The Bible is the divinely breathed word of God. It is the supreme authority and master guide for all matters dealing with faith and practice. In it we discover God's revelation of Himself, His story, His plan and purpose for all mankind throughout the ages. (II Timothy 3:16,17; II Peter 1:3,21)
The one true & living God is triune coexisting in three persons - the Father, the Son (who is the Word made flesh) and the Holy Spirit. God is totally and eternally loving, holy, righteous, all powerful, all wise, present everywhere; the creator, ruler and redeemer of all mankind and the entire universe. God the Father is the head among equals of the trinity. (I Corinthians 11:1-3; Genesis 1-3; John 14-16)
Jesus Christ is genuinely God and truly man. He came to reveal and bring us to the Father. The Holy Scriptures states, He (Jesus Christ) was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He was and is the true and only Messiah (the Christ); begotten and sent of God the Father. He lived a perfectly sinless life and died on the cross as the only acceptable substitute and sacrifice for the sins of every person. He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, reigning and interceding as our risen Lord, coming King, loving High Priest and Advocate. He is the fullness of the Godhead bodily, the head of the Church, the first born of many brethren and superior in rank and strength to all principalities and powers. (Philippians 2; Hebrews 1,2; Colossians 2:9)
The person and ministry of the Holy Spirit is just as scripture reveals & states: He is THE THIRD PERSON OF THE TRINITY SENT TO GLORIFY THE LORD JESUS CHRST. Among other manifestations He convicts, draws, enlightens, indwells, guides, teaches and empowers the born-again believer to intimately communicate with and know the Lord and to consistently glorify Jesus Christ. (John 13-16; I Corinthians 12-14)
Every born-again believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit evidenced initially by speaking in tongues, along with continuous surrender and loving obedience to our Lord. (Acts 2,4,8,9,10 & 19)
Man was created by God out of nothing, from God Himself and the -dust of the earth- (Genesis 1:26-28) primarily for His glory (Ephesians 1) to know and fellowship with God intimately through Jesus Christ, His Son. Further, we believe that God, in creating man in His image and likeness sets forth the distinctive qualitative difference between man and God, man and animals and man and plant life. (Genesis 1:26)
Sin and Evil entered the world as we know it when the first man in the Garden of Eden committed high treason by disobeying God. (Genesis 3) The result was the separation of man from the acceptable and proper relationship previously known and experienced. This we call spiritual death. (Genesis 3; Romans 5) Salvation is God's granting of deliverance and preservation from the penalty, the dominion and ultimately the very presence of sin. Although man is still born in the likeness and image of God, because of sin he/she enters the world in need of a right relationship with his/her Creator. Only through repentance, claiming and relying completely and solely upon the Lord Jesus Christ and His blood at Calvary and His resurrection can one truly and legitimately be declared, placed and kept in proper relationship with God. (Ephesians 2; Rom. 1-8; 10:9; Titus 3:5; John 1:12, 13)
Water Baptism and Communion are ordinances which fulfill righteousness during this present age. However, they are not to be viewed as the means of grace to gain or preserve salvation. (Matthew 28:19,20; Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5)
The Christian's life of Holiness is God's prescribed and commanded behavior resulting from the new indwelling nature birthed and enabled by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:17; II Corinthians 6:19-7:1)
The true church is the massive group of individuals worldwide who have been -called-out- of satanic dominion and birthed by the Holy Spirit into the Kingdom of His (God's) Dear Son! (Colossians 1; I Timothy 3:15)
The local Church provides a microcosm and local expression of what God is saying and doing universally through His people. (Ephesians 4) We acknowledge our rights under Christ, the head of the Church, along with the provisions of the United States constitution to govern our own affairs and to submit to those persons and laws where they are consistent and harmonious with Biblical guidelines. The kingdom of God is the righteous rule and reign of God established and operative in the hearts and affairs of men. It is both -now and not yet- fully come. The Church is the organism the Holy Spirit uses to announce, instruct and birth more persons into the kingdom of God. The message and culture of the kingdom of God constitute the frame of reference to be discovered and lived, once one has been born again. (Matthew 6:33) The imminent, personal, bodily and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ (lovingly, yet firmly) provokes the genuine born-again believer to consecrated, holy living, and steadfast spirit-filled service that honors God and glorifies Jesus Christ! (Acts 1; John 14; Revelation 1-3)
At the personal return of our Lord, the born-again believer will be bodily resurrected to everlasting life with the Lord and the unbeliever to a conscious awareness of God's judgment and eternal punishment. (John 5:24-29; I Thessalonians 4:16-18; I Corinthians 15)
The goal of the true disciple of Jesus Christ is to live his/her life to the glory of God and the good pleasure of HIS will. (Ephesians 1; I Timothy 1:5)
