— GOD —
There is one eternally existing God who has three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is the creator of all that exists, both visible and invisible, and is therefore worthy of all glory and praise. God is perfect in love, power, holiness, goodness, knowledge, wisdom, justice, and mercy. He is unchangeable and therefore is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
— REVELATION —
We believe there are three primary ways to truly know this God. (1) In nature, we see glimpses of his beauty, kindness, power, glory, and love in those moments that make our days better. But we don't truly get to know God through nature alone. (2) In the Bible, we read of God's mercy, forgiveness, moral standards, and desire to be with all people forever. (3) In his Son, Jesus, God lived among us here on earth so that we could know Him in a personal way and be reconnected with God now and forever.
— MANKIND —
At the beginning of the human story, God created male and female to be like him and to be with him. These treasured creations would imitate God’s love in the way they loved God, loved each other, and lovingly cared for the world around them.
— THE FALL —
The first humans made a tragic choice. It's the one we continue to make today. It's the choice to love something (really, anything) more than God. That choice, which the Bible calls “sin” is what fractured all of creation, destroying the perfect love and harmony that existed among God, people, and the created world. Once this perfect love was lost, pain, suffering, grief, death, stress, tension, and so much more, flooded into human lives.
— SALVATION —
Despite the countless sinful choices that we humans have made, God refused to give up on us. Instead, out of a love we don’t deserve, God sent his only Son, Jesus, in order to bring God and people back together. Jesus lived a life of constant love, then died on a cross in our place, and then rose from the dead a few days later, proving he was more than just a moral teacher. When anyone humbly comes to Jesus, follows him as Lord, and trusts him as Savior, they are “saved” (rescued from the danger of not being with God). God gives the free gift of "eternal life" (being with God forever).
— THE CHURCH —
We believe that the true Christian Church is not a building, but rather all the people who trust in Jesus Christ. This “Church” often gathers in smaller groups, like we do at Morning Star, in order to humbly admit our spiritual struggles, joyfully share the unfailing love of God, and powerfully encourage each other to worship God and serve others in all that we do.
— RESURRECTION —
One day, Jesus will return to fix everything that sin has broken. He will come to judge everyone and everything that stands in opposition to God and to transform his people and this universe into what God originally intended it to be—a place filled with God, his children, and limitless love. Until that Day comes, we at Morning Star strive to help people plant their spiritual roots in the love of God, trusting that God himself will change us into people who look more and more like his Son, Jesus.