Our Values: It's About Christians Serving the World Like Jesus

Value #4:  It’s all about Christians serving the World like Jesus.

At Forest Hills Community Church we seek to live life on a mission.  We recognize the power, grace and mercy of God and want to communicate that truth to everyone.  We also understand that our lives are not our own to satisfy our desires and needs.  We are “image bearers of God” (Gen. 1:27), and seek to do His will and pleasure with every breath.  Therefore, we go and do what most people (including religious people) do not often do.  Our model for life is Jesus who left the glory and pleasure of Heaven for the despair and pain of earth (Phil. 2:4-8).  This does not mean that we seek misery (we’re not sadist), but rather that we do not flee from it when it leads to the benefit of others.

At FHCC we give our time (our being), our treasure (our resources), and our talents (our unique gifts and abilities) to the welfare of others meeting and knowing Jesus.  This means that we go everywhere people are to introduce people to Jesus.  Whether this means crossing the street, country or globe, we’re doing it!  And when we, personally, are not able to go to the other side of our neighborhood, country, or street, we send money and resources so other Christians can.  And just as Jesus came to earth culture and context, sparing no method or cost, we, too, seek to reach all people in their language and culture.

At Forest Hills Community Church it’s all about Jesus, which means it’s also about us living and serving the world like Jesus.

Our Values: It's about Christians Living Like Jesus

Value #3: It’s all about Christians Living like Jesus.

At Forest Hills Community Church we have great disdain for hypocrites.  Not only do their words and behaviors hurt, but they also destroy any credibility of the person or his message.  The bible calls such behavior “sin” bearing the consequence of death (Rom 6:23).  Jesus came to save us from this deadly lifestyle and grant us right standing.  As human beings, our sole purpose is to live a lifestyle in accordance to God’s glory (Gen. 1:27).  This means that we must live “holy” lives, and God knows this impossibility of this task in our own power and strength.  No one can live right without the power of God motivating and inspiring from the inside out.  Again, God knows or weakness and His commandment, therefore, He has given all Christians the person and power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5 and I John 4:13).

The Holy Spirit is not personal force or inner-conscience of man. Nor is He an impersonal attribute of God.  The Holy Spirit is God, just as Jesus and the Father over all.  He shares the same power and essence and, like the other two members, He has a unique role and gift towards Creation.  Specifically, for those who believe in Jesus as Lord, He is the gift of power and holy living (living how God directs us to live) (Rom. 8:12-17). Jesus saves us from sin, and the Holy Spirit leads us away from future sin.

Yet, the gift of the Spirit is not just to protect us from negative consequences, He also inspires and empowers us for positive effect: Christian witnessing (Luke 12:12).  As Christians who are part of Forest Hills Community Church we strive to live a life pleasing to God and attractive to the world around us.  In doing so, we not only bring glory to God, but also hope and salvation to the world Jesus died to save.  We never want to be labeled hypocrites, which is synonymous with sinners and a curse word by our culture.  We are not people who hide behind a belief, but seek to proclaim in word and deed the power of Jesus.  Therefore, we live like Jesus to that the world might both see and hear Jesus, and believe.

Our Values: it's all about others meeting Jesus

At Forest Hills Community Church we care very much about those who do not know or believe in Jesus, because we were once one of them.  Even if one of us grew up “in the church,” this does not mean that we did not sin or think lesser of Jesus than He is.  All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God we were called to bear (Rom. 3:23 and Gen 1:27).  Yet, in God’s great love and mercy He sent Jesus to forgive sin and save us.  That salvation came not through a great epiphany, but through a Christian witness.  All us know Jesus because someone who already knew Jesus came and shared Him with us.  We are the product of both God and others' mercy.  In fact, this is what being a Christian is all about: telling the world about Jesus (Matt. 28:19-20).  Therefore, while we love hanging out with one another and enjoy our common belief and fellowship, we recognize that our duty is to serve others, not ourselves.

At Forest Hills Community Church we are committed to being active OUTSIDE of the church building.  We hit the streets before and after work and hand out invitations to church.  During our lunch hours we invite co-workers to have lunch with us to talk about Jesus and answer their questions (not merely hear our story or belief).  When we come to church, we give both our time and treasure to reaching people who do not know or believe in Jesus.  We are committed to speaking the language of our community and communicating Jesus in the context of our culture.  This does not mean that the Bible message changes, but rather only the practices of telling these eternal truths.  Like Jesus, we seek to meet Lost people where they are.

We know what its like to be without Jesus.  We know the emptiness, the dissatisfaction, and rationalizing of misery.  We know that life without Jesus is hollow and hurting.  Therefore, we, as people in love with Jesus, are committed to seeing Lost people reached for Jesus.

Our Values: It's all about Jesus

At Forest Hills Community Church we desire to possess a Passionate Love For Jesus in all things.  This may seem like a no-brainer for a church, but tragically most people merely use Jesus as a stepping-stone to personal enjoyment, fulfillment, or spirituality.  At FHCC, we know that not only is such a position nonsense (illogical), but more importantly heretical.  The truth is that is God, and when He occupies any other position that such in our lives, everything fails and falls apart.  In fact, it is precisely this low-view of Jesus that leads most people to despair of life and the Christian faith.  When people go through life only proclaiming Jesus rather than leaning on Jesus, they fail and Jesus gets all the blame.  The bible teaches us that Jesus can only save you, if you’re hanging on to (believing in) Jesus. (When “faith” is referenced in regards to salvation, it is almost always in verb form “believing in.”  In fact, the Hebrew of Gen 15 actually draws its meaning from the image of a baby clinging to/resting securely in its mother’s arms.)

At FHCC, we love Jesus because He is God and He alone saves us.  As beings created in the “image of God (Gen 1:27),” we can either live in dependence on God or rebel by doing our own thing.  When we choose life outside of dependence (faith) in God, we fail and come under the condemnation of God and sin (John 3:18).  We’re literally dead men walking and incapable of saving ourselves from our consequences or death.  Hence the glory and majesty of Jesus!  He comes by His own will and merit to save us from ourselves.  He does not save us partially, or temporarily, but eternally (Rom. 8:1).  Jesus is our hero and we love Him for it!

At Forest Hills Community Church it’s all about Jesus, because it has to be.  He alone is God and good.  Therefore, we love praying (talking to Jesus), reading our Bibles (hearing from Jesus and receiving His instruction), going to church (learning more about Jesus from others and helping others grow closer to Jesus), and going out into the world proclaiming Jesus (in both word and deed to a people, who like us, are undeserving).  Jesus is our everything.

Christmas Outreach

The second biggest Christian holiday of the year is upon us, and God has given us an incredible means to carry out His command to invite our neighbors to hear about Jesus.

We all know that we should tell others about Jesus and invite them to church, but it always so hard.  You never know what to say.  You never know if you are making any sense?  And you never know if your conversation had any real effect?  Well, we have a tool that can change all of that!

A major Christian publisher has put together the perfect invitation kit.  Each kit contains:
    •    1 door-hanger bags
    •    1 ESV Outreach New Testaments, Christmas Edition
    •    1 copies of Max Lucado's tract, The Good News of Christmas
    •    1 invitation to FHCC Christmas Eve service

FHCC will be order several of these kits, but we need to know how many to order.  Instead of order a generic number, we are only ordering the amount that YOU pledge to distribute.  Each kit only costs $1.

How many of your friends and family will you introduce to Jesus this year?

Please prayerfully consider participating in this incredible opportunity.  You can pay for your order this Sunday at FHCC.  No amount is too great or too small.