The Vision of Grace Christian Fellowship
We believe God has birthed this ministry to cause effective, positive change in the community of Winchester and the surrounding area. We have the vision to see as many people saved and healed by God’s grace, filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit and entered into the work of the ministry wherever God desires them to be.
Statement of Purpose for Grace Christian Fellowship
The purpose of our existence is to lift up the Name of Jesus Christ and to provide a “safe place” for those who have been wounded by the world so that they can be saved, healed, set free, and matured in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our Statement of Faith
Grace Christian Fellowship - Statement of Faith
1. WE BELIEVE the Bible as originally written to be not the work of men, but inspired of God as "holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:21) And exists as the only infallible, authoritative Word of God, "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness". (2 Timothy 3:16)
2. WE BELIEVE that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons, God the Father; God the Son; God the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19; Matthew 3:16-17, 1 John 5:7-8)
3. WE BELIEVE in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ; in His virgin birth, sinless life, vicarious and atoning death on the cross; in the power of His shed blood to forgive sins, in His bodily resurrection from the dead, and His ascension to the right hand of the Father where He presently is seated making intercession for the saints. We believe in His personal return to judge the earth in righteousness and establishment of His eternal rule over a new heaven and a new earth. (John 1:1-3, John 3:16, 1 Peter 1:2, Acts 4:33, Acts 1:9-11, I Thessalonians 4:15-18)
4. WE BELIEVE in the deity and personality of the Holy Spirit. (John 4:24, John 16:13, Romans 8:26, Romans 8:9-11) It is the Holy Spirit that convicts men of their sin and draws them to Christ. It is the Holy Spirit which dwells within men from the moment of their salvation, guiding them and instructing, cleansing and maturing them for service through the administration of spiritual gifts which are given to all (1Corinthians 12:11) "for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry and the edifying of the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:12) We believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as described by Jesus in Acts 1:4-8, and manifested in Acts 2:1-4, 10:44-46, and 19:6. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is available to the believer today.
5. WE BELIEVE that men can be saved by, and only by the grace of God through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). A person is saved through faith in the completed work of Christ on the Cross of Calvary Where the blood of Christ is offered in payment of the transgressions of the sinner before the Father.
6. WE BELIEVE in the church of Jesus Christ, the mystical body made up of all who have trusted in Christ for their salvation. We believe the church was wrought and planned by God the Father before the foundations of the earth. It was bought and paid for by God the Son through His substitutionary death on the Cross, and it continues to be protected and instructed by God the Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus Christ is the head of the Body and only those who exist within the Body of Christ will rule and reign with Him in His eternal Kingdom (Hebrews 10:24-25, Romans 1:16, Ephesians 1:1-14).
7. WE BELIEVE in the power and personality of Satan, his wrath against the church, and his ultimate destruction in the lake of fire (Hebrews 2:14, 1Peter 5:8, Revelation 20:10).
8. WE BELIEVE in the resurrection of all; the saved to eternal life; the lost to everlasting punishment
(1 Corinthians 15:20-22, 1 Corinthians 15:52, 1Thessalonians 4:16-17, Revelation 20:13-15).
9. WE BELIEVE man was created in the image of God. (Gen. 1:26). God created woman as a help-meet to man and that the woman is comparable to him. (Gen. 2:18) Gen. 2:24 states that “man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” This was the beginning of the institution of marriage. The institution of marriage is to be monogamous, between one man and one woman. The order of the marriage is described in Ephesians 5:23-33 and I Corinthians 11:3, “the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man and the head of Christ is God.” The marriage is a picture of Christ and the Church with the husband submissive to God and the wife to be submissive to her husband.
10. WE BELIEVE that the family is the most basic of all human institutions and must be preserved. We believe that the head of the household, the husband and father is appointed by God as provider, protector, and priest in the home. In the absence of a husband or father in the home, the elders of the church are responsible to help provide, protect and insure spiritual covering for any woman who so desires. The father is to provide a safe home for his wife and children, insuring that their needs are met physically, emotionally and spiritually. (Ephesians 5:22-31) We believe that the primary responsibility for the instruction of children lies with the fathers who can allow no institution to supersede the responsibility of parents as guardians of the children (Ephesians 6:4, Galatians 4:2). The parents are commanded by God to oversee the education and instruction of their children and to insure that their instruction is of a quality that will prepare them to be successful and productive, all the while maintaining instruction in righteousness, insuring that the faith in Jesus Christ which we hold is perpetuated through each generation. (Exodus 18:20, Leviticus 10:11, Deuteronomy 6:7, 11:19, Psalm 132:12,
Ezekiel 44:23).
1. WE BELIEVE the Bible as originally written to be not the work of men, but inspired of God as "holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:21) And exists as the only infallible, authoritative Word of God, "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness". (2 Timothy 3:16)
2. WE BELIEVE that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons, God the Father; God the Son; God the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19; Matthew 3:16-17, 1 John 5:7-8)
3. WE BELIEVE in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ; in His virgin birth, sinless life, vicarious and atoning death on the cross; in the power of His shed blood to forgive sins, in His bodily resurrection from the dead, and His ascension to the right hand of the Father where He presently is seated making intercession for the saints. We believe in His personal return to judge the earth in righteousness and establishment of His eternal rule over a new heaven and a new earth. (John 1:1-3, John 3:16, 1 Peter 1:2, Acts 4:33, Acts 1:9-11, I Thessalonians 4:15-18)
4. WE BELIEVE in the deity and personality of the Holy Spirit. (John 4:24, John 16:13, Romans 8:26, Romans 8:9-11) It is the Holy Spirit that convicts men of their sin and draws them to Christ. It is the Holy Spirit which dwells within men from the moment of their salvation, guiding them and instructing, cleansing and maturing them for service through the administration of spiritual gifts which are given to all (1Corinthians 12:11) "for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry and the edifying of the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:12) We believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as described by Jesus in Acts 1:4-8, and manifested in Acts 2:1-4, 10:44-46, and 19:6. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is available to the believer today.
5. WE BELIEVE that men can be saved by, and only by the grace of God through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). A person is saved through faith in the completed work of Christ on the Cross of Calvary Where the blood of Christ is offered in payment of the transgressions of the sinner before the Father.
6. WE BELIEVE in the church of Jesus Christ, the mystical body made up of all who have trusted in Christ for their salvation. We believe the church was wrought and planned by God the Father before the foundations of the earth. It was bought and paid for by God the Son through His substitutionary death on the Cross, and it continues to be protected and instructed by God the Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus Christ is the head of the Body and only those who exist within the Body of Christ will rule and reign with Him in His eternal Kingdom (Hebrews 10:24-25, Romans 1:16, Ephesians 1:1-14).
7. WE BELIEVE in the power and personality of Satan, his wrath against the church, and his ultimate destruction in the lake of fire (Hebrews 2:14, 1Peter 5:8, Revelation 20:10).
8. WE BELIEVE in the resurrection of all; the saved to eternal life; the lost to everlasting punishment
(1 Corinthians 15:20-22, 1 Corinthians 15:52, 1Thessalonians 4:16-17, Revelation 20:13-15).
9. WE BELIEVE man was created in the image of God. (Gen. 1:26). God created woman as a help-meet to man and that the woman is comparable to him. (Gen. 2:18) Gen. 2:24 states that “man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” This was the beginning of the institution of marriage. The institution of marriage is to be monogamous, between one man and one woman. The order of the marriage is described in Ephesians 5:23-33 and I Corinthians 11:3, “the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man and the head of Christ is God.” The marriage is a picture of Christ and the Church with the husband submissive to God and the wife to be submissive to her husband.
10. WE BELIEVE that the family is the most basic of all human institutions and must be preserved. We believe that the head of the household, the husband and father is appointed by God as provider, protector, and priest in the home. In the absence of a husband or father in the home, the elders of the church are responsible to help provide, protect and insure spiritual covering for any woman who so desires. The father is to provide a safe home for his wife and children, insuring that their needs are met physically, emotionally and spiritually. (Ephesians 5:22-31) We believe that the primary responsibility for the instruction of children lies with the fathers who can allow no institution to supersede the responsibility of parents as guardians of the children (Ephesians 6:4, Galatians 4:2). The parents are commanded by God to oversee the education and instruction of their children and to insure that their instruction is of a quality that will prepare them to be successful and productive, all the while maintaining instruction in righteousness, insuring that the faith in Jesus Christ which we hold is perpetuated through each generation. (Exodus 18:20, Leviticus 10:11, Deuteronomy 6:7, 11:19, Psalm 132:12,
Ezekiel 44:23).
Scriptural Worship
Why do we worship God?
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"You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve." Matt. 4:10
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Why do we lift our hands? |
"Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your Name." - Ps. 63:4
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Why do we sing joyously? |
"Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart...." Isa. 65:14
"I will sing of mercy and justice; To You, O Lord, I will sing praises." - Ps. 101:1 |
Why do we clap our hands? |
"Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!" - Ps. 47:1
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Why do we sing "unknown, new songs?" |
"Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy." - Ps. 33:3
"I will sing a new song to You, O God." - Ps. 144:9 |
Why do we use instruments and dance in worship?
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"Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance!" - Ps. 150:3-4
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- Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." - John 8:58
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. - Heb. 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. - Heb. 13:8