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WE BELIEVE...
The Bible, the Old and New Testaments,
is the inspired Word of God, a revelation of God's will for the
salvation of mankind, the only supreme authority in all matters of
faith and conduct, our source of revelation of God, the knowledge of
salvation, the origin of all things and of the hereafter, it is the
final Court of Appeal on all points of doctrine, life and godliness. (2
Tim 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Hebrews 4:12)
There
is one living and true God who has revealed Himself in three Persons:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, infinitely perfect and eternal in
existence and equal in glory, majesty and power (Matt 28:19; Luke 3:21 -22).
God the Father
is the Creator of all things and the Author of eternal redemption.
(Matt 6:9). He is an infinite Person of Spirit, perfect in holiness,
wisdom, power and love. He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs
of men. He hears and answers prayers and saves from sin and death all
who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God,
fully God and fully man, Creator of all things with the Father, and the
appointed Judge of all men (John 1:14, 18; Col 1:13-20; Acts 17:31; Heb 1:14). He was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died on the Cross for
our sins, was buried, resurrected bodily on the third day according to
the Scriptures and appeared to his disciples (1Cor 15:1-8). He ascended
to the Father, where He continues His High-Priestly ministry, and will
personally and physically return for a glorious Church and execute
judgment upon the wicked. (1Thess 4:16 -18)
The Holy Spirit is The Comforter, the Promise of The Father
(Acts 1:4), the Revealer of Christ and His work on the Cross, the
Empowerer and the Distributor of gifts and graces upon all who believe
in Jesus Christ. He is an abiding Helper, Teacher and Guide, and
indwells every born again believer in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit
came to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment and to regenerate sanctity. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and power for service, often subsequent to regeneration.
God
is the Creator and created humankind in His image and to have dominion
over His creation (Gen 1:27). However, sin entered the world through
the disobedience and rebellion of mankind. Thus, humanity became
separated from God and totally incapable of saving itself (Rom 5:12).
All of mankind needs to turn from sin and trust personally in the
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, to receive redemption. (Rom 3:23)
The
power of sin and death was broken when Jesus bore our sin at the Cross
and rose again, providing the only way of salvation for the whole
person: spirit, soul and body. (Heb.4:12 ; 1Thess. 5:23)
Mankind
can only be saved by grace through repentance and faith in Christ's
perfect and sufficient work on the Cross. We receive remission of sins
by Christ's substitutionary sacrifice for us, redemption through faith
in His shed blood and regeneration by the Holy Spirit's power. (John
3:5)
The
Lord's Presence, Peace, and Power are manifest in His Body in various
ways, which are not, however, to be regarded as a means of salvation.
The Lord's Supper, consisting of the elements, bread and fruit of the vine,
is a symbol expressing our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus
Christ (2 Peter 1:4), a memorial of His suffering and death, and a way
of partaking of the spiritual benefits bequeathed to New Covenant believers.(1Cor 11:17-34)
Water
baptism, by immersion, is the obedient response to the Lord's command
(Acts 2:38 ; Matt 28:19-20) and a visible representation of our
death, burial and resurrection with Christ.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a valid and important experience for believers today. The Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost
and is present for all believers today, often subsequent to the new
birth and evidenced by speaking with other tongues (Acts
2:1-4;10:44-46; 19:1-6) and endowment with power to witness (Acts
1:8). Grace gifts and fruit of the Spirit (Rom 5:5, 1 Cor 12:5-11; Gal 5:22 -23).
The Church is the living spiritual Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:12 -14; Eph 1:22 -23)
, His Bride (Eph 5:25) and Temple of the Holy Spirit (1Cor 3:16), the
expression of the present rule and reign of Christ's Kingdom of God on
earth. All regenerated persons are members of the universal mystical
body, by faith they are a holy priesthood of believers. Believers need
to live out their commitment to Christ in love, unity and community
with other body members in the local church-this is the practical
expression of Christian faith in action.
Christ gifted His Church with unity and a five-fold ministry of
apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers for maturing,
ordering, equipping, and releasing the whole body to do the works of
service that reveal His glory. (Eph 4:11-16)
Divine
healing is within Christ's work of atonement (1 Pet 2:24) and great
gift of salvation. Healing, communicated by God's grace, gifts, laying on of hands, anointing with oil,
and simple faith alone, minister healing for the whole person
(emotional, mental, physical) and deliverance from oppression by the
devil (Acts 10:38; Mk 16:17-18; Jas 5:14-16).
The laying on of hands, as performed in the New Testament, is an operation of the ministry of the Holy Spirit for healing the sick, baptism of the Holy Spirit, receiving spiritual gifts,
dedicating children, ordaining ministries, sending out missionaries
(Acts 13:3) and blessing and anoint believers for their spiritual lives.
All
Christians are called into a life of separation from sinful practices
and they should take every opportunity to promote righteousness and
godliness (James 4:4; Romans 12:1-2, 13:1-10; 2Cor 6:14 -18;
1 John 2:15 -17). Holiness is the release of Christ within each and
every believer, changing us into His image, from glory to glory. (2Cor
3:18)
The
mandate and privilege of every Christian is to proclaim the Gospel to
the lost world by making disciples of all nations, baptizing and
teaching them to obey everything He commands (Matt 28:18-20). This
lifestyle of evangelism is accomplished through prayer, living out our
faith, preaching the Word and sacrificial giving. (Acts 1:8; Luke 10:2;
Matt 10:7-8; 1Cor 9:19 -23)
The Ascension
and Exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ to the throne of the Father
proclaims His present rule and reign over the universe. His Kingdom is
revealed here on earth through His Body, the Church, resulting in a
glorious Church and global harvest at the end of this age. He will be
finally revealed through His personal, physical, and soon return and
the events described in the following scriptures, including the
resurrection of the dead, the just to everlasting life and unjust to
eternal separation from God (Acts 1:11 ; 1Thess 4:16 -17; Titus 2:12
-14; 2Thess 1:7-10).
God
is continually restoring truth and light to His Church. Therefore, we
place no limit on further revelation; however, each must be
substantiated according to the Scriptures.
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