What We Believe

 

The Scriptures are Inspired by God

The Bible is the inspired and only infallible and authoritative written Word of God (ll Timothy 3:16,17).

 

There is only One True God

There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

 

The Fall of Humankind

We were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). By a voluntary act of the will, however, Adam and Eve disobeyed God (Genesis 3:6). This act of rebellion (sin) separated humankind from God (Ephesians 2:11-18) and left man in a fallen or sinful condition (Romans 3:23).

 

The Deity of Jesus

We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, in His personal future return to this earth in power and glory to rule a thousand years (Matthew 1:23, Hebrews 7:26, Acts 2:22, 1 Corinthians 15:3, Luke 24:39, Acts 1:9).

 

Every Person Can Have Restored Fellowship with God Through Salvation

The only means of being cleansed from sin is through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:3, Ephesians 2:8). He died on the cross to pay the penalty of our sins (1 Peter 2:24). He offers each of us a pardon for our sins (Hebrews 9:26) and wants us to become children of God ( John 1:12).

 

Sanctification

Sanctification initially occurs at Salvation and is not only a declaration that a believer is holy, but also a progressive, lifelong process of separating from evil as believers continually draw closer to God and become more Christlike.

 

The Holy Spirit

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a special experience following salvation that empowers believers for witnessing and effective service, just as it did in New Testament times. The initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is “speaking in tongues,” as experienced on the Day of Pentecost and referenced throughout Acts and the Epistles (Acts 2:4).

 

Healing

The redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross provides healing of the human body in answer to believing prayer (Isaiah 53:4,5).

 

The Ordinances of the Church

We practice two ordinances: (1) Water Baptism by Immersion after repenting of one’s sins and receiving Christ’s gift of salvation, and (2) Holy communion (the Lord’s Supper) as a symbolic remembrance of Christ’s suffering and death for our salvation.

 

The Church and its Mission

The church has a three-fold purpose: To evangelize the world (Acts 1:8), to worship God (1 Corinthians 12:13), and to equip Christians for ministry (Ephesians 4:11-16).

 

The Future

We believe that Christians who have died will be reunited with those still alive at the second coming of Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians. 4:16-17). This event will be followed by the millennial reign of Christ (Revelations 20:1-6), a final judgment when those who have rejected Christ will be separated from Him (Revelation 20:11-15), and the appearance of a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 20:21-22).