What we Believe
Our Mission
We believe God gave us technology to better reach and transform lives. We seek to build up local bodies of Believers and to make it easier to find them and stay connected. We also seek to encourage and uplift those who cannot attend church in person.
God Is:
We believe God is before all things. He is eternal. He is not bound by time or distance. We may never fully understand God because he is all-knowing, ever-present, and all-powerful. He is the creator of all, and all the laws of nature reside in Him. God is love and truth. It is impossible for Him to lie. He is perfect, and our sin is unacceptable. The only way to forgiveness is through His son Jesus. Genesis 1, 1 John 4:7-9
God is known to humanity in three persons. These persons are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
We believe Jesus is the son of God.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit through the virgin Mary. Jesus is fully God and fully, man. He is without sin, and through His crucifixion and coming back to life, we can be found acceptable to Father God. Jesus now sits at the Father’s right side. John’s gospel begins saying that all things were created through Jesus. All authority is given to Him, and one day He will return and take up His throne among His own. His followers will be with him forever. 1 Timothy 3:16, John 1:3
The Holy Spirit Is the third person of God. He is fully God and worthy of worship, as are God the Father and the Son. He is a representation of the Father and the Son. He convicts us of sin and is here to comfort us. He becomes a part of believers upon salvation. The Holy Spirit will guide believers into the truth. Romans 8:9-17, John 16:7-15
Believers, born of the Spirit, are imparted spiritual gifts. Each gift is unique to each believer and is for the building up of the Church. (see Ephesians 4:11-12). A common spiritual gift is a calling or vision for a better future. It is God’s desire that we find fulfillment and complete satisfaction in our walk with Him. We do not wish to limit what God desires to give us through special gifts but choose to focus more on the gift giver, God, than on any gift. It is through a relationship with Him that we receive them.
The Bible
We believe the 66 books considered as Biblical canon, as they were originally written, are consistently held together as inerrant. These books were divinely inspired by God. Through this Word, and fellowship with other believers, we can come to know God in a deep and personal way. The Word is useful in the building up of the Church and in knowing right from wrong. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
The Condition of Man and Salvation Through Jesus Christ:
We believe Mankind and all things were created by God. The creation act was interrupted when Adam and Eve disobeyed God through the deception of Satan. Sin entered creation, and through it came death, pain, and suffering. This condition separated all Mankind from God. This separation was why God sent His son Jesus to die and make a way for restoration. Romans 5:12
Sanctification happens in varying ways.
Salvation’s purpose is to restore us to God. Salvation begins with a belief in Jesus as the Son of God (John 3:16). Paul says in Romans 10:9-10,'that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. ' NASB Upon receiving Jesus into our lives, we become a new creation. We are given adoption into God’s family as sons or daughters. Jesus is the key to the Father’s heart. No man comes to the Father except through Jesus. Through Him is the power of everlasting life. 2 Cor. 5:17, John 1:12, John 14:6
Our walk as Christians is a continual journey of becoming more Christ-like. We are to abide in Christ and are encouraged to bear fruit, using the gifts we are given. This brings satisfying fulfillment, and it is God’s desire that we are made complete in Him. It will be a joyful day when we are presented to God on that day of entering heaven, faultless through the redeeming work of the cross. Jude 24-25 Romans 12:2 John 15:5-6
Satan, Fallen Angels, and Spiritual Warfare
As Christians, life is forever changed, but we still live in a fallen world. Satan, and the many fallen angels with him, live to destroy what God created (John 10:10). An effective and Spirit-led Christian is something that the darkness despises. Christians live in a spiritual drama where each test builds on our strength and character. We battle spiritually with the opposition continually, as believers, and the armor of the Spirit is put to good use (Ephesians 6:10-17). Satan lives to make us blame God and cease to follow. He tries to draw us away, to worship other things along with himself and the fallen angels (demons). Fallen angels often pose as phony servants of God and lead some to fall away from the truth (2 Corinthians 13-15). Isaiah 14:14.
The spirit at work in the “sons of disobedience” is described in scripture (Ephesians 2:2). Occult means “to block out the light.” It strives to blind its victims and keep them from seeing the truth. If the ten commandments are for Christians, then the opposite is true for the “father of lies.” He will intentionally kill, steal, and destroy. Deception is Satan’s core weapon because the truth will set people free, and he has lost the battle when we see and hold to the truth. Exodus 20:1-17, John 8:32 and verse 44, Ephesians 6:17
Our defense is light, purity, loyalty to God, and the Word of God as related in the Bible. Our cross is a place where we submit and wholly depend on God for salvation. Our reward for resisting is a clean conscience, strength of character, and forever in an afterlife that is an indescribable joy.
The Church
We believe there is a universal Church, made up of those who believe in Jesus, the Son of God. Ideally, the Church should be designed as the early church was, with the leadership of Godly men, and women when appropriate, serving as pastors, elders, deacons, and teachers. Ephesians 4:4-5, 1 Timothy 3:1-13
Each member of the local church is taught through Biblical interpretation and personal study. We grow through fellowship and serving as the Lord leads. We believe in following the example of Jesus, by receiving baptism by immersion, after confessing a belief in Him.
Having a local place of worship is essential. Other means of worship should not replace a physical Church setting unless circumstances do not allow gathering with others. Our goal is to help people find a church that they can call home.
Marriage, Divorce, and Sexuality
This area has become a heated topic. It’s important that it’s clear that we believe nobody is saved by their own merit. God comes to us as broken, guilty, and hopeless people, and offers us the gift of His Spirit that washes away all our failings (Isaiah 1:18). We are made perfect by the grace of the Father, through Jesus. We still fall short, and make mistakes and have a lot to learn. Our natural slants and tendencies are now empowered by the Spirit, but it takes time to grow into the full image of God, as revealed in scripture (2 Cor. 3:18).
In order to steer toward peace and fulfillment and get to a place where God wants us, we need a guide. The Holy Spirit uses the Word to make it more clear which paths we should take. The Bible is our guide when trying to navigate tough issues. We believe the Bible makes it clear that marriage is meant to be a deeply rooted relationship, a sacred bond.
When the right partner is found, it is a very fulfilling and satisfying thing. Jesus indicated that it could last a lifetime if we let it and hold onto it. Matthew 19:3-9
We believe that natural, traditional marriage is best, between one man and one woman. We believe this thought is consistently presented in Scripture. Sexuality is something that should be modest and thoughtfully reserved for marriage. This process is of a man and woman becoming one.
There are some acceptable conditions for divorce found in the Bible. Sex outside of the marriage bond is understood to be grounds for divorce. An unbeliever who wishes to leave a believer may also be another (1 Cor. 7:12-15). While there may be other sound reasons to seek release from marriage, we believe that any effort to save a marriage is not in vain.
The End-Times
While the timing and symbolism of eschatology are not agreed on, we do have core beliefs that are relatively common about the end-of-days. We all wish Heaven would happen, and soon!
Here are some highlights.
❖ The World gets progressively worse.
❖ A world order is set up under one who is referred to as the Antichrist.
❖ Jesus returns to save the day.
❖ Jesus reigns on earth during the millennial kingdom.
❖ The Lord judges us, and His chosen spend eternity in a city with streets of gold.
❖ Satan is bound up in the lake of fire
❖ Those who did not choose to follow Jesus during their lives and preferred a life without God are sent to eternal torment.
See Mathew 24, and Revelation
