WHAT WE BELIEVE

I.      We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, written and preserved as God’s message to man.

 II.     We believe in one God, who is self-existent, holy, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and who manifested Himself to man as the Eternal Father, the Eternal Son, and the Eternal Holy Spirit.

 In this Godhead, there are three distinct Persons of one substance, power and eternity.

 III.    We believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, truly God and truly man, was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.  That He died on the cross, shed His blood as a propitiation for our sin and its consequences. 

That He rose bodily from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of Father God, interceding for the Saints.

IV.    We believe in the literal return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth, to judge all mankind.  There will be a literal resurrection of the dead, with the believer going from judgment into everlasting blessedness, and the unbeliever going form judgment into everlasting punishment.

V.     We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person, the third Person of the Godhead.  That He takes up His abode in one’s life at the moment of accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

That the baptism with the Holy Spirit is a step further than the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in one’s relationship with the Holy Spirit.

That the baptism with the Holy Spirit is a further yielding of one’s life to the Spirit, who magnifies the presence of God, and manifests the power of God, in and through the yielded believer.

That being filled with and led by the Spirit, is a higher step in one’s relationship with the Spirit, than the Indwelling of, and Baptism with the Spirit.  That to be filled with the Spirit, is to be controlled by the Spirit, and is a repeated action or experience.

VI.    We believe that the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, is evidenced by the manifestation of a true personal relationship with Christ, the Anointed One and His Anointing. (Romans 8:9-11; I Corinthians 12:13)

That the baptism of the Holy Spirit is initially evidenced by speaking with tongues, and further by the manifestation of the presence and power of Christ, through the Believers like a river, manifesting the nine character qualities (Fruit) of the Spirit.  The power of Christ, or His anointing, flows through the believers like a river, manifesting the nine gifts of the Spirit.

That the infilling of the Holy Spirit is evidenced by the manifestation of the believer’s true yielded ness to the control, governance, ruler ship, influence and direction of the Holy Spirit in one’s life and ministry.

VII.   We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, by a direct act of God.  That he was given the authority and responsibility to be fruitful, to multiply, to replenish and subdue the earth, and to have dominion of it.

That by a direct act of disobedience, men fell into sin, thus, forfeiting his position to the Evil one who tempted him.  That man is only reinstated to his original position, and fully restored to the image and likeness of God, through a direct act of his own will, to receive God’s provisions through salvation, by personal Faith in Jesus Christ.

VIII.  We believe that Salvation is the work of God by which He saves man from eternal doom, and gives him eternal life now and forever.  That the provisions of Salvation include deliverance from sin and bondage to Satan; help, welfare, good health, prosperity, safety and preservation, liberty, victory and soundness or comfort (Hebrew/Greek meanings).

IX.    We believe that the Church is God’s prized possession, and is both local and universal.  That the local church is a local, visible, temporal manifestation of the universal, eternal Church.

That the universal Church comprises all believers, visible and invisible from the Day of Pentecost, until the time God takes the Church out of the world, and at which time His program for the Church will be complete.  That the Church is God’s instrument to establish and expand His kingdom on the earth.

X.     We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ functioned in five areas of ministry for the two-fold purpose of bringing the Lost into the experience of Salvation, and disciplining them into the Kingdom of God.  He was the Apostle (Hebrews 3:1-2), Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15,18; Acts 3:30,22,26; 7:37), Evangelist (Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38; Matthew 4:23-24), Shepherd or Pastor (John 10:14,16; Hebrews 13:20; I Peter 2:25; 5:4), and He was also the Teacher (John 3:2; 8:2; Luke 11:1; Acts 1:1; Mark 1:22; 6:34; Matthew 7:29).

XI.    We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ gave His five-fold ministry function of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher, as gifts to the Body of Christ, to equip the saints of every generation, for their full and active involvement in His two-fold work of bringing the Lost into the Kingdom, and building up the Saints to be Kingdom people.

That men of God are called by God to function today as Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers.

XII.   We believe that believers owe all that they are and will be, all that they possess and will get to the unmerited favor of God, to be used for the Glory of God.  That we are divinely ordained stewards of material or monetary possessions, which God ordained to be used wisely for the support of His work, and of His ministers.

XIII.  We believe that water baptism, experienced, practiced and commanded by Jesus, is to be the experience of every born again believer, as an outward expression of the Grace being experienced within, and as a declaration of one’s personal intention to walk in the new life of Christ.

XIV.  We believe that the Lord’s Supper is an expression of worship in the Church, to remember the significance of the death of Jesus, and to inspire the consciousness of the Saints, of the imminent return of Jesus Christ.  The Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ Himself, and was judged by Paul not to be taken lightly.