Article I – The Scriptures

 

We believe the Bible is God’s Word to us; past, present, and future. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and life. It is the divine truth and revelation of God to mankind.  2 Timothy 3:16 says that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.”  The Greek word the Apostle Paul uses in the verse is theopnustos, which literally means God-breathed. Essentially, Paul is communicating is all of written Scripture has the breath of God on it.  Holy men of God “were moved by the Holy Spirit” to write the words of Scripture. We believe this Divine Inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts of the writings-historical, poetical, doctrinal, and prophetical-as appeared in the original manuscripts. We believe in the infallibility of Scripture, which means it is trustworthy, reliable and 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. Therefore, we believe the Scriptures are the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and doctrine and show believers how we are to live a Godly, Spirit-filled life. We believe Jesus is the hermeneutical key of all of Scripture. The Bible gives written account of the creation, the fall of man, prophecies concerning God’s plan of redemption, God enabling and empowering individuals to fulfill His will on the earth, gives record of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, historical record of the early church, shows how to live a successful life as a follower of Jesus, gives prophecy concerning the second coming of Jesus, and contains writings directed to specific churches concerning how they were to operate, function, teach, and equip believers.

 

Scripture references:  Psalm 119:105, 160; Psalm 12:6; Proverbs 30:5, Exodus 4:10-15, Jeremiah 1:7-9; Mark 12:26, 36; Mark 13:11; Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39; Acts 1:16; 17:2-3; 18:28; 26:22-23; 28:23-25; Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 14:37; 2 Timothy 1:13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20, 21

 

 

Article II – Godhead

 

We believe God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. God is eternally existent in three personalities; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and are all co-equal. God has Perichoretic nature, which means the members of Godhead mutually indwell and contain one another. God is omnipotent (all powerful), omnipresent (present everywhere) omniscient (all knowing). God is wisdom and knowledge. God is Love. Jesus taught His disciples to pray and refer to God as “Our Father…” The apostle Paul stated our spirit cries out to God “Abba Father.” Abba is ancient Aramaic for ‘dadda’. Jesus always pointed to the Father. Jesus said the words and works that I do and speak are from the Father. God’s nature is Holy. The Triune nature of God models a perfect expression of love meaning that they each point to and exalt the other. Jesus directs attention to the Father, The Father directs attention to the Son, the Son directs attention to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit exalts Jesus. Though these three eternally exist, these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, perfections, and worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience.

 

Scripture references: Matt. 28:18-19; Mark 12:29; John 1:14; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 13:14; Heb. 1:1-3; Rev. 1:4-6

 

 

Article III – Jesus

 

Jesus is God the Son, the second member of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). ‘Homousious’, which means of the same substance as, is a Greek term the early church fathers decided upon at the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. when referencing the deity of Jesus and His relation to Father God. Jesus said, “I and the Father are One – if you have seen me, you have seen the Father. Before Abraham was, I am. Jesus was born of a virgin (without inherited sin nature), lived a life on earth without sin, and offered Himself on the cross as the sinless sacrifice for sinful mankind. Without a blood sacrifice, there is no forgiveness of sin, according to the Scripture. By Jesus living a sinless life according to the Law of God, He was and is the perfect sinless sacrifice that was required for our sin. Jesus took the sin of the world upon Himself, making His righteousness available to those who put their faith in the sacrifice He made. Jesus bodily arose from the dead after three days to declare His power over sin and death. He ascended to heaven to be seated at the right hand of God the Father with all authority in heaven and on earth. Jesus promised to return to earth to rule and to reign as eternal King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Law and fulfilled all the prophecies made through the Old Testament prophets concerning the Messiah. Jesus ushered in salvation by grace and belief in/on Him is the only means of salvation. Jesus now bodily sits at the right hand of the Father and lives to make intercession for the saints. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. John the Baptist said that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and Fire.

 

Scripture references: John 1:29; John 8:29; John 8:48-59; Matthew 5:17-20; Mark 16:19; John 1:14; John 14:9; John 19:4; Acts 7:55-56; Romans 5:8-21; Romans 8:34; Colossians 1:15-17; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 1 John 3:5; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 Peter 2:21-22; Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 8:1; Hebrews 10:12; Hebrews 12:2; Revelation 1:18-19

 

 

Article IV – The Holy Spirit

 

We believe the Holy Spirit is the ‘Spirit of Christ’ (Romans 8:9). Jesus said it was necessary that He leave the earth. Otherwise, the Father would not send the Holy Spirit. Jesus said the Holy Spirit comes from the Father but would not come with a different agenda than Jesus. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would not bring attention to or speak concerning Himself but would further reveal and unveil the words of Jesus. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the ‘helper’ and ‘comforter’. ‘Comforter’ comes from the Greek word parakletos. When separating the word, we discover ‘Para’ means side by side. ‘Kletos’ means one who is called. The Holy Spirit gives you power, boldness, and confidence as believer. Jesus said when one is baptized with the Holy Spirit, that he/she would receive power. ‘Power’ comes from the Greek word Dunamis which means ability. Power is given to us as believers to be witnesses. We believe the indwelling of the Holy Spirit empowers us to share our faith without fear. The Holy Spirit will walk with you and reveal the truth to you. Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the ‘Spirit of Truth’ who will live with you and in you. Just as Jesus glorified the Father, so the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus. The Holy Spirit is a personality, just as God the Father and God the Son are personalities. You can ‘quench’ the Holy Spirit, meaning He could desire to operate or move in a certain way, but He is not going to take control unless you yield to Him. We believe each person, due to having their own will, can forbid or prevent the Holy Spirit from moving in their life. The Holy Spirit, as a member of the Godhead, lives in every believer from the moment of Salvation and provides the believer with power for living, understanding for spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. We believe the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a Biblical normative and a gift available to every believer subsequent to salvation for those who ask for it. We believe the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is evidenced with speaking in tongues. We believe in the operation of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit as they are released in proper Biblical order. The Holy Spirit living in us as believers is the proof and guarantee that Jesus will return for us.

 

Scripture references: Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 11:10-13; John 1:33; John 14:16-18; John 15:26; John 16:7-13; Acts 1:4-8; Acts 2:1-4; Acts 8:4-25; Acts 10:34-48; Acts 11:15-16; Acts 15:7-9; Acts 19:1-7; Romans 8:26; Ephesians 5:18; Titus 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22; Jude 1:20 

 

 

Article V – Salvation

 

We believe no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he/she is born again. Greek words Soteria (noun form) and Sozo (verb form – ‘to save) are used for the word salvation, which refers to the spiritual and eternal deliverance granted immediately by God to those who accept His conditions of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, in whom alone it is to be obtained. We believe salvation is God’s power to deliver us from the bondage of sin and brings with it the understanding of being delivered from the wrath of God to be executed upon the ungodly at the end of this age. In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” We believe salvation to be both believing and receiving Jesus’ completed work, in which He lived a perfect, sinless life under the law (Hebrews 4:15) and became once and for all the ultimate and final offering/sacrifice to God for mankind’s sin (wages of sin is death – Romans 6:23). Jesus was the unblemished, spotless lamb whose one offering for sin forever eliminated the need for other animal sacrifices in the ritualistic system of temple worship under the old covenant. Jesus rising from the dead signified He not only had power over sin but of also over death, hell and the grave. Romans 10:8-10 Paul writes that the righteousness which is of faith speaks in this manner… “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of faith we preach); 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.” We believe the new birth of the believer comes only through faith in Jesus Christ and repentance is a vital part of believing, and is in no way a separate, independent condition of salvation. We believe there are no other acts, such as confession, baptism, prayer, or faithful service to be added to believing as a condition of salvation. We believe our redemption has been accomplished solely by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was made to be sin and a curse for us, dying in our place. As Dr. David Dorries once said, “Those who are willing to place their trust in the merits of Jesus’ righteousness and not in individual performance will be judged on Jesus’ merits and not their own.” We believe wholeheartedly that “there is salvation in no one else” and “there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

 

Scripture references: Lev. 17:11; Isa. 64:6; Matt. 26:28; John 1:12; 3:7-18, 36; 5:24; 6:29; Acts 13:39; 16:31; Rom. 1:16-17; 3:22, 26; 4:5; 6:23; 10:4; Gal. 3:22, 26; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5  

 

 

Article VI – Man, Created and Fallen

 

We believe people are made in the (spiritual) image of God and are called to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God’s creation. People are born with a sin nature originally inherited from Adam and Eve who disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. We believe all of mankind operates from fallen state, apart from faith in the redemptive work of Christ, as a result of Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Apart from a redemptive relationship with Jesus Christ and due to man’s inherent sin nature, people are dead in their trespasses and sins and subject to the power of the devil. People are inclined to commit acts of sin from an inherited, fallen nature, which is the root cause of mankind’s sinful state worldwide. People worldwide, past, present, and future, need a Savior and Redeemer to be free from their fallen, sinful state before a holy, perfect God. Sin separates us from God and severs fellowship with Him. The wages or penalty of sin is death. “He (Jesus) who knew no sin, became sin for us so that we could become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. Jesus is our High Priest and lives to make intercession for us. 1 John 1:9 says, “if we confess (agree with/acknowledge) our sins, He (Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” “All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). 

 

Scripture references: Gen. 1:26; 2:17; 6:5; Psalms 8:3-6; 14:1-3; 51:5; Isa. 53:6; 59:1-2; Jer. 17:9; John 3:6; 5:40; 6:35; 19:17-30; Rom. 3:10-19, 23; 6:23;  8:6-7; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Eph. 2:1-3; 1 Tim. 5:6; Heb. 9:11-22; 1 John 1:8-9; 3:8

 

 

Article VII – Sanctification

 

We believe the same grace you received when you accepted Jesus into your life is the same grace that continues to save you. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been and still are being saved.” The Greek word used here is este sesosmenoi, which literally translated means “by grace you have been and you still are being saved.” The Apostle Paul is telling us that salvation is more than just a one-time event. While it does include a point in time where the believer confessed, repented, and believed, it also brings the understanding of a sanctifying work, whereby the believer is being molded into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. We believe once the individual has believed and confessed Jesus as Lord, his or her position toward God is the same as Christ’s position. However, just because our position of ‘right standing’ before a Holy God has changed does not necessarily our entire physical condition has changed. The believer will subsequently engage in spiritual warfare where his or her fleshly, carnal desires will wage war against the spirit man. As long as the believer lives in this physical body, he or she must renew the mind (soulish man) and bring the carnal desires into subjection to the obedience of Christ and His Word. We believe also that the child of God will be fully sanctified in his physical body as he or she is now in their standing in Christ Jesus. We believe when we see the Lord, we shall be like Him.

 

Scripture references: John 17:17; 2 Cor. 3:18; 5:1; 7:1; Eph. 4:24; 5:25-27; 1 Thess. 5:23; Heb. 10:10, 14; 12:10; 1 John 3:2-3

 

 

Article VIII – Water Baptism

 

We believe something very powerful and spiritual happens when a believer gets water baptized. First, we baptize because we were commanded by Jesus to do so. Jesus Himself was water baptized by John the Baptist. After being baptized and coming up out of the water, a voice from heaven spoke and said, “This is My Son in whom I am well pleased.” Father God was present at His Son’s baptism. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus after His baptism like a dove. Second, we believe water baptism is when the believer testifies to the world his or her identity in/with Christ. When the believer is immersed in the water and comes up out of the water, he or she has placed their faith and total trust in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Third, it is symbolic of the reality that when you receive Christ, you are literally washing off the old man (sinful man), leaving the old man under the water (buried), and coming up out of the water (raised) to a new creation wrought by faith in the finished/complete work of Christ. Water Baptism is also where the new Christian identifies himself/herself with a local church (body of believers).

 

Scripture references: Matt. 3:13-17; Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:37-39; 8:26-40; Rom. 6:4-5; Eph. 1:22-23; Colossians 2:12

 

 

Article IX – Great Commission

 

We believe it is the explicit message of our Lord Jesus Christ to His followers (disciples) to be sent forth by Him into the world even as He was sent forth by His Father into the world. We believe that after salvation, we as followers are ‘not of’ this world and will be viewed as strangers and pilgrims. Just as Jesus communicated to Pontius Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world, so we as believers and followers of Jesus belong to and identify with the kingdom of God. Therefore, we are called and ordained by God to be ambassadors and witnesses of His kingdom and our primary purpose in life is to make Jesus Christ known to the whole world. As an ambassador of God’s kingdom, we operate with the same authority on this Earth as Jesus Himself did while He physically walked the Earth. 

 

Scripture references: Matt. 28:18-19; Mark 16:15-20; Luke 10:17-20; John 17:14-26; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:18-20; 1 Pet. 1:17; 2:11-12

 

 

Article X – Giving

 

We believe tithing and giving offerings dates as far back as Creation and its beginning is found in Genesis 4. In Genesis 4 we see where Abel offered to God the firstborn (the first or the tithe) of his flock and of its fat (typifies giving more than the first; also gave the Lord an offering). Cain brought ‘an offering’ to the Lord. God honored Abel’s offering but did not honor Cain’s offering. Years later we see a man by the name of Abraham, who it is said of in the Scriptures that he believed God and it was accounted unto him as righteousness. God told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations (literally father of a multitude). In Genesis we discover that Abraham gave a tenth from all the increase he received to Melchizedek after a great victory, which was 400 years before the Law was ever given through Moses. The Scripture teaches in Hebrews that Jesus is of the priestly order of Melchizedek, who had no beginning and no ending of days. Abraham gave a tenth or a tithe to Jesus. Further, the Scripture teaches in Galatians that those who are of faith are sons of Abraham and that if we belong to Christ then we are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise. In Malachi, we discover the tithe belongs to God and has its roots and foundation in one word – Honor. Giving one’s tithes and offerings has nothing to do with the church obtaining your money but has everything to do with God being first and having preeminence in every area of your life. As Oral Roberts once said, “Your money represents you. It represents your time, your energy, and your talents.” We practice tithing for the support of Christ’s body (the church), so that the Gospel message of Jesus Christ can be funded locally and around the world. We recognize that giving (10%) of our income is the Biblical standard for giving. We invite you to participate in tithing and in giving offerings as the Holy Spirit leads you. The Lord’s tithe is (10%) of your income and is given to your local church home, where you are being taught the Word of God and growing in your relationship with Him and the community of believers. The offerings are financial gifts given over and above the tithe and are designated for projects, speakers, outreach initiatives, missions, etc.

 

Scripture references: Genesis 4:1-4; Genesis 14:14-20; Haggai 2:8; Malachi 1-3; Matthew 23:23; Hebrews 7:7-8