WHAT WE BELIEVE

1. WORD OF GOD: We believe the Bible is God's Word to mankind, written by people inspired by the Holy Spirit.  We believe that God's Word is true, infallible and without error, and is the final authority over all lives and situations.  It is alive, powerful, and eternal.

  • (II Timothy 3:16) "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."
  • (Hebrews: 4:12) "For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
  • (Matthew 24:35) "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words will by no means pass away."

2. THE TRINITY: We believe that the Godhead is three persons in one: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, yet there exists total unity among them.  Each person of the Trinity is fully God, possessing all attributes that make God Who He is.  We believe that Jesus is the Son of God and also God the Son, Who, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, always was, is, and always will be.

  • (Deuteronomy 6:4) "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD."
  • (Luke 3:21-22) "Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, 'You are my beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.' "                               
  • (Genesis 1:26) "And God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.' "

3. SALVATION: We believe salvation is a free gift of God through grace alone.  It is obtained by repentance through our faith in the finished and complete sacrifice made by Jesus Christ in His suffering, death on the cross, and resurrection.  He paid for our redemption through His blood.  We didn't earn it.

  • (Ephesians 2:8) "For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves.  It is the gift of God."
  • (Romans 10:9-10) "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
  • (Acts 4:12) "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
  • (Revelation 1:5) "And from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.  To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood."

4. THE NEW CREATION: We believe that when we receive Christ, we are made new creatures in Him.  We are born again out of death into life.  We are given a new nature, God's nature, so that we can love, obey, and serve Him.

  • (John 3:7) "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' "
  • (John 1:12-13) "But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."
  • (John 5:24) "Truly, truly, I say to you, 'He who hears My Word and believes Him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.' "

5. THE VIRGIN BIRTH: We believe that Mary was a virgin chosen by God to conceive and bear Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that His birth was prophesied many times in the Old Testament.

  • (Isaiah 7:14) "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign.  Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel."
  • (Luke 1:35) "And the angel answered and said unto her, 'The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you; therefore also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.' "

 6. WATER BAPTISM: We believe that water baptism is a sign of our covenant with God.  It is an outward expression of what one believes happened inwardly at the new birth.  It is also done by immersion and is the means by which we receive the new covenant seal of the “circumcision of the heart.”

  • (Matthew 28:18-19) "And Jesus came and spoke to them saying,  'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.' ”
  • (Colossians 2:11-13) "In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.  And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses."

7. BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: We believe this is a separate and distinct work of the Spirit of God apart from the Spirit's work of regeneration which occurs when we are born again.  It is available to every believer and brings with it a supernatural endowment to carry out the ministry of Jesus in the earth.  We believe the initial evidence is speaking in other tongues (language unknown by the believer).

  • (Acts 2:1-4) "When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.  Then there appeared unto them divided tongues as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."
  • (Acts 8:15-17) "Who, when they had  come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit: For as yet He had fallen upon none of them: they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit."

8. THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT: We believe that the gifts are still in operation today, and that we should earnestly desire them for the edification and building up of the body and to reach the unsaved.  Believers do not "possess" the gifts, but rather manifest them as the Spirit wills, with love being the motivation of all we do.  We also believe that the Bible teaches that all things should be done decently and in order.  (1 Corinthians 12, 13, 14.)

9. THE FIVE-FOLD MINISTRY GIFTS: We believe that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are set in the body of Christ to perfect and fully equip the saints, that they can do the work of ministering toward building up Christ's Body so we all might mature and grow up in Him.

  • (Ephesians 4:11-14) "And His gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles."

10. HEALING: We believe in divine healing for the whole man.  Healing was obtained through the atonement in Christ’s sacrificial death.  We believe in healing as practiced by the early church, which included the laying on of hands, but acknowledging that God is not restricted to any method.  (1 Peter 2:24-25; Acts 4:29-30, 19:11-19; 1 Corinthians 12:9; James 5:14)

11. CHRIST’S ASCENSION AND BODILY RETURN: We believe in Jesus Christ’s sinless life, miracles, substitutionary death, His bodily resurrection and ascension into Heaven, and His personal return in power, glory, dominion, and everlasting Kingdom.  We acknowledge His Lordship over all.  (Acts 1:11, Daniel 7:14, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)