|
Here are a few key beliefs that are central to GRT. They are the ideas, values, and dynamics that we agree upon, and that contribute to our unique family atmosphere.
Jesus is Life - For the last few centuries the church has preached that Jesus is Lord and Savior. We agree with this of course, but something vital has been left out: Jesus is also Life! As Lord, he is in total control of everything we have, are, and do. As Savior, he rescues us from spiritual death. As Life, his qualities and characteristics become ours as he lives within us and expresses himself from the inside out. Accepting him as savior freed us up to surrender to his lordship, which allows us to enjoy him as life.
We don't go to church, we ARE the church - It is sad that so many Christians think that God only meets them when they are in church, the building they meet in on Sundays, Wednesdays, or whenever. How many times have you heard, "Welcome to the house of the Lord, where God is waiting to meet you!" But that's not a Biblical notion. We think every GRT family member is also a member of a much larger family that goes back to the first century AD and extends forever into the future. That family is called the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, and lots of other things. Put simply, it's the church. That's us!
Relationships are sacred - How many things will we take with us from earth to heaven? Only one . . . relationships. Because we'll be sharing heaven together, we think it's a good idea to foster, protect, and nurture the relationships we have here. So we choose to love each other, take care of each other's needs, spend time with each other laughing, crying, talking, being silent, working, giving, receiving. Almost every time God gives a gift he wraps it up in a person. Christianity is about relationships, so we are very deliberate about building them with one another.
"Now that you've cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it."
(1st Letter of Peter 1:22)
Jesus loves everyone, so should we - GRT was started primarily as a biker church, but not everyone in our family rides a motorcycle. Sometimes we say, "We are a biker church for everyone!" We accept everyone that walks into our lives because Jesus loves them just as much as he loves us. Not only do we love and accept those who come to us, we reach out to those in our neighborhood. We go out and love on other bikers, prisoners, old people, skaters, street people, shut-ins, and anyone else that God leads us to.
The
cross is our link to God - It seems to us that the cross is more than
just a symbol we wear around our necks or tattoo on our bodies. It is the
pivotal point of human history when God opened the door for us to be in
relationship with him again. The cross is where we died with Christ . . . so we
could be buried with him . . . so we could be raised from the dead with him . .
. so we could be seated with him in heaven. Through the cross we have a new
identity - righteous, holy, accepted, treasured children of God! We talk a lot about
the cross.
Nothing works without grace - There's lots of talk out
there about grace, but most of it isn't very helpful. You know, the "Full
of Grace Blah-blah Church" that only makes legalistic demands on its
people? We don't believe Jesus came to teach us how to perform for God. For us,
grace is the empowering presence of God that gives us the ability to be who God
destines us to be, and do everything he calls us to do. In other words, none of
the important stuff listed above is possible without God's grace operating in
and through us moment by moment.
|