In essential beliefs we have unity, in non-essentials we have liberty, and in all beliefs we show charity.
1. God
We believe there is one only true, holy God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – each of Whom equally possesses all the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personality.
2. Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, is both fully God and fully human. He was united with true human nature by a miraculous conception and virgin birth. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of all by dying on the cross, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him.
He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of the Father, where He is the only Mediator between God and humanity. He will come again to earth, personally and visibly, to fulfill God’s eternal plan and conclude human history.
3. The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. He was sent into the world by the Father and the Son to apply to humanity the saving work of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit awakens in us an awareness of our sin and our need for the Savior. At the point of salvation, He permanently indwells every believer and becomes the source of comfort, strength, wisdom, and assurance of salvation. The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the scripture. His power and control are appropriated by faith, making it possible for the believer to lead a life of Christ-like character and to bring glory to God the father. He also gives every believer at least one spiritual gift for the building-up of the body of Christ.
4. The Bible
The basis of our belief is the Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe the Scripture originated with God, was written and recorded by men divinely inspired by God, and is infallible and without error.
5. Salvation
The central purpose of God’s revelation in Scripture is to call all people into fellowship with Him. Originally created to have fellowship with God, mankind voluntarily chose to defy God and go their own way. They were separated from God and suffered the corruption of their nature from the original sin of Adam and Eve to the latest person born today. Sin entered the world at the beginning of human history and all individuals since have suffered the broken fellowship with God and, thus, are in need of the saving grace of God. Our inability to re-establish our relationship with God through our own power leaves us dependent upon God’s mercy. God graciously provides the means to reconcile ourselves to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. Our relationship with God is re-established when we repent of our sin and accept Jesus Christ as our Savior.
The salvation of humanity is wholly the work of God’s free grace, not the result, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness. Every individual must personally appropriate salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. Practically speaking, this faith and acceptance is demonstrated through both a private and public commitment. We demonstrate our commitment privately by faith and repentance. We publicly express our commitment by demonstrating our acceptance of God’s salvation through submitting ourselves in Christian baptism by immersion.
6. Baptism and Communion
Jesus Christ established two ordinances for the church – baptism and communion. Once a person becomes a Christian (repented from sin and turned to Christ for salvation), the Bible says the watching world needs to know. Baptism has always stood as a kind of public test for people who have accepted God’s salvation.
Just as a bride and groom tell of their love for one another through the symbol of rings, so should the Christian demonstrate to the world, through Baptism, their union with Christ. (cont.)
Being baptized is the means by which Christ’s followers are identified. The process of baptism by immersion identifies the believer with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is a solemn assembly where believers take time for self-examination. It should not be approached lightly or haphazardly. Believers partake of the bread and juice, representing the body and blood of Jesus, and reflect on the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for them on the cross. Matthew 28:19-20; John 3:22-23; Acts 2:41; 8:12; 8:36,39; 10:47-48; Romans 6:1-11: 1 Corinthians 11:26.
7. Eternal Security
Human beings were created to exist forever. Each person will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally united with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with God is Heaven. Heaven is an actual place of eternal bliss and joy in the presence of God. Hell is an actual place of eternal torment, pain, and sorrow. God gives each human being free will to choose his or her destiny. He desires for all people to come to Him and share in the fulfilled promise of eternal life in Heaven. A person who genuinely accepts salvation through Jesus Christ cannot lose his or her salvation. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. John 3:16; 14:17; Romans 6:23; 8:17-18; Revelation 20:11-15; 1 Corinthians 2:7-9; John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12;
8. The Church
The universal church is a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all who have put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior are members. The local church consists of a local group of baptized believers. The scripture commands believers to regularly gather together to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, and fellowship. Baptism and Communion are the two ordinance observed by the local church. Service to the local and universal body of Christ as well as outreach to the world is accomplished through the development and use of the gifts and talents given to believers by God. Members of the local church are to work together in love and unity, under the watch care and guidance of the appropriate leadership, with the ultimate purpose of glorifying God. Matthew 16:15-19; 28:19-20; Mark 14:22-26; Acts 2:41-42, 47; 9:31; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 4:11-12; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Peter 5:1-3.
9. Last Things
Jesus Christ will visibly return to earth one day and establish His kingdom. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all, the everlasting blessedness of the believers, and the everlasting punishment of the nonbelievers. Matthew 16:27; 24:31-46; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 24:15; Philippians 3:20;
10. Spiritual Gifts and the Ministry
We believe the Holy Spirit bestows His spiritual gifts on members of the body according to His will for the purpose of winning the lost and strengthening believers. Initially, some of these gifts were for use as signs for confirmation of the spoken word of the apostles. With the completion of the written Word of God in the New Testament Scriptures, these miraculous gifts (such as the ability to speak in other languages without having learned these languages, the power to receive and communicate divine revelations and the ability to perform supernatural healings and other miracles) were gradually replaced by permanently needed gifts such as those of pastoral guidance, evangelism, teaching the Written Word and others. This does not imply that God can no longer answer prayer in miraculous ways when in accordance with His own will, nor that He is not sovereign in the use of means for the accomplishing of His purposes. However, such occurrences are not to be considered as specific “gifts” or powers to be possessed by individuals, nor are they to be considered evidences of spirituality on the part of those experiencing them, nor are they to be considered as signs supporting the testimony of believers. Therefore, seeking after such signs or other sensory experiences in the services or ministries of the church can lead to confusion and divisions and should be avoided. I Corinthians 12:4-11; 28-30; Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:4; I Corinthians
11. Christian Conduct
We believe a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellow men; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ. I Corinthians 10:31; Romans 12:1-3; Hebrews 12:1-2; John 14:15, 23-24; I John 2:3-6; II Corinthians 9:6-9; I Corinthians 4:2;
Our Lifestyle Statement is on page 6. These are the things we practice because beliefs don't really matter a whole lot unless they're actually translated into action. Here are some things we believe and teach strongly.
B - Bible is our sole authority.
The Bible is our final authority. Not a creed, not a denominational statement. Whenever there is a question about what to do, we know where to go to find the answer. The Bible.
A - Autonomy of the local church.
Jesus Christ is the head of this church. Not the Pastor. Jesus Christ is the head of this church, the recognized honored head of this church. Because of that, we are a body and we work together. He is the source of our life. There is value in associating with other Christians, other groups of Christians. But this church makes its own decisions about its land, its property. No denominational control from outside can tell us what to do with our land or tell me to move to another church. This church makes its own decisions about those kinds of things. We are autonomous.
P - Priesthood of every believer.
This is another doctrine very close to my heart. 1 Peter 2:9 and Revelation 1:6 "Christ loves us and by His death He has freed us from our sins and made us a kingdom of priests to serve God. ... You are the King's priests, God's own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God." You and I are all priests before God. We don't need anybody to stand between us and God anymore. Jesus Christ did that by His death and resurrection. You don't need another human being to stand on your behalf in front of God. Because of that we all have equal access to God.
T - Tithing.
The word tithing simply means ten percent. It's the way we finance this church. We don't finance it through bingo or raffles or any kind of gimmicks like that. We finance this church through the members giving ten percent of what they earn back to the God through their church. Nobody's ever going to come check up on you. It's between you and God. We feel like if we teach you what the Bible says, then it becomes something between you and God. It is the responsibility of the people who commit themselves to membership here to give and support the work of the church.
I - Immersion.
Colossians 2:12 "When you were baptized you were buried with Christ and in baptism you were also raised with Christ." Baptism is where people make a public statement of their belief in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The picture of baptism is being buried under water just as Christ was buried in the tomb and raised into a new way of life. Baptism is simply a picture of what's happened on the inside.
S - Spirit led living.
John 15:5 "Jesus said, `I am the vine, you are the branches. If you abide in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. But apart from Me, you can do nothing.'" This is something we believe deeply. He is the source of our life not just for salvation but for every day.
T - Telling others about Christ.
1 Peter 3:15 "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." It is the responsibility and the privilege of every believe to tell someone else. You don't have to know the whole Bible, you don't have to have some witnessing plan memorized. All you need to do is tell somebody else, "This is what God did for me. I don't even understand it all, but my life is different because of Jesus Christ."
