WHAT WE BELIEVE
Our purpose is simple: we want to honor God with our lives and be a blessing to other people. We believe the Bible is God's Word and serves as our guide in all things. Whether we are together in a worship service, at school, at our jobs during the week, or spending time with friends and family, we want to follow God's Word and be led by His Spirit.
Our Beliefs Are Simply From The Bible
This basic overview cannot fully explain our convictions in detail, but there are some basic truths from God's Word that anchor us together in the Christian life.
God
There is only one true God. He is the Creator of all things and the Supreme Ruler of the Universe. He is an eternal Spirit who has always existed. And while there is only One God, He lives in the mystery of Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We learn about God through His Creation, His Word, and His Son. He is loving and merciful, true and just. God loves us more than we can imagine.
Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 90:2; Romans 1:19-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14
Jesus the Christ
Jesus is the unique Son of God. Co-equal with God the Father and God the Spirit, He came to earth as a man. He revealed to us God's heart and mind, as He brought heaven and earth back together again. His miraculous deeds, sinless life, and authoritative teachings confirmed the fact that He is God’s Son. Jesus' purpose for coming to Earth was to bring the Kingdom reign of God into the world, to show God’s love to a broken humanity, and to offer Himself as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. His bodily resurrection offers us the reality of new and eternal life. He promises to return someday to bring us once and for all into God’s Presence. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. All power and authority in heaven and on earth have been given to Him. As our Lord and Savior, Jesus desires the deepest of relationships with each of us.
Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:1-4,14; Colossians 1:15-21; Hebrews 1:1-3; Matthew 28:18-20
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son. He dwells in each member of God’s family as a Helper and Guide. He is present in the world to make human beings aware of their need for Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit indwells every Christian from the moment of salvation and provides us help, strength, and direction for living life God’s way. He is the giver of every spiritual gift and empowers each Christian for ministry. We should seek to live under His power and guidance.
John 14:15-17; John 16:7-13; Acts 2:38; Romans 8:5-11; Galatians 5:16-25
The Bible
The Bible is God’s written Word. Human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit wrote the 66 books of the Bible. The Scriptures are God-breathed and, therefore, are true and without error. The Bible tells us who God is, why He loves us, and what His plans are for us. The Bible is the sole authority in teaching us how to live our lives in God’s Kingdom today.
2 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 19:7-11; Psalm 119:105; John 17:17; 2 Peter 1:20-21
Human Beings
People are created in the spiritual likeness or image of God. Human beings are the pinnacle of God’s Creation. We were created for fellowship with our Heavenly Father. God gave us free will, which means we can choose to love or hate, to do right or wrong, etc. Sadly, from the very beginning, we have all fallen into sin and rebellion against God. Therefore, each person is separated from God because of their sin, and we each need to be forgiven and "born again from above." Thankfully, God has made a way for us to be adopted as His children through Jesus Christ.
Genesis 1:27; Isaiah 59:1-2; Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 3:23-24; John 3:3-5
Salvation
Every human being needs salvation because sin separates us from our God. Our Father desires a relationship with us, but it is impossible for us to restore that broken relationship with Him through our own moral or religious efforts. We cannot earn our salvation through our good deeds or achieve it through self-improvement. The Death and Resurrection of Jesus was God’s plan to freely save us from our sins and bring us into new and eternal life. The way we receive God’s free gift is by placing our faith in Jesus. We act on our faith in Jesus by obeying His commands to turn away from our sins (repentance) and to be immersed (baptized) in water to receive cleansing, newness of life, and the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 59:2; John 3:16; Romans 3:21-24; Romans 6:3-4; Ephesians 2:1-10; Titus 3:3-8
The Christian Life
Jesus did not die only to offer us forgiveness of sins; He was also raised to give us new and eternal lives. The Christian life is all about the transformation of our hearts, minds, attitudes, affections, behaviors, etc. It is a new life of living in the blessings of truly knowing God as His beloved children. As we follow Jesus as His disciples—growing and maturing as His students—we will come to be more and more like Him in every way. The Holy Spirit helps in this life transformation, primarily through the Word of God. We also have the privilege of serving alongside our Lord to bless others, both in the church and the community. We use the gifts He gives and become His representatives in the world.
Matthew 11:28-30; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 12:1-2; Galatians 5:22-25; Colossians 3; Titus 2:11-14
The Church
The Church is God’s spiritual family. It is made up of all those who have chosen to become Jesus' followers through faith, repentance, and baptism. The Church is not a building, an organization, or an institution. It is simply a community of all those who belong to Jesus. The Bible uses the imagery of Jesus as the Head of the church, with the people as members of His body. God’s will is for the church to gather regularly to worship Him, to use our various gifts and abilities to serve our Lord and others, to love and encourage those who are in the body, and to reach out to the lost with the Good News. As the members of Jesus' body love one another and maintain unity of purpose and relationship, the world around us will recognize that we belong to Jesus.
Matthew 16:15-18; John 17:20-23; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
Eternity and Heaven
When God created humankind, He created us with a soul that will never cease to exist. He desires a relationship with us. Those who choose to follow Jesus as Lord will spend eternity with God. Those who reject Jesus through unbelief will spend eternity apart from God. Jesus will return to establish a New Heaven and New Earth, in which God will live with His people forever. Hell is the deserved consequence for those who refuse God’s free offer of forgiveness and eternal life.
Matthew 7:21-23; John 14:1-6; Revelation 20:11-21:8