These core values describe who we are as a church community. They reflect our beliefs and guide our conduct among church members and ministry teams. While our corporate goals and strategies may change to face new changing circumstances, our core values will stand based on our obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ.
In every church service and in our daily lives, we allow the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us. The more members experience the PRESENCE OF GOD, the more they will grow in their hunger for His Word and their love for Him. As a result of the FIRE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, God’s people will experience spiritual revival, both individually and as a church. (Luke 3:16; Ephesians 5:18.)
We believe God has given believers authority and power to accomplish His eternal purposes. Through intercession and prayer, Christians exercise this God-given authority and God manifests His resurrection power. (Matthew 21:13; Acts 4:23-31.)
Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than receive.” Just as Jesus gave His life for us, we want to be a people that follow His example and give to others. We believe giving not only involves giving our finances and material resources but also our time and love to those in need. We also encourage giving to ministries that expand and help strengthen the kingdom of God. (Acts 20:35.)
In obedience to the Lord Jesus, our vision is to EVANGELIZE and share the gospel with our neighbors, our city and nation, and all over the world. We actively promote all members to be involved in missions, whether locally or internationally. We also believe church planting is an essential element to fulfilling the Great Commission. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8.)
Our church desires to give holistic care to its members and those outside the church. John the Elder wrote, “I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” Our desire is the same. A church family can vary in size; some families are big, and some are small, yet they are equally important in value. We believe, therefore, in helping members CONNECT with one another in SMALL GROUP FELLOWSHIP and ministries. We value one-on-one relationships with one another. Our members go beyond their comfort zone to reach out to one another and to those who need to be loved outside the church. We are determined to be the church that welcomes everyone regardless of their social, cultural, or financial status. (3 John 2; 1 John 4:11; James 2:1.)
We believe that every believer is called to serve and minister with different gifts and passions. It is significant to recognize and accept one another’s gifts and work together in UNITY and harmony. We also encourage a spirit of EXCELLENCE AND DILIGENCE among the ministry teams. As fellow servants in Christ, we make ourselves ACCOUNTABLE to one another. Our Lord Jesus says that the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. Godly leaders are servants of all. (Mark 10:45; Mark 9:35.)
The triune God of the Bible is the only true God — there are no gods before or after him in all of existence, in all places, in all time (Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 44:6,8; 1 Timothy 1:17). He has always been God and was never anything else (Psalm 90:2). He is holy (Revelation 4:8), eternal (Isaiah 57:15), all-powerful (Jeremiah 32:17,27), everywhere present at one time (Psalm 139:7-12), all-knowing (1 John 3:20), he is love (1 John 4:8, 16), light (1 John 1:5), Spirit and truth (John 4:24), faithful (Psalm 117:2), creator (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 40:12, Isaiah 22, Isaiah 26), unchanging (Malachi 3:6). He alone is to be worshipped (Genesis 24:26; Exodus 4:31, Exodus 34:14; 2 Chronicles 29:28; 1 Corinthians 14:25; Revelation 7:11). He is to be served above all else (Matthew 4:10; John 14:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; Hebrews 9:14). He is to be proclaimed to the world (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).
Sin is failing to meet the standards of God (1 John 5:17). After Adam and Eve committed the first sin in the Garden of Eden, all humanity thereafter is born with a sin nature (original sin) (Genesis 3; Psalm 51:5; Isaiah 53:6; Ephesians 2:3). Original sin resulted in condemnation, death, and separation from God (Romans 6:23). In addition to being condemned by original sin, every human person has committed actual sins on their own (Romans 3:23).
Salvation is being saved from the righteous judgment of God upon the sinner and saved for eternal life in Christ. Salvation is obtained by grace alone, through faith alone, in the work of Christ alone (John 3:16; Romans 10:9; Galatians 2:21), and not by our good works (Romans 3:20; Ephesians 2:8-9). We are chosen for salvation by God (Ephesians 1:4-6; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). Salvation includes the regeneration (John 3:1-15; Ephesians 2:5), legal justification (Romans 3:24, Romans 28; Titus 3:7), adoption (John 1:12; Romans 8:15-17), sanctification (Hebrews 10:14; John 17:17), eternal security (Jude 24; 1 John 5:13; Romans 8:38-39), and eventual glorification (Job 19:25-26; Philippians 3:21) of those who receive the grace of Jesus Christ through faith and repentance (John 6:28-29; Ephesians 2:8-9; Hebrews 11:6; 1 John 5:1).
God created humanity in his image with two distinct biological embodiments (xx, xy), as male and female (Genesis 1:26-27). God created differences between male and female and for these differences to complement one another (Genesis 2:18-25). The gendered embodiment of each individual as either biologically male or biologically female was God’s good intention in our creation and cannot be altered (Psalm 139:13-16; 1 Corinthians 6:19).
Marriage is between one biological man and one biological woman for life and represents a covenant with God (Genesis 2:23-24; Proverbs 18:22; Malachi 2:14; Matthew 19:2-9; Ephesians 5:22-33). Cohabitation without the benefit and protection of the marriage covenant is prohibited by Scripture (Hebrews 13:4).
Sex is to be enjoyed between a biological man and a biological woman within the covenant of marriage for the purposes of intimacy, pleasure (Song of Solomon), and procreation (Genesis 1:28). The sexual union is to be kept sacred within the protective covenant of marriage only (Hebrews 13:4). Sexual immorality is strictly judged by God as sin and described and defined in the Holy Scriptures as including but not limited to lust, fornication, adultery, and homosexuality (Leviticus 18-20; Matthew 5:27-30; Romans 1: 26-28; 1 Corinthians 6:9). Those who practice these lifestyles of unrepentant sin are storing up God’s wrath for themselves (Romans 2:5).
The vision of New Hope International Church.
New Hope International Church, believes in the vision God has given us. We will do everything possible to fulfill this vision which is summarized in Jesus’ Great Commission:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”
(Matthew 28:19-20)
We believe this Great Commission has been given to every believer in the Body of Christ. Therefore, in obedience to the Lord Jesus, our vision is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in our city, our nation, and all over the world, and to enable disciples to mature and grow in Him, who may ultimately share their love for Him by starting, participating, supporting and cooperating with the Holy Spirit in building loving, Biblical, and Spirit-filled churches. Because Christ has given us this command and because He has equipped us to complete it (Acts 1:8), we believe that it is possible to see this vision fulfilled in our lifetime.
Our efforts are thus focused first on teaching and enabling our members to accomplish Christ’s Commission and our vision. By doing this, we, as a body and as individuals, will be more able to reach out to people everywhere in the world. We want to bring the Good News to every person who has not heard of the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our vision of reaching the world is not to the exclusion of other brothers and sisters in the Lord who also strive towards the same goal. We recognize that as Christians respond to Christ’s call with all of their energy, time, and resources, God’s kingdom will indeed come and His will be done on the earth as it is done in heaven. Therefore, we acknowledge and accept our Christian brothers and sisters throughout the world in other church families who also strive to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission.
Another characteristic of our church is our desire to give holistic care to its members and those outside the church. In his letter to a friend, John, the Apostle, writes, “I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” Our desire is the same.
New Hope International Church has the goal of building Christian communities that will reveal Christ fully and completely. We want to help meet the needs of the Christian community in settings where other people can see Christ’s character revealed, including healing, through prayer and faith.
Thus, our vision is specific in its focus and broad in its application. Preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in our city, our nation, and all over the world, and enabling disciples to mature and grow in Him, who may ultimately share their love for Him by starting loving, Biblical, and Spirit-filled churches, is a responsibility to which we devote our entire lives.
