What We Believe
Our aim is to develop, teach, and lead people towards a robust faith that stabilizes Christians against the prevailing winds of the culture and difficulties of life. We seek to express the faith set forth in the following:
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We believe the Holy Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, to be verbally inspired by God in the original manuscripts; infallible, inerrant and God–breathed, and a perfect rule of faith and practice. (2 Timothy 3:16)
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We believe there is One Lord, One faith, and One baptism; One God and Father of all and that there are three that bear witness in heaven: The Father, The Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are One. We believe and baptize in the name of the Triune God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, Three in One. (Eph. 4:5-6, 1 John 5:7-8, Matthew 28:19)
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We believe that God, the Son, who has always existed, became a man (without diminishing His deity) by virgin birth through Mary. He lived a sinless life and as the infinite God–Man took upon Himself the sins of all men, died in their place and satisfied the justice of God concerning their sins. We further believe in the literal, physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. He ascended into Heaven and was exalted to the right hand of God, Who is the Great High Priest of all believers. (Isaiah 7:14; John 1:1; John 14:6; John 10:30; John 20:27; Matthew 28:5–7)
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We believe that the Holy Spirit is God, a Divine Person, who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness and of the coming judgment. He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, empowering, teaching, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption and leads believers in all Truth. (John 14:26; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 1:13; John 16:5–12)
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We believe, and the Bible teaches, that we are saved by Grace through faith. Grace is God’s gift for our salvation made available by the shed Blood of Jesus Christ on Calvary, and not by any works of man. Faith is man’s response to God’s Grace and the invitation to be one with Him. This faith should result in a changed life and a life–long commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
(Matt. 7:21–23; Matt. 25:31–46; Romans 10:9; 1 Cor. 6:9–10; Ephesians 2:8–9)
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We believe that water Baptism, by submersion or immersion, is an act of obedience and public declaration of our faith in Jesus Christ. Water Baptism occurs after or in conjunction with salvation.
(Mark 1:9; Acts 8:36; Colossians 2:12) “Buried in baptism”– as Jesus was buried in the earth, in baptism we are buried in the water and brought back up which is symbol of the resurrection.
The word “baptizo” in the Greek, translated “baptize” in the New Testaments, meant to “dip” or “immerse.” It is sometimes argued that in Mark 7:4 and Luke 11:38 the word means “to wash by pouring,” not “immerse”; but in those texts the actual meaning (as historical information substantiates) is to “wash by dipping or immersing in water.” “Rhantizo” means to sprinkle. “Katacheo” means to pour. The Bible did not use these Greek words, but instead used “Baptizo”.
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We believe that all who have repented of sin, believed in the Lord Jesus, confessed and have come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior will never lose their salvation.
(John 3:16; John 10:27–30; 1 John 5:13)
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The dead in Christ will rise first and those remaining alive will be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17; 1 Corninthians 15:52; Matthew 24:40–42)
“40 Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come….”
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This indicates that Christ will be universally visible at His second coming. In contrast with His first coming in Bethlehem. The second coming will happen when Jesus Christ returns to defeat the Antichrist, overthrow evil, and then establish His 1000–year reign. (Luke 21:27; Matthew 24:29–30 Revelation 1:7; Revelation 19:11–16)
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We believe that Satan is the enemy of God and man. Unlike God, Satan is not omnipresent (he cannot be everywhere at once) so he is aided by a host of evil spirits called demons. The enemy has come to steal, kill, and destroy lives. While every person, family, and church is subject to their attack, we believe that we can overcome and walk in victory through Jesus Christ. (John 10:10; 1 Peter 5:8; Mark 1:32-34)
(John 10:10; 1 Peter 5:8; Mark 1:32–34)
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Sanctification is “Christ living His life through the believer”. It is not the teaching of passivity, sinless perfection, or the deification of man. Those who have been born–again have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and our bodies are the temple of God in which dwells the Holy Spirit and our bodies are vessels to be used for a holy or pure purpose for the glory of God. The origin of this word, sanctification, is from the Latin word “sanctus” which means holy or to consecrate (meaning to set apart). The suffix of “tion” in sanctification is the ongoing or continuing process of this “becoming holy”. As Believers, we are sanctified by the Blood of Jesus Christ.
(2 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Hebrews 13:12)
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We believe in the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman according to the teaching of Scriptures in the Holy Bible, the inerrant Word of God. We believe that marriage is ordained by God and is a spiritual union in which man and woman are joined together by God to live together as one.
(Genesis 2:23–24; Mark 10:6–9)
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Because a human fetus is sacred and blessed of God, we believe that we have the responsibility to protect the life of the unborn. Since God is the Giver of life, it is our firm conviction that abortion is wrong.
(Jeremiah 1:5; Psalms 139:13–16) Proverbs 6:16–17 “The Lord hates hands that shed innocent blood.”
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We recognize the wise use of money. Tithing and giving is an essential part of the Christian life. It is a principal that is required and commanded by God that will bring forth blessings and protection of finances (he’ll rebuke the devourer).
(Malachi 3:10–11; Proverbs 3:9; Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6–7)
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The Spiritual Gifts are grace gifts that are given by God to equip the believers to glorify God and to build up the Church (the Body of Christ) through the supernatural power of Holy Spirit. These gifts are to be used to benefit others. There are different kinds of gifts but the same Spirit, different kinds of service but the same Lord. Different kinds of working, but in the same God. (1 Cor.12:4–6) The Bible says that God does not want us to be uninformed or ignorant about them.
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Supernatural gifts are manifested for the benefit of others to bring glory to God, not to man.
They are: Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, Discerning of Spirits, Faith, Gift of Healing, Working of Miracles, Different Kinds of Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues, Prophecy.
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Gifts are tools or areas of ministry that God uses to lead, guide, and build up the Church. Ministry gifts are often confirmed by ordination. These are found in Ephesians 4:11: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers
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Gifts are found in Romans 12:7–8. Each Christian receives one of these gifts at the time of salvation, and it is the tool through which God works in him or her to see needs and to do something to meet them. These gifts help the church to grow and to remain healthy. They help to shape how believers view life, relate to others, and impact the Body of Christ. These gifts are: Prophecy, Serving, Teaching, Mercy, Exhorting, Organizing/Leading, Giving.