For our statement of faith, we’ll start by saying: We love Jesus! He’s saved us from sin, changed our lives, and taken us off the hell-bound paths we were on. He’s our Lord, our Savior, our Healer, and our Redeemer. Everything we do, we do for Him and because of Him. As pastors, and also as a church, we have three commitments -
1. Study God’s Word
2. Follow God’s Word
3. Share God’s Word
…all without compromise.1
If you’d like to classify us without going through the whole statement of faith in detail, you might call us “orthodox (Trinitarian) Pentecostal” or “full gospel”. We’ve been heavily influenced along the way by the Assemblies of God, Foursquare, Vineyard, Church of God-Cleveland, TN, and other Pentecostal and charismatic groups. We are not presently affiliated with a denomination, but are open to doing so if the Lord leads us to in the future.
Statement of Faith
We believe that the Bible is God’s word.
It was inspired (which means God-breathed) by the Holy Spirit and penned by human authors as He directed. The sixty-six books of the Bible are infallible and inerrant. We believe in taking the Bible literally and applying God’s word in a practical way to our daily lives. All experience (including and especially supernatural experiences) should be tested by God’s word. If an experience (for example, a prophecy) does not match up to what the Bible says, something is wrong.
We worship God (Father/Son/Holy Spirit… Three in One).
God is the Father, God is the Son (Jesus) and God is the Holy Spirit, who co-exist eternally as One (forever in the past, forever in the future). God is the Holy Trinity, Three in One. The God of the Bible is the only true God. Anyone and anything else making claim to godhood is false. God is holy and perfect in all His ways. As God’s Son, Jesus is fully human as well as fully God. He lived a wholly sinless life on earth, and when He went to the cross, He voluntarily took on the punishment for every sin that man ever has or ever will commit. Jesus is the Word of God, and the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The only way people can have a relationship with God is through Jesus and the sacrifice He made on the cross for us. Without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and His covering of our sins, we cannot know God nor stand in His presence.
Sin destroyed man’s relationship with God.
When God created Adam and Eve, they were perfect and sinless. However, with perfection came a free will…the ability to choose what is right - and what is wrong (sin). When man willfully sinned in the Garden of Eden, sin entered the whole world. All people are born sinners and are unable to live a life that is pleasing to God. God is holy and perfect, and cannot abide sin, and therefore a sinner cannot enter into His presence. Even though people may try to live good, moral, and righteous lives - and some do quite well at it - at some point, everyone falls short of God’s standard. There is no such thing as a “little” sin in the eyes of God.
The result is man’s separation from God, both immediate and eternal. Because of sin, no one can have a relationship with God on their own. The Bible says that the “wages of sin is death”. Death and hell are the penalties for sin, and every single person on earth deserves eternal separation from God in the form of death and hell. The only way anyone can be saved from this penalty is to accept the sacrifice Jesus made for them on the cross so they can enjoy restored fellowship with God.
satan2 was an angel that rebelled, and is now the enemy. Angels and demons exist and can interact or interfere with humans.
God created angels. Angels were made to be God’s servants and messengers, and many still are. satan2 was a highly-ranked angel who rebelled and was cast out of God’s kingdom along with one third of the other angels who also rebelled. These demons are under satan’s command, and much of what we attribute to satan is actually performed by them at his behest. It is important to remember that satan and his demons are created beings - satan is NOT the opposite of God. Although he is powerful, he is not all powerful or all seeing, nor are his demons. Furthermore, Jesus gave us authority and power over satan and his schemes.
satan’s primary purpose is to get people to worship or follow him, and if he can’t do that, to make their lives so miserable that they cannot worship and follow God effectively. satan enticed Eve in the Garden of Eden, thus bringing sin into the world. satan encourages sin, but people must choose to go along with it. he and his demons will lie, cheat, steal, kill, destroy, annoy, harass, and harm. We believe that demons can “possess” an unbeliever3, and that Christians can be spiritually oppressed by demons. This often appears to be a mental or physical illness. For some, this oppression can be so severe that they are unable to function. In either case, deliverance is possible in Jesus’ name and through God’s power.
Jesus, who was fully man and also fully God, came down from heaven for a purpose: to destroy the works of the devil(see above) and to rescue humanity from sin.
Remember, the penalty for sin is death. Yet “…God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) When the Bible says that He gave, that means that Jesus died. He paid the penalty for every person, and for every sin that has ever been committed when He gave His life on the cross. God Himself took the punishment so that you wouldn’t have to. Why? Because He loves you so much!
If we accept the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, we can have restored fellowship with God - both immediate and eternal. He will forgive you for every sin you’ve ever committed… if you ask. You must choose Jesus - or choose against Him. (you cannot choose God unless you choose Jesus!) Choosing Him means that God will see you through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, who led a sinless life and offered a perfect sacrifice for all of us. All God sees the perfection of Jesus. This is a concept we call “grace”. The word grace means “unmerited favor”. God doesn’t have to save us - but He does because He loves us. But if you choose against Him, God will judge you on your own merits. He will see your sin, and that you never asked for forgiveness.
We believe that one must be saved by grace through faith in Jesus, and there is no other way to be saved other than through Him.
After salvation comes sanctification.
(Salvation is when we put our full faith and trust in Jesus and accept His sacrifice for our sins, making Him Lord of our lives.) Sanctification is at once something instantaneous and something progressive. All Christians are called “saints” regardless of whether they’re a new believer or have followed Christ for many years.
At the moment a person is saved, in God’s eyes they are sin-free. However, we are incapable of living completely sin-free lives. Even as new creations in Christ, we are still prone to sin. That’s not to say that a Christian has license to sin all they like because God will forgive - He expects holiness from us. When we slip up, however, we can go to Him and receive forgiveness.
God expects that as we grow in Him, we will grow more and more like Jesus because we are being transformed.
We believe that it is possible to willfully give up salvation.
We do not believe that salvation can be “lost”; in fact we know from the Word that all believers are assured of their eternal security. However if a person comes to Jesus at one point - perhaps living fully for Him, for a time - and then they deliberately and willfully turn away from Him, they have in effect given up their salvation. Such a person may be restored, just as the Prodigal Son was… but only if they come to God and truly repent of their sin. (To repent means to turn from.) We believe that God still loves people who are lost - even those who turn away from Him - but He will not force them to return. They must come of their own free will.
Salvation is not a means to an end.
God does not wish to simply grant people a holy “get out of hell free” card. He desires intimate relationship with each and every one of us. Following Jesus is so much more than just going to heaven when you die. Eternity is important but so is life here and God is very concerned with both. Salvation is only the first step on a long journey of walking with God.
We believe in heaven and hell - they are real, physical, eternal places.
Heaven is where God is. Hell is a place of unending conscious torment. Those who are saved will go to heaven. Heaven is made for people who know God and love Him. Those who are not saved (who do not love God, and who choose to be judged on their own merits) will go to hell. God did not design hell for people - it was created for the devil and the angels who fell with him (demons). However, God will not force anyone into heaven who does not want to be there.
There is no third option. God doesn’t create a Hilton for people who feel they’re too good for Hell and therefore too good to accept Christ’s sacrifice.
We believe that worship is our logical response to who God is.
Our living should be an act of worship, and therefore there is no division between “sacred” and “mundane” - all that we do, we do as unto the Lord - whether that be work, sleeping, cooking, relationships, having friends over for dinner, or going to the movies! Worship can also be expressing praise and adoration to God through speech, singing and music, dance, art, prayer, and even silence.
Worship should always be a connection with God - a holy communion - and not simply something that we do.
As God desires a relationship with us, it is important that we stay in constant communication with Him. We accomplish this primarily through the reading and study of His Word (the Bible) and through prayer.
We know that God does not change and so He is just as active today as He was when the Bible was being written.
We know He hears every prayer and answers every prayer. We know that He works out all things for the good of those who love Him. We have seen miracles, signs, wonders, and healings that He has done in the lives of many people. We believe that He still communicates with people today through dreams, visions, prophecy, tongues and interpretation, and miraculous responses to prayer. We do not believe that people can command God to act, but that God hears, cherishes, and acts on our prayers according to His plans and purposes and our best interests.
We believe that through the empowering work of the Holy Spirit, people can live victoriously over sin, circumstances, and attacks of the enemy.
The Holy Spirit seals the believer at the moment of salvation and is present in every believer regardless of whether they speak in tongues or they have received what we call “The Baptism in the Holy Spirit”. Every believer HAS the Holy Spirit.
God gives gifts to His children.
God gifts us both in the natural, as skills and traits, and in the supernatural - for example, prophecy or healing. Supernatural gifts come through the Baptism in the Holy Spirit - an event which is subsequent to salvation and is usually evidenced by speaking in tongues (unknown languages).
We believe that God wants to bless His children and bless the world through them. We believe that whatever we ask in faith, according to His will, He will give to us. We absolutely trust in God’s ability to provide for our needs - even supernaturally. We do not, however, believe that “blessing” necessarily translates to “material wealth”, “never a sniffle”, and “zero discomfort”. God’s not going to give someone a mansion or a healing just because they spoke the right words fervently. While there is sometimes a fine line between believing, faithful, fervent prayer and demanding that God do something, that line does exist and to cross it into the realm of thinking your words command or force God into doing something is both occultic and foolhardy.
The supernatural gifts God gives to us vary from person to person, place to place, and time to time. This is because the Holy Spirit will provide what is needed. Some people operate freely in one gift but never in another; others seem to exercise many gifts. Trust in the Lord!
Here are some of the gifts that God gave us (and commanded us to use):
Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons…
Mark 16:17,18 In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
Romans 12:6-8 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
1 Cor. 12:7-11 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
Yes! God says that in His power and His authority we must heal people… prophesy… speak in tongues… work miracles!
We believe that all of our money, time, and worldly possessions belong to God
…and that He has entrusted this time, those funds and our possessions to us. Therefore, we are called to be good stewards of all He’s given into our hands, whether we are very rich or very poor by the world’s standards. We believe in the biblical principle of tithing (giving ten percent of one’s income to the local church) and giving offerings above and beyond that amount as the Lord leads. Some can potentially give millions of dollars. Others can contribute but a few cents. God is as pleased with the few cents from a person with nothing, as He is with a billion dollars given by a rich man.
God wants us to open our homes, wallets, and hearts to those in need.
We also believe that in addition to financial giving, all of God’s people are called to be workers in God’s kingdom. While charity may be a God-given gift for some people, giving a lot of money isn’t an excuse to sit on the couch and do nothing else!
We believe that the Church is made up of all true believers and as such is the Body of Christ.
Although there are differences between people and denominations, we know that among true churches and true believers, our faith in Christ is absolute and transcends all differences. We can be brothers IN Christ BECAUSE of Christ. We do not place ourselves above any church or denomination with differing beliefs or practices, and we do not feel that doctrine should produce division.
We believe in what is called “five-fold ministry”.
We believe that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers exist today for the purpose of equipping the saints for ministry and edifying the church.
We believe that a church should be apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic, pastoral, and teaching… no emphasis or ministry is more important than the others, nor should any be left out.
We believe that all Christians are called to ministry of some sort, and that God’s calling, their talents and skills, and their spiritual gifts all play a part in that ministry. Ministry is not always in a church or evangelistic setting - many people are called to a secular environment in which they can infuse Christ’s power. Even those who are not in a desirable job have the opportunity to impact their co-workers and customers for Christ.
We believe in the “priesthood of all believers”.
This does not mean that all believers are called to be pastors; it means that no one needs to go through a priest or pastor to gain access to God. Anyone who knows Jesus as their Savior may go to the Father through Him in prayer. Anyone who knows Jesus can walk in His authority.
We believe that the church must be simultaneously focused on God and focused on God’s heart.
The church should never be solely inwardly-focused. Church should never be about getting hyped up and then going home. God’s heart and His purposes include sharing Jesus with those who don’t know Him and care and compassion for people in need (all needs - poverty is just one). We are called to make disciples (Matthew 28:19). He will bless us with the resources we need to do these things.
As a church, we practice two ordinances: water baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper (communion).
Water baptism is reserved for those who have made a conscious acceptance of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We feel that water baptism should not be delayed after salvation. Since people in the New Testament were baptized immediately, we’ll do so also! We do not baptize infants, and use extreme caution in baptizing young children who indicate that they are following Christ. We do, however, dedicate children to the Lord.
The Lord’s Supper is reserved for all those who know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, regardless of church background or membership.
We know that Jesus came a little over 2000 years ago, and we know that He is coming again - first invisibly (the Rapture) and then visibly (the Triumphant Return).
We don’t know the day or the hour He will rapture the church, nor will there be any sort of announcement or warning. We believe that He will come and take the church (living and dead) away prior to the Tribulation - a period of seven literal years in which God will pour out His wrath on the world. Those who are left will experience the Tribulation. During the Tribulation period, a single ruler will rise up in control of the earth. This ruler is known as the antichrist.
After the Tribulation period ends, Jesus will come again, with us following Him. A huge war will erupt all over the earth. Jesus will remove control from the antichrist and satan, and he will be bound and cast into the Pit for 1000 years. That time - called the Millenial reign - will be a time of perfect peace and restored, renewed relationships on Earth. At the end of 1000 years, satan will be temporarily released from his prison. he will be allowed to test the faith of those born during the Millenium. Those who rebel against God will be destroyed, and satan will then be cast into hell forever.
Following this, all people will be judged. The wicked (those unsaved) will be judged according to their own works, rather than the works of Jesus, for their names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. They will be cast into hell forever.
Then God will completely destroy the heavens and the earth. How He will accomplish this is a matter of speculation, but the method doesn’t matter. This world and all that’s in it will be destroyed completely, and God will create a glorious new world for His saints to live in with Him forever.
An important side note about trouble and tribulation: The church will not go through the Tribulation, however, Jesus said that while we are in this world, we will experience tribulation. The church in America has been blessed and exists relatively trouble-free… but that may not necessarily be the case. Many believers in other parts of the world are experiencing torture, imprisonment, famine, and disaster that we in the West can scarcely imagine. We should be prepared for tribulation, while anticipating being taken away before the Great Tribulation. The events of the Great Tribulation cannot be compared to natural events. Imagine the world’s worst disaster - the 2004 Asian Tsunami for example. The Tribulation we are talking about will be worse than that globally. There will be nothing left untouched in the Great Tribulation.
We realize that there are a great many Christians who earnestly believe the church will go through the Tribulation. We love and respect these people and their positions, and do not believe that it’s God’s will for anyone to fight over it. The fact that Jesus IS coming is what’s important. WHEN He comes, we’re going - period!
This Statement of Faith doesn’t contain all biblical truth, nor does it represent everything we believe. It is a snapshot of the essentials. Feel free to ask us about anything that’s not clear!Â
1 From Pastor Chris Elrod’s blog
2The capitalization of nouns and pronouns (including names) is a means of showing respect and acknowledgment of rank or position. Therefore, we do not capitalize satan’s name or pronouns related to him, even when proper grammar calls for such.
3 Pastor Kathi’s testimony of deliverance can be found on her blog.