OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH
WHAT WE BELIEVE
THE HOLY BIBLE
We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. We further believe that in its original manuscript, the Bible is infallible and inerrant. (II Timothy 3:16-17; John 5:39; I Peter 1:23-25; Hebrews 4:12; Romans 16:25-26; Proverbs 30:5)
THE GODHEAD
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, having the same nature, attributes, and perfection and are worthy of the same homage and obedience. (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 12:29; John 1:14; Acts 5:3-4; II Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 1:1-3; Revelation 1:4-6)
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
We believe in the pre-existence, incarnation and virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ who came into the world to reveal the Father, and was the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person; that the Lord Jesus Christ was the Creator of all things, for by Him the worlds were made. We believe that in Christ dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and that He was very God and very man, the I AM, the Jehovah of the Old Testament. We further believe in the sinless life of our Lord Jesus Christ, His miracles, His vicarious and atoning death, His bodily resurrection, His bodily ascension into heaven, and in His coming again as revealed by the scriptures. (John 1:1-2, 14; I Timothy 3:16; Acts 7:37-38; Philippians 2:9-10; Hebrews 7:25)
HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead, dwells in every Believer, unites all to Christ in one body, and is the source of all power and acceptable service. We believe that the Holy Spirit is responsible for restraining evil in the world; convicting of the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement; regeneration of all Believers; sealing of all Believers unto the day of redemption; and the continuous filling of power and service of those among the saved who are yielded to Him and to His will. We believe that the fruit of the Spirit is the manifestation of the character of Christ in the Believer’s life. We further believe that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit should be and must be operative in the church for the church to manifest her full glory under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. (John 3:6, 14:16-17; Romans 8:9, 12:10-11; I Corinthians 6:19, 12:8-11; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 2:22, 4:11-13)
THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND MAN
We believe that God sovereignly created the world out of nothing. We further believe that man was created in the image of God and by a direct and immediate act of God. (Genesis 1:1, 26-27, 2:4)
WORSHIP
We believe that the whole purpose of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Therefore, we believe in the act of worshipping God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, with one’s total being as set forth in the Holy Scriptures; We also believe in worshiping God with our tithes, offerings, and the first of our increase. (Psalm 150; Mark 12:29-31; Ephesians 5:18-21; Malachi 3:10)
SALVATION
We believe that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; His death, burial, and resurrection. We further believe that Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of any human efforts. We believe that repentance and faith toward God produces the work of justification in the believer through faith in the shed Blood of Jesus Christ. Further, we believe that, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born of the Spirit. We also believe that our redemption has been accomplished solely by the shed Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us as our substitute and that there is salvation in no other name. (Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:8-10 Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Hebrews 9:22)
REPENTANCE
Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Christ, which allows us to receive His redemption and to be regenerated by Holy Spirit. Thus, through repentance we receive forgiveness of sins and appropriate salvation (Acts 2:21, 3:19; I John 1:9).
SANCTIFICATION
Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God’s Word and His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ's character in us. It is through the present ministry of Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life (I Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; II Corinthians 3:18, 6:14-18, II Thessalonians 2:1-3, Romans 8:29, 12:1-2, Hebrews 2:11).
THE DOCTRINE OF BAPTISM
We believe that water baptism is for believers only and should be administered by the mode of immersion and in the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ to the glory of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We further believe that water baptism is the means whereby we receive the New Covenant sign of circumcision of the heart. We also believe that we identify with Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection through water baptism. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 8:16; Romans 6:4)
BAPTISM OF HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the baptism in Holy Spirit by the Lord Jesus Christ, which may occur at or subsequent to conversion. Given at Pentecost, it is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His Ascension, to empower the Church to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth. We believe that speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance is the normative evidence of this baptism. Further, we believe that, by the Believer’s continued submission to Holy Spirit, weaknesses are transformed into strengths to witness for Jesus Christ in power and to live according to the will of God. (Acts 1:5, 8, 2:4, 38; 10:46; 11:28; 19:6)
COMMUNION
We believe and practice the ordinance of communion as described by Paul the Apostle in his letter to the church at Corinth. We further believe that the sacraments of communion are holy when accepted by God and represent the broken body and the shed Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that the receiving of the communion sacraments is a serious matter, not to be taken lightly, nor in sin or insincerity, and is for believers only who have examined themselves before God. (I Corinthians 11:20-34)
DIVINE HEALING
We believe in divine healing for the whole man through the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Further we believe that the stripes laid upon the back of Jesus during His scourging are counted by God as full and final payment for all sickness, pain, and infirmities of this life which may from time to time come upon mankind. We therefore believe that sickness has no valid claim to bodies which are the temples of God and that every believer’s part is to resist sicknesses, pains, infirmities, and other such common enemies of man through prayer, the laying on of hands, and/or anointing with oil, all done by faith and in the Name of Jesus. We believe that healing of the sick is illustrated in the life and ministry of Jesus, and included in the commission of Jesus to His disciples. It is given as a sign, which is to follow Believers. It is also a part of Jesus' work on the Cross and one of the gifts of the Spirit. (Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53: 4-5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 16:17-18; Acts 8:6-7; James 5:14-16; I Corinthians 12:9, 28; Romans 11:29 Acts 4:30; 19:11; I Peter 2:24-25)
THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. The Bible lists of these gifts are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of Biblical parameters. (Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11, 12 :4-8; Ephesians 4:16; I Timothy 4:14; II Timothy 1:6-7; I Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; I Peter 4:10).
RESURRECTION
Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body three days after His death on the cross. In addition, both the saved and the lost will be resurrected; they that are saved to the resurrection of life and they that are lost to the resurrection of eternal damnation (Luke 24:16, 36, 39; John 2:19-21, 20:26-28, 21:4; Acts 24:15; I Corinthians 15:42, 44; Philippians 1:21-23, 3:21).
THE CHURCH
The church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of Jesus' Great Commission. Every person who is born of the Spirit is an integral part of the church as a member of the body of believers. There is a spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23).
HEAVEN
Heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:3, 12, 20, 6:20, 19:21, 25:34; John 17:24; II Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 11:16; I Peter 1:4).
HELL
After living one’s life on earth, the unbelievers will be judged by God and sent to Hell where they will be eternally tormented with the Devil and the Fallen Angels (Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 14:9-11, 20:12-15, 21:8).
SECOND COMING
Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures (Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; I Thessalonians 4:15-17; II Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7)
JESUS' BLOOD
The Blood that Jesus Christ shed on the Cross of Calvary was sinless and is 100% sufficient to cleanse mankind of all sin. Jesus allowed Himself to be punished for both our sinfulness and our sins, enabling all those who believe to be free from the penalty of sin, which is death (I John 1:7; Revelation 1:5, 5:9; Colossians 1:20; Romans 3:10-12, 23, 5:9; John 1:29).
LAYING ON OF HANDS
We believe in the doctrine of laying on hands for: A) The confirming of believers to commitment and ministry in the local church. B) The confirming of one’s call by God to special ministry in the local church. (Acts 13:1,3) C) The imparting of spiritual gifts. (I Timothy 4:14, II Timothy 1:6) D) The experiencing of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:17-18) E) The ministering of healing of the sick through the Lord Jesus Christ. (Mark 16:18) F) The blessing and dedicating of children to the Lord. (Mark 10:16). We further believe that, in obedience to the Holy Scripture, we should lay hands on no man suddenly, but that the laying on of hands confirms a ministry which is already observable and proven. (I Timothy 5:22)
EVANGELISM AND MISSIONS
We believe that it is the explicit message of our Lord Jesus Christ to those whom He has redeemed, that they are sent forth by Him into the world to be witnesses of His saving grace and that their primary purpose in life should be to glorify God by obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ’s command to preach the Gospel to every creature and to make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:18-19; Mark 16:15; John 17:18; Acts 1:8; II Corinthians 5:18-20; I Peter 1:17, 2:11) 6y