At Forest Meadow Baptist Church, we believe that learning the Christian faith is a lifelong endeavor.  We also believe that we can isolate a core of competencies that, if mastered, will result in a person becoming a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ before he or she goes to heaven!

We have broken these competencies down into three categories:  beliefs, practices and virtues.  Beliefs require understanding and assimilation into the heart and mind.  Practices flow out of those beliefs and require action or behavior. Virtues are the resulting attitudes which both flow out of our beliefs and practices and then, in turn, cement together our beliefs and practices.  Each category contains twelve competencies for a total of thirty-six.

We urge all of our members to learn these thirty-six core competencies and to begin experiencing the joy and challenge of being a follower of Jesus Christ.

God

I believe the God of the Bible is the only true God, and that He manifests Himself without division as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.   He is Sovereign, He is the Creator of everything.   He is love, all knowing, all powerful, everywhere present, righteous, merciful and faithful.   He is a person who is involved in and cares about my daily life.

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”  – 2 Cor 13:14 (NIV)

“I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”  – Psalms 121:1-2 (NIV)

There is one and only one living and true God.  He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe.  God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections.  To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience.

The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

A. God the Father

God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace.  He is all powerful, all loving and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.  He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.

B. God the Son

I believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior of mankind, King of kings and Lord of lords, fully God and fully man. He was born to the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, taught in the synagogues, preached about the coming Kingdom of God and healed every manner of disease and sickness.  He was arrested by religious authorities on false charges, tried by civil authorities and crucified until He was dead.  Three days after His death He rose bodily from the grave and after forty more days He ascended into Heaven where He sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for followers. He is returning to earth soon to judge and destroy everything that is in rebellion to God, to establish a new heaven and a new earth.

“In the beginning the Word already existed.  The Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He existed in the beginning with God.  God created everything through him,and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created,  and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”   – John 1:1-5 (NLT)

“He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him.   He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.   But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.   They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.”  – John 1: 10-13 (NLT)

“So the Word became human and made his home among us.  He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.   And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”   – John 1:14 (NLT)

Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ he was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself the demands and necessities of human nature and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, partaking of the nature of God and of man, and in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.

C. God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He calls men to the Saviour, and effects regeneration. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts” by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the assurance of God to bring the believer into the fulness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

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Authority of the Bible

I believe the Bible is the perfect Word of God and is the final authority for faith and practice.  It contains all we can know about God and our relationship to Him through Jesus Christ. 

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
– 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is the record of Gods revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. It reveals the principles by which God judges us; and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.

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Church

I believe the local church is God’s primary way to accomplish His purposes on earth today.  The purpose of the local church is therefore to extend the Kingdom of God throughout the world by penetrating and destroying lostness wherever it is found.

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.   From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”  – Ephesians 4:15-16 (NIV)

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”   – Matthew 16:18 (NIV)

A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers who are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the two ordinances of Christ, committed to His teachings, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth.

This church is an autonomous body, operating through democratic processes under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In such a congregation members are equally responsible. Its Scriptural officers are pastors and deacons.

The New Testament speaks also of the church as the body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages.

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Compassion

I believe God calls all Christians to care for those in need.

“Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. 4 Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”   – Psalms 82:3-4 (NIV)

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Eternity

I believe that heaven and a hell are real places.  Heaven is a place of eternal blessedness in the presence of God, created as the final home of all who have trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  Hell is a place of eternal torment, separated from God, created for Satan, his angels, and all humans who die in rebellion against God.   One day, Jesus Christ is returning to judge the earth and to establish His eternal kingdom.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.   In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.   And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.   You know the way to the place where I am going.”   – John 14:1-4 (NIV)

“Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.”  – Revelation 20:14 (NIV)

God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end.  According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness.   The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment.  The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.

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Humanity

I believe all humans are loved by God and need to trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   – John 3:16 (NIV)

Man was created by the special act of God, in His own image, and is the crowning work of His creation.   In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice.  By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race.  Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence; whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin, and as soon as they are capable of moral action become transgressors and are under condemnation.  Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God.  The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore every man possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

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Identity in Christ

I believe I am significant because I am a child of God, created in His image.

“Then God said, “‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'”   – Genesis 1:26 (NIV)

See the paragraph beginning with “Man was created by the special act. . .” in the doctrine of Humanity.

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Salvation by Grace

I believe a person comes into a right relationship with God by His grace, through faith in Jesus Christ.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”   – Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer.  In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, sanctification, and glorification.

A.  Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of Gods grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus.  It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.  Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour.

Justification is Gods gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ.  Justification brings the believer into a relationship of peace and favor with God.

B. Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to Gods purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual perfection through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him.  Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate persons life.

C. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.

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Stewardship

I believe that everything I am or own belongs to God.

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.    Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.   In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
– 1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NIV)

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Assurance

I believe that, as a true believer in Jesus Christ, I have assurance of eternal life.

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”   – John 10:27-29 (NIV)

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Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

I believe that, following the New Testament pattern, that baptism is to be for believers only, and by immersion.

“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”  – Acts 2:41 (NIV)

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believers faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believers death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lords Supper.

The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

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Loving God

I love God for who He is and what He has done for me. I focus on God and His priorities for my life.

” Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.  Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.  For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.   In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.  The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.   Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.”   – Psalms 95:1-7 (NIV)

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

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Loving My Neighbor

I will promote the best interests of my neighbor, whether he is a friend or an enemy.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’   But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”  – Matthew 5:43-44 (NIV)

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Glorifying God

I strive to speak and act in ways that glorify God.

” And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”   – Colossians 3:17 (NIV)

“you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”   – 1 Corinthians 6:20 (NIV)

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Bible Memorization

I hide in my heart the stories and teachings of the Bible to know God, the truth, and to find direction for my daily life.

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  – Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

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Community

I fellowship with other Christ followers through the local church to accomplish God’s purposes in my life, others’ lives, and in the world.

“All the believers were together and had everything in common.    Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.    Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”  – Acts 2:44-47 (NIV)

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Reproduction

As a Christ Follower, I reproduce myself spiritually, resulting in new believers, new disciples and new churches, among all of the people groups of the world.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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 28:18-20 (NIV)

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Assisting the Poor, the Sick and Powerless

I work in the world to promote justice and to care for the poor, the sick and powerless.

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”  – Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

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Educating the Next Generation

I work in the church and in the world to teach God’s commandments to the next generation.

” These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”   – Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV)

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Cross Bearing

I give away my life and am willing to suffer in order follow Jesus Christ.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”  – Matthew 16:24 (NIV)

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.”  – Romans 12:1 (NIV)

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Spiritual Disciplines

I pray to God to know Him, to seek His face, to lay my requests before Him and to find direction for my daily life.  I meditate on Him and His Word in order align my spirit, my will and my desires with His. I fast in order to discipline myself to seek Him first.

“Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.  I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue.   If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.    Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!”  – Psalms 66:16-20 (NIV)

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Spiritual Gifts

I know and use my spiritual gifts to accomplish God’s purposes.

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.  If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.” – Romans 12:4-6 (NIV)

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Giving

I give away my money, time and talents to fulfill God’s purposes.

“But just as you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us-see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” – 2 Corinthians 8:7 (NIV)

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Radical, Immediate Obedience

When I understand God’s Word to me, I endeavor to be radically and immediately obedient to Him; not becoming enslaved to the written law, which is legalism, but becoming a servant of Jesus Christ.

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?   I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice.   He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock.  When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.   But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” – Luke 6:46-49 (NIV)

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Peace/Peacemaking

I am free from anxiety because things are right between God, myself and others.  I promote peace wherever I can.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  – Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”   – Matthew 5:9 (NIV)

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Forgiving Spirit

Because God has forgiven me, I unconditionally forgive those who sin against me in ignorance, and stand ready to forgive anyone who repents and confesses their sin.

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”  – Matthew 6:12-15 (NIV)

“Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?  22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” – Matthew 18:21-22 (KJV)

“Jesus said, “‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'”  And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.”  – Luke 23:34 (NIV)

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Honesty

I am honest in all my relationships.  I value the truth.

“Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”  – Matthew 5:37 (NIV)

“Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.” – Romans 13:13 (NIV)

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Faithfulness

I have established a good name with God and with others based on my long-term loyalty to those relationships.

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”  – Proverbs 3:3-4 (NIV)

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Faith/Hope

I can cope with the hardships of life and with death because of the hope and faith I have in Jesus Christ. I trust Jesus enough to obey Him.

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.” – Hebrews 6:19-20 (NIV)

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” – Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)

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Joy

I have inner contentment and purpose in spite of my circumstances.

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”  – John 15:11 (NIV)

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Gentleness

I am thoughtful, considerate and calm in dealing with others.

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” – Philippians 4:5 (NIV)

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Self-Control

I have the power, through Christ, to control myself.

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.   It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” – Titus 2:11-13 (NIV)

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Humility

I choose to esteem others above myself.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”  – Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV)

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Patience

I take a long time to overheat and endure patiently under the unavoidable pressures of life.

“A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.” – Proverbs 14:29 (NIV)

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Kindness/Goodness

I choose to do the right things in my relationships with others.

“Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.”  – 1 Thessalonians 5:15 (NIV)

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