WHAT WE BELIEVE AT AREA 10
About God: The Father
We believe the Father is the eternal Creator and Ruler of all things. He is one God with three equal and distinct persons, each with their own roles: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is all-powerful, all-knowing and active in the affairs of today. Genesis 1:1-3, Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19, John 1:1-14, 14:9-26, Galatians 4:4-6
About God: The Son
We believe out of His great love for us, God sent His Son, Jesus, to Earth where He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. His revolutionary life, teachings and miracles point to a better way for us to live. Jesus is the only person who has lived a life without sin. He was put on trial, beaten and sentenced to death on a cross because He claimed to be God. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, where He appeared before many witnesses. Shortly afterwards, He ascended back to Heaven where He rules at the right hand of God. We believe Jesus will come again to claim all Christ-followers to live for eternity in Heaven and to judge those who chose not to follow him.
Matthew 1:18-23, John 14:6-7, John 18-20, Acts 1:9-11, Hebrews 4:15, 2 Peter 3:9-10, Revelation 22:6-7
About God: The Spirit
We believe the Spirit of God moves freely in this world and shows people their need for Jesus. He also dwells in every Christ-follower from the moment they surrender their life to God. He offers power for living, understanding of spiritual truth and guidance in doing what is right. As Christ-followers, we strive to live within His leading every day. The Spirit also equips Christ-followers with abilities and talents for the purpose of building up the Church. John 14:16-17, Acts 1:8, 2 Corinthians 3:17, Ephesians 1:13, 5:18
About the Bible
We believe the Bible (both the Old Testament and New Testament) is God's written Word to us. Its authority is final and is without error. God used human authors, guided by God the Spirit, to supernaturally give guidance to His people. Romans 15:4, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 4:12
About Man
We believe we were created to reflect the image of God and to live in a loving relationship with Him. He also gave man the unique task to govern the Earth and care for it. God wants us to love Him back, but He wants it to be our choice. Genesis 1:26-31, Psalm 8:3-6
About Sin & Salvation
We believe sin simply means missing the mark God has set for our lives. We’ve all done it. The bad news is there’s a heavy punishment for our poor aim. There is no amount of good works we can do to even out the balance. The good news is Jesus took the punishment for us and offers a free gift of salvation and eternal life with God through our faith in Jesus. (John 3:16, Romans 3:23, 6:23, 10:9) We believe the Bible teaches that salvation—the forgiveness of sins—is only by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ (Matthew 26:28; Romans 5:9; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 1:7) We believe the Bible teaches that one receives God’s grace by putting faith in Christ, repenting of sin, confessing Christ and being immersed into Christ Romans 5:1-2 / Luke 24:45-47; Acts 3:19; 17:30; 2 Peter 3:9 / Matthew 10:32; Romans 10:9; Philippians 2:11; 1 John 4:15 / Acts 2:38, Romans 6:1-7; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21
About Satan
We believe Satan hates God, but God is too much for Satan to handle. To hurt God, Satan prowls around like a lion targeting the objects of God's love, us. God has prepared a living hell for Satan and his demons. Satan's goal is to take as many people with him as he can. He's an accuser, a tempter, a liar and disguises himself to look better than he is. Genesis 3:22-24, Matthew 4:1-11, 1 Corinthians 7:5, 2 Corinthians 11:14,1 Peter 5:8
About the Church
We believe the Church is God's plan to mobilize Christ-followers to radically change the world for God. All Christ-followers are members of the Church in a universal sense and we live out that connection in the local church. Jesus is the Head of the Church and there are no other candidates. Every local church should do its part to represent Jesus in the context and community it is located. Those in a local church belong to one another and take care of each other. They use their time, talents and treasures to serve the church and the world. Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:15-16; Colossians 1:17-18; Romans 12:4-8; Hebrews 10:23-25; Matthew 28:18-20