We started as an "experiment" to take Jesus' ministry to the streets of Tacoma. We experienced success in some areas and what appeared to be failure in other areas. But we have learned that the great commission in Matthew 28:18-20 is a command and not dependent upon our success or failure; God has always provided for us!
Jesus Ministry: Luke 4:18-19 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." God has called and anointed us to carry out His ministry on this earth. We are works in progress; first allowing God to work in our lives and taking what we've learned to as many people as we can (John 14:12).
Jesus said "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field" (Luke 10:2). We invite you to partner with us in carrying out Jesus' Ministry.
What we believe:
ABOUT THE BIBLE
The Bible is God's word to all men. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without any mixture or error. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5)
ABOUT GOD
God is the Sovereign Creator and Ruler of the universe. He exists in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. (Genesis 1:1,26,27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
ABOUT JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He rose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven's glory and will return again to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Matthew 1:22,23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14,15; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; Romans 1:3,4; Acts 1:9-11; I Timothy 6:14,15; Titus 2:13)
ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under His control daily. (2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16,17; Acts 1:8; I Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:18)
ABOUT MAN
Man is made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. He is the supreme object of God's creation. Although man has tremendous potential for good, he is marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called sin. This attitude separates man from God. (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1-2)
ABOUT SALVATION
Salvation is a gift from God to man. Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin's penalty. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith. (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1)
ABOUT THE SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER
Because God gives man eternal life through Jesus Christ, the believer is secure in their salvation for eternity. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives this assurance. (John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; 10:10,14; I Peter 1:3-5)
ABOUT ETERNITY
Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. (John 3:16; 1 John 2:25; 1 John 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; Matthew 18:8; Matthew 25:44, 46)
Core Values:
WE BELIEVE in dependence on God. We will be people who fully rely on the power of God to accomplish the mission He has given us. We believe that God will use ordinary people to stand in a supernatural confidence as He did in the book of Acts, so we have memorized Acts 4:13. (Zechariah 4:6; John 15; Isaiah41:13; Exodus 14:13; Proverbs 21:31)
WE BELIEVE in prayer. We love who we pray to, we love who we pray with and we love who we pray for. So we will be a people of prayer, prayers of all kinds. Watch this web site for scheduled prayer events or just come to a service to receive prayer for healing or freedom or whatever your needs may be. (Matthew 6:9, James 5:16, Matthew 5:44, Psalm 142:5)
WE BELIEVE in worship. Worshiping our God is a natural response to salvation by grace through faith, Ephesians 2:8-9. We want to be true worshipers and see spiritual battles won and people healed and delivered through our worship. (Psalm 5:7; Luke 4:-8; Revelation 22:17) WE BELIEVE in "doing church as a team". A team at The River is entered into as a covenant of love, therefore we will work to accentuate each others strengths and as team members cover each others weaknesses. We will be people who value each person's gifting and attitude of service to the accomplishment of the mission God has given us. We believe that God has given every member a gift to be discovered, developed, and deployed. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Psalm 133:1; Ephesians 4:11-16; Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12:14-20; 1 Peter 4:10-11)
WE BELIEVE in interdependence. We recognize that God created us for fellowship. Loving relationships should permeate every aspect of church life. We believe that life-change happens best through relation-ships. Therefore, we will commit ourselves to building deep bonds between God and each other. We are a church that puts the greatest commandment first and the second greatest commandment second. (Genesis 1:26-27; Luke 10:1; 1 Corinthians 13; Nehemiah 3; Galatians 6:2-5)