     
1. SCRIPTURES
We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are verbally
(every word) and completely inspired of God, and inerrant in the original
writings, and that they are the only authority in faith and life
(II Peter 1:21; II Timothy 3:16-17).
2. GOD
We believe the Godhead eternally exists in three Persons: Father, Son
and Holy Spirit - that these three are one God, having precisely the same
nature, attributes, and perfections (Genesis 1:1, 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17,
28:19-20; Romans 8:9; II Corinthians 13:14).
3. JESUS CHRIST
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal and only begotten Son of God, that He
was begotten by the Holy Spirit, was born of the virgin Mary, that He was sinless in His
life, and is true God and true man (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1, 18; Colossians
2:9; I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 7:26; I John 5:20).
4. HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead, convicts men of sin
(John 16:8), regenerates, indwells, seals (I Cor. 3:16; Ephesians 1:13-14), and sets believers
apart unto a holy life; that He keeps and empowers believers day by day; that He is the teacher
of the Word of God and guide for our daily life. Anyone who does not have the Spirit living in
him is not a child of God (Romans 8:9).
5. CREATION
6. MAN
We believe that God created man in His own image and that man sinned and thereby
incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death, which is conscious and
eternal separation from God in Hell. We believe that all men are born with a sinful
nature, evidenced by sinful acts; that man is totally depraved; and that if he is not
born again he is eternally lost (Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Luke
16:23; Romans 3:10-23, 5:12; I Corinthians 15:21-22; Revelation 20:11-15, 21:8).
7. SATAN
We believe in the reality and personality of Satan. He is not omnipotent nor
omnipresent. Satan's doom is certain and his punishment eternal.
(Job 2:3; Matthew 4:1-11; James 4:7; I Peter 5:8; Revelation 20:10).
8. SALVATION
We believe:
a) that salvation is solely by grace through faith in the blood sacrifice,
death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son of God (I Corinth. 15:1-4;
Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5);
b) that all who personally receive Jesus Christ are regenerated by the Holy
Spirit and are born again, becoming children of God (John 1:12, 3:1-7; Romans 8:14,
16; Ephesians 1:13-14; I Peter 1:2).
a) Repentance and Faith - We believe that repentance and
faith are wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God, whereby
being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger and helplessness and of the way
of salvation by Christ, we turn to God for mercy; and at the same time we
heartily receive Jesus Christ as our Lord, and rely on Him alone as the only
and all-sufficient Savior (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:37-38, 11:18; Romans 10:9-10;
Ephesians 2:8).
b) Justification - We believe that justification is God's
declaration that the believer is righteous, based on the free (gracious)
imputation of Christ's perfect righteousness to everyone who trusts the
Gospel message. Justification includes the pardon of sin, the promise of
eternal life, and peace with God (John 1:16; Acts 13:39; Romans 4:4-5,
5:1-2, 9).
c) Regeneration - We believe that, in order to be saved,
sinners must be regenerated or born again; that regeneration consists of a
change of attitude toward sin; that it is effected in a manner above our
comprehension by the power of the Holy Spirit, in connection with divine
truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the Gospel; that its proper
evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance, faith and newness of life
(John 3:3, 8; II Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:16-23; Ephesians 5:9; I Peter
1:22-25).
d) Sanctification - We believe that sanctification refers to
the believer as being set apart or made holy by the presence and power of the
Holy Spirit. At the moment of salvation, the believer is sanctified
positionally through the death of Christ; throughout his life the
believer is to be sanctified progressively (by Godly living and
obedience to the Word of God), and at death the believer will be sanctified
perfectly (completely) when he goes to be with Christ (Romans 8:5;
Philippians 2:12-13; I Thessalonians 4:3; I John 2:29).
e) Perseverance of the Saints - We believe that such only are
real believers as endure unto the end; that their persevering faithfulness to
Christ is the grand mark which distinguishes them from superficial professors;
that a special Providence watches over their welfare; and that they are kept by
the power of God through faith unto salvation (those who are saved are
eternally secure) (John 10:27-28; Philippians 1:6; I Peter 1:4-5; I John 2:19,
25; 5:11-13).
9. THE CHURCH
We believe:
a) that the local church is composed of regenerated, baptized believers,
voluntarily united together for the purpose of worship, edification, fellowship of
believers, spiritual growth, and service;
b) that it has been commissioned by Christ to propagate the Gospel unto the
uttermost parts of the earth.
c) We believe that the local church has absolute right of self-government
(autonomy) and independence (free from interferences of any hierarchy of individuals or
organizations) and that the one and only superintendent is Christ, through the Holy
Spirit;
d) that on all matters of membership, of policy, of government, of benevolence,
the will of the local church is final (Acts 2:41-47, 4:33-37, 5:1-20).
10. ORDINANCES
We believe that the ordinances of the Church are two (2) in number, and that
these offer no special grace or merit; they are simple acts of obedience. These two
ordinances are baptism and the Lord's Supper.
a. Baptism:
We believe that immersion pictures the believer's union into
Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, and is the only form of baptism revealed and
commanded in the Scriptures, that it has no power to wash away sin--no saving power
whatsoever--but is only for those who are already saved. We believe that the new birth,
which comes through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is the Scriptural
prerequisite to baptism; therefore, only those who are capable of believing for
themselves should be baptized (Matthew 3:16; Acts 2:28, 8:35-39; Romans 6:3-7).
b. Lord's Supper:
We believe that the Lord's Supper is a MEMORIAL of the
death of Christ. The unleavened bread and grape juice (unfermented wine) are pictures or
symbols of the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ when He died once for all men
on the cross.
The Lord's Supper has no saving power, and is only for believers walking in
obedience to God's Word. We do not believe in closed communion (I Corinthians 11:23-32).
11. OFFICERS
We believe that the officers of the church are two (2) in number: PASTORS
(elders, pastors and bishops (overseers) being different names for the same office)
and DEACONS (Acts 6:1-7, 20:17, 28; I Timothy 3:1-13). We believe that the Bible
teaches that the following offices of the church should be held by men only: pastors,
assistant pastor(s), and deacons (Acts 15; I Timothy 2:12, 3:2, 12).
12. GIVING
We believe that Scriptural giving is an important matter of Christian living. Giving
should be done regularly, willingly, and cheerfully. Freewill offerings are received by
and dispersed through the local church; All other giving to para-church ministries should
be secondary to the priority giving to and through the local church (Leviticus 27:30; Malachi
3:8-10; Matthew 23;23; Acts 4:34, 35, 37; I Corinthians 16:2; II Corinthians 9:7; Hebrews
7:2-4).
13. MISSIONS
We believe that the command to go and evangelize is given to every Christian,
and that our number-one duty on earth is to glorify God - one means of which is to
reach the lost with the Gospel. This Great Commission is to be carried out through
the local church to the uttermost parts of the earth. We believe Biblical missions
is the ministry of planting and establishing indigenous local churches (Matthew 28:18-20;
Acts 1:8; Romans 10:13-15).
14. CIVIL GOVERNMENT
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good
order of human society; and that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored,
and obeyed, except only in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the
only Lord of the kings of the earth. We believe in the separation of church and state
(Matthew 22:21, 23:10; Acts 5:29; Romans 13:1-7).
15. SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We believe that every Christian should be continually filled with the Spirit of God,
which will be evidenced by the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:18-6:10).
We believe that every born-again Christian is baptized by the Spirit at the moment of salvation
(I Corinthians 12:13), and that every Christian's body is the temple of the Holy Spirit
(I Corinthians 6:19-20).
We believe that the modern-day "tongues" movement or Charismatic movement is unbiblical in
that it erroneously promotes the gift of tongues as being an unknown "heavenly language" when
it was literal foreign languages in the Bible (Acts 2), and as being the sign of having
the Holy Spirit when its Biblical purpose was to be a sign to unbelieving Israel (I Corinthians
14:21-22). This movement's manner of practicing the supposed gift is unscriptural (I Corinthians
14) and aggravates spiritual pride and division. Therefore, "speaking in tongues" is not in
harmony with the purposes of this ministry. We also believe that modern "faith healers" carry
out healing with unbiblical purposes and manners, so we will not support this type of
ministry.
We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts; and that the gifts of
evangelist, pastor, and teacher are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints today as new
revelations from God have ceased.
We believe the gift of tongues and the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the
New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established (Acts 2:1-8;
I Corinthians 12:4-11; II Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:7-12; II Timothy 3:16-17; James
1:22-25).
16. FUTURE
We believe in "that blessed hope" - the personal, expectant return of Christ. This event,
called the Rapture, will occur before the Great Day of the Lord's Judgment and will occur
in the air. Christ's actual second coming to the earth will be premillenial, to reign with
His saints a thousand years. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and of the
unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved, and the everlasting punishment of the lost
(a literal heaven and a literal hell). We believe that the end of this age is approaching,
and that we need to be ready for the appearing of Jesus in the air (Matthew 24:31-46, 25:13,
41, 46; Acts 1:11, 24:15; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Peter 4:7; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-6,
22:11).
17. SEPARATION
We believe that all the saved are called into a life of separation: this
separation is in at least three areas:
a) moral - the believer is to be holy in body and mind
(II Corinthians 7:1; II Timothy 2:22; I Peter 4:15);
b) personal - the believer is not to be "unequally yoked together" with
unbelievers in marriage, business, or any other personal relationship
(I Corinthians 5:11; II Corinthians 6:14-18);
c) ecclesiastical - our ministry will not associate, cooperate, or fellowship
with other churches or ministries that are not of like precious faith as herein stated
in this doctrinal statement (II Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 1:6-9; Ephesians
5:11-12; II Thessalonians 3:6; I Timothy 6:3-5; II John 9-11).
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