The Authority of the Bible
We believe the Bible is very Word of God. It is the authoritative rule of life and practice for all Christians, over all the philosophies, traditions, and opinions of people. We believe that the Old Testament was the type and shadow of better things to come in revelation of Jesus Christ and the New Covenant. The Word of God is given to reveal the fullness of God that is in Jesus Christ, who is the perfect expression of God’s person, and His eternal purpose to dwell in redeemed humanity by His Spirit. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 1:1-3; John 10:35; Matthew 5:19; Matthew 19:17; 1 John 2:3-4 )
The Eternal Godhead
We believe God is One being, eternally existing in a Tri-unity of inter-indwelling Persons, Almighty, all Good, all Wise, and all Glorious. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equally Divine and therefore equally deity, eternally co-existing. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human. (John 5:7-8; Matthew 1:20-25; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
Man & Original Purpose
We believe man was created in the image of God and that his purpose was to demonstrate the image and likeness of God by sharing spiritual union with God and through Him union with one another and in this union to exercise dominion over all the works of God’s hands. (Gen. 1:26-27, Rev.21:1-8)
Spirit Beings: Satan, demons, and Angels
We believe that there is a literal Devil (satan) and that he is the adversary of God and man and that there are spirit beings known as demons and angels.
(1 Peter 5:8; Matthew 8:16; Mark 16:17; Heb. 1:7; Heb. 13-14)
Fall of Mankind
We believe that in Adam’s voluntary disobedience, all humanity was taken captive to deception, fell from perfection, and unleashed evil onto the earth. Therefore, regardless of whatever evil we may experience in this world, God is completely blameless, good and holy. Humanity, not God, is completely responsible for the activity of evil in this world.
(Romans 5:12, Rom. 3:23, Eph. 2:1-3, John 10:10)
Sin
We believe that anything that is not of faith is sin. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. People commit sins because they are under the power of sin that works in them. The power of sin remains in the flesh of born again believers, but believers can walk in victory over sin by walking in the Spirit. (Rom. 3:23; Rom. 4:8; Rom. 6:14; Rom. 14:23; 1 John 2:1)
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is fully man, fully God, in fulfillment of prophetic Scriptures was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, made atonement for sin through His sacrificial death, was buried, and on the third day rose victorious! He revealed Himself alive to His followers for a period of forty days by many convincing proofs and was then bodily ascended into heaven where He sits at God’s right hand with all authority in heaven and earth awaiting His glorious return to earth where He will reign in glory with all the saints.
Salvation
We believe that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, accomplishing the pardon for all who believe in Him, and that we have no righteousness and must come to God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who are saved have the righteousness of Christ as our only justification. Through Jesus Christ, God forgives all our sin, counts us completely righteous, adopts us as sons, places the Spirit of Jesus Christ in us, and makes us partakers of the divine nature to manifest His glorious nature on the earth. Those who are saved are set free from slavery to sin to walk in newness of life and will give evidence of this by a transformed life. (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8; Eph. 2:8; Gal. 4:4-7; Col. 1:27; 2 Pet. 1:4′ 1 John 3:9)
Faith Towards God
We believe that we are to have faith towards God based upon the promises of God and that the fulfillment of those promises are based upon God’s faithfulness. We believe that we are to have faith in God and not in our faith. Our faith is that God has and will keep His Word.
(Mark 11:22-23; Heb. 6:1; Heb. 11:11; 2 Tim. 2:13)
Grace & Repentance From Dead Works
We believe that the grace which came in Jesus Christ is freely offered to all with the requirement that they believe in Him in order to be saved. Through the gospel message, both the opportunity and the ability is given to people to repent and turn to Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of new life. We believe repentance from dead works includes forsaking any works that might be thought to merit favor or salvation from God. (John 1:16, 17; Rom. 11:6; Heb. 6:1; Heb. 9:14)
Sanctification
We believe that Christ is our sanctification and we are therefore set apart unto God upon our receiving Him, and that we grow in grace as we grow in Christ therefore ever growing in holiness of life. (1 Colossians 1:30; 1 Thess. 4:3; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 3:18)
Holy Spirit Baptism and Empowerment
We believe that the Holy Spirit empowers believers to live a life pleasing unto God, to walk in freedom and victory, to do the works of Christ, and to demonstrate the presence of the Kingdom of God as living witnesses that Jesus Christ is Lord. We believe that all of the operations of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament continue to be in operation until the day we see Jesus face to face. We believe that the miraculous operations of the Holy Spirit today are consistent with the Spirit that was revealed in Jesus Christ who came in the flesh and the written Word of God. The miraculous operations of the Holy Spirit are signs of God’s Kingdom for the purpose bringing glory to God by destroying the works of the devil to set the captives free to manifest the fullness of Jesus Christ. We believe that the church was Baptized in the Holy Spirit by Jesus on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. There is no need to continually ask God to pour out His Spirit, since this has been done and His Spirit remains with us. We believe that individual believers should however, in the same way that they exercise conscious faith in Jesus for His work on the cross and resurrection, exercise faith to receive the filling and overflow of the Holy Spirit in their lives personally, resulting in a conscious awareness the Holy Spirit’s presence and personal surrender to His activity through their lives.
(John 14:12; John 16:7-16; Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 13:10-12; 1 John 4:1-5, Acts 2, Acts 19:1-7)
The Church – Which is His Body
We believe the church (on earth) is comprised of all in whom the Spirit of Christ dwells, and that the church is the body of Christ upon the earth and is to grow up into Him in all things. The church is not merely a Christian religious organization. As the body of Christ, we are His people being built together as a dwelling place of God so that through us He can continue to do His work, reveal His truth, and to make His love manifest on earth. We are the ecclesia, the people called out by God to exercise the spiritual authority of the Kingdom of God on earth using spiritual weapons, such as God’s word, prayer, and godly service to glorify God by making Him known and to set the captives free. (Rom. 8:9; Eph. 1:23; Eph. 4:12-16, Acts 1:3,8, Mt. 16:18 )
Spiritual Gifts
We believe that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit that are named in the New Testament remain in operation until Jesus Christ returns and should be recognized, encouraged, and exercised appropriately as the New Testament instructs. The gifts of the Holy Spirit can be misused. Therefore, God wants godly leaders to equip and guide the saints to for healthy exercise of spiritual gifts personally and as a body of believers. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are best employed in the love of God for the upbuilding of others according to the need of the moment. Believers can grow in the gifts of the Holy Spirit as they follow God’s command to “earnestly desire” the gifts of the Holy Spirit, recognizing that the Holy Spirit “empowers them all in each one.” (1 Cor. 13 & 14, Eph. 4:11-14, Acts 2:4)
The Ministry
We believe that God has designated and instituted duly called and equipped persons to function as overseers of the Body of Christ (the church) upon the earth, and that these persons are charged with the equipping and edification of the saints until such time as the church has grown up into the image of Christ. We believe that the ministry of the New Covenant has been entrusted to all the saints. Therefore, whoever believes is fully authorized to proclaim the gospel, make disciples, and exercise Kingdom authority to heal the sick, cast out demons, and advance the Kingdom. Those who have have been appointed by the Holy Spirit with the responsibility to equip and to watch over the church, do not minister from a place of greater rank, but greater responsibility, as servants of all for Jesus’ sake, and are responsible to equip every believer to walk in the fullness of Jesus Christ to do the works of ministry. Therefore, for Jesus’ sake and the good of all, believers should give their support, honor, and cooperation with those entrusted with this task. (Eph. 4:11-15; Acts 20:28; 2 Cor. 4:5; 1 Peter 5:1-4)
The Kingdom of God
We believe the Kingdom of God is the invisible realm in which God’s will is done and His glorious presence is manifest. The Kingdom of God arrived on the planet with Jesus Christ. This is the message which Jesus Christ preached and demonstrated. Jesus taught His disciples to carry on His ministry in the same manner and with the same results. Jesus Christ is the same and the Kingdom of God is the same, except for the fact that Christ and the Kingdom are now inside of us. Therefore, we also believe that we are to continue to advance the Kingdom of God upon the earth until such time as Christ shall call us to enter into the joy of our Lord. (Mark 1:15; Luke 4:43; Luke 9:60 to Luke 10:11; Acts 8:12; Acts 19:8; Acts 20:25; 1 Colossians 4:20; 2 Thess. 1:5; Matthew 25:19-23)
Christian Mission
We believe that the Christian Mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ in all nations. A disciple of Jesus Christ is one who obeys and believes Him. The initial step of obedience that Jesus requires of His disciples is that we be immersed in water into the Name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is a sign on our part that we are fully identifying ourselves with Jesus Christ, breaking from the old life and rising up to walk in union with Him. The commands that Jesus Christ gives to His disciples are that summed up in love— that we love God in thought, word, and deed and that we love our neighbor as ourselves, which is practiced by doing unto them as we would have done unto us. When a disciple is fully trained, we will be just like the Master, Jesus Christ. Every believer is commissioned, not only to be a disciple, but to make disciples. However, whereas Jesus made disciples of Himself, we make disciples of Jesus Christ by recognizing that Jesus Christ, through His indwelling presence, is personally discipling each believer using us in this process. Love for God and man will be demonstrated by going and reproducing disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, both domestically and in all nations of the world by every Biblical method.
(Matthew 7:11-29; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18)
Healing the Sick
We believe God’s unchanging nature is that of our Healer, not our afflictor. He is our help in trouble, not our trouble. Divine Healing, the power of God to heal the sick (in mind or body), was purchased by the sufferings of Jesus Christ, specifically by the stripes He suffered at the whipping post. Through the Holy Spirit, God indwells the believer so that He continues to do works of Jesus Christ through believers today. We are to follow Jesus’ example by refusing to consider sickness a work of God, but rather as “oppression by the devil.” Jesus healed the sick and commissioned His disciples, whoever believes in Him, to do the same. This command to “heal the sick” authorized any Christian to minister supernatural healing wherever there is a need. Growing up into Christ, which is the goal of spiritual growth, should include growing in His ministry of healing the sick. (Psalm 103:2; Isaiah 53:4; Matthew 8:16-17; 1 Peter 2:24; John 14:12; Ex. 15:26; Acts 10:38; Ps. 46:10; John 14:12; Acts 1:8: Eph. 4:13)
Racism and Racial Reconciliation
We believe followers of Jesus Christ are called to be true peace-makers in this world. We believe that there is one race, the human race, and many “ethnos” tribes, tongues, and nations. Jesus Christ, by His blood purchased people from every tribe, tongue, and nation, and incorporated us into His eternal bride. In recognizing Christ as the only Savior of the world, we are also told to recognize no one according to the flesh. Racism is crushed and reconciliation takes place as we recognize that Jesus Christ has destroyed the wall of hostility existing between various people groups by His sacrifice to make us one new man in Himself. In Christ there is no place for preferential or discriminatory treatment based on skin color, cultural differences, personal preferences, economic differences, or historical rivalries. Believers in Christ have a responsibility to love one another as Jesus Christ loved us and to walk humbly and to speak and act justly with all people. (Mt. 5:9, Acts 17:26, Rev. 5:9, 2 Cor. 5:14-18, Col. 3:28, Eph. 2:14-16, John 13:25, Mic. 6:8)
Marriage
Marriage is the publicly recognized covenant union between one man and one woman. Christian marriage is to be a living picture of the union between Jesus Christ and His church. No other union can be called marriage, however special that bond may be. (Mt. 19:4-6)
Human Sexuality
God created sex to be a pleasurable experience shared between a married couple and as the means of reproduction. All sexual lusts or acts except for those shared between a married couple is sin. Biblical standards of sexuality remain unchanged and are not altered because of shifts in sexual norms within a culture. Any sinful person who turns to Jesus Christ in faith will be forgiven, cleansed, justified and empowered for a life pleasing to Him. (Mt. 5:27-30, 1 Cor. 6:9-11, 1 Tim. 1:10, Heb. 13:4, Rev. 21:8)
The Judgment
We believe that the judgment of God has been entrusted to Jesus Christ. Presently, God is not counting our trespasses against us. There is a day of Judgment awaiting all men, but today is the day of salvation. God is not wanting any to perish but wants all to come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The day of judgement is a good thing for Christians, a day of entering into the joy of our Master and receiving the reward for our works in Christ on this earth. The day of judgement is a day of wrath and just retribution for all those outside of Christ, who will face recompense for every sin in eternal conscious torment in a manner corresponding to their guilt. For that reason, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade all people to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ today. (John 5:22; John 12:47-48; Acts 17:30-31; 1 Colossians 6:2, 2 Cor. 5:18-19)