Lakeside Community Fellowship

A Jesus-centered, faith-community offering love & hope to the world

The Bible & What We Believe

You can read the Bible (even choose from several versions) at the BibleGateway website.

The Bible is God’s written Word, uniquely inspired by the Holy Spirit. It bears unerring witness to Jesus Christ, the living Word. As attested by the early church and subsequent councils, it is the trustworthy record of God’s revelation, completely truthful in all it affirms. It has been faithfully preserved and proves itself true in human experience.

The Scriptures have come to us through human authors who wrote, as God moved them, in the languages and literary forms of their times. God continues, by the illumination of the Holy Spirit, to speak through this Word to each generation and culture.

The Bible has authority over all human life. It teaches the truth about God, His creation, His people, His one and only Son, and the destiny of humankind. It also teaches the way of salvation and the life of faith. Whatever is not found in the Bible nor can be proved by it is not to be required as an article of belief or as necessary to salvation.

The Old Testament is not contrary to the New. Both Testaments bear witness to God’s salvation in Christ; both speak of God’s will for His people. The ancient laws for ceremonies and rites, and the civil precepts for the nation Israel are not necessarily binding on Christians today. But, on the example of Jesus we are obligated to obey the moral commandments of the Old Testament.

The New Testament fulfills and interprets the Old Testament. It is the record of the revelation of God in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. It is God’s final word regarding humankind, sin, and salvation, the world and its destiny.

You can find a one-year Bible reading plan by following this LINK.
You can read the Bible online and track your progress at this LINK
(You can read more about our values and beliefs at the Basic Doctrines page of the Free Methodist Church website.)

We are a connectional church. We are strengthened most by our relationships based on truthfulness and grace.

We believe our mission drives everything we do.

We strive to make the message of the gospel relevant to our culture by remaining faithful to God while showing love and sensitivity to the world.

We accept all who come to us, seeing the most desperate sinner with the potential to become a whole and devoted follower of Jesus.

We see smaller groups and cells within the larger Body of Christ as the best environment for the birth, mentoring, encouragement, and care of new believers.

We view our local churches as mission outposts. Our pastors are appointed not just to a local congregation and building, but to the evangelization of whole communities, towns, cities.

We see ourselves as an apostolic movement. We are a “sent” people, charged with the task of reaching new territories and new populations of people with the gospel.

We are Wesleyan in our doctrine and in our practice. We value the guidance of the scriptures and the consensus of the Church throughout her history.

We are to be a holy people. Our conduct and our teaching are to reflect the holiness and love of God. We seek nothing less than the healing of mind, body, and soul of all who come under our care.

(From Core Values at the Free Methodist Church website.)