What We Believe

What We Believe

God

• God is the Creator and ruler of the universe.
• He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
• The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are co-equal and are one God.

Genesis 1:1,26,27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14

Jesus Christ

• Jesus Christ is the Son of God, co-equal with the Father.
• Jesus lived a sinless human life.
• Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross.
• He died and rose from the dead after three days, demonstrating His power over sin and death.
• He ascended to Heaven and will return to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Matthew 1:22, 23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5; 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13

The Holy Spirit

• The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God.
• He is present in the world to make humanity aware of their need for Jesus Christ.
• He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation.
• He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right.
• He gives every believer spiritual gifts when they are saved to be used for the "common good."
• As Christians, we seek to daily live under His guidance.

2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, John 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:18

Bible

• The Bible is God's Word to us.
• Human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit wrote it.
• It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living.
• As God's inspired Truth, it is without error.

2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20,21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5

Humans

• People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character.
• People are the supreme object of God's creation.
• Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called sin.
• This attitude separates people from God and causes many problems in life.

Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1, 2

Salvation

• Salvation is God's free gift to us, but we must accept it.
• We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works.
• Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin's penalty.
• When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved.
• Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.

Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1

Eternity

• People were created to exist forever.
• We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation.
• To be eternally separated from God is Hell.
• To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.

John 3:16; John 14:17; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:17-18; Revelation 20:15; 1 Cor. 2:7-9

Kingdom of God

• Jesus came to earth to undo the works of the Devil. (I John.3:8)
• Kingdom clashes were inevitable when Jesus came preaching the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
• As the Good News is preached today, we can still expect Kingdom clashes.
• When Jesus fed the hungry, healed, drove out demons, raised the dead, he was advancing his Kingdom into the Kingdom of Darkness.
• We believe the Kingdom is future but is also here and now.
• For this reason we believe we are to pray for the sick, feed the hungry, and do the works of Jesus.

Mark 1:14-16, Mark 12:33-35, Matthew 4:16-18, Mark 1:4-5

Baptism

Your decision to be baptized may be one of the most important you will make as a follower of Jesus Christ. We believe that baptism is not for the purpose of joining the local church but to express your decision to follow Jesus Christ.

Three things happen in your baptism experience:

• First: Baptism is an outward expression of an inward reality. People who wish to be baptized are aware that something has happened to them spiritually; that they have had a spiritual rebirth. Jesus put it like this in John 3:3 "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." The water symbolizes what has happened to our soul - a complete cleansing and washing away of the effects and the very nature of sin. God begins to paint His picture of us on a clean canvas.
• Second: It is a statement of identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. A few years ago a young woman asked me if she could get baptized, but told me that she really wasn’t into "the Jesus-thing"! But "the Jesus-thing" is exactly what baptism is about: we acknowledge that at a specific point in space and time Jesus literally died, was buried, and rose again…conquering death once and for all, and offering real life to all who would have it. In baptism, we’re illustrating that we have died to our old, self-centered ways, are buried in the water, and are raised up as new—spiritually alive for the first time.
• Third: It is a public confession to the personal Lordship of Jesus Christ. When we are baptized, we're conscious of a fresh decision and desire to walk in obedience to God’s will. Life is no longer about what I want, but rather, what God wants to do with my life. It's a way to let this community of believers, and all spiritual principalities and power, know that we are under new management—God’s management.

Romans 6:3-5 1 Peter 3:20-22

Communion

Jesus never asked His disciples to remember His birth. But He did instruct them to remember His death and resurrection. Matthew 26:17-30

• Communion is a simple act of obedience.
• It is a reminder of what Jesus did for us.
• It is a symbol of a new covenant between God and man, through Jesus Christ.
• It is a statement of faith, taken by those who are believers.

We offer communion at various times throughout the year, and we encourage our small groups to celebrate communion together.