Doctrine
God: There is one triune God, eternally existing in three persons -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, possessing the same attributes and perfections (Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 45:5,6 John 10:30, II Corinthians 13:14, 1 John 5:7).
Jesus Christ is the eternally existing Son of God who became man without ceasing to be God, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He died upon the cross, the just for the unjust, serving as a substitute for sinners; all who believe in Him are justified on the grounds of His shed blood (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6, Luke 1:35, John 1:1-2, 14; Romans 3:24-25, Philippians 2:5-8, Galatians 4:4-5).
He arose from the dead and ascended to heaven according to the Scriptures. He is now at the right hand of the Majesty on high as our great High Priest. He fulfills the ministry of Intercessor and Advocate for us. He is also the head of the Church. He will come again to rapture the church first and, seven years later, to establish His Kingdom of righteousness and peace (Acts 1:9-10, I Thessalonians 4:13-18, Hebrews 7:25, 9:24, Romans 8:34, Colossians 1:18).
The Holy Spirit is the divine person who reproves the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11, II Corinthians 3:6, I Corinthians 12:12-14, Romans 8:9, Ephesians 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to believers, enabling them for service to the Lord and the church (Ephesians 4:7-13, Romans 12:6-8, I Corinthians 12:1-11).
The Bible consists of the Old and New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, verbally inspired by God, and is a complete revelation of His will for the salvation of man. It constitutes the divine and only authority of Christian beliefs and practice (II Timothy 3:15-17, I Thessalonians 2:13, II Peter 1:20-21).
Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God. He fell through disobedience, inherited a sinful nature, became alienated from God, and is subject to both physical and spiritual death. Man, by himself, is utterly unable to remedy his lost condition and can only be saved through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ (Genesis 1:26-27, Romans 3:22-25, 6:23, Ephesians 2:1-10).
Salvation cannot be earned or deserved. It is God's free gift, based on His grace alone, given to a person who repents of their sins and accepts Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Men are justified by faith alone and are counted as righteous before God only through the merit of Jesus Christ our Savior (Ephesians 2:8-10, John 1:12, Romans 5:18-19, I Peter 1:18-19).
All who are saved are kept by the power of God and are thus secure in Christ forever. Since salvation is based on Christ's finished work on the cross, believers can never lose their salvation. Eternal life is the present possession of every believer (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30, Romans 8:1, 38-39, I Peter 1:3-5).
It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly, being separated from sin and the world, and fully dedicated to the will of God. This empowers them for holy living and effective service (Ephesians 5:18, I Thessalonians 4:3-7, Romans 12:1-2, I John 2:15-17, II Corinthians 6:14-7:1).
The unsaved: There will be final judgment of all who reject the offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. They will spend eternity in the lake of fire alongside Satan and his angels (Matthew 25:46, Revelation 20:1-6).
The Church consists of all those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, redeemed through His blood, and are born again of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the head of the body, the Church, which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the Gospel to all nations (I Corinthians 1:2, 12:12-14, Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25-27).
The local church is the body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the worship of God, for prayer, for fellowship, for doctrine, for the proclamation of the Gospel, and for the observance of baptism and the Lord's Supper. Each local church is an autonomous body of believers without any external authority having control over them (Acts 13:1-4, 14:27, 20:17, 28-32, Romans 16:1, I Corinthians 5:4-7, Philippians 1:1).
The return of Christ: There will be two stages for the return of Christ, the Rapture and the Glorious Appearing.
A. The Rapture: Christ will return as He has promised to receive the church, His bride, to Himself. This event is known as the 'Rapture' of the church, which is imminent, personal, premillennial, and pretribulational. He will rapture all true believers of the church age, both living and dead. The dead will be raised first, and then those who are living will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air, and they shall be with Him for all eternity (John 14:1-3, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:51-58).
B. The Glorious Appearing: After the Rapture of the church, there will be a seven-year period of tribulation on the earth. At the end of this period, Christ will return as King of kings and Lord of lords, establishing His millennial reign upon the earth. The rest of the dead believers of all ages will be resurrected at His glorious appearing (Matthew 24:27-31, 25:31-46, Revelation 19:11-16, Zechariah 14:4).
Practice
Two ordinances have been instituted by the Lord in the New Testament: baptism and the Lord's Supper.
A. Baptism: Every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ should be baptized by immersion before being accepted into fellowship in the local church. Baptism does not save a person from sin, nor is it conditional for salvation. Instead, it publicly testifies to the believer's identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a declaration that the person is dead to the old sinful life and is now walking in the newness of life in the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:41-42, 8:12,38, 9:18, 18:18, Romans 6:3-4, 1 Corinthians 1:16).
B. The Lord's Supper: Believers gather together on the first day of the week to remember the Lord through the breaking of bread and partaking of the cup as He asked us to do on the night in which He was betrayed (Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Acts 2:42, 1 Corinthians 11:23-30).
Church leadership: A plurality of elders, called by the Holy Spirit, provides spiritual leadership in the local church as servants of the Lord. They ensure sound teaching of the Word of God, defend against false teachings, shepherd the flock, and lead by example while exercising oversight and discipline. No single elder or pastor assumes complete leadership in church meetings. It is the responsibility of the church body to recognize, support, and submit to the leadership of the elders (Acts 14:21-23, 20:17, 18, 28-31, 1 Timothy 5:17, Titus 1:5, 9-11, Hebrews 13:7, 17, 1 Peter 5:3).
Priesthood of all believers: Even though the elders provide spiritual leadership, all capable members exercise the 'priesthood of all believers' by participating in exhortations, prayers, teaching, and ministering the Word of God (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:5, 1 Corinthians 14:26).
Women: According to Ephesians 5:23-24, Christ is the head of the church, and the husband is the head of the wife. Therefore, women are to participate quietly in church meetings where men are present and are not permitted to hold positions of authority over men (1 Corinthians 14:34-35, 1 Timothy 2:11-12).
If you have any questions, please contact us, and we would be happy to have an elder speak with you. Lord bless.
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