What
we believe
- WE BELIEVE that
only the sixty-six books of the Bible are
the inspired, and therefore inerrant, Word of
God. The Bible is the final
authority for all we believe and how we are to
live [Matthew 5:18; John 10:35 and 17:17; II
Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21]
- WE BELIEVE that the
one true God exists eternally in three persons -
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and that these,
being one God, are equal in deity, power, and
glory. WE believe that God not only created
the world but also now upholds, sustains,
governs, and providentially directs all that
exists and that He will bring all things to their
proper consummation in Christ Jesus to the glory
of His name. [Psalm 104; Psalm 139; Matthew
10:29-31 and 28:19; Acts 17:24-28; II Corinthians
13:14; Ephesians 1:9-12and 4:4-6; Colossians
1:16-17; Hebrews 1:1-3; Revelation 1:4-6]
- WE BELIEVE that
Satan, originally the great and good angel
Lucifer, rebelled against God, taking a multitude
of angels with him. He was cast out of
God's presence and is at work with his demonic
hosts to establish his counter-kingdom of
darkness, evil, and unrest on Earth. Satan
was judged and defeated at the cross of Christ
and will, at the end of the age, be cast forever
into the lake of fire which has been prepared for
him and his angels. [Isaiah 14:10-17;
Ezekiel 28:11-19; Matthew 12:25-29 and 25:41;
John 12:31 and 16:11; Ephesians 6:10-20;
Colossians 2:15; II Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Revelation
12:7-9 and 20:10]
- WE BELIEVE that
Adam was originally create din the image of God,
righteous and without sin. In consequence
of his disobedience, Adam's posterity are born
subject to both imputed and inherent sin, and are
therefore by nature and choice the children of
wrath, justly condemned in the sight of God,
wholly unable to save themselves or to contribute
in any way to their acceptance with God. [Genesis
1-3; Psalm 51:5; Isaiah 53:5; Romans 2:9-18 and
5:12-21; Ephesians 2:1-3]
- WE BELIEVE that
Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and
fully man, that He was conceived and born of a
virgin, lived a sinless life, and offered Himself
as a penal, substitutionary sacrifice for
sinners. By the blood of His cross, He
obtained for us eternal redemption, the
forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. He was
raised bodily on the third day and ascended to
the right hand of the Father, there to make
intercession for the saints forever. [Matthew
1:18-25; John 1:1-18; Romans 8:34; I Corinthians
15:1-28; II Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:10-14;
Ephesians 1:7; Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians
1:15-23; Hebrews 7:25 and 9:13-15 and 10:19; I
Peter 2:21-25; I John 2:1-2]
- WE BELIEVE that
salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone,
in Christ alone. No ordinance, ritual,
work, or any other activity on the part of man is
required or accepted in order to be saved.
This saving grace of God, through the power of
the Holy Spirit, also sanctifies us by enabling
us to do what is pleasing in God's sight in order
that we might be progressively conformed to the
image of Christ. [John 1:12-13 and 6:37-44 and
10:25-30; Acts 16:30-31; Romans 2-4 and 8:1-17,
31-39, and 10:8-10; Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians
2:12-13; Titus 3:3-7; I John 1:7, 9]
- WE BELIEVE That the
Lord Jesus Christ baptizes believers in the Holy
Spirit, in whom we are also sealed for the day of
redemption. The Holy Spirit regenerates,
forever indwells, and graciously equips the
Christian for godly living and service.
Subsequent to conversion, the Spirit desires to
fill, empower, and anoint believers for ministry
and witness. We also believe that signs and
wonders, as well as all the gifts of the Spirit
described in the New Testament, are operative
today and are designed to testify to the presence
of the Kingdom and to empower and edify the
Church to fulfill its calling and mission.
[Matthew 3:11; John 1:12-13 and 3:1-15; Acts
4:29-30; Romans 8:9 and 12:3-8; I Corinthians
12:12-13; II Corinthians 1:21-22; Galatians
3:1-5; Ephesians 1:13-14 and 5:18]
- WE BELIEVE that
water baptism and the Lord's Supper are the two
ordinances of the Church to be observed until the
time of Christ's return. They are not a
means of salvation, but are channels of God's
sanctifying grace and blessing to the faithful in
Christ Jesus. [Matthew 26:26-29 and 28:19;
Romans 6:3-11; I Corinthians 11:23-34; I Peter
3:21]
- WE BELIEVE that the
Church is God's primary instrument through which
He is fulfilling His redemptive purposes in the
earth. To equip the saints for the work of
ministry, God has given the Church apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors, and
teachers. We also affirm the priesthood of
all believers and the importance of every
Christian being joined with and actively involved
in a local community of the saints. WE
believe that women, no less than men, are called
and gifted to proclaim the Gospel and do all the
works of the Kingdom. [Matthew 16:17-19; Acts
2:17-18, 42; Ephesians 3:14-21 and 4:11-16; I
Timothy 2:11-15; Hebrews 10:23-25; I Peter 2:4-5
and 9-10]
- WE BELIEVE that God
has called the Church to preach the Gospel to all
nations, and especially to remember the poor and
to minister to their needs through sacrificial
giving and practical service. This ministry
is an expression of the heart of the Lord Jesus
Christ and is an essential part of the Kingdom of
God. [Isaiah 58:6-12 and 61:1; Matthew 28:18-20;
Luke 4:18 and 21:1-4; Galatians 2:10; I Timothy
6:8]
- WE BELIEVE in the
literal Second Coming of Christ at the end of the
age when He will return to Earth personally and
visibly to consummate His Kingdom. WE also
believe in and are praying for a great end-time
harvest of souls and the emergence of a
victorious Church that will experience an
unprecedented unity, purity, and power in the
Holy Spirit. [Psalms 2:7-9 and 22:27-28; John
14:12 and 17:20-26; Romans 11:25-32; I
Corinthians 15:20-28, 50-58; Ephesians 4:11-16;
Philippians 3:20-21; I Thessalonians 5:13-5:11,
II Thessalonians 1:3-12; Revelation 7:9-14]
- WE BELIEVE that
when the Christian dies he/she pass immediately
into the blessed presence of Christ, there to
enjoy conscious fellowship with the Savior until
the day of the resurrection and glorious
transformation of the body. The saved will
then forever dwell in blissful fellowship with
their great triune God. We also believe
that when the unbeliever dies they are consigned
to Hell, there to await the day of judgment when
they shall be punished with eternal, conscious
and tormented separation from the presence of God
in the lake of fire. [Matthew 25:46; Luke
16:19-31; John 5:25-29; I Corinthians 15:35-58;
II Corinthians 5:1-10; Philippians 1:19-26 AND
3:20-21; II Thessalonians 1:5-10; Revelation
20:11-15 and 21:1-22:15]
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