We gather together here, as a family, on Sundays for our church services. We believe your relationship with God is important so we do our best to present our services in fresh and creative ways to encourage you on your faith journey.
Our Vision
We are a family that helps people grow to Love God, Love the Church, and Love the Lost. We value loving relationships, biblical teaching and authentic worship.
God
There is but one God, the maker, preserver and ruler of all things, having in and of Himself all perfections, and being infinite in them all. To God alone all creatures owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience.
Deut. 6:4; Ps. 145:3; John 1:3; 1 Cor.8:4-6; 1 Tim. 1:17
God the Father
God the Father, the first Person of the Trinity, orders and disposes all things according to His own purpose and grace. He is the Creator of all things. As the only absolute and omnipotent Ruler in the universe, He is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption. His fatherhood involves both His designation within the Trinity and His relationship with mankind. As Creator He is Father to all men, but He is spiritual Father only to believers. In His sovereignty He is neither the author nor approver of sin, nor does He reduce the accountability of moral, intelligent creatures.
Gen 1:1-31; Psa 103:19; Psa 145:8-9; Hab1:13; John 8:38-47; Rom 8:14; Rom 11:36; 1 Cor 8:6; 2 Cor 6:18; Eph 4:6; 1 Pet 1:17
The Holy Spirit
God the Holy Spirit brings glory to the Father and the Son. He applies the work of Christ to believers and distributes spiritual gifts to every believer according to His sovereign good pleasure for the purpose of building up the body of Christ. He is the Comforter, the Spirit of Adoption, the Seal of our Salvation, and the Guarantor of our inheritance in Christ. He indwells all believers and empowers them to live according to His will,
John 14:16-17; 16:14; Acts 5:3; Rom. 8:14-17; Eph. 1:13-14
Providence
God, from eternity, decrees or permits all things that come to pass, and continually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and all events; yet so as not in any way to be the author or approver of sin, nor to destroy the free will and responsibility of intelligent creatures.
Isa. 46:9-11; Prov. 16:33; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3; Jas. 1:13-15, Tit. 1:2
Regeneration
Regeneration is a change of heart, the work of the Holy Spirit, who gives life to those dead in trespasses and sins, enlightening their minds spiritually to understand the Word of God in order to be saved, and renewing their whole nature, so that they love and practice holiness. It is a work of God's free and special grace alone, and is a precursor to faith in Christ.
John 3:3-8; Eph. 2:1-6; Tit. 3:5; 1 John 5:1
Repentance
Repentance is a grace given by God, where a person, by the power of the Holy Spirit, is made aware of the evil of his sin, humbles himself for it with godly sorrow and detestation of it, and turns from it with a purpose and endeavour to walk before God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so as to please Him in all things.
Ps. 32:1-5; Isa. 6:5; 55:7; Luke 5:8; 18:9-14; Acts 2:37-38; 11:15-18; 2 Cor. 7:10-11; 2 Tim. 2:25
Sanctification
Those who have been regenerated are also sanctified by God's Word and Spirit dwelling in them. This sanctification is a progressive process empowered by the Holy Spirit, which all true Christians seek to obtain, pressing after a heavenly life in obedience to all Christ's commands.
Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:27; Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:13-25; Eph. 3:14-21; Phil. 2:12-13; Col. 3:1-17; 2 Pet. 1:3-11
The Adversary
Satan is a real being, the enemy of God and man. He is a created angelic being who fell from his position in heaven due to sin who is now completely opposed to God. Sometimes referred to as Lucifer, his arrogance drew him to desire to be on a throne above God. He is an accuser, a tempter and a deceiver, and is the ultimate source behind every false cult and false religion. He is the ruler of this world, and is the prince of the power of the air. Satan's certain destiny is an eternity in the lake of fire, hell.
Isa 14:12-14; Eze 28:15; 1 Tim 3:6; John 12:31; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2; Rev 12:10; Mat 4:3; Rev 20:3, 20:10
The Final Judgement
God has appointed a day where He will judge the world by Jesus Christ, when everyone shall receive reward or punishment according to their deeds; the wicked shall go into everlasting punishment; the righteous, into everlasting life.
Matt. 25:46; John 5:22, 27-29; Acts 17:31; 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Thess. 1:7-10
The Trinity
The Scriptures reveal that the one God eternally exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each person is coequal yet distinct and has a different role within the Trinity, but God is without division of nature, essence, or being.
Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; 1 Cor. 8:4-6; 2 Cor. 13:14
Jesus Christ
Since Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is fully God and fully man, He is the divinely appointed mediator between God and man. Having taken upon Himself human nature, yet without sin, He perfectly fulfilled the law. He suffered and died upon the cross for the salvation of sinners. He was buried, rose again on the third day, and ascended to His Father, at whose right hand He forever lives to make intercession for His people. He will return again visibly and bodily. He is the only Mediator, the Head of the Church, and Sovereign of the universe.
Isa. 53:10-12; John 1:1, 14; Acts 1:9-11; Rom. 3:21-26; 8:34; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Gal. 3:13; Col 1:16-18; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 1:1-3; 7:25
The Scriptures
The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments (the Bible) were given by inspiration of God. Therefore, all Scripture is authoritative, infallible, and inerrant. The Scriptures are the only and completely sufficient rule for faith and practice.
Ps. 19:7; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21
The Fall of Man
God originally created Man in His own image, and free from sin; but, through the temptation of Satan, Adam transgressed the command of God and fell from his original holiness and righteousness. Adam's descendants inherit a nature corrupt and wholly opposed to God and His law. As a result, they are under condemnation, and as soon as they are capable of moral action, become actual transgressors without defence or excuse. In his fallen state, man still bears the image of God, albeit in a marred state, and therefore possesses a unique and special worth amongst the created order.
Gen. 1:26-27; 3:1-7; 6:5; Rom. 3:9-18; 5:12-19; 8:5-8; Eph. 2:1-3
Faith
Saving faith is the belief, on God's authority, of whatever is revealed in His Word concerning Christ; accepting and resting upon Him alone for justification and eternal life. It is brought about in the heart by the Holy Spirit, and is accompanied by all other saving graces, and leads to a life of holiness.
Rom. 3:27-28; 4:1-5; 4:17-25; 10:14, 17; Phil. 1:29; Eph. 2:8; Jas. 2:14-26
Justification
Justification includes the pardon of sin and the promise of eternal life on principles of righteousness. It is given, not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in Christ. Because of this faith His perfect righteousness is freely imputed to us, which brings us into a state of peace and favour with God.
Luke 18:9-14; Rom. 3:21-26; 4:4-9, 23-25; 5:1-2, 9, 17-21; 8:28-34; 10:3-4; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:7-9; Tit. 3:5-7
The Church
The Lord Jesus is the Head of the Church, which is composed of all His true disciples, and in Him is invested supremely all power for its government. Christians are to associate themselves into particular local churches, and to each of these churches he has given authority for administering order, discipline, and worship. The Church is the bride of Christ, whom He loves. The regular offices of a church are Elders (Pastors) and Deacons.
Matt. 28:18-20; John 10:16; Acts 20:17, 28; Eph. 1:22; 5:23; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; 5:17-18; Tit. 1:5-9; Heb. 10:25
The Resurrection
The bodies of mankind, after death, return to dust. At death, believers go to be with the Lord and unbelievers enter torment. The bodies of all the dead, both just and unjust, will be raised.
Gen. 3:19; Luke 16:22-26; 23:43; John 5:28-29; 1 Cor. 15:12-28; 2 Cor. 5:1-10; Phil. 1:23
Commitment to God and His Authoritative Word
The Bible is God’s revelation to us in completion, perfection, and absolute authority. It addresses every issue that the believer needs to deal with in their Christian Life.It also addresses issues that we in our own wisdom might not choose to deal with. Therefore consistent, verse by verse, expository teaching and application of what God has said in His Word should be our standard approach to teaching. This living Word is the primary means of our knowing and worshiping Him in truth.
This does not discount the value of "series" type preaching/teaching (which should still, in fact, be expository in nature), but systematic verse by verse exposition of God's Word should be our standard approach.
In all things within Church life, God's Word is to be the first and the final authority, being the basis for all decision making. It should be expected that the world's approach to decision making and leadership will often be different to God's revealed approach, and God's approach must always be accepted, no matter how difficult or counter-cultural it is.
2 Timothy 3:16, 17; Hebrews 4:12; John 17:16-17; 1 Cor 1:20
Commitment to God-centred Worship
Believers gather to worship and to be equipped and then spread out to evangelise. Church services must be primarily for the glory and pleasure of God, which results in the progressive maturity of His people. While we should always be mindful of potentially having non-believers in our church services, the primary focus is the Glory of God through the building up of the body. Our Sunday morning services (being the primary occasion that we gather) are an opportunity to gather for teaching and encouragement and is the gathering that we are reminded to “not neglect”.
Stylistic preferences are very secondary to the above. Our focus must not be on ourselves (and therefore what styles we prefer), but on Christ to the glory of God. We should not have a focus on trying to be attractive to the world in the ordering or executing of our church services, as this will inevitably tempt us to take our focus off the person and work of Christ. However, we are aware that on any given Sunday there may be unbelievers present at our services and that they are guests to our family gathering, and so we endeavour to show them the love of Christ and demonstrate the practical outworking of the gospel in every way possible.
Luke 4:8; John 4:24; Hebrews 10:25; 12:28-29; Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 14:23-25; 2 Corinthians 4:6-7
Commitment to Proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ is both our Lord and Saviour, and the two cannot be separated. The modern shallow understanding of salvation and the gospel, known as “easy-believism,” stands in stark contrast to what the Bible teaches. The gospel call to faith presupposes that sinners must repent of their sin and yield to Christ's authority. Therefore, salvation is an absolute transition of allegiance to Jesus, the Messiah and the Master. This should result in "radical" living for Jesus, and result in believers looking progressively less and less like the world.
Luke 9:23-27; 14:25-33; James 2:14-26; 2 Corinthians 5:15,21; Matthew 7:21-23
Commitment to Proclaiming God’s Sovereignty in Salvation
Salvation is completely and wholly the work of God. While man is called to turn to God in faith, he does not have the ability to do so, as he is dead in his transgressions. Regeneration is required, which is entirely the work of the Holy Spirit, after which faith is possible and in fact is desired due to a new heart being given.
This recognition of God's sovereignty in salvation and of the Holy Spirit's specific and supernatural role in regeneration results in a firm reliance on the only supernatural tools that we have at our disposal for evangelism: prayer and the Word of God. While reason and logical arguments for the existence of God and surrounding topics (such as creation vs. evolution) can be of some assistance to remove mental roadblocks from a person's mind, the supernatural work of bringing someone to faith in Christ can only be done by God.
This in no way reduces man’s responsibility to turn from sin to God. Man is fully responsible for his actions and for his sin.
While we should always be committed to proclaiming the gospel and calling unbelievers to repentance and faith in Christ, this recognition of God’s sovereignty in salvation also prevents us from pressuring unbelievers to make a decision to believe, for this can possibly have the effect of trying to make a cognitive decision apart from the regeneration of the heart, resulting in a false confession of faith in Christ.
John 3:3-8, 15:16; Colossians 3:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 1:4-6
Commitment to Intentionally Making Disciples
The church must foster disciple-making within its own community through the relational witness of the body as well as in the world through church planting and missions. Both individually and corporately, we are compelled to intentionally pursue evangelism.
Discipleship occurs in many formats and arenas, but always has the focus of drawing a person closer to God and assisting in his/her transformation further into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
Intentional discipleship will move an individual to love God, and from that love of God to love the church(and so being matured in his/her faith as we live together and sharpen one another), and through the process of maturing in his/her faith will love the lost in evangelism.
Baptism is an essential part of discipling, and must be at the forefront of every new believers journey.
Matthew 4:19-20; 28:16-20; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 4:16; Colossians 2:12; 1 Timothy 1:16
Commitment to Grace-Motivated Spiritual Growth
Living a grace-motivated life is not a liberty that allows a believer to choose a lifestyle independent of the Scriptures. Rather, it is a discipline that increasingly teaches a believer to say “no” to ungodliness, and to hunger for righteousness. While the presence of sin will not be absent until we reach heaven, followers of Christ can be confident that if they confess their sin, God is faithful to forgive and restore the parental relationship between Him and His elect ones.
Grace motivated spiritual growth does not attempt to place laws or rules around godliness, but asks questions such as "in this area of my life, how can I act that would bring the most glory to God?".
Galatians 3:1-3; Romans 11:33-12:2; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Philippians 2:12, 13; 1 John 1:9; Titus 2:11-12
Commitment to Dependent, Expectant Prayer
Prayer is the lifeblood of the church. Every aspect of ministry must be saturated with humble surrender and confident intercession. Whether secret or public, whether personal or corporate, prayer must be the hallmark of the local church.
Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. This battle is fought primarily in prayer, and much time and attention must be dedicated to it.
Matthew 7:7-11; 21:13; Acts 1:13-14; Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 4:2
Commitment to a Plurality of Servant Leaders–Elders and Deacons
Multiple qualified elders (pastors) who respect and value one another and who serve God’s people in humility must lead the church. The church must diligently prepare future leaders who are confidently committed to God’s truth and who are able, with precision and skill, to lead others into that truth.
Qualified elders must shepherd the members of the church, caring for their souls and protecting them from unsound doctrine. They are to equip the church members for effective ministry out in the world.
The qualifications of an elder (1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1) should be rigorously upheld and regularly checked for all elders.
The role/office of deacon is also vital to the life of the church, specifically to assist in the day to day tasks involved in operating as a church body. The important work of the deacons ensures that the elders can keep focused on the biblical priorities of prayer, ministry of the Word and shepherding. The qualifications of a deacon (1 Timothy 3) should be rigorously upheld and regularly checked for all deacons.
1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-3; 2 Timothy 2:2
Commitment to Complementarianism
Men and women are 100% equal in God's eyes and are both made in the image of God.
However, God has made men and women with different roles in the home and in the church. Men (husbands)are called to sacrificially lead in the home with love, care and gentleness while women (wives) are called to lovingly and respectfully submit to their husband's leadership.
In the life of the church, both men and women are biblically called and permitted to carry out any and all roles within the church, with the exception of two; Eldership and the teaching of men have been reserved,by God,for men only.
While ministry leadership and team leadership is completely open to women and should be encouraged for women whom God has gifted in this way, it is also wise to help demonstrate a commitment to male leadership as an underlying principle by specifically encouraging men to step up and lead given that we live in a wider secular culture that is weakening and degrading the role of men.
Headship, as biblically defined (specifically in 1 Corinthians 11), is rooted in and first displayed in the Godhead. Christ,while being completely equal with and not inferior to the Father, lovingly and willingly submits to the Father in everything.It is in this picture that we find the pattern for biblical headship and submission in the roles of men and women.
1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:22-33; Colossians 3:18-19; 1 Timothy 2:12-14, 3:2
Commitment to Authenticity and Accountability
Members must go beyond superficial relationships and be committed to intimacy in each other’s lives, continually stirring up one another to love God and love others. The church must minister to both the physical and spiritual needs of the body. Selfless, sacrificial love is the defining mark of Christ's disciples and the continual requirement for flawed humans to work together demands a sacrificial giving of one's self for another.
Members should expect that this accountability will be part of their lives so that they can help and be helped in their journey of sanctification by the rest of the body.Small groups will be a primary way in which this authenticity and accountability is able to be practiced.
John 13:15, Hebrews 10:24, 25; Acts 4:32
Commitment to Church Discipline and Restoration
Even though it is unpopular in today’s culture, a church family must be committed to following the complete biblical process when a church member is in unrepentant sin. Loving restoration is the constant goal of church discipline, patiently returning an erring Christian to complete fellowship with God and the church. Church members should mourn over sinning brothers and sisters and eagerly forgive with joy at their repentance. Biblical church discipline has no room for a "holier-than-thou" attitude.
Just as it would be unloving to allow our own children to continue along in sin without correcting them, so too it is unloving to allow a brother or sister in Christ to continue in sin without lovingly, biblically making them aware of his/her sin and calling them back to God and to repentance. God is jealous for His church, and for her to be pure without sin (as far as is possible in a fallen world). The world also sees the church and her godliness (or lack of it) and makes a judgement of God based on the character of the church, and so our evangelism is greatly influenced by the way that we help each other in pursuing godliness.
Matthew 18:15-35; 1 Corinthians 5; Galatians 6:1-2
Commitment to Corporate Ministry
Every believer is made for ministry and has a place of service or outreach. Ministry should never be viewed as the job of the “trained professionals.”
A large part of the role of elders is to "equip the saints for ministry", not to do the ministry themselves. This means that we need to theologically and practically prepare the congregation to minister to the local church, and to"go out" into the world during the week to engage and evangelise where God has put them.While ministry that happens within the church building is helpful, it should not replace nor detract from our calling to ministry out in the world.
1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 2:10; 4:11-16; 1 Timothy 4:16; James 1:27
Commitment to Theological Robustness
We live in a generation that is, generally speaking, theologically shallow and often confused. This confusion has led to all manner of unhelpful and often harmful ideas and doctrine making its way into the church (as a generalisation). It is the responsibility of the local church to grow theological depth and robustness within the congregation, and for the elders to lead and model this. It is also the responsibility of the church to provide avenues for its members to grow in theological depth and love of God.
1 Timothy 4:16; 2 Timothy 2:15; Galatians 1:8; 2 Timothy 4:2-3
Bradd Trebilco
Lead Pastor
bradd@tabiblechapel.org.nz
Shane Wildermoth
Associate Pastor
shane@tabiblechapel.org.nz
Lyndon Frost
Associate Pastor
lyndon@tabiblechapel.org.nz
Peta Macdonald
Accounts/Admin
accounts@tabiblechapel.org.nz
Helen Claasen
Accounts
helen@tabiblechapel.org.nz
Helen Morris
Counsellor
027 295 8837
Elders
Howard Robinson, Warwick Emmett, Ross Jacobsen, Bradd Trebilco, Campbell Stewart, and Steve McClunie.
Phone
07 871 8667
021 0881 0433
Email
office@tabiblechapel.org.nz
Postal Address
110 Chapel Drive
Te Awamutu, Waikato 3800
Office Hours
Mon - Thurs / 9:00am - 3:00pm
