Vision

So, what is the vision of CityLight?

Where are we going together? What should you expect?

CityLight Vision :

To form a “non-denominational, international, truthful, Spirit-filled, grace oriented, contemporary church.”

So how does such a mouthful of words work and look like?

Non-denominational – God describes those who love Him as members of His family. This family is not divided along man made denominational lines. We are an independent gathering of people who love Jesus and do not oppose denominations, simply the over-emphasis of doctrinal differences that have lead to divisions in God’s family. This is not to say that we ignore doctrinal error, but we desire to respond to it always in a spirit of meekness and love. We believe the basis of Christian fellowship is God’s love, which is far greater then any differences we may posses.

International – God’s desire is to bring people of all nations into a relationship with Himself. Thus we take a cosmopolitan, missions minded, international approach to ministering. We see the value of inclusion, because God desires all to experience the beauty of Him!

Truthful –God is absolute and has firm, unchangeable opinions on everything. We get in on God’s wisdom and ways of doing life by examining His Word. The sacred Scriptures are the main vehicle for God expressing His will to us. All Scripture originates in God and is useful for us. Therefore we don’t want to miss out on anything! We take a expositional, inductive, verse by verse approach to studying & teaching the Word. Practically we do this by studying through a book of the Bible and seeking the whole council of God’s Word in understanding the studied text. We want to get as much in tune with God’s way of doing life as possible, and this is laid out only in the Word.

Spirit-Filled – Jesus has not left us as orphans, but has sent the Holy Spirit to guide, empower, and enable us to live fully in that beautiful relationship with God that we have been promised. We want all that God has to offer. We believe that the Holy Spirit is our Councilor, Advocate, & Helper, and we seek Him to be these things in the life of this Christian community. The Bible speaks clearly of what the Holy Spirit desires to do in our lives and how He will accomplish that work of grace. We know that apart from the Holy Spirit we can’t accurately express & reflect the beauty of God. We are dependent on Him and seek to yield to Him in our personal and community lives.

Grace Oriented – Without God’s grace (=unmerited favor) where would we be? Lost and dead in our sins. We love God because He first loved us. God is a gracious God. Grace is one of His primary characteristics. We desire to put emphasis on what God emphasizes – His grace. We have been forgiven much and thus we desire to forgive much. We have been abundantly loved, thus we want to let Jesus’ love flow abundantly through our lives. God’s grace changes everything! Grace must be a defining character of the church.

Contemporary – God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. However, He has allowed us to be born into this time and live in this particular culture and nation. We seek to express His grace, love, & truth in the voice of today. To pour out our hearts and celebrate His beauty in a way that reflects how great He is to those around us in a way that they can understand. This contemporary approach effects our style of worship, teaching, and community gatherings.