Statement of Faith

What we truly believe will determine what we become. In this article, our foundational beliefs are set forth. As these statements of our faith are believed and valued--actually put into practice--they will firmly shape what we will become.

These statements of our faith fall into two groups. The first contains ten Foundations of a Biblical Faith--what we believe to be true. The second group contains twelve statements of ways in which we believe these foundations are to be put into action. Together, these two sections form the basis for the rest of the bylaws. To be legally sound, there must be an explicit basis within our Statement of Faith for everything else set forth in these bylaws.

FOUNDATIONS OF A BIBLICAL FAITH
A. THE BIBLE We accept the Bible as the Word of God. Paul writes, “All Scripture is God-breathed...” (2 Timothy 3:16). While God used human authors to write down his Word, the Word originated with God. Peter writes, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20,21).

As God’s Word to us, the Bible is the authoritative guide to life for all true Chris­tians. Used properly, it will never lead astray, but will be a “lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Ps. 119:105). It will lead us to a living faith in a Living Lord (John 5:39,40; 2 Tim. 3:15). Then, as people of faith read and study the Word, they find it “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16,17).

B. THE LIVING GOD The Bible opens with “In the beginning God...” It never attempts to prove the exist­ence of God; God is assumed. While this is a faith declaration, it is not a blind faith: God has revealed himself to us. When Philip said, “Show us the Father,” Jesus answered, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:8,9).

According to the Bible, the one true God, Yahweh, exists in three persons. God the Father revealed himself to Moses as “I AM” in Exodus 3:13-15. In the Revelation, when John fell down to worship at the feet of the angel, the angel rebuked him; “Do not do it!…Worship God” (Rev. 22:8,9)! Yet, when John fell at the feet of Jesus, his response was, “Do not be afraid” (Rev. 1:17). In Rev. 4:8-14, the four living creatures and the elders fell down and worshiped before the one on the throne and the Lamb! Concerning the Holy Spirit, Paul writes, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you (1 Cor. 3:16)? This doctrine of the Trinity is a divine mystery; it will never be fully comprehended by mortals.

C. CREATION “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). The world we live in is the handiwork of God; it is not a cosmic accident. And when it was creat­ed, it was very good (Gen. 1:31)! The human race was the crown of creation, creat­ed in the image of God. Thus, we are spiritual beings as God is (Gen. 1:27; 2:7). Life was a life of shalom—a perfect harmony of relationships—spiritually, psychologically, socially, and physically. It would remain this way as long as humankind remained in right relationship with God (Gen. 2:8,15-18,25).

As the crown of creation, the human race was given a four-fold responsibility over the creation. They were to “increase in number and fill the earth;” they were to “subdue,” or develop the earth; they were to “work it and take care of it;” and they were to “rule over,” or manage it (Gen. 1:28;2:15).

D. THE FALL The human race was given a great deal of freedom to carry out their God-given responsibilities, but there was a limit to that freedom. God retained the responsibility of determining good and evil, right and wrong (Gen. 2:16,17). Satan, one of God’s created angels who tried to take God’s place and was banished from heaven (Ezek. 28:12-15; Isa. 14:12-14), came to Adam and Eve and tempted them to become “like God”, to be their own gods, to determine right and wrong themselves (Gen. 3:1-5). With their rebellion, sin entered the world separating humankind from God, and harmony became disharmony; wholeness became brokenness. The way to life as God designed it, shalom, was barred (Gen. 3:6-24).

Furthermore, when the human race rebelled, the dominion or rule over the earth that had been given to them by God, passed on to the one they listened to, Satan. The entire creation came under a spiritual bondage to Satan and his demons, the fallen angels who joined Satan’s rebellion against God. The earth became the “dominion of darkness,” instead of the kingdom of God (Col. 1:13; 1 John 5:19).

E. REDEMPTION God is a redeeming God. He did not leave the human race in the condition they were in; he immediately set out to bring redemption to his fallen world. God chose Abraham to be the one through whom he would begin this redemptive process (Gen. 12:1-3). He entered into a covenant with the nation of Israel, descendants of Abra­ham. It would be through Israel that God would bring redemption (Ex. 19:1-8). When they strayed from their calling, God sent the prophets to call them back to faithfulness (Hosea 8:1; Micah 6:6-8; Zech. 7:1-14; Ezek. 36:22-38).

Finally, God sent his Son Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit, descendant of Abra­ham and David (Luke 1:26-35). Jesus perfectly fulfilled everything that Israel was meant to be, demonstrating the rule of God on the earth by walking in complete obedience to the Father. Thus in him, the kingdom of God was present (John 6:38; Luke 11:20). Then, after living a sinless life himself, he laid down his life for the sins of the human race (Matt. 26:26-29; 2 Cor. 5:17-21). His resurrection verified that he had accomplished his work of redemption (Jn. 2:18-22; Rom. 1:4).

F. SALVATION When the angel of the Lord told Joseph of the coming birth of Jesus, he said, “...you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:20,21). Salvation comes to us only through Jesus (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). All other “saviors” will ultimately prove false.

How has Jesus saved us? He paid the price of sin, reconciling us to God (Rom. 3:21-26). He overcame the power of Satan, breaking his hold on all of creation (John 12:31; Col. 2:13-15; Heb. 2:14,15). He brought us fullness of life—shalom (John 10:7-10). He promised to send the Holy Spirit to live in us (Jn. 14:15-21).

This salvation is offered as a free gift of God’s grace (Eph. 2:4-8). How do we re­ceive it? First, by faith we put our trust in what Jesus has already done, not in what we can do (Prov. 3:5-6; Rom. 5:6-11; 10:9-13). Second, we confess our sins and are willing to repent, to turn away from them (Acts 3:19; 1 Jn. 1:9). Third, we welcome Jesus into our lives as Lord and Savior, committing ourselves to follow him for the rest of our lives (1 Tim. 1:15; Rom. 10:9,10).

G. THE HOLY SPIRIT God the Father completed his work of creation, and then he rested (Gen. 2:2). Jesus the Son completed his work of redemption, and is now seated with the Father in heaven (Eph. 1:20). The Holy Spirit is now the active presence of God in the world (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus, thus his work is consistent with that of Jesus (Phil. 1:19; Jn. 16:12-15).

What is the present work of the Holy Spirit? He convicts the world of its sin and of the righteousness of Jesus (Jn. 16:5-11). He comes to each believer and brings spir­itual life (Jn. 3:5-8; Gal. 5:25). He unites believers into the church (1 Cor. 12:12,13). He leads believers into the truth (Jn. 16:12-15). He brings spiritual gifts to believers (1 Cor. 12:4-11). And, as believers open their lives to the Holy Spirit, they are baptized or filled with the Spirit. This empowering enables them to live holy and fruitful lives, serving as faithful witnesses of Jesus and the kingdom of God (Acts 1:4-9; Gal. 5:16-26).

H. THE CHURCH It was Jesus who established the church and gave to it the keys to the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 16:13-20). He is the head of the church (Eph. 1:22,23). The church is the body of Christ, consisting of many members united together to carry out Jesus’ ministry (1 Cor. 12:27-31). The church exists both as the church universal and as the church local. The church universal consists of all true believers all over the world (Acts 9:31; Eph. 3:10,11). Within the church universal, there are many different denominations, networks, and groups which can be understood as different families of the faithful, similar to the different tribes within the nation of Israel, but which also reflect the brokenness of the Body of Christ.

The church local is the manifestation of the church in a particular time and locale. It consists of cells and congregations of believers who have covenanted togeth­er to be accountable to each other (Rom. 16:3-5; Col. 4:15,16). It is God’s intent that every true believer be an active member of a local assembly; the idea of a Christian who is not a part of the local church is totally foreign to the New Testament. It is clear from Scripture that the early church met in two different settings—in the temple courts and in their homes (Acts 2:46), “publicly and from house to house” (Acts 20:20). Likewise, we meet in the large group setting for worship and teaching, and in the small group setting for application and ministry one to another. It is here that we experience Christian community. In the large group, we meet primarily for inspiration and information; in the small cell groups we meet primarily for transformation—to see Biblical truth applied to our lives by the Holy Spirit, that we may be changed into Christ’s image and equipped to carry out his purpose.

The local church also practices two ordinances commanded by Christ. New believ­ers are baptized in water as a symbol of their identification with Christ and his church (Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:3,4). Regularly, we celebrate Communion or the Lord’s Supper, commemorating Christ’s death on our behalf (1 Cor. 11:23-26). These celebrations alternate between the cell and the celebration service.

I. MISSION The apostolic mission of the church is to invade the world of darkness with the good news that Jesus has defeated Satan and won freedom for those held captive by their sins (Luke 4:14-21; Eph. 3:10,11). God has reconciled us to himself and entrusted us with the message of reconciliation. We are now Christ’s ambassadors, representing his kingdom here on earth (2 Cor. 5:17-20). As ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ, our allegiance to the kingdom of God comes before all earthly loyalties (Ex. 20:1-3). We are to be good citizens of our earthly country, but if there is a conflict between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world, “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:27-29; Jn. 18:36,37).

God has blessed us so that we might be a blessing to others (Acts 3:25). As Christ’s ambassadors, we participate with him in God’s unchangeable purpose—to call out of all people groups on earth a people to be called by his Name. In a world filled with violence and brokenness, we now take the message of peace and harmony—shalom. The spiritual harmony restored by Christ now issues forth in the firstfruits of the other three harmonies found in the beginning— psychological harmony (Rom. 8:6), social harmony (Eph. 2:11-22), and physical harmony (Acts 5:12-16).

J. DESTINY What God began with Abraham, he will bring to conclusion (Phil 1:6). The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of this (Eph. 1:13,14). This fallen creation will be delivered from the bondage that sin has brought upon it (Rom. 8:18-21). Jesus will return (Acts 1:9-11). The dead in Christ will rise and all believers will replace their mortal­ity with immortality (1 Cor. 15:50-54; 1 Thess. 4:16-18).

All those who have refused to receive the salvation offered in Jesus, who have insist­ed on going their own way, will receive the logical conclusion of their choice—they will be eternally separated from God (Rev. 20:11-15). All true believers who have welcomed Jesus into their lives as Lord and Savior, those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life, will enter the fullness of God’s kingdom. Here God will reign supremely, and shalom will be experienced in fullness! Eternity will be spent in the presence of God (Rev. 21)!

A BIBLICAL FAITH IN ACTION
A. FAITH AND WORKS The Scriptures teach that faith without works is dead. We believe that nothing can be genuinely believed without there being an accompanying and corresponding action. Our faith is an active faith that requires the doing of deeds in the world. Our faith is not a passive or complacent system of intellectual belief or assent to doctrine, but is an active force in our lives that requires and results in actions being taken. A living, active faith will be manifested not only in belief and mental assent but in actions expressed and based upon that belief. If a belief is truly held, it will be acted upon. The act is as much a fundamental aspect of our faith as the belief upon which the act is based (Acts 26:20; James 2:14-16; Ephesians 2:8-10; Matt. 7:24-27; Matt. 5:16; 2 Cor. 5:10; Mat. 16:27; Rev. 2:23; 22:12).

B. REPENTANCE Repentance is a gift from God. It is the grace of God working in conjunction with our will to align our lives with the truth revealed in the person of Jesus and the Word of God. Repentance is dependant upon the convicting action of the Holy Spirit in the lives of sinners and believers. The conviction of the Holy Spirit, which often accompanies the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, will result in the revelation of the sinfulness of self which should lead to Godly sorrow. Remorse, or worldly sorrow, is a feeling of deep regret, hopelessness or even despair. It does not lead to constructive change. On the other hand Godly sorrow, which may at times be mistaken for worldly sorrow, produces repentance which causes us to turn away from sin and selfishness and to receive faith for change. Worldly sorrow is destructive but repentance is life giving. Repentance changes the way we feel and act about sin, self and God. Repentance is a total change of heart, mind, attitude, emotions, will, action and life-style flowing from the turmoil and sorrow of Holy Spirit conviction of sin (2 Cor. 7:10; Psalms 51; Acts 11:18; 2 Tim. 2:25; Gen. 6:3; Rom. 1:18-32; Mat. 9:12-13).

C. MEMBERSHIP The Church, by its very composition, is a membership organization. The local church is the manifestation within our society of the church universal. Each local church exists for an express purpose in God’s plan. Individual members of the Body of Christ will wish to associate with our congregation as members. All believers are members of the church universal. The Lord will set some of those members of the church universal into this local congregation as covenant members as it pleases him. As covenant members of this local congregation they are given into the care and oversight of the leadership which must give an account to God for their souls.

This church is owned by the Lord Jesus Christ who has entrusted the care of the flock to the leadership he has raised up here. It is not a place of public accommodation, nor is it a public institution, and its property is not a public place but is, rather, private property belonging to this church. The Elders shall have the right to exclude from the various meetings and functions of the church those whose actions are judged to be disruptive by the Elders, and to exclude from certain functions, such as communion, those who are under discipline (Acts 20:28-31; 2 Peter 2:1-3; 1 Tim. 1:20; 1 Cor. 5:1-13; 2 Thess. 3:6-15; 2 John 9-11; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; Titus 3:10-11; Rom. 16:17).

D. COUNSELING/DISCIPLESHIP We believe that the Scriptures clearly define that members of a congregation can seek out advice, consultation, direction, purpose, resolution, and guidance from amongst the shepherds, elders, mature men and women, and Five-Fold Ministry Gifts within the Body of Christ. We further believe that consultation and instruction is applicable by the Scriptures through counseling sessions, a company of persons set together in close deliberation, to lay a foundation, set in place and give wise counsel. This also provides safety, defense, rescue and freedom from trouble. The personal care of the saints is the sanctification of the whole person, body, soul and spirit, through the love that flows from faith, patience and hope, and the redemptive power of the cross of Christ, the atoning blood of Jesus. The transformation of the soul through the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, the denying of the old nature, salvation through grace not works, and the promise of the resurrection, are the effective working mechanisms that characterize pastoral care ministry. Such ministry is foundational to the practice of our faith (1 Kings 1:12; Prov. 11:14; 12:15; 27:9; Luke 9:23-25; John 3:16; 10:27-29; Rom. 3:25; 12:1-2; Gal. 2:20; 5:24; Eph. 2:1-8; 2:13-16; 1 Thess. 3:13; 1 Peter 1:13-19).

E. MARRIAGE AND FAMILIES We believe that God intends human life to begin in families and to be blessed through families. Even more, God desires all people to become a part of the church, the family of God. As single and married members of the church family participate in the life of the body of Christ, families can grow toward the wholeness that God intends. We believe that marriage is an earthly copy of the relationship between God and his people, and was established by God to be the union of one man and one woman for life. We believe that Christians are to marry only in the Lord. We believe singles are called to chastity and married persons to loving faithfulness to their spouse, that all sexual relationships outside of marriage are forbidden by God. We believe that sexual relationships between persons of the same sex are unnatural and unacceptable to God (Gen. 1:27-28; 2:20-24; Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Matt. 19:3-6; Rom. 1:24-28; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; 7:1-8, 39; Eph. 5:21-6:4).

F. DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE We believe marriage was intended by God to be an indissoluble union between a man and a woman. However, because of the fallenness of human nature, the Scriptures permit divorce in some cases, as an accommodation to human sin for the protection of the innocent party. These include divorce in the case of immorality, with the understanding that the innocent spouse is not obligated to maintain or reinstate the marriage. It also includes divorce in the case of desertion, defined as behavior equivalent to the abandonment of the marriage relationship. In both cases, the innocent spouse is not bound. He or she is free to remarry in the Lord, though the seeking of repentance and reconciliation should always be the first recourse.

We believe that remarriage is not acceptable to God when divorce is being used as a way to seek a different mate, since such pre-intent makes the divorce adulterous. We also believe remarriage to be unacceptable when there is no evidence of repentance and brokenness over the circumstances that caused the divorce, and when restoration of the original marriage remains a viable option. Each case of divorce or remarriage has to be dealt with on an individual basis, recognizing God's inexhaustible capacity to forgive human sin and to restore broken lives (Matt. 19:3-12; 1 Cor. 7:10-40).

G. DELIVERANCE The need for deliverance is manifested by an inability to be free from a bondage normally associated with demon activity, whether mental (emotional), physical or spiritual. It is God’s desire to bring deliverance to his people (Job 5:19, Psalms 91:3; 2 Timothy 4:13; Hebrews 2:15; 2 Peter 2:9). We have been granted the authority in the name of Jesus to bring deliverance to others (Mark 16:17, John 14:12; 2 Cor. 12:8-11). We must understand that our warfare is with the forces of evil (Eph. 6:12), our weapon is the Word of God, our authority and power is from Jesus himself (Mark 16:17, Acts 1:8), and that the battlefield is first of all in the spiritual realms (Eph. 6:10-18, 2 Cor. 10:3-5, Rom. 8:9, Gal. 5:22-23).

H. CHURCH DISCIPLINE We believe in church discipline administered in the church in a spirit of meekness. The Bible sets forth three grounds for discipline: unscriptural conduct that obscures the truth of God by false teaching or doctrine; unscriptural conduct that mars the holy character of God and His church by unholy, immoral living, action or life-style; and unscriptural conduct that hinders the work of God by bringing confusion or division to the body. The purpose of church discipline is the restoration of the one subject to the discipline and/or the purification of the church. Church discipline is body ministry. The steps of discipline are one-on-one private confrontation, private confrontation with witnesses, and, finally, exposure to the church for discernment leading to restoration or separation (Matt. 18:15-20; Gal. 6:1; Rom. 16:17; II John 9-11; I Cor. 5; II Cor. 2:6-8; I Tim. 5:20).

I. MEDIATION We believe, as members of the same body of Christ, baptized by one Spirit into one body, that we must endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and as such we are precluded from bringing a lawsuit in a civil court against another person who professes to be a Christian or against a Christian ministry. We believe that all such disputes should be resolved by mediation or arbitration within the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:3-6).

J. FINANCIAL SUPPORT We believe that Scripture requires all covenant members of the congregation to support the church through tithes and offerings in proportion as the Lord shall prosper them, thereby acknowledging that any institution can stand or be of full service only in proportion as all of the members of the congregation accept their responsibility of maintaining it (Mal. 3:10, 1 Cor. 16:1,2; 2 Cor. 9:6-9; Heb. 7:1-8).

We further believe that the Scriptures are clear concerning helping those in need. We are commanded to do good to all people as we have opportunity, with a special emphasis upon caring for those who profess to be fellow Christians, especially those of our own fellowship of believers. We are commanded to be generous and willing to share, laying up treasure for ourselves in the coming age by our kindness and generosity in this life. This is true for the church as an organization as well as for the individual members of the church. Therefore, in accordance with the biblical commands, as a fundamental aspect of the practice of our faith, we will share of our material goods with those in need and will minister to them to the best of our abilities, whatever the need (Prov. 25:21; Is. 58:10; Gal. 6:10; 1 Tim. 6:18-19; Heb. 13:16).

K. ORDINATION AND LICENSING While all members are ministers, ordination and licensing in this church are means of recognizing the specific five-fold equipping gifts and ministries of Ephesians 4:11-13. We believe that God calls persons into specific equipping ministries as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. God calls. The church can only recognize the call and acknowledge it. Ordination is on the basis of that recognition of God’s gifting. Persons called to a specific office by God and ordained or licensed by this church will have the right to participate in the traditional leadership functions of the church such as marriage, funerals, baptisms, and the like. They shall also be expected to function in the spiritual giftings of their office and to demonstrate the reality of their calling.

This church is a non-sacramental church, meaning that we believe the validity of baptism, communion, etc., is determined by the faith of the recipient, not by the proper administration of a sacrament by a priest. We reject the concept of a separate priestly class. We recognize the priesthood of believers and the equipping ministry of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher, with government by elders. As such, we recognize that those called to these offices will function in a manner to lead by example in character, prayer, worship, teaching, laying on of hands, and prophesying, and that such actions on the part of those ordained and licensed by this church are equivalent to the sacramental function of the priesthood in traditional sacramental churches.

L. AUTONOMY AND RELATIONSHIP We believe that the local church, although autonomous, will be related to other local churches and ministries through fellowship and relationships, both formal and informal. It will be interdependent, not independent. In particular, we believe there are equipping ministries that transcend the local church, including the foundational ministries of apostles and prophets, and that the local church should be in formal relationship with such ministries for the purpose of advice, counsel, oversight, encouragement, and help. Such ministries are designed by God to provide connection and relationship in the universal Body of Christ between and among local fellowships and to provide spiritual covering, protection, accountability, identity, and checks and balances for local leadership by local elders (Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Cor. 12:28; Acts 2:42; Gal. 2:7-9; 1 Cor. 12:12-13).