WHO IS JESUS?

The questions we like to ask about God are endless: “Is God real?” “Is what we know about Him really true?” and “What does He have to do with my life?” list just a few.

The Bible may not answer every question about God – and could even lead us to ask more – but one of the areas the Bible is quite definite is the answer to the question: who is Jesus?

Jesus commends the apostle Peter’s confession of Him as “the Messiah, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16), because Jesus knew that who He is – and could be to us – has the power to change our lives. Jesus is so unique because two worlds collide in him: heaven and earth, the divine and the human.

C.S. Lewis, a well-known Christian author, wrote of Jesus, “Either this man was, and is, the son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Yes, Jesus’ name is the name above all names, and His star-breathing, storm-calming, miracle-working power is second to none. Yet, He is also the human Jesus, the personal friend who knows what we are going through and cares about us. That’s why the Bible also calls Him “Immanuel”, God with us.

WHY DO WE NEED JESUS?

Often we disqualify ourselves from God’s love because of our history, our failures and our shortcomings. Sin has separated us from God and we can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works.

So how can we accept what we have not earned? The Bible says that nothing in all of creation can separate us from the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And to accept God’s love is to trust His patient, forgiving and gracious stance towards us. Only He has the power to free us from guilt, shame and condemnation, to give us a life of wholeness. All we have to do is turn to Him.

HOW DO I BECOME SAVED?

To be made whole, or to be saved, is to submit to God and His plan and purpose for our lives. It is a turning from our old ways and turning to Jesus, to ask Him for forgiveness from our sins and to give us new life in Him.

Romans 10:9 says: “If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord,
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Salvation is God’s free gift to us and we become His children.
It is an irrevocable acceptance into the family of God and it is an empowerment to live life wholly and fully with the purpose of reflecting God to the rest of His creation. If you are not sure whether you are right with God or you know in fact that you need Jesus in your life, you can choose to follow Him right now by praying a prayer of surrender to Jesus.

Dear Jesus, I’m praying this prayer because I know that I have done wrong by living without You. I am sorry and I trust that You will forgive me. I accept Your love and grace for me and ask that You would be my Lord. Help me believe in You and love You every day, and help me to show the world what You are like and how great Your love is.
In Jesus’ name, amen.

BAPTISM

Baptism is an important step of obedience that shows others we have personally trusted Jesus for our salvation. Jesus was baptized when He was on the earth, and we do this to follow His example. When Christians are baptized, they are submerged under water to identify with the death and burial of Jesus and raised out of the water to identify with His resurrection.

WHY BE BAPTIZED?
Those who are baptized are following Jesus’ example and obeying His command.

“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’” Matthew 3:16–17

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’” Matthew 28:18–20

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BAPTISM?
Baptism is a public declaration of three very important things:

1. You are a follower of Jesus Christ.
“Those who accepted his message were baptized.” Acts 2:41

2. You are beginning a changed life in Christ.
“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:4

3. You are part of a new family.
“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Galatians 3:26–27

I HAVE ALREADY BEEN BAPTIZED. SHOULD I BE BAPTIZED AGAIN?
Your baptism should have signified you becoming a follower of Jesus, beginning a changed life, and uniting with a new family. If your baptism did not reflect this change of life, then you should be baptized again.

CAN MY CHILD BE BAPTIZED?
We will baptize anyone who understands what baptism symbolizes and wants to make that personal public declaration. We encourage any parents to partner with our Children's and Youth Pastors to guide your children through these decisions of faith.

CAN MY INFANT BE BAPTIZED?
Throughout the New Testament, the Bible teaches that baptism is a public expression of worship symbolizing the new life we have when we follow Jesus. In the Bible we see that Jesus’ parents dedicated him to the Lord (Luke 2:22–40), and he was later baptized as an adult (Matthew 3:16–17).

We understand that some churches practice “baptism of confirmation” for children. This ceremony is intended to be a commitment between the parents and God on the behalf of the child. The parents promise to raise their child in the faith until the child is old enough to make his or her own personal confession of Christ. This custom began about 300 years after the Bible was completed and is different from the biblical examples of new believers being baptized to publicly profess their faith in Jesus.

So at Heritage, we provide opportunities for child dedication.

PARENT/CHILD DEDICATION

We are excited that you are interested in dedicating your child to the Lord. The purpose of Parent/Child dedication is for parents to present their child before God and the church, committing to seek after His grace and wisdom in carrying out their responsibilities.

We believe Psalm 127:3, which says “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.” Parent/Child Dedication is a time for us to celebrate and thank God for the gift of your children. It’s also a time for you, as parents, to commit to model what following Jesus looks like and to raise your children to understand that they are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, to believe that the Bible is absolute Truth, and to know the importance of committing to a community of faith through the local church.

During the dedication service, parents promise before God, their family, and the church to raise their child in a God-honoring way. Because parents are the key role models for their children, we ask that they commit to the following before dedicating their child:

Parent(s) have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Parent(s) are regular attenders at Heritage and are following Christ in their own life.
Parent(s) agree with our church’s beliefs and values, which can be found in our Statement of Faith.
Parent(s) commit to modeling personal purity and to lead by example in matters of faith and conduct. That means living a life of sexual purity according to God's standards.
COMMON QUESTIONS
DO I NEED TO BE A MEMBER TO DEDICATE MY CHILD?
You do not need to be a member of Heritage Nazarene to dedicate your child. We do ask that families call Heritage "home", because in dedicating your child to God, you are stating that you are willing to partner with God and the Church to raise your child in cooperation with God’s intentions. As your church family, we are here to partner with you as the body of Christ and support you as a family unit.

CAN A SINGLE PARENT PARTICIPATE IN A CHILD DEDICATION SERVICE?
Yes! Child dedication signifies the commitment of parents, including single parents, to do their best to raise their child to be a follower of Jesus Christ. We encourage single parents to include any important figures in their child’s life to be a part of the dedication. As a church, Heritage is committed to supporting single parents in providing a Christian foundation for their child’s upbringing.

IS DEDICATION THE SAME AS BAPTISM?
Heritage believes baptism is for those who have made a personal decision to trust Jesus alone for their salvation, once they have the maturity and ability to understand what that means.

Dedication is not a sacrament; nor does it impart grace or salvation to a child. Salvation comes only through faith in Jesus Christ as each person recognizes their sinfulness and receives forgiveness and eternal life through him and his work on the cross.

Rather than baptizing infants or children, we encourage a dedication ceremony, where parents formally call upon God’s blessing for their child and publicly commit to raise him or her in accordance with Scripture.

MEMBERSHIP

We thank God for every individual who comes to church. Whether you are a formal member or not, if you are a follower of Christ and participate in the life and ministries of the church, you are part of the Church already. That being said, there is still a place for individuals to formally join the membership of a church.

Christians were never meant to live out their faith isolated from each other. Together, we form a community (the body of Christ). Formally joining a church expresses a serious willingness and commitment to walk faithfully in the company of other believers with all the benefits and responsibilities that accompany such a relationship.

Together we can accomplish more than we can as individuals. By giving financially, volunteering personally, and committing wholeheartedly to a shared vision, church members can (with the help of the Holy Spirit) bring encouragement to others within the church and lasting change to many outside the church. Along with sharing the gospel, a denominational church can be a dramatic means of transformation in society, locally and internationally.

Membership classes teach our heritage, beliefs, values, structure, mission, and what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Register for classes to become a member of Heritage Nazarene Church. 

SERVE

“We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:10
 
You are God’s unique workmanship created and crafted for a purpose. The purpose of serving is to assist others to GROW in their relationship with Jesus Christ. Another blessing of serving is that it is a great way to connect with God & others.