And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. | Romans 8:28 |
But grow in the special favor and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be all glory and honor, both now and forevermore. Amen. | II Peter 3:18 |
Encouragement He is the one who has enabled us to represent His new covenant. This is a covenant, not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old way ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives life. |
II Corinthians 3:6 |
Hospitality Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters. |
Galatians 6:10 |
Relationships The Lord's servants must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone. They must be able to teach effectively and be patient with difficult people. |
II Timothy 2:24 |
Pioneering No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. |
Luke 5:38 |
Integrity Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. |
Psalm 51:6 |
Unity Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. |
Ephesians 4:3 |
Guidance In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. |
Proverbs 3:6 |
Servanthood For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many |
Mark 10:45 |
Humility Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: |
Philippians 2:5 |
Forgiveness Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. |
Ephesians 4:32 |
Quality Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. |
Colossians 3:23 |
Statement of Beliefs #1 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. Psalm 19:7-8
I assure you, until heaven and earth
disappear, even the smallest detail of God's law will remain until its
purpose is achieved. All Scripture
is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us
realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to
do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully
equipped for every good thing God wants us to do. For the word
of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife,
cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what
we really are. Above all, you
must understand that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophets
themselves or because they wanted to prophesy. It was the Holy
Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God. |
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Statement of Beliefs #2 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19
Now there are different kinds of spiritual
gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all. There
are different kinds of service in the church, but it is the same Lord we are
serving. There are different ways God works in our lives, but it is the same
God who does the work through all of us. II Corinthians 13:14 Just think how
much more the blood of Christ will purify our hearts from deeds that lead to
death so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal
Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.
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Statement of Beliefs #3 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are
children of God. Furthermore,
we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son
to be the Savior of the world. |
Statement of Beliefs #4 The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35
In the beginning the Word already existed. He
was with God, and he was God. So the Word became human and lived here on
earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have
seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. Don't be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father's home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know where I am going and how to get there." "No, we don't know, Lord," Thomas said. "We haven't any idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:1-6 It was not
long after he said this that he was taken up into the sky while they were
watching, and he disappeared into a cloud. As they were straining their eyes
to see him, two white-robed men suddenly stood there among them. They said,
"Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has
been taken away from you into heaven. And someday, just as you saw him go,
he will return! I passed on to
you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me--that
Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he
was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said. He was
seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles. After that, he was seen by
more than five hundred of his followers at one time, most of whom are still
alive, though some have died by now. Then he was seen by James and later by
all the apostles. Last of all, I saw him, too, long after the others, as
though I had been born at the wrong time. For I am the least of all the
apostles, and I am not worthy to be called an apostle after the way I
persecuted the church of God. But whatever I am now, it is
all because God poured out his special favor on me--and not without results.
For I have worked harder than all the other apostles, yet it was not I but
God who was working through me by his grace. So it makes no difference
whether I preach or they preach. The important thing is that you believed
what we preached to you. But tell me this--since we preach
that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no
resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then
Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ was not raised, then all
our preaching is useless, and your trust in God is useless. And we apostles
would all be lying about God, for we have said that God raised Christ from
the grave, but that can't be true if there is no resurrection of the dead.
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised.
And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are
still under condemnation for your sins. In that case, all who have died
believing in Christ have perished! And if we have hope in Christ only for
this life, we are the most miserable people in the world. He personally
carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin
and live for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds! For you know
that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from
your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. He paid
for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of
God. God chose him for this purpose long before the world began, but now in
these final days, he was sent to the earth for all to see. And he did this
for you. Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And because God
raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope
can be placed confidently in God. |
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Statement of Beliefs #5 But it is actually best for you that I go away, because if I don't, the Counselor won't come. If I do go away, he will come because I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convince the world of its sin, and of God's righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world's sin is unbelief in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the prince of this world has already been judged. "Oh, there is so much more I want to tell you, but you can't bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by revealing to you whatever he receives from me. John 16:7-14
Then Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan
filled your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the
money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you
wished. And after selling it, the money was yours to give away. How could
you do a thing like this? You weren't lying to us but to God." But you are
not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if
you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do
not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all.) Some of us are
Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all
been baptized into Christ's body by one Spirit, and we have all received the
same Spirit. Don't act
thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don't be
drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy
Spirit fill and control you. Then you will sing psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts.
And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
Statement
of Beliefs #6 There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them. Acts 4:12
For all have sinned; all fall short of God's
glorious standard. For the wages
of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ
Jesus our Lord. God saved you
by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this;
it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have
done, so none of us can boast about it. My sheep
recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal
life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me, for
my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. So
no one can take them from me. |
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Statement of Beliefs #7 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 John 10:27-29 And I am
convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and
life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our
worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love
away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in
all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is
revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Dear brothers
and sisters, what's the use of saying you have faith if you don't prove it
by your actions? That kind of faith can't save anyone. Suppose you see a
brother or sister who needs food or clothing, and you say, "Well, good-bye
and God bless you; stay warm and eat well"--but then you don't give that
person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, it isn't
enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is
no faith at all--it is dead and useless. |
Statement of Beliefs #8 Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. Matthew 16:18
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy
Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.
And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Now all of you
together are Christ's body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary
part of it. And God has
put all things under the authority of Christ, and he gave him this authority
for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is filled by
Christ, who fills everything everywhere with his presence. He is the one
who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the
evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip
God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ,
until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we
will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature
of Christ. And let us not
neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each
other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near. |
Statement of Beliefs #9 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life. Matthew 25:46
For God so loved the world that
he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish
but have eternal life. Yes, we are
fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we
will be at home with the Lord. And I saw a
great white throne, and I saw the one who was sitting on it. The earth and
sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead,
both great and small, standing before God's throne. And the books were
opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to
the things written in the books, according to what they had done. The sea
gave up the dead in it, and death and the grave gave up the dead in them.
They were all judged according to their deeds. And death and the grave were
thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death--the lake of fire.
And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown
into the lake of fire. And now,
brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians
who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no
hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we
also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the
Christians who have died. I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who
are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of
those who are in their graves. For the Lord himself will come down from
heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the
trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from
their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on
the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and
remain with him forever. So comfort and encourage each other with these
words. |
Statement of Faith #1 The Father and I are one. Why do you call it blasphemy when the Holy One who was sent into the world by the Father says, `I am the Son of God'? John 10:30,36
And because you Gentiles have become his
children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and now you
can call God your dear Father. Then God said,
"Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters
over all life--the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the
livestock, wild animals, and small animals." Then the LORD
God said, "The people have become as we are, knowing everything, both good
and evil. What if they eat the fruit of the tree of life? Then they will
live forever!" Come, let's go
down and give them different languages. Then they won't be able to
understand each other. Then I heard
the Lord asking, "Whom should I send as a messenger to my people? Who will
go for us?" And I said, "Lord, I'll go! Send me." After his
baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he
saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a
voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with
him." Matthew 28:19 Jesus told
him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father
except through me. There are
three things that will endure--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of
these is love. He showed you
these things so you would realize that the LORD is God and that there is no
other god. Hear, O
Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And now,
Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began. From the time
the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God
made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and
divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God. |
Statement of Faith #2 In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. He was in the beginning with God. He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn't make. Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone. The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. God sent John the Baptist to tell everyone about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was only a witness to the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was going to come into the world. But although the world was made through him, the world didn't recognize him when he came. Even in his own land and among his own people, he was not accepted. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan--this rebirth comes from God. So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. John 1:1-14
Your attitude should be the same that Christ
Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as
God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and
appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled
himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross. Because of
this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is
above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in
heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. For in Christ
the fullness of God lives in a human body. Jacob was the
father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary was the mother of Jesus,
who is called the Messiah. All those listed above include fourteen
generations from Abraham to King David, and fourteen from David's time to
the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah. "Don't be
frightened, Mary," the angel told her, "for God has decided to bless you!
You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. He
will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord
God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over
Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!" Mary asked the angel, "But how
can I have a baby? I am a virgin." The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will
come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the
baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. She gave birth
to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and
laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.
The Savior--yes, the Messiah, the Lord--has been born tonight in Bethlehem,
the city of David! But when the
right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. Because God's
children are human beings--made of flesh and blood--Jesus also became flesh
and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he
die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the
power of death. But to his Son
he says, While we look
forward to that wonderful event when the glory of our great God and Savior,
Jesus Christ, will be revealed. "The Father
and I are one. But if I do his work, believe in what I have done, even if
you don't believe me. Then you will realize that the Father is in me, and I
am in the Father." I command you
to love each other. When the world hates you, remember it hated
me before it hated you. The world would love you if you belonged to it, but
you don't. I chose you to come out of the world, and so it hates you. Do you
remember what I told you? `A servant is not greater than the master.' Since
they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had
listened to me, they would listen to you! The people of the world will hate
you because you belong to me, for they don't know God who sent me. They
would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have
no excuse for their sin. Anyone who hates me hates my Father, too. I am the Alpha
and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End Long ago God
spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. But
now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised
everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he made the
universe and everything in it. The Son reflects God's own glory, and
everything about him represents God exactly. He sustains the universe by the
mighty power of his command. After he died to cleanse us from the stain of
sin, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God
of heaven. And now,
Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began. Without
question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ is the
one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the
things we can see and the things we can't see--kings, kingdoms, rulers, and
authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him. He existed
before everything else began, and he holds all creation together.
Christ is the head of the church, which is his body. He is the first of all
who will rise from the dead, so he is first in everything.
For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ. Jesus replied,
"Philip, don't you even yet know who I am, even after all the time I have
been with you? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you
asking to see him? |
Statement of Faith #3 "But I will send you the Counselor --the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me." John 15:26
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress.
For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But
the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in
words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying,
for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. And do not
bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he is the
one who has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved
on the day of redemption. One day as
these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,
"Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work I have for them." When the
Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be
presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will
tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by revealing to you
whatever he receives from me. All that the Father has is mine; this is what
I mean when I say that the Spirit will reveal to you whatever he receives
from me. Some of
us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we
have all been baptized into Christ's body by one Spirit, and we have all
received the same Spirit. But you have
received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don't need anyone
to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you all things, and what
he teaches is true--it is not a lie. So continue in what he has taught you,
and continue to live in Christ. Then Peter
said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart? You lied to the Holy
Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours
to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was
yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren't lying to
us but to God." |
Statement of Faith #4 Or because they wanted to prophesy. It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God. II Peter 1:21
Then God instructed the people as follows: All Scripture
is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us
realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to
do what is right. And we will
never stop thanking God that when we preached his message to you, you didn't
think of the words we spoke as being just our own. You accepted what we said
as the very word of God--which, of course, it was. And this word continues
to work in you who believe. No one can
know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no
one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. And God has actually
given us his Spirit (not the world's spirit) so we can know the wonderful
things God has freely given us. When we tell you this, we do not use words
of human wisdom. We speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the
Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren't
Christians can't understand these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds
foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what
the Spirit means. If you claim
to be a prophet or think you are very spiritual, you should recognize that
what I am saying is a command from the Lord himself. "The Spirit of
the LORD speaks through me; He showed you
these things so you would realize that the LORD is God and that there is no
other god. |
Statement of Faith #5 Jesus replied, "I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God." "What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?" Jesus replied, "The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven. So don't be surprised at my statement that you must be born again. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit." John 3:3-8
Once you were dead, doomed forever because of
your many sins. You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of
sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the
spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used
to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We
were born with an evil nature, and we were under God's anger just like
everyone else. But to all who
believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion
or plan--this rebirth comes from God. All of us have
strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the
LORD laid on him the guilt and sins of us all. Only fools say
in their hearts, We are all
infected and impure with sin. When we proudly display our righteous deeds,
we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall.
And our sins, like the wind, sweep us away. We know that
we are children of God and that the world around us is under the power and
control of the evil one. For all have
sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. But the
Scriptures have declared that we are all prisoners of sin, so the only way
to receive God's promise is to believe in Jesus Christ. Can an
Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard take away
its spots? Neither can you start doing good, for you always do evil. And then he
added, "It is the thought-life that defiles you. For from within, out of a
person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, eagerness for lustful pleasure, envy,
slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within;
they are what defile you and make you unacceptable to God." For I was born
a sinner-- "The human
heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it
is? |
Statement of Faith #6 Who has believed our message? To whom will the LORD reveal his saving power? My servant grew up in the Lord's presence like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected--a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the guilt and sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people realized that he was dying for their sins--that he was suffering their punishment? He had done no wrong, and he never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man's grave. But it was the Lord's good plan to crush him and fill him with grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have a multitude of children, many heirs. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord's plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of one who is mighty and great, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among those who were sinners. He bore the sins of many and interceded for sinners. Isaiah 53
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be
the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through
Christ. The next day
John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look! There is the Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world!" So also Christ
died only once as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will
come again but not to deal with our sins again. This time he will bring
salvation to all those who are eagerly waiting for him. Jesus told
him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father
except through me. When people
work, their wages are not a gift. Workers earn what they receive. But people
are declared righteous because of their faith, not because of their work. There is
salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people
to call on to save them. Christ also
suffered when he died for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but
he died for sinners that he might bring us safely home to God. He suffered
physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. He canceled
the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed
it by nailing it to Christ's cross. Now let me
remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you
before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is built on
this wonderful message. And it is this Good News that saves you if you
firmly believe it--unless, of course, you believed something that was never
true in the first place. I passed on to you what was most important
and what had also been passed on to me--that Christ died for our sins, just
as the Scriptures said. When we were
utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us
sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone
might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed
his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still
sinners. But Christ has
rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the
cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written
in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. For all have
sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet now God in his
gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ
Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take
the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are
made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing
his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish
those who sinned in former times. For he has
rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has
brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son. God has purchased our freedom
with his blood and has forgiven all our sins. . . and by him God reconciled
everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of his blood on the cross. This includes you who were once so far
away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil
thoughts and actions, And
you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every
ruler and authority in the universe. Brothers,
listen! In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who
believes in him is freed from all guilt and declared right with
God--something the Jewish law could never do. Don't you know
that those who do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don't fool
yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, who are idol worshipers,
adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people,
drunkards, abusers, and swindlers--none of these will have a share in the
Kingdom of God. There was a time when some of you were just like that, but
now your sins have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God.
You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and
the Spirit of our God have done for you. He saved us,
not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed
away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit. |
Statement of Faith #8 Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. Mark 16:16
Peter replied, "Each of you must turn from
your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for
the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit. So Philip
began with this same Scripture and then used many others to tell him the
Good News about Jesus. As they rode along, they came to some water,
and the eunuch said, "Look! There's some water! Why can't I be baptized?"
He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water,
and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of
the Lord caught Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his
way rejoicing. And now, why
delay? Get up and be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on
the name of the Lord.' Or have you
forgotten that when we became Christians and were baptized to become one
with Christ Jesus, we died with him? For we died and were buried with Christ
by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious
power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. For you were
buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to a
new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from
the dead. Christ also
suffered when he died for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but
he died for sinners that he might bring us safely home to God. He suffered
physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. So
he went and preached to the spirits in prison-- those who
disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his
boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.
And this is a picture of baptism, which now saves you by the power of
Jesus Christ's resurrection. Baptism is not a removal of dirt from your
body; it is an appeal to God from a clean conscience. |
Statement of Faith #9 And God has put all things under the authority of Christ, and he gave him this authority for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is filled by Christ, who fills everything everywhere with his presence. Ephesians 1:22-23
After dark one evening, a Jewish religious
leader named Nicodemus, a Pharisee, came to speak with Jesus. "Teacher," he
said, "we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs
are proof enough that God is with you." Jesus replied, "I assure you, unless
you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God." "What do you
mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's
womb and be born again?" Jesus replied, "The truth is, no one can enter the
Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.
Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life
from heaven. So don't be surprised at my statement that you must be born
again. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or
where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit." God saved you
by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this;
it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have
done, so none of us can boast about it. But to all who
believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
"I assure you,
those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal
life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already
passed from death into life." "I assure you,
anyone who believes in me already has eternal life. Therefore,
since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with
God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. My prayer for
all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one,
Father--that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us,
and the world will believe you sent me. "I have given them the glory you
gave me, so that they may be one, as we are-- I in them and you
in me, all being perfected into one. Then the world will know that you sent
me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me. So now you
Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with
all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family. We are his house,
built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the
cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We who believe are carefully joined
together, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are
also joined together as part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. And you are
complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and
authority in the universe. But you belong
to God, my dear children. You have already won your fight with these false
prophets, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who
lives in the world. But you are
not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests,
God's holy nation, his very own possession. This is so you can show others
the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his
wonderful light. Just as our
bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with
Christ's body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has
different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to
each other, and each of us needs all the others. The human body
has many parts, but the many parts make up only one body. So it is with the
body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and
some are free. But we have all been baptized into Christ's body by one
Spirit, and we have all received the same Spirit. |
Statement of Faith #10 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all.) Romans 8:9
Then he breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit. In one of
these meetings as he was eating a meal with them, he told them, "Do not
leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised. Remember, I
have told you about this before. John baptized with water, but in just a few
days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Now there are
different kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is
the source of them all. There are different kinds of service in the church,
but it is the same Lord we are serving. There are different ways God works
in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us. A
spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire
church. So I advise
you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won't be
doing what your sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do
evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit
gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires.
These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are
never free from this conflict. But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit,
you are no longer subject to the law. Don't be drunk
with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit
fill and control you. Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts. Or don't you
know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and
was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, Don't you
realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit
of God lives in you? But we know
these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his
Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God's deep secrets. No one
can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and
no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. And God has actually
given us his Spirit (not the world's spirit) so we can know the wonderful
things God has freely given us. When we tell you this, we do not use words
of human wisdom. We speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the
Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths. But people who
aren't Christians can't understand these truths from God's Spirit. It all
sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand
what the Spirit means. |
Statement of Faith #11 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take these weak mortal bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same mighty power that he will use to conquer everything, everywhere. Philippians 3:20-21
"Don't be troubled. You trust God, now trust
in me. There are many rooms in my Father's home, and I am going to prepare a
place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When
everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be
with me where I am." They said,
"Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has
been taken away from you into heaven. And someday, just as you saw him go,
he will return!" For the Lord
himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of
the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians
who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who
are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever. So comfort and
encourage each other with these words. And they speak
of how you are looking forward to the coming of God's Son from
heaven--Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued
us from the terrors of the coming judgment. So also Christ
died only once as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will
come again but not to deal with our sins again. This time he will bring
salvation to all those who are eagerly waiting for him. And now, dear
children, continue to live in fellowship with Christ so that when he
returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.
While we look
forward to that wonderful event when the glory of our great God and Savior,
Jesus Christ, will be revealed. "However, no
one knows the day or the hour when these things will happen, not even the
angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. When the Son of
Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day. In those days before the
Flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up
to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn't realize what was going to
happen until the Flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will
be when the Son of Man comes. Two men will be working together in the
field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour
at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. So be prepared, because you
don't know what day your Lord is coming. "When the Son
of Man returns, the world will be like the people were in Noah's day. In
those days before the flood, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and
weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came to
destroy them all. I tell you, he
will grant justice to them quickly! But when I, the Son of Man, return, how
many will I find who have faith?" Look! He comes
with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him--even those who pierced
him. And all the nations of the earth will weep because of him. Yes! Amen!
"I am the Alpha and the Omega--the beginning and the end," says the Lord
God. "I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the
Almighty One." "See, I am
coming soon, and my reward is with me, to repay all according to their
deeds." |
Statement of Faith #12 And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died. I Thessalonians 4:13-14
But someone may ask, "How will the dead be
raised? What kind of bodies will they have?" What a foolish question! When
you put a seed into the ground, it doesn't grow into a plant unless it dies
first. And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but
only a dry little seed of wheat or whatever it is you are planting. Then God
gives it a new body--just the kind he wants it to have. A different kind of
plant grows from each kind of seed. And just as there are different kinds of
seeds and plants, so also there are different kinds of flesh--whether of
humans, animals, birds, or fish. And when
Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will
share in all his glory. In flaming
fire, bringing judgment on those who don't know God and on those who refuse
to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with
everlasting destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his
glorious power "Then the King
will turn to those on the left and say, `Away with you, you cursed ones,
into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his demons! And they will
go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal
life." "But if anyone
causes one of these little ones who trusts in me to lose faith, it would be
better for that person to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied
around the neck. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better to
enter heaven with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of
hell with two hands. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it
off. It is better to enter heaven with only one foot than to be thrown into
hell with two feet. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it
out. It is better to enter the Kingdom of God half blind than to have two
eyes and be thrown into hell, `where the worm never dies and the fire never
goes out.' And besides,
there is a great chasm separating us. Anyone who wanted to cross over to you
from here is stopped at its edge, and no one there can cross over to us.' Then the
Devil, who betrayed them, was thrown into the lake of fire that burns with
sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be
tormented day and night forever and ever. And just as it
is destined that each person dies only once and after that comes judgment,
|
Statement of Faith #13 Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:18-19
And then he told them, "Go into all the world
and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. As you sent me
into the world, I am sending them into the world. What this
means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not
the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! All
this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through
what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him.
For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting
people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to
tell others. We are Christ's ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to
you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, "Be
reconciled to God!" And remember
that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges.
He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in
reverent fear of him during your time as foreigners here on earth. Dear brothers
and sisters, you are foreigners and aliens here. So I warn you to keep away
from evil desires because they fight against your very souls. We know that
those who have become part of God's family do not make a practice of
sinning, for God's Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot get his
hands on them. But remember
that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what
others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from
becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted,
he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it. I myself no
longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body
by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. But now you
must be holy in everything you do, just as God--who chose you to be his
children--is holy. For he himself has said, "You must be holy because I am
holy." But we are
citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly
waiting for him to return as our Savior. |
Statement of Faith #14 Once when Jesus had been out praying, one of his disciples came to him as he finished and said, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." He said, "This is how you should pray: "Father, may your name be honored. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us our food day by day. And forgive us our sins-- just as we forgive those who have sinned against us. And don't let us yield to temptation. " Luke 11:1-4
But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon,
that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me
again, strengthen and build up your brothers." Are any among
you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray
over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. And their prayer
offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And
anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Confess your sins to
each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest
prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. Keep on
praying. Don't be drunk
with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit
fill and control you. Well then,
what shall I do? I will do both. I will pray in the spirit, and I will pray
in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will sing in words I
understand. Pray like
this: One day Jesus
told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and
to show them that they must never give up. |