WE BELIEVE
(OUR FAITH STATEMENT)
We Believe ...
THE SCRIPTURES - The Bible is the inspired Word of God--the product of holy men of old who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. The New Covenant, as recorded in the New Testament, is accepted as our infallible guide in matters pertaining to conduct and doctrine. (2 Tim. 3:16; I Thess. 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21)
THE GODHEAD - Our God is one but manifested in three persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit being co-equal. (Phil. 2:6) God the Father is greater than all; the sender of the Word (Logos) and the Begetter. (John 14:28; 16:28; 1:14) The Son is the Word made flesh, the one Begotten, and has existed with the Father from the beginning. (John 1:1,14 & 18) The Holy Spirit proceeds forth from both the Father and the Son and is eternal. (John 15:26)
MAN, HIS FALL AND REDEMPTION - Man is a created being made in the likeness and image of God, but through Adam's transgression and fall sin came into the world. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23) "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one." (Rom. 3:10) Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was manifested to undo the works of the devil. He gave His life and shed His blood to redeem and restore man back to God. (Rom. 3:10, 23; 5:14; I John 3:8) Salvation is the gift of God to man, separate from works and laws, and is made operative by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, producing works acceptable to God. (Eph. 2:8)
ETERNAL LIFE AND THE NEW BIRTH - Man's first step toward salvation is godly sorrow that worketh repentance. The New Birth is necessary to all men and when experienced produces eternal life. (John 3:3-5; 2 Cor. 7:10; I John 5:12)
WATER BAPTISM - Baptism in water by immersion is a direct commandment of our Lord and is for believers only. The ordinance is a symbol of the Christian's identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. (Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12; Acts 8:36-39) The following recommendation regarding the water baptismal formula is adopted: "On the confession of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and by His authority, I baptize you in the Name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen."
BAPTISM IN THE HOLY GHOST - The Baptism in the Holy Ghost and fire is a gift from God as promised by the Lord Jesus Christ to all believers in this dispensation and is received subsequent to the New Birth. This experience is accompanied by the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Holy Spirit Himself gives utterance. (Matt. 3:11; John 14:16,17; Acts 1:8, 2:4, 2:38, 39 & 19:1-7)
SANCTIFICATION - The Bible teaches that without holiness no man can see the Lord. We believe in the Doctrine of Sanctification as a definite yet progressive work of grace commencing at the time of regeneration and continuing until the consummation of salvation at Christ's return. (Heb. 12:14; I Thess. 5:23; 2 Peter 3:18; I Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:12-14)
DIVINE HEALING - Healing is for the physical ills of the human body and is wrought by the power of God through the prayer of faith and by the laying on of hands. It is provided for in the atonement of Christ and is the privilege of every member of the Church today. (Isa. 53:4,5; Matt. 8: 17; Mark 16:18; James 5:14-25; I Peter 2:24)
RESURRECTION OF THE JUST AND THE RETURN OF OUR LORD - The angels said to Jesus' disciples, "...this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." His coming is imminent. "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (Acts 1:11; I Thess. 4:16, 17) Following the tribulation, He shall return to earth as King of kings and Lord of lords together with His saints, who shall be kings and priests. He shall reign a thousand years. (Rev. 20:6)
HELL AND ETERNAL RETRIBUTION The one who physically dies in his sins without accepting Christ is hopelessly and eternally lost in the Lake of Fire and, therefore, has no further opportunity of hearing the Gospel or repenting. The Lake of Fire is literal. The terms "eternal" and "everlasting," used in describing the duration of the punishment of the damned in the Lake of Fire carry the same thought and meaning of endless existence as used in denoting the duration of joy and ecstasy of saints in the presence of God. (Heb. 9:27; Rev. 19:20)
About Our Services
Below, we share with you the scriptures that will help you understand the way we worship.
WORSHIP GOD - "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (Matt. 4:10) "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Matt. 22:37)
STAND WHEN WE SING - "And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, an and the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high." (II Chron. 20:19) "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." (Rev. 7:9-10)
LIFT OUR HANDS - "Thus I will bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name." (Ps. 63:4) "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord." (Ps. 134:2) "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting." (I Tim. 2:8)
HAVE AUDIBLE PRAISE UNTO GOD - "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me bless his holy name." (Ps. 103:1) "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth." (Ps. 34:1) "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." (Heb. 13:15)
HAVE THIS TYPE OF WORSHIP - "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24) "For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh." (Phil. 3:3)
GIVE PROPHECY - "But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort." (I Cor. 14:3) "Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy." (I Cor. 14:1) "For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be comforted." (I Cor. 14:31) "Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge." (I Cor.14:29)
SING IN TONGUES AND IN ENGLISH - " What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. (I Cor. 14:15)
SING CHORUSES AS WELL AS HYMNS - "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.
(Eph. 5:19)
HAVE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS - "Praise him with the sound of the trumpet; praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organ. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals." (Ps. 150:3-5) "And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of
a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps. (Rev. 14:2)
HAVE SPEAKING WITH TONGUES AND INTERPRETATION OF THOSE TONGUES - "Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues." (I Cor. 14:39) "I would that ye all speak with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with
tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying." (I Cor. 14:5)
HAVE UNITED PRAYER - "And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven
and earth..." (Acts 4:24)
ANOINT WITH OIL AND PRAY FOR THE SICK - "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with
oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." (Ja. 5:14-15)
RECEIVE TITHES AND OFFERINGS - "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." (Mal. 3:10)
“Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: (Prov. 3:9)
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." (Lk. 6:38) "Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee." (Deut. 16:17)
SING, SHOUT AND DANCE IN THE SPIRIT - "Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands; Sing forth the honor of his name; make his praise glorious." (Ps.
66:1-2) "Let them praise His name in the dance..." (Ps. 149:3)
OPERATE IN THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT - "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant...For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. (I Cor. 12:1, 8-11)
The Anointing - The presence and the work of the Holy Spirit in a person's life. "But the anointing which you have received of him abideth in you..." (John 2:27)
To Minister - To serve or help another by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. "...but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament..." (II Cor. 3:5b-6a)
The Glory - The manifestation of God's presence and splendor to man's spiritual and physical senses. "And it came to pass...that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister...for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord." (I Kings 8:10-11)
Revelation - Our understanding of God's will and purposes. "Wherefore I also...making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him..." (Eph. 1:15-23)
The Body - The Church is the Body of Christ on earth. (I Cor. 12:12-15)
Edify - To build up. "Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church." (I Cor. 14:12)
Spiritual Gifts - Supernatural abilities given by the Holy Spirit to believers. (I Cor. 12:1, 4-11; 14:1)
Slain Under the Power - While being ministered to in the presence of the Holy Spirit, a person may fall backwards to the ground as the power of God fills and surrounds him with great force. (Acts 9:4)