Vision
A note about our beliefs: We are a Calvary Chapel church and as such, our beliefs align with the Calvary Chapel statement of belief which can be found at: http://calvarychapel.com/about.
Isaiah 61
1 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” NKJV
The First Three Elements of Our Vision Statement
The first element of our vision is the Spirit of God which is based on Isaiah 61:1-3. Which is, in fact, Jesus’ vision. In Luke 4:16-22 Jesus tells us he was and is the fulfillment of Isaiah 61.
We believe the Holy Spirit is active in the church today as spoken of in Acts 1:8 and that every born again child of God has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which gives the believer the power to resist sin. In other words, the Holy Spirit is the power over the flesh, giving us power over our fallen nature, therefore, it is the Holy Spirit that makes us like Jesus (2Corinthians 3:18). We cannot, by our own willpower, become like Christ, for trying to do so is the very definition of religion rather than Christianity. This is an important concept because our lives are not just vessels, but also channels by which the spirit flows out of us into the world around us and that is what God desires. At the Feast Of Tabernacles Jesus said “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers [Greek: torrents] of living water.” –John 7:37-38. The overflowing of the Holy Spirit is the necessary dynamic for the church and for ministry.
The second element of our vision is the priority and importance of the Word of God. We want all of you to be experts in God’s Word. It is our vision to declare the whole counsel of God ( Acts 20:26-27). Here at Warehouse, we teach through the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, book by book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse using expository teaching to expound on the scriptures. Expository teaching concentrates on a specific text and discusses the topics covered within, while topical teaching concentrates on a specific topic and references texts covering the topic. When expository teaching is used to teach the Bible, we start to see the gospel–that scarlet thread–that is woven throughout all of scripture from Genesis to Revelation.
A pastor’s responsibility is to equip God’s people in the Word of God because The Great Commission is to “go therefore and make disciples…” (Matthew 28:19). Here at Warehouse, we endeavor to equip the believer to do works of ministry so that more hearts might be won for Jesus Christ. Some may think that expository teaching would become boring, however, to the contrary we believe that anything less would be insulting our congregation’s intelligence.
The third element of our vision is Grace. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” –Ephesians 2:8-9. We take a strong position on God’s grace. Without it, none of us would stand a chance. We need God’s grace every day. Having been forgiven, we have received grace and we need to give grace in return, and that is what we endeavor to do here at Warehouse.
Pastor Mike has eloquently stated our entire Vision in two sermons, available as an mp3 download here. If you are unable to download large files, a CD of that sermon is available for free if you stop in at the church on a Sunday morning anytime between 9 a.m. and noon. Email us if you would like a copy of the CD mailed to you for the cost of shipping and handling ($4.25).
All are welcome here at Warehouse, and we’d love the opportunity to get to know you. Please feel welcome to join us this or any Sunday at 10:00 a.m.