About Us

Christians have held a wide variety of beliefs, perspectives, and convictions throughout the ages. Desert Springs Bible Church (DSBC) is a community of people with many different backgrounds, convictions, and opinions. We are united by the belief that Jesus is at the center of all things (Colossians 1:15).

In the 17th century, a Christian German theologian named Rubertus Meldenius summarized our desired posture well: In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.

The following paragraphs are our current understanding of the ”essentials” of “the Way” (as the author of Gospel of Luke refers to Christianity in the book of Acts). As such, these essentials are core to understanding what God is doing both at DSBC and in the whole world.

In the Beginning…

God created.

God, who has eternally existed as one God in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), sovereignly created the heavens and the earth.

God formed humans in his image.

God, in His overwhelming love, created humans in His own image and likeness, each individual having inherent dignity, worth, and purpose. God, who is holy, desired to live with humanity and formed a garden paradise – a place of peace, justice, beauty, and love. He offered eternal life with him and called humans – his “image bearers” – to be like him, and to be fruitful and multiply by filling, cultivating, and stewarding the earth.

Humans rebelled against God.

Though made in God’s image, humanity rebelled against God and hid from Him. Each person has turned to their own way by failing to love God and others. Humanity is still hiding from God; this ongoing rebellion (also called “sin”) leads to evil and death.

God did something unexpected to deliver and redeem humans and restore our relationship with Him: He pursued humans to turn back to Him and invited us back into an everlasting relationship. God made a covenant with Abraham. God established law through Moses. God provided deliverance to the people of Israel from death through Passover, a foreshadowing of salvation through Jesus. In Jesus, God has reconciled the world to himself.

Jesus, the turning point of the story

God became human.

Jesus, God the Son – fully divine and holds all things together by His power – became fully human and was born of the virgin Mary. He experienced daily life, the joys of friendship, and the pain of loss. Jesus understands everything it means to be human.
He proclaimed the good news that the Kingdom of God had arrived in Him and called all people to turn from sin and turn back to God. Though sinless, he was crucified on a cross, died, and was buried.

Jesus conquered evil and death.

Jesus did not stay dead. He rose from the grave (the resurrection). After appearing to many of His followers, He ascended into heaven, where He now sits at God’s right hand. He is ruler over all powers. He is living, active, and present with us, serving as our high priest and advocate.

Jesus freed all people from the power of sin and death through his death and resurrection. One day, he will return and reunite heaven and earth, like the garden paradise mentioned above. The separation and brokenness of humanity’s rebellion will be reconciled as creation is made new again. All who follow Jesus will live forever with Him in the restored world of peace, justice, beauty, and love.

Jesus continues his work today

Jesus formed the Church.

As we wait for the return of Jesus, we strive to live in unity with one another as His church, the “body of Christ”. Jesus is the head of the Church, which comprises all believers. Each local congregation is an expression of this one Church and is called to live the values of the Kingdom of God “on earth as it is in heaven” by humbly living with self-giving, sacrificial love.

The Holy Spirit empowers the Church.

God works on and through His church through the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit causes people to recognize their broken relationship with God by exposing sin – individually and collectively – and guiding us to repentance. The Holy Spirit equips believers with spiritual gifts to anchor, uplift, encourage, and unify the church.

Scripture guides the Church.

The scriptures are breathed out by God and testify to the things mentioned above. They are given to us so that through them, we may know God and His plan for the restoration of creation and redemption of humanity. The Holy Spirit actively shapes our hearts through scripture, transforming us into the image of Jesus through the ongoing process of learning to better love God and love people and giving us the wisdom to live as ambassadors of God’s Kingdom to our neighbors. The scripture, not the opinion of a religious leader, serves as the final word on matters of faith and practice.