THE ESSENTIALS WE BELIEVE

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God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal but are all 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 is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus has existed for all eternity with His Heavenly Father, however became a human being when he was born of the virgin Mary. Jesus lived a sinless life and offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate his power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again someday to earth to receive those who have received him as Savior and Lord and to bring judgment on those who have not.

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 is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men 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 spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer at least one spiritual gift at the moment of salvation. As Christians, we are called to surrender control of our lives to him.

2 Corinthians 3: 17; John 16: 7 – 13; 14: 16, 17; Acts 1: 8;

1 Corinthians 2: 12; 3: 16; Ephesians 1: 13; Galatians 5: 25;

Ephesians 5: 18

The Bible is God’s Word to us. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian belief and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is the truth without any mixture of error.

2 Timothy 3: 16, 17; 2 Peter 1: 20, 21; 2 Timothy 1: 13;

Psalm 119: 105, 160; 12: 6; Proverbs 30: 5

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 rebellion toward God called “sin”. This attitude separates people from their Heavenly Father and results in many problems in life.

Genesis 1: 27; Psalm 8: 3 – 6; Isaiah 53: 6; Romans 3: 23; 

Isaiah 59: 1, 2

Salvation is the greatest expression of God’s love for us. Salvation does not come from personal efforts of goodness or being all you can be, but from the death of God’s perfect Son. Salvation is realized when we repent of our sins and trust that God has forgiven us of all wrongdoing, because Christ has received the penalty owed to us. Salvation is received by faith alone apart from anything we could ever do to achieve it.

Romans 6: 23; Ephesians 2: 8, 9; John 14: 6; Titus 3: 5

Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot “lose” it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. When God forgives a Christian at the moment of conversion, He forgives the sins a Christian has committed, is committing and will ever commit.

John 10: 29; 2 Timothy 1: 12; Hebrews 7: 25; 10: 10, 14; 

1 Peter 1: 3 – 5

People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally in God’s presence through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in the presence of God is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are actual places of eternal existence.

John 3: 16; John 14: 17; Romans 6: 23; Romans 8: 17 – 18;

Revelation 20: 15; 1 Corinthians 2: 7 – 9

Beliefs are not worth very much unless they are translated into actions. Based on what the Bible teaches, we feel very strongly about the following seven practices:

“But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized both men and women.” Acts 8: 12

“Then Peter said, ‘Can anyone keep thes people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.’” Acts 10: 46, 47

The order is consistent throughout the Bible that belief always precedes baptism. Because baptism is a public profession of the faith that a believer places in Jesus, changing the order would completely eliminate the significance of the event. Baptism is an obedient step of faith that the Holy Spirit leads a believer to take. We practice baptism by immersion under water – the way Jesus was baptized, and the way the Bible commands. We encourage those being baptized to invite as many friends and relatives as possible as those being baptized witness to the death, burial and resurrection of Christ through the ordinance of baptism.

“And he (Christ) is the head of the body, the church...” Colossians 1: 18

“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.” Ephesians 1: 22

Christ is the recognized head of our church, not any person, group or religious organization. While we recognize the benefit of associating and cooperating with other groups of Christians, we believe every local church should be self-governing and independent of any denominational control.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God...” 1 Peter 2: 9

“He (Jesus) has made us to be a kingdom of priests to serve his God and Father...” Revelation 1: 6

The Bible teaches us that every Christian is called to “full time” Christian service, regardless of his or her vocation. We practice the truth that every believer is a minister by encouraging every member to find a place of service and ministry. Every believer has direct access to God through prayer and Bible reading. The only one we are required to go through to get to God is Christ Jesus who is continually available to us.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3: 16, 17

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 

2 Peter 1: 20, 21

Since God’s Word is the only completely reliable and truthful authority, we accept it as our manual for living. Our first question when faced with a decision is, “What does the Bible say?” We practice daily Bible reading, Bible study and Bible memorization, not for the sake of knowing more than someone else but for the sake of living a God-honoring life. The Bible is the basis for all that we believe, because it is the Word of God that He has spoken to us.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2: 20

“Since…you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3: 1 – 3

There are only two places where our identities can be established. We will either find our identity in the roles we carry out in this world, or we’ll find our identity in the privilege of being a child of God. As a child of a particular father, we are going to notice similarities between the child and his dad. They may look alike, have similarities in their voices or they may express common likes, dislikes, habits and behaviors. When we find our identity in Christ alone, we are able to display his character; speaking like him, acting like him, loving like him and being like him. Our identity is simply an expression of who we are and whose we are.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1: 17

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4: 10

God has gifted each of us with many good things so that we can use those gifts to put his goodness on display. Gifts come in a variety of forms whether they are spiritual gifts, talents, skills, time, resources, financial blessings, etc. As we use the gifts that He has shared with us to touch the lives of others, we are faithful managers of the blessings that God has entrusted to us. We should not be surprised that the Bible teaches that we will be held responsible for the stewardship of God’s blessings.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1: 8

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news.” Romans 10: 15

It is the responsibility of every Christian to share the Good News with those God brings us into contact. The way that we share God’s love with the most people is by every Christian being a witness in his/her sphere of influence. God calls each of us to share the good news about how Jesus Christ has brought us forgiveness through his death on the cross and restored our relationship with our Heavenly Father. We can be faithful to the call that He places on the life of every believer by sharing a personal testimony or by inviting friends and family to church.