What we believe
God leads His people into freedom
Through the ages of time, the living God has revealed Himself as the Present One who desires to restore His communion with man, so that we will find our deepest fulfilment and joy in Him and He, our Creator, will be glorified. For this is what we were created for: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever - but we have been alienated from our Maker by relying on ourselves instead of God. The Gospel tells us we have gone astray more than we ever dared believe. But also that we are more loved and accepted in Christ than we ever dared hope. The Bible says: "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but be restored in eternal communion with God." (John 3:16) Jesus came to set people free from every kind of bondage and He proclaimed the nearness of the Kingdom of God, the jubilee of the Lord for people from all nations.
And God is still doing this in the lives of those who seek Him: He comes down into our situation, to deliver and transform us, from bondage to liberty.
A community of Grace
God has a plan - it is a plan to overthrow the kingdoms of this world that keep people alone and isolated, hurting and hating, breaking up families, imprisoned in addictions, locked behind bars of fear, destroyed by systems of greed and injustice. God's plan is to do something about that through His church on earth.
God is creating something new - a new family, a unified, worldwide community, a body to work through, to reverse the isolating, alienating effects of a world gone astray. It is a new community that starts with grace. Through Jesus' sacrifice, He sets us free from fear of judgement and condemnation so that we can offer the same grace to others.
The Gospel of grace isn't just about our justification. God's ultimate goal is to restore His relationship with us. In this communion we can be restored and renewed after the image of Christ. In Christ, we received not only a new identity as child of God, but also a new life: resurrection life. The Holy Spirit wants to change us from the inside, if only we let Him. We'll have to give up our self-determination, our root sin, and surrender to the love of God, and be filled by the Holy Spirit, to receive everlasting joy, peace, sanctification, and renewal and healing.
Signpost of another Kingdom
Grace Church is part of this grand plan, this divine conspiracy! As Christians we are not just meant to try to do good, be nice and help the world be a better place. Instead, we are to act as signposts to another order, another way of life, another kingdom, which can be glimpsed in this world, but has not yet arrived completely.
Grace Church is about the breakthrough of this mysterious Kingdom. It is about unfulfilled and broken people who find fulfilment and wholeness in the presence of the living God, through the power of the Gospel.
Grace Church is about exploring God's perfect plans for imperfect people - how He wants us to walk together to become all we were intended to be.
Grace Church is an international, multi-ethnic church - we are different in colour and culture, but we are one in our Lord Jesus Christ. We experience the meeting of cultures as something that enriches our faith and we celebrate our colourful community and cultural diversity as gifts from our Creator. In this also, we are to act as signposts of another order, foreshadowing the reality of heaven.
A new heaven and a new earth
Jesus commissioned His disciples to proclaim this Kingdom to all nations to the end of time. Although the end has already come in Jesus and through the outpouring of the Spirit, we await the ultimate breakthrough of God into human history when this age will finally give way to a new age and God will rule supremely in a new heaven and a new earth, where people from all nations, tribes, tongues and cultures will worship the Lord in eternity.
Statement of faith
Founded as a missionary project of the Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerk and the Gereformeerde Kerken vrijgemaakt, ICF Amersfoort and Grace Church are part of the Reformed tradition.
