Statement of Faith We Believe: What is expressed here is not to be taken as absolute interpretation in religious matters. The ideas here are only a consensus of opinion of what we believe to be truth in our interpretation of God’s Word. There is no intention to add anything to the Bible, the simple conditions of salvation, or living life as a Christian.  These ideas are a general expression of our beliefs as given in the Bible. We do not regard this as a complete statement of our faith, for the Bible is the sole authority. We do not want to hamper in any way the freedom of individual thought or investigation into the Bible. We therefore state these basic premises: God--- There are three that bear witness to God called the Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Father is the head of the trinity and is the intellect. This intellect is the conclusion of all knowledge and wisdom. The Son, Jesus, is co-eternal with the Father and Holy Spirit and made all things (John 1:1-5). He came to Earth in human form and paid the price for our sins by his sacrifice upon the cross. He was born of a virgin, lived among us, died on the cross and was resurrected after his death. Jesus will come again to take all true believers to be with him and these will live eternally with God. By his suffering on the cross we are healed from our iniquities (sins). The third part of the God is the Holy Spirit. He is the essence of God’s indwelling of all born again believers. Jesus called him the comforter and he is what we feel today when we are called of God. He convicts us of our sins and draws us into fellowship with God. By his guidance we are shown God’s will for our lives. Man--- Man was created by God, in His own image, and given a living soul. God’s greatest gift to man was a free-will choice. Man is a sanctioned being who God gave specific rights to choose between good and evil. With this choice we can do wonderful things that benefit mankind as a whole. We also are capable of doing great harm to society by our inhumanity upon ourselves. Man inevitably chooses, selfishly, what he thinks is best for himself without regard for God, and in so doing is in need of forgiveness. Sin is the choice mankind makes that goes against the plan of God for our lives. When we place our faith in Jesus, we live in a state of forgiveness. We are still sinners and not perfected, but we are no longer under condemnations, we are covered by the blood of Jesus and healed by his sacrifice. Salvation--- Salvation comes only by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He paid the penalty for our sin upon the cross. There is no amount of works we can complete, whether ceremonial or living good lives, which will bring us unto this state of forgiveness. We are born again by believing upon the name and sacrifice of Jesus. Salvation is open to all who will believe in Jesus as their Savior. There are three aspects of salvation. The first is regeneration and it is the initial acceptance of Jesus by faith. The second is sanctification and is considered our daily walk in life with the help of the Holy Spirit. This is infinitely important because it establishes the serious intent of the initial decision to accept Jesus. The last is glorification and is considered the crowning of life and rewarding of the faithful after death. Scripture--- The Bible is the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God. This Word is relevant and applicable to all people today. We take great care to emphasize the need for personal and private study of the Bible. By this study we obtain knowledge we can receive no other place or way. We want to acknowledge the use of the Bible as a daily guide to the complex problems of our society today. We establish the Bible as relevant and important in our lives. We are to utilize the Bible to test the challenges of the world with the information found therein. Church--- The church is not a place or building, it is the Church of all born again believers in Jesus. The “local” Church is a setting to worship and glorify God for all He has done. Worship is important because we acknowledge His leadership in our lives. It is also a place of fellowship where we come together to support and encourage each other. Fellowship is important because of the uplifting aspect it brings God’s people. Discipleship is also a large part of a church. We are to teach, train, enable, and equip the members of the church so they may live a better life in Christ and go into the world to share the message of truth. We are to learn to serve the community of the world and give to them of our resources to aid and lift up, whenever possible. Therefore, we are to congregate together to accomplish His work given us until the end time. Evangelism--- We acknowledge the desire of God for us to reach outward from the security of ourselves to those around us. In this outreach we are to carry the message of salvation unto a spiritually lost and dying world. The primary theme is our longing to share with others the love that has been shown unto us by our faith in Jesus Christ. Sharing this Gospel is enormously important in our Christian lives because we feel the need to go outside ourselves. We rely upon God, by the Holy Spirit, to open the doors needed in sharing of the truth. End times--- In God’s time, He will set in motion the events that will bring a conclusion to this age. We may speculate as to the time but we acknowledge only God knows of that day. On this day God will initiate an era of completeness and finality. He will bring those who have a right relationship in Christ into oneness with Him. As for the details of when and how, we trust in God by faith, knowing He will make all things right at the proper time and in the proper manner. We do look forward to that time because it means our eternal union will now be sealed. Maranatha!