We believe
Every time Laurie-Ann thinks of the phrase, "We Believe," she thinks of Graham Kendrick's song "We Believe" - one of her favourite credal songs. This sums up the basics of many evangelicals who are missions focused and Bible believing.
The lyrics are:
We believe in God the Father, Maker of the universe,
And in Christ His Son our Savior, Come to us by virgin birth.
We believe He died to save us, Bore our sins, was crucified.
Then from death He rose victorious, Ascended to the Father’s side.
Jesus, Lord of all, Lord of all, Jesus, Lord of all, Lord of all,
Jesus, Lord of all, Lord of all, Jesus, Lord of all, Lord of all.
Name above all names. Name above all names.
We believe He sends His Spirit, On his church with gifts of power.
God His word of truth affirming, Sends us to the nations now.
He will come again in glory, Judge the living and the dead.
Every knee shall bow before Him, Then must every tongue confess.
Name above all names.
Copyright © 1986 Thankyou Music
Sometimes you have to go with a bit of history.
Tony and L-A have Anglican background, so are very familiar with this ancient creed.
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
Eternally begotten of the Father,
God of God, Light from Light,
true God from true God; begotten, not made, of one being with the Father
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven,
By the power of the Holy Spirit, he became incarnate from the virgin Mary, and was made man;
For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered death and was buried;
On the third day He rose again, in accordance with the Scriptures;
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father;
He come again in glory, to judge the living and the dead;
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father;
With the Father and Son, he is worshipped and glorified;
He has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins;
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Of course, there is also the Ancient Christian creed in Philippians 2:5-11, which some call the "Phillipians Hymn." Laurie-Ann personally sees this as a hymn (there are many songs based on this passage, such as Graham Kendrick's "The Servant King" and Holy Trinity Brompton's "May your attitude."
Philippians 2: 5-11: In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death –
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Laurie-Ann spoke on this topic, and included this passage in her wedding with Tony.
The lyrics are:
We believe in God the Father, Maker of the universe,
And in Christ His Son our Savior, Come to us by virgin birth.
We believe He died to save us, Bore our sins, was crucified.
Then from death He rose victorious, Ascended to the Father’s side.
Jesus, Lord of all, Lord of all, Jesus, Lord of all, Lord of all,
Jesus, Lord of all, Lord of all, Jesus, Lord of all, Lord of all.
Name above all names. Name above all names.
We believe He sends His Spirit, On his church with gifts of power.
God His word of truth affirming, Sends us to the nations now.
He will come again in glory, Judge the living and the dead.
Every knee shall bow before Him, Then must every tongue confess.
Name above all names.
Copyright © 1986 Thankyou Music
Sometimes you have to go with a bit of history.
Tony and L-A have Anglican background, so are very familiar with this ancient creed.
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
Eternally begotten of the Father,
God of God, Light from Light,
true God from true God; begotten, not made, of one being with the Father
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven,
By the power of the Holy Spirit, he became incarnate from the virgin Mary, and was made man;
For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered death and was buried;
On the third day He rose again, in accordance with the Scriptures;
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father;
He come again in glory, to judge the living and the dead;
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father;
With the Father and Son, he is worshipped and glorified;
He has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins;
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Of course, there is also the Ancient Christian creed in Philippians 2:5-11, which some call the "Phillipians Hymn." Laurie-Ann personally sees this as a hymn (there are many songs based on this passage, such as Graham Kendrick's "The Servant King" and Holy Trinity Brompton's "May your attitude."
Philippians 2: 5-11: In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death –
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Laurie-Ann spoke on this topic, and included this passage in her wedding with Tony.
The Five Core Values of Iris: (from IrisGlobal website)
1. We understand that we can find God, and can experience intimacy, communication and companionship with Him in His Presence, if we share His love for righteousness.
2. We are totally dependent on Him for everything, and we need and expect miracles of all kinds to sustain us and confirm the Gospel in our ministry.
3. We look for revival among the broken, humble and lowly, and start at the bottom with ministry to the poor. God chooses the weak and despised things of the world to shame the proud, demonstrating His own strength and wisdom. Our direction is lower still.
4. We understand the value of suffering in the Christian life. Learning to love requires willingness to suffer for the sake of righteousness. Discipline and testing make saints out of us, and produce in us the holiness, without which we will not see God’s face and share His glory. With Paul we rejoice in our weaknesses, for when we are weak we are strong.
5. The joy of the Lord is not optional and far outweighs our suffering! In Jesus it becomes our motivation, reward and spiritual weapon. In His Presence is fullness of joy, and with Paul we testify that in all our troubles our joy knows no bounds (2 Cor. 7:4). It is our strength and energy, without which we die.
These creeds and values are not exhaustive, but Jesus is at the centre of it all. He is Lord.
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NLT)
1. We understand that we can find God, and can experience intimacy, communication and companionship with Him in His Presence, if we share His love for righteousness.
2. We are totally dependent on Him for everything, and we need and expect miracles of all kinds to sustain us and confirm the Gospel in our ministry.
3. We look for revival among the broken, humble and lowly, and start at the bottom with ministry to the poor. God chooses the weak and despised things of the world to shame the proud, demonstrating His own strength and wisdom. Our direction is lower still.
4. We understand the value of suffering in the Christian life. Learning to love requires willingness to suffer for the sake of righteousness. Discipline and testing make saints out of us, and produce in us the holiness, without which we will not see God’s face and share His glory. With Paul we rejoice in our weaknesses, for when we are weak we are strong.
5. The joy of the Lord is not optional and far outweighs our suffering! In Jesus it becomes our motivation, reward and spiritual weapon. In His Presence is fullness of joy, and with Paul we testify that in all our troubles our joy knows no bounds (2 Cor. 7:4). It is our strength and energy, without which we die.
These creeds and values are not exhaustive, but Jesus is at the centre of it all. He is Lord.
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NLT)