God
In Three Persons
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent spiritual
and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver and Ruler of the universe.
To Him, we owe the highest love, reverence and obedience. The eternal God reveals
Himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit with distinct personal attributes
but without division of nature, essence or being.
Genesis 1:1; 2Corinthians 13:13,14
God: The Father
God as Father is the Giver and Sustainer of life, the seen and unseen. He is
all-loving, all-just, all-wise and all-powerful. He is the true God and the
One who judges righteously and tests the heart and mind. God is Father to
those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ; however,
He is fatherly toward all men.
Genesis 18:25; Galatians 4:6,7
God: The Son
God as Son is the perfect representation for the Father in human form. He is
fully human and fully divine. He is equal with God the Father but humbled
himself by taking on the form of a servant and became obedient to a death
on a cross. He knew that only through the shedding of His blood would the
sinless Lamb of God be able to secure forgiveness and remission of sins.
He arose on the third day following his death as He declared and now lives
and reigns with the Father in glory awaiting His final triumphant return.
He lives in all believers as the living, ever-present Lord.
1Corinthians 15:3,4; Philippians 2:5-11
God: The Holy Spirit
God as Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin and unrighteousness, works in
the life of each believer to produce godly character qualities and demonstrates
Himself, in the life of the church, through special abilities given to each
believer to carry out the work of the church. He is Comforter, Teacher, Wisdom
and Counselor.
John 16:7-13; Galatians 5:22-25
The Bible
The Bible is the historical record of God's activity written by men but inspired
by God's Spirit and contains no error. It is truth provided for the believer
as a tool to know the heart of God. It reveals the plan, purposes and will
of God for all time.
Psalm 119:105; 2Timothy 3:16
Humanity
Man was created by a special work of
God, in His image and is the finest of all creation - God
said, "It is very good!" Man was created innocent
but with a free choice he sinned against God and fell from his original
state. Because Christ died for all, every person is worthy
of respect and Christian love.
Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:23
Salvation
Salvation is the gift of God for all humanity and is offered freely to all
who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. It was obtained by the substitutionary
death of Christ on the cross. He shed His own blood for our sin that we might
be rightly related to God.
Romans 5:8,9; Romans 6:23
Grace
Grace is the unmerited favor of God and shows us His goodness. All who have
accepted Christ and are set apart will never fall from grace but will endure
the end. Believers may sin and grieve the Holy Spirit, but they will be kept
by the power of God.
Ephesians 2:8,9; Ephesians 4:30
Church
The church is a group of believers brought together by the Spirit of God to
carry out the Great Commandment by practicing the Great Commission and observing
the two ordinances of the church-baptism and the Lord's Supper. Each church
is an autonomous body operating under the leadership for Christ as the Head
of the Church.
Matthew 22:37-40; Ephesians 5:23-27
Baptism
Baptism is an outward expression of an inward change that has occurred in the
life of the believer. It is an identification with Christ by picturing his
death, burial and resurrection. It is the first commandment a new Christian
is given from the Lord Jesus.
Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:4
Why Be Baptized?
Because you want to follow Christ's
example. Mark 1:9
Because Christ commanded it. Matthew 28:19-20
Because it shows you are a believer. Acts 18:8
Because obeying Christ's command shows you know him. 1 John 2:3
We can schedule your baptism for our midweek service or
during one of our weekend services.
Lord's Supper (Communion)
The Lord's Supper is an opportunity
for personal examination and reflection as we observe the "Lord's
death until He comes." The bread and
cup are symbols of His body and blood which were broken and spilled out
for our salvation and is done in "remembrance" of
Him until He comes again.
Luke 22:19,20; 1Corinthians 11:23-32
Worship
We view worship from two sides: adoration and service. Worship could be defined
as pure adoration, the redeemed person contemplating and praising God in
His holy perfection. Reverential adoration and committed service are both
prominent expressions of the biblical concept of worship. True worship involves
a willingness to serve and genuine service to God must be accompanied by
a sense of reverence and adoration. Psalm 95:6,7; Ephesians 2:10 |