Worship
At Lakewood Presbyterian Church, we believe our purpose is to glorify God by seeking to know Him and by living out and proclaiming His Word in the world. This commitment means that we strive to be:
**Worshipers of God with All Our Soul**
We seek to worship God genuinely, as He desires worshipers who will worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23). We are called to love Him with all our heart, all our mind, all our strength, and with everything we have (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
We worship God with our entire lives, recognizing that every aspect of life should be surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Christians are called to live in all things and at all times for the glory of God, whether they eat or drink or whatever they do (1 Corinthians 10:31). We are to view all of life through the lens of Scripture and allow its teachings to guide our actions.
We are Gospel-Motivated, understanding that Christians are compelled by the love of Christ, who gave Himself for us, forgiving all our sins and freeing us from all guilt. For this reason, we no longer live for ourselves but for Him who died for us (2 Corinthians 5:11-21).
We identify as Theologically Reformed because we believe that the distinctives of the Reformed faith represent the essence of Biblical Christianity. These distinctives can be summarized in the 5 Solas of the Reformation, which emphasize that salvation is found:
1. **Sola Fide** (by faith alone, and not by our own works),
2. **Sola Gratia** (by grace alone, and not by human merit),
3. **Solo Christo** (by Christ alone, and not through priests, churches, or saints),
4. **Sola Scriptura** (in Scripture alone, and not in any other books or human traditions), and
5. **Soli Deo Gloria** (to the glory of God alone, and not partially to God and partially to ourselves).
We are also Outreach and Mercy Ministry Oriented because Christians have a responsibility to engage with the culture around them and to share the truth of the Gospel—the good news of forgiveness of sins through Christ Jesus—with everyone, without exception. This should be done not by asserting dominance but by demonstrating the love and compassion of Christ for a world that is like sheep without a shepherd (1 Peter 5:3; Matthew 9:36; 1 Corinthians 13).
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Missions Minded**: We believe that Jesus Christ holds all authority in heaven and on earth and has commanded His followers to make disciples of all nations. This entails going to them, teaching them, and helping them organize into churches, as outlined in Matthew 28:18-20. Furthermore, God has promised that He will gather a people for Himself from every tribe, language, people, and nation, as stated in Revelation 5:9.
To accomplish our mission, we will concentrate on the following ministry emphases, primarily led by the church elders:
**Worshipers of God with All Our Soul**
We seek to worship God genuinely, as He desires worshipers who will worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23). We are called to love Him with all our heart, all our mind, all our strength, and with everything we have (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
We worship God with our entire lives, recognizing that every aspect of life should be surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Christians are called to live in all things and at all times for the glory of God, whether they eat or drink or whatever they do (1 Corinthians 10:31). We are to view all of life through the lens of Scripture and allow its teachings to guide our actions.
We are Gospel-Motivated, understanding that Christians are compelled by the love of Christ, who gave Himself for us, forgiving all our sins and freeing us from all guilt. For this reason, we no longer live for ourselves but for Him who died for us (2 Corinthians 5:11-21).
We identify as Theologically Reformed because we believe that the distinctives of the Reformed faith represent the essence of Biblical Christianity. These distinctives can be summarized in the 5 Solas of the Reformation, which emphasize that salvation is found:
1. **Sola Fide** (by faith alone, and not by our own works),
2. **Sola Gratia** (by grace alone, and not by human merit),
3. **Solo Christo** (by Christ alone, and not through priests, churches, or saints),
4. **Sola Scriptura** (in Scripture alone, and not in any other books or human traditions), and
5. **Soli Deo Gloria** (to the glory of God alone, and not partially to God and partially to ourselves).
We are also Outreach and Mercy Ministry Oriented because Christians have a responsibility to engage with the culture around them and to share the truth of the Gospel—the good news of forgiveness of sins through Christ Jesus—with everyone, without exception. This should be done not by asserting dominance but by demonstrating the love and compassion of Christ for a world that is like sheep without a shepherd (1 Peter 5:3; Matthew 9:36; 1 Corinthians 13).
**
Missions Minded**: We believe that Jesus Christ holds all authority in heaven and on earth and has commanded His followers to make disciples of all nations. This entails going to them, teaching them, and helping them organize into churches, as outlined in Matthew 28:18-20. Furthermore, God has promised that He will gather a people for Himself from every tribe, language, people, and nation, as stated in Revelation 5:9.
To accomplish our mission, we will concentrate on the following ministry emphases, primarily led by the church elders:
- Preach and teach the Word.
- Love the members of the congregation.
- Pray and encourage prayer.
- Develop and equip leaders.
- Promote commitment to the Great Commission.
- Encourage family worship.
- Live consistently with our calling as elders (refer to 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1).
- Foster an authentic community within the congregation.
