More About our Church Commitments

Exalt Community Church
Church Commitments

Commitment #1

We make a commitment to passionately pursue God as the meaning of our lives, both individually and corporately.

We believe that God and our relationship with Him is the meaning and purpose of our lives – I Corinthians 8:6 – “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”  He is the reason we have life, and living for Him and in relationship with Him is what life is all about. We believe that we pursue God as the meaning of our lives by consistently pursuing a stronger relationship with Him. We believe that the Bible teaches that there are seven basic areas of that relationship, which are as follows:

  • Knowing God. – John 17:3, James 4:8
  • Loving God. - Mark 12:30, Deuteronomy 10:12
  • Fearing God. – Proverbs 1:7, Luke 12:4-5
  • Trusting God. – John 3:16, Proverbs 3:5-6
  • Worshiping God.  - John 4:23-24, Luke 4:8
  • Serving God. - Deuteronomy 10:12, I Thessalonians 1:9
  • Exalting God. – I Peter 2:9, I Corinthians 10:31

We believe that pursuing our relationship with God is the core of what it means to be a Christian. We also believe that it is the source from which everything we are to do and be as Christians flows.

  • Act 17:28a – “In Him we live and move and have our being”
  • Deuteronomy 10:12-13 – “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?”
  • Ecclesiastes 12:13 – “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His Commandments for this is the whole duty of man.”

Therefore we make a commitment to pursue God as the meaning of our lives both individually and corporately, striving to grow in our relationship with Him every day.
We strive to do this through daily time with God in Bible study and prayer, through faithful obedience to His leadership in our lives, and through passionate worship of Him,

Commitment #2

We make a commitment to the Word of God being our final authority in what we believe, what we do and how we live.

We believe that God has all authority; that is He is the ultimate final authority in the universe, and that the Bible is His word, spoken out by Him. Consequentially we believe that the Bible carries the very authority of God in our lives and decisions as it is His word. Therefore we commit ourselves to purposefully and willfully let the Bible be our final authority in what we believe, what we do and how we live.

  • By what we believe we mean those things we believe about God Himself, about ourselves, about others, and about every facet of life.  
  • By what we do we mean the ministries and actions of this church.
  • By how we live we mean the way we live our personal lives: how we treat others, how we do our work, how we handle our finances, and how we prioritize our lives.

 

  • Colossians 1:15-19, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the Head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent."
  • Philippians 2:9-10, "Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
  • 2 Timothy 3:16 - 17, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."
  • 2 Peter 1:21, "For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
  • Hebrews 4:12, "For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

Therefore we make a commitment to living our lives with the Bible as our final authority in what we believe, what we do and how we live.

We strive to do this by being willing to change our beliefs when they are contrary to what the Bible says, by allowing God through the Bible to determine how we live our lives in every aspect of our lives and by being willing to change the way we live when our lifestyles doesn’t match up with what God says it should be, and by letting the Bible steer our actions as a church, allowing God to set the course for all we do as the Body of Christ.

Commitment #3

We make a commitment to leading the nations to Christ, at home and abroad.

We believe that the way you enter into a right relationship with God is by the grace of God through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ as the payment for your sins.


We believe that God and a deepening relationship with God is the core of life. Eternal life, that right relationship with God, is available to all who believe regardless of their ethnicity, nationality, sex, or socio-economic status. We also believe that Jesus has commanded us to take that message of the Gospel that He has entrusted to us to the entire world, that all peoples might trust in Christ and enter into a right relationship with Him.

 

  • John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
  • John 17:3 – “And this is eternal life, that they know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
  • Matthew 28:18-20 – “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ ”
  • Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
  • II Corinthians 5:18-20 – “All this is from God, Who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
  • Colossians 3:11 – “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but Christ is all, and in all.”
  • Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither salve no free, there is no male and female, for you are one in Christ Jesus.”

Therefore we commit to doing all that we can to give the gospel to as many people as we can, as often as we can, regardless of the color of their skin, what nation they are from, how much money they may have, how popular they may be, or where they might live.

We strive to do this by being witnesses ourselves to those we come in contact with here in our own town, county, state, and nation; as well as through financially, prayerfully and physically supporting church planters here in the United States and missionaries in foreign nations.

Commitment #4

We make a commitment to winning the next generation to Christ.

We believe that God has always had a heart for the next generation, that He has always wanted the next generation to know Him and be in relationship with Him.

  • Deuteronomy 6:4-5 – “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command to you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
  • Deuteronomy 31:12-13 – “Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”
  • Psalm 22:30 – 31 – “Posterity shall serve Him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn, that He has done it.”
  • Psalm 78:1-8 – “Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from our children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that He has done. He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.”
  • Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
  • Matthew 19:14 – “Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

Therefore we commit do doing everything we can to win the next generation to the Lord, investing our time, talents and treasures to tell them of God.

We will strive to accomplish this through a vibrant, culturally relevant children’s ministry, Summer Bible Blast, children’s camps, youth ministry, youth camps and youth missions opportunities.

Commitment #5

We make a commitment to discipleship.

We believe that the scriptures teach that it is not our responsibility to only see people trust in Christ as their Savior and start their relationship with God, but that we also have the very important responsibility of helping them to grow in that relationship with Him.

Jesus modeled this for us as He trained up the Apostles investing three years of His life to teach those men about what God was really like and how they should walk with Him. The bible has other examples for us in the New Testament. Paul modeled this as he trained up Timothy and Titus, Barnabas modeled this when he took Mark under his wing and Pricilla and Aquila modeled this when they took Apollos aside and taught Him more clearly of Christ.

  • Matthew 28:18-20 – “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ ”
  • I Timothy 4:6 – “If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.”
  • II Timothy 2:2 – “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

Therefore we commit to investing our lives both individually and corporately in the lives of others, that we might teach them to grow in their relationship with God and to walk faithfully with Him.

Commitment #6

We make a commitment to unity in diversity while honoring Christian liberty.

We believe that God has made us diverse. He has made us to come from different races, ethnicities, nationalities, economic backgrounds and upbringings. He has given us different tastes, likes and preferences. He made each of us unique, down to our genetic makeup.

We believe that God has given us liberty in Christ in many area of life where He has not given us clear cut commands or principles on which to base our beliefs and actions. That liberty will be manifest in the lives of different believers in different ways. Some people will feel freedom in certain areas of life where others will not and vice versa. However we must all limit our liberty based on the principles given by God concerning the right use of our liberties which are as follows:

  1. Do not cause a fellow believer to fall into sin.
  2. Ask yourself, “Is there someone to whom I am not being loving by doing this?” If the answer is yes, you need to give up your right to that liberty.
  3. Ask yourself, “Is God being glorified through what I am doing?” If the answer is no, you need to give up your right to that liberty.
  4. Ask yourself, “Is this something that will dominate my life if I do it?” If the answer is yes, you need to give up your right to that liberty.
  5. Ask yourself, “Is this something that is not helpful to my life?” If the answer is yes, you need to give up your right to that liberty.
  6. Ask yourself, “Is what I am doing edifying myself and others? If the answer is no, you need to give up your right to that liberty.”

We also believe that in Christ we are to be one body, united by one faith, one baptism, one Spirit, one Lord, and one God and Father of all. Unity in the body of Christ is of utmost importance. It is so important that Christ prayed for us specifically that we would be one as He is one with the Father. That is the measure of our unity. He also makes the incredible claim that our unity is a direct testimony to the world around us that Jesus is who He says He is. We believe that this unity is supposed to be present in our relationship with each other without regard for the diversity that may exist amongst us, while honoring the liberty that each of us has in Christ, even if we differ in those freedoms.

  • John 17:20-21 – “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in me and I in You, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that You have sent me”
  • Colossians 3:11 – “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but Christ is all, and in all.”
  • Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
  • Ephesians 4:1-6 – “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, Who is over all and through all and in all.”
  • Psalm 139:13-14 – “For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
  • Acts 17:24-26 – “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,”
  • Romans 14:2-6 – “One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.”
  • Romans 12:13 – “Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.”
  • I Corinthians 6:12 – “’All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be enslaved by anything.”
  • I Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
  • Colossians 3:14 – “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
  • Philippians 2:3-8 – “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Therefore, we make a commitment to strive for unity amongst ourselves. We commit to fight any division amongst us that would be caused based on the diversity with which God has created us. We make a commit to fight any division amongst us that would be caused based on a difference of opinion regarding the areas where God has given us Christian liberty. We commit to loving one another as Jesus loved us, to striving to have the mind of Christ with respect to each other, and to honoring the liberty that we each have in Christ.

Commitment #7

We make a commitment to be more concerned with internal transformation than external conformation.

We believe that God is more concerned with people being truly changed in their inner hearts than He is with people appearing to be “spiritual” or “religious” on the outside. The Bible is very clear that God isn’t fooled by mere outward conformity to what people think a spiritual person should be like nor does He accept them on that basis. We can see this in God’s condemnation of the nation of Israel who merely who merely acted like they loved God and served him, when in reality they were worshipping false gods; as well as in Jesus’ condemnation of the Pharisees who viewed a relationship with God as merely a list of outward do’s and don’ts that didn’t change the inner man.

By inner transformation we mean the work of the God in the heart of a person, changing, molding and making them more like Jesus from the inside out.

By external conformation we mean dressing, talking, or acting like people might think or believe a Christian should be like, while not having a real relationship with God resulting in a spiritual transformation. We mean conforming to a set of rules and regulations that would merely change the way you appear on the outside, while you remain the same on the inside.

  • Matthew 15:7-8 - “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
  • Mark 7:14-23 – “And He called the people to Him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked Him about the parable. And He said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And He said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
  • Matthew 23:27 – “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
  • Romans 12:2 – “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.”
  • Ephesians 4: 22-24 – “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Therefore we make a commitment to be more concerned with inner transformation than external conformation

We will strive to accomplish this commitment by working to create a come as you are atmosphere, by openly admitting that we aren’t perfect, and by challenging each other to take off the masks that we so often place on our lives and face the reality of our need of God.