What We Believe
THE SCRIPTURES
We believe that the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired without error and the infallible rule of faith and practice. The Word of God is the foundation upon which the church operates and is the basis for which the church is governed. We believe that the Word of God supersedes any earthly law that is contrary to the Holy Scriptures (Isaiah 28:13; Nehemiah 8:8; John 17:17; II Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; I Peter 1:23-25; II Peter 1:3-4, 21, Psalm 138:2).
We seek to teach the Word of God, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, precept upon precept, which can be applied to an individual's life, leading that person to greater maturity in Christ.
THE TRINITY
We believe that there is one living and true GOD, eternally existing in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all things (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:8, 48:16; Matthew 28:19-20; John 10:30; Hebrews 1:3, 1 John 5:7).
GOD THE FATHER
We believe in the person of God the Father, an infinite, eternal, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love; that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all those who come to Him through Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 90:2, 102:27; John 3:16, 4:24; I Timothy 1:17; Titus 1:3).
GOD THE SON
We believe in the person of Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit, Whom is fully God and fully man. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings, his substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people and personal, visible return to earth (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:23; Mark 16:19; Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1-2, 8:58,11:25; I Corinthians 15:3-4; I Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:8; I John 1:2; Revelation 1:8).
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the person of the Holy Spirit, Who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower for ministry all who believe in Christ (John 16:8-11; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:26, 15:13,16; II Corinthians 3:18; Hebrews 9:14). We believe the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide (John 16:13, 14:16-17, 16:8-11; Romans 8:26). We believe in the Baptism with the Holy Spirit as a distinct and separate experience to that of regeneration, occurring either subsequent to or simultaneous with salvation, evidenced by a greater dynamic in the Christian’s life, enabling that person to be a bold and more effective witness. The supreme evidence of the Spirit-filled life is the fruit of the Spirit, love. We believe in the present day ministry of the Holy Spirit in regard to the exercise of all biblical gifts of the Holy Spirit according to the instructions given to us (I Corinthians 12-14).
After Jesus ascended to Heaven, He poured out His Holy Spirit on the believers in Jerusalem, enabling them to fulfill His command to preach the Gospel to the entire world, an obligation shared by all believers today.
We believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the Scriptures, and that they are valid for today if they are exercised within the Scriptural guidelines. We do not allow speaking in tongues loudly during services, nor prophecy while a Bible study is in progress because we do not believe that the Holy Spirit would interrupt Himself. We as believers are to covet the best gifts, seeking to exercise them in love that the whole Body of Christ might be edified. We believe that love is more important than the most spectacular gifts, and without this love all exercise of spiritual gifts is worthless.
SALVATION BY GRACE
We believe that all people are sinners by nature and choice, falling short of God’s standard and breaking His commandments – and therefore are under God’s righteous judgment. Yet, God saves and gives new life to all who come to Him in repentance and faith, trusting in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. At the cross, Jesus Christ died in our place as our substitute, absorbing God’s wrath that should have come upon us. Because Jesus died for the sins of the world the invitation to believe is open to all, and whoever desires may come unto Jesus for new life and the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 11:28; John 3:16; Acts 3:19, 20:21; Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-3, 8-9; I John 2:2; Revelation 22:17).
LEADERSHIP IN THE CHURCH
We believe in the pattern and principle of male leadership and responsibility in both the home and the church, according to the sacrificial example of Jesus. We believe this limits the roles of pastoral leadership and doctrinal authority to qualified men (I Corinthians 11:1-12; I Timothy 2:1-15). We believe in the universal church (made up of all believers in Jesus Christ worldwide), the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the head and all who are born again are a part of the Body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 4:15-16).
We believe that church government should be simplistic rather than a complex bureaucracy. Jesus Christ is the head of the Church and we depend on the Holy Spirit to lead, rather than on fleshly promotion.
We believe in all the fundamental doctrines of orthodox evangelical Christianity.
ORDINANCES
We believe that the Lord, Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances for the church: the full-immersion water baptism of believers and the Lord’s Supper. Neither ordinance can save us from our sins. We are commanded by Jesus Christ to take part in these two ordinances. (Matthew 28:19; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 2:38; I Corinthians 11:23-26).
HEAVEN AND HELL
We believe in a literal Heaven and a literal Hell and that all those who place their faith, hope and trust in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in Heaven with the Lord. Those who reject Jesus’ free gift of salvation will spend eternity separated from the Lord (Psalm 9:17; Matthew 5:3, 5:22, 18:9, 25:31-34; Mark 9:42-49; Luke 12:5; John 3:18; Hebrews 12:23; I Peter 1:4; Revelation 14:10-11, 20:11-15).
PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE
We believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church where all believers will meet the Lord in the air and be taken out of this world prior to the Tribulation that will come upon the earth (Isaiah 26:20; Matthew 24:29-31; Luke 21:36; Romans 1:18, 5:9; I Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-16, 5:9; II Peter 2:7-9; Revelation 3:10, 5:7-10, 7:13-14).
CHRIST’S SECOND COMING
We believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which is His personal, visible return to Earth and the establishment of His millennial kingdom, in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment and eternal blessing of the righteous and endless separation of the wicked (Matthew 16:27; Acts 1:11; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:11-15).
We await the pre-tribulation rapture of the church, and we believe that the second coming of Christ with His saints to rule on the earth will be personal, pre-millennial, and visible. This motivates us to holy living, heartfelt worship, committed service, diligent study of God's Word, regular fellowship, and participation in adult baptism by immersion and Holy Communion.
MARRIAGE
We believe that God created man and that He created them male and female. As such, He created them different so as to complement and complete each other. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. Therefore, we perform marriages in accordance with the Bible consistent with the Old and New Testament (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6; John 4:16-18; Romans 1:18-32; I Corinthians 5:11, 6:9-11,18-20, 7:1-3,8-9; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:3-7; I Timothy 1:9-11).
WORSHIP
We believe worship of God should be decent and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40)
We believe worship of God should be spiritual. Therefore, we remain flexible and yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit to direct our worship. "For God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."( John 4:24)
We believe worship of God should be inspirational. Therefore, we give great place to music in our worship.
We believe worship of God should be intelligent. Therefore, our services are designed with great emphasis upon the teaching of the Word of God that He might instruct us how He should be worshipped.
We believe worship of God should be fruitful. Therefore, we look for His love in our lives as the supreme manifestation that we have been truly worshipping Him.
We believe the only true basis of Christian fellowship is Christ's (Agape) love in the Unity of the Spirit which is greater than any differences we possess, and without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians.
We believe that the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired without error and the infallible rule of faith and practice. The Word of God is the foundation upon which the church operates and is the basis for which the church is governed. We believe that the Word of God supersedes any earthly law that is contrary to the Holy Scriptures (Isaiah 28:13; Nehemiah 8:8; John 17:17; II Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; I Peter 1:23-25; II Peter 1:3-4, 21, Psalm 138:2).
We seek to teach the Word of God, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, precept upon precept, which can be applied to an individual's life, leading that person to greater maturity in Christ.
THE TRINITY
We believe that there is one living and true GOD, eternally existing in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all things (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:8, 48:16; Matthew 28:19-20; John 10:30; Hebrews 1:3, 1 John 5:7).
GOD THE FATHER
We believe in the person of God the Father, an infinite, eternal, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love; that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all those who come to Him through Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 90:2, 102:27; John 3:16, 4:24; I Timothy 1:17; Titus 1:3).
GOD THE SON
We believe in the person of Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit, Whom is fully God and fully man. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings, his substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people and personal, visible return to earth (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:23; Mark 16:19; Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1-2, 8:58,11:25; I Corinthians 15:3-4; I Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:8; I John 1:2; Revelation 1:8).
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the person of the Holy Spirit, Who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower for ministry all who believe in Christ (John 16:8-11; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:26, 15:13,16; II Corinthians 3:18; Hebrews 9:14). We believe the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide (John 16:13, 14:16-17, 16:8-11; Romans 8:26). We believe in the Baptism with the Holy Spirit as a distinct and separate experience to that of regeneration, occurring either subsequent to or simultaneous with salvation, evidenced by a greater dynamic in the Christian’s life, enabling that person to be a bold and more effective witness. The supreme evidence of the Spirit-filled life is the fruit of the Spirit, love. We believe in the present day ministry of the Holy Spirit in regard to the exercise of all biblical gifts of the Holy Spirit according to the instructions given to us (I Corinthians 12-14).
After Jesus ascended to Heaven, He poured out His Holy Spirit on the believers in Jerusalem, enabling them to fulfill His command to preach the Gospel to the entire world, an obligation shared by all believers today.
We believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the Scriptures, and that they are valid for today if they are exercised within the Scriptural guidelines. We do not allow speaking in tongues loudly during services, nor prophecy while a Bible study is in progress because we do not believe that the Holy Spirit would interrupt Himself. We as believers are to covet the best gifts, seeking to exercise them in love that the whole Body of Christ might be edified. We believe that love is more important than the most spectacular gifts, and without this love all exercise of spiritual gifts is worthless.
SALVATION BY GRACE
We believe that all people are sinners by nature and choice, falling short of God’s standard and breaking His commandments – and therefore are under God’s righteous judgment. Yet, God saves and gives new life to all who come to Him in repentance and faith, trusting in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. At the cross, Jesus Christ died in our place as our substitute, absorbing God’s wrath that should have come upon us. Because Jesus died for the sins of the world the invitation to believe is open to all, and whoever desires may come unto Jesus for new life and the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 11:28; John 3:16; Acts 3:19, 20:21; Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-3, 8-9; I John 2:2; Revelation 22:17).
LEADERSHIP IN THE CHURCH
We believe in the pattern and principle of male leadership and responsibility in both the home and the church, according to the sacrificial example of Jesus. We believe this limits the roles of pastoral leadership and doctrinal authority to qualified men (I Corinthians 11:1-12; I Timothy 2:1-15). We believe in the universal church (made up of all believers in Jesus Christ worldwide), the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the head and all who are born again are a part of the Body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 4:15-16).
We believe that church government should be simplistic rather than a complex bureaucracy. Jesus Christ is the head of the Church and we depend on the Holy Spirit to lead, rather than on fleshly promotion.
We believe in all the fundamental doctrines of orthodox evangelical Christianity.
ORDINANCES
We believe that the Lord, Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances for the church: the full-immersion water baptism of believers and the Lord’s Supper. Neither ordinance can save us from our sins. We are commanded by Jesus Christ to take part in these two ordinances. (Matthew 28:19; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 2:38; I Corinthians 11:23-26).
HEAVEN AND HELL
We believe in a literal Heaven and a literal Hell and that all those who place their faith, hope and trust in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in Heaven with the Lord. Those who reject Jesus’ free gift of salvation will spend eternity separated from the Lord (Psalm 9:17; Matthew 5:3, 5:22, 18:9, 25:31-34; Mark 9:42-49; Luke 12:5; John 3:18; Hebrews 12:23; I Peter 1:4; Revelation 14:10-11, 20:11-15).
PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE
We believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church where all believers will meet the Lord in the air and be taken out of this world prior to the Tribulation that will come upon the earth (Isaiah 26:20; Matthew 24:29-31; Luke 21:36; Romans 1:18, 5:9; I Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-16, 5:9; II Peter 2:7-9; Revelation 3:10, 5:7-10, 7:13-14).
CHRIST’S SECOND COMING
We believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which is His personal, visible return to Earth and the establishment of His millennial kingdom, in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment and eternal blessing of the righteous and endless separation of the wicked (Matthew 16:27; Acts 1:11; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:11-15).
We await the pre-tribulation rapture of the church, and we believe that the second coming of Christ with His saints to rule on the earth will be personal, pre-millennial, and visible. This motivates us to holy living, heartfelt worship, committed service, diligent study of God's Word, regular fellowship, and participation in adult baptism by immersion and Holy Communion.
MARRIAGE
We believe that God created man and that He created them male and female. As such, He created them different so as to complement and complete each other. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. Therefore, we perform marriages in accordance with the Bible consistent with the Old and New Testament (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6; John 4:16-18; Romans 1:18-32; I Corinthians 5:11, 6:9-11,18-20, 7:1-3,8-9; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:3-7; I Timothy 1:9-11).
WORSHIP
We believe worship of God should be decent and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40)
We believe worship of God should be spiritual. Therefore, we remain flexible and yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit to direct our worship. "For God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."( John 4:24)
We believe worship of God should be inspirational. Therefore, we give great place to music in our worship.
We believe worship of God should be intelligent. Therefore, our services are designed with great emphasis upon the teaching of the Word of God that He might instruct us how He should be worshipped.
We believe worship of God should be fruitful. Therefore, we look for His love in our lives as the supreme manifestation that we have been truly worshipping Him.
We believe the only true basis of Christian fellowship is Christ's (Agape) love in the Unity of the Spirit which is greater than any differences we possess, and without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians.