WHAT WE BELIEVE

1. We believe that love one for another as Jesus loves the believer manifests our discipleship, proves our love for God and symbolizes our authority as New Testament churches. Love is therefore the great commandment of the LORD Jesus Christ upon which all others are dependent (Matt. 22:35-40; John 13:34, 35; John 15:12; 1 John 4:7-21; 1 John 5:1-3; Rev. 2:4, 5).  2. We believe in the infallible, verbal inspiration of the whole Bible and that the Bible is the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice (Psalm 119:160; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17).  3. We believe in the personal triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in divine perfection (Matt. 28:19).  4. We believe in the Genesis account of Creation (Gen. 1; 2).  5. We believe that Satan is a fallen angel, the archenemy of God and man, the unholy god of this world, and that his destiny is the eternal lake of fire (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:11-19; Matt. 25:41; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 6:10-17; Rev. 20:10).  6. We believe in the virgin birth and sinless humanity of Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:18-20; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22).  7. We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ (John 10:30; John 1:1, 14; 2 Cor. 5:19).  8. We believe the Holy Spirit is the divine Administrator for Jesus Christ in His churches (Luke 24:49; John 14:16, 17; Acts 1:4, 5, 8; Acts 2:1-4).  9. We believe that miraculous spiritual manifestation gifts were done away when the Bible was completed. Faith, Hope and Love are the vital abiding Spiritual Gifts (1 Cor. chapters 12-14).  10. We believe that Man was created in the image of God and lived in innocency until he fell by voluntary transgression from his sinless state, the result being that all mankind are sinners (Gen. 1:26; Gen. 3:6-24; Rom. 5:12, 19).  11. We believe that the suffering and death of Jesus Christ was substitutionary for all mankind and is efficacious only to those who believe (Isa. 53:6; Heb. 2:9; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 2:2).  12. We believe in the bodily resurrection and ascension of Christ and the bodily resurrection of His saints (Matt. 28:1-7; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Cor. 15:42-58; 1 Thess. 4:13-18).  13. We believe in the premillennial, personal, bodily return of Christ as the crowning event of the Gentile age. This event will include the resurrection of the righteous to eternal heaven, and the Millennium will be followed by the resurrection of the unrighteous unto eternal punishment in the lake of fire and that the righteous shall enter into the heaven age (John 14:1-6; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Thess. 2:8; Rev. 19; Rev. 20:4-6; Rev. 20:11-15; Rev. 21:8).  14. We believe that the depraved sinner is saved wholly by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and the requisites to regeneration are repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 13:3-5; John 3:16-18; Acts 20:21; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8, 9), and that the Holy Spirit convicts sinners, regenerates, seals, secures, and indwells every believer (John 3:6; John 16:8, 9; Rom. 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; Eph. 4:30; Titus 3:5).  15. We believe that all who trust Jesus Christ for salvation are eternally secure in Him and shall not perish (John 3:36; John 5:24; John 10:27-30; Rom. 8:35-39; Heb. 10:39; 1 Peter 1:5).  16. We believe that God deals with believers as His children, that He chastises the disobedient, and that He rewards the obedient (Matt. 16:27; Matt. 25:14-23; John 1:12; Heb. 12:5-11; 2 John 8; Rev. 22:12).  17. We believe that Jesus Christ established His church during His ministry on earth and that it is always a local, visible assembly of scripturally baptized believers in covenant relationship to carry out the Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ, and each church is an independent, self-governing body, and no other ecclesiastical body may exercise authority over it. We believe that Jesus Christ gave the Great Commission to the New Testament churches only, and that He promised the perpetuity of His churches (Matt. 4:18-22; Matt. 16:18; Matt. 28:19, 20; Mark 1:14-20; John 1:35-51; Eph. 3:21).  18. We believe that there are two pictorial ordinances in the Lord's churches: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Scriptural baptism is the immersion of penitent believers in water, administered by the authority of a New Testament church in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Lord's Supper is a memorial ordinance, restricted to the members of the church observing the ordinance (Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts 8:12, 38; Rom. 6:4; 1 Cor. 5:11-13; 1 Cor. 11:1, 2, 17-20, 26).  19. We believe that there are two divinely appointed offices in a church, pastors and deacons, to be filled by men whose qualifications are set forth in Titus and 1 Timothy.  20. We believe that all associations, fellowships, and committees are, and properly should be, servants of, and under control of the churches (Matt. 20:25-28).  21. We believe in freedom of worship without interference from the government and affirm our belief in civil obedience, unless the laws and regulations of civil government run contrary to the Holy Scriptures (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-15). 

HOW TO BECOME  A CHIRSTIAN

  The main theme running through the whole of the Bible is that a perfect and holy God is redeeming sinful and imperfect people through Jesus Christ for the praise of His glory (Ephesians Chapter 1).  In the beginning God created a perfect world, a perfect man and a perfect woman.  But perfection was not enough and the man and woman violated God’s only prohibition (Genesis 2:15-17).  When they did they plunged mankind into sin. (Genesis 3:14-19) From that point on the human race has been infected with sin because of the sin of one man, Adam. Man is born a sinner and is an enemy of God (Genesis Ch. 1-3;  1 Corinthians 15:21-22).  But the story does not end there. Despite the fact that we are all sinners and children of wrath, (Rom. 3:23; Eph. 2:1-4) God being rich in mercy sent Jesus the Son who is God in flesh, (Heb. 2:14) to live without sin and fulfill God’s perfect moral standard that we have all violated, to die as sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21, Gal. 3:13). On the cross, Jesus absorbed the wrath that we deserved for sinning against an infinitely holy God (Colossians 2:13-14; 1 Peter 2:24-25). Because God is infinitely holy, we deserved infinite wrath and punishment.   “But God being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” Ephesians 2:4-5.  So What Do I Do?  You acknowledge your sin before a holy creator God, turn from your sin and believe in Jesus for the  forgiveness of your sin (Mark 1:15; Acts 20:21).  Call upon the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13). Trust only in the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus on the cross because you can’t work for or earn your salvation (Ephesians 2:7-10). Confess with your mouth and believe with your heart that Jesus lived and died for your sins and was raised from the dead victorious over sin (Romans 10:8-11).  Becoming a Christian happens by grace through faith alone. Baptism won’t save you. Church attendance won’t save you. Praying won’t save you. Trusting in Jesus alone is the only way to be saved (John 14:6).  How do I know I am a Christian? When a person hears the word of God and believes through the work of the Holy Spirit, God puts His Spirit in us (Ephesians 1:13).  We become a new creation. We become something other than what we were. In Christ Jesus we are meant to do good works (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10).  We don’t do good works or obey God because we need to earn His approval. Jesus already earned our salvation on the cross if we believe in His finished work, but since we are a new creation, God’s Spirit produces in us the things of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). We know we are saved and in Christ when we want to love God and others (1 John 3:23-24). We know we are saved when we abide in His word (2 John 9).  Jesus died and paid for our sins so that we might live to righteousness and not to sin (1 Peter 2:24). You were created for God’s glory, (Isaiah 43:6-7; 1 Corinthians 10:31) and a new creation will want to live for God’s glory by obeying His commands. You were saved not by your own good deeds or works but by the blood of Jesus. Trust in it alone and God will produce in you fruit in keeping with repentance (Luke 3:8).  If you would like more information on becoming  a Christian please contact us.  We would LOVE to answer any questions or help in any way.