Beliefs

God

There is only one God Who is sovereign over all the heavens and the Earth. He is infinite, ultimate, Lord, King, almighty, eternal, and perfect in His holiness, truth, and love. He is three separate persons: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is not the Son and the Son is not the Holy Spirit, but all three are equal in sovereignty, holiness, and power. He is our everything and the basis of our Christian faith.

Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5-6; Isaiah 46:9-10; John 17:3; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; 1 Timothy 2:5; Isaiah 48:12-13; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Ephesians 2:18; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Genesis 1:26

God the Father

God the Father is the Creator and Ruler of the heavens and the Earth. He is sovereign and reigns with the Son and the Holy Spirit. He is always faithful to His promises, and His plans cannot be altered. He is gracious towards His people and desires for everyone to receive salvation. He loves us so much that He gave His only Son, that we may receive salvation.

Psalm 115:3; Psalm 145:6; Isaiah 42:5; Revelation 21:6; Colossians 1:16; Romans 11:33; Jeremiah 32:17; Psalm 103:19; Romans 8:28; John 3:16; Romans 5:8; Galatians 1:4; Titus 2:11; Isaiah 14:27; Proverbs 19:21; Isaiah 43:13; Romans 3:20-24; Ephesians 2:8-9; Hebrews 4:16; James 4:6; Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalms 36:5; Psalms 89:8; Psalms 119:90; Lamentations 3:22-23; Romans 3:3; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Hebrews 10:23; Psalm 24:1; Romans 8:15

God the Son (Jesus Christ)

God the Son is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. He was born of the virgin Mary and born without sin. He is fully God and fully man. He is the image of our invisible God. In the beginning, all things were created through Him. He was always with God, and He is God. He is the Messiah, and salvation can be attained only through Him. He is the only way, the truth, and the life. He shed His blood for mankind on the cross so that we might be guiltless and reconciled with the Father. He rose from the grave on the third day and stayed for a period of 40 days, performing many miracles before hundreds of witnesses. He ascended into heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father. The Church is His bride, whom He leads and prays over as He patiently awaits the day of His return.

1 Timothy 2:5; John 1:1-4, 14; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:1-3; John 1:29; 10:1-18; Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 1:4; 1 Peter 3:18; Matthew 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-53; John 1:29-21:25; John 14; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Hebrews 9:28; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 1:7; Revelation 19:7-8; Revelation 21:2, 9; Romans 8:34

God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is God and the third person in the trinity. He lives in us when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He convicts the world of sin, inspires them to repent, and guides us in our relationship with God. The Holy Spirit came as a helper to glorify the Son, as the Son came to glorify the Father. He helps us gain understanding of the scriptures in the Holy Bible and teaches us how to obey and develop a relationship with God. He has the same authority and is given the same honor as the Father and the Son.

Genesis 1:1-2; John 15:26; John 14:15-23, 26; John 16:7-15; Romans 8:9; Acts 5:3-4; Galatians 4:6; Romans 8:26-38; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Isaiah 11:2; Acts 1:8; Ezekiel 36:26-27; Ephesians 1:13; Romans 5:5; Romans 8:9; Acts 10:38; Acts 5:32; Acts 1:4-5

The Scriptures (The Holy Bible)

The Holy Bible consists of 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. It contains God-inspired scriptures that help lead the Church into the truth about God and salvation. The scriptures help us understand God and teach us how to develop a relationship with Him. Everything in the Bible is fully truth and every written word is perfect and free of error. Each book within the Bible is to be interpreted in the context and purpose of guiding the Church into reverence to God. The scriptures are the authoritative and normative guide. They are essential to any Christian desiring to follow God and live a Christian life. Every doctrinal belief and confession is to be tested with the scriptures.

2 Timothy 3:16; Romans 15:4; Joshua 1:8; Hebrews 4:12-14; Proverbs 4:20-23; Psalm 19:7-11; Psalm 12:6; 2 Peter 1:20-21; James 1:23-25; Psalm 119:105; Psalm 119:9; Psalm 37:31; Psalm 119:93

Salvation

Salvation is a free gift from God. It cannot be earned by good works, nor can it be received by self-improvement or being a good person. Salvation comes from believing that our Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and that He is our only Savior. Eternal life begins the moment we repent and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Ephesians 2:4-9; Romans 3:21-26; Titus 3:5; Galatians 2:21; Romans 11:6; John 3:18, 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Romans 10:9; Acts 16:30-33

Discipleship

Salvation is the greatest gift that God has given to us. However, developing a relationship with Him and being a disciple is just as important as recognizing salvation. Living a life of repentance and obedience to God is essential after receiving salvation. We submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit in order to walk out our Christian life in obedience to God’s will for us. Our goal is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, and soul. We do this to the best of our abilities and in obedience to the Holy Spirit. He is our Lord, and we recognize that in giving our bodies and our life as a living sacrifice to Him, we are letting go of our self-focused ambitions, desires, and goals to serve only Him.

Galatians 2:20; Titus 2:11-14; 2 Peter 3:9; Luke 9:23; John 13:15; John 15:8; Romans 7-8; John 14:15; Matthew 22:37, Luke 5:32; Luke 11:4; 1 John 1:9; Acts 3:19; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Matthew 3:8; Romans 6:13; Romans 12:1

Water baptism

Water baptism is the public declaration that we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. Baptism does not give us salvation, but shows the world that we are already saved. Even though it is not the requirement for salvation, it demonstrates our obedience and reverence to God.

1 Peter 3:21; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:41; Matthew 3:11; Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 1:14-15, 17

Communion

Communion is an ordinance that is given to all believers to remember His covenant and sacrifice to us. The elements of bread and wine are symbols of His body and blood that was shed for us on the cross. Receiving communion does not mean receiving salvation. Rather, it is a testament of a believer’s faith of what was done on the cross.

1 Corinthians 11:24-27; Luke 22:19-20; Matthew 26:26-28

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

We believe in the supernatural gifts of the Spirit, which include but are not limited to prophecy, speaking in tongues, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, discerning of spirits, and interpretation of tongues. These are spiritual tools that are used to edify the body of Christ. These gifts are not a measure of spiritual maturity, greater relationship with God, or authority within the Church. All gifts must be used within the interpreted context of the scriptures.

Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12-14; Ephesians 4:1-16; 1 Peter 4:10

Headship and leadership

We believe that men and women, created in God's image, stand equal before God in personhood, dignity, and value. By divine design, men and women are distinct in their manhood and womanhood, with different yet complementary roles. While we acknowledge the headship of men as part of God's good created order, we believe that God gives the spiritual gift of leadership to both men and women and calls both to the five-fold offices.

Genesis 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 11:8-11; Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Corinthians 11:3; Romans 12:8; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11-13; Micah 6:4; Judges 4:4-5; Romans 16:3; Luke 2:36-38; Galatians 3:28; John 4:28-30, 39