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We Believe

The Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God and the only infallible and authoritative guide to Christian life and service. (2 Tim. 3:15-16; 1 Peter 2:2)

There is one, and only one, God eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; Mark 12:29; John 5:17-30)

Jesus Christ is the son of God and the Lord of all creation. We believe in His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His atoning death, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and His future return to this earth in power and glory to rule over the nations. (Isaiah 7:14; Heb. 7:26; Acts 2:22; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Acts 1:9-11)

The Holy Spirit is given to all who believe in Jesus Christ. The fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the spirit are present today and are evidence of us becoming like Christ. As a normal experience of the Christian life we are to be filled and continue being filled by His Spirit. This gives us the strength and power to become more like Christ. (Ephesians 1:13; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5; 1:8; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Cor. 12)

Adam and Eve were created good and sin free, but with a will to choose. They, and consequentially we, voluntarily sinned and thereby incurred both physical and spiritual death, which is separation from God. (Gen. 1:26-27; 2:17; 3:6; Rom. 5:12-19)

We believe that God, by His grace, reached out to humankind to provide the only means of salvation by which we are cleansed from sin is through repentance and faith in the precious and redeeming blood of Christ. (Luke 24:47; Rom 10:13-15; Titus 2:11; 3:5-7)

That the Scriptures teach that we should live a life of holiness. Sanctification is the process of living a life separated from evil and fully dedicated to God. All believers should earnestly pursue sanctification by walking in obedience to God’s Word; and that the Christian is able to live a godly life because of the power of the Holy Spirit. (John 17:17-19, Heb. 12:14; 1 Peter 1:15-16; Phil. 2:12-13)

The Bible tells us the good news that Jesus gave Himself for us as an atoning sacrifice that we might be acceptable to God and have an intimate, personal relationship with Him. In the Bible, God is revealed as a loving and righteous God who commands all men to turn completely away from selfishness and hatred. He leaves us with the decision to either live for ourselves in sin and rebellion, or to live for Him in loving obedience to the Lord Jesus.

Worship
  • Develop a relationship with God through prayer, the Word of God, and worshiping God in spirit and truth. (Col. 4:2-3, Matt. 6:6, John 4:24; 15:7; 16:23-24; 16:26-27; 2 Tim. 3:16-17)
  • Worship the Lord with an attitude of reverence and adoration.
Discipleship
  • Pursuing a lifestyle of righteousness and love with a servant heart toward everyone we meet, expressing the life of Jesus. (Phil. 2)
  • God has placed us in an international community, to reach the nations with the kingdom of God. (Jer. 29:7)
  • Leadership recognizes the gifts and ministries of others and encourages each member to function as a member of the body of Christ. (James 3:17)
Fellowship
  • Maintain the unity of the Spirit within the body of Christ. (Eph. 4:2-3; 1 Cor. 12:31; 14:1)
  • We desire to be submitted to one another out of “love-limited liberty” as well as the governance of elders in the church. (1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4:11)

The Sunday morning service is only one part of the fellowship within Christ’s Body at the Upper Room. God has presented a challenge to us as believers not just to “go to church,” but rather to be the Church, which is His Body, “Now you are the Body of Christ, and each of you is part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). Many in the Church are beginning to recognize that the Lord Jesus has something far greater in mind for us than simply being “a pile of stones.” His plan is to build us together, as stones, into a temple for His habitation. Another way of saying this is that our heavenly Father wants a family that knows how to relate to Him and to each other in love.

The Upper Room provides various activities through which this can be accomplished. We have small groups, regular times of prayer and intercession during the week and Baptism and Communion services. Several times a year we organize retreats. We regularly share our faith in the community. We strongly suggest that those who come to the Upper Room on a regular basis commit themselves to the Lord and His people, thus fulfilling the call that the Lord has on their lives.

Our Mission

To know God by loving Him with our whole being and to make him known by loving others, as empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit.

FAQ

The Upper Room does not maintain a list of members. Rather, all who attend are welcome to join in the activities and find a place in the fellowship to serve.

The Upper Room Christian Fellowship is not affiliated with any specific denomination. Upper Room is just one of thousands of non-denominational churches and fellowships in the United States and around the world. The Bible, which is the inspired and inerrant Word of God, is the foundation for our common belief.

Though we do not belong to any registered Christian denomination, we join with and support other local churches and fellowships that are committed to the Lord Jesus Christ. Our leaders meet regularly with leaders of other fellowships in our local area for prayer, Bible study, and mutual encouragement and counsel. The Upper Room is also a member of the Greater Lafayette Gospel Association, a group of local Christian churches and ministries who are committed to partnering together in unity to see God’s Kingdom advanced in our community.

We derive our name from the first chapter of Acts.

Under Jesus’ direction, His disciples went to the upper part of a building in Jerusalem, called the “upper room,” to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit. After many days of prayer, when the day of Pentecost had come, the Holy Spirit came upon them in power. The Christian Church was born on that day.

Our own fellowship had a similar beginning.

The Upper Room Christian Fellowship began as a small gathering of faculty and students from Purdue University in 1972, who actually met in the upper room of a building on campus. At that time, a revival was taking place at Purdue and in the surrounding community and many people were coming into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

– Matthew 28:18-20