Statement of FaithGod and His WordI believe there is only one true God, who is eternal and manifested in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1, Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5; Matthew 28:19)I believe Jesus Christ, the second in the Godhead, is fully God and fully man, and that He came to earth in the form of a baby, being born of a virgin, living a sinless life in which He fulfilled the entire law, and died on a cross as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world as the propitiation of God’s wrath in order to offer salvation for all who would believe. He rose from the dead on the third day, ascended to heaven, and is currently seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven where He intercedes for His saints as their High Priest. (John 1:1-2, Colossians 2:9; John 14, John 3:16-17; Matthew 5:17-18; Romans 3:21-26; Matthew 28:6; Mark 16:19; Hebrews 7:23-28)I believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God in its entirety. It is the complete written revelation from God, given through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to 40 different authors over a period of 1,500 years. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21)Sin & SalvationI believe that sin entered the world when the first humans, Adam and Eve, sinned by breaking the command of God, and that all of humanity is born with a sinful nature, in need of Jesus Christ as Savior which can only be received as the free gift of God, not by any human means of merit. (John 3:16-18; Romans 3:10-11; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8-111; Romans 5:12,18-21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:4-7)I believe sin separates everyone from God and we are all in need of Jesus as Savior. There is nothing anyone could ever do to earn salvation, it is a gracious free gift of God available to all who believe, and its only by the Name of Jesus in which we must be saved. (Romans 3:23; John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 4:12)I believe Satan, the devil, is real, and is a fallen angel. The devil along with other fallen angels, known as demons and evil spirits, are seeking to deceive and destroy the works of God before they are destined to hell for all eternity. The devil can and should be resisted by believers, and while he seeks to kill, steal, destroy, and accuse believers, he cannot interfere in the lives of believers without prior permission of God. (Luke 10:18-20; Isaiah 14:12-15; James 4:7; John 10:10; Revelation 12:10; Job 1:12)Heaven & HellI believe that heaven and hell are real places. Heaven is a place in which God dwells with His angels and in which followers of Jesus will dwell with God in paradise when they are absent of this earthly body. Hell is a place of torment and complete separation from God, originally made for the devil and other fallen angels, and where those who choose not to accept Jesus as their salvation will be eternally separated from God in suffering and torment. God does not send people to hell, they are condemned to hell already if they do not believe in Jesus. (Genesis 1:1; John 14:1-3; Matthew 13:47-50; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 21:7-8; John 3:18,36)Standard of Holy LivingI believe followers of Jesus, who are abiding in Him, live by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and are enabled to walk in the good works God has prepared for them, of which includes evangelism and discipleship, and that they should be prepared to give a reason for their hope in Jesus. The Father gives the Holy Spirt to those who ask. (John 15:5; Ephesians 2:8-10; Matthew 28:19; John 14:15-17; John 15:26-27; Luke 11:13; 1 Peter 3:15)I believe God has provided the standard of a holy lifestyle in which all believers should adhere to in order to be pure and blameless before the Lord and to preserve our witnesses as God’s ambassadors of light in a world of darkness. Our lives should be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, transformed by the renewing of our minds and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 2:6-7; Ephesians 4:1-3; Romans 12:1-2)I believe water baptism itself does not equate salvation but is the outward manifestation of the inward work of reconciliation that has already happened in a person’s heart upon acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Water baptism is an act of obedience and identifying with Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, and should be done in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (1 Peter 3:21-22; Colossians 2:12; Luke 3:16; Acts 11:16; Acts 2:41; Matthew 28:19)I believe that followers of Jesus should obey the laws of the land and respect the governing authorities, seeking to live peaceably among all so far as it depends on us. If any laws are enacted that conflict with the Word of God, followers of Jesus are to follow God over man. God’s Word is the supreme authority. (Romans 13:1-7; Romans 12:18; Matthew 22:37; Acts 4:19-20; Acts 5:29)Spiritual Gifts and the ChurchI believe in the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit and that the gifts are still given to believers in current day for the common good. We believe we should operate in the gifts given, being faithful in what God has given. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Timothy 4:14)I believe the collective Church of Jesus Christ is made up of all congregations who follow Him and operate in accordance with His Word, worshipping God in spirit and in truth. The Church is the living spiritual body of Jesus Christ, of which He is the head. The Church is made of many members who profess a faith in Jesus and operate with differing gifts as the Holy Spirt gives them. The Church’s primary goal should be teaching and equipping its members (feeding the sheep) and sending out mature believers into the world as the Holy Spirit leads and raises up. (Matthew 16:18; John 4:23-24; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; John 21: 15-17; Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 4:11-16; Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18; Mathew 28:18-20; John 20:21; Romans 10:14-15,17)Marriage & the Sanctity of LifeI believe God created human beings as male and female, in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 2:21-23)I believe God created and designed marriage to be between one man and one woman, and that any and all sexual relations are only allowed by God within the covenant of marriage as a heterosexual and monogamous relationship between husband and wife. Any sexual relations outside of marriage is contrary to God’s Word. (Genesis 2:24-25; Romans 1:26-27; Leviticus 18:22-24; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Hebrews 13:4; Mark 10:6-9)I believe human life begins at conception, in which God makes each person fearfully and wonderfully in His image within the womb of their mother. Life is sacred and should be protected and preserved, and to murder a human is profaning God in whose image that person was created. (Psalm 139:13-14; Genesis 1:27; Psalm 127:3; Exodus 20:7,13; Genesis 9:6; Leviticus 18:21; Proverbs 6:16-17; Psalm 22:10; James 3:11-12)The End Times & IsraelI believe that Jesus will return at a time unknown to anyone but God the Father, when He will take out His church from the world prior to the wrath of God being poured out during the tribulation period as described in Revelation, and will set up His kingdom, reigning forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 24:30-31; Matthew 24:36; Revelation 21; Revelation 22:20)I believe Jewish people are God’s chosen people, of whom He gave the Law. God has not forsaken Israel and still has a plan for them, as prophesied in the Bible. The Church does not replace the nation of Israel in prophecies or otherwise, the Church is grafted into the chosen race of the Jews. I support Israel and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. (Romans 1:16; Genesis 12:2-3; Romans 11:1,13-27; Galatians 3:28-29; Ezekiel 11:17; 1 Peter 2:9; Psalm 122:6)