GOD.
TRINITY
God is the perfect and all-powerful creator and sustainer of the world. He has always existed and will always exist in an equal and harmonious community of three persons in one essence: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; John 15:26).
FATHER
God the Father is the Father of Jesus, his only Son, and the spiritual Father of all who believe in Jesus (John 20:17). He is the creator, sustainer and ruler of the universe (Hebrews 11:3; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 103:19).
SON
God’s only Son is Jesus (John 1:14). He became a man through a virgin birth, miraculously uniting his divinity with his humanity (Matthew 1:18-25). He lived on earth for 33 years, was crucified on a cross (a form of capital punishment used by the Romans), and came back to life three days after he died (1 Corinthians 15:3–6). He now sits at God’s right hand and is waiting to come back to judge and rule the world (1 Peter 3:22).
HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Since Pentecost (described in the Bible in Acts 2), he primarily convicts people of their sin to restrain the effects of evil, bears witness to the truth, brings new life to those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus, leads and comforts God’s children, and empowers God’s children to live rightly (John 16:7-15; Galatians 5:22-23).
HUMANITY.
OUR STRUGGLE
God created human beings in his image with the power and responsibility to choose between loving and obeying him or rejecting and disobeying him. He intended us to choose him, but ever since Adam and Eve voluntarily disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, we have all been born with an evil disposition. We consistently reject, disobey and betray God and are justly condemned for our actions (Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:10-12, 23).
OUR HOPE
Because he loves us, God sent Jesus to voluntarily die as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. He experienced the full condemnation that we deserve for our sin. When we admit our sin, turn from it, and trust that we are saved through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, we are no longer condemned or separated from God. We are also able to stop sinning by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. God promises we will never again be separated from him (John 14:6; Acts 2:21; Colossians 2:11-15).
OUR FUTURE
We are all immortal, which means we will live forever. Those who trust in Jesus will live forever with God in a new heaven and earth unstained by sin after Jesus returns (1 John 3:2). Those who don’t trust Jesus will live forever separated from God and experience the full condemnation that we deserve for our sin (Revelation 21:1-8).
CHURCH.
CHURCH (THE BODY OF CHRIST)
The people who trust in Jesus are part of the global and local Church, also called the body of Christ. As a local church, we voluntarily join together to worship God, receive instruction from the Bible, celebrate baptisms, take communion together, and submit ourselves to discipline. As the global Church, we live out our mission by sharing the gospel with all people, showing kindness to the disadvantaged and neglected, and bringing justice to broken institutions and systems (Colossians 3:12-17).
COMMUNION (THE LORD'S SUPPER)
We take communion in obedience to Jesus’ command to eat and drink in remembrance of him. We eat bread and drink grape juice as a representation of Jesus’ body and blood to remind us that Christ died for our sins and that we are united with him and the church (1 Corinthians 11:23-29). Anybody who is in right relationship with God and one another can join us in communion, regardless of denomination.
THE BIBLE
The Bible consists of sixty-six books divided into the Old and New Testaments. It was inspired by God and has no errors in its original manuscripts. In it we can learn the truth about God, human nature, and salvation. It is the ultimate authority in the church (2 Timothy 3:16).
BAPTISM
Baptism is a visible sign and symbol of trusting in Jesus. Being immersed temporarily in water demonstrates a union with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection (Acts 2:38-41). Only those who trust in Jesus are baptized.
CHILD DEDICATIONS
At High Point Church, we don’t baptize children who can’t recognize their need for repentance and express their faith in Christ’s death and resurrection (Romans 10:9). Instead, we do child dedications.
This ceremony could almost be called a parent dedication. Parents dedicate their child to the Lord and say a prayer in front of the congregation, promising to the best of their ability to raise their child to follow Jesus. We as a congregation affirm and note the promises the parents make since we want to be a supportive church family for the parents as they raise their child.
We have child dedications periodically throughout the year—every three to four months. Before each dedication service, we have two different weeks available to attend a parent meeting. Parents only need to attend one of these meetings. Sign up at any time, and choose an upcoming date that works best for your family.