We believe the sixty-six books included in the Old and New Testament are God’s word to us. Each week we open these sacred scriptures to be strengthened and challenged by what we read.
Jesus taught us how to honor, use, and live by the scriptures throughout His earthly ministry. He asked his first disciples (followers) to go into all the world and make more disciples by teaching them to obey all that He commanded. We feel compelled to do the same.
For anyone who has attempted to obey the commands of Jesus, you’ve probably found that this can be simple in theory but difficult in application. We’ve discovered there is big difference between knowing what Jesus said and obeying what Jesus said. We believe the local church is an incredible resource for anyone looking to live their life aligned with God’s Word. If you need help discerning what the Bible says or you’re wondering how to follow Jesus’ commands, we’d invite you to join us as we.
We find honesty really attractive and we believe God does too. We’ve found that being honest with God and each other creates connection & healthy relationships. We’ve also found that honesty with ourselves is essential if we’re going to let the Bible influence and direct our lives.
We’ve found that our lives can easily become all about looking good, staying comfortable and being right. As we’ve allowed ourselves to be challenged by scripture, we’ve ended up walking in greater faith & extending more trust – with both God and each other. So we are constantly inviting members of our family to risk their comfort, their reputation, and their pride as we discover what it means to obey God’s Word.
As a community we desire to be led by the Holy Spirit. We look to Jesus to understand what it means to be “Spirit-filled.” When Jesus was baptized, the Spirit descended on Him and when Jesus began his public ministry he said that the Spirit had anointed Him to preach good news, to heal the sick, and to deliver people who were in bondage. The church now continues on this same mission by the power of the same Holy Spirit.
When God created the Heavens and the Earth we are told the Holy Spirit was hovering over the waters, ready to carry out the design. The first person in scripture to be filled with the Spirit was not a preacher or a worship leader, but a craftsman, empowered to devise and carry out artistic designs. We believe that the Holy Spirit will inspire creativity and give us new ways to reveal God to those around us. We embrace and celebrate creativity as a reflection of our God who has created no two things alike.
The Bible refers to GIFTS that are given by the Spirit – divinely inspired abilities that reflect God and empower His church for ministry. We believe that these gifts are to mark the life of the Church today and we seek to exercise them within biblical guidelines at Radiant. We also desire the FRUIT of the Spirit. When we live our lives according to God’s Holy Spirit, we will produce fruit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We want both the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit to mark our community so that we can reveal Jesus to those around us.
God is on a mission to fill the whole earth with His glory. It brings us joy and satisfaction to join Him. Jesus came to reveal God through his words & deeds so that people could place their faith in God and glorify Him. Glory means “weight” and when we glory in something or someone it becomes the weightiest thing in our life. We’re wanting the mission of God – His glory – to become the thing that our lives revolve around. We desire to live in a way that would reveal God’s love to others and invite them to place their faith in Him. Jesus understood that He had been sent and commissioned and in the same way we’ve been sent and commissioned to carry out God’s plan.
We want to actively and prayerfully pursue people the way Jesus did. We are not sitting back waiting for people to come to us or to our services. If there is a bridge to cross then we want to be the ones to cross it.
We believe Jesus has been gracious and generous with us. We want to reflect Him by being open-handed with what we have. Giving was something that God decided to do in advance so we’ve made an intentional decision to be a group that gives what we have to those in need.
We can not put the brilliance of Jesus on display without being ready and willing to serve. Jesus emptied Himself and became a servant for our sake. At Radiant we ask every person who is serious about becoming more like Jesus to serve others.