What We Believe

God

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has always existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.
Genesis 1:1,26,27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14

Jesus

Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God and co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He came back to life physically on the third day to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He is the Head of the church and the only way to God and eternal life. He went to heaven and now "sits at the right hand of God" and will return to earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Matthew 1:22,23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1;1-5, 14:6-30; Hebrews 4:14,15; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; Romans 1:3,4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14,15; Titus 2:13

Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is God, equal with the Father and the Son. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under His control daily.
2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16,17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:1

Bible

The Bible is God's message to all people. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. The original documents did not contain any errors. God has provided an avalanche of evidence to support what He claims in the Bible. We believe God also reveals His will through the Holy Spirit, prayer and circumstances, but these will never conflict with the truth He has already communicated in the Bible.
2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20,21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5

Man

Mankind has been created in the spiritual image of God, and possesses many god-like qualities. Humans were the supreme object of God's creation. Although man has tremendous potential for good, he is blemished by an attitude of disobedience toward God called sin. This attitude separates man from God. Man can only reach his highest potential by being restored to God.
Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1,2

Salvation

Salvation is being in a right relationship with God. It means having your sins forgiven rather than being punished for your sins. It means that God's Spirit lives within you and helps you become a "real" person. It means you will enjoy living with God forever in heaven after you die. Salvation is God's gift to everyone who puts his/her faith in Jesus and responds appropriately.
Matthew 5:3-11; Romans 5:1; 6:23; Titus 3:5; John 14:1-2

Becoming a Christian

Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or by doing good deeds. Only by accepting Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin's penalty which is death. The Bible says we are saved by grace, through faith, in baptism. Therefore to become a follower of Christ, one needs to admit to God that he is a sinner in need of God's grace and forgiveness. He needs to pledge in faith that he wants to stop sinning and start living like Christ. Through faith he must accept that Jesus paid the penalty for his sin by dying on the cross and that he is being saved because Jesus came back from the dead. And just as the Bible says, he must be "buried with Christ in baptism" and raised to live a new life as a Christian. In the Bible, every time a person accepted Christ, he was baptized (which means literally to submerge under water) as soon as possible. Some have mistakenly condemned baptism as a work, but of all the steps in God's plan of salvation baptism is the only step that is not a work. To believe, change your life's direction, seek forgiveness, or confess faith in Christ all require conscientious, deliberate actions (works). In baptism a person submits to Jesus Christ and is immersed by another individual. The action is done to the candidate (passive) and not by the candidate. In the Bible we find baptism as God's designated response to a person's faith in Christ.
Acts 2:38; 8:34-39; 22:16; Romans 5:1-2; 6:1-7; Ephesians 2:8,9; Colossians 2:12; John 14:6; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26-27

Living as a Christian

The Christian life is the best way to live. God desires for people to live the highest quality life possible. Once one becomes a Christian, it's like getting married to Jesus. We fall in love with Him and want to do the things that please Him. We begin a long process of getting rid of sin and becoming more like Jesus. However, the only way possible to live like a spouse of Jesus is through God's power within us. So we seek to practice a daily dependence on God's Spirit to enable us to do what is right.
Philippians 2:13; Ephesians 5:1-18

Church

The Church is a divinely instituted body, given the mission of accomplishing God's purpose on earth. Each local church is God's primary means of bringing His people to spiritual maturity and equipping them for serving one another. The church is a gathering place for love, support, encouragement, accountability, service, worship, growth, and mission with people who share a common bond in Christ.
Matthew 16:18; 22:34-40; 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 2:42-47; Eph. 4:11-16

Mission of the Church

Jesus is the Light of the world. Christians cannot keep the Light to themselves. They are commanded to let the Light shine to everyone. It is the responsibility of every Christian to share the Good News with people they contact on a daily basis. We practice sharing Christ and inviting friends to church.
Matthew 28:18-20; I Peter 3:15; John 15:5

Eternity


People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is Heaven. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.
John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15