City Church Seven Hills

The Protestant Reformation was famously sparked by Martin Luther and his 95 Theses, which he nailed to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517. While Luther was not attempting to create one of the largest divisions in the Church, (he hoped to reform the Catholic Church he was part of), the legacy of his push for reform is a vast conglomeration of denominations spread across the theological spectrum.

City Church Seven Hills proudly proclaims ourselves to be part of this movement in our doctrinal statement with the following words:

We Are Protestant

We believe that each individual can connect with God and hear his voice through Scripture, prayer, worship, and community. (John 10:2-4, John 16:13, Hebrews 4:14-16)

In our view, this is the defining core of what Luther and his contemporaries accomplished. They tore down the walls of religion that limited man’s connection to the divine to a narrow passage of priests of scholars. The radical truth that fueled the Protestant Reformation is the idea that every one, not just those in vocational ministry, can connect to and hear from the Most High God. This is in fact the heart of the Gospel, that the Holy Spirit dwells not in religious establishments but the hearts of His people. This is a value theoretically shared by all the sprawling denominations of Protestantism, though it is practically expressed in various ways by the differing theological streams.

At City Church, we believe this universal access to the presence and voice of God is built on the foundation of Christ’s work as High Priest. Hebrews 4:14-16 teaches that Jesus has entered heaven and made a way for us to come boldly to God’s throne. Not by way of sacrifices or certain behaviors but on the merit of Jesus who understands our weaknesses yet did not succumb to them. As a result of this access, we can learn to recognize the voice of our Shepherd (John 10:3). We also have the Spirit of truth Jesus promised living inside of us and speaking at all times (John 16:13).

Our doctrinal statement identifies Scripture, prayer, worship, and community as the means by which we connect with God and hear His voice. Hebrews 4:12 tells us how the Word of God is alive. It exposes our thoughts and God uses His Living Word to speak to us in unique ways each time we read it. Though the words were written thousands of years ago and addressed to many different people, the Word continues to live and be used by the Spirit to speak directly to us today. Prayer and worship create an environment where we can quiet the noise of the world around us and allow the Spirit within to speak directly to us as the Good Shepherd whose voice we recognize and follow (John 10). This does not often mean an audible voice, but the voice of the Spirit of truth guiding us in our spirit.

Community is possibly the most important way we hear God’s voice, but often overlooked in our culture of individualism. Though this point of doctrine emphasizes the ability of the individual to hear from God, God Himself exists in the perpetual community of the Trinity and he made us to thrive in community as well. Often, He keeps us dependent on the spiritual family He has placed around us by speaking to them when He wants to get a word to us. This is a powerful way Jesus can confirm words he speaks directly to us when we hear the same thing from an outside source.

The personal connection between us and God is a vital part of our beliefs and experience as followers of Jesus. The fact that we can hear from Him directly sets us apart in a significant way from other branches of Christianity and other world religions.