Who we are

 

 

     All Scripture, both Old and New Testament, is God breathed, meaning every word has come from God and preserved on paper through writers who were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Every word, then, is authoritative for the believer (2 Pt 1:9, 21; 2 Tim 3:16). God used the personality of each Biblical author, their historical setting, language and cultural idioms, as He spoke through them. To disbelieve or disobey any word of Scripture, then, is to disbelieve or disobey God.

     Because God does not lie, every word of the Bible is inerrant, meaning it always speaks the truth (Num 23:19; Titus 1:2; Heb 6:18). The Bible is reliable and without errors. Archaeology, science, human nature, and experience all testify to the truthfulness of Scripture.

     God spoke all things into existence in six days, and rested on the seventh (Gen 1-2:3). As the sole creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them, the LORD God Almighty sovereignly reigns as King (Acts 14:15; Gen 1:1). There is no other God besides Him (Deut 4:39). He is the eternal, Triune God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) who controls all things (even light and darkness, life and death). Everything belongs to Him (Ps 50:10-12) and exists because of Him, through Him, and for His glory (Rom 11:36; 1 Cor 6:8). He upholds all creation, keeping the stars in their place as well as giving life, breath, and all things to mankind (Acts 17:24). All events in history, even in the distant future, are known completely by God and orchestrated according to His divine providence, infinite wisdom, and for His good pleasure (Isa 46:10). God’s knowledge is exhaustive and nothing is a surprise to Him, and no one could give Him advice, thwart His plans, or suggest they know better than Him (Isa 40:13, Rom 11:33-35).

     God is all powerful, and because He is not limited by space (i.e. He is spirit), He sees all things and can be anywhere at anytime (Ps 139:7). He is righteous and just, holy and good, and in Him there is no deceit or evil (Deut 32:4; 1 Number 23:19; 1 Sam 15:39). He is loving, gracious, merciful, and faithful, and He will judge creation according to His Word and His holy order.

     Jesus Christ is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature (Heb 1:3). He is the eternal Son of God, the first born over all creation. By Him and through Him all things were created, whether they are in heaven or earth, invisible or visible, and having dominion or authority (Col 1:15-17). He sustains all things and has first place over all things, even over the church as their Head (Col 1:17-18). He is the alpha and the omega (Rev 1:8). He is God.

     As the promised Messiah who would take away the sins of the world (Jn 1:29; cf. Isa 53; 1 Jn 3:5), Jesus emptied Himself of His glorious position in heaven and added to Himself human flesh to be like man in every way, except without sin (Isa 53:9; John 1:14; Rom 8:3; Gal 4:4; 2 Cor 5:21; Heb 2:17; 7:26). He was born by a virgin, Mary, who conceived Him with the power of the Holy Spirit overshadowing her (Lk 1:35). He then grew in grace and wisdom and lived a perfectly obedient, sinless life to God while teaching and preaching that the way to salvation is through Him. He was then crucified on the cross as a spotless lamb unblemished by sin, so as to be the perfect, substitutional, atoning sacrifice for man’s sins and to save them from their condemnation.

     After being dead for three days, Jesus rose victoriously from the grave, conquering sin’s curse over all creation. Jesus Christ now resides in heaven at the right hand of God, having all power and authority given to Him, until that final day when all things (including Satan) have been judged when He returns to earth, and God is given all power and dominion. He is our High Priest in heaven, who sanctifies us and enables us to draw near to God (Heb 9:26). He is the Head of the church, who exists to serve Him with the gifts He has given them through the Holy Spirit, and to glorify His Name (Col 1:18). He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

     As the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit reveals God’s presence to His people and empowers them to live holy lives that serve God. The Holy Spirit was active in creation, in Old Testament leaders, in Jesus Christ’s life and ministry, and in the New Testament believers as well. He imparts new life and regenerates the sinful heart of man, so that he is dead to sin but alive in Christ and able to walk according to God’s statutes (Jn 3:4-5; Rom 8:3-4, 15; Gal 4:8). With the Holy Spirit indwelling in the believer, that person is eternally adopted as a child of God and co-heir with Christ (Rom 8:14-16; Eph 1:13; 4:30). He empowers the believer to be a witness for Jesus Christ through out the world (Acts 1:8), providing even the words for them to speak (Lk 12:12). He also empowers the believer for ministry, distributing to them a variety of gifts so the whole church may be built up into the image of Christ (1 Pt 4:10-11; Eph 4:7-16; Rom 12:3-8; 1 Cor 12).

     The Holy Spirit also illuminates and teaches believers so they can clearly understand God’s Word and His will (Jn 14:26; 1 Cor 2:14). He also sanctifies the believer and produces fruit in their lives so they think, speak, act, and become more like Jesus Christ (1 Cor 6:11; Gal 5:22-23). The Holy Spirit also empowers the believer to put to death deeds of the flesh and grow in holiness (Rom 8:13), and intercedes for them during prayer (Rom 8:26-27), and guides and directs him/her in daily activities (Rom 8:14; Gal 5:16-26). Finally, the Holy Spirit unites the church as one with Christ as their Head (Eph 2:18, 22; 1 Cor 12:12-13).

     Because mankind is now fallen and corrupted by sin, he perverts the image of God. His heart is deceitful and desperately sick (Jer 17:9), and it is no longer inclined to doing good (Rom 8:7). His mind is hostile toward God, he is selfish and can’t please God nor seek after God (Rom 3:10-18; Col 1:21). Man needs a new heart, a new spirit put within him, to wash him and purify him and change his whole being to worship God and desire Him alone. God has done this through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, once a person puts their faith in Jesus Christ (Titus 3:5-7). From then on, the new man (i.e. the believer) is being sanctified daily and made more into the image of Christ (Rom 8:29). Until he dies or is taken up with the Lord and made perfect with Him, the believer will continue to struggle with sin.

     Furthermore, they must understand that Jesus Christ lived the perfect, sinless life we were meant to live, He died on the cross for our sins as a subtistutional sacrifice for us, and then He rose again three days later. He is now seated at the right hand of God; all of this according to the Scriptures (1 Cor 15:3-4). In confessing this and repenting of their sins, they identify themselves with Jesus’ death and resurrection, and now live a life that faithfully serves, trusts, and obeys Him until they die and are taken up to be in heaven. This new believer is justified and forgiven of their sins, and they are born again by the washing away of their sin stained heart with the Holy Spirit (Jn 1:13, 3:3-8).

     Furthermore, Jesus Christ’s righteousness has been imputed on them, so they are clothed in His righteousness and are no longer guilty before God (Rom 5:1; Gal 3:27; Phil 3:9). This person is also adopted into God’s family as a fellow heir of Christ, through the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:14-17). Furthermore, he/she is sanctified (i.e. made holy) by the Holy Spirit from that moment on, becoming more like Christ until the day he/she dies and is glorified in heaven with Christ. Those who endure till the end will be saved (Mt 24:13), even though until that time they will continue to battle against sinful desires while here on earth.

     Jesus Christ alone is the Head of His church, and the church is His bride, who belongs exclusively to Him through the Holy Spirit (Rev 19:7). While each member of the church may have different gifts and functions, they all belong to one another and are equally important (Rom 12:4-5; 1 Cor 12; Eph 5:23; Col 1:18). The Holy Spirit distributes different gifts to each member for the common good and building up of each other in the faith and image of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 12:7; Eph 4:12-16).

     Another characteristic of the church is its government and ordinances. The New Testament reveals that the early church had two specific officers: elders and deacons. Elders were responsible for teaching God’s Word (1 Tim 3:12; 5:17; Titus 1:9), giving oversight and rulership (1 Tim 3:4-5; 1 Pt 5:1-4), and exercising authority under the headship of Christ. Deacons, however, mainly were responsible for every day ministry needs (Acts 6).

     The two ordinances of the church include Believer’s Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Believer’s Baptism serves as an outward public testimony of the inward washing and renewing of the believer who has put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. It’s symbolic of having been buried with Christ and raised to new life with Him, and having been washed by the Holy Spirit (Rom 6:4; Col 2:12). Baptism is performed by immersion with water. Church membership is made possible for believers who have confessed Jesus Christ as their Lord and have been baptized by immersion.

     The Lord’s Supper is a memorial honoring and celebrating the death of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The bread and wine are symbolic of Jesus’ body being broken and His blood being poured out on behalf of sinners, dying for them so they might be saved (Lk 22:14-20; 1 Cor 11:23-34).

     The Lord’s Supper is taken by believers who have confessed Jesus Christ to be their Savior and are truly His followers. There is nothing in taking of the Supper that saves a person from their sin (same with Baptism), but is symbolic and a reminder of what Jesus has done for us (“do this in remembrance of Me,” 1 Cor 11:24). It’s also a reminder of the wedding banquet we will have with Jesus in Heaven when we have gone to be with Him (Lk 22:30, Rev 19:9). It is also a fulfillment of the Israelite’s Passover celebration, that now in Jesus Christ God’s wrath passes over us because His blood covers us and we are saved (Lk 22:14-23).

     The church should be autonomous and connected with like-minded associations, inorder to better fulfill the Great Commission. The church should be involved in missions and evangelism, edifying one another, and discipling one another. The church should also be involved in serving the community. Each member of the church has a voice in the government and plans of the church, for we are all members of one body with one Head, Jesus Christ, whom we serve together. We also believe in the priesthood of every believer, and that each of us have been given unique functions in the church to serve God (1 Pt 2:9). 

     The church also exists not to replace the ministry that should be happening in the homes, but to come along side of the families to cultivate godly homes. God has planned for the parents to be the primary disciple makers of their children, and not other “professionals” to do it for them (Deut 6:4-7; Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 22:6; Psalm 78:4). Therefore, the church ought to equip parents to fulfill their God given responsibilities to disciple their children. All the ministries of the church should be unified with this vision of connecting to the homes, with the goal of raising up passionate followers of Jesus Christ who treasure Him above all else, and who live out their faith to fulfill the Great Commition.

 

     With His sacrificial, atoning death on the cross and His glorious resurrection, Jesus Christ has purchased for God men from every tribe, tongue and nation with His blood (Rev 5:9). Along with this, Satan has in some sense been bound (Mt 12:29; Mk 3:27; Lk 10:17-19; Jn 12:31-33; Heb 2:14) and the Kingdom of God has in some sense been established on earth through His church and through the gospel (Acts 2:2-21, notice too how in “the last days” “great wonders” will still come in the future; c.f. Acts 26:18; Eph 3:4-11; Col 1:13; 1 Pt 2:9). Jesus Christ now reigns at the right hand of God the Father in the heavenly temple with all authority in heaven and earth given to Him (Mt 26:64, 28:18; Acts 1:9; Eph 1:20-21; Phil 2:8-11; Col 2:15).

     Before the day of Judgment comes, the church will experience a great tribulation consisting of natural disasters, political wars, false prophets, people’s hearts growing cold, and great signs and wonders (Mt 24:4-28). During this time too, Satan will deceive many people into worshipping his beast, who will blaspheme God and wage war against the saints (Rev 13:6-8; 20:2). Despite all this, however, the gospel will continue to spread throughout the world and the “one who endures to the end, he will be saved (Mt. 24:13-14).”

     Those who died during this period of tribulation will reign with Christ in heaven (Rev 6:9-11; 20:4-6). After the tribulation, Jesus will appear in the clouds with great power and glory for the Great Battle against Satan and his followers. Jesus will judge and defeat Satan along with his followers, and they will be destroyed and thrown into the lake of fire (Rev 19:11-21; 20:11-14). The saints, however, will receive their eternal inheritance to reign with God and the Lamb in the new heaven and earth, for all eternity.