Beliefs
Come follow Me.
That was Jesus’ petition to His first disciples. Not swear to five fundamentals. Not vote for a particular party, a predetermined platform, or a narrow ideology. Just, come…follow. Pick up your cross and follow Me. Here at Commonwealth Baptist, that is what we endeavor to do.
To that end, we affirm the essential teachings of Christianity, as handed down by the early Christians in the form of the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, and cherish the distinctions of our Baptist heritage: Soul Freedom, Bible Freedom, Church Freedom, and Religious Freedom.
We believe that God has reached out to us in love through Christ and called each of us to be a part of His body, the Church, and to share in His purposes. We affirm the Holy Bible as the inspired word of God and the basis for our beliefs. We believe that the ordinances (sacraments) of the church are believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
We exist to realize the Lordship of Christ in our lives and to practice His love in all our relationships. Specifically, our objectives are:
1. To help each other realize the freedom and fullness of life, which the forgiveness of God imparts, by being an honest, forgiven, forgiving and loving fellowship.
2. To be a worshipping fellowship in which personal encounter with the living God occurs.
3. To be a learning fellowship in which responsible, mature Christian living is developed;
4. To be a witnessing fellowship which shows the love of Christ to all the world by our living, giving, and proclaiming;
5. To be a serving fellowship in which we practice compassionate love for all persons in the name of Christ;
6. To be a supportive fellowship, cooperating with institutions and organizations that seek the improvement of persons and their condition through means acceptable to this church.
Beyond that, we don’t draw lines in the sand. Following Christ isn’t about having all the answers to all the questions about God and the universe. It’s not a paper and pencil test. Rather, following Christ is about redemption, transformation, and adoption into theKingdom of God through repentance (Mark 1.15), relationship (John 15.12), and service (Matthew 25.31-45, Mark 9.35, 1 John 3.14-19).
We’re not going to herd you into a doctrinal pen. We’re not going to punch your ballot for you. We’re not going to shy away from your questions because we don’t shy away from our own. And we’re not going to do those things because we believe that if we are to love God, we must do so with heart and mind, and soul, as Christ commanded (Luke 10.25-27). Faith is a journey and a process, not a possession.
Sermons
Preaching is a central component of my job as the pastor of Commonwealth Baptist Church. It is also one of my chief passions in ministry.
Each week, I work hard to bring the members of Commonwealth Baptist a challenging and engaging message. Whether or not I succeed is for you to judge. But I always strive to give my best and always trust God to use my words, no matter how imperfect they may be.
In the sermons section of the website, you will find an archive of some sermons I feel are worth revisiting. When possible, I will also include sermons from guest preachers who fill the CBC pulpit from time to time. I hope these messages will minister to you wherever you are in your faith walk. In the near future, we hope to bring you audio files of these sermons as well.
About Baptists
The links below will help you gain a better understanding of who Baptists are, what we’re about, and what’s going on in the Baptist world.
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Baptist History and Heritage Society
all are welcome - no exceptions.