Our Mission
Tenets of Faith
We believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth. We believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and buried; He descended into Hell; the third day He rose from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sat down a the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Ghost; the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.
A. Condition of Salvation:
Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners from the practice and punishment of sin. Faith in Jesus Christ as the true Son of God; dead, buried and raised from the dead, is the only means of salvation, for there is no other name under Heaven whereby we must be saved. The person or individual who believes in Christ will firmly believe that the Lord has been raised from the dead and will confidently confess with his mouth that Jesus is his Lord. John 3:16-17, I Cor. 15:1-4, Acts 4:12, Rom. 10:9-13
B. The Evidences of Salvation:
The inward evidence to the believer of his salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit. Rom. 8:16. The outward evidence to all men is his love toward all men. John 13:35
C. Baptism is Water
The ordinance of baptism by the burial with Christ (immersion) should be observed as commanded in the Scriptures, by all who have truly repented of their sins and in their hearts have truly believed on Christ as Savior and Lord. In so doing, they declare to the world that they have died with Jesus and that they have also been raised with Him to walk in newness of life. We baptize by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the name of the Father, the son and the Holy Spirit. Matt. 28:19, Acts 10:44-48, Rom. 6:3-4, Acts 8:35-38.
D. The Lord’s Supper:
The Lord’s Supper is to be celebrated as a memorial of the atoning death of our Lord Jesus Christ, consisting of the elements; bread and the fruit of the vine. The bread symbolizes the broken body of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which we are healed. The fruit of the vine symbolizes the shed blood of our Lord Jesus, by which we receive forgiveness of sins. The Lord’s Supper is enjoined on all believers “until He comes.” John 6:28, 51,53-58; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Cor. 11:26
E. The Promise of the Father:
All believers are entitled to earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian church. With it comes enduement of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry. Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-8; 1Cor. 12:1-31; Acts 2:38-39. This wonderful experience of the new birth. Acts 8:12-17
F. Entire Sanctification:
The scriptures teach a life of holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. By the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to obey the command, “Be Ye Holy, for I am Holy.” Entire sanctification is the will of God for all believers and should be earnestly pursued by walking in obedience to God’s Word. Heb. 12:14; 1 Peter 1: 15-16; 1 Thess. 5:23-24; 1 John 2:5-6
G. The Church:
The church is the body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of her great commission. Each believer, born of the spirit, is an integral part of the body of Christ, whose names are written in Heaven. Eph. 1:20-23; 2:18-22; Heb. 12-23
H. The Ministry and Evangelism:
A divinely-called and Scripturally ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for the twofold purpose: (1) the evangelization of the world, Mark 16:14-20; Matt. 28:19-20 and (2) edifying of the Body of Christ. Eph. 4:11-13
I. Divine Healing:
Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement, and is the privilege of all believers. Isa. 53:4-5; Matt. 8:16-17; Peter 2:20-24. Prayer for the sick is provided for in the New Testament. James 5:14-15
J. Deliverance from Demonic Oppression of Possession:
Jesus Christ, on the cross of Calvary, defeated the devil and all his host, and paved the way for all men that would believe in Him as the Son of God to be set free from the Kingdom of Darkness and be translated into the Kingdom of Light. However, when a person does not repent, turn from sin, renew their mind by the word of God, and put on the whole armor of God, they open themselves to oppression and possible demonic possession. If oppressed, a person sometimes needs the agreement prayer of deliverance from demonic spirits in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ. If possessed, deliverance is necessary. Col. 1:12-14; 2:10-15; Rom. 12:1-2; Eph. 6:10-17; James 32:14-16; 1 Tim. 4:1-2; Matt. 18:18-19; Mark 16:17.
K. 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 soon coming of the Lord is the imminent and blessed hope of the church. 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rom 8:23; 1 Cor. 15:51-58
L. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ:
He will visibly return from Heaven. Rev. 1:7. He will return for His body, the saints. 1 Thess. 4:16-17; 1 Cor. 15:51-58. he will be coming to execute judgment. Jude 14; Tim. 4:1. And He will set up a Kingdom in which there will be no end. Dan. 2:44; 7:12-14; 1 Cor. 15:24-25; Luke 1:33.
M. The Lake of Fire
The devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, and whosoever is not found written in the Book of Life, shall be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Rev. 19-20; 20:10-15
N. The New Heavens and the New Earth
We, according to His promise, look for a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. II Peter 3:13; Rev. 21:1
Praise and Worship
Why do you sing choruses as well as hymns?
The scriptures tell us to “be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.” (Eph. 5:18-19)
Why do you clap your hands?
The psalmist exhorts us, “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy” (Psalm 47:1)
Why do you lift your hands?
Once again in the Psalms we find our answer, ” I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands” (Psalm 63:4)
I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing” (1 Tim. 2:8)
Why is your praise so vocal?
Both the Old and New Testaments instruct us to lift our voices to God. “I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips” (Psalm 34:1)
Why do you play musical instruments?
“Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre, praise Him with the tambourine and dancing, praise Him with strings and flute, praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals” (Psalm 150:3-5)
Pastoral Ministry
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside the quiet waters,
He restores my soul,
He guides me in the path of righteousness
For His names’ sake (Psalm 23:1-3)
Psalm 23 provides a picture of our Lord’s desire for the care of His people. It is a perfect example of personal relationships and responsibility, and promises that result in:
Provisions for all of our needs
Rest in pleasant places
Clear guidance
Peace for the weary soul
Jesus, who is our Chief Shepherd, laid down His life for His flock. The early Church leaders received this challenge from the Apostle Paul:
“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28)
Later, St. Peter wrote”
“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers – because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrust to you, but being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2-3).
Why Water Baptism
The spiritual leadership of the church is under orders to not only teach and make disciples, but baptize those who believe. Faithful obedience to this command is evident throughout the book of Acts. (Acts 10:38,48)
The early church attached a great deal of importance to water baptism, and in so doing set a precedent for the entire church age. In complete obedience to the great commission, all new converts were instructed and immediately baptized. This was true of the very first converts after the Pentecostal outpouring. “Then Peter said unto them, repent and be baptized every one of you…then they that gladly received His word were baptized” (Acts 2:38,41)
Philip followed the same rule in Samaria. “But when they believed Philip’s preaching the things concerning the king of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women” (Acts 8:12)
For centuries there has been much discussion over the mode of baptism. Some churches sprinkle, others pour, while still others immerse. To the new convert, this divergence of practice may seem a problem, yet the literal meaning of the word “baptize” should settle this matter. According to Strong’s concordance it means “to make fully wet”.
“Where, then, came the practice of sprinkling and pouring? When the church forsook the simplicity of the New Testament and became influenced by pagan ideas, it attached an unscriptural importance to water baptism, which came to be considered fully essential to regeneration. It was therefore administered to the sick and dying. Since immersion was out of the question in such cases, baptism was later administered by sprinkling and because of the convenience of the method it was made general.” (Know the Doctrines of the Bible by Myer Pearlman).
Examination of scriptural accounts of baptism was stated by Jesus in the great commission. (Matt. 3:16; Acts 8:38)
The formula for baptism was stated by Jesus in the great commission. (Matt. 28:19,20) “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”