WHAT WE BELIEVE:

WE BELIEVE the Holy Scriptures to be the verbal, inspired Word of God, authoritative, and without error in the original manuscripts. We further believe that the Scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments are designed for our practical instruction in faith and conduct.  (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:21)

 

THE GODHEAD: We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit--and that these three are one God. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 28:19)

 

THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST: We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal and only begotten Son of God, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, and that He is true God and true man, and is the only and sufficient mediator between God and Man. The eternal Son of God came into the world that He might manifest God to men, fulfilling prophecy, and become the Redeemer of a lost world. (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:30-35, John 1:1,2, 14, 18; John 12:45; John 1:9; I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 4:15; Philippians 2:5-11)

 

THE HOLY SPIRIT: We believe that the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, dwells in every believer immediately after he places his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and that God provides, through the Holy Spirit, power to live the Christian life. (Romans 5:5, 8:9-11; Galatians 5:16-25) We believe that every believer receives grace from God in the form of a spiritual gift, which enables him to function as a member of the body of Christ. (Romans 12:6; I Corinthians 12:7; Ephesians 4:7)

 

THE PERSONALITY OF SATAN:  We believe that Satan, the devil, is the prince of demons and is the declared adversary of God and man. However, when the Lord Jesus Christ died on the Cross, He destroyed the power of the devil and guaranteed the ultimate triumph of God. (Ephesians 2:2; I Peter 5:8; Revelation 20:10; Colossians 2:13-15).

 

SALVATION: We believe that no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born again spiritually, and that the new birth of the believer comes only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (John 3:16; Rom. 10:9-10). We believe that upon receiving the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, the believer passes immediately out of spiritual death into spiritual life, and into fellowship with God. (John 1:12, 5:24).

 

THE CHURCH: We believe that all who are united to the risen and ascended Son of God are members of the Church, which is the body of Christ. (I Corinthians 12:12-27, Acts 2:42-47). We believe that local churches gather together for practical instruction in the Scriptures, for fellowship with God and with other believers, and for corporate witness to the unsaved world. Our common spiritual goal is to grow toward Christ's likeness. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:42-47; Romans 12:5; Ephesians 4:13-16).

 

THE RAPTURE AND THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST: We believe that a future period of great tribulation on the earth will be climaxed by the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth as He comes in person, in the clouds, with power and great glory to establish His millennial kingdom. But prior to this tribulation, we believe there will be the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in the air to receive to Himself into Heaven both His own who are alive and remain until His coming as well as all who have died in Christ Jesus. (I Thessalonians 4:13-17; Zechariah 14:4-11; Revelation 3:10).

 

ETERNAL STATE: We believe that at death, the spirits and souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation pass immediately into His presence and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the glorified body when Christ comes for his own, whereupon soul and body reunited shall be associated with Him forever in glory. All those who rejected Jesus Christ will eternally be separated from God to endure His eternal wrath forever. (II Corinthians 5:8; Revelation 20:11-15, 21:1-27)

 

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BELIEVERS: We believe that all believers should seek to walk by the Spirit, separating themselves from worldly practices and witnessing by life and by word to the truths of the Holy Scripture. (Romans 12; Galatians 5:16, 25; II Corinthians 5:9-17). We believe that all believers will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ and rewarded based on their faithful obedience to Him in this life. (I Corinthians 3:10-17).

 

CHURCH ORDINANCES: We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ instituted the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper to be observed by all believers until His return. (Matthew 28:19; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 10:47-48). We believe that the ordinance of BAPTISM is immersion of the believer in water as it sets forth the essential facts in redemption (the death, burial and resurrection of Christ) and the essential resurrection to newness of life. (Romans 6:4; Acts 8:26-39). We believe that the LORD'S SUPPER is a privilege afforded to all believers in commemoration of our Lord's death until He comes. (1 Corinthians 11:23-28)