About
What We Believe
We are an Apostolic church built on the teachings of Jesus and the apostles through the Word of God. Below is our statement of faith.
"All Scripture is given 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
Authority of the Word
We believe that the Bible is the inspired, infallible Word of God, written by holy men of old as they were led by the Spirit of God (2 Peter 1:20-21). We believe that the Bible is God's Word to and for humanity (2 Peter 1:20-21).
Monotheism
The Scriptures teach that there is one God, maker of heaven and earth (Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 45, Genesis 1:1). We believe that God was manifested in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16, John 1:1, 1:14) in the person of Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15, John 14:9), and that He is the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer who has received Him (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, John 14:17, Ephesians 2:22, John 1:12).
Salvation: The New Birth
In John 3:3-8, Jesus taught Nicodemus, a respected religious leader of his day, that no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born again. He explained that this new birth is not a natural birth, like a baby coming into the world, but a spiritual birth that requires both water and Spirit (John 3:5).
Peter echoed this teaching on the Day of Pentecost, after receiving the Holy Spirit that Jesus had promised (Acts 1:4-5). When the crowd was convicted by his message and asked, "What shall we do?", Peter told them how to experience this new birth: repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:37-41). Every believer is called to this same experience, for "if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him" (Romans 8:9).
Water Baptism
Baptism is our answer of a good conscience toward God's invitation (1 Peter 3:21). It demonstrates our obedience to His commands (Matthew 28:19-20, Luke 24:47) and shows saving faith in action (James 2:14, 18-24; Mark 16:16). Most importantly, just like the New Testament church, we baptize in the name of Jesus Christ, the One who paid the price for our sins (Acts 2:38; 8:12-13, 36-38; 10:47-48; 19:5), for "there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
We baptize by full immersion for the remission of sins. Baptism pictures our death, burial and resurrection with Christ (Romans 6:3-4), and through it we put on Christ and begin our new life as His disciples (Galatians 3:27).
Baptism of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost marked a new era in the Spirit's dealing with mankind, as prophesied by Joel (Joel 2:28-29, Isaiah 28:11); the Holy Spirit is the gift to every believer in this age of grace. We believe that speaking with tongues as the Spirit gives utterance (Acts 2:4) is the initial evidence of the indwelling of the Spirit, not only for the one hundred and twenty believers on the day of Pentecost, but for all believers for all time.
We believe that speaking with tongues is the initial sign that a believer has received the Holy Spirit, just as the early Christians experienced on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2).
Sanctification
The Bible teaches that without holiness no man can see the Lord. We believe in a Spirit-filled life of separation from the world, and the perfecting of holiness in the fear of God as an expression of Christian faith. We believe that the believer should not partake in any sinful or immoral acts as defined by the Holy Scriptures. We believe that the believer should not abuse substances or partake in witchcraft or the occult (Titus 2:11-12, Heb. 12:14-16, Phil. 3:9, Col. 3:1-17, Eph. 4:22-32, 1 Pet. 1:15-16, Heb. 6:1, Rom. 6:1-23, 1 Thes. 4:3-7).
We believe in living honest, dedicated and Spirit-driven lives before God and everyone in our communities (Titus 2:11-12, Heb. 12:14-16, Phil. 3:9, Col. 3:1-17, Eph. 4:22-32, 1 Pet. 1:15-16, Heb. 6:1, Rom. 6:1-23, 1 Thes. 4:3-7).
Communion
We believe in practicing the Lord's Supper, also known as Communion, which is a memorial service instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ. It is to be commemorated by believers only and is done in remembrance of the Lord Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. The unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine are symbolic of His flesh and His blood (1 Cor. 11:24-26, Luke 22:15-20, John 13:1-17).
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
We believe in the personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ and the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth, where God will dwell forever with His redeemed people (1 Thes. 4:16-17, Matt. 24:30-46, Rev. 1:7, 2 Pet. 3:13, Rev. 21:1-4).