Why Starting Pointe?

Think of Starting Pointe as the Foyer of your home.  It is has been created as a relational environment to introduce you to the many aspects of the Eastpointe Community.  We believe there are many benefits to being a part of Eastpointe.  After you have completed this class we invite you to take another step toward God and being a part of Eastpointe.

1> First benefit for Starting Pointe --- Destiny.  Part of our desire is to help you take steps toward the Purpose that God has for your life.  So, we want to share some basic core values with you that we believe will help you on your path toward God’s will for your life.  During this course, we will cover some Biblical teaching so that you can understand what we believe and why we believe it.

2> Second benefit for Starting Pointe --- Connection.  We want to know you and we want you to know us.  It is a fact that none of us will get to where God wants us to go in life without godly relationships. 

Prov. 13:20 “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.”

It is vitally important that you build strong and lasting relationships with those who are headed in the same direction in life as you are.  If you desire to have a fulfilling life and walk in God’s plan, Eastpointe is the place for you to get connected.  After you finish this Starting Pointe Step, you will be even closer to knowing the wonderful people that are in the Eastpointe Community.

Why We Believe CHURCH is a Big Deal?

We believe Church is a Big Deal because God Loves the Church Deeply.  The Bible talks about God's affection for the church in Eph 5:25-33.  It says "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her…For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.  For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church."

God loves the Church so much that He gave His Only Son for it. His love for the Church is steadfast and unchanging…it is committed…it is deep…and affectionate!  Have you ever wondered why the Bible used the marriage as a symbol for the church instead of the comparison of a boyfriend & girlfriend.  Why not the dating realm?

People often view the church relationship in dating terms --- they say things like, “Well, I’m seeing a church over on Anderson Rd.” Or they say ---

• “Membership to her (the church)? Whoa! No way, I’m not ready to be tied down…”
• “She (the church) is kind of clingy…she wants to be together for 2 hrs every Sunday”
• "She (the church) is always asking me to go to a small group…she wants me to serve in a ministry"
• “I don’t want to ruin something beautiful”
• “I want to keep my options open”

The second reason it is a Big Deal because God sees the Church as His Family. Ephesians 2:19 says "You are members of God's very own family and you belong in God's household with every other Christian." The Church is the Family of God.  It is not a building…not a club…not an organization, institution, or a religion.  It is God's family! Christianity means, not only relating to God, it means relating to other believers. When you become a Christian, you are a part of a family.  This verse says the church is God's family; and every Christian needs a church home.

Christianity is not just believing but also belonging.  Romans 12:5 says "In Christ, we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."  When the early church started, there were no floating Christians out there.  They did not say "Let's go to the church of Philippi today...and next week, we will go to the church of Corinth...then after that we will try the church at Rome."  There was no such thing as a Christian without a church…that's true anywhere in the world except America.  Only in American do we have these isolated Christians -- "I'm a Christian and I don't need anybody else." Your commitment to the church family must be rooted in Biblical convictions --- If you love Christ, you must surely love His church.  That means Not merely tolerant of, or indifferent to—but in love with the purpose and the plan of the church.