This Is Our Story
Forest Lake Baptist was planted in the very early days of development of the suburb and has remained a significant part in the community life of the neighbourhood
At FLBC, we believe that “Every Person Is Important To God.” This is more than a motto to us. It is at the core of who we are.
We believe that God has demonstrated this truth by sending Jesus to die on a Cross for us. And we believe that our responsibility is to demonstrate this same love to the World
– not just through words but also through actions.
We want people to not just hear about Jesus but to also see Him through us.
We endeavour to do this through our Sunday services, through Children’s and Youth Ministries, ministries to Men and Women, Life Groups, serving our community and taking this message to our World.
We believe that YOU ARE IMPORTANT TO GOD.
We believe God instilled in each of us the amazing gift of life for relationship. And we believe the only way to have the sort of relationship for which God created us is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
This is what Church is about!
We’d love to meet you sometime and we trust that you find what you’re looking for at this site.
Blessings!
Mark Mackay, Baptist Pastor to Forest Lake
What We Believe
This page provides a summary of this Church‘s Core beliefs and is drawn from our Church Constitution, and is consistent with the Queensland Baptists’ Statement of Faith document. It is not intended to provide a complete theological description on every matter of Christian Doctrine. The best way to find out more about the Church is to drop by some time or contact Ps Mark with your questions.
In a Snapshot
The heart and DNA of our Church is the Lord Jesus Christ – He is the reason we exist, He is our example, He is our King and it is for His glory that we‘re here. We seek to honour Him in how we act and what we believe. Jesus Christ showed God‘s glory, power, holiness, love and truth most fully on His Cross. Go to our Knowing Jesus page to find out more about Jesus.
About God
God is the Creator and Ruler of the Universe. He is absolutely holy, infinitely good and great, all powerful, all present, all knowing. God is eternal. He reveals Himself in three Persons: The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. God created the heavens and the earth and all that exists in them, including people. He continues to care for and govern His creation, working out His sovereign purposes in all that He has made.
About God the
Father
The Fatherhood of the First Person of the Trinity is eternal. He has always had a Son and the relationship of Father to Son is from eternity and not only due to the Second Person of the Trinity becoming incarnate. Their Fatherhood and Sonship are the source from which we derive our approximations to fatherhood and sonship in our human relationships. Our being made in the image of God enables humanity to partially reflect God’s eternal Fatherhood. God the Father is spirit and has never been incarnate but nonetheless has always been immanent in the actions of both God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
About Jesus
Christ
The eternal Son, co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit, came to earth and took on humanity and became Jesus Christ, still fully God and now forever also fully man. This incarnation was achieved through the virgin birth. Jesus lived a sinless life in perfect obedience to the Father in a role of humility taken on with His incarnation. He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice for sin, and the substitute in our place, at His death on the cross. By the Holy Spirit‘s power, the Father raised Him bodily from the dead, completing the conquest of Satan, sin and death. This resurrected Jesus the Father lifted to His right hand and made Him Lord of all. Christ there intercedes on our behalf and has sent the Holy Spirit to be His representative on earth. The Gospel presents this crucified, resurrected and glorified Christ as the Saviour of the world with the news that at the climax of the ages, He will return to earth to judge the living and the dead.
About the Holy
Spirit
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and with the Son. He is revealed first in the Old Testament Scripture as the “Spirit of God” but with the incarnation took on a new role of being the Spirit from the Father on Jesus Christ. It was through the Holy Spirit that Jesus fulfilled his ministry. Then from the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit became the “Spirit of Jesus Christ” in the believers. The Holy Spirit is present in the world to make humankind aware of their sin and need for Jesus Christ, and to bring them to salvation. The Holy Spirit is received at Christian conversion and permanently lives in these believers, providing them with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He equips believers in varied ways to be used in service for God as He leads. Christians should seek to live under His control.
About the
Bible
The Bible is the living written word of God to humankind. The Bible is our supreme authority, surpassing that of all human reason and tradition. It was written by human authors, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Whilst Jesus Christ alone is the authority in all matters of Christian belief and living, His will in such matters is either revealed in, or is consistent with His Word.
About People
People are made in the image of God and are the supreme focus of His creative work. Human value is guaranteed from this divine likeness and parentage and this is true for all humanity and not just Christians. Although every human being still displays evidence of their divine creation, they also display marked falseness from their originally created potential, due to what the Bible calls sin. Sin taints even the good that we are and that we do. Sin cuts us off eternally from God and works as a dynamic festering of evil within our relationships, our attitudes and even our physical bodies. From the moment the human race fell, every individual has been hopelessly lost and destined for an eternity in Hell.
About Salvation
Salvation is a free gift springing out of God’s love, mercy and grace. It is ours only in the provision of the Lord Jesus Christ and His perfect life, His atoning death, His powerful resurrection, His glorious ascension, His ongoing Priesthood, and His certain return. Salvation is at the one time something to be possessed, by coming to Christian conversion, and also something to be furthered through the Christian life. Salvation is to be prosecuted and worked out in our Christian lives and finally completed at the return of Christ. Salvation is totally provided for by the work of Christ without any contribution from us. It is effected by the work of the Holy Spirit; and it is contingent on personal faith which is not to be viewed as a work. Salvation has its antecedents in the sovereign election of God but begins in our experience with our repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It continues in sanctification through the ongoing practice of spiritual disciplines, and culminates in the redemption of our bodies and the glorification of our entire persons. Salvation is both something that we receive and something we seek to work out in our lives. It is the beginning now of the eternal life with God which will be ours throughout eternity.
About Eternity
People, once created, live forever. After physical death, they continue to exist to be eternally punished in hell because of their sin, or eternally comforted in heaven by the grace of Christ and through His salvation. The place of eternal separation from God is “hell”. The place of eternal security with God is “heaven”. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence. Jesus Christ will return visibly and victoriously from the presence of God the Father, to gather His people to Himself and complete His conquest over Satan, sin and evil. All people, both believers and unbelievers, will be raised bodily – a resurrection of the dead, and finally judged by the Lord Jesus Christ to determine their eternal status. Following the judgment, the whole of creation will be so transformed that righteousness will characterise believers and the new heavens and earth for ever.
About Baptism
and the Lord's
Supper
Baptism and the Lord‘s Supper are the only two ordinances which were given by Jesus Christ through Scripture to be observed by the Church for all ages. Baptism is the immersion of believers upon their profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and is a declaration of the fellowship of the regenerate believer in His death, burial and resurrection. The Lord‘s Supper is a memorial of thanksgiving for the sacrifice of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, regularly practised until He comes. It relates to pardon for sin, present sanctification and future glorification in Jesus Christ.
About Service
and Sacrifice
The Bible teaches that Christians should surrender every aspect of their lives to be a “spiritual service” or offered ministry to God. In this sense, every Christian is to minister as a servant of Christ. Serving Jesus Christ in the natural sphere of everyday life is important to Him and His witness, as is service undertaken with the Church. We affirm that the Lord has spiritually equipped each believer for their roles in ministry. It is these gifts that give balance to the body of Christ and enable Christ‘s work to continue. The empowerment for true service comes from intimacy with Jesus Christ through prayer, obedience to His Word, dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit within, and appropriate placement in ministry. There are some Christians who are called by God to be His servants in full time pastoral and leadership roles. Those who are called to this service have a challenge or burden placed upon their lives by the Holy Spirit which is confirmed by the Church. It is the responsibility of every Christian to share the Good News concerning Jesus Christ and His reconciling work on the cross and its implications with those God leads across their path, by life and word.
About the
Church
The universal Church consists of all persons, in heaven now or still on earth, who confess Christ as their Lord and Saviour. The local Church is a smaller community of believers who meet regularly for worship, fellowship, teaching of the Scriptures and seeking to save the lost. Christ alone is head of His Church, both universal and local – the Church is known as the Body of Christ. No other person, group, or religious organisation can profess to be the head of His Church.