STATEMENT OF FAITH
God and His Creation
WE BELIEVE that the triune God is one (Deut. 6:4), eternally existing in three Persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:1, Matt. 28:19, John 1:1,10:30)
Therefore, the doctrine of the Trinity teaches that God is one, and yet more than one. This, of course, is a great mystery but this understanding of the Tri-unity of God is revealed to us from God Himself throughout His written Word, even though the word "trinity" itself is not actually mentioned in the Scriptures. Similarly, we also see that God did something very unique in creation when He made humanity since we were made in the image and likeness of God. Although nothing can perfectly match the Divine Godhead and Tri-unity of God, we eventually discover that there is a trichotomy to Mankind (or tripartite reality, three distinctions in each human being). When speaking about complete sanctification and when referring to the whole person, we see that each human being has a spirit, soul, and body - “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” God made man from the dust of the earth (Gen. 2:7) to relate to the earth in a physical way and therefore God gave us a body. Man was made to have his own unique personality involving his own mind, will, and emotions or desires and therefore God has given us a soul. Man was especially made to have true fellowship and union with God and therefore He has given us a spirit. Although, the spirit and soul are sometimes used interchangeably as the immaterial part of our being, we also see a clear distinction in the Scriptures of the soul and spirit only revealed by the living Word of God as Hebrews 4:12 shows us, “For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
WE BELIEVE that God alone gives life and sustains life and that He is the Sovereign ruler over all things. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1) and "He is before all things, and in Him all things are held together" (Col. 1:17) and that “all things were made through Him [the Word who is Christ Jesus], and “without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:3).
Therefore, we hold to the authority of Scripture that the biblical account of creation clearly presents that God is the Eternal Creator who created all things “according to its kind” and that man was made “in the image of God” and not according to a random process of time and chance, which included variations and mutations that coincidentally and eventually evolved into the well designed, functioning human beings of today. We do not ignore scientific discovery nor do we lack appreciation for what science has revealed to us about the created world but believe there is a great deal of bias and propaganda in interpreting the evidence of science. WE BELIEVE that actual facts of science are not in conflict with anything that is clearly revealed in the word of God.
WE BELIEVE that God knows all things (Ps. 139:1-6, 1 John 3:20) and can do all things (Luke 1:37) and that all of creation communicates something about Him (Ps. 19:1-4) and serves as visible evidence of His Person and attributes. "For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal Godhead and power, leaving all men without excuse" (Rom.1:20).
Therefore, God is the First Cause of all things, who eternally existed before time began and by His nature is the very definition of what we call “existence.” He is the reason why we are able to live, move and have our being. It is God who has given us the capacity to reason among ourselves about things inside and outside of ourselves, both seen and unseen. Everything that exists is preceded by thought and every thought is preceded by a Thinker. Thus, His thoughts not only preceded our thoughts and are greater than our thoughts but He alone makes sense of why we have thoughts in the first place. When He designed us and defined us, He declared to us that we would have dominion over all things on the earth because He gave us not only physical bodies to relate to the natural world but the spiritual capacity to know our Maker and relate to Him.
Man and Our Separation
WE BELIEVE that all people we were "made for His glory" (Isa. 43:7) according to His will (Rev. 4:11) and “according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself… And "He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings" (Acts 17:26)... that He might gather together in one all things in Christ” (Eph. 1:9-10) since His “delight was with the sons of men” (Prov. 8:31).
Therefore, we are not meaningless products of time and chance with an aimless and pointless existence, but rather we are fearfully and wonderfully made living beings created in the image of God, (imago dei), who are unconditionally loved for the purpose of sharing His eternal and abundant life with us that we who believe in Him may become forever united with Him in glory. Therefore, all people are created with equal value and worth as image bearers of God (Gen. 1:26-27) and there is no superior group of people since God shows “personal favoritism to no man” (Gal. 2:6) and has always intended to gather a people set apart for Himself from every tribe, tongue, and nation (Rev. 7:9).
WE BELIEVE that there has never been a man, except Jesus Christ, who has been able to walk in the revealed will of God perfectly (Heb. 4:15). There are “none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10), for “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23) and "the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23) for “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27).
Therefore, WE BELIEVE every one of us is accountable to God for disobeying His Word, rebelling against His will, and deviating from His purpose. When mankind sinned, everything in creation fell from its former glory, since man was given dominion over the earth. The fall of man caused our bodies to become weak and temporal (Psalm 39:4-6), our souls to become selfish and sinful (Rom. 3:10-18), and our spirits became dead and unfruitful (Eph. 2:1-3, John 15:4-6). We will all have to stand before God and be judged for every sin we have committed unless we have trusted in Christ who has done away with sin once and for all through the shedding of His blood on the cross of Calvary (Heb. 9:11-15, 22).
The Bible and God’s Revelation
WE BELIEVE that God has been communicating to mankind "at various times and in various ways" (Heb. 1:1): through the creation around us (Ps. 19:1-4), the conscience within us (Rom. 2:15), the prophets before us (Heb. 1:1), the Scriptures taught to us (2 Tim. 3:16-17), God present with us (Matt. 1:23, John 1:14), the Church among us (Eph. 3:10), 1 Tim. 3:15) so that Christ Jesus may dwell inside all who receive Him and believe in His name (Col.1:27, John 1:12).
Therefore, God is the Highest Communicator and is interested in revealing Himself and making His will known to and through His creation (Deut. 29:29) so that we might have our minds renewed to become all that He intends for our lives, being united to His determined purpose until we fully enter into the glorious fellowship of His Son who alone has the words of eternal life.
WE BELIEVE the Bible to be the living and powerful Word of God, inspired and inerrant in the original manuscripts, infallible and authoritative in all manners of life and practice for the Church, preserved throughout history and complete in the Old and New Testaments (Isa. 40:6-8, 2 Peter 1:21, John 6:63, John 17:17).
Therefore, we treasure all 66 books of the Bible and seek to teach expositionally through each of the books in a verse by verse manner while making relevant connections as a living book that testifies to the living Christ and gives light to its hearers (Ps. 119:130) and life to our spirit (John 6:63). As guided and led by His Spirit, we will address issues of our times and themes in the Scriptures that we believe the Lord is desiring for us to know and follow, while believing that "the volume of the book is written of [JESUS] (Hebrews. 10:7).
WE BELIEVE that the best commentary for the Bible is the Bible itself.
Therefore, we seek to let Scripture interpret Scripture, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:13), while reading and studying the text in a exegetical way, (taking out of the text what is already there and not reading into the text what is not there --"eisogesis"), in light of its historic context, use of literary tones, and in reference to the original intention of the author, while knowing that the Bible is living and powerful for present day application and that all Scripture testifies of Jesus (john 5:29) and that "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Rev. 19:10).
WE BELIEVE that God has "given us all things that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3) and that the Bible is the complete revelation of God's heart and His will for our appointed time on this earth, as "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is 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" (2 Tim. 3:16-17) and "the word of God is living and powerful" (Heb. 4:12) and serves as "a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path" (Ps. 119:105).
Therefore, God is the Divine Counsellor and His Word is our true counsel for every situation and circumstance of life so that we may live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The Word of God must be the basis of our beliefs, the model for our practice, and the source of all of our convictions.
WE BELIEVE that all things should be done in His unconditional love (1 Cor. 13) and that we should seek to walk in love in a manner worthy of Christ (Eph. 5:1) and as the clear transparent evidence that we are truly the Lord's disciples (John 13:34-35). If there should ever be a disagreement within the church concerning any text of Scripture or matter of faith, we must seek to
come to each other in a spirit of gentleness and humility, aiming to “avoid foolish and ignorant disputes knowing that they generate strife (2 Tim. 2:23-26).
Since Jesus came “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), WE BELIEVE that we should all come under the authority of Scripture and hold our views and positions in light of the whole counsel of Gods Word (Acts 20:27), while allowing space for grace for each believer to be fully convinced in his own mind on matters that are non essential and that do not diminish any of the foundational or major teachings of the Christian faith (Rom. 14:5). Therefore, we seek to do our best to be at peace with all people (Rom. 12:18) and “contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 3).
WE BELIEVE that we must all remain teachable and accountable to the Word of God and use it as the sole measuring rod when making decisions, discerning doctrine, and testing the spirits. We do not see the Bible as a mere religious text book where we seek to attain knowledge alone but rather hold the Word of God in the highest esteem as the living written testimony that defines God’s will, declares God’s Son, directs our paths, and deepens our fellowship with the Lord and His body, the Church.
Jesus and His Salvation
WE BELIEVE that all of Scripture testifies of Jesus (John 5:39), and that “in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily” and that we are “complete in Him” (Col. 2:9-10), since He Himself is God, and as the Son of God was “life” and “the light of men” (John 1:1,4, 10:30,33).
WE BELIEVE in the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ, Who was “the Word” that “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). WE BELIEVE that when Jesus Christ was on the earth, He was fully God and fully human, born of a virgin (Luke 1:27), conceived of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:20), lived a sinless life (Heb. 4:15), walked in full obedience to the Father (John 8:29) and thus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 5:17), while serving others in complete, sacrificial love, (Mark 10:45) where He atoned for our sins by taking our place on the cross, exchanging our sin for His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21), and then after being buried was bodily raised from the dead (1 Cor. 15:3-4) before ascending back to the right hand of the Father (Acts 1:9, Eph. 1:20), where He ever lives to make intercession for us (Heb. 7:25), while simultaneously indwelling every believer by His Spirit (Rom. 8:11) until we are conformed to His image (Rom. 8:29) and fully changed from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18) that we might dwell together and reign with Him forevermore (Rev. 22:5).
WE BELIEVE that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life, and that no man comes to the Father except through [Him]” (John 14:6) “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Therefore, as the Scriptures clearly reveal, life begins with Jesus and can only come through Jesus and only those who have received Jesus can come to the Father. Jesus is the door that we must enter by in order to be reconciled to God (John 10:1, 7-8). Jesus is the only One who has lived without sin and thus He is the only One who can take away our sin. There are no other candidates and everyone else who claims to save our souls is a counterfeit. Thus, we must put Jesus above all things and keep Him as the purpose, the passion and the pursuit of our lives. As we seek to know and follow Him, we have the capacity to overflow with His love and to shine His light to help others to know and glorify the Lord (Matt. 5:16), but only as the Father draws them by His Spirit to His Son (John 6:44). “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors – not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh” (Rom. 8:12). For to us, “to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21), since “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in Me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). Thus, He is “our life” (Col. 3:4).
The Church and the Spirit’s Operation
WE BELIEVE in the spiritual unity of all believers throughout the world in the lordship of Christ (Rom. 12:4-5, 1 Cor. 12:12-13, Gal. 3:26-28) and we "endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3), and to live in His unconditional "agape" love, knowing that Jesus taught, "by this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).
Thus, we do not seek to alienate ourselves or elevate ourselves from the rest of the body of Christ (Luke 9:50). We are aware that there are true believers gathering in a number of different places in and around our city and throughout the world. Thus, we seek to pray for the whole body of Christ, and desire to "endeavor to the keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3), while being willing to work together for the furtherance of the Gospel and to rejoice wherever and whenever Christ is magnified. We aim to be the servants of all and to contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 3) without compromising the Word of God or misrepresenting His name that we might be "sanctified and useful for the Master" (2 Tim. 2:19-21).
WE BELIEVE that the life of the Church should be under the Lordship of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23), living inside the revealed guidelines of Scripture (Deut. 29:29, 1 Cor. 4:6), and yet outside the traditions and opinions of man (Col. 2:8), following the pattern of the earliest followers who “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42), who met “with gladness and simplicity of heart” both intimately and openly (Acts 2:46) and who remained faithful to the mission of making disciples (Matt. 28:19-20) as the Lord gave the increase (Acts 2:47).
Therefore, we are willing to think outside the box but always inside the book. We do not want to add or subtract from the finished work of Christ or deviate from any part of the whole counsel of God, as we seek to rightly handle the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15), letting Scripture interpret Scripture (1 Cor. 2:13). We aim to live in the life of Christ, for the cause of Christ, because of the love of Christ for all of our days. For this reason, we fellowship together in homes at different times during the week and gather together publicly every Sunday to build each other up in Christ as "a city on a hill" in our community (Matt. 5:16-18).
WE BELIEVE that everything we do should be connected to the Person and work of Jesus Christ through His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection. Thus, we believe in full immersion water baptism, which is an outward testimony for the believer to identify with Christ in His death, His burial and His resurrection (Rom 6:3-9, Col. 2:11-14) as the believer comes up out of the water (Acts 8:39). We also believe in proclaiming and remembering the Lord’s death in Communion, which reflects our reconciliation to God and our fellowship to Christ, which overflows into our fellowship to every member of the body of Christ, as the Church. “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” (1 Cor. 10:16)
Thus, we do not believe that either of these practices equates to salvation, since we are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves nor of works (Eph. 2:8-9), but rather serve as responsive acts of obedience in demonstration of our living faith and our fellowship with the risen Christ.
WE BELIEVE in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, who indwells and fills all true believers (John 14:17, Eph. 5:18), that we might be "conformed to the image of Christ" (Rom 8:29), that we might exercise the gifts of the Spirit, in accordance with the Scriptures, for the building up of the body "for the profit of all" (Eph. 4:11-16, Rom. 12:4-7, 1 Cor. 12:7-18) and that we might be empowered by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses throughout the world living and giving the gospel of Christ to all who have not yet believed (Acts 1:8).
Thus, WE BELIEVE that all of the gifts are still active today and that we should not be ignorant of them (1 Cor. 12:1) but rather be earnestly desiring them (1 Cor. 14:1).
WE BELIEVE the gifts of the Spirit should be consistent with the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22) and confirmed by the Scriptures, which were inspired by the Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Whenever something seemingly “spiritual” is being done contrary to the most excellent way of Christ’s agape love (1 Cor. 12:31, 13:1-8), it should be done away with since it has no profit for the body (1 Cor. 12:7, 14:26). We must remember that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is always testifying of Jesus (John 15:26) and giving glory to Him alone (John 16:14). The gifts are given to each believer as He personally chooses (Rom. 12:6, 1 Cor. 12:11) for the purpose of edifying the Church (1 Cor. 14:12) and ultimately glorifying God. We want to be yielded to the Spirit and His leading in our meetings but be discerning while we are yearning for Him to work in our lives. We are called to test all things and to hold fast what is good. We are aware that many things have been done and are being done in the name of Christ that is not in accordance with Scripture nor does it reflect the agape love of Christ. As we become increasingly aware that we are living in the last days, we must understand that Christ seeks to perfect us and to protect us from deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons (2 Tim. 4:1) and anything that corrupts us from the simplicity of Christ (2 Cor. 11:3). Over the years, the body of Christ has been greatly divided over the use and abuse of the gifts which is why we must pursue love above all things (1 Cor. 14:1), so that our love does not grow cold (Matt. 24:12) since it is by our love that the world will know that we are His disciples (John 13:35).
The Kingdom and Our Restoration
WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is personally and visibly coming back soon and "His reward is with [Him] to give to everyone according to His work" (Rev. 22:12). We believe in a pre-millennial rapture of the Church where the Lord snatches His people out of the earth (1 Thes. 4:15-16) just before the revealing of the Antichrist (2 Thes. 2:7-8) and prior to the seventieth week of Daniel (Dan. 9:24-27), also known as the time of Jacob's trouble (Jer. 30). During this time, the world will come under God’s wrath (Matt. 24:15-22, Rev. 6-18), but not the church (1 Thes. 5:9), as God's judgments will be poured out on the earth in what is called the Great Tribulation, until He destroys the works of darkness with the brightness of His Coming (Luke 21:27-28). Jesus will return with His saints to establish His kingdom on the earth for a thousand years (Rev. 20:4-6) and "of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this" (Isa. 9:7).
Therefore, we believe that if we have this hope we should purify ourselves (1 John 3:2-3) and comfort one another with the reality of the imminence of Christ (1 Thes. 4:16-18) while remaining faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us (1 Cor. 4:2) and occupying until He comes, since no man knows the day or the hour of the Lord’s return. We do not make the timing of the removal of the Church or the appearing of our Lord something contentious or dogmatic since many solid Bible believing Christians see the unfolding of end time events differently. Since no future biblical event should ever be the cause of any division or disrupted fellowship in the body of Christ, we must remain united not on what is about to happen but on what has already happened in the past. Since the Lord knows those who are His, anyone who names the name of Christ should depart from iniquity and, above all, have fervent love for one another!
WE BELIEVE that God still has a plan to redeem Israel and “that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” and then all of believing Israel will be saved (Rom. 11, Rev.7).
Therefore, we continue to pray for the peace of Israel, believing that during the time of tribulation, the chastisement of the Lord will bring Israel to repentance that they might believe. We, the Church, continue to pray for the salvation of all people, believing that we will be spared from the wrath that is to come, while looking to Jesus awaiting His Messianic reign on this earth until we are ruling and reigning with Him as His Bride. We know that there are many believers who love Christ who may differ on their position of ethnic Israel and other eschatological [end time] events.
Therefore, WE BELIEVE that no future biblical event should ever be the cause of any division or disrupted fellowship in the body of Christ since we are united not on what is about to happen but on what has already happened in the past, namely the finished work of Christ’s atonement on the cross and His bodily resurrection. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing! Let us earnestly contend for the faith, diligently seek out the Scriptures, and peacefully unite at the cross of Christ. And since the Lord knows those who are His, let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity, be serious and watchful in our prayers, and, above all, have fervent love for one another (1 Peter 4:7-8).
The Gospel and its Explanation
WE BELIEVE that the hope of mankind lies in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is "the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). The Gospel is the good news and the good news is Jesus Christ, who "died for our sins according to the Scriptures...was buried...and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3-4). He was also seen by the Apostles and "over five hundred brethren at once" (1 Cor. 15:5-6) before ascending to the Father in heaven.
Thus, we seek to keep the Gospel central to our God given identity and everything we say and do. We are committed to equipping and encouraging the brethren to be living as true witnesses of Christ and we desire to get behind those who are willing to count the cost and serve the Lord in various missionary work both here and abroad in order that Christ might be magnified throughout the world so that all people might declare His praise!
WE BELIEVE that God "is not far from each of us" (Acts 17:27) and that the Holy Spirit is actively ministering throughout the world, convicting of sin, confirming the Word, and connecting people to Christ, regenerating all those who believe in Christ and who call upon His name (John 16:8), knowing that "the Lord is not slack to fulfill His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9) and that He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4).
Therefore, if you have not opened your heart to believe and receive Christ, we urge you not to put off knowing the God who created you and who has proven His love for you by choosing to lay down His life for you so that you could live with Him forever. The Bible tells us clearly that, "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through [Jesus] might be saved" (John 3:17) and Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
The Bible tells us to “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” (Prov. 4:13)
THE HEART OF THE MATTER lies in REPENTANCE from our sin and FAITH toward God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And THE MATTER OF THE HEART lies in understanding... Who saved us? ...What are we saved from? ...And what are we saved for?
Since we are living in a fallen world and we are all flawed from within, we must repent, which means to change our way of thinking and live according to the will of God. It begins with having a clear understanding of our failure to meet God’s righteous requirements and our personal experience of living contrary to God. This originates all the way back to the first time mankind fell into rebellion back in the Garden when the first man, Adam, disobediently ate from the one tree that he was forbidden to eat from, thus sinning against God, which resulted in the spread of death, disease, and suffering that we so often despise in the world. Thus, we are all born with a sinful nature because we are all descendants of the first man.
Read: Genesis 3 and Romans 5.
Adam was a representation of us all since we have all followed in his footsteps and have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The wages of our sin is death, which is eternal separation from God in the torments of hell. Thus, we are all in need of breaking free from the sin that so easily entangles us and enslaves us (John 8:34). We must recognize that if we did not create the world we do not have the authority to decide what is morally right or wrong in the world. We must acknowledge our frailty and recognize that our days are numbered (Psalm 39:4-6), since we are all appointed to die and then comes the judgment (Heb. 9:27).
Read: Romans 3 and Job 38-40.
Since our own will leads us astray, we need to align ourselves with the will of God…but we have all acted sinfully and selfishly throughout our lives, whether we are young or old, and we must repent of anything in our lives that is contrary to God’s will. We will be judged for everything seen and unseen and give an account of everything we have ever done when we stand before our Maker (Heb. 4:13, 9:27).
Therefore, we must honestly examine ourselves…
Have you ever put other people or things before God in your life?…Or lied to others, whether you intentionally hid the truth when asked a personal question or exaggerated the truth when recounting a story?…Have you ever stolen something that you did not purchase or that was not given to you, even if it was small or unmissed by its owner?…Have you ever physically or mentally lusted after someone who you were not married to?…Or desperately wanted what someone else had?...Have you ever been lifted in pride and sought to turn attention and adoration to yourself after you accomplished or attained something? This is just a sample of God’s holy commandments and a commandment is a “command” you are “meant” to keep. If you can answer, “Yes” to any of these questions then you are guilty, along with the rest of the world, of rebelling against God and His holy standards. But this does not excuse anyone of us, since God demands that every act of wickedness be brought to justice and every transgressor be lawfully punished.
Read: Exodus 20 and Matthew 5
Do you understand that this means that each of us deserves to be dealt with and dismissed for our sins and that we are not good enough to enter into the presence of a Holy God no matter how many good things you may have done. This means that God will not judge you by a scale to see if your good works outweigh your bad works. God cannot acknowledge you because your sin separates you from Him. If God allowed us to enter heaven as the sinners we are, then heaven would be an imperfect place with imperfect people and all the same problems on earth would exist.
It is bad enough that we have all sinned against God...but when we remove or ignore God altogether because He does not fit with our lifestyle, we are making ourselves the centre of the universe. And this is idolatry. If your view of God does not match what is in the Bible, then you have created your own God and that too is idolatry.
So what hope do any of us have to see the kingdom of God and experience His eternal life?
The Answer is... J E S U S !
We must repent in order to be saved from our sins and we must believe on the Lord Jesus in order to be saved for the purpose of sharing our lives with Him (Acts 2:38).
The Bible says that God made Jesus, who knew no sin to become sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). We could not do it on our own since we were “dead in our sins and trespasses” and unable to make ourselves righteous (Eph. 2:1-3). “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8), and then He was buried in the earth He created and rose again three days later conquering death and sin (1 Cor. 15:3-4). What does this mean for you? It means that you can be forgiven of all that you have ever done wrong. It means that God created you out of His own desire to have a loving relationship with you and to share His very life and glory with you forever.
Read: John 3 and Ephesians 2
Consider this a divine proposal. Jesus suffered and died to take away the barrier of sin that separates you from Him and He is calling you to repent and receive Him into your life. He actually wants a marriage with you forever!
Will you say, “I do”? You must respond to this proposal by repentance and faith.
Review the following verses from the Book of Romans…
Romans 1:20, 2:4, 3:10, 3:23, 5:8, 6:23, 10:9, 10:13, 11:33, 15:13
How does it feel to know that you are being sought after by God Himself?
First, He is seeking to save you from yourself and bring you out of darkness as you become aware of how lost you are that you might be saved through Jesus and receive Him as the Lord and Savior of your life (Luke 9:23-26, 19:10)
Secondly, He is seeking to bring you into His marvelous light and into an eternal union with Himself that you might reveal His glory and be a witness to others (John 17, 1 Peter 2:9-10).
Will you say, “Here am I, save me and use me”?
Do you truly want to be forgiven and to follow Jesus?
Read: Psalm 51 and 1 John 1
If so, speak to Jesus from your heart and humbly admit that you have sinned against Him and that you are willing to turn away from your sins from now on.
Believe in your heart that Jesus died and rose again for you and finished the work that was required to make you righteous. Call upon the name of Jesus right now and openly and sincerely ask Him to come into your life and to lead you.
Be willing to continually repent, which means to change your mind about the way you are living, as God shows areas of your life that are not consistent with His will for you. Start reading a good translation of the Bible and obey what you read as you learn what it means to follow the Lord. Spend time with Jesus every day in the Word and in prayer and be in consistent fellowship with other committed believers. Serve the Lord with all that you are and all that you have so that others will see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Pray right now and follow Jesus each day, and He will change you from the inside-out and fill you with His love for all people.
As you freely receive from God, freely give that to others. (Matt. 10:8)
Read: Romans 6, 7 and 8
WE BELIEVE that God "desires all men to be saved" (1 Tim. 2:5) and that "the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 6:23) that "as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12)..."For by grace you have been saved through faith, that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9)... for “There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1)…”And this is the testimony that God has given us eternal life; and this life is in His Son” (1 John 5:11)…for "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13).
You could humbly pray something like this…
Lord Jesus, I believe in You. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and that You rose again on the third day. And on that basis, I ask you to forgive me for all of my sins. I ask You to come into my life and be my Lord and Savior. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I might follow You all the days of my life. In Jesus Name, Amen.
If you sincerely prayed this prayer and placed your trust in Jesus, we would like to welcome you into the family of God. Salvation belongs to the Lord and so do you!
It is our desire to meet you and to help you grow and learn and mature in your faith. We look forward to seeing you share this new spring of life with us and many others.
Please contact us and let us know that God used this Statement of Faith to touch your life and that you desire to learn more about what it means to be a true follower of Jesus Christ.
May God richly bless you and keep you always!
WE BELIEVE that the triune God is one (Deut. 6:4), eternally existing in three Persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:1, Matt. 28:19, John 1:1,10:30)
Therefore, the doctrine of the Trinity teaches that God is one, and yet more than one. This, of course, is a great mystery but this understanding of the Tri-unity of God is revealed to us from God Himself throughout His written Word, even though the word "trinity" itself is not actually mentioned in the Scriptures. Similarly, we also see that God did something very unique in creation when He made humanity since we were made in the image and likeness of God. Although nothing can perfectly match the Divine Godhead and Tri-unity of God, we eventually discover that there is a trichotomy to Mankind (or tripartite reality, three distinctions in each human being). When speaking about complete sanctification and when referring to the whole person, we see that each human being has a spirit, soul, and body - “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” God made man from the dust of the earth (Gen. 2:7) to relate to the earth in a physical way and therefore God gave us a body. Man was made to have his own unique personality involving his own mind, will, and emotions or desires and therefore God has given us a soul. Man was especially made to have true fellowship and union with God and therefore He has given us a spirit. Although, the spirit and soul are sometimes used interchangeably as the immaterial part of our being, we also see a clear distinction in the Scriptures of the soul and spirit only revealed by the living Word of God as Hebrews 4:12 shows us, “For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
WE BELIEVE that God alone gives life and sustains life and that He is the Sovereign ruler over all things. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1) and "He is before all things, and in Him all things are held together" (Col. 1:17) and that “all things were made through Him [the Word who is Christ Jesus], and “without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:3).
Therefore, we hold to the authority of Scripture that the biblical account of creation clearly presents that God is the Eternal Creator who created all things “according to its kind” and that man was made “in the image of God” and not according to a random process of time and chance, which included variations and mutations that coincidentally and eventually evolved into the well designed, functioning human beings of today. We do not ignore scientific discovery nor do we lack appreciation for what science has revealed to us about the created world but believe there is a great deal of bias and propaganda in interpreting the evidence of science. WE BELIEVE that actual facts of science are not in conflict with anything that is clearly revealed in the word of God.
WE BELIEVE that God knows all things (Ps. 139:1-6, 1 John 3:20) and can do all things (Luke 1:37) and that all of creation communicates something about Him (Ps. 19:1-4) and serves as visible evidence of His Person and attributes. "For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal Godhead and power, leaving all men without excuse" (Rom.1:20).
Therefore, God is the First Cause of all things, who eternally existed before time began and by His nature is the very definition of what we call “existence.” He is the reason why we are able to live, move and have our being. It is God who has given us the capacity to reason among ourselves about things inside and outside of ourselves, both seen and unseen. Everything that exists is preceded by thought and every thought is preceded by a Thinker. Thus, His thoughts not only preceded our thoughts and are greater than our thoughts but He alone makes sense of why we have thoughts in the first place. When He designed us and defined us, He declared to us that we would have dominion over all things on the earth because He gave us not only physical bodies to relate to the natural world but the spiritual capacity to know our Maker and relate to Him.
Man and Our Separation
WE BELIEVE that all people we were "made for His glory" (Isa. 43:7) according to His will (Rev. 4:11) and “according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself… And "He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings" (Acts 17:26)... that He might gather together in one all things in Christ” (Eph. 1:9-10) since His “delight was with the sons of men” (Prov. 8:31).
Therefore, we are not meaningless products of time and chance with an aimless and pointless existence, but rather we are fearfully and wonderfully made living beings created in the image of God, (imago dei), who are unconditionally loved for the purpose of sharing His eternal and abundant life with us that we who believe in Him may become forever united with Him in glory. Therefore, all people are created with equal value and worth as image bearers of God (Gen. 1:26-27) and there is no superior group of people since God shows “personal favoritism to no man” (Gal. 2:6) and has always intended to gather a people set apart for Himself from every tribe, tongue, and nation (Rev. 7:9).
WE BELIEVE that there has never been a man, except Jesus Christ, who has been able to walk in the revealed will of God perfectly (Heb. 4:15). There are “none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10), for “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23) and "the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23) for “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27).
Therefore, WE BELIEVE every one of us is accountable to God for disobeying His Word, rebelling against His will, and deviating from His purpose. When mankind sinned, everything in creation fell from its former glory, since man was given dominion over the earth. The fall of man caused our bodies to become weak and temporal (Psalm 39:4-6), our souls to become selfish and sinful (Rom. 3:10-18), and our spirits became dead and unfruitful (Eph. 2:1-3, John 15:4-6). We will all have to stand before God and be judged for every sin we have committed unless we have trusted in Christ who has done away with sin once and for all through the shedding of His blood on the cross of Calvary (Heb. 9:11-15, 22).
The Bible and God’s Revelation
WE BELIEVE that God has been communicating to mankind "at various times and in various ways" (Heb. 1:1): through the creation around us (Ps. 19:1-4), the conscience within us (Rom. 2:15), the prophets before us (Heb. 1:1), the Scriptures taught to us (2 Tim. 3:16-17), God present with us (Matt. 1:23, John 1:14), the Church among us (Eph. 3:10), 1 Tim. 3:15) so that Christ Jesus may dwell inside all who receive Him and believe in His name (Col.1:27, John 1:12).
Therefore, God is the Highest Communicator and is interested in revealing Himself and making His will known to and through His creation (Deut. 29:29) so that we might have our minds renewed to become all that He intends for our lives, being united to His determined purpose until we fully enter into the glorious fellowship of His Son who alone has the words of eternal life.
WE BELIEVE the Bible to be the living and powerful Word of God, inspired and inerrant in the original manuscripts, infallible and authoritative in all manners of life and practice for the Church, preserved throughout history and complete in the Old and New Testaments (Isa. 40:6-8, 2 Peter 1:21, John 6:63, John 17:17).
Therefore, we treasure all 66 books of the Bible and seek to teach expositionally through each of the books in a verse by verse manner while making relevant connections as a living book that testifies to the living Christ and gives light to its hearers (Ps. 119:130) and life to our spirit (John 6:63). As guided and led by His Spirit, we will address issues of our times and themes in the Scriptures that we believe the Lord is desiring for us to know and follow, while believing that "the volume of the book is written of [JESUS] (Hebrews. 10:7).
WE BELIEVE that the best commentary for the Bible is the Bible itself.
Therefore, we seek to let Scripture interpret Scripture, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:13), while reading and studying the text in a exegetical way, (taking out of the text what is already there and not reading into the text what is not there --"eisogesis"), in light of its historic context, use of literary tones, and in reference to the original intention of the author, while knowing that the Bible is living and powerful for present day application and that all Scripture testifies of Jesus (john 5:29) and that "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Rev. 19:10).
WE BELIEVE that God has "given us all things that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3) and that the Bible is the complete revelation of God's heart and His will for our appointed time on this earth, as "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is 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" (2 Tim. 3:16-17) and "the word of God is living and powerful" (Heb. 4:12) and serves as "a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path" (Ps. 119:105).
Therefore, God is the Divine Counsellor and His Word is our true counsel for every situation and circumstance of life so that we may live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The Word of God must be the basis of our beliefs, the model for our practice, and the source of all of our convictions.
WE BELIEVE that all things should be done in His unconditional love (1 Cor. 13) and that we should seek to walk in love in a manner worthy of Christ (Eph. 5:1) and as the clear transparent evidence that we are truly the Lord's disciples (John 13:34-35). If there should ever be a disagreement within the church concerning any text of Scripture or matter of faith, we must seek to
come to each other in a spirit of gentleness and humility, aiming to “avoid foolish and ignorant disputes knowing that they generate strife (2 Tim. 2:23-26).
Since Jesus came “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), WE BELIEVE that we should all come under the authority of Scripture and hold our views and positions in light of the whole counsel of Gods Word (Acts 20:27), while allowing space for grace for each believer to be fully convinced in his own mind on matters that are non essential and that do not diminish any of the foundational or major teachings of the Christian faith (Rom. 14:5). Therefore, we seek to do our best to be at peace with all people (Rom. 12:18) and “contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 3).
WE BELIEVE that we must all remain teachable and accountable to the Word of God and use it as the sole measuring rod when making decisions, discerning doctrine, and testing the spirits. We do not see the Bible as a mere religious text book where we seek to attain knowledge alone but rather hold the Word of God in the highest esteem as the living written testimony that defines God’s will, declares God’s Son, directs our paths, and deepens our fellowship with the Lord and His body, the Church.
Jesus and His Salvation
WE BELIEVE that all of Scripture testifies of Jesus (John 5:39), and that “in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily” and that we are “complete in Him” (Col. 2:9-10), since He Himself is God, and as the Son of God was “life” and “the light of men” (John 1:1,4, 10:30,33).
WE BELIEVE in the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ, Who was “the Word” that “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). WE BELIEVE that when Jesus Christ was on the earth, He was fully God and fully human, born of a virgin (Luke 1:27), conceived of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:20), lived a sinless life (Heb. 4:15), walked in full obedience to the Father (John 8:29) and thus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 5:17), while serving others in complete, sacrificial love, (Mark 10:45) where He atoned for our sins by taking our place on the cross, exchanging our sin for His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21), and then after being buried was bodily raised from the dead (1 Cor. 15:3-4) before ascending back to the right hand of the Father (Acts 1:9, Eph. 1:20), where He ever lives to make intercession for us (Heb. 7:25), while simultaneously indwelling every believer by His Spirit (Rom. 8:11) until we are conformed to His image (Rom. 8:29) and fully changed from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18) that we might dwell together and reign with Him forevermore (Rev. 22:5).
WE BELIEVE that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life, and that no man comes to the Father except through [Him]” (John 14:6) “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Therefore, as the Scriptures clearly reveal, life begins with Jesus and can only come through Jesus and only those who have received Jesus can come to the Father. Jesus is the door that we must enter by in order to be reconciled to God (John 10:1, 7-8). Jesus is the only One who has lived without sin and thus He is the only One who can take away our sin. There are no other candidates and everyone else who claims to save our souls is a counterfeit. Thus, we must put Jesus above all things and keep Him as the purpose, the passion and the pursuit of our lives. As we seek to know and follow Him, we have the capacity to overflow with His love and to shine His light to help others to know and glorify the Lord (Matt. 5:16), but only as the Father draws them by His Spirit to His Son (John 6:44). “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors – not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh” (Rom. 8:12). For to us, “to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21), since “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in Me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). Thus, He is “our life” (Col. 3:4).
The Church and the Spirit’s Operation
WE BELIEVE in the spiritual unity of all believers throughout the world in the lordship of Christ (Rom. 12:4-5, 1 Cor. 12:12-13, Gal. 3:26-28) and we "endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3), and to live in His unconditional "agape" love, knowing that Jesus taught, "by this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).
Thus, we do not seek to alienate ourselves or elevate ourselves from the rest of the body of Christ (Luke 9:50). We are aware that there are true believers gathering in a number of different places in and around our city and throughout the world. Thus, we seek to pray for the whole body of Christ, and desire to "endeavor to the keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3), while being willing to work together for the furtherance of the Gospel and to rejoice wherever and whenever Christ is magnified. We aim to be the servants of all and to contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 3) without compromising the Word of God or misrepresenting His name that we might be "sanctified and useful for the Master" (2 Tim. 2:19-21).
WE BELIEVE that the life of the Church should be under the Lordship of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23), living inside the revealed guidelines of Scripture (Deut. 29:29, 1 Cor. 4:6), and yet outside the traditions and opinions of man (Col. 2:8), following the pattern of the earliest followers who “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42), who met “with gladness and simplicity of heart” both intimately and openly (Acts 2:46) and who remained faithful to the mission of making disciples (Matt. 28:19-20) as the Lord gave the increase (Acts 2:47).
Therefore, we are willing to think outside the box but always inside the book. We do not want to add or subtract from the finished work of Christ or deviate from any part of the whole counsel of God, as we seek to rightly handle the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15), letting Scripture interpret Scripture (1 Cor. 2:13). We aim to live in the life of Christ, for the cause of Christ, because of the love of Christ for all of our days. For this reason, we fellowship together in homes at different times during the week and gather together publicly every Sunday to build each other up in Christ as "a city on a hill" in our community (Matt. 5:16-18).
WE BELIEVE that everything we do should be connected to the Person and work of Jesus Christ through His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection. Thus, we believe in full immersion water baptism, which is an outward testimony for the believer to identify with Christ in His death, His burial and His resurrection (Rom 6:3-9, Col. 2:11-14) as the believer comes up out of the water (Acts 8:39). We also believe in proclaiming and remembering the Lord’s death in Communion, which reflects our reconciliation to God and our fellowship to Christ, which overflows into our fellowship to every member of the body of Christ, as the Church. “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” (1 Cor. 10:16)
Thus, we do not believe that either of these practices equates to salvation, since we are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves nor of works (Eph. 2:8-9), but rather serve as responsive acts of obedience in demonstration of our living faith and our fellowship with the risen Christ.
WE BELIEVE in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, who indwells and fills all true believers (John 14:17, Eph. 5:18), that we might be "conformed to the image of Christ" (Rom 8:29), that we might exercise the gifts of the Spirit, in accordance with the Scriptures, for the building up of the body "for the profit of all" (Eph. 4:11-16, Rom. 12:4-7, 1 Cor. 12:7-18) and that we might be empowered by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses throughout the world living and giving the gospel of Christ to all who have not yet believed (Acts 1:8).
Thus, WE BELIEVE that all of the gifts are still active today and that we should not be ignorant of them (1 Cor. 12:1) but rather be earnestly desiring them (1 Cor. 14:1).
WE BELIEVE the gifts of the Spirit should be consistent with the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22) and confirmed by the Scriptures, which were inspired by the Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Whenever something seemingly “spiritual” is being done contrary to the most excellent way of Christ’s agape love (1 Cor. 12:31, 13:1-8), it should be done away with since it has no profit for the body (1 Cor. 12:7, 14:26). We must remember that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is always testifying of Jesus (John 15:26) and giving glory to Him alone (John 16:14). The gifts are given to each believer as He personally chooses (Rom. 12:6, 1 Cor. 12:11) for the purpose of edifying the Church (1 Cor. 14:12) and ultimately glorifying God. We want to be yielded to the Spirit and His leading in our meetings but be discerning while we are yearning for Him to work in our lives. We are called to test all things and to hold fast what is good. We are aware that many things have been done and are being done in the name of Christ that is not in accordance with Scripture nor does it reflect the agape love of Christ. As we become increasingly aware that we are living in the last days, we must understand that Christ seeks to perfect us and to protect us from deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons (2 Tim. 4:1) and anything that corrupts us from the simplicity of Christ (2 Cor. 11:3). Over the years, the body of Christ has been greatly divided over the use and abuse of the gifts which is why we must pursue love above all things (1 Cor. 14:1), so that our love does not grow cold (Matt. 24:12) since it is by our love that the world will know that we are His disciples (John 13:35).
The Kingdom and Our Restoration
WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is personally and visibly coming back soon and "His reward is with [Him] to give to everyone according to His work" (Rev. 22:12). We believe in a pre-millennial rapture of the Church where the Lord snatches His people out of the earth (1 Thes. 4:15-16) just before the revealing of the Antichrist (2 Thes. 2:7-8) and prior to the seventieth week of Daniel (Dan. 9:24-27), also known as the time of Jacob's trouble (Jer. 30). During this time, the world will come under God’s wrath (Matt. 24:15-22, Rev. 6-18), but not the church (1 Thes. 5:9), as God's judgments will be poured out on the earth in what is called the Great Tribulation, until He destroys the works of darkness with the brightness of His Coming (Luke 21:27-28). Jesus will return with His saints to establish His kingdom on the earth for a thousand years (Rev. 20:4-6) and "of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this" (Isa. 9:7).
Therefore, we believe that if we have this hope we should purify ourselves (1 John 3:2-3) and comfort one another with the reality of the imminence of Christ (1 Thes. 4:16-18) while remaining faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us (1 Cor. 4:2) and occupying until He comes, since no man knows the day or the hour of the Lord’s return. We do not make the timing of the removal of the Church or the appearing of our Lord something contentious or dogmatic since many solid Bible believing Christians see the unfolding of end time events differently. Since no future biblical event should ever be the cause of any division or disrupted fellowship in the body of Christ, we must remain united not on what is about to happen but on what has already happened in the past. Since the Lord knows those who are His, anyone who names the name of Christ should depart from iniquity and, above all, have fervent love for one another!
WE BELIEVE that God still has a plan to redeem Israel and “that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” and then all of believing Israel will be saved (Rom. 11, Rev.7).
Therefore, we continue to pray for the peace of Israel, believing that during the time of tribulation, the chastisement of the Lord will bring Israel to repentance that they might believe. We, the Church, continue to pray for the salvation of all people, believing that we will be spared from the wrath that is to come, while looking to Jesus awaiting His Messianic reign on this earth until we are ruling and reigning with Him as His Bride. We know that there are many believers who love Christ who may differ on their position of ethnic Israel and other eschatological [end time] events.
Therefore, WE BELIEVE that no future biblical event should ever be the cause of any division or disrupted fellowship in the body of Christ since we are united not on what is about to happen but on what has already happened in the past, namely the finished work of Christ’s atonement on the cross and His bodily resurrection. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing! Let us earnestly contend for the faith, diligently seek out the Scriptures, and peacefully unite at the cross of Christ. And since the Lord knows those who are His, let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity, be serious and watchful in our prayers, and, above all, have fervent love for one another (1 Peter 4:7-8).
The Gospel and its Explanation
WE BELIEVE that the hope of mankind lies in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is "the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). The Gospel is the good news and the good news is Jesus Christ, who "died for our sins according to the Scriptures...was buried...and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3-4). He was also seen by the Apostles and "over five hundred brethren at once" (1 Cor. 15:5-6) before ascending to the Father in heaven.
Thus, we seek to keep the Gospel central to our God given identity and everything we say and do. We are committed to equipping and encouraging the brethren to be living as true witnesses of Christ and we desire to get behind those who are willing to count the cost and serve the Lord in various missionary work both here and abroad in order that Christ might be magnified throughout the world so that all people might declare His praise!
WE BELIEVE that God "is not far from each of us" (Acts 17:27) and that the Holy Spirit is actively ministering throughout the world, convicting of sin, confirming the Word, and connecting people to Christ, regenerating all those who believe in Christ and who call upon His name (John 16:8), knowing that "the Lord is not slack to fulfill His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9) and that He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4).
Therefore, if you have not opened your heart to believe and receive Christ, we urge you not to put off knowing the God who created you and who has proven His love for you by choosing to lay down His life for you so that you could live with Him forever. The Bible tells us clearly that, "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through [Jesus] might be saved" (John 3:17) and Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
The Bible tells us to “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” (Prov. 4:13)
THE HEART OF THE MATTER lies in REPENTANCE from our sin and FAITH toward God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And THE MATTER OF THE HEART lies in understanding... Who saved us? ...What are we saved from? ...And what are we saved for?
Since we are living in a fallen world and we are all flawed from within, we must repent, which means to change our way of thinking and live according to the will of God. It begins with having a clear understanding of our failure to meet God’s righteous requirements and our personal experience of living contrary to God. This originates all the way back to the first time mankind fell into rebellion back in the Garden when the first man, Adam, disobediently ate from the one tree that he was forbidden to eat from, thus sinning against God, which resulted in the spread of death, disease, and suffering that we so often despise in the world. Thus, we are all born with a sinful nature because we are all descendants of the first man.
Read: Genesis 3 and Romans 5.
Adam was a representation of us all since we have all followed in his footsteps and have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The wages of our sin is death, which is eternal separation from God in the torments of hell. Thus, we are all in need of breaking free from the sin that so easily entangles us and enslaves us (John 8:34). We must recognize that if we did not create the world we do not have the authority to decide what is morally right or wrong in the world. We must acknowledge our frailty and recognize that our days are numbered (Psalm 39:4-6), since we are all appointed to die and then comes the judgment (Heb. 9:27).
Read: Romans 3 and Job 38-40.
Since our own will leads us astray, we need to align ourselves with the will of God…but we have all acted sinfully and selfishly throughout our lives, whether we are young or old, and we must repent of anything in our lives that is contrary to God’s will. We will be judged for everything seen and unseen and give an account of everything we have ever done when we stand before our Maker (Heb. 4:13, 9:27).
Therefore, we must honestly examine ourselves…
Have you ever put other people or things before God in your life?…Or lied to others, whether you intentionally hid the truth when asked a personal question or exaggerated the truth when recounting a story?…Have you ever stolen something that you did not purchase or that was not given to you, even if it was small or unmissed by its owner?…Have you ever physically or mentally lusted after someone who you were not married to?…Or desperately wanted what someone else had?...Have you ever been lifted in pride and sought to turn attention and adoration to yourself after you accomplished or attained something? This is just a sample of God’s holy commandments and a commandment is a “command” you are “meant” to keep. If you can answer, “Yes” to any of these questions then you are guilty, along with the rest of the world, of rebelling against God and His holy standards. But this does not excuse anyone of us, since God demands that every act of wickedness be brought to justice and every transgressor be lawfully punished.
Read: Exodus 20 and Matthew 5
Do you understand that this means that each of us deserves to be dealt with and dismissed for our sins and that we are not good enough to enter into the presence of a Holy God no matter how many good things you may have done. This means that God will not judge you by a scale to see if your good works outweigh your bad works. God cannot acknowledge you because your sin separates you from Him. If God allowed us to enter heaven as the sinners we are, then heaven would be an imperfect place with imperfect people and all the same problems on earth would exist.
It is bad enough that we have all sinned against God...but when we remove or ignore God altogether because He does not fit with our lifestyle, we are making ourselves the centre of the universe. And this is idolatry. If your view of God does not match what is in the Bible, then you have created your own God and that too is idolatry.
So what hope do any of us have to see the kingdom of God and experience His eternal life?
The Answer is... J E S U S !
We must repent in order to be saved from our sins and we must believe on the Lord Jesus in order to be saved for the purpose of sharing our lives with Him (Acts 2:38).
The Bible says that God made Jesus, who knew no sin to become sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). We could not do it on our own since we were “dead in our sins and trespasses” and unable to make ourselves righteous (Eph. 2:1-3). “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8), and then He was buried in the earth He created and rose again three days later conquering death and sin (1 Cor. 15:3-4). What does this mean for you? It means that you can be forgiven of all that you have ever done wrong. It means that God created you out of His own desire to have a loving relationship with you and to share His very life and glory with you forever.
Read: John 3 and Ephesians 2
Consider this a divine proposal. Jesus suffered and died to take away the barrier of sin that separates you from Him and He is calling you to repent and receive Him into your life. He actually wants a marriage with you forever!
Will you say, “I do”? You must respond to this proposal by repentance and faith.
Review the following verses from the Book of Romans…
Romans 1:20, 2:4, 3:10, 3:23, 5:8, 6:23, 10:9, 10:13, 11:33, 15:13
How does it feel to know that you are being sought after by God Himself?
First, He is seeking to save you from yourself and bring you out of darkness as you become aware of how lost you are that you might be saved through Jesus and receive Him as the Lord and Savior of your life (Luke 9:23-26, 19:10)
Secondly, He is seeking to bring you into His marvelous light and into an eternal union with Himself that you might reveal His glory and be a witness to others (John 17, 1 Peter 2:9-10).
Will you say, “Here am I, save me and use me”?
Do you truly want to be forgiven and to follow Jesus?
Read: Psalm 51 and 1 John 1
If so, speak to Jesus from your heart and humbly admit that you have sinned against Him and that you are willing to turn away from your sins from now on.
Believe in your heart that Jesus died and rose again for you and finished the work that was required to make you righteous. Call upon the name of Jesus right now and openly and sincerely ask Him to come into your life and to lead you.
Be willing to continually repent, which means to change your mind about the way you are living, as God shows areas of your life that are not consistent with His will for you. Start reading a good translation of the Bible and obey what you read as you learn what it means to follow the Lord. Spend time with Jesus every day in the Word and in prayer and be in consistent fellowship with other committed believers. Serve the Lord with all that you are and all that you have so that others will see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Pray right now and follow Jesus each day, and He will change you from the inside-out and fill you with His love for all people.
As you freely receive from God, freely give that to others. (Matt. 10:8)
Read: Romans 6, 7 and 8
WE BELIEVE that God "desires all men to be saved" (1 Tim. 2:5) and that "the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 6:23) that "as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12)..."For by grace you have been saved through faith, that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9)... for “There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1)…”And this is the testimony that God has given us eternal life; and this life is in His Son” (1 John 5:11)…for "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13).
You could humbly pray something like this…
Lord Jesus, I believe in You. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and that You rose again on the third day. And on that basis, I ask you to forgive me for all of my sins. I ask You to come into my life and be my Lord and Savior. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I might follow You all the days of my life. In Jesus Name, Amen.
If you sincerely prayed this prayer and placed your trust in Jesus, we would like to welcome you into the family of God. Salvation belongs to the Lord and so do you!
It is our desire to meet you and to help you grow and learn and mature in your faith. We look forward to seeing you share this new spring of life with us and many others.
Please contact us and let us know that God used this Statement of Faith to touch your life and that you desire to learn more about what it means to be a true follower of Jesus Christ.
May God richly bless you and keep you always!