Our Beliefs
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We believe that there is only one true God. He has made Himself known as the Triune God, one God in three persons. The Scripture says that whoever does not worship this God worships a false god, a god who does not exist.
We also believe that God has given us the full revelation of Himself in the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Particularly has God revealed Himself in Jesus as the Savior God, who "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). We want to share this with others. We believe that God gave us the Bible through people whom He chose. In a miraculous way that goes beyond all human investigation, God the Holy Spirit inspired these men to write His Word. These "men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). Every thought they expressed, every word they used was given them by the Holy Spirit by inspiration. Therefore, we believe that Scripture is a unified whole, true and without error in everything it says. The Bible is the infallible authority and guide for everything we believe and do. It is fully sufficient, clearly teaching us all we need to know for salvation, making us "wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15), and equipping us to lead a godly life.
Our Purpose
At St. Matthew, we are all about people. We are all about people because God is all about people. When we say people, we mean all people regardless of age or race, occupation or social status.
Our purpose is: "Reaching People, Changing Lives." We want to see every person in a right relationship with God and growing in their faith so that their lives and eternity are changed forever. We work hard at St. Matthew to make sure everything we do exists to create an environment where that can happen. That is God's purpose... and so it is also our purpose. Our VisionWhen Jesus was about to ascend into heaven 40 days after his resurrection from the dead, he showed his disciples a big idea. He painted a picture for them -- a vision -- of what the Christian Church would look like after his ascension. It all fit into his extraordinary plan.
He had died for the sins of the whole world. He had been raised from the dead supernaturally. And now, moments before his ascension, he laid some major visionary plans upon his faithful followers. He said in Acts 1:8, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." This was a big idea. Jesus was calling his followers to expand their belief in him and in his good news. He wanted his followers to begin sharing the good news where they lived, then stretch to their own country, and eventually go into the entire world. This plan for reaching the world with news about his gift of eternal life became the marching orders for the Christian Church from the Commander-in-Chief, Jesus Christ. Our vision today is no different. We see the entire world being reached with the good news of Jesus, starting right here at St. Matthew Lutheran Church. Our vision for St. Matthew involves the One who thinks big. We cannot out-think Jesus. If we are timid about the vision for St. Matthew, our vision will be too small. We need to think big enough and dream big enough for the God who thinks big. So, what is our vision at St. Matthew? The following is a slightly edited version of our official vision statement, updated to match current progress: Building our Preschool Program St. Matthew recognizes the tremendous blessings God has given us in our outstanding elementary school and preschool programs. Both have earned sterling reputations in our community, but in recent years the Lord has chosen to especially bless our preschool program. Our preschool is currently operating at full capacity. Therefore our vision is to expand our preschool to serve even more children and their families with the gospel. Enhancing our Worship Experience An engaging, Christ-centered worship experience is one of our highest priorities at St. Matthew. We seek to enhance that worship experience by offering multiple worship opportunities each week and by striving to cater to differing tastes and needs, all while carefully keeping our congregation solidly united in Christ. Serving Souls beyond Spokane Right now St. Matthew is supporting the establishment of a second center of worship and outreach in Hayden, Idaho: The Vine church, headed by Pastor Schultz. We are committed to seeing this second site become firmly established by growing in numbers, in giving, and acquiring a permanent facility. This is the vision of St Matthew Lutheran Church for the years to come. It's a big vision. But our God is even bigger, and "he is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Eph 3:20) because our God thinks big! With the mission that Jesus has given us, and with the vision that we have for St. Matthew Lutheran Church for the years to come, we are confident that God will bless our congregation so that we grow and flourish, all to the glory of God. |
About UsBeliefs, Purpose, and Vision
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