with a decision is, "What does the Bible say?"  We encourage the practice of daily reflection upon the truths of scripture through Bible reading, memorization and study.  The desired result is to see the truths of scripture applied to daily living.

  2. MINISTRY THROUGH SERVING

    “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.”
    (I Peter 4:10)

    “…to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” (Ephesians 4:12)

    The Bible teaches that every Christian is gifted with spiritual gifts and is expected to exercise those gifts in Christian ministry, regardless of his or her vocation.  We practice the truth that every believer is a minister by encouraging every member to discover their spiritual gifts and then to utilize them appropriately.

  3. IDENTIFICATION THROUGH BAPTISM

    “For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised with Christ…” (Colossians 2:12)

    Baptism symbolizes a believer's commitment to "die" to their old lifestyle of living for themselves and "being raised" to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. We practice believer's baptism by immersion—the way John the Baptist baptized Jesus.  The Greek word for "baptize" means "to dip or immerse."

  4. SHARING THE GOOD NEWS

    “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” I Peter 3:15

    It is the right and responsibility of every Christian to share the Good News with whomever God places in our sphere of influence.  Yet, each Christian should focus on building credible relationships with unbelievers in order to present a sincere witness for Christ.  Thus, the growth of God's Kingdom and our fellowship is dependent upon the faithfulness of our members in building relationships, verbalizing their faith and inviting others to visit our church.

  5. EMPOWERMENT THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT

    “…for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13)

    “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.  Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18)

    The only way possible to live the Christian life is by the power of the Holy Spirit living within us.  We encourage a daily dependence on God's Spirit to cleanse and to empower us to do what is right. (John 15:1-2; Romans 8:11; I John 1:9)

  6. COMMUNION THROUGH PRAYER

    “…pray continually…” (I Thessalonians 5:17)

    “This is the assurance we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” I John 5:14

    Every believer has direct access to God in prayer through Jesus Christ.  Through prayer, the believer has the privilege of experiencing close fellowship with God.  It acknowledges our need for God and demonstrates our utter dependence upon Him.  Because of this action, it provides a channel through which God releases His power and purpose.  We practice corporate prayer, as well as exhort each believer to exercise a personal, daily life of prayer.  (Luke 11:1-13 & 18:1; Acts 12:6;Philippians 14:6; I John 5:14-15)

  7. SUPPORT THROUGH GIVING

    “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:20-21)

    “All the believers were one in heart and mind.  No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” (Acts 4:32)

    We support the ministries and staff of the church through sacrificial giving.  We believe the membership should share in the financial support of the church as God has prospered each one.  The Old Testament pattern of giving the first tenth of all that one receives is an acknowledgment of God's sovereignty over all that one possesses.  The practice of tithing our income is the biblical benchmark to demonstrate that we are living to build God's eternal kingdom and not our own earthly empire.  When the Spirit of God is truly in control of our lives, we will be open to give even beyond this amount to promote the work of the spread of the Gospel.  (Matthew 6:19-25; Luke 6:38;Acts 2:44-45, 4:32-5:5; I Corinthians 9:4-14, 16:1-3; II Corinthians 8 & 9; I Timothy 5:17-19)

  8. EXAMINATION THROUGH THE LORD'S SUPPER

    “A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.  For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.” (I Corinthians 11:28-29)

    “But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgement.  When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.” (I Corinthians 11:31-32)

    Jesus Christ initiated the ordinance of the Lord's Supper with his disciples on the eve before his crucifixion.  Believers are to reflect upon the price that Jesus Christ paid for their forgiveness and to evaluate the way they are conducting and investing their lives in the light of Christ's return.  (Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:14-20; I Corinthians 11:17-34)

  9. FELLOWSHIP WITH BELIEVERS

    “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42

    Day after day (lifestyle/culture), in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. Acts 5:42

    You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. Acts 20:20

    Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. 1 Cor. 16:19