GOD
We believe that God is Creator, Sustainer, Mediator, and Ordainer. This is explained in understanding that Scripture reveals God to be the creator of all things(Isaiah 40:28). God did not create because He was lonely; because he has always had perfect fellowship within the “Trinity”. The Trinity is the oneness of God bound up in three parts of equal power: The Father, The Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14). God created because His creation gives him great joy when it worships Him. He is not only worthy of Worship because He created us, but also because he sustains us. Every breath we breathe is a gift from God, and so every day we live on earth is reminder that He is sustaining us (1 Corinthians 8:6).
HUMANITY
The problem with Humanity is that we think we can earn God’s favor. We believe that in all aspects of life that if we work hard enough we will reap a just reward; but the problem is that the only reward we deserve is Hell (Romans 3:10-12). We are born sinful. No one has to teach a toddler how to be selfish, or steal. Because of the Fall of man (Genesis 3) we are born with an inherited Sin nature that results in us having to bear a physical death (Romans 3:23). Because of that nature we live life with a desire to pursue ourselves over God. Sin is interwoven in selfish desire. We cannot fight this battle on our own. Bearing our sin alone leads to not only death, but eternal punishment from God. We could stop right there and be depressed, or we can continue in the abundant hope in knowing that Jesus was sent to bear the weight of our sin so that we can be made worthy in the sight of God, which is something we could never earn. He came to save us from ourselves, and give us part of his inheritance as a child of God. He mediates to God on our behalf (1 Timothy 2:5). He came so that we may have true life (1 John 5:12).
SALVATION
Jesus came to save man. He accomplished this by dying on the cross to bear the weight of all of our sins (John 3:16). Though he payed the price for all, only those who surrender their lives to Jesus may receive the saving grace that He pours out. How can one be saved you ask? It is actually not as complicated as many people make it. If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God sent to earth to die for you, because you are a sinner in need of a savior; and then you ask the Lord (Romans 10:9) to forgive you of your sin, and fill you with His Spirit (the Holy Spirit) then you will be saved. The Holy Spirit is what makes us capable of choosing God over our sin in the day to day walk. Every day after is a day to day fight with our fleshly bodies, but we must continue to choose to live for Christ. Repentance is needed quit often, but a blood sacrifice will never again be required for those who Choose Christ, because they are forever atoned for.
Acts 2:38 – “38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
It is also evident through scripture that Baptism is a very important act in our spiritual walk. It is a step of obedience. We can even see in scripture that Jesus Was baptized (Matthew 3:13-17). We believe that baptism (By Immersion) should happen if possible, but it is not crucial to ones salvation. Baptism is a symbolic act of the decision to follow Christ. It is a symbolic gesture of the washing away of our sin. The book of Acts shows that the crucial Baptism is the immersing of the Holy Spirit. We are baptized in the Spirit once we believe in Jesus as our Lord, and we should unashamedly follow in believers baptism to show our fellow believers of the inner change that has occurred. This is why babies should not be baptized, because they are incapable of understanding their need for salvation.
It is also important to note that “Speaking in Tongues” is not necessary to affirm ones salvation. We as a church do not believe that the gift of tongues has fully ceased, but we do believe that it happens in a much rarer form today than in the book of Acts. What we saw at Pentecost in the book of acts was people speaking known languages that they have never learned. We believe God Still does this at times on the mission field. The tongues spoken in Corinthians is an “Angelic Language” which is spoken as worship to God. Paul gives instructions on speaking in tongues in Corinthians that would expose much of what we see in churches today to be false practice (1 Corinthians 14:26-28).
THE BIBLE
As a church We believe that the Bible contains the perfect word of God. The Bible is written by men, but men who were under the divine guidance of God. The bible is God’s written word to give man what they need in order to understand their need for God, and how to live for God. Though the bible does not give us everything there is to know about God; God has given us everything we need to know about Him through his word. The word of God reveals the need to trust in the one who scripture claims to be the living Word, Jesus (John 1:1-10). The word of God gives us hope in knowing that those who have trusted in Jesus will one day spend eternity with him in Heaven (John 14:2-3). We should commit to the public reading, and studying of scripture (1 Timothy 4:13). We must memorize and meditate on scripture so that we can be better prepared to resist Sin (Psalm 119:11).
