"Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14 NIV
We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God:
The Bible is the revelation of God to man, the infallible rule and final authority on matters of faith, doctrine, and conduct, and is superior to conscience or reason, though not contrary to reason (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21).
We believe in the Godhead:
The Godhead is and will remain a mystery. But the Bible clearly teaches that there is ONE true God (not three gods) who expresses Himself in three distinct persons: God—the Father, God—the Son, and God—the Holy Spirit. And, while the term “Trinity” is not found in the Bible, evidences of this doctrine are pervasive. We believe the term “Trinity” is a reasonable way to express the obvious distinction the Bible provides between Father, Son, and Spirit. We believe that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are all equal in authority, are all of the same substance, yet they are unique in function (Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 43:10-11, Matthew 28:19, 1 John 5:7).
We believe in the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ:
We believe that Jesus is the eternal, pre-existent Son of God, that He is God manifested in the flesh and that He alone is the only way to access God—the Father, and that He is the only true means of salvation (John 1:1-2; 10:9; 14:6, Acts 4:12, 1 Timothy 2:5; 3:16).
We believe in the virgin birth of Jesus:
We believe in His sinless life, His supernatural miracles, His atoning work and vicarious death on the cross, His victorious and bodily resurrection from the dead, His glorious ascension into heaven, and His exaltation to the right hand of God, where He now rules in power and intercedes for His church (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23, Acts 1:9; 2:22; 10:38; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 2:9-11, Hebrews 4:14-15).
We believe in the depravity of man:
Man, by transgression, fell from the perfect, sinless state in which God originally created him. The fallen sin-nature, inherited from Adam, is transferred to every child at conception. Man is dead in trespasses and sins until he is delivered by the power of the Gospel and the regeneration of the “New Birth” (Genesis 3:1-7; Psalm 51:5; John 3:3, 5, Romans 3:23; 5:12-21, Ephesians 2:1-6, Titus 3:5).
We believe in the plan of Redemption/Salvation:
Man is saved (born again and reconciled to God) by grace through faith in the blood of Jesus. Repentance from sin, believing with the heart, and confession with the mouth the Lordship of Jesus regenerates a fallen man into a new creature. Salvation cannot be earned by works; rather, it is a free gift from God. Neither can man do anything to save himself. We further believe the true outward sign of the inward work of salvation is a godly, Christ-like lifestyle (Matthew 7:17, 20, Romans 10:9-10; Galatians 2:16; 3:11, Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
We believe Baptism in water is a necessary ordinance:
Instituted by our Lord and practiced by the Apostles, water baptism is an outward confirmation of an inward transformation. This act is to only be performed on repentant believers. In the act of baptism, a believer identifies with the death of Christ (the old sin nature is buried) and with the resurrection of Christ (the new man is made alive in Christ). In baptism, the believer publicly witnesses to the world that he/she is a new creature (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-5).
We believe in the Baptism with the Holy Spirit:
Spirit Baptism is an experience distinct from and subsequent to Salvation that enables believers to more effectively live a Christian life and empowers them for ministry. Every believer is promised, should seek for, and expect to receive this gift. The only Scriptural condition for receiving the baptism with the Spirit is being saved and requesting it from the Lord (Mark 1:8; Luke 11:13, Acts 1:5, 8; 2:38).
We believe speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of Spirit Baptism:
While there are several evidences of a Spirit-filled life, speaking in tongues is the sign most frequently associated with Spirit Baptism in the Early Church. Paul told the Corinthians, “I would that ye all speak with tongues” and to “forbid not to speak with tongues.” All believers are encouraged to “pray in the Spirit” and Jesus named tongues as one of the supernatural signs that follows believers (Mark 16:17, Acts 2:4; 10:44-46; 19:1-6, 1 Corinthians 14:2-5, 21-22, 39, Jude 20).
We believe in the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit:
The manifestation of these gifts is for the edification of the church body and should operate in an orderly fashion according to the guidelines set by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 14 (1 Corinthians 12:5-10).
We believe in Divine Healing:
Jesus’ atoning work on the cross was not only for our spiritual condition, but also for the healing of our physical bodies. Prayer for the sick, with the laying on of hands, is the Scriptural method of appropriating what Jesus provided for us in the atonement (Isaiah 53:5, Mark 16:18, James 4:14).
We believe in the laying on of hands, in anointing with oil, and issuing prayer cloths:
These three methods of ministry were all practiced by the Apostles and the Early Church. They represent a point of contact through which the power of God can flow. They all involve a transfer of God’s power from an anointed person to a person in need (Mark 6:5, 12-13; 16:18, Acts 6:6; 8:17; 19:12, 1 Timothy 4:14, Hebrews 6:2, James 5:14-15).
We believe in the rapture of the Church and the resurrection of the dead:
The just and the unjust will be resurrected to stand before God to give an account for the deeds done in the body. At the return of Jesus, the dead in Christ will rise in incorruption and immortality while the living saints shall be caught up to heaven and changed into a glorified state (John 5:24-29, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Revelation 20:11-15).
We believe in the Millennial Reign of Jesus and the saints:
Jesus will return to earth with His saints, overthrow the antichrist and his armies, establish His Kingdom, and reign with the saints from Jerusalem for a thousand years (Zechariah 14:1-9, Jude 14-15, Revelation 20:1-7).
We believe in the final defeat of Satan:
The devil, his fallen angels, the beast, the false prophet, death, hell, and every person whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10-15).
We believe in a literal heaven and hell:
The Bible describes Heaven as a place of perfection—a place with no more death, sorrow, pain, tears, curse, or night reserved for the righteous. Hell, prepared for the devil and his angels, is a place of torment, outer darkness and eternal separation from God (Matthew 25:41, Luke 16:19-31, Revelation 21:4; 22:3-5).
We believe there will be a new heaven and a new earth:
We, according to the promise, are looking for “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (Isaiah 65:17-25, 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1, 27).
We do not hold these truths to be all we believe:
We do, however, hold these truths to be consistent with the teachings of Scripture. We understand that revelation is progressive and we will remain open to the leading of the Holy Spirit in every area of life and particularly in the field of doctrine.
We further distinguish between essential and non-essential truth:
Some of the above mentioned truths are absolutely essential to eternal salvation. Others are non-essential to salvation. In essential doctrines, unity of belief is expected among our membership. In non-essential doctrine, liberty is given to the individual to believe the way the Holy Spirit reveals the Word to them. In all things, we believe in and practice charity!