Our Doctrinal Statement

THE INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURE

We believe that the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired without error and the infallible rule of faith and practice.

The Word of God is the foundation upon which the church operates and is the basis for which the church is governed, therefore we teach the full council of God from Genesis through Revelation. We believe that the Word of God supersedes any earthly law that is contrary to the Holy Scriptures, therefore God’s Word has the final authority on any matter, and cannot be wrong about anything (Psalm 119:89, Isaiah 14:24, 28:13, 40:6-8, 55:10-11, Ezekiel 12:25, Nehemiah 8:8; Matt. 24:35, John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:22-25; 2 Peter 1:3-4, 19-21).

Jesus believed in the inspiration of Scripture (Matt. 4:4, 7. 10, 11:10, 21:13, 26:24, 31), as did the Apostles, for that reason they quoted from the Old Testament Scriptures (Acts 1:15-16, 2:15-16, 3:18, 21, 24, 10:42-43, 13:29, 17:2-3, 24:14, 26:22, Romans 1:1-2, 4:3, 9:17, 10:11, 11:2, 15:4, 16:26, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Galatians 3:8, 22, 4:30, 1 Timothy 5:18, 2 Timothy 3:16). For these reasons the bible is historically accurate, prophetically true, and doctrinally sound. Therefore, the Bible does not have any doctrinal errors. If it did, it would not be the very God-breathed Word.

The same God that the Old Testament speaks about is the same God that the New Testament speaks about; the same Messiah that the Old Testament prophesied about is the same Messiah that appeared in the New Testament in the person of Jesus Christ; the same works that the Old Testament prophesied that the Messiah would do are the same works that Jesus did; and the same hope that believers of the Old Testament had is the same hope that the believers of the New Testament have.

THE TRINITY

We believe that there is one living and true GOD, eternally existing in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all things (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:8 and 48:16; Matthew 28:19-20; John 10:30; Hebrews 1:3).

THE PERSON OF THE FATHER

We believe in the person of God the Father, an infinite, eternal, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love; that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all those who come to Him in faith through Jesus Christ, the only way a lost sinner can come to God for salvation (Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalms 90:2; Psalms 102:27; John 3:16 and 4:24; Acts 4:12, 1 Timothy 1:17; Titus 1:3).

THE PERSON OF THE SON

We believe in the person of Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings, his substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people and personal, visible return to earth (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:23; Mark 16:19; Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1-2, 8:58 and 11:25; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 1:2; Revelation 1:8).

THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the person of the Holy Spirit, Who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower for ministry all who believe in Christ; (Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 3:18; John 16:8-11; Romans 8:26 and 15:13,16; Hebrews 9:14), We believe the Holy Spirit seals (Eph. 1:13, 4:30) and indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide (John 14:16-17, 16:13; Romans 8:26).

THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a one-time event that occurs when a true conversion occurs. According to Scripture, the Holy Spirit baptizes the individual into the body of Christ, thus making the believer part of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13, Rom. 6:1-11, Eph. 4:5b); Christ promised the believers that they would “be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5), and that they would “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” (Acts 1:8), then explains the work that they would do with that power, therefore describing two works of the Holy Spirit upon the believer. Therefore, the believers were baptized with the Holy Spirit and were also filled with the Holy Spirit simultaneously in Acts 2. When the believers were either preaching the gospel or rebuking people, they were then filled with the Holy Spirit, which is the power that was promised to them by Jesus in Acts 1:8. For this reason, as noticed in the Scriptures, there is no biblical example where the same believers were baptized multiple times (Acts 2, Eph. 4:5b), but there are plenty of examples where they were filled multiple times (Acts 4:7-8, 31, 13:9, Eph. 5:18).

Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to His disciples (John 14:15-18, 25-27, 15:26-27, 16:6-15), then breathed on them the Holy Spirit (John 20:22b) prior to the promise of Acts 1, and prior to the fulfillment of it in Acts 2. But that was a temporary infilling so that they would not be left orphans (John 14:18).

SPIRITUAL GIFTS

We believe in the present-day ministry of the Holy Spirit in regard to the exercise of biblical gifts according to the instructions given to us in 1 Corinthians 12-14, with the exception of the office of the Apostles and Prophets due to the foundation already having been laid by them (1 Cor. 3:10, Eph. 2:20). Therefore, there are no Apostles and prophets today. Also, one of their primary duties was to pen the very Word that they received by God, which they then handed down to the church (Eph. 3:1-7). Therefore, since “ God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…”, we believe that any truth of God has already been revealed and written down in the bible, and that any “new truth” of God that any man might have that is not found in Scripture is deception by the father of lies himself, Satan.

SINFUL MAN

We believe that all people are sinners by nature and choice (Romans 3:10-18, 5:12-21), falling short of God’s standard and breaking His commandments – and therefore are under God’s righteous judgment. Yet God saves and gives new life to all who come to Him by faith alone, trusting in the Person and the finished work of Jesus Christ. At the cross, Jesus Christ died in our place as our substitute absorbing God’s wrath that should have come upon us. Because Jesus died for the sins of the world and all in the world, the invitation to believe is open to all, and whoever desires may come unto Jesus for new life and the forgiveness of sins. [Not all will be saved but all can be saved if they will turn to Christ in faith for salvation] (Romans 3:23, Acts 3:19, Acts 20:21, Ephesians 2:1-3, Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 John 2:2, John 3:16, Matthew 11:28, Revelation 22:17).

BIBLICAL MARRIAGE

We believe that God created man and that He created them male and female. As such He created them different so as to complement and complete each other. God instituted a monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. Therefore, we perform marriages in accordance with the Bible consistent with the Old and New Testament (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6; John 4:16-18; Romans 1:18-32; I Corinthians 5:11, 6:9-11, 6:18-20, 7:1-3 and 7:8-9; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:3-7; 1 Timothy 1:9-11).

BIBLICAL AUTHORITY

We believe in the pattern and principle of male leadership and responsibility in both the home and the church, according to the sacrificial example of Jesus. We believe this limits the roles of pastoral leadership and doctrinal authority to qualified men (1 Corinthians 11:1-12, 1 Timothy 2:1-15, 3:1-11).

THE CHURCH

We believe in the universal church, the living spiritual body of which Christ is the head. And all who are born again by the Spirit of the living God are made part of the Body of Christ by the person of the Holy Spirit. (John 3:1-8, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 4:15-16). Apart from this work of the Holy Spirit, one cannot join Christ's church through any human force or work, religious tradition, inlcuding baptism, church membership, good works, or money. 

TWO ORDINANCES

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances for the church: (a) full immersion water baptism of believers, and (b) the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 28:19; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

HEAVEN AND HELL

We believe in a literal Heaven and a literal Hell and that all those who place their faith, hope and trust in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in Heaven with the Lord, while those who reject Jesus’ free gift of salvation will spend eternity separated from the Lord. (Psalm 9:17; Matthew 5:3, 5:22, 18:9 and 25:31-34; Mark 9:42-49; Luke 12:5; John 3:18; Hebrews 12:23; 1 Peter 1:4; Revelation 14:10-11 and 20:11-15).

SANCTITY OF LIFE

We believe that the fetus, from the moment of conception, is a person (Psalm 139:13-18). We also believe that all persons are created in the image of God regardless of age, health, function and/or condition of dependency.

ESCHATOLOGY

We believe and hold to a literal interpretation of the bible, therefore we hold to a pre-tribulational and a pre-millennial position. That is, we believe and teach in a literal Pre-tribulational Rapture of the church, in a literal seven-year Tribulation Period, a literal Second Coming of Christ, and in a literal Millennial Reign of Christ, which will be followed by a literal White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20).

WE DO NOT EMBRACE

(1) The belief that true Christians can be demon possessed; (2) 5-point Calvinism (i.e., a fatalistic Calvinistic view that leaves no room for free will; specifically, we reject the belief that Christ's atonement was limited. Instead, we believe that He died for all people as stated in the Scriptures (John 3:16, Romans 10:6-13), and we reject the assertion that God's wooing grace cannot be resisted or that He has elect some people to go to hell; instead, we believe that anyone who wills to come to Christ by faith may do so. We also believe in the biblical view of divine election and predestination as stated in Romans 8:28-30, Ephesians 1:4-5. We are not Calvinists or Armenians. Neither will we be forced to accept either of those positions for the simple reason that they are man’s positions that were created by sinful man in the 1500’s. We remember that Jesus or the Apostles and disciples after them were not Calvinists or Armenians. We also do not embrace, (3) the Positive confession Movement, the Word of Faith Movement, or the Name it and Claim it movement, which believe that God can be commanded to heal or work miracles according to mans will, and that God's will for man is to focus on the riches of this world, (4) human prophecy that supersedes the Scriptures, (5) the incorporation of humanistic and secular psychology and philosophy into biblical teachings, (6) the overemphasis of the spiritual gifts, experiential signs and wonders to the exclusion of Biblical teaching (7) the’ New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), or any or new movement that supercedes the authority of the Word of God, and or contradicts the written Word of God.

WE DO EMBRACE

the multiple warnings of false teachers that have entered the church in order to fleece the flock for their own financial gain (Acts 20:28-31, Romans 16:17-18, 2 Cor. 11:14-15, Gal. 1:1-6, 1 Tim. 3:3, 4:1-2, 2 Tim. 4:1-4, 2 Pet. 2:1-3, 1 John 2:18-19, 2 John 1:9-11, Jude, Jeremiah 14:14, 23:25-26).

IN OUR SERVICES

we focus on a personal relationship with God through worship, prayer, and the teaching of the Word of God in a systematic and expositional format. We are not into the watering down of the gospel and the compromising of the Word of God by falling prey to the big wave of deceit that has been embraced by many seeker sensitive and emotionally driven churches. Neither do we place an emphasis on money. We seek to teach the Word of God simply and in such a way that its message can be applied to the believer's life, leading that person to a greater maturity in Jesus Christ.