We Believe
In the Father, Son and Holy SpiritBelong: As a community of faith that shares the heart and value of Jesus, here at Immanuel we value all human beings whom are desired by God to be called into a life of faith and eternity with Him. Immanuel is committed to the biblical teaching of Jesus which clearly lived out that all belong and are loved by Him no matter, who they are, what they’ve done, or where they’ve been because we are first loved by Him as those who bear His image. We value that all belong and are valuable as we contribute to the Kingdom of God.
1 Timothy 2:4 “who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Luke 18:16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
Mark 9:41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
Believe: As a community of faith that seeks to grow closer to Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are called and brought into faith and a life of ever growing belief, in the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that God’s Word is inspired and true, active and living in our lives, through our hearts and our actions. We value that the Jesus followers never stops growing, never stops learning and never stops loving as God first loved us.
Acts 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”
John 20:31 “But these [the scriptures] are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Become: As a community of faith, that trusts in God as the owner of all things and people, including us, we never stop growing in our becoming more and more like Jesus through our daily lives. Each day we become greater image bearers of His love as a response to the magnitude of His affection for us. As His disciples, we seek to worship weekly, with the brothers and sisters in our community, learn daily through reading, learning and memorizing His Word, and living out our lives as an expression of His heart and love for others in word and deed. May our lives be a mirror of his compassion, generosity, and faithfulness to reach all people with His message of love and care. We value becoming who He transforms us to be as the body of Christ.
1 John 4:19 “We love because He first loved us”
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Romans 12:1-2 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Immanuel Lutheran is a member of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS).
Together We Believe.
With the universal Christian Church, The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod teaches and responds to the love of the Triune God: the Father, creator of all that exists; Jesus Christ, the Son, who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all human beings and to rise to life again in the ultimate victory over death and Satan; and the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God’s Word and Sacraments. The three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one God.
Being Lutheran
Our congregations accept and preach the Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century. The teaching of Luther and the reformers can be summarized in three phrases: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone.
Grace Alone: God loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful, rebel against Him and do not deserve His love. He sent Jesus, His Son, to love the unlovable and save the ungodly.
Faith Alone: By His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life for them. Those who hear this Good News and believe it have the eternal life that it offers. God creates faith in Christ and gives people forgiveness through Him.
Scripture Alone: The Bible is God?s inerrant and infallible Word, in which He reveals His Law and His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine.
Who is Jesus?
For more than 2,000 years, people have asked this question. We were not present when Jesus lived on this earth, but in the Bible we have the record of His birth, life, death on the cross, and resurrection. Through the study of the Bible, you can seek the answer to this age-old question.
We don’t know what His eyes looked like. We don’t know if they were dark or light. We don’t know if they were prominent or deep-set. We don’t know if His eyebrows were bushy or thin. We don’t know what He looked like … at all.
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned ? every one ? to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)
But we do know what he saw.
He saw people.
He saw sinners.
He saw death.
He saw pain.
He saw injustice.
He saw sickness.
He saw faith.
He saw unbelief.
He saw sadness.
He saw joy.
He saw you.
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:9-10)
We know how He saw.
He looked with love.
He looked with grace.
He looked with compassion.
He looked with mercy.
He looked with sorrow.
He looked with joy.
He looked with human eyes.
He looked with divine eyes.
He looked with eyes of life.
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:56-57)
And from the cross He saw your sins. And He forgave them.
From the cross He saw the devil. And defeated him.
From the cross He saw death. And He conquered it.
For you.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
And leaving the grave behind, He saw eternal life
And He gives it to you
And He welcomes you
And He loves you
And He redefines our lives in His
And He gives to you
Eyes of life
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:7)
To see all as those who are loved
To see all as those whom God loves
To see all life as a gift from God.