Purpose and values
Who are we becoming and how? This is what our purpose and values aims to answer. It tells us what we are becoming and how we are achieving that. At Arvada Christian this purpose and these values direct our efforts as a group. Everything we do coincides with our purpose and values.
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We are a family seeking to be authentic in our pursuit of God. Because of that our gatherings are not focused on performance but relationship. Our services exist to help us connect to God and to one another. You’ll find we are very friendly because of this. Join us in our pursuit. We’d love to have you.
Purpose: We are becoming more like Jesus. (1 John 2:6; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 1:21; Ephesians 4:22-24; Matthew 11:29; Luke 6:40)
We become more like Jesus by engaging our whole being:
Hearts for God: we engage our whole heart in pursuing God. When we do we call that worship. We read in the Bible, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
Minds for the truth: we are committed to the renewal of our minds through the learning of Scripture (the Bible) and by focusing our thoughts on God-honoring things. Two important Bible verses are Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” And, Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Knees for prayer: we believe prayer changes things. When we work, we work. When we pray, God works. Therefore, we are committed to prayer in our family, especially in praying for one another. We read in the Bible, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” (Ephesians 6:18).
Mouths for encouraging: we can be authentic in our pursuit of becoming like Jesus by guarding our mouths and what we say. Words have power—the power to build up or tear down. We have been brought together by God to encourage one another (Hebrews 10:25). So we consider what we say important and we use only encouraging words that will build up others. We read in Ephesians 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Hands for caring: we engage our hands in serving others just as Jesus taught us when he humbled himself and washed his disciples feet. He told us, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15). We express our faith through serving others in love. We read in Galatians 5:13-14, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Feet for going: we have been commissioned by Jesus for a mission—to share the good news of the gospel. We are expected to share our faith. Jesus said, “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33). Also, Jesus gave us the commission before leaving earth, “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).
Join us as we seek to authentically become more like Jesus.