GOD
God is One being in three persons: God the Father, God the son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is the source of all creation (Gen. 1:1; John 1:1-2), which He sustains (Col. 1:17) and is in the process of redeeming (Rom. 8:19-22)
God the Father has always been in heaven. Out of love, He created us in His own image and desires that we have fellowship with Him as His children (1 John 1:3).
JESUS
Jesus Christ is eternally God. He was together with the Father and the Holy Spirit from the beginning, and through Him all things were created.
For man’s redemption, He left heaven and came to earth in human form. Born of a virgin, through the power of the Holy Spirit, though He faced life’s struggles and temptations, just as we do, He never sinned. His sacrificial death on the cross and subsequent resurrection from the dead paid the penalty for our sin and freed us from the power of death.
He ascended into heaven, where He is now our high priest an advocate. He is the head of the church and holds all authority in heaven and on earth.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He moves in our world convicting people of sin, righteousness and the coming judgement (John 16:5-11) by drawing them to Jesus.
Upon salvation, He takes up resident in the believer’s heart. As we respond to Him, He develops a pure heart in us resulting in Christ-like character expressed through our private attitudes and public actions.
The Spirit also gives gifts to every believer to be used for the glory of God and further His kingdom. We seek to help all followers of Christ identify their spiritual gifts(s) and to equip, empower and employ them for His service.
MANKIND
Mankind (humans) were created by God, in His image, to walk and live in fellowship with Him. Each person is created good, with God’s stamp of approval. However, all (except Jesus) have sinned and fall short of God’s glorious standard (Rom. 3:23) and must rely on God’s grace and forgiveness for salvation, which we find in Jesus (Rom. 6:23).
SIN/SALVATION
The bible calls disobeying God and living life on our own terms sin. Sin separates us from God, His goodness and heaven. That separation not removed through religious works, rather by the grace of God and Christ’s death on the cross. Salvation is received through faith in Jesus Christ alone. It is the free gift of God and cannot be earned.
God offers salvation to every person and is received by hearing the message of Jesus and responding to it. One accepts Christ as Lord and Savior through faith, repentance (turning from sin and rebellion against God), confession and baptism (Acts 2:38, 8:12, 10:48, Romans 6:3-4, 10:9-10).
Salvation involves both the sovereignty of God and the free-will of man to respond and accept it. True salvation will produce an active lifestyle of loving obedience and service to Jesus; as well as faith, hope, peace, love, patience and the certainty of where we will spend eternity.
THE CHURCH
The church is the community of individual believers throughout the world. Local churches serve as the body of Christ on earth. We are the hands, feet, ears and mouth of Jesus.
Upon surrender to Christ as Lord and Savior, a person is added to The Church. They are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. They take on a new life, complete with a new name (Christian), a new identity (saint) and a new role (priest). The purpose of this new life is to live in a way that shares the message of Jesus with a lost and hurting world.
THE BIBLE
The bible is the uniquely inspired Word of God (2 Tim. 3:14-17; 2 Peter 1:16-21).
It is the authoritative revelation from God through which we can know God’s will and discover salvation through His Son, Jesus. The bible is the sole rule of faith and practice for the Christian. It contains everything the believer needs to know Christ and live a godly life within the plan of God (2 Peter 1:3-4).
THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
As a result of the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, we live in a broken world. Therefore, the Christian life is filled with trials, tests and warfare against the devil and the kingdom of darkness.
Understanding the battle, God gives us great promises and powerful weapons to combat the enemy and stay faithful in our walk of faith.
He sends His Spirit to live inside of us, providing us with guidance and strength. He gave us the bible – His Word – as the roadmap for life. And He gives us the church to support and encourage us as we worship and do life together.
God’s provision for us is total and His promises are final and forever. He will never leave us or forsake us and will always provide the way out of every temptation and trial we face. For those who remain faithful till the end, He promises eternal life and blessings in His presence.
BAPTISM
Baptism is the sign of the believer in Christ. It is a statement of faith: “I believe that Jesus is God’s Son, who died on the cross for my sin and I accept Him as my personal Lord and Savior.”
In the book of Acts, whenever anyone responded to the message of Christ, they were baptized as soon as possible. (Acts 2:38; 8:34; 16:31-33; 22:16)
The New Testament connects baptism with repentance, forgiveness and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38), washing away your sins and calling on his name (Acts 22:16), being united to the death of Jesus (Romans 6:4), and even salvation (1 Peter 3:21).
In writing to the Colossians, the apostle Paul stated when we are baptized God lives in us, gives us a new nature, forgives our sins and nails them to the cross, giving us power over evil (Colossians 2:12).
Following the New Testament teaching and pattern, we baptized when a person decides to follow Jesus.
THE LORD’S SUPPER
The Lord’s Supper (Communion) was instituted by Jesus Himself the night before His crucifixion. Its purpose is to remember His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, as well as a reminder that He is coming back again.
During this time, we celebrate Jesus’ covenant of grace and forgiveness, and the opportunity to have a personal relationship. It is a time to confess our shortcomings and praise Him for His mercy.
Following the pattern of the New Testament, we celebrate and partake weekly.
The Second Coming of Christ
The Second Coming of Jesus is the time when Christ will physically come again as Savior and Judge of the world. Those who have put their faith in Him as Lord and Savior will be resurrected to eternal life with God. Those who did not accept Him as Lord and Savior will live in eternity apart from God and His goodness.
1 Thess. 4:13-18 Rev. 20:11-15
Marriage
Marriage, as ordained by God, is to be between one man and one woman.
It is the exclusive covenantal union between husband and wife which was instituted by God in the beginning and reaffirmed by Jesus Christ.
Gen. 1:27; 2:23-24 Gen. 19:1-13 Leviticus 18:22 Romans 1:21-27
1 Cor. 6:9, 7:2, 39. 1 Tim. 1:10