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Our Statement of Faith
Holy Bible:
The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of
God. It alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal
truths. In its original writing, it is inspired, infallible and
inerrant. (II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans
16:25-26)
Trinity:
There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son
and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and co-eternal. (I John
5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6;
Hebrews 3:7-11)
Jesus Christ:
Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. On
earth, Jesus was fully God and fully man. He was born of a virgin,
lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross for
mankind and thus, atoned for our sins through the shedding of His
blood. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the
Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will
return again in power and glory. (John 1:1, 14, 20:28; I Timothy
3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; I Timothy 2:5)
Virgin Birth:
Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father, through the Holy
Spirit (the third person of the Trinity) in the Virgin Mary's womb;
therefore, He is the Son of God. (Matthew 1:18, 25; Luke 1:35;
Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18, 23-25; Luke 1:27-35)
Redemption:
Man was created good and upright, but by voluntary transgression he
fell; his only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of
God. (Genesis 1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21)
Regeneration:
For anyone to know God, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is
absolutely essential. (John 3:3, 3:5, Titus 3:5, 1 Pet 1:23)
Salvation:
We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; His death,
burial and resurrection. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result
of our good works or of any human efforts. (Ephesians 2:8-10;
Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Hebrews
9:22)
Repentance:
Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of
our lives and to follow Christ, which allows us to receive His
redemption and to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Thus, through
repentance we receive forgiveness of sins and appropriate salvation.
(Acts 2:21, 3:19; I John 1:9)
Sanctification:
Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God’s Word and
His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ's
character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy
Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian is enabled to live a
godly life. (I Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; II Corinthians 3:18,
6:14-18, II Thessalonians 2:1-3, Romans 8:29, 12:1-2, Hebrews 2:11)
Jesus' Blood:
The blood that Jesus Christ shed on the cross of Calvary was sinless
and is completely sufficient to cleanse mankind of all sin. Jesus
allowed Himself to be punished for both our sinfulness and our sins,
enabling all those who believe to be free from the penalty of sin,
which is death. (I John 1:7; Revelation 1:5, 5:9; Colossians 1:20;
Romans 3:10-12, 23, 5:9; John 1:29)
Jesus Christ Indwells All Believers:
Christians are people who have invited the Lord Jesus Christ to come
and live inside them by His Holy Spirit. They relinquish the
authority of their lives over to Him thus making Jesus the Lord of
their life as well as Savior. They put their trust in what Jesus
accomplished for them when He died, was buried, and rose again from
the dead. (John 14:17, 23; 1 Cor. 6:19; Eph. 1:13,14; Romans 8:11;
Revelations 3:20)
Infilling of The Holy Spirit:
Also commonly known as the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, which occurs
at, or subsequent to, salvation. Originally given at Pentecost, it
is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His ascension, to
empower the Church to preach the gospel throughout the whole earth.
Not limited to a one-time event, believers are commanded to
continually be filled with the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-29; Matthew
3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47,
11:15-17, 19:1-6; Eph. 5:18)
The Gifts Of The Holy Spirit:
The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts
to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the
resurrection, and confirm the power of the gospel. The Bible lists
of these gifts are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may
occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to
earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives.
These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should
never be used in violation of biblical parameters. (Hebrews 2:4;
Romans 1:11, 12:4-8; Ephesians 4:16; II Timothy 1:5-16, 4:14; I
Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; I Peter 4:10)
The Church:
The church is the body of Christ, the habitation of God through the
Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of Jesus' great
commission. Every person who is born of the Spirit is an integral
part of the church as a member of the body of believers. There is a
spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23)
Two Sacraments:
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Water
Baptism:
Following faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the new convert is
commanded by the Word of God to be baptized in water in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew
28:19; Acts 2:38).
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The Lord's Supper:
A unique time of communion in the presence of God when the
elements representing the body and blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ are taken in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice on the
cross. (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38;
10:47-48; I Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-25)
Healing Of The Sick:
Healing of the sick is illustrated in the life and ministry of
Jesus, and included in the commission of Jesus to His disciples. It
is given as a sign, which is to follow believers. It is also a part
of Jesus' work on the cross and one of the gifts of the Spirit.
(Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 16:17-18; Acts
8:6-7; James 5:14-16; I Corinthians 12:9, 28; Romans 11:29)
God’s Will For Provision:
It is the Father's will for believers to become whole, healthy and
successful in all areas of life. But because of the fall, some may
not receive the full benefits of God’s will while on earth. That
fact, though, should never prevent all believers from seeking the
full benefits of Christ’s provision in order to better serve others.
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Spiritual (John 3:3-11; II
Corinthians 5:17-21; Romans 10:9-10)
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Mental and emotional (II
Timothy 1:7, 2:11; Philippians 4:7-8; Romans 12:2; Isaiah 26:3)
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Physical (Isaiah 53:4, 5;
Matthew 8:17; I Peter 2:24)
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Financial (Joshua 1:8;
Malachi 3:10-11; Luke 6:38; II Corinthians 9:6-10; Deuteronomy
28:1-14; Psalm 34:10, 84:11; Philippians 4:19)
Resurrection:
Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified
body three days after His death on the cross. In addition, both the
saved and the lost will be resurrected; they that are saved to the
resurrection of life and they that are lost to the resurrection of
eternal damnation. (Luke 24:16, 36, 39; John 2:19-21, 20:26-28,
21:4; Acts 24:15; I Corinthians 15:42, 44; Philippians 1:21-23,
3:21)
Heaven:
Heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all believers in the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 5:3, 12, 20, 6:20, 19:21, 25:34; John
17:24; II Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 11:16; I Peter 1:4)
Hell:
After living one life on earth, the unbelievers will be judged by
God and sent to hell where they will be eternally tormented with the
evil and the fallen angels. (Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Hebrews
9:27; Revelation 14:9-11, 20:12-15, 21:8)
Second Coming:
Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the
second time to fully establish His kingdom. This will occur at a
date undisclosed by the Scriptures. (Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts
1:9-11; I Thessalonians 4:15-17; II Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation
1:7)
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