Doctrinal Statement
We believe there is only one true God who is the eternal King, Creator, Redeemer and Judge. He is perfectly holy, just, loving and truthful. He has revealed Himself to be eternally self- existent – one being in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, only infallible and authoritative Word of God.
We believe humankind was created in the image of God to know and enjoy Him. In spite of this gift, we willfully rejected the Lordship and glory of God for which we were intended. Because of this, sickness, death and judgment entered the world. Now creation experiences the effects and consequences of sin.
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God, was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, fulfilling God’s intention for man. As God’s Anointed One, He was empowered by the Holy Spirit to inaugurate God’s Kingdom on earth. Crucified for our sins, He died, was buried, resurrected and ascended into heaven, and is now alive today, in the presence of God the Father and in His people. He is “true God” and “true man.”
We believe we are saved by God’s grace, through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Anyone can be restored to fellowship with God through repenting, believing and receiving Jesus as their Savior and Lord. The salvation Jesus secured is administered by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts, regenerates and justifies the believer, effecting their adoption and entrance into the Kingdom of God as His sons and daughters.
We believe in the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live holy and minister super-naturally. The baptism of the Holy Spirit according to Acts 1:4-8 and 2:4 is poured out on believers that they might know that they are loved by God (Romans 5:5), have power to be witnesses (Acts 2:8), be empowered to operate in the supernatural gifts of God and to live holy (Romans 8:13).
We believe the victorious redemptive work of Christ on the cross provides freedom from the power of the enemy – sin, lies, sickness and torment. It is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to both experience this freedom and to become agents by which this freedom is ministered to others.
We believe the Church consists of all who put their faith in Jesus Christ. He gave His church the ordinances of Baptism and Communion. The Church exists to carry on the ministry of Jesus Christ and further advance His kingdom by undoing the works of the enemy, preaching and living the good news of God’s love, and discipling people, baptizing and teaching them to love and obey God and discipling nations by influencing their culture.We believe in the ever increasing government of God. The present reality of the Kingdom of God on earth is a tension of “the already but not yet”; His Kingdom is here, but increasing. As His people, we exist to press His crown rights and extend His rule into every area of life.
We believe in the Blessed Hope, which is the glorious visible return of our Lord Jesus Christ for His overcoming bride – His church.
Heaven and hell are real places. There will be a resurrection of the saved and the lost, the one to everlasting life and the other to everlasting death.
Due to the present debate on the nature of human sexuality, gender and marriage, we feel the need to clearly define our position.
We believe that God designed two unique expressions of humanity, male and female, which together were intended to manifest His image. These two expressions, originally created as one person, were separated by God into two distinct expressions in order to be reunited in marriage as a picture of the beautiful love and partnership between God and man. This union was designed for both recreation and procreation; the enjoyment of the couple and the propagation of God’s creation through reproduction by their union, sustaining both the marriage and the race. Thus marriage was designed by God to be a union between one man and one woman. Any other sexual relationship is forbidden by God in order to protect His creation.
We understand that due to the fall, human beings struggle with many desires which are forbidden by God to protect His creation. Among these are desires which are homosexual in nature. In the Gospel, power is extended not only to resist the temptation to indulge those desires, but also to heal one’s sexuality. Until that transformation is realized, the Gospel calls the believer to self-denial, the refusal to please oneself in ways contrary to the teachings of Scripture. Self-denial includes embracing the possibility of living the rest of one’s life without the fulfillment of or complete deliverance from one’s desires. This includes but is certainly not limited to homosexuality.
The call to self-denial is not only intended to protect us from the consequences of sin, it is the initial step of deliverance, renewing the mind to live without the sinful patterns of thought and behavior. Without self-denial, transformation and freedom are impossible.