Our Core Beliefs

The Bible

God's Holy Scripture are the sole authority for our lives. They guide our actions, thoughts, and speech. The Bible is God's authorized blueprint, our life manual since the Holy Spirit inspired its writers. This inspiration and its living and active essence provides us with an infallible, relevant guide, and final authority for our faith and behavior. Everything that God intended to teach so we would be best equipped to live are in these pages.

(Psalm 119:105) (II Peter 1:19-21) (Hebrews 4:12) (II Timothy 3:16-17).

God

First and foremost God is a god of love. This was demonstrated when He sent His one and only Son to die for the whole world on the cross. God is also our perfect and holy creator. When God created all the heavens and the earth, "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good". God is also all-powerful, all knowing, all present, and unchanging. He is a god of relationship, demonstrating that by sending His Son to earth, that we might know Him in a more personal way. God also shows us that He is the god of relationship through His very own triune nature. This means He is one God, in three persons, each fully God, in essence with the Son and the Holy Spirit.

(John 3:16) (Genesis 1:31)

HUMANITY

Because of original sin our relationship with God was broken and violated. This sin condition creates a barrier and prevents a full relationship with God. We are not able to save ourselves from sin, but God loved us so much that He provided a way out for us. He enabled us to be free from the grips of sin through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus' death on the cross provides a bridge to bring us back into a relationship of reconciliation with God so all redeemed humanity could be seen as righteous by God.

This saving act of Christ was so important, not only for eternal lives, but also for our call as ministers on earth. God always had big plans to use us as his instruments for His Kingdom. In the words of the early church leaders'So that in all our living we may show that we are thankful to God for all he has done for us, and so that he may be praised through us .'

(I Corinthians 15:57) (John 10:10)

Jesus Christ

From the Virgin birth to His death on the cross, the life of Jesus Christ represents entirely what God intended human life to be. While Christ was fully God, He was also fully human. For Christ came to earth in human flesh so He could relate and sympathize with us. At the same time, Christ was fully God, without sin, and completely set apart. Not only did Christ's death on the cross bring us victory over sin, but His resurrection also brought us victory over death. Since none of us have the capacity or the worth to die for each other, we require a perfect Savior to take our place. Christ is the only perfect and worthy sacrifice and gives us our only access to God. (Hebrews 2:17, 4:15). (John 14:6) (Acts 4:12) (Romans 6:8-9) (Revelation 5:12)

Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is the divine instrument God uses to bring us into His presence. The Holy Spirit works in many ways to help us understand, feel, worship, obey, listen, and pray to Him. The transformation power of the church and God's people is evident because the Holy Spirit empowers us. If we work with the Holy Spirit, God's power flows through our hearts and minds, tranforming us and transform the world around us.

(Matthew 18:20) (Acts 2:4) (Galations 5:16).

Salvation

Salvation is the essence of what our Lord wants to bring to our lives. God's gift of salvation brings us to an eternalrelationship and eternal presence with Him. This gift was totally free for us because of God's amazing grace and mercy. His free gift of salvation is available for all people, but must be received. Once we accept this free gift, He promises to never let us go and be with us to the very end of the age.

(Ephesians 2:8-9) (Hebrews 9:27-28) (John 10:28) (Matthew 28:20)

The Church

The church is ordained and called by God to represent who He is and what He is about. It is the visible body of Christ, with Christ as the head. As the church of Jesus Christ comes together and represents Him in unity, He becomes glorified. This is the sole purpose of why the church exists. Individual believers, comprising the church, glorify God in a relationship with Him and each another. That relationship with God and others is demonstrated through the fulfillment of the Great Commission, motivated by the Great Commandment.

(I Corinthians 12:27) (Ephesians 1:22) (John 17:22-23) (Matthew 28:19)