Three Distinctives

Spirit & Truth
Real Community
Fulfilling Purpose

Spirit and Truth

One day, Jesus was talking with a woman who was asking about the kind of worship God desires.

Jesus answered: "...a time is coming and has now come when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit and His worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:23-24

According to Jesus, worship that is pleasing is that which is both 'spiritual' and 'truthful.'

Worship in Spirit

We believe 'worship in spirit' refers to God's desire that we experience Him as alive, powerful, and near. God wants us to worship Him, not as a theory or abstract idea, but as a present person Who can be encountered.

The apostle Paul described His efforts to introduce God as a Spirit in 1 Corinthians 2:4: “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.”

God is seeking 'true worshippers' who celebrate that the 'Kingdom of God is at hand'-- in other words, 'right here'. Those who approach God with awe, humility, excitement and reverence are worshipping God, as He is a person who is Spirit.

Worship in Truth

God is a fact. He has a distinct personality that remains consistent in character from generation to generation. True worshippers will worship God in a way consistent with who He is.

God has revealed who He is in the Bible. We can worship God with intellectual confidence because in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Paul tells us:
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

The Bible, God's autobiography, equips us to know God and to worship Him as He truly is.

So... true worship is 'spiritual' and true worship is 'truthful'.

True worship then touches our hearts and our minds.

In your worship, do you expect to meet God? Do you approach God confidently because you know who He is?

Real Community

By real, we mean 'authentic.'

There is only one thing that we ask of everyone at Two Rivers Church: Be you.

We want to celebrate what God is doing in our real lives. To do this, we are committed to you being you!

Community

In the Book of Acts, there is a description of what 'real community' looks like. At Two Rivers, we want to replicate that kind of community today.

In Acts 2:42-47, we discover that real community involves:

The study of the Bible with friends
Sharing food and communion
Praying with and for each other
Telling our stories of God's awesome deeds
Sharing possessions with each other
Helping those in need
Worshipping in a large public setting
Worshipping informally in homes
Laughing together
Being connected in the local community
Leading people to receive new life in Jesus Christ

It is apparent that the early church lived life together. They trusted God together, celebrated how God was changing their lives together, and
shared the Good News of God's love with others... together. Key word: Together.

God's plan is that we live our lives in real community.

Fulfilling Purpose

The apostle Paul was teaching new Christians about their place in God's plan when he reminded them of their shared past:

"It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, He embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on His own, with no help from us! Then He picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah." Ephesians 2:1-6; The Message

Apart from a relationship with God, we will never discover our purpose on the planet!

But when we are made alive by the Spirit of God, the Spirit of God allows us to connect with the Maker and discover our true purpose... then we come fully to life!

Through the Spirit's guidance, we can understand the Bible and begin to discern God's guidance for our lives. We can get into the epic story.
God has written a part for you!

As we walk with God we learn the following:
"We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10; ASV

You are an instrument designed skillfully by God. By allowing God's Spirit to fill you, you will awaken to His plan for your life. When you seek His plans for you, you will find your purpose for living.

Do you know why you were born? Is your life making a difference?