Harmony Baptist Church, Galesburg IL

Across the nation and the world, different churches have different areas of focus. Some churches are known for a specific type of ministry, a specific music style, or a particular doctrinal focus. At Harmony Baptist Church in Galesburg, IL, we are committed to focusing on what Jesus says is most important.

Jesus said and did many things while He was here on earth. How can any church know what Jesus considered most important? Actually, Jesus identified a couple of principles that are central to the Christian faith. In Matthew 22, verses 37 and 38, Jesus had just been asked what the most important commandment was. He replied that the first and most vital commandment is to love God with your heart, your soul, and your mind. The next most important commandment is to love other people, as much as you love yourself. 

After His crucifixion, burial and resurrection, Jesus gave one final commandment to His followers before ascending into heaven. This is especially worth noting, since it’s the last thing Jesus told us to do while here on earth. This commandment could only be made after all of Jesus’ work on the cross had been accomplished. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus tells His followers to spread the Christian faith to everyone in the world. He tells the church to go to every nation on earth and make disciples by teaching people who Jesus is.

At Harmony Baptist Church Galesburg, we believe every word of Scripture is inspired and important. All of God’s commands for the church are relevant. However, we view these three commands–love God, love others, and make disciples–as especially central to the Christian faith. We treat them as cornerstones of our ministry, guiding our decisions and our vision for the future. There are many churches in Galesburg, IL, and they all have different visions and worship styles. Here at Harmony Baptist Church, we like to keep the spotlight on the basic elements of Christianity: love and discipleship.

What will you find at Harmony Baptist Church? Keep reading for a closer look at the foundations of each guiding principle. You’ll also get a better sense of how these principles shape what we do in everyday life and practice.

Loving God in a Galesburg Church: A Project For Eternity

Do you love God? If you’re a Christian, you might quickly answer yes. The Bible says that we love God because he loved us first. If you have accepted God’s simple plan of salvation, you know there’s a lot to love about Him. He loved you enough to die for you, and He saved you from sin to spend eternity with Him. Our love for God begins when we realize the magnitude of what He has done for us.

However, learning to love God isn’t a one-time event. As Christians, our love for God should be constantly growing stronger and more substantial. Ephesians 3:17-19 uses the analogy of a tree with deep roots. As a Christian goes through life, the roots of God’s love go down deeper and deeper into their heart. 

The same passage also tells us that we can experience God’s love, but we can never fully understand it while here on earth. Discovering more about it is a lifelong process, and after this life on earth, there will still be more to find out!

Biblical Teaching in a Galesburg Church: Growing Our Love With Knowledge

Sometimes, loving God gives you powerful feelings. You might feel a sense of awe as you sing about God’s greatness in church. When God answers an important prayer, you might feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude. However, we believe that love requires knowledge to be deep and meaningful. This is true of human relationships, too–in order to love your partner, you need to know a lot about them. That’s why we place so much emphasis on biblical teaching at Harmony Baptist Church. The more we know about God, the deeper our love can be. 

Loving Others in a Galesburg Church: More Than Words And Feelings

It’s easy to say you love other people, or sing about it on Sunday morning. However, Jesus clearly tells us that love involves action. Luke 10:25-37 contains Jesus’ beautiful parable of the Good Samaritan. In this story, a Jewish man is lying injured by the side of the road. Religious officials pass by without stopping to help, but then a Samaritan man comes along. Despite the cultural divide between Samaritans and Jewish people, he spends his own time and money helping the man to survive.

Jesus gave us this story as an example of what Christian love should look like. As a church, we strive to love other people with actions, not just with words. Jesus’ parable reminds us that there’s never an excuse for not loving others. Whatever someone’s ethnicity, nationality, income level, way of life, or cultural background may be, we can live out our faith by actively loving them.

Making Disciples through a Galesburg Church: Sharing God’s Love With The World

When a Christian experiences God’s love firsthand, they shouldn’t keep it to themselves. Making disciples by spreading the good news of the gospel is a primary way to show love for God and for others. 

Discipleship definitely involves supporting missionary work in other countries. After all, we’re directly commanded to spread the good news to every nation on earth, not just ours. Discipleship can also involve approaching people we don’t know, to share the love of God with them. However, we believe effective Christian discipleship also extends beyond these two methods. When churches focus only on a few ways of making disciples, they sometimes miss valuable opportunities.

We encourage church members to show God’s love organically in daily life. Being an active part of your community will bring you into contact with many people in Galesburg, IL, in all walks of life. When you speak and act in love, people will notice. Non-members are most likely to visit a church if they can see the difference Jesus is making in members’ lives. 

Are you ready to get back to the basics of what church is supposed to be? Join us at Harmony Baptist Church in Galesburg, IL this week! 

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