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Conviction

City Chapel is driven by the calling of the Great Commission, living out the Great Commandment, and sharing the good news of the of the Great Exchange. To learn more about what the means, please explore below.

Our

Convictions

Thanks for visiting our website. We’d like you to know a few things about City Chapel even if this is your first experience with us.  It is no secret that we’re about discipleship, as we encourage people to become passionate Christ-followers in our City. From God’s Word it’s clear that this is the mission He gave the church. Our heart is about the quality of disciples and not the quantity.  However, we do desire to see both increase as the Lord moves and blesses our work.

 

As a family journeying in faith together, we agree and share that the focus of our ministry is to glorify God through the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) in the spirit of the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37–39) because of the Great Exchange (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is fulfilled as disciples of Jesus Christ are made. God is glorified as we manifest His presence in doing so (2 Timothy 2:2; 1 Corinthians 10:31). For more information about City Chapel's heart and focus, please spend a little time reading and exploring the site. 

The Great

Commission

In the Great Commission, Jesus calls every Christian to step out in faith and spread the Good News. This is faith in action! We are called to obey this command and be His instruments as we see the Holy Spirit change lives forever. It could involve spreading the Good News to a neighbour, spreading the Word in a city or town, or moving to another country to reach the people there. Wherever we go, every faithful Christian is compelled through obedience to share the Gospel. City Chapel takes small and large steps "to make disciples of all the nations”.

The Great

Commandment

Loving God means honouring Him, revering Him, and paying close attention to His commands, as expressed in the Bible.  Jesus added something more to the greatest Commandment: "And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself." (Matthew 22:39 ESV).  In the book of First John, the connection is explicit: "We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.  And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother." (1 John 4:19-21 ESV).

 

Loving God empowers us to love other people. The focus on love helps us not to settle for a minimum concern for our neighbours, but to reach out to them.  Love helps us to understand the real thrust of the commandments, and to give us concern for actual obedience, not merely listening. Jesus loved us perfectly and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20).  He saved us when none of us could save ourselves (Romans 5:6-10).  And now, when we put our trust in Him, we are united to Him, and we are transformed so that we can imitate the pattern of His love: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35 ESV).  Through Jesus Christ we receive not only understanding of God's will, but power and motivation to serve Him. In receiving His love, we can, in turn, love others and this drives our passion for the Great Commission.

The Great

Exchange

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

- 2 Corinthians 5:21 

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The Good News!

Martin Luther called it the Great Exchange, and at City Chapel it’s the hub on our wheel of ministry.  Paul here is echoing Luke and they’re both echoing Jesus regarding the work Jesus would do for those who trust in Him. Jesus, who is righteous and knew no sin, became our sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. In theological land, we call this double imputation. My sin goes to Jesus, Jesus’ righteousness comes to me. Because of this, we stand before the judgement seat of God, forgiven, not because of our good works, but because of the work of Jesus our saviour. This is really good news; we really get excited about the work Jesus did for us and we really like teaching about this work at City Chapel. Without the Great Exchange, the Great Commission and Commandment have no power!

Our

Distinctives

Plurality Of Elders

The Scriptures teach that a plurality of elders governed individual New Testament churches (Acts 14:23; Acts 20:28; Titus 1:5; Philippians 1:1). The Scripture does not mention any congregations featuring a stand-alone pastor and leader. A plurality of godly elders, exercising their individual gifts, accords with the Scripture's teaching that wisdom is found in a multitude of godly counsellors (Proverbs 11:14; Proverbs 12:15; Proverbs 15:22; Proverbs 19:20; Proverbs 24:6). This truth does not eliminate the possibility, and likelihood, that one or more elders will stand out from the others as more public in their ministries or more influential in their workings on the Elder Board.

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Confessions Of Faith

City Chapel loves the confessional history of Christ's Church. As such, we align ourselves with written confessions of faith and creeds that we believe to be good and accurate summaries of the Bible's teaching. Some of these confessional standards and creeds include the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms, Three Forms of Unity (Belgic Confession, the Canons of Dort, and the Heidelberg Catechism), the London Baptist Confession, Apostles Creed, Athanasian Creed and the Nicene Creed. Our eldership affirms that these standards contain carefully worded summaries of the contents of sacred Scripture and that these standards are subordinate to the Scriptures.

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The Four Pillars Built On The Word of God

  1. Proclaiming the authority of God’s Word (2 Timothy 4:2)

  2. Praising the name of Jesus in worship (John 4:24)

  3. Believing firmly in the power of prayer (Ephesians 6:18)

  4. Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with boldness (Ephesians 6:19-20)

Statement

of Faith

What we declare and believe to be true and right as revealed through God's Holy, Inspired, Infallible Word:

  1. God. We believe in one (Deut. 6:4) eternal (1 Tim. 1:17), knowable (Heb. 1:1ff), sovereign God (Dan. 4:34-35). He knows all things (Psalm 139:1-4), and providentially oversees all things (Mt. 10:29-31).  He is merciful (Exod. 34:6) and just (Acts 17:31), loving (1 John 4:8) and holy (Rev. 4:8), great in power (Psalm 147:5) and good in purpose (Rom. 8:28).  His glory is our chief concern (1 Cor. 10:31).

  2. Trinity. We believe in one God who exists in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Mt. 28:19). All Three are uncreated, co-eternal, and equal in power, glory, and honour.  They are rightly worshiped as the One true God – Three in One, and One in Three (see Rev. 22:13; Acts 5:3-4).

  3. Scripture. We believe, that while God has revealed Himself in His creation, He has spoken to us most clearly in His Word (Psalm 19; Rom. 1:18-20).  The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are breathed out by God, holy, complete, and entirely without error in the original manuscripts (2 Tim. 3:16; John 10:35; 2 Peter 1:20-21).  The Bible is our final authority in life, doctrine, and godliness (Mt. 4:4; 2 Peter 1:3-4).

  4. Creation. We believe God created the entire universe out of nothing (Gen. 1:1; Heb. 11:3).  Man and woman were the crown of God’s good creation, being created in His own image (Gen. 1:26-27).  As image-bearers, we were created to worship God and reflect Him in true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness (Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:9-10).

  5. Fall. We believe that Adam and Eve, our first parents, rebelled against God and plunged themselves and all their offspring into ruin (Gen. 3).  Because of Adam’s sin, we are all guilty sinners (Rom. 5:12-21).  We come into the world with corrupt natures through and through (Psalm 51:5).  We are unable to turn to God unless He first turns to us (John 6:44; Rom. 3:10-18; Eph. 2:1-5).

  6. Person of Jesus Christ.  We believe Jesus of Nazareth was and is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One.  We believe He is also the Son of the Living God (Mt. 16:16).  He is fully man and fully God (1 Tim 2:5;Titus 2:13).  He was born of the virgin Mary, lived a perfect life, taught the way of God’s kingdom, worked miracles, suffered, died, and (bodily) rose again (1 Cor. 15:1-8).

  7. Work of Jesus Christ.  We believe Jesus Christ lived a perfect life and died a shameful death that we might be counted righteous and forgiven of our sins (2 Cor. 5:21).  He was our sacrificial substitute (1 Peter 3:18).  He redeemed us from the devil, removed our guilt, and absorbed the wrath of God (1 John 1:8-2:2).

  8. Salvation. We believe that we are justified – declared righteous before God – through faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone (Gal. 2:16).  The only way to be adopted into God’s family is through union and communion with His Son, Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:5).

  9. Holy Spirit. We believe the Holy Spirit, working through the Word, supernaturally converts (regenerates) the hearts of God’s people by making alive what was spiritually dead (Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:23).  The Spirit causes us to grow in holiness (2 Cor. 3:18), seals us for the day of redemption that we might be assured of our salvation (Eph. 1:13-14), and equips us with spiritual gifts for the building up of the body (1 Cor. 12:7).

  10. Church.  We believe the Church is the communion of God’s people drawn from every tribe, language, people, and nation (Eph. 2:11-22; Rev. 5:9-10).  This invisible body, of which Christ Jesus is the head, exists locally, and imperfectly, as the visible Church.  Jesus Christ has given His Church two sacraments: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Mt. 28:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).

  11. Marks and Mission.  We believe God’s people should be marked by Christ-likeness (Eph. 5:1-2), prayerfulness (Rom. 12:12), joyful obedience (John 14:15), love of God and love of neighbour (Mt. 22:37-40).  We believe the mission of the Church is one of word and deed (1 Peter 4:11).  As salt and light (Mt. 5:13-16), we seek to save the lost (1 Cor. 9:19-23), make disciples (Mt. 28:19-20), work for righteousness and justice (Amos 5:24), and care for the hurting and needy (1 John 3:16-18).

  12. Last Things. We believe Jesus Christ will return to earth personally, visibly, and bodily as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Acts 1:11).  At His appearing the dead shall be raised and the living and the dead will be judged (1 Cor. 15).  The wicked and unbelieving will be consigned to hell, a place of eternal conscious punishment (Rev. 20:10, 14-15).  Those belonging to Jesus will have eternal life in the new heavens and the new earth and live in ever-increasing joy to the glory of God (Mt. 25:21; Rev. 21-22).

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