Values

Researchers and scholars have pointed out that values are the foundation of a person’s character, and organizational values essentially reflect the values of groups and individuals. Our goal as a church is to emulate the values that were embodied and modeled by Jesus and the early church. We strive to be a faith community guided by Scripture and the Holy Spirit where people can encounter Jesus to experience healing and find purpose and hope.

 Love

God is love (1 John 4:16), and He has commanded us to love and express that love through obedience to His commandments (1 John 5:3). Jesus summed up the law and the prophets in two commandments: to love God and love our neighbor (Matt. 22:37-40). We strive to be a community that, by loving God and people, brings glory to God and makes a difference in individuals.

Discipleship

Jesus made disciples and gave us the injunction to continue the mission (Matt. 28:19-20). We focus on the spiritual formation of our members under the understanding that spiritual growth is a journey and not a destination.

Community

Jesus was constantly surrounded by and eating with people (Matt. 9:9-13; Luke 7:36), looking for opportunities to interact with them to build relationships and share the gospel with them (John 4:4-26). Additionally, the early church practiced fellowship in the temple and homes (Acts 2:46). We also strive to cultivate community in large settings in the temple and small settings at homes.

Service

Jesus was, first and foremost, a servant (Mark 10:45). He set a clear example of service that He expected His followers to emulate. Service is at the core of our DNA. We work hard to be a church characterized by service at all ministry levels.

Generosity

Some New Testament epistles and the book of Acts show that generosity was central to the churches of the first century (Acts 2:45, 4:34; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; Rom. 15:24-27). We are a generous church that gives to meet the needs of people and expand the kingdom of God.

Compassion

Jesus and the apostles focused on people’s spiritual needs but did not disregard their material needs (1 John 3:16-18; James 2:14-17; Matt. 15:32; Gal. 2:10). Their ministries were characterized by compassion. We are a church that expresses God’s compassion in tangible ways through our benevolence ministry.

  Our Beliefs

1. THE SCRIPTURES INSPIRED

The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired by God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct (1 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:21).

2. THE ONE TRUE GOD

The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent “I AM,” the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of mankind. He has revealed Himself in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (commonly known as the Trinity). (Deut. 6:4; Isaiah 43:10,11; Matt. 28:19).

3. THE DEITY OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. As God’s son, Jesus was both human and divine. He was born of a virgin (Matt. 1:23), sinless (Heb. 7:26; 1 Pet. 2:22), and a miracle worker (Acts 2:22; Acts 10:38). Scripture teaches about his substitutionary work on the cross (1 Cor. 15:3; 5:21); His bodily resurrection from the dead (Matt. 28:6; Luke 24:39); and His exaltation to the right hand of God (Acts 1:9; Acts 1:11; Phil. 2:9-11).

4. THE FALL OF MAN

Man was created good and upright, for God said, “Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness.” However, man, by voluntary transgression, fell and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God (Gen. 1:26,27, 2:17, 3:6; Rom. 5:12-19).

5. THE SALVATION OF MAN

Man’s only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Conditions to Salvation: Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God, according to the hope of eternal life (Luke 24:47; John 3:3; Rom. 10:13-15; Ephes. 2:8). Evidence of Salvation: the inward evidence of salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit (Rom. 8:16). The outward evidence to all men is a life of righteousness and true holiness (Ephes. 4:24; Titus 2:12).

6. THE ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH

BAPTISM IN WATER: The Scriptures command the ordinance of baptism by immersion. All who repent and believe in Christ as Savior and Lord are to be baptized. Thus, they declare to the world that they have died with Christ and have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 10:47, 48; Rom. 6:4).

HOLY COMMUNION: The Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements—bread and the fruit of the vine—is the symbol expressing our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4), a memorial of his suffering and death (1 Corinthians 11:26), and a prophecy of His second coming (1 Corinthians 11:26) and is enjoined on all believers “till He comes!”

7. THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian Church. With it comes the enduement of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry (Acts 8:12-17, 10:44-46, 11:14-16, 15:7-9).

8. THE INITIAL PHYSICAL EVIDENCE OF THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

The baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is witnessed by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance (Acts 2:4). The speaking in tongues, in this instance, is the same in essence as the gift of tongues but is different in purpose and use (1 Cor. 12:4-10, 28).

9. SANCTIFICATION

Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil and of dedication unto God (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Thess. 5:23; Hebrews 13:12). Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing his identification with Christ in His death and resurrection, and by the faith reckoning daily upon the fact of that union, and by offering every faculty continually to the dominion of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 6:1-11; 6:13; 8:1-2; Gal. 2:20; 1 Peter 1:5).

10. THE CHURCH AND ITS MISSION

The church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments to fulfill her great commission. Each believer, born of the Spirit, is an integral part of the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn (Ephes. 1:22-23; 2:22; Hebrews 12:23.

11. THE MINISTRY

A divinely called and scripturally ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for the fourfold purpose of leading the Church in evangelization of the world (Mark 16:15-20), worship of God (John 4:23-24), building a body of saints being perfected in the image of Jesus (Ephes. 4:11-16), and meeting human need with ministries of love and compassion (Gal. 2:10; 6:10; James 1:27).

12. DIVINE HEALING

Divine healing is an integral part of the gospel. Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement and is the privilege of all believers (Isaiah 53:4-5; Matt. 8:16-17; James 5:14-16).

13. THE BLESSED HOPE

The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation together with those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord is the imminent and blessed hope of the church (1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rom. 8:23; Titus 2:13; 1 Cor. 15:51-52).

14. THE MILLENNIAL REIGN OF CHRIST

The second coming of Christ includes the rapture of the saints, which is our blessed hope, followed by the visible return of Christ with His saints to reign on earth for one thousand years (Matt. 24:27, 30; Rev. 1:7; 19:11-14; 20:1-6). This millennial reign will bring the salvation of national Israel (Eze. 37:21-22; Zephaniah 3:19-20; Rom. 11:26-27) and the establishment of universal peace (Isaiah 11:6-9; Psalms 72:3-8; Micah 4:3-4).

15. THE FINAL JUDGMENT

There will be a final judgment in which the wicked dead will be raised and judged according to their works. Whosoever is not found written in the Book of Life, together with the devil and his angels, the beast, and the false prophet, will be consigned to the everlasting punishment in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Matt. 25:46; Mark 9:43-48; Rev. 19:20; 20:11-15; 21:8).

16. THE NEW HEAVENS AND THE NEW EARTH

“We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:13; Rev. 21, 22).