Ekklesia Detroit

our theology

We are convinced that God inspired the human authors of the Bible to inscribe words that speak authoritatively to all people in all generations. God’s authority exercised through the Scriptures is the ultimate authority on all matters. He empowers us to identify ourselves in this ancient text communally, as the church, and individually, as children of God, for the joys of right interpretation and right living.

God has always existed, and there never was a time when He did not exist. Even before He created anything, God was One God, in perfect relationship with Himself: God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. "In the beginning," which is our beginning, God created, and everything He created was good. We were created to be fully dependent on God, in perfect harmony in our relationships with Him, others, ourselves, and the rest of creation. Our mission was to be responsible for the earth, be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it, while enjoying God as the supreme source of satisfaction.

The crafty serpent, Satan, convinced Eve that God was a tyrannical ruler with the intentions of manipulating creation for selfish benefit, in contrast to the truth, which is that He is a perfect loving Father who instituted boundaries both for their safeguard and maximum pleasure. They sinned by looking to another source of satisfaction outside of God. As a result, they both betrayed their covenant with God, handing over authority to Satan. Although the result was nothing like they expected, they received what they deserved. Adam and Eve brought about the curse of evil on all creation. This horrific atrocity left humanity alienated from God, resulting in our relationships with God, others, ourselves, and creation being totally depraved, utterly chaotic, and in desperate need of redemption.

To our astonishment, God did not disown His creation. Instead, He promised redemption and re-establishment. As time passed, out of all the inhabitants on the earth God chose a particular people group, the descendants of Abraham through his grandson Jacob, who became known as the Israelites, to serve as His representatives of redemption and re-establishment. God made a covenant with Abraham that he and his descendants would be blessed, and through them all nations would be blessed. Depressingly, the Israelites eventually became the slaves of the Egyptians. In response to their wailing cries of desperation, God chose a man named Moses, informed him that He remembered His covenant, and empowered him to liberate his people. Through a myriad of majestic miracles God delivered the Israelites to Mount Sinai, where He redeemed and re-established their identity and called them to remain in covenant with Him, whereby if they did they would be His treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. As the story went on, the Israelites broke their covenant with God through innumerable and radically rebellious attitudes and behaviors, yet God never abandoned them.

After years of traveling, being disciplined, and learning lessons in the desert, God finally brought them to the land He promised, which became known as Israel. Being strategically located as an intersection for the major trade and travel routes, God intended Israel’s identity and mission to have massive world impact. Lamentably, while Israel kept their covenant commitment for a short while, before long they embraced foreign gods, teachings opposed to teachings of God, immoral behavior, and they neglected the poor. God raised up various judges and then kings in order to lead Israel into righteousness and holiness, and He sent prophets with radical messages and methodologies to make His sovereign ways known to the people. For hundreds of years, the Israelites were on and off with their relationship with God.

Through Israel’s refusal to remain in loyal covenant relationship with God they became desensitized, and they were unsuccessful in living out their God-given identity and mission to be blessed and bless the world. In time, the Israelites were exiled and ruled by powerful and forceful foreign entities, but through the eyes of faith a remnant continued to thirst for and dream about the future where the Kingdom of God would again be renewed and have reign over all people and all creation.

By faith, we are absolutely certain that these longings have their fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, who dwelt among us as 100% God and 100% human. Jesus came to proclaim good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and to set free those who are oppressed, launching the new arrival of the Kingdom of God, a New Exodus, making complete restoration of our totally depraved world effective. Jesus’ life and teachings confronted the abusive powers of the Jewish religious authorities and the Roman Empire. Although He was entirely perfect, Jesus and His message were rejected by all people, which caused Him to live a life of suffering and endure the misery of crucifixion. After being buried in a tomb, Jesus raised from the dead, defeating the curse of sin and death, making possible complete redemption and re-establishment under the eternal reign of God. Jesus is the only hope of reconciliation and peace between God and humans, because through His complete obedience and sacrificial life and death, Jesus took the penalty of sin upon Himself and conquered it, making possible our forgiveness of all sin so that we can exist in perfect relationship with our Creator. The Kingdom of God has come to us, but it is not yet fully present. All who put their faith in Jesus Christ are given the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of their everlasting relationship with God and for the purposes of empowering disciples with pure hearts, desire and ability to understand and live truth, conviction of sin, comfort during hardships, passion, and gifts so that they can worship God by truly being Jesus’ disciples, going and making disciples of all nations.

The church, consisting of all who put their faith in Jesus, is founded by and rooted in Him and led by Him, practices the Biblical spiritual disciplines, and celebrates Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The church is expressed both globally and locally as we live and gather as Christ’s disciples, serving as representations of Jesus to this lost world.

With radical reverent fear and peace beyond comprehension we eagerly anticipate the imminent earthly return of Jesus Christ, whereby He will judge the world. The righteous will join Him in maximum pleasure and satisfaction that never ends, and the wicked will be sentenced to eternal excruciating torment. Justice will be completely restored. Never again will there be mourning, crying, sickness or pain. Death shall be no more. On that day we will beat weapons into tools useful for cultivating the new earth, we will never again learn or speak of war, and the lion will lay down with the lamb. Our relationships with God, others, ourselves, and creation will be made whole, and all things will be as God desires. We will have no need for electricity or the sun, for the presence of the Lord God will be our mesmerizing, radiant light, and He will reign forever and ever. By the past, present, and future grace of God, we commit our entire selves to living out that present and future reality right here, right now...