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What We Believe
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We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Bible, both the Old and New
Testaments (2 Tim 3:16; Heb 4:12; I Pet 1:23-25; 2 Pet 1:19-21).
We believe in the one triune God co-existing in three persons: the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit (Mat 3:16, 17; 28:29; John 17).
We believe that man, in his natural state, is a sinner, lost, undone, without hope
in the world, and without God (Rom 3:19-23; Gal 3:22, Eph 2:1,12).
We believe that Jesus is God, come in the flesh and that He is both fully divine
and fully human, the Son of God (Luke 1:26-38; John 14:1-3; Acts 2:36, 3:14, 15;
Phil 2:5-12).
We believe the only way to be saved is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, who
died for our sins and was raised for our justification (Acts 4:12; Rom 4:1-9, 25;
5:1-11; Eph 1:3-15).
We believe that the same Christ Jesus who walked the earth in His fleshly body has
been raised from the dead and has ascended to the Father and is presently serving
as head of the church on earth, bringing it to purity and maturity, and interceding
for the saints (Luke 24:39-43; John 20:24-29; 14:1-6; Romans 8:34; Eph 4:11-13;
Col 1:18; Phil 1:6; Rev 19:7-8).
We believe in the visible, bodily, premillennial return of Christ Jesus to this
earth, to gather His Church (Bride), and to judge the world (Acts 1:10, 11; I Thessalonians
4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; James 5:8; Revelation 1:7).
We believe that in conjunction with the return of Jesus, the people of Israel will
turn to God and be saved (Mat 23:39; Rom 11:15). The church is not spiritual Israel;
it will enjoy the promises given to Abraham along with natural Israel, not in place
of it. The church and Israel remain distinct, but believing Jews and believing Gentiles
are united as one people of God through the redemption that is in Messiah Jesus,
the Son of God. With this in mind, the church should love Israel as it loves itself,
should pray for Israel, should minister with the understanding that their Savior
is Israel’s Messiah, and should pursue the salvation of Israel.
We believe that the terms of salvation are repentance toward God and a personal,
heartfelt faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, which results in regeneration of the person.
This salvation is entirely by the grace of our Lord and not of works. Works are
excluded except as fruit of salvation (Acts 3:19, 20; Romans 4:1-5; 5:1; 10:9-10;
Ephesians 2:8-10).
We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is a body of believers who have Jesus
as their head; who assemble to worship, who carry forth the great commission, and
who minister as the Holy Spirit leads (Mat 16:18, 28:19, 20; Acts 2:20-28; Eph 4:15;
5:22-32; I Tim 3:15).
We believe that the two ordinances of the Church which are commanded by Christ are
Baptism, by immersion in water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Mat
28:19-20; Acts 8:38; Rom 6:1-4; 1 Pet 3:21); and the Lord’s Supper, a memorial of
the death, resurrection and second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 22:13-20:
1 Cor 11:23-26).
We believe that believers should live, as the early disciples did, a life separated
from the world and unto Christ and to set standards of conduct that exalt our Lord
and His Church. A life of holiness and obedience to God is not optional, but is
commanded by Jesus and the apostles as a requirement for those who will enter the
kingdom of God (Mat 7:21; 16:27; Rom 12:1-3; 2 Cor 6:17; Gal 6:14; Eph 5:11; Col
3:17; Rev 20:12). Holiness is not prerequisite to, but evidence of, salvation, and
as such it is always present among those who are saved (Heb 12:14).
We believe that the Scriptures clearly set forth the doctrines of eternal punishment
for the lost and eternal life for the saved (Mat 25:34, 41, 46; Luke 19:19-31; John
14:1-3; Rev 20:11-15).
We believe the Holy Spirit to be the third person of the Trinity whose purpose in
the redemption of man is to convict men of sin, regenerate, indwell, and guide the
believer into all truth, and give gifts to believers as He wills, that they may
minister as Christ would, to men. We believe that any local congregation that yields
to the Holy Spirit should experience the manifestations of all the Spiritual gifts
mentioned in 1 Cor 12:8-10 (Luke 11:13; John 7:37-39, 14:16, 17, 16:7-14; Acts 2:39-48).
We believe that Baptism in the Holy Spirit, primarily evidenced by speaking with
other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance, is for all believers as promised by
John the Baptist (Mat 3:11), Jesus (Acts 1:4, 5, 8), and Peter (Acts 2:38-41) and
as witnessed by the early disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:1-4; 10:44-46;
19:6).
We believe that God uses doctors, medicines, and other material means for healing,
but that divine healing is also provided in the atonement (Isa 53:5) and may be
appropriated by laying on of hands by elders (James 5:14-16) or by believers (Mark
16:18), by the prayers of any believer gifted for healing the sick (I Cor 12:9),
or by a direct act of receiving this provision by faith (Mark 11:23).
We believe that the foundation of the New Testament Church is the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ being the cornerstone. There is no church unless Jesus Christ holds
it together, and neither is the church properly founded unless genuine, God-given
apostles and prophets are in their rightful place according to the will of Jesus,
the head (Eph 2:20-22; 4:11).
We believe that leadership in the church should emerge as the gifts of God become
evident, that these leadership gifts include, but are not limited to elders and
overseers, and that all leaders in the body of Christ are given to serve the body,
not to be served, and to facilitate the will of God, not their own will, being realized
among the saints under their care.
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