WHAT WE BELIEVE

ABOUT GOD:  There is one God who has eternally existed as Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.  They are co-equal and are the Creator and Ruler of all that exists in heaven and earth. (Gen. 1:1, 26, 3:22, Ps. 90:2, Matt. 28:19, 2 Cor. 13:14, 1 Peter 1:2)

ABOUT JESUS:  Jesus is the Son of God.  Jesus voluntarily added 100% humanity to his 100% divinity making him the God Man.  He became a man in order to live the perfect life that we could not live and die the death that we deserved.  His sinless body was nailed to a cross and died a horrible, bloody death in order to show how ugly and serious our sin was and how far God was willing to go to show his love for us.  But not even death could conquer Jesus.  He rose from the dead on the third day to demonstrate his power over sin & death and that he had effectively canceled all of the sins against us in our past, present, and the future. (Is. 9:6, Matt. 1:22-23, Jn. 1:1-5, 14:10-13, Acts 1:9-11, Rom. 1:3-4, 1 Cor. 15:3-4, 1 Tim. 6:14-15, Titus 2:13, Heb. 4:14-15) 

ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT:  God, the Holy Spirit is very active.  He shows people their need for Jesus and comes to personally live inside of every believer from the moment of their salvation.  He changes believers, gives us power to live the Christian life, gives us gifts to help the church fulfill it's mission, enables us to understand spiritual truth, etc.  As Christians we seek to live under His control rather than our own self-will. (John 14:16-17, 16:7-13, Acts 1:8, 1 Cor. 2:12, 3:16, 2 Cor. 3:17, Gal. 5:25, Eph. 1:13, 5:18)

ABOUT THE BIBLE:  The Bible is God's perfect road map for living.  The Bible is unique not just because it is without error and is full of wise advice.  The Bible stands alone because it isn't just print on paper, but it is alive.  It contains the very words of God speaking to us, contains power to change our lives and is the supreme authority to direct our thinking, decisions, and behavior.  No wonder it is the best selling book of all time!  (Ps. 119:105, Prov. 30:5, 2 Tim. 1:13, 2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21)

ABOUT THE CHURCH:  The Bible says the church is the Body of Christ on the earth and is composed of all those who have put their faith in Jesus.  There is only one church which meets in different places around the world.  Each local church carries on the mandate of Christ to love God through worship and to love our fellow man through works of service, proclaiming the good news that all people can be saved through faith in Jesus, teaching, and fellowship.  Scripture is clear that we are to be connected and actively helping our local church fulfill it's calling in the world.  To be unconnected is foolish, unBiblical, and deprives the Body of Christ of what God intended for you to contribute. (Matt. 16:18, 1 Cor. 12:12-14, Eph. 2:19-22, 5:23,25, 1 Tim. 3:15, Heb. 10:24-25)

ABOUT HUMANITY:  People were originally created in the spiritual image of God (Meaning we have a will, can reason, are creative, can love the one true God, etc).  We are the pinnacle of his creation and the supreme object of God's love.  In spite of all of the privilege and dignity given to mankind we chose to rebel rather than obey our Creator.  This rebellion is called sin.  We aren't sinners because we sin - we sin because at the core of our being we are sinners.  Our sin has separated us from God and left us spiritually dead and broken.  We don't need to try and clean up our act, try harder or even become more moral.  We need forgiveness and a new heart & life which can only come from Jesus . (Gen. 1:27, Ps. 8:3-6, Is. 53:6, 59:1-2, Rom. 3:23, Rev. 20:11-15)

ABOUT SALVATION:  The claims of Jesus are both exclusive & inclusive.  They are exclusive because Jesus made it clear that HE was the only way a person can be repaired, renewed, forgiven and made right with God and go to heaven.  Jesus shattered the myth of "there are many paths to God."  This means that a person must turn away from a self-directed life & sinful choices and by faith trust in the work that Jesus did on the cross for them.  We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works.  Our faith is entirely rooted in what Jesus has done for us by his grace.

The claims of Jesus are also inclusive in that anyone, regardless of gender, race, politics, economics, etc. can be made right with God, be given eternal life and have the hope of Heaven as they put their complete faith in Jesus.  When a person does that the result is a changed person who begins to have new desires for spiritual growth, is actively separating from sin, and wants others to know what Jesus has done in their life, etc.  You won't be instantly perfect but the new, eternal life of God within you will be obvious as you make progress toward becoming a little more like Jesus every day! (John 1:12, 14:6, Rom. 5:1, 6:23, Gal. 3:26, Eph. 2:8-9, Titus 3:5)

ABOUT ETERNITY:  People were created to exist forever.  Jesus redefined death as "sleep."  It is a temporary state where our physical body is resting and our soul departs to be with Lord if we have put our faith in Jesus or to be in a place of torment if we have rejected God's love and repeated attempts to save us.  When Jesus returns again from Heaven our "renewed" bodies will be reunited with our soul.  The saved will spend eternity in Heaven where God lives and where there is no more sin, tears, pain, death, etc.  Those who have actively or passively rejected Jesus will spend eternity separated from God in a place the Bible calls Hell. (John 3:16, 14:17, Rom. 6:23, 8:17-18, 1 Cor. 2:7-9, Rev. 20:15, 21:1-8) 

ABOUT MARRIAGE & GENDER: In Genesis 1, God created humans both male and female. This reality is unchanging and decided at conception. The Word is clear that there is no biblical basis for a gender identity that departs from biological sex. God created marriage between one man and one woman, and within that covenant is the only place where sex is permitted and encouraged. As with all things that God created as good and pure, these truths have been corrupted and deeply confused within our culture. Our heart is to lovingly walk alongside people in their struggles, while we uphold Biblical truth without compromise. (Gen 1:26-27, Matt 19:4-6, Gen 2:24, 1 Cor 7:1-5, Eph 5:31, Rom 1:24-27, Lev 18, 1 Thess 4:3-8)

ABOUT THE SANCTITY OF LIFE : God is the author of life, and therefore every human being has value and dignity - no matter their age, location, or sentience. The Bible is clear that we are all image bearers of God and that life begins at conception; therefore, we believe that abortion is never the answer. We are called to value the life of the mother and the child equally, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy. God’s heart and our heart toward those who’ve chosen abortion in the past is one of forgiveness, love, and redemption -  not one of shame. We are passionate supporters of ministries that empower women in crisis to choose life, and ministries that care for women as they grieve past abortions or miscarriages. (Gen 1:27, Psalm 139:13-16, Isaiah 49:1, Deut 5:17, Matt 5:21)