OUR DISTINCTIVES

We seek to be...

1. Christ-Centered
Jesus Christ, according to the Bible, is the center of all things. All things were made through Him and for Him (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). He is the purpose and center point of all human history (Ephesians 1:10). This means He is also the center of the entire Bible (Luke 24:27). This is why the Bible speaks of preaching Christ, proclaiming Him, and even knowing of no other topic than “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (Colossians 1:28; 1 Corinthians 2:2). We believe this means our entire worship service is to be focused on the person of Jesus. We sing about Him, hear His Word read, fellowship with Him in the Lord’s Supper, and pray in His name. This also means that Jesus and His work must be the primary focus of what we preach and emphasize in our sermons. We are committed to preaching Jesus Christ and His work because it is so easy to slip back into a relationship with God in which we try to earn His favor rather than receiving it by faith alone in Jesus.

2. Verse-by-Verse
Ultimately, we want to be a church that hears from God. This is why we are committed to teaching the Bible verse by verse and line by line. God promises to speak to us every time the Bible is opened (Isaiah 55:10–11). Verse-by-verse teaching allows us, as believers, to hear the good news of the gospel and be challenged to obey the commands of God’s law. This method of teaching saves us from hobbyhorses and pet topics. It allows God to encourage us and challenge us as He sees fit. Ultimately, verse-by-verse teaching allows us to rest in the fact that we are not hearing from men, but from God Himself (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

3. Historically Connected
God has given the Holy Spirit to every believer throughout history. This means we should seek to learn from—and be shaped by—our brothers and sisters in Christ from the past, not only the present. We must take seriously when the Bible tells us to “guard the deposit” that has been entrusted to us (1 Timothy 6:20; 2 Thessalonians 2:15). We must be very careful before moving the “ancient landmarks” that our fathers have set (Proverbs 22:28). This desire can be seen more clearly in our document entitled “What We Teach.”

4. People-Focused
Besides loving God, our greatest purpose on earth is loving other people (Mark 12:30–31; Philippians 1:24). This love for people means it is one of our greatest desires that, through our church, people from the North County San Diego area would come to know the Lord Jesus. This focus on people also means that we desire to be united as a church in the Lord. Our partnership is not based on shared interests or backgrounds, but on the work of Jesus Christ for us and our desire to make Him known together in our community (Philippians 1:5–7). This means we seek to know one another and love one another by encouraging and challenging each other (Romans 12:10; 1 John 3:11; Hebrews 3:13).