GOD
THE TRINITY
We believe that God is triune: Father, Son, and Spirit, distinctly three, yet fully one, co-existing from eternity to eternity.
“When He had been baptized, Jesus came up from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him. And suddenly a voice came form heaven, saying ‘This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.’” Matthew 3:16-17
FATHER
We believe that God is our Father and the giver of all life. God is uncreated and eternal and spoke the world into being by the Word of His power. Father is compassionate and loves His creation, not wanting anyone to be separated from Him. He is all powerful, all knowing and unchanging. Father has a purpose for His Son and a destiny for the church and His desires will be fulfilled in the earth.
“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Glory of The LORD as the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 2:14
SON
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, God Himself, incarnated as a man with both the human life and the divine life, that He died on the cross to accomplish redemption, that He rose bodily from the dead on the third day, that He ascended into heaven and was enthroned, crowned with glory, and made the Lord of all, and that He will return the second time to receive His followers and to establish His kingdom on the earth.
We believe that every person who believes in Jesus Christ will be forgiven by God, washed by His redeeming blood, justified by faith, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and saved by grace. Believers are children of God and members of the Body of Christ. We believe that the destiny of every believer is to be an integral part of the church, which is the Body of Christ and the house of God.
“God, Who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…” Hebrews 1:1-2
HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is God’s spirit that comes to live inside of us when we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart that Jesus Christ is Lord. As the Spirit of Adoption He bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children. As the Spirit of Burning He purifies and cleanses us from sin so that we can live before God in righteousness. The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth and convicts us of sin, righteousness and judgment.
“But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” 1 Corinthians 6:17
HUMANITY
“ And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7
We are created in the image and likeness of God, in high dignity. But all of us, every person who has ever lived, has sinned and fallen away from God’s presence. While we are fearfully and wonderfully made, we are also in need of salvation. God, in His holiness, cannot allow sin in His presence, so if we are ever to be united with Him, we need to accept the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins.
Just as there is one God in three persons, a Holy Trinity, the Triune God created us with a tri-partite nature and three distinct components. We are spirit, soul, and body. When God breathed the breath of life into Adam; this breath became our human spirit. The spirit connected with Adam’s body formed from the dust of the ground and the soul was produced: ‘and man became a living being.’
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23
FLESH
“Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’” John 3:5-6
Our bodies are made of blood, flesh, and bone. Our physical body is what comes into contact with the material world around us. Our senses dwell within that body. The body is the outermost external part of ourselves. This is similar to the outer court of the temple which was composed of three parts. The outer court was open to all. Biblically speaking, the flesh represents both our soul and body.
Jesus left His throne in Heaven and came to Earth as the Son of God in the flesh. Jesus came to Earth as a sacrifice. His flesh was presented on the cross for the world, similar to the sacrifices in the Old Testament that were brought to the altar. The difference is that Jesus was a perfect human sacrifice, a perfect, holy, lamb without blemish.
Jesus’ flesh was literally nailed to the cross as He was crucified. Jesus was perfect, He committed no crime or sin. His perfect blood was shed for us. Throughout the Bible, there is no atonement, or forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood in sacrifice. In order that we can be redeemed to God, Jesus presented Himself as a perfect sacrifice and substituted Himself for us. This physical act of God, committed in the flesh was also a spiritual action. This action of Jesus physically dying on the cross and accepting His Father’s full wrath for our sin is what makes it possible for us to receive forgiveness of sin.
“…we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” Ephesians 2:3
SOUL
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” Luke 1:46-47
Our soul is comprised of our mind, will, and emotions; this is where our personality and self-consciousness reside. The way we think, desire, and feel are all aspects of ourselves from within our soul. The soul is where our ‘self’ resides.
The trouble is that the vast majority of people go through life being tossed between the demands of these three aspects of our soul. Our natural mind always wants to understand the world in its own way, our will demands to have its way over anything else and our emotions are always aching to feel good about ourselves. When our lives are merely an attempt to satisfy these demands, happiness and satisfaction become even more elusive.
One of the most remarkable things about Jesus is that in His humanity He was able to conquer the demands of the soul and instead live a life that was led by the Spirit. Jesus was tempted just like we are and in all areas but He never sinned.This victory over the soul and its demands is what enabled Jesus to be the sinless, spotless Lamb that was slain for our sins.
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
SPIRIT
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63
Our spirit is not our soul. These are two separate and distinct components within ourselves. While our body is our outermost part of ourselves, our spirit is our innermost and most noble part of ourselves. The soul is what connects the spirit to our body. The spirit is beyond our consciousness, it is comparable to the Holy of Holies in the Lord’s temple. The spirit is where God meets us. The spirit’s three main functions are conscience, intuition or wisdom, and communion; this is where we unite and commune with God.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” Psalm 51:10-11
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” Romans 8:16
“But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard. Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?
Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For ‘who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-16
SALVATION
“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36
Once we accept the fact that Jesus died for our sins; once we truly believe it, we have taken the first step to everlasting life. By having our sins forgiven, our names are written in the Lamb’s book of Life. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit and are now granted everlasting life in Heaven. Once we have received the free gift of salvation, we are now saved by God’s wonderful grace. We have walked through a new door in life and have spiritually been born again. At the moment we believe, the Lord awakens our spirit inside of us. We are now able to worship God in spirit and truth and begin our walk with God.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life; and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
John 5:24
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” John 6:47
SANCTIFICATION
“And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:24-25
God says when Christ’s flesh was crucified, so was ours. It doesn’t matter what you have done in your past. All we need to do to be free from sin is to believe God’s word and acknowledge that what God says is true. Our flesh has been crucified. We are no longer slaves to sin.
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
Sanctification is the process by which we are made Holy and are able to walk with God through his Spirit. While our sin was forgiven the moment we believed, we are now called to live life differently.
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1
“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Galatians 5:16-17
THE BIBLE
We believe the sixty-six books of the Bible to be the inspired Word of God. It was written for our instruction and benefits and guides our daily lives by shining God’s light on all that we do. No scripture was written by the whim of the human mind, but godly authors wrote the scriptures as they were inspired and led by the Holy Spirit. All scripture is truth and applicable to all people today.
“All scripture is give by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
PRAYER
We believe that prayer is simply talking to God. Prayer is opening up our hearts to Him to confess our sins, make our requests known to Him and seek His wisdom and direction. We believe that God desires that we pray to Him and is moved by the prayers of His people. Many of the men and women of faith that had the greatest impact on the world around them were people who practiced regular prayer and intercession to God. God will never answer the prayers that we don’t pray.
“The Lord is near to all who call on Him; to all who call on Him in truth.” Psalm 145:18
THE CHURCH
Scripture is clear in its teaching that the church is the body of Christ on the earth and that Christ is the head of the church. The church consists of people and not the material things that the people of God use, like buildings and sound equipment for example. Those things are good and they serve a great purpose for ministering to the body, but we should always remember that the body of Christ is made up of individual members of the household and family of God.
The church is God’s chosen means of fulfilling His purposes on the earth. We have been given the ministry of reconciliation, as if God Himself were pleading with the lost of the world through us to come back to God. As the church we are also stewards of the mysteries of God. As we live a life that is led by the Spirit according to the wisdom of the Word, we will demonstrate to those around us the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven and hold up a standard for the world around us.
“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body- whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free- and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:13
Embracing the Word and the Spirit to experience the Father’s heart.