WHAT WE BELIEVE
GOD
God (Yahweh) is the only eternal being who existed prior to the creation of the physical universe. He created all that is seen and unseen. God manifests Himself in three ways: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The three manifestations of God have the same nature, are co-equal and have always co-existed.
Genesis 1; Psalms 90:2; John 14:15-21; 2 Corinthians 13:14
JESUS
Jesus is the Christ, the eternal and divine Son of God. He is Emmanuel, “God with us”, chosen to be made in human likeness. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life and obediently offered Himself as the only acceptable sacrifice for the sins of all humanity by being crucified on a cross. Jesus then rose from the dead on the third day, overcoming the power of sin and death. He spent forty days with his followers before ascending into heaven, promising to return one day to redeem the whole of the creation.
Isaiah 53; John 1:1-5; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Romans 5:6-11; 1 John 4:7-10
HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and Jesus. The Holy Spirit is available to dwell in every follower of Jesus. The Spirit convicts the hearts and the minds of humanity, bringing awareness to the burden of sin and need for reconciliation with God. For the follower of Jesus the Spirit empowers us to understand and live in the light of spiritual truth. The Holy Spirit equips the Christ follower with gifts to build up the church and reach those who do not yet know Jesus.
John 16:4b-15; Acts 1:1-8, 2:1-13, 10:44-48
Sin & Humanity
Humanity was created in the image of God, unique in all of creation to have fellowship with God. However, we have been alienated from our relationship with God through our sinful disobedience, bringing brokenness into our relationship with God and with one another. We are absolutely incapable of regaining a right relationship with God no matter how hard we try or how much “good” we do.
Genesis 1:27, 3; Psalm 8; Romans 3:23, 5
Church
God created us to be in relationship not only with Him, but also with one another. The Bible speaks of the church as being the body of Christ. Jesus is the head, and each follower of Jesus has a part to play in order for the body to be healthy and grow. We must work together, pray for one another, learn together, spend time with one another, encourage each other, speak truth in love to one another, and celebrate God’s greatness together. We are to serve and support one another and those in our spheres of influence who do not know Jesus.
Acts 2:42-47, 4:32-35; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 & 13
Salvation & Grace
Salvation is a gift from God to humanity. It is free for us to receive, though was very costly in giving. There is nothing we can do to earn God’s grace or work ourselves into a right relationship with God. There is only one way we can be reconciled into a right relationship with God; through placing our faith in the power of the death and resurrection of Jesus as a sufficient payment for our sin.
John 3:16-17; 1 Corinthian 15:1-8; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 5 & 6:23
Scripture
We believe the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God. The Spirit of God moved the authors to communicate the values, principles and ideals which please God and are in our best interest. We believe the Bible is accurate as originally written.
2 Timothy 3:14-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21
Baptism
There are two baptisms referenced in the New Testament: baptism by water and baptism with the Holy Spirit. It is important for followers of Jesus to understand both.
Baptism by water symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and is a public declaration of one’s faith in Jesus. Baptism does not save you, rather it shows the world that you have already been saved and it demonstrates our love and obedience to Jesus. Anyone can be baptized as long as they have made the decision to follow Christ. Since it must be the person’s decision we believe children should refrain from being baptized until they can clearly articulate their faith.
Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41, 9:18, 10:44-48, 16:30-33
Baptism with the Holy Spirit is addressed by Jesus during his time on earth, both before his death and resurrection as well as after (Acts 1:5). Baptism by the Holy Spirit is not something we can control. Followers of Jesus receive the Holy Spirit in different ways and at different points in their relationship with Jesus.
John 14:15-31; Matthew 3:11; Luke 11:13; Acts 1:5; Acts 8:14-19; Acts 9:15-19; Acts 19:1-7; 1 Timothy 14:14; 2 Timothy 1:6
Communion
The last time Jesus ate with the twelve disciples he initiated a practical and powerful way for his followers to remember the sacrifice he made so that we might be free from our sin and brokenness. Jesus tells his followers to take communion together when we gather. Jesus used food from the table to describe the sacrifice he was making. First, the bread as a symbol of his willingness to allow his body to suffer and die for our sins. Second, the wine as a symbol of his blood given freely to cover over the sins (past, present and future) of all who believe. Likewise when we gather we use food symbols to remember what Jesus has done for us and experience his presence and grace as we take communion together.
Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29
Prayer
Prayer is simply having a conversation with God. Conversations are multi-directional including speaking and listening. In order to know someone we must spend time in conversation with them. Through prayer we can share our thoughts, our emotions, our hopes, our struggles, our shortcomings with God. Prayer isn’t limited to kneeling with head bowed, eyes closed and hands folded. It can be done anywhere at any time; silently or out loud; alone or with others. We know there is great power in prayer because the Creator of the Universe wants to hear from us, loves us, and has the power to act in any and all situations. As followers of Jesus it is important to include prayer in our lives. The when, how, with whom, and what of prayer can be highly varied.
2 Chronicles 7:14; Jeremiah 29:12; Psalm 34:17; Matthew 6:5-13; John 15:7; Mark 11:24; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Philippians 4:6; James 5:13 & 16