Statement
of Purpose
We seek to worship and glorify God by:
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Bringing people to salvation through faith alone
in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Establishing them in the truth of God’s Word,
rightly divided.
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Encouraging them to experience a living, personal relationship
with Christ and His people.
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Equipping them to serve the Lord and His
saints.
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Sending them out to reach the
lost.
Statement of Faith
We, who have willfully received God's gift of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ do unite through our sincere desire to serve Him and one another as an independent local church in agreement on the following teaching of God's Word:
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
We believe the Bible, in its original documents, is the inspired Word of God, the written record of God's supernatural revelation of Himself to man, absolute in its authority, complete in its revelation, final in its content, and without any errors in its statements (II Timothy 3:16; John 10:35; Psalm 89:34; Hebrews 6:18; II Peter 3:15-16).
THE GODHEAD
We believe there is one God, eternally existent, Creator of heaven and earth. He is manifested in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit),
co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and each having the same attributes and perfections (Deuteronomy 6:4; II Corinthians 13:14; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Genesis 1:2; John 14:9; I Timothy 3:16; I John 5:7).
THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST
1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and that He might redeem sinful men through His death on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice, and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (John 1:1,3; Luke 1:35; Romans 3:24,25; I Peter 2:24;
1:3-5; Ephesians 1:7). His death was to pay for all sins (past, present, and future) of all the world (Acts
13:38-41; II Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 10:10--14; 9:28; I John 3:5).
2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, and He is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Act 1:9, 10; Hebrews 9:24; 7:25; Romans 8:34; I John 2:1,2).
3. We believe in a pre-tribulation rapture of the saints and pre-millennial, personal and visible return of Christ to the earth for the purpose of establishing His
world-wide kingdom (Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:14-18; Matthew 24).
THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person Who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. The moment a person receives Christ as his Savior, the Holy Spirit immediately indwells that believer (John
16:8-11; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 3:16; 12:12-14; Ephesians 1:13, 14; 4:30).
2. We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Teacher Who guides believers into all truth, and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled (controlled) with the Spirit (John 16:13; I John 2:20, 27; Ephesians 5:18).
PREDESTINATION AND FOREKNOWLEDGE
We believe God is absolutely sovereign; and in His sovereignty, He gave man a free will to accept or reject the salvation that He has provided. It is God's will that all would be saved and that none should perish. God permits man's destiny to depend upon man's choice (I Timothy 2:4; John 6:64,65; Acts 10:34; II Thessalonians 2:13; I Peter 1:2; II Peter 3:9; I Corinthians 1:21; Ephesians
1:5-14; Romans 8:29,30; 9:30-32).
THE PERSONALITY OF SATAN
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the fall. We believe that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man, and that he and his angels will be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6,7; Isaiah
14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; 25:41; Revelation 20:10).
THE FALLEN HUMAN RACE
We believe each member of the human race is fallen, sinful, and lost; and regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for the salvation of man (Romans 3:23; John 3:7; Titus 3:5).
THE RESURRECTION
We believe there is a resurrection of the saved and of the lost; of the saved unto eternal life, and of the lost unto eternal conscious punishment. These two resurrections are separated by at least one thousand years (I Thessalonians
4:13-18; Daniel 12:2; Revelation 20:5-15; Matthew 25:41).
SALVATION
1. We believe man is saved by undeserved mercy through faith in Christ, nothing of man enters into salvation; it is a free gift. Man's efforts, regardless of how good or well intended, before or after salvation have nothing to do with obtaining or keeping salvation. Salvation is by the finished work of Christ, and nothing can be added to it (Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8,9; Galatians 2:16; Romans 11:6; Colossians 2:13; Romans 3:22).
2. We believe salvation is based upon the one condition of faith, of which repentance is a vital part. Repentance is not a separate, independent condition of salvation. Repentance (Greek word "Metanoeo") means "to change one's mind". A change of mind is necessary part of the process by which a person comes to believe. Much confusion has resulted in repentance being treated as a separate condition of salvation in addition to faith in Christ, by using incorrect definitions of repentance such as "sorrow for sin", "turning from sin", or "a willingness to turn from sin". These definitions, when applied to salvation, add an element of works to salvation and, therefore, are a perversion and counterfeit of the Gospel.
3. We believe that once a person becomes a child of God by faith in Christ, he is always a child of God. A person is either saved forever or not saved at all. Eternal security is not a separate doctrine from salvation; it is salvation. Once a person is saved, he can never lose his salvation in any way, or for any reason (John 3:16; 3:36; 5:24; 6:47; 10:28).
THE CHRISTIAN WALK
1. We believe every true child of God possesses eternal life, is justified by faith, sanctified by God, sealed with the Holy Spirit, eternally secure, and never able to lose his salvation. However, a Christian can, through sin, lose fellowship, joy, power, testimony, and reward, thereby incurring the Father's chastisement. One's relationship as God's child is eternal, being established by the new birth; however, one's fellowship is dependent upon obedience. “Shallow Christianity cannot be cured by adding works to salvation. The believer’s motivations to serve the Lord are loving gratitude for Lord’s grace, rewards for faithfulness, and chastening. God does not permit His children to live as they please without discipline and guidance (I Corinthians
3:11-17; 5:1-5; 11:30-32; Hebrews 12:5-11).
2. We believe a true child of God has two births: one of the flesh and the other of the Spirit. The flesh nature is neither good nor righteous. The Spiritual nature does not commit sin. This results in warfare between the Spirit and the flesh, which continues until physical death, or the Lord's return. The new birth cannot change in any way the flesh nature of man, but the flesh nature can be controlled and kept subdued by the new man. All claims to the eradication of the old nature in this life are unscriptural (John 3:
3-7; Rom. 8:8; 7:15-25; Gal. 5:17; I John 3:9; 5:18; I Peter 1:23).
3. We believe that the mission and commission of the Body of Christ is to proclaim the message of reconciliation as ambassadors for the Lord Jesus Christ and to preach Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery (II Cor.5:19-20; Romans 16:25).
4. We believe that the saved are firstly citizens of heaven and ambassadors to earth and are to walk in a manner worthy of this calling. We believe that a life of separation from religious apostasy, worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations is typical of a Spirit-filled life ( Philippians 3:20; Ephesians 4:1; Romans 12:1,2; II Corinthians
6:14-7:1).
5. We believe that the children belong to the parents and not to the state. Therefore, God holds parents accountable for the education and training the children receive. We believe the children of our families need an education that trains them to walk in the ways of the Lord and not in the counsel of the ungodly (Ephesians 6:4; Psalm 1:1; 127:3).
THE CHURCH
1. We believe that the church, which is the Body of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all those who have trusted Christ in this dispensational and is to be distinguished from the prophesied, earthly kingdom of Christ. The historical manifestation of the Body of Christ began with the Apostle Paul before he wrote his first epistle (Ephesians 1:22,23; 3:6;
5:25-27; I Corinthians 12: 12-14).
2. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27;
20:17-32; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).
3. We believe that the Lord's Supper was given to the Apostle Paul from the risen glorified Lord for the Church which is the Body of Christ to observe today. The Lord's supper is not the Passover but was instituted by our Lord at the close of the Passover dinner. It is to proclaim "the Lord's death" and is a testimony to the world “until He come” (I Corinthians
11:23-29).
4. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowing of all His gifts (Romans
12:6-8; Ephesians 4:11-12; I Corinthians 12:18).
5. We believe that the gift of tongues (languages) was a manifestation of the Holy Spirit's power solely for the demonstration of God's wisdom, purpose, and power to Israel in the proclamation of the Kingdom. This gift was always a spoken, known language of that time (Acts 2:6; I Corinthians 14:22; Hebrews 2:4).
6. We believe that God does hear and answer prayer, in accord with His own will, the prayer of faith for the sick and afflicted (John 15:7; I John 5:14,15). God can heal, but physical healing is not in the atonement. God heals miraculously today when it is His perfect will to do so. At times it is God's will for sicknesses not to be removed (II Corinthians
12:4-11; James 5:14-16).
7. We believe apostleship, speaking in tongues, and the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament scriptures were completed, their authority established, and God set aside Israel for the Body of Christ (I Corinthians 13:8; I Corinthians
12:4-11; II Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:7-12).
