What is the church?

I believe the church is the full collection of believers/followers of Jesus Christ throughout all the world in all denominations. As such I feel called to minister to Christians of all denominations, to help grow, encourage, train and equip.

Beliefs

We believe that there is only one true God who is the eternal King, Creator, and Redeemer of all that is. 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 that the Bible is the inspired and only infallible and authoritative Word of God.

We believe that humankind was created in the image of God to know and enjoy Him, yet we willfully rejected the Lordship and glory of God for which we were intended. Because of this, sickness, death, and judgment entered the world and now creation experiences the effects and consequences of sin.

We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God, was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and is God’s Anointed One, empowered by the Holy Spirit to inaugurate God’s kingdom on earth. He was crucified for our sins, 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 that 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 Holy Spirit convicts, regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and adopts us as we enter the kingdom of God as His sons and daughters.

We believe in the ongoing, sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a holy life 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 have God’s power to be His witnesses.

We believe in the victorious, redemptive work of Christ on the cross provides freedom from the power of the enemy – sin, lies, sickness, and torment.

We believe that the Church consists of all who put their faith in Jesus Christ. He gave His Church sacraments 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 the nations – baptizing and teaching them to love and obey God.

We believe in the ever-increasing government of God and in the Blessed Hope, which is the glorious, visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to rule and reign with His overcoming bride – the Church.

We believe that heaven and hell are real places. There will be a resurrection of the lost and the saved, the one to everlasting death and the other to everlasting life.

Source of Truth

The Bible is inspired, inerrant, and the true Word of God to which all other sources of truth must be measured against. It is the Word of God because the holy men of God who wrote the Scriptures wrote only what the Holy Spirit communicated to them by inspiration. It is 100% true in all matters addresses including historical, geographical, scientific and political matters.

Trinity & Christology

I believe the historic creeds - Nicene, Apostles, and Athanasian Creeds express the correct doctrine of the Trinity and the nature of Christ as settled by the councils of the early church.

Creation

The world was created in six 24/hour days - morning and evening as described by the book of Genesis not over millions of years.

Beliefs

-God is a good Father and He is not the invention of humanity, we are rather His creation who He has graciously chosen to reveal Himself to. The God of the Bible is objectively real and knowable and is the only true God. He is in love with the world He made and that’s why He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins defeating all the powers of darkness, sin, death and the devil and restoring us to our original design in the image of God,  and calling us to a high calling as royal sons and daughters of the true King, friendship with Him in both in this world and the next. 

-Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He never ceased at any point being God, and we affirm orthodox Christology as stated by the early church and its counsels. Salvation is only through Jesus, there is no other name by which people can be saved. We affirm that the Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, is alone the only infallible, inspired Word of God, and that its authority is ultimate, final, and eternal. It cannot be added to, subtracted from, or superseded in any regard. It is the source of all doctrine, instruction, correction, and reproof, presents a true worldview of how we should view God, the nature of man and the visible and unseen spiritual world. 

-God’s continued action throughout church history, and consensus Christian views on orthodoxy, help to verify and confirm accurate theological perspectives and correct Biblical interpretation. 

-We affirm the doctrine of the Trinity, as explained by orthodox Christianity and in the early creeds of the church, especially emphasizing the Apostles & Nicene Creeds. 

-We believe God created the heavens and the earth in a literal six day approximately 72 hour period, (evening and morning) as stated by Genesis 1-3 and that the Bible presents accurate historical events and can be trusted as an accurate historical document and reliable eyewitness testimony. We support scientific views on creation from the intelligent design community. We are not anti-science but God himself is the only eyewitness to creation and we believe that the Biblical account given to Moses in Genesis is accurate. Early pagan sources such as Babylonian creation accounts are already trying to make each day 1,000 years or more…and this is a natural human tendency to try make our intellect trump scripture. Evolutionary theory (theory =unproven) and views of an old earth has typically encouraged atheism, secularism, and Charles Darwin himself was involved in spiritism/occult practice when developing his theory so we believe holding these views are not recommended from either a scientific or spiritual view. Nevertheless, we don’t believe different views on creation are a reason to break fellowship with other believers or cease to co-operate for mission in the world.

- All the gifts of the Holy Spirit have been active from the New Testament period to the current day without interruption except in places where believers themselves have been unaware of or not obeyed the scriptural command to “earnestly seek spiritual gifts”  in “asking, seeking, knocking” (Matthew 7:7-8).

-The Bible teaches that the gifts, leading, and continued presence of the Holy Spirit are a necessary element to accurately and fully preach the gospel in the way Jesus, the apostles, and the early church preached it (Romans 15:9, Matthew 10:8-10). Note: Some ministers of the gospel may have gifts of the Holy Spirit even when their theological system does not support or has a blindspot in regard to the existence of those gifts and church history demonstrates this fact.

-The gifts of the spirit (while not necessary for individual salvation) are ultimately necessary for the church to complete the  mission of the church and Great Commission (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Acts 1). We are not greater than the apostles now in somehow being able to complete the great commission without gifts they needed then. Spiritual gifts are not a mark of maturity, character, or rewards for “spiritual achievements” but given freely by a good Father as an act of grace. Spiritual gifts or miracles also do not prove that a person’s theology is perfectly correct though they are promised to follow the preaching of the Biblical gospel (Mark 16, Acts)

-The spiritual world has not changed since Biblical times. Demons are not extinct or only in Africa or 3rd world countries. Medical knowledge is neither opposed to or has replaced gifts of supernatural healing. The Bible supports both doctors and supernatural healing as complementary disciplines. Luke, who wrote the gospel, was a doctor but did not abandon his profession to follow Christ. The New Testament ministries and practices of Exorcism, deliverance, casting out demons remain as an important ministry of the church. All believers are called to preach the gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, love God, love neighbor regardless of gifting.

-Baptism with water for repentance/related to conversion and baptism of the Holy Spirit (Chrismation)/related to empowerment in the Holy Spirit for purpose of mission are Biblical realities that have been practiced throughout church history sometimes as separate events (confirmation - laying on hands, or within a prayer ministry time) and sometimes part of a singular conversion moment in both traditional and modern expressions of Christianity, though in some cases the rite/practices remain without faith or expectation.

-In God’s covenants with humanity from Old Testament until now there were specific blessings, protections for those in covenant with Him in both the temporal and eternal world. God is a gracious heavenly Father and there are many stories both in scripture and church history of His protection and provision. However, both these areas have some mystery. Some are martyred for the gospel and some people die before their time as the result of human sin or accidents. We reject the prosperity gospel that would state that believing in Jesus or giving tons of money to certain ministries, guarantees physical wealth and also reject any theology that promotes greed or mammon and the love of money. We also reject the idea that poverty is a virtue since the Bible calls it a curse (Deut. 28:16-19,38-40). The Bible provides examples of faithful wealthy people (Job, Joseph of Arimethea, Lydia, Joseph, Jacob) as well as unfaithful wealthy people (Jezebel/Ahab, Solomon in later years, King Herod, Rich Young Ruler), faithful poor people (Widow who fed Elijah, Widow who gave the mite) and unfaithful poor people (numerous examples in Proverbs). One’s financial situation is not an indication of either good or bad character and one should not be attacked for either too much wealth or disparaged for too little. To develop a Biblical theology of God’s provision/protection requires looking at the collective relationship between God and His covenant people in both Old & New Testaments and allowing for mystery.  The influence of sin, death, and the devil on the earth itself and regional economies also mean that certain regions are more harshly effected by economics. When the gospel comes to regions often economies can be recovered. Also, the Kingdom of God advances and is opposed by the world and the devil. Earthly wars have casualties and deaths and so does the advancement of the gospel/Kingdom. 

-In modern times, discipleship and Christian family/relationships/community is hugely necessary as in many places belief in Christ has been reduced to “praying a prayer” instead of fully becoming a disciple, renewal of the mind, living with a Biblical worldview and life fully surrendered to Christ.

-As believers we are called to love and minister to all people regardless of race, ethnicity, economic status, wealthy, poor, etc. God reaches out in his redemptive work and salvific work towards all the world and invites everyone who would repent of their sins and believe in Jesus into his eternal plan and relationship with Him. Because of this racism and discrimination has no place in the life of the believer. However, believers also have a responsibility to not water down, compromise or change any aspects of God’s views on moral issues out of political correctness. We are called to love but not agree to a secular morality or worldview.

-In response to Jesus John 17 prayer, Christians who hold to orthodox beliefs on the nature of Christ, the Trinity, inspiration and authority of scripture and essential points of theology can and should pursue friendships across denominational lines, and collaborate where possible to seek the evangelization and discipleship of nations and regions and cities while not sacrificing their church bodies personal distinctive practices or beliefs on less central issues , or overall watering down theological convictions. Healthy examples of this are para-church and missions organizations such YWAM, Campus Crusade, Pro-Life clinics, prayer meetings for pastors in a region. In the past, Billy Graham crusades had broad support across denominational lines. C.S. Lewis book Mere Christianity is an expression of Christianity that has broad support across denominational lines in terms of essential beliefs of Christianity.