Living Waters Fellowship’s Vision Statement

Living Waters Fellowship is a place where heaven and earth meet by connecting people first to God through faith in Jesus Christ, through the Living Water of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, and second to one another. We are a place where God’s healing waters flow.

What is Living Waters Fellowship

(Based on Horizon, Connection, and Living Waters)

1. Your Connection Point

• Ephesians 1:9-10: “Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth–in Him.”
• Horizon: A place where heaven and earth meet.

1. To God through Jesus Christ (Evangelism)

• John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
• Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

2. To God’s Vision and Mission (Discipleship)

• Luke 9:23: Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

3. To Others through “Christian” Fellowship (Fellowship)

• Hebrews 10:24-25: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
• “There are no strangers here, only friends you have not yet met.”

1. Where God’s Healing Waters Flow

Living Waters Fellowship is a place that helps people connect with God and rekindles a believer’s passion for God’s plan and purpose for their lives. (Jeremiah 2:13; Zechariah 14:8; Revelation 7:17)

1. A Spiritual Hospital: Part of our mission is to help hurting people recover from the damage caused by a fallen and sin-filled world. Through prayer with the Great Physician, Jesus Christ, and by studying God’s word, we will seek His guidance in helping people heal from the effects of sin and this world. (Jeremiah 30:17; Psalm 103:2-3; 107:19-21; 147:3; Exodus 15:26)

2. A Spiritual Training Center: Once people begin healing, we want to start training them through the Word of God and discipleship, while also preparing them to re-engage in vision, mission, and purpose. (Ephesians 6:10-18; Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Timothy 4:8; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Habakkuk 2:2; Ephesians 2:10)

3. A Resource Center: Being a resource center starts with recognizing that God is our ultimate source, providing everything we need. With this understanding, Living Waters Fellowship aims to make a difference in our community by using the resources God has given through the gifts and talents of those who call this church home. Through our church family, we will offer resources to help others know Jesus as their Savior and Lord, and to serve as His hands in supporting others during their times of need. (1 Peter 4:10; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Corinthians 12:12; 2 Corinthian 1:3-4; Mark 10:45; John 13:34)

Who is Living Waters Fellowship

1. A House of Prayer

• Matthew 21:13a: Jesus said, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer.” (cf. Isaiah 56:7a)
  • We actively encourage our church body to continually be in prayer, both individually and collectively, for God’s will in the needs of the Church & this world.

2. A House of Teaching God’s Word

• Titus 2:6-8 “In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.”
  • Part of our mission is to teach the Bible unashamedly, and we are committed to being part of the solution by providing real answers from God’s Word to life’s difficult questions. We also unapologetically proclaim the Gospel message.

3. A House of Worship

• Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
  • Part of our mission is to wholeheartedly worship the Lord God of the Bible: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

4. A House of Fellowship

• 1 John 1:3, 7: “That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ … If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
  • The word “fellowship” in Greek is “koinonia,” which means partnership, participation, and communication, where we come together in community, sharing both life and faith (Acts 4:42).
  • The purpose is to bring encouragement (1 Thessalonians 5:11-14; Hebrews 24-25; Proverbs 27:17; Ephesians 3:16; Galatians 6:2), and to promote unity of purpose. (1 Corinthians 12:12; 1 Peter 3:8; Ephesians 5).

These principles are essential in everything we do.

1. The Scriptures: Everything must be centered on God’s word.

2. The Teaching About and Knowing Jesus Christ: Everything we do must be Gospel Forward. It’s where we prioritize Jesus in everything we do (John 14:6).

3. Three Pillars: (A 3-prong Approach)

1. Evangelism: Each One Reach One – To seek and save the lost. (Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 3:15; Mark 16:15; Romans 1:16; Matthew 9:37-38)
   • Challenge: Who can we reach for Christ

1. Discipleship: Building up the House of God in every person. (Luke 9:23; 6:40; John 8:31; 13:34-35; 15:8; Ephesians 4:11-17; 1 Corinthians 11:1; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
   • Challenge: Are we building on the Solid Rock, or on shifting sand?

1. Mission: To make a difference in our community and world for Christ. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 14:23)
   • Challenge: Do we believe Jesus is the difference?
   • While we strive to do good, we must never forget that we have the Good News —the Gospel —to share.

At Living Waters Fellowship, we are called to be difference makers for—and followers of—Jesus Christ.

The Great Commandment: Everything Hinges and Hangs on This

(Mark 12:28-31; Matthew 22:34-40)

“Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that

He had answered them well, asked Him, ‘Which is the first commandment of all? Jesus

answered him, ‘The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God,

the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your

soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“There is no commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:28-31

Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ‘Teacher, which

is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God

with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

 “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 22:35-40

 

What is Church

Church is Jesus’s idea, so Jesus determines what it should be.

1. God, not man, builds the House of God.
   • Psalm 127:1: “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”

1. Jesus Himself said that He will build His church
   • Matthew 16:18: “On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
   • Matthew 21:42: “Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’”?

1. Jesus is the Head of the Church

• Ephesians 1:22-23: “He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 4:12-16; 5:23; Colossians 1:18)

 

Our Challenge:               

• Isaiah 54:2: “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.”
• Acts 2:42: “They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine(teaching) and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
• 1 Corinthians 1:10: “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.”
• Our challenge is to build a community that people want to belong to, that helps them and others grow in Christ, that is committed to spreading the Gospel message, and that supports mentoring and discipling the next generation. (Ephesians 4:32; 1 Peter 4:10; Romans 12:10; Psalm 78:4; Deuteronomy 6:7)