Early Church Example

“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Acts 2:46-48

 
The New Testament Church
We believe we ought to emulate the model and standards demonstrated by Jesus and His early Church, incorporating them into our culture.

 
The Message
The Kingdom of God was the message Jesus preached and the one He commissioned His disciples to preach. Many Biblical truths taken outside of the context of surrendering to the King and His kingdom become self-serving. At Northlands we aim to preach a message of the rule and Lordship of the incredibly gracious and kind God over our lives.

 
The Mandate
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel!” is our mandate. Each community of believers must have a heart for those who are in their neighborhood but also for those who are further away, including every nation under heaven. We need to broadcast the message of the amazing grace of God in all its fullness. God’s nature is apostolic in that He sent His only Son, He sent the Holy Spirit, He sent His Word, He sent the prophets and He is now sending the Church. At Northlands we expect that everyone will either be going or facilitating others going through their effort and resources.

 
The Mission
Making disciples in every nation is our mission. This entails more than a decision for Christ. It means that we cultivate maturity in each disciple by teaching him or her to obey everything Jesus commanded. At Northlands we have synthesized this into 3 bold steps: Introducing Christ, Pursuing Maturity, Impacting Nations.

 
The Model
Servant-hearted ascension gift ministers equip and lead the church. These ascension gift ministries of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers lay foundations and equip churches for their task. At Northlands we seek to effect our mission by a model that embraces ascension gift ministries and the three aspects of our mission by relating to the apostolic team of New Covenant Ministries International (NCMI).

 
The Ministry
Every believer carries out his or her ministry as they are equipped and watched over by called leaders. The priesthood of all believers is entrenched in the New Testament promises and model. Each person in the church is to use the gifts, talents and resources they have at their disposal to faithfully serve others and the mandate of the church. At Northlands we help people to focus on and equip people for their rightful place of service through our PASSPORT program and various training and serving opportunities.

 
The Motive
Love is the compelling drive and basic motivation of the Church. As long as she remains in love, the Church continues to demonstrate the nature of her lover. Every effort, sacrifice or action devoid of love is useless. At Northlands we keep this motive in prominent position.

 
The Meetings
Church meetings demonstrate aspects of each of the above. They allow for expressions of corporate worship and hearing from God and His Word. At Northlands we focus meetings in response to the mandate we believe we have received: some to Introduce Christ, some to establish His Lordship and to Cultivate Maturity, and some to equip us to go into the nations.