What We Believe
Our beliefs are based on the teachings of the bible. We have the same basic beliefs as all mainstream Christian churches, which is that there is one eternal God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that Jesus came to this earth and was crucified, died and rose from the dead to provide a way back to God for human beings and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of born-again Christians.
Jesus is the reason that the church exists. Without him we have no purpose. He is the focus of all we do. With him at the centre, we are secure in his love, we have a sense of our destiny and we know who we are. Giving our lives in his service, our worship and prayer are key factors in maintaining this focus.
For those who are interested, please see our statement of belief, which states our basic beliefs in a bit more detail.
How does this work out in practise?
Our mission is to take the Good News of Jesus, by our words and actions, to everyone locally and globally.
We are not called to fulfil our purpose in isolation, but as a community of God's people. We are not perfect, but we are committed to working things out together.
We are a work in progress.
We want to grow to be mature followers of Jesus, through submitting to the leading of the Holy Spirit and by teaching, equipping and encouraging one another.
Everyone who is part of GCC has a part to play and a purpose to fulfil. Through our wholehearted participation, the whole church is built up and grows.
What it means to be born again
The good news (or Gospel) about becoming a born-again Christian is that anyone can accept Jesus as their Saviour and Lord. There is no qualification, no standard of holiness or goodness for you to reach. It is a free gift, which is available to you because of God’s great love for you. This love is so great that he sent his son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for all the wrong we have done, both collectively and as individuals.
If you acknowledge that you have done wrong in God’s eyes, which applies to every one of us no matter how “good” we appear to be, and genuinely believe that Jesus is the Son of God, you can turn away from your old life, ask forgiveness for the wrong things you have done and invite Jesus to come into your life to change you fundamentally. This change is so profound that the bible calls it being born-again.
When you are born-again, the Holy Spirit makes you alive inside and helps you to live the new life that God has given to you. You can ask him to fill you and be released even more in your life. This is known as being filled or baptised in the Holy Spirit.
The expression born-again comes from the bible. A man called Nicodemus asked Jesus what he had to do to restore his relationship with God. Jesus told him that he needed to be born-again. You can read the story in chapter 3 of the Gospel of John.
A simple illustration may help you to understand our relationship with God.
 |
 |
| We matter to God. He made us to have a relationship with us. |
But people rebelled against God… …we have all disobeyed Him… …we have become separated from Him. This is not how God wants it to be. |
 |
 |
| People try many things… … giving to charity … going to church … doing good things … but all our efforts cannot put us right with God… …we cannot earn it. |
If we remain separated from God in this life… …when we die we will be separated from him… …for ever. The Bible calls this place Hell. |
 |
 |
| But God does not want anyone to go to Hell, so He built a bridge for us to reach Him. God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to die on the cross for us. Jesus made a way for us to bridge the gap and to have a relationship with God. |
If we recognise that we are separated from God and make a decision to put this right… …and put our trust in what Jesus has done for us by dying on the cross… …we can cross the bridge into a right relationship with God. |
If you want to talk to us about what it means to be born-again or if you have any questions, do tell us — we'd love to hear from you — or you might be interested in attending an Alpha course.