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Our
Lifestyle Statement
Meaning
& Message - “I
[Jesus] have come that they may have life, and have
it to the full.” John
10:10 NIV
...
So we make sure that we tell this Good News to the
lost sheep around us. At St. Paul's we believe
it is the responsibility of every Christian to share
the Good News with those with whom God brings us into
contact. We practice personal sharing about Christ and
inviting friends to church.
Experience
- “Now
that we have been put right with God through faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ....God's
Spirit joins himself to our spirits to declare that
we are God's children.” Romans
5:1; 8:16 GN
...
At St. Paul's
we encourage every person to encounter God and to experience
his presence day by day.
Truth
- “All
Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching
the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving
instruction for right living....” 2
Timothy 3:16 GN
...
the Bible, God's written Word, is the only completely
reliable and truthful authority we have , so we accept
it as our manual for living. We practice daily Bible
reading and Bible study and encourage Bible memorization.
The Bible is the basis for all we believe.
Hope
- “We
wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of
our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself
for us...to purify for himself a people that are his
very own, eager to do what is good.” Titus
2:13-14 NIV
...
That totally changes the way we look at life, death,
and meaning and gives us hope for both today and the
future.
Opportunity
- “Be
imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children
and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and
gave himself up for us....Be very careful, then, how
you live...making the most of every opportunity.” Ephesians
5:1-2, 15-16 NIV
...
At St. Paul's, we give you many opportunities to
use your abilities to serve God and help build other
people up.
Direction
- “Those
who live as their human nature tells them to, have their
minds controlled by what human nature wants. Those who
live as the Spirit tells them to, have their minds controlled
by what the Spirit wants. To be controlled by human
nature results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit
results in life and peace.” Romans
8:5-6 NIV
... So we seek to practice a daily dependence on
God's Spirit to direct us and enable us to do what's
right.
Inclusiveness
- “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
...
we welcome people of every race, sex, and social
background. We welcome saints and sinners. We include
both men and women in key leadership and encourage children
and youth to use their talents and gifts in visible
ways of service. God wants everybody, and we want everybody.
...
at St. Paul's we welcome and include everyone
, but we don't welcome or condone their sin.
Instead, we offer transformation.
Sacraments
- Jesus
said: “Do this in remembrance of me.” Luke
22:19 NIV
...Jesus
commanded us to baptize and told us to remember him
in the Lord's Supper, we practice these things regularly.
We see the sacraments as signs of God's love for
us, visible symbols of what he is doing within us.
Tithing
- “A
tithe of everything you produce belongs to the Lord;
it is holy to the Lord.” Leviticus.
26:30 NIV
... we recognize that giving 10% of our income is
the Biblical standard of giving. When everybody
tithes, we don't need to waste everybody's time with
fund raisers. Tithing is God's way to underwrite the
work and mission of his church.
Adopted
by the Church Council of St. Paul's United Methodist
Church, Findlay, Ohio, on August 11, 2003.
Find
out more about The United Methodist Church
Find
out more about the beliefs of The United Methodist Church
Find
out more about The Confessing Movement of The
United Methodist Church
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