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What We Believe
The Scriptures
The Holy Bible is the inspired Word of God and we accept all Scriptures as inerrant, infallible, and the sole and final guide in matters of faith and conduct. (2 Tim. 3:15-17, 2 Peter 1:19-21, Heb. 4:12) The One True God
God has revealed Himself as One God, manifested in three eternal, co-equal Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deut. 6:4; 2 Samuel 23:2-3, Philip.s 2:6, 1 John 5:7) Man & his fall
Created in the image of God, man is alsa triune eternal being:
spirit, soul and body (1 Thes. 5:23, Heb. 4:12). Once good
and upright, Adam believed Satan's deception about God, voluntarily transgressed
and
fell. Through sin, man's spirit is dead, his soul is corrupt,
and his body is doomed to decay and death (Rom. 5:14). The Bible says, "For
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:10,
23). Redemption for man is in Jesus Christ, the Son of
God. (Rom. 5:12-21) Jesus
Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, was conceived by the
Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary to undo the works
of Satan (1 John 3:8). On the Cross He gave His life and
shed His blood as a ransom to redeem
man back to God. Jesus died, was buried, but on the Third
Day He rose again, victorious over Death. (John 11:25,
Rom. 14:9, 2 Cor. 5:15) Salvation or the New Birth
The salvation of sinners is the gift of God, separate from
religious works and laws. Man receives salvation by God's
grace through personal repentance and personal faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ. This
new birth is necessary for all sinners to be reconciled
to God and, when experienced, imparts a new nature and
eternal life to the believer (2 Cor
7:10; John 3:3-5; 1 John 5:12). The New Birth is not arriving,
but beginning, our Christian journey with Christ. Water Baptism
Baptism in water is a direct commandment of our Lord and is executed by full immersion after the New Birth. The ordinance is a public statement of the believer's association with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection (Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12; Acts 8:36-39). Holy Spirit Baptism
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift of God promised
by our Lord Jesus to all believers for the purpose of spiritual
power in public testimony and service after the New Birth. This experience
is accompanied
by the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues as
the Holy Spirit gives utterance (Matt. 3:11; Luke 24:49; Acts 2:4; 1 Cor.
14).
Holy Communion or the Lord's Table
An act of covenant given by the Lord for believers only, representing the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 11:23-34) The Church
The term Church is used in the Bible to refer to 3 related things: i. The universal Body of Christ in heaven and on earth (Eph 1:22, 1 Cor 3:9, 10:32, 1 Pet 2:15, Heb 12:23), ii. the local body of believers governed by anointed leadership (Acts 14:23, 1 Cor 1:2, 11:18, Col 4:15-16, James 5:14, Rev 2-3), and iii. the physical building where believers commonly worship (1 Tim 3:15, 1 Cor 4:17, 11:18, 22, 12:28, 14:19, 28, 34-35, 3 John 1:10, Heb 3:2). God instituted the Church just like He instituted the Family. Just as every healthy human being is part of the family of Adam, part of their own family, and lives in a physical house, so too every healthy Christian is part of the Body of Christ, part of a local body of believers and attends a physical church as the New Testament disciples did. God loves the church in all 3 senses of the word. Women in Ministry
Women are an integral part of the Body of Christ which is
neither male nor female, with gifts differing according
to the grace that is given to them. (Acts 18:24-26, 21:8,
9; Gal. 3:28; Rom. 12:4-6) Total Prosperity
Spiritual (John 3:3, 11; 2 Cor. 5:17-21); Mental / Emotional (2 Tim. 1:7; Rom. 12:2; Isaiah 26:3); Physical (Isaiah 53:4-5; Matt. 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24); Financial (3 John 1:2; Mal. 3:10-11); Social (Psalm 68:6, 142:7; Prov. 3:4; Luke 2:52; Acts 2:42-47, 9:19). Divine Healing
The New Testament teaches that Christ is the Healer and that
healing is for the Glory of God (Matt. 15:31; Mark 2:12;
Luke 13:13; Luke 17:15; Acts 3:8-9, 4:14, 21). The Body of Christ is commissioned
to continue
healing the sick for God's Glory by the power of His Word,
the prayer of faith, the anointing of oil, and the laying on of hands.
(Mark 16:18;
Matt. 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24; Prov. 4:20-22; James 5:14-15) Sanctification
The process of becoming more like Christ and less worldly.
(Titus 2:12; Rom 12:1; 1 John 2:15, Col 3:5-9; 1 Thes.
4:7; Eph. 2:8-10) Sanctification is a progressive work of grace that commences
at the moment
of new birth but does not end until we stand before Jesus
Christ. We are all being changed from glory to glory. (Heb. 12:14; 1 Thes.
5:23; 2 Peter
3:18; Phil. 3:12-14; 2 Cor. 3:18; 1 Cor. 1:30) The Resurrection of the Church
At the appearing of our Lord Jesus, "...the dead in Christ shall rise
first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught
up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air..." (1
Thes. 4:16-17; Titus 2:13; 1 Cor. 15:51-54) The Second Coming or Return of Jesus
"...This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall
so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11;
John 14:3; Heb. 9:28; Rev. 22:20) The Millennial Reign of Christ
Jesus shall return to earth as King of kings, and Lord of
lords, and together with His saints, who shall be His kings
and priests, He shall reign 1000 years (Rev. 5:10; 19:11-16;
20:1-7). Hell and the Lake of Fire
The one who physically dies in his sins without accepting
Christ is hopelessly and eternally lost in the Lake of
Fire and, therefore, has no further opportunity of hearing the Gospel
or repenting. The Lake
of Fire is literal. The terms "eternal" & "everlasting," used
in describing the duration of the punishment of the damned
in the Lake of Fire, carry the same thought and meaning of endless existence
as used
in describing the duration of joy and ecstasy of saints
in the Presence of God (Heb. 9:27; Rev. 19:20) |
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