What we believe is essential to who we are as a church family. Below are statements explaining the guiding factors in our faith and fellowship.
1. THE BIBLE - The Old and New Testaments are the inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God. In the Bible we find the revelation of God's will for the salvation of men, and the divine and final authority for the Christian life. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21)
2. GOD - There is one God, the Creator of all things, who is infinitely perfect
and eternally existent in 3 manifestations: the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit. (1 John 5:7, Colossians 1:16-17)
3. JESUS CHRIST - Jesus Christ is true God and true man. He was conceived of
the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life and died
on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of all men. He arose bodily from the
dead, ascended into heaven and is now at the right hand of the Father as our
High Priest and Advocate. (Ephesians 1:20-23, Matthew 1:21-23)
4. MAN - Man was conceived in the image of God, but fell into sin and is therefore
lost. Only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and eternal
life be obtained. The shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide
the only grounds for justification and salvation. (Romans 5:17-19, Ephesians
2:8-9)
5. SIN - Sin is a transgression or a breaking of God's Law.(1 John 3:4) We all
sinned and came short of God's glory.(Romans 3:23) Only the blood of Jesus Christ,
God's Son, can forgive and cleanse man from sin.(Hebrews 9:12-14, 1 John 1:7)
6. REPENTANCE - Repentance is a godly sorrow for sin that results in a changing
of the mind, and a turning from sin to God. Repentance is commanded in the Scriptures
and is necessary for salvation. (Acts 17:30, Acts 20:21, 2 Peter 3:9)
7. WATER BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER - Water baptism and the Lord's supper
are ordinances to be observed by the Church during this present age. However,
They are not to be regarded as a means of salvation. (Acts 8:12, 1 Corinthians
11:23-26)
8. HOLY SPIRIT - The present, supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit is to
glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. During this age He indwells, guides, instructs
and empowers the believer for Godly living and service. Every believer should
be filled with the Holy Spirit, and all of the gifts of the Spirit are available
for operation in the Church today. (John 16:13-14, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
9. PRAYER - Every born-again, Spirit-filled believer should maintain a consistent
prayer life, both in praying with the understanding and in praying with tongues
in the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:17, 1 Corinthians 14:14-15)
10. FAITH - Without faith it is impossible to please God. The atonement not
only provides salvation for the believer, but healing and prosperity as well.
We are redeemed from the curse of the Law (poverty, sickness and death). Our
lives can be prosperous and healthy if we walk in the light of this redemption
with faith in God's Word. (Hebrewes 11:6, 3 John 2)
11. CHURCH - The true Church is composed of all those who are born-again. Through
this new birth we are united together in the Body of Christ. Jesus Christ is
the Lord and Head of the Church. Every local church has the right under Christ
to decide and govern its own affairs.(Colossians 1:18,24, Ephesians 1:22-23,
Acts 20:28)
12. SECOND COMING - The personal, premillennial and imminent coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer.
(1 John 3:2-3)
13. RESURRECTION - There will be a bodily resurrection of the dead; of the believer
to everlasting joy with the Lord, and of the unbeliever to judgement and everlasting
conscious punishment in hell. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 20:11-15)
14. HEAVEN AND HELL - Heaven is a place of everlasting joy and happiness in
the presence of God and His angels reserved for all true believers, and hell
is a place of firey torment and separation from God for all eternity for all
unbelievers. Hell was created initially for the devil and his angels. (Matthew
25:41, John 14:1-3, Luke 16:19-31, Revelation 20:15)
15. THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST - The Baptism of the Holy Ghost is an empowerment
gift from God available today for every believer. This Spirit outpouring is
a fulfillment of both Old and New Testament prophecies (Joel 2:28-29, John 7:38-39),
and is often accompanied by miraculous signs, including speaking in unknown
tongues. (Isaiah 28:11, John 14:12-17, Acts 2:1-4, 14-18)