Love God

In Deuteronomy 6:4-5 we read, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." This passage, know as the Shema, was central in the worship of God's people of old. Jesus, when pressed about the most important commandment, went directly to the Shema when he replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment" (Matthew 22:37-38). 

We are a people who seek to live in obedience to this great commandment. We believe that loving God is not only our greatest duty, but also our greatest delight. Our first parents were created to live in relationship with God in a garden called delight (Eden), and sin is what spoiled the garden and their happiness. Our highest happiness is realized when we are re-engaged in a loving relationship with our God. One ancient church father put it this way, "You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless, until they find their rest in you." The great Psalmist David wrote, "in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11).

In our corporate worship we seek to cultivate our love for God by reflecting on His great love for us that is revealed in the gospel. From our scripture readings, to our prayers, to our music, to our preaching, our most constantly repeated theme is the indescribable love of God displayed through the gift of His Son Jesus Christ.

Love People

Significantly, Jesus didn't let the Shema stand alone as a response to the question about which commandment was the greatest. Rather, he connected loving God to another ancient commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39 quoting Leviticus 19:18). The scriptures everywhere teach that loving people is the overflow of loving God (see 1 John 4:19-21, 1 John 4:11).

We are a people who seek to love others out of the abundance of love we've received from God. We believe that love is committed action aimed at seeking what's best for another person. With this in mind, at Apostles, we seek to love each other in the church by committing ourselves to care for and support one another in our church covenant. By living in faithfulness to this covenant we will take an active role in the care, support, and nurturing of one another in the church family. But our love doesn't stop there.

Outside the walls of our church, we strive to love our non-Christian family members, neighbors, teammates, classmates, co-workers, friends, and even enemies. God's heart is so big it includes not just those who've chosen to follow Him, but even those who've chosen to reject Him. We long to be a people who share God's heart and demonstrate His love to others indiscriminately. 

Lead others to do the same

At the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus left his followers with a final charge, often known as the Great Commission. 

Matthew 28:18–20 "And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

In essence, what Jesus is calling His followers to do is to bring others into right relationship with God; teaching them to love God and love people. In this way, the Great Commission is really just an extension of the Great Commandment. After all, there is nothing more loving a person could do for someone else than to lead them into a loving relationship with the God who created them.

As mentioned above, we believe that ultimate happiness is bound up in a relationship with God. Therefore, we seek to be a church that is passionately committed to telling others about the good news of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection from the dead, which provides forgiveness of sin and a restored relationship with God for all who believe in Him. Our hope is to be a church that not only models what life lived in right relationship with God looks like, but leads others to enjoy that life as well.