STATEMENT OF FAITH
“ROSS BIBLE TRAINING”
1. ABORTION
We believe that the Bible (Word of God) and His Holy Spirit teaches us that human life begins immediately at the time of conception. Therefore abortion is the killing of a human being.
Any medication, food, drink, or other actions that stops the growth of a human egg or causes that egg to be ejected from the human body after it has been fertilized is considered abortion (Taking of a Human Life).
Gen. 2:7, 9:6. Hosea 9:11. Jeremiah 1:5, 20:17 Exodus 21:22-23; Leviticus 20:13; Psalms 127:3; 139:13-16; Deuteronomy 5:7; 1Timothy 1:8-9; Numbers 35:16, 33; Ecclesiastes 11:5; Isaiah 1:15; 44:2; 59:2-3 John 8:44
2. ANGELS
We believe and teach that angels are created, ministering, spirit beings; created by God, to serve His purpose. They are not to be prayed to or worshiped.
The fact that 1/3 of the angels were able to choose to follow Satan and turn against God, proves beyond doubt that they are endowed with “Freewill”.
They were created fully mature and are spiritual beings, (not flesh and blood) and they are immortal. They do not marry nor do they seem to have babies.
The Holy Angels serve God as messengers and agents. Some are appointed (guardian angels) to attend to those, who because of age or mental illness do not have the mentality to know right from wrong. They are also appointed to watch over those who have chosen the Lord Jesus as Savior.
Nehemiah 9:6. 1Kings 19:5. Isaiah 6:2. Matthew 1:20-24, 2:13-15, 22:30, 25:31, 28:2. Mark 12:25. Luke 16:22, 20:36. Acts 5:18-20, 7:53, 12:7-11, 27:23-24 Hebrews 1:6-14, 1Peter 3:22. Colossians 2:18. Revelation 1:1; 19:10, 22:8-9
3. BAPTISM
We believe and teach that baptism by immersion in water, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth is the only acceptable form of baptism taught in the Bible and is the last step in becoming a “Born Again Christian”!
Since the Bible teaches that baptism is by faith joining in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the death of the old nature and the birth of the new nature, the cleansing of the conscience in order to begin that new life, baptism is “not” just a sign that you believe in Christ.
Persons who cannot mentally make a “freewill” choice (whether it by due to age or mental illness) need not be baptized. Infant Baptism, Substitute Baptism and Baptizing of the Severely Mentally Incapacitated: is un-biblical.
In order to follow Christ, we are told that we must "believe, repent and be baptized." An infant or a person who is mentally incapacitated cannot believe, repent or choose to be baptized.
Therefore, infant baptism is not acceptable, and we do not take part in or associate ourselves in any way with the practice of infant baptism, baptism for the dead or baptism of those who cannot make a mental choice of their own.
Matthew 3:6, 16. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16; John 3:3-6; Acts 2:38-42, 6:14-15, 6:30-33, 8:12-13, 36-39, 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:33; 18:8; 19:5; 22:16; Romans 6:3-11. 1Corinthians 12:13. Galatians 3:27. Ephesians 4:5; 5:26. Colossians 2:12. Titus 3:5. 1Peter 3:20-21
4. BIBLE SCRIPTURE
We believe that the Holy Bible consisting of 66 books that have been bound together, being the Old and New Testament, is the inspired translation of The Word of God from their original languages including Hebrew and Greek, and is our authority in matters of faith and practice. There are no other books, prophecies, or persons who are held equal to the Bible short of Christ Jesus.
We believe that the Holy Bible, consisting of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, is the inspired and authoritative revelation of God. Within it are all things that pertain to life and godliness and is in fact the information that God wanted us to have. Through humility, meekness, and the fear of the Lord, we seek to understand the Scriptures. We hold that God protected and preserved His Truth and The Bible contains all the information that is needed for a person with the guidance from God’s Holy Spirit to know Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah, Christ (God-man) The Savior and directions to live a Christian life in order to endure and to obtain eternal life.
We believe that Jesus Christ, in His life and teachings as recorded in the Bible, is the supreme interpreter of God's will for mankind; and being that we are Christians following the teachings of Christ, this makes The New Testament our final authority in matters of faith, practice and our life. This includes “all” books of the New Testament and their authors as they teach the “Words of Christ”, and He is “The Living Word of God”.
A: Old Testament:
We as Christians are no longer under the rules and laws (Mosaic Law) that was given to and for the Hebrew children found in the Old Testament (Old Contract). The O/T provides Christians with history of the creation of the world and mankind (as we know it) and some history of the Hebrew people. It also provides the prophecies of the coming Messiah, which was fulfilled with the Birth of Jesus of Nazareth and at his death and resurrection the Old Contract (Old Testament) was ended.
B: New Testament: We as Christians enter into a contract (New Contract) when we choose to accept the terms set forth in the New Covenant that is offered by God our Father and Jesus of Nazareth (The Christ).
Though the Old Testament provides insight and history and is in deed the “Word of God” it is the New Testament that teaches and explains how we are to become followers of Christ and enter into the New Covenant and how to live our lives as Christians once we do enter into the New Contract.
The New Testament is the last will and covenant of our Lord (Hebrews 9:15), and is our final authority for faith and conduct. If one is to have a true understanding of the will of God, he must always accept the New Testament interpretation of the Old Testament.
What was seen only vaguely (in the Old Testament) in the dim starlight of promise and type, is now seen clearly (in the New Testament) in the bright sunlight of God’s complete and perfect revelation in Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2; Matthew 5:43-44). The New Testament builds upon the Old, fulfills the Old, and reinterprets the Old.
Exodus 24:1-4, Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 17:19, Psalms 19:7-11, 119:105, 2 Timothy 2:15, 3:15-17, Joshua 8:34, Isaiah 34:l6, 40:8, Jeremiah l5:16, Matthew 5:17, 22:29, Luke 21:33, 24:44-46, John 1:1, 5:39, 16:13-15, 17:17, Acts 17:11, Romans l5:.4, 16:25-26, Hebrews l:l-3, 4:12, 1Peter l :25, 2Peter 1:19-21, 1John 1:1, Rev. 22:18-19.
5. BIRTH CONTROL
We believe the Bible teaches that life begins at the exact time of conception. Once the human egg has been fertilized, it is a human life.
To stop the growth of the egg or embryo or to cause either to be discharged from the body at anytime before birth is indeed the taking of a human life.
Any form of birth control that kills the egg or other wise interferes (after) fertilization should (not) be used by a Christian.
Only the form of birth control that keeps the egg from becoming fertilized should be acceptable which could include medical procedures for either or both husband and wife.
6. BLESSINGS
We believe that blessings come from God at his discretion, nothing we do or say can gain us any sort of blessing. The idea of “Seed Money” to gain blessings from God is totally un-biblical. The Idea that if we give more money to the Church we will have better health, a better job, a happier life, a better income, a new car or other riches is absolutely un-biblical. The idea that we can earn a blessing or more blessings by doing good deeds is also un-biblical.
7. CHURCH
We believe the Bible teaches that “The Church” is not any certain man made denomination or organization. The Church is actually “One Spiritual Unit”, and that one unit being made up of each and every true follower of Jesus Christ, no matter the follower is male or female; young or old, single or married, rich or poor and no matter the race or color.
We believe and teach that although Christians may have different ideas and faith when it comes to ‘freewill’, the Church (Christ’s Church) is in fact the community of believers who have believed, repented, and been baptized by immersion in the name of Jesus and are continuing in a daily race for eternal life.
The New Testament Church appears in two distinct aspects:
a. A fellowship of converted men and women (known as Brothers and Sisters), with Christ as Head, functioning in accord with New Testament teachings.
b. The glorious Church, the Bride of Christ, including all saints of all ages, to be manifest fully at the return of Christ Jesus.
Matthew 16:15-19, 18:20; 28:19-20; Acts 2:46-47; 20:28; Romans 7:4, 8:9; 12:4-5, Revelation 19:8-9. 1Corinthians 1:10; 3:17; 3:11; 10:17; 12:13; 15:52; Colossians 1:18, 24; Galatians 3:28. Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11; 4:11-13; 5:23-30; I Thes. 4:16-17
8. CHRISTIANITY
We believe that the original Christianity practiced in the book of Acts was eventually changed and modified by Rome and it's pagan clergy.
Rome, during the time many of the New Testament Books were being written, observed the ancient "Mystery Religion of Babylon", a sun worshiping cult founded by Nimrod at the tower of Babel.
Through Rome's influence in the 2nd and 3rd century (after the death of the original Apostles) the sun worship of "Mystery Babylon" was incorporated into Christianity mainly through the Church of Rome. Therefore, the form of Christianity now commonly practiced is a counterfeit, an offspring of the ancient Mystery religion. This apostasy was prophesied by the original Apostles.
We believe that this apostasy changed or removed Commandments which deal exclusively with our service to Him, and replaced them with pagan counterfeits which give homage to Mystery Babylon.
9. CITIZENSHIP
We believe the Bible teaches that as Christians we are God’s chosen people, becoming the “Spiritual Israel”. As Christians we are called to be a godly people who think, feel, dress, speak, act and even play, in harmony with the principles of Heaven. As Christians, we strive to involve ourselves only in those things that will produce Christ like purity, and bring glory to the name of our King, Jesus the Christ. This means that even our amusement, entertainment, and free time should meet the highest standards of Christian taste and beauty. While we do recognize that there are cultural differences; cultural customs or practice and traditions have nothing to do with the life style of a Christian. When we are born again, we are born into the family of God, when we become a Christian we become citizens of Heaven and the ‘Customs’ and ‘Traditions’ of Heaven become ours.
10. COMMUNION
We believe that The Bible teaches that communion consists of three parts; and before partaking, we must search our hearts and minds as Paul teaches; ‘communion should not be taken by those who are willfully sinning or living in sin. We must find ourselves worthy in order to avoid sickness and death by partaking unworthily.
Bread: The unleavened bread representing the sinless body of Christ.
Cup: The wine representing the blood that Christ shed for our sins
Basin: The service of humility or ‘washing the feet’ in a spiritual way is a continuation of the cleansing we received at the time of baptism. Baptism joined us in the death and resurrection of Jesus by washing away or sins and foot washing helps to keep us in that cleansed state by refreshing our spiritual cleanliness; Jesus said ‘one that has bathed (been baptized) needs only to wash his feet to be (remain) clean, do what I have done’.
Matthew.26:20-30; Luke 22:20; John.6:51-51, 13:1-20; Acts 2:42, 1Corinthians l0:l6-17, 11:17-34, 2Peter l: 4.
11. DAY OF WORSHIP SABBATH:
There are a large number of Christians who choose to meet together for worship on the seventh day of the week (Saturday) in remembrance of creation since the Bible says “God rested on the Seventh day and made it Holy”.
Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11; Luke 4:16; Isaiah 56:2; 58:13; Ezekiel 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:12
LORD’S DAY: most Christians meet together on the first day of the week (Sunday) and they call it the “Lord’s Day” since the first day is when Jesus arose.
Matthew 12:28; Mark 2:27-28; 16:1-7, Luke 24:1-3; 33-36; John 20:1; 19-28; Acts 20:7; 1Corinthians 16:1-2
TODAY: We believe and teach that the “Word of God” teaches us, that as long as either group does so in accordance with Romans 14 and 15, without condemning anyone who meets on a different day than the one they themselves have chosen to worship on, they both do so with a clear conscience and to the glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe the Bible teaches us that we are to worship The Lord God everyday. In agreement with Romans 14 and 15; we believe the Day of Worship is “Today.”
We should worship God at all times. No matter it be Saturday, Sunday or any other day that Christians gather to worship, it is pleasing to God.
What is important is that we glorify the name of Jesus Christ. “Yesterday is gone, tomorrow never comes, and “Today” is the day to serve the Lord”.
Matthew 12:1-12; John 4:21-24; Colossians 2:14-17; Hebrews 3:12-15;
12. DAILY LIFE
We believe that The Bible teaches that a Christian should always reflect the Lord Jesus in everything we do; this includes but is not limited to; Jokes, Movies, Music, Spoken Words, Money Spent, Dancing, Holidays, Parties, Friends, Relationships, Dating, Talking about others, Clothes we wear, Where we relax, how we relax, Our sexuality, (any form of sexual contact must be only for our spouse. Magazines and pictures or photos we look at.
Exodus 20:3-17; Leviticus 6:2-6; Psalms 101:3-7; Zechariah 8:16-17; Matthew 5:43-45; Romans (chaps.) 12 thru l5; Luke 10:27; John 15:12; 1Corinthians 5.9-13; 6:9; 10:21-23, 13-15, 18-20; 2Corinthians 5:15; 6:14-7:1. 1Timothy 2:1; 3:11; 1Peter 3:1-6; 4:7; Titus 2:1-8, 12; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 5:1-21; Philippians 4:8-9, Colossians 3:5-17; 1Thessalonians 5:7-8; James 1:26-27; 1John 2:5-6, 3:23-24, 4:13, 20-21, Revelation 21:8;
13. DEMONS (See Angels)
Demons/evil spirits are the fallen angels that decided of their own freewill to serve the evil devil instead of God our creator, and have indeed lost their home with God and in the end will suffer with Satan in the lake of fire that the Bible teaches is created for Satan and his angels.
Leviticus17:7; Ezek. 28:18-19; 1Samuel 16:14-23; Matthew 8:28-34; 12:43-45; 25:41, James 2:19; 2Cor. 11:14, 15, 2Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6; Revelation 9:20; 12:7-9
14. DIVORCE (See “Re-Marriage)
We Believe that all divorce is against God’s will. But The Bible provides two reasons that a Christian has permission to divorce.
1. Adultery: If the spouse (Christian or not) of a Christian commits adultery, the offended party can divorce and is free to re-marry.
Matthew 5:32; 19:9
2. Departure: If the non-believing spouse of a Christian chooses to leave the Christian and divorce, then the Christian is free to remarry. If the non-believer leaves refusing to live together as husband and wife, yet refuses to get a divorce, the Christian then has the right to divorce and is free to remarry if they desire to.
1Corinthians 7: 12-15;
NOTE: Divorce is “not” commanded in either situation. God does not desire divorce, but because we are humans, God has allowed for our cold hearts.
15. ETERNAL LIFE (See Free Will)
Eternal life is a very real, very present promise of every true believer; yet it is possible for a believer ‘of his own free will’ to forsake his faith, return to sin, and consequently forfeit eternal life with Christ.
God teaches us repeatedly thru out the Bible, that eternal life is free for the taking but in order to receive that life one must first enter the race by Believing, Repenting and being Baptized.
After that, one must continually walk with Jesus each and everyday in order to win the race but one cannot accept the blood of Jesus and then continue to live ones life in sin. We must strive to reach our reward, “Eternal Life”.
We Believe that Eternal life is the reward received by the Christian brothers or sisters that endure (remains faithful) to the end (when Jesus returns).
Matt. 25:24-30; John 3:36; John 15:1-7; Rom. 6:16, 8:35-39; I Cor. 9:27; I Tim. 1:18-20, 4:1; II Pet. 2:22; I John 5:11-13; Rev. 2-10, 3:5.16, 21.
16. FOOT WASHING (See Communion)
We believe and teach that "Foot Washing" is just as important to the Christian, as partaking of the Bread and Cup. Jesus stated, "A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you are clean, but that isn’t true of everyone here." One who has been baptized has had a bath and has been washed clean, but in our daily walk in this world we face temptations and get dirty everyday, so once in awhile (as often as communion) we need to wash our conscience clean and remember that we are the servants and “not” the served.
John 13:1-17
17. FREE WILL (See Eternal Life)
We believe that salvation comes only by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ, there is no other way! God created us with a “Free will” and we are therefore able to choose whether or not we will serve Jesus Christ as the Holy Angels did, or just like the fallen angels, we are able to choose to serve Satan.
The Bible clearly teaches that “no one” can take us from the hand of God once we have chosen to be placed there by accepting the gift of salvation that is offered through the blood of Jesus; However! Once we choose to accept that gift, once we choose to surrender to Jesus, we are still able to choose to lay that gift aside and willingly walk away from God and eternal life.
God teaches us repeatedly thru out the Bible, (especially the writings of the Apostles Paul and James) that eternal life is free for the taking but in order to receive that life one must first enter the race by Believing, Repenting and being Baptized-in other words “becoming a Christian” which means (a follower of Christ). And after becoming a Christian one must continue walking with Jesus each and everyday in order to win the prize at the end of the race that Paul speaks of, and of course that prize is Eternal Life.
One cannot accept the blood of Jesus and then continue to knowingly keep living ones life in sin, and expect to receive Eternal Life.
18. GOD
We believe in “One Living God” and He is “spirit”. He has no beginning and no end. He has always been and always will be. Almighty God is the Creator and Preserver of the heavens and earth. He is absolutely sovereign over all, eternal, incorruptible, and the only wise God He is life itself and all parts of God are alive yet he is one. His “Word”, “Will and Desire”, and very “Breath” are alive and give life and can never be separated from God, for in fact they are God. He alone is to be the object of worship deserving glory, honor, and complete undivided devotion. He commands monotheism and condemns polytheism.
Though the frail human mind may try to separate these living parts of God into several “distinct persons” or beings, He is not! In what might be called a ‘paradox’, God is “one” yet He is spirit and all parts of Him live. He is the creator, love, truth, power, and the life that sustains all that there ever was, all that there is and all that ever will be.
Genesis 2:7, Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Nehemiah 9:6, Mark 12:28-29, John 1:1-4, 16:27-28, Ephesians 4:5-6, 1Corinthians 8:4-6, 1Timothy 1:17, 2:5,
19. GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY
Civil government is ordained of God (Romans 13:1-7), and it is the duty of Christians to render obedience to the government in all things not contrary to the clearly revealed will of God (Luke 20:25; 1 Peter 2:13-17).
The Church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work. Jesus vigorously rejected every attempt to make him a political Messiah. The rebuke to Satan (Matthew 4:8-10), and to Peter (Matthew 16:21-23), and the statement to Pilate (John 18:36), all indicate his persistent refusal to place political change in society ahead of personal change in individuals.
Governmental authority is respected and obeyed. Each Christian needs to make up there own mind if they are willing to serve in a combatant status in the military. Oaths should not be taken, but truth affirmed.
Matt. 22:21; Luke 3:14; Rom. 13:1-10; I Tim. 2:1-2; Heb. 12:14; James 5:12; 1 Pet. 2:12-14.
20. HEAD COVERINGS
We believe that Paul answered this question very clearly and we hold to his teachings on the subject of “Head Coverings” each person must make up their own mind what is right for them and not force the issue on any one else…Now with that said, I must point out again that we are “Freewill Monotheism”, If one wants to wear a head covering or not, it is between her and God and should not be looked down on or look down on those who do the opposite.
1 Corinthians 11:2-16 (NCV) 2 I praise you because you remember me in everything, and you follow closely the teachings just as I gave them to you. 3 But I want you to understand this: The head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered brings shame to his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered brings shame to her head. She is the same as a woman who has her head shaved. 6 If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. But since it is shameful for a woman to cut off her hair or to shave her head, she should cover her head. 7 But a man should not cover his head, because he is the likeness and glory of God. But woman is man’s glory. 8 Man did not come from woman, but woman came from man. 9 And man was not made for woman, but woman was made for man. 10 So that is why a woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 But in the Lord women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women.
12 This is true because woman came from man, but also man is born from woman. But everything comes from God. 13 Decide this for yourselves: Is it right for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?
14 Even nature itself teaches you that wearing long hair is shameful for a man. 15 But long hair is a woman’s glory. Long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 Some people may still want to argue about this, but I would add that neither we nor the churches of God have any other practice.
21. HEAVEN
We believe and teach that “heaven” is the dwelling place of God (including our heart). it is a Biblical term applied to the chosen dwelling place of God and the eternal destiny of all God's redeemed children.
To be in Heaven is to remain in Christ in the presence of God, where death, mourning, crying, and pain will be no more. Heaven is characterized by everlasting joy, blessed peace, and the righteousness of God.
Which is what the New Earth and New Jerusalem is described as when being referred to as Paradise where Jesus will rule as King and all righteous will live with him.
1Kings 8:27-30; Matthew 6:9-10; Acts 7:55-56; John 14:2-3; Revelation 5:1-5,
22. HEALING
We believe and teach that God uses doctors, medicines, and other natural means as channels of healing. However, the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross does provide for divine healing. It is possible to receive divine healing by lying on of hands, anointing with oil and prayers offered by the elders of the church if this be the Father’s will.
Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 38:5, 53:4-5; Psalms 91:3-4, 103:3, 107:17-21, Matthew 4:23, 8:3, 13, 16, 9:28-29, 14:35-36; Mark 1:31, 5:27-34,6:5-6,10:52,16:18-20; Luke 5:17, 13:13, 17:12-14; Acts 21:8; James 5:14-15.
23. HOLIDAYS
We personally do not celebrate Holidays (to avoid all appearance of evil). How ever if a Christian is going to celebrate a ‘Holiday’ then it should be done in away that only the Father and our Saviour is glorified. No Bunny Rabbits, No Eggs, No Frosty, No Saints, No Idols, No Trees, No Jack-O-Lanterns, No Reindeer, No Saints, No Santa Claus, No Day of the Dead. All these things are reminiscence of false gods and must be avoided by Christians
24. HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that The Holy Spirit of God is indeed “The Power, Will, Desire and Thoughts of God” His ‘Living Will and Desire’ [Holy Spirit] lives inside all believers to guide us, convict us, cleanse our conscience, and give us peace of mind. We receive the Holy Spirit when we are baptized as a sign of God’s promise to us of eternal life. This is how we become ‘one’ with Christ, just as Christ was ‘one’ with The Father.
"One God" but all parts are alive. We must remember that we are speaking of "spirit life" of which we cannot totally understand or explain. The believer is sealed with the Holy Spirit (that is the will and desire of God). This is acknowledged and symbolized in a prayer of consecration (following baptism) by the laying on of hands of the elder. As a member of the body of Christ, the believer experiences spiritual growth and edification within the spiritual church.
Genesis 1:1-29; Mark 13:31, John 1:1-4, 5:19-20, 6:63-68, 14:16. Romans 12:5, Ephesians 1:13, 4:15, I Timothy 4:14, Hebrews 6:1-2. Philippians 2:16, 1Peter 1:23-25;
25. IDOLS / STATUES:
We Believe that Christians should avoid the possession of any and all religious relics such as (but not limited to); statues of saints, Jesus, Mary, God and even what is called the Christian Cross. There is too much temptation and appearance of evil due to so many Christians and non-Christians using these items for non-Christian purposes.
We believe and teach that all statues, pictures, jewelry (such as the cross) or any object used in any form of worship, prayer or Christian service, “is” idolatry! Whether the objects are in the home, the car, the church or the cemetery; the person participating in, (including attending such services) or allowing such in their home is committing Idolatry.
Deuteronomy 4:15-19, 5:8-9; Exodus 7:25-26, 17:2-5, 27:15; Isaiah 44:11-20, 46:4-10; Ezekiel 14:1-6; Habakkuk 2:18-2; Psalms 106:28-29, 115:l-8; Acts 17:27-31; Romans 1:20-30, 1Corinthians 10:13-22; 2Corinthians 6:15-18; 1Peter 4:1-5;
26. JESUS
We believe that Jesus of Nazareth is The Lord and Savior, The Messiah. Before his birth, the ‘man’ Jesus existed only in the way that any human could be said to exist…”in the will and desire of God”.
There are to parts that make up each human-being…the Mother’s egg and the Father’s sperm. When these two parts are joined they become one life form and the fertilized egg (a human-being) begins to grow. Growing from an egg, to an infant at birth and into a man or woman as an adult human-being:
In that sense, just as we existed in two forms before we became human, Jesus also existed in two forms before he became human.
1. One part existed from the beginning, for the part that overshadowed Mary was ‘The living word of God” which comes forth from God and is in fact God and just as in the beginning God said “let there be light”; he also said to the human egg inside of Mary “Grow”…
2. The second part of Jesus the human existed as a human egg in the body of his earthly Mother, a virgin named Mary. Not a special created egg or being placed inside of Mary, but one made from her own human body just as the majority of female women would have.
And just as God used Noah as the vessel to create the ark that offered salvation to mankind during the flood, God also used Mary as the vessel to create the Savior through which salvation is offered to mankind today.
God chose that particular egg inside of Mary to become our Savior. He united with the human egg by the power of His Holy Spirit through His ‘Living Word’ when He told the egg to grow, thus infusing together “God and human Man”.
In other words; The first form which is “God”, spiritually united with the second form which is “the human egg” and made a complete new one of a kind human-being, (The only begotten son of God) that is called Messiah, Master, Savior, Lord, King, Jesus the Christ!
We believe that Jesus grew and matured physically like any other human child would. And that through out his life he was tempted to sin just as any human is tempted, but unlike other humans he remained sinless.
We believe that Jesus (The Man) had “free will” and could have chosen not to die for our sins and was in fact more severely tempted ‘not’ to go to the cross, after his baptism and in the garden just before his arrest, than at any other time.
Jesus Christ gave His life on Calvary's cross and His precious blood was shed as a ransom far all. He was buried, and He rose again the third day for our justification.
We believe that there is no other mediator between man and God. That only Jesus suffered and willingly gave his life for our sins on the cross of Calvary. That he was buried and rose to life again ascending into Heaven to be with the Father as our High Priest and Mediator. Prayer should be given by Christians, only to God, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, our only mediator and Christ. ‘All’ others have fallen asleep and await the return of Christ Jesus. They are asleep in the grave and know nothing.
Ps. 34:18; Prov. 28:13; Is. 7:14; Matthew 1:20-23, 3:6-8, 18:21-35; Luke 1:30-35, 14:33, 19:8; John 1:1-3, 1:13-14, 3:13, 6:63-68, 14: Acts 17:30, 19:18; Rom. 4:25, 5:8; Hebrews 1:1-8, 2:7-18, 7:26, 8:1-13, 11:6; 1Corinthians 15:3-4; 25:17-19; 2 Corinthians 7:10; I Tim. 2:6, I Pet. 1:18-19; Colossians 1:14-20; Ephesians 2:8-9, 4:5; 1 John 1:9.
1. ABORTION
We believe that the Bible (Word of God) and His Holy Spirit teaches us that human life begins immediately at the time of conception. Therefore abortion is the killing of a human being.
Any medication, food, drink, or other actions that stops the growth of a human egg or causes that egg to be ejected from the human body after it has been fertilized is considered abortion (Taking of a Human Life).
Gen. 2:7, 9:6. Hosea 9:11. Jeremiah 1:5, 20:17 Exodus 21:22-23; Leviticus 20:13; Psalms 127:3; 139:13-16; Deuteronomy 5:7; 1Timothy 1:8-9; Numbers 35:16, 33; Ecclesiastes 11:5; Isaiah 1:15; 44:2; 59:2-3 John 8:44
2. ANGELS
We believe and teach that angels are created, ministering, spirit beings; created by God, to serve His purpose. They are not to be prayed to or worshiped.
The fact that 1/3 of the angels were able to choose to follow Satan and turn against God, proves beyond doubt that they are endowed with “Freewill”.
They were created fully mature and are spiritual beings, (not flesh and blood) and they are immortal. They do not marry nor do they seem to have babies.
The Holy Angels serve God as messengers and agents. Some are appointed (guardian angels) to attend to those, who because of age or mental illness do not have the mentality to know right from wrong. They are also appointed to watch over those who have chosen the Lord Jesus as Savior.
Nehemiah 9:6. 1Kings 19:5. Isaiah 6:2. Matthew 1:20-24, 2:13-15, 22:30, 25:31, 28:2. Mark 12:25. Luke 16:22, 20:36. Acts 5:18-20, 7:53, 12:7-11, 27:23-24 Hebrews 1:6-14, 1Peter 3:22. Colossians 2:18. Revelation 1:1; 19:10, 22:8-9
3. BAPTISM
We believe and teach that baptism by immersion in water, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth is the only acceptable form of baptism taught in the Bible and is the last step in becoming a “Born Again Christian”!
Since the Bible teaches that baptism is by faith joining in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the death of the old nature and the birth of the new nature, the cleansing of the conscience in order to begin that new life, baptism is “not” just a sign that you believe in Christ.
Persons who cannot mentally make a “freewill” choice (whether it by due to age or mental illness) need not be baptized. Infant Baptism, Substitute Baptism and Baptizing of the Severely Mentally Incapacitated: is un-biblical.
In order to follow Christ, we are told that we must "believe, repent and be baptized." An infant or a person who is mentally incapacitated cannot believe, repent or choose to be baptized.
Therefore, infant baptism is not acceptable, and we do not take part in or associate ourselves in any way with the practice of infant baptism, baptism for the dead or baptism of those who cannot make a mental choice of their own.
Matthew 3:6, 16. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16; John 3:3-6; Acts 2:38-42, 6:14-15, 6:30-33, 8:12-13, 36-39, 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:33; 18:8; 19:5; 22:16; Romans 6:3-11. 1Corinthians 12:13. Galatians 3:27. Ephesians 4:5; 5:26. Colossians 2:12. Titus 3:5. 1Peter 3:20-21
4. BIBLE SCRIPTURE
We believe that the Holy Bible consisting of 66 books that have been bound together, being the Old and New Testament, is the inspired translation of The Word of God from their original languages including Hebrew and Greek, and is our authority in matters of faith and practice. There are no other books, prophecies, or persons who are held equal to the Bible short of Christ Jesus.
We believe that the Holy Bible, consisting of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, is the inspired and authoritative revelation of God. Within it are all things that pertain to life and godliness and is in fact the information that God wanted us to have. Through humility, meekness, and the fear of the Lord, we seek to understand the Scriptures. We hold that God protected and preserved His Truth and The Bible contains all the information that is needed for a person with the guidance from God’s Holy Spirit to know Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah, Christ (God-man) The Savior and directions to live a Christian life in order to endure and to obtain eternal life.
We believe that Jesus Christ, in His life and teachings as recorded in the Bible, is the supreme interpreter of God's will for mankind; and being that we are Christians following the teachings of Christ, this makes The New Testament our final authority in matters of faith, practice and our life. This includes “all” books of the New Testament and their authors as they teach the “Words of Christ”, and He is “The Living Word of God”.
A: Old Testament:
We as Christians are no longer under the rules and laws (Mosaic Law) that was given to and for the Hebrew children found in the Old Testament (Old Contract). The O/T provides Christians with history of the creation of the world and mankind (as we know it) and some history of the Hebrew people. It also provides the prophecies of the coming Messiah, which was fulfilled with the Birth of Jesus of Nazareth and at his death and resurrection the Old Contract (Old Testament) was ended.
B: New Testament: We as Christians enter into a contract (New Contract) when we choose to accept the terms set forth in the New Covenant that is offered by God our Father and Jesus of Nazareth (The Christ).
Though the Old Testament provides insight and history and is in deed the “Word of God” it is the New Testament that teaches and explains how we are to become followers of Christ and enter into the New Covenant and how to live our lives as Christians once we do enter into the New Contract.
The New Testament is the last will and covenant of our Lord (Hebrews 9:15), and is our final authority for faith and conduct. If one is to have a true understanding of the will of God, he must always accept the New Testament interpretation of the Old Testament.
What was seen only vaguely (in the Old Testament) in the dim starlight of promise and type, is now seen clearly (in the New Testament) in the bright sunlight of God’s complete and perfect revelation in Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2; Matthew 5:43-44). The New Testament builds upon the Old, fulfills the Old, and reinterprets the Old.
Exodus 24:1-4, Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 17:19, Psalms 19:7-11, 119:105, 2 Timothy 2:15, 3:15-17, Joshua 8:34, Isaiah 34:l6, 40:8, Jeremiah l5:16, Matthew 5:17, 22:29, Luke 21:33, 24:44-46, John 1:1, 5:39, 16:13-15, 17:17, Acts 17:11, Romans l5:.4, 16:25-26, Hebrews l:l-3, 4:12, 1Peter l :25, 2Peter 1:19-21, 1John 1:1, Rev. 22:18-19.
5. BIRTH CONTROL
We believe the Bible teaches that life begins at the exact time of conception. Once the human egg has been fertilized, it is a human life.
To stop the growth of the egg or embryo or to cause either to be discharged from the body at anytime before birth is indeed the taking of a human life.
Any form of birth control that kills the egg or other wise interferes (after) fertilization should (not) be used by a Christian.
Only the form of birth control that keeps the egg from becoming fertilized should be acceptable which could include medical procedures for either or both husband and wife.
6. BLESSINGS
We believe that blessings come from God at his discretion, nothing we do or say can gain us any sort of blessing. The idea of “Seed Money” to gain blessings from God is totally un-biblical. The Idea that if we give more money to the Church we will have better health, a better job, a happier life, a better income, a new car or other riches is absolutely un-biblical. The idea that we can earn a blessing or more blessings by doing good deeds is also un-biblical.
7. CHURCH
We believe the Bible teaches that “The Church” is not any certain man made denomination or organization. The Church is actually “One Spiritual Unit”, and that one unit being made up of each and every true follower of Jesus Christ, no matter the follower is male or female; young or old, single or married, rich or poor and no matter the race or color.
We believe and teach that although Christians may have different ideas and faith when it comes to ‘freewill’, the Church (Christ’s Church) is in fact the community of believers who have believed, repented, and been baptized by immersion in the name of Jesus and are continuing in a daily race for eternal life.
The New Testament Church appears in two distinct aspects:
a. A fellowship of converted men and women (known as Brothers and Sisters), with Christ as Head, functioning in accord with New Testament teachings.
b. The glorious Church, the Bride of Christ, including all saints of all ages, to be manifest fully at the return of Christ Jesus.
Matthew 16:15-19, 18:20; 28:19-20; Acts 2:46-47; 20:28; Romans 7:4, 8:9; 12:4-5, Revelation 19:8-9. 1Corinthians 1:10; 3:17; 3:11; 10:17; 12:13; 15:52; Colossians 1:18, 24; Galatians 3:28. Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11; 4:11-13; 5:23-30; I Thes. 4:16-17
8. CHRISTIANITY
We believe that the original Christianity practiced in the book of Acts was eventually changed and modified by Rome and it's pagan clergy.
Rome, during the time many of the New Testament Books were being written, observed the ancient "Mystery Religion of Babylon", a sun worshiping cult founded by Nimrod at the tower of Babel.
Through Rome's influence in the 2nd and 3rd century (after the death of the original Apostles) the sun worship of "Mystery Babylon" was incorporated into Christianity mainly through the Church of Rome. Therefore, the form of Christianity now commonly practiced is a counterfeit, an offspring of the ancient Mystery religion. This apostasy was prophesied by the original Apostles.
We believe that this apostasy changed or removed Commandments which deal exclusively with our service to Him, and replaced them with pagan counterfeits which give homage to Mystery Babylon.
- First, the One God was replaced with a pagan trinity;
- Second, the church was filled with idols;
- The Lord’s Name was replaced in the baptismal formula with a “nameless” baptism in the titles Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
9. CITIZENSHIP
We believe the Bible teaches that as Christians we are God’s chosen people, becoming the “Spiritual Israel”. As Christians we are called to be a godly people who think, feel, dress, speak, act and even play, in harmony with the principles of Heaven. As Christians, we strive to involve ourselves only in those things that will produce Christ like purity, and bring glory to the name of our King, Jesus the Christ. This means that even our amusement, entertainment, and free time should meet the highest standards of Christian taste and beauty. While we do recognize that there are cultural differences; cultural customs or practice and traditions have nothing to do with the life style of a Christian. When we are born again, we are born into the family of God, when we become a Christian we become citizens of Heaven and the ‘Customs’ and ‘Traditions’ of Heaven become ours.
10. COMMUNION
We believe that The Bible teaches that communion consists of three parts; and before partaking, we must search our hearts and minds as Paul teaches; ‘communion should not be taken by those who are willfully sinning or living in sin. We must find ourselves worthy in order to avoid sickness and death by partaking unworthily.
Bread: The unleavened bread representing the sinless body of Christ.
Cup: The wine representing the blood that Christ shed for our sins
Basin: The service of humility or ‘washing the feet’ in a spiritual way is a continuation of the cleansing we received at the time of baptism. Baptism joined us in the death and resurrection of Jesus by washing away or sins and foot washing helps to keep us in that cleansed state by refreshing our spiritual cleanliness; Jesus said ‘one that has bathed (been baptized) needs only to wash his feet to be (remain) clean, do what I have done’.
Matthew.26:20-30; Luke 22:20; John.6:51-51, 13:1-20; Acts 2:42, 1Corinthians l0:l6-17, 11:17-34, 2Peter l: 4.
11. DAY OF WORSHIP SABBATH:
There are a large number of Christians who choose to meet together for worship on the seventh day of the week (Saturday) in remembrance of creation since the Bible says “God rested on the Seventh day and made it Holy”.
Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11; Luke 4:16; Isaiah 56:2; 58:13; Ezekiel 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:12
LORD’S DAY: most Christians meet together on the first day of the week (Sunday) and they call it the “Lord’s Day” since the first day is when Jesus arose.
Matthew 12:28; Mark 2:27-28; 16:1-7, Luke 24:1-3; 33-36; John 20:1; 19-28; Acts 20:7; 1Corinthians 16:1-2
TODAY: We believe and teach that the “Word of God” teaches us, that as long as either group does so in accordance with Romans 14 and 15, without condemning anyone who meets on a different day than the one they themselves have chosen to worship on, they both do so with a clear conscience and to the glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe the Bible teaches us that we are to worship The Lord God everyday. In agreement with Romans 14 and 15; we believe the Day of Worship is “Today.”
We should worship God at all times. No matter it be Saturday, Sunday or any other day that Christians gather to worship, it is pleasing to God.
What is important is that we glorify the name of Jesus Christ. “Yesterday is gone, tomorrow never comes, and “Today” is the day to serve the Lord”.
Matthew 12:1-12; John 4:21-24; Colossians 2:14-17; Hebrews 3:12-15;
12. DAILY LIFE
We believe that The Bible teaches that a Christian should always reflect the Lord Jesus in everything we do; this includes but is not limited to; Jokes, Movies, Music, Spoken Words, Money Spent, Dancing, Holidays, Parties, Friends, Relationships, Dating, Talking about others, Clothes we wear, Where we relax, how we relax, Our sexuality, (any form of sexual contact must be only for our spouse. Magazines and pictures or photos we look at.
Exodus 20:3-17; Leviticus 6:2-6; Psalms 101:3-7; Zechariah 8:16-17; Matthew 5:43-45; Romans (chaps.) 12 thru l5; Luke 10:27; John 15:12; 1Corinthians 5.9-13; 6:9; 10:21-23, 13-15, 18-20; 2Corinthians 5:15; 6:14-7:1. 1Timothy 2:1; 3:11; 1Peter 3:1-6; 4:7; Titus 2:1-8, 12; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 5:1-21; Philippians 4:8-9, Colossians 3:5-17; 1Thessalonians 5:7-8; James 1:26-27; 1John 2:5-6, 3:23-24, 4:13, 20-21, Revelation 21:8;
13. DEMONS (See Angels)
Demons/evil spirits are the fallen angels that decided of their own freewill to serve the evil devil instead of God our creator, and have indeed lost their home with God and in the end will suffer with Satan in the lake of fire that the Bible teaches is created for Satan and his angels.
Leviticus17:7; Ezek. 28:18-19; 1Samuel 16:14-23; Matthew 8:28-34; 12:43-45; 25:41, James 2:19; 2Cor. 11:14, 15, 2Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6; Revelation 9:20; 12:7-9
14. DIVORCE (See “Re-Marriage)
We Believe that all divorce is against God’s will. But The Bible provides two reasons that a Christian has permission to divorce.
1. Adultery: If the spouse (Christian or not) of a Christian commits adultery, the offended party can divorce and is free to re-marry.
Matthew 5:32; 19:9
2. Departure: If the non-believing spouse of a Christian chooses to leave the Christian and divorce, then the Christian is free to remarry. If the non-believer leaves refusing to live together as husband and wife, yet refuses to get a divorce, the Christian then has the right to divorce and is free to remarry if they desire to.
1Corinthians 7: 12-15;
NOTE: Divorce is “not” commanded in either situation. God does not desire divorce, but because we are humans, God has allowed for our cold hearts.
15. ETERNAL LIFE (See Free Will)
Eternal life is a very real, very present promise of every true believer; yet it is possible for a believer ‘of his own free will’ to forsake his faith, return to sin, and consequently forfeit eternal life with Christ.
God teaches us repeatedly thru out the Bible, that eternal life is free for the taking but in order to receive that life one must first enter the race by Believing, Repenting and being Baptized.
After that, one must continually walk with Jesus each and everyday in order to win the race but one cannot accept the blood of Jesus and then continue to live ones life in sin. We must strive to reach our reward, “Eternal Life”.
We Believe that Eternal life is the reward received by the Christian brothers or sisters that endure (remains faithful) to the end (when Jesus returns).
Matt. 25:24-30; John 3:36; John 15:1-7; Rom. 6:16, 8:35-39; I Cor. 9:27; I Tim. 1:18-20, 4:1; II Pet. 2:22; I John 5:11-13; Rev. 2-10, 3:5.16, 21.
16. FOOT WASHING (See Communion)
We believe and teach that "Foot Washing" is just as important to the Christian, as partaking of the Bread and Cup. Jesus stated, "A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you are clean, but that isn’t true of everyone here." One who has been baptized has had a bath and has been washed clean, but in our daily walk in this world we face temptations and get dirty everyday, so once in awhile (as often as communion) we need to wash our conscience clean and remember that we are the servants and “not” the served.
John 13:1-17
17. FREE WILL (See Eternal Life)
We believe that salvation comes only by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ, there is no other way! God created us with a “Free will” and we are therefore able to choose whether or not we will serve Jesus Christ as the Holy Angels did, or just like the fallen angels, we are able to choose to serve Satan.
The Bible clearly teaches that “no one” can take us from the hand of God once we have chosen to be placed there by accepting the gift of salvation that is offered through the blood of Jesus; However! Once we choose to accept that gift, once we choose to surrender to Jesus, we are still able to choose to lay that gift aside and willingly walk away from God and eternal life.
God teaches us repeatedly thru out the Bible, (especially the writings of the Apostles Paul and James) that eternal life is free for the taking but in order to receive that life one must first enter the race by Believing, Repenting and being Baptized-in other words “becoming a Christian” which means (a follower of Christ). And after becoming a Christian one must continue walking with Jesus each and everyday in order to win the prize at the end of the race that Paul speaks of, and of course that prize is Eternal Life.
One cannot accept the blood of Jesus and then continue to knowingly keep living ones life in sin, and expect to receive Eternal Life.
18. GOD
We believe in “One Living God” and He is “spirit”. He has no beginning and no end. He has always been and always will be. Almighty God is the Creator and Preserver of the heavens and earth. He is absolutely sovereign over all, eternal, incorruptible, and the only wise God He is life itself and all parts of God are alive yet he is one. His “Word”, “Will and Desire”, and very “Breath” are alive and give life and can never be separated from God, for in fact they are God. He alone is to be the object of worship deserving glory, honor, and complete undivided devotion. He commands monotheism and condemns polytheism.
Though the frail human mind may try to separate these living parts of God into several “distinct persons” or beings, He is not! In what might be called a ‘paradox’, God is “one” yet He is spirit and all parts of Him live. He is the creator, love, truth, power, and the life that sustains all that there ever was, all that there is and all that ever will be.
Genesis 2:7, Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Nehemiah 9:6, Mark 12:28-29, John 1:1-4, 16:27-28, Ephesians 4:5-6, 1Corinthians 8:4-6, 1Timothy 1:17, 2:5,
19. GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY
Civil government is ordained of God (Romans 13:1-7), and it is the duty of Christians to render obedience to the government in all things not contrary to the clearly revealed will of God (Luke 20:25; 1 Peter 2:13-17).
The Church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work. Jesus vigorously rejected every attempt to make him a political Messiah. The rebuke to Satan (Matthew 4:8-10), and to Peter (Matthew 16:21-23), and the statement to Pilate (John 18:36), all indicate his persistent refusal to place political change in society ahead of personal change in individuals.
Governmental authority is respected and obeyed. Each Christian needs to make up there own mind if they are willing to serve in a combatant status in the military. Oaths should not be taken, but truth affirmed.
Matt. 22:21; Luke 3:14; Rom. 13:1-10; I Tim. 2:1-2; Heb. 12:14; James 5:12; 1 Pet. 2:12-14.
20. HEAD COVERINGS
We believe that Paul answered this question very clearly and we hold to his teachings on the subject of “Head Coverings” each person must make up their own mind what is right for them and not force the issue on any one else…Now with that said, I must point out again that we are “Freewill Monotheism”, If one wants to wear a head covering or not, it is between her and God and should not be looked down on or look down on those who do the opposite.
1 Corinthians 11:2-16 (NCV) 2 I praise you because you remember me in everything, and you follow closely the teachings just as I gave them to you. 3 But I want you to understand this: The head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered brings shame to his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered brings shame to her head. She is the same as a woman who has her head shaved. 6 If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. But since it is shameful for a woman to cut off her hair or to shave her head, she should cover her head. 7 But a man should not cover his head, because he is the likeness and glory of God. But woman is man’s glory. 8 Man did not come from woman, but woman came from man. 9 And man was not made for woman, but woman was made for man. 10 So that is why a woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 But in the Lord women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women.
12 This is true because woman came from man, but also man is born from woman. But everything comes from God. 13 Decide this for yourselves: Is it right for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?
14 Even nature itself teaches you that wearing long hair is shameful for a man. 15 But long hair is a woman’s glory. Long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 Some people may still want to argue about this, but I would add that neither we nor the churches of God have any other practice.
21. HEAVEN
We believe and teach that “heaven” is the dwelling place of God (including our heart). it is a Biblical term applied to the chosen dwelling place of God and the eternal destiny of all God's redeemed children.
To be in Heaven is to remain in Christ in the presence of God, where death, mourning, crying, and pain will be no more. Heaven is characterized by everlasting joy, blessed peace, and the righteousness of God.
Which is what the New Earth and New Jerusalem is described as when being referred to as Paradise where Jesus will rule as King and all righteous will live with him.
1Kings 8:27-30; Matthew 6:9-10; Acts 7:55-56; John 14:2-3; Revelation 5:1-5,
22. HEALING
We believe and teach that God uses doctors, medicines, and other natural means as channels of healing. However, the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross does provide for divine healing. It is possible to receive divine healing by lying on of hands, anointing with oil and prayers offered by the elders of the church if this be the Father’s will.
Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 38:5, 53:4-5; Psalms 91:3-4, 103:3, 107:17-21, Matthew 4:23, 8:3, 13, 16, 9:28-29, 14:35-36; Mark 1:31, 5:27-34,6:5-6,10:52,16:18-20; Luke 5:17, 13:13, 17:12-14; Acts 21:8; James 5:14-15.
23. HOLIDAYS
We personally do not celebrate Holidays (to avoid all appearance of evil). How ever if a Christian is going to celebrate a ‘Holiday’ then it should be done in away that only the Father and our Saviour is glorified. No Bunny Rabbits, No Eggs, No Frosty, No Saints, No Idols, No Trees, No Jack-O-Lanterns, No Reindeer, No Saints, No Santa Claus, No Day of the Dead. All these things are reminiscence of false gods and must be avoided by Christians
24. HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that The Holy Spirit of God is indeed “The Power, Will, Desire and Thoughts of God” His ‘Living Will and Desire’ [Holy Spirit] lives inside all believers to guide us, convict us, cleanse our conscience, and give us peace of mind. We receive the Holy Spirit when we are baptized as a sign of God’s promise to us of eternal life. This is how we become ‘one’ with Christ, just as Christ was ‘one’ with The Father.
"One God" but all parts are alive. We must remember that we are speaking of "spirit life" of which we cannot totally understand or explain. The believer is sealed with the Holy Spirit (that is the will and desire of God). This is acknowledged and symbolized in a prayer of consecration (following baptism) by the laying on of hands of the elder. As a member of the body of Christ, the believer experiences spiritual growth and edification within the spiritual church.
Genesis 1:1-29; Mark 13:31, John 1:1-4, 5:19-20, 6:63-68, 14:16. Romans 12:5, Ephesians 1:13, 4:15, I Timothy 4:14, Hebrews 6:1-2. Philippians 2:16, 1Peter 1:23-25;
25. IDOLS / STATUES:
We Believe that Christians should avoid the possession of any and all religious relics such as (but not limited to); statues of saints, Jesus, Mary, God and even what is called the Christian Cross. There is too much temptation and appearance of evil due to so many Christians and non-Christians using these items for non-Christian purposes.
We believe and teach that all statues, pictures, jewelry (such as the cross) or any object used in any form of worship, prayer or Christian service, “is” idolatry! Whether the objects are in the home, the car, the church or the cemetery; the person participating in, (including attending such services) or allowing such in their home is committing Idolatry.
Deuteronomy 4:15-19, 5:8-9; Exodus 7:25-26, 17:2-5, 27:15; Isaiah 44:11-20, 46:4-10; Ezekiel 14:1-6; Habakkuk 2:18-2; Psalms 106:28-29, 115:l-8; Acts 17:27-31; Romans 1:20-30, 1Corinthians 10:13-22; 2Corinthians 6:15-18; 1Peter 4:1-5;
26. JESUS
We believe that Jesus of Nazareth is The Lord and Savior, The Messiah. Before his birth, the ‘man’ Jesus existed only in the way that any human could be said to exist…”in the will and desire of God”.
There are to parts that make up each human-being…the Mother’s egg and the Father’s sperm. When these two parts are joined they become one life form and the fertilized egg (a human-being) begins to grow. Growing from an egg, to an infant at birth and into a man or woman as an adult human-being:
In that sense, just as we existed in two forms before we became human, Jesus also existed in two forms before he became human.
1. One part existed from the beginning, for the part that overshadowed Mary was ‘The living word of God” which comes forth from God and is in fact God and just as in the beginning God said “let there be light”; he also said to the human egg inside of Mary “Grow”…
2. The second part of Jesus the human existed as a human egg in the body of his earthly Mother, a virgin named Mary. Not a special created egg or being placed inside of Mary, but one made from her own human body just as the majority of female women would have.
And just as God used Noah as the vessel to create the ark that offered salvation to mankind during the flood, God also used Mary as the vessel to create the Savior through which salvation is offered to mankind today.
God chose that particular egg inside of Mary to become our Savior. He united with the human egg by the power of His Holy Spirit through His ‘Living Word’ when He told the egg to grow, thus infusing together “God and human Man”.
In other words; The first form which is “God”, spiritually united with the second form which is “the human egg” and made a complete new one of a kind human-being, (The only begotten son of God) that is called Messiah, Master, Savior, Lord, King, Jesus the Christ!
We believe that Jesus grew and matured physically like any other human child would. And that through out his life he was tempted to sin just as any human is tempted, but unlike other humans he remained sinless.
We believe that Jesus (The Man) had “free will” and could have chosen not to die for our sins and was in fact more severely tempted ‘not’ to go to the cross, after his baptism and in the garden just before his arrest, than at any other time.
Jesus Christ gave His life on Calvary's cross and His precious blood was shed as a ransom far all. He was buried, and He rose again the third day for our justification.
We believe that there is no other mediator between man and God. That only Jesus suffered and willingly gave his life for our sins on the cross of Calvary. That he was buried and rose to life again ascending into Heaven to be with the Father as our High Priest and Mediator. Prayer should be given by Christians, only to God, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, our only mediator and Christ. ‘All’ others have fallen asleep and await the return of Christ Jesus. They are asleep in the grave and know nothing.
Ps. 34:18; Prov. 28:13; Is. 7:14; Matthew 1:20-23, 3:6-8, 18:21-35; Luke 1:30-35, 14:33, 19:8; John 1:1-3, 1:13-14, 3:13, 6:63-68, 14: Acts 17:30, 19:18; Rom. 4:25, 5:8; Hebrews 1:1-8, 2:7-18, 7:26, 8:1-13, 11:6; 1Corinthians 15:3-4; 25:17-19; 2 Corinthians 7:10; I Tim. 2:6, I Pet. 1:18-19; Colossians 1:14-20; Ephesians 2:8-9, 4:5; 1 John 1:9.
28. MAN
Man was created from the earth, in the image of God, and is the crowning work of God’s creation (Genesis 1:26-30). He became a living soul when God breathed the breath of life into him. In the beginning man was innocent of sin, and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice, through the temptation of Satan, man sinned against God, and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also that spiritual death which is separation from God (Genesis 2:16).
Human beings are born with a sinful nature (Psalm 51:5), and in the case of those who reach moral responsibility, become sinners in thought, word, and deed (Isaiah 6:5; Romans 5:12, 19; Romans 1:18-32).
When David spoke of being conceived “in sin” (Psalm 51:5), he spoke not of the act of conception, but of the inherited bias to sin that is transmitted at conception.
The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in his own image, and in that Christ died for human beings, and therefore every individual is worthy of respect and Christian love (1 Peter 2:17).
In God’s order of things it is the Christian man that has the responsibility to teach and direct the Spiritual life and well being of his family and the church.
But by man's transgression, he became separated from God. All who reach the age of accountability are responsible for their sinful deeds.
Gen. 1:20, 2:7, 3; John 3:3, Rom. 3:10-12, 23.
29. MARRIAGE (See Divorce and Re-Marriage)
We believe that Christian Marriage is between one woman and one man and the contract is ended only when the husband or wife dies, or a biblical divorce is obtained.
Marriage was meant to be a lifelong union ordained of God in which a man and a woman of like mind. Faith and fellowship are united in the Lord in Holy Matrimony.
Matthew 10:9, 22:29-30; Romans 7:1-3I; Cor. 7:39; Eph. 5:21-33; Col. 3:18-19; Titus 2:2-6, I Pet. 3:1, 7.
30. PRAYER
We Believe and teach that prayer is ‘Only’ to “The One Living God”. Not to anyone or anything, either alive or dead, in this world, or another in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Father Himself hears our prayers.
We believe that there is no other mediator between man and God. That only Jesus suffered and willingly gave his life for our sins on the cross of Calvary. That he was buried and rose to life again ascending into Heaven to be with the Father as our High Priest and Mediator.
It is not proper for a Christian to pray to anyone but God the Father in the name of Jesus and to Jesus himself as our living mediator. Neither Mary, nor any other departed human being can mediate for us as they are dead (asleep in the grave) and the Bible teaches that it is a sin to attempt to communicate with the dead.
John 16:23-27; Ephesians 5:20; Colossians 3:17; 1 Timothy 2:5, Proverbs 2:5;
31. REMARRIAGE: (See Marriage and Divorce)
We Believe and teach that the Bible provides three reasons that a Christian may remarry and not commit a sin.
A: If a non-Christian spouse leaves/divorces, the Christian is free to divorce/remarry. 1Corinthians7:12-15
B: If the spouse of a Christian is unfaithful, the Christian is free to divorce/remarry. Matthew 5:32, 19:9
C: The death of a spouse.
32. SATAN (See Angels)
We believe and teach that the devil was created by God and is “only” an Angel.
From the Bible we get the impression that Satan was an (Archangel), who was in charge of other angels.
As Angels are created with freewill, (just as humans are) Satan chose to turn against God the Father and all that was good.
Being that he was in charge of other angels, he was able to lead many of the angels astray with him (the Bible tells us 1/3 of all the angels).
We believe and teach that he can do “nothing” that God does not allow him to do. He cannot force a Christian (or any one else) to do any thing. He can only put temptation before us.
Job, Matthew 4:1-1, Luke 10:18, 22:31, John 8:38-44, 13:2; Acts 5:3; Heb. 2:7; Eph. 6: 12
33. SALVATION
It Really Is Very Simple: The Bible is very clear and leaves no doubt that there are 6 steps a person must take in order to receive salvation and eternal life.
Step-1: HEAR
The first thing you must do is to hear the gospel. This means the ‘good news’ of Jesus Christ. A Mature Christian who understand the importance of these steps must explain them.
Romans 10:17
17 so faith comes from hearing the good news, and people hear the good news when someone tells them about Christ.
Step-2: BELIEVE
The second step is that you must believe what has been taught to you from “The Word of God”. that is to say, ‘have faith’ that Jesus of Nazareth is exactly who the Bible says that he is and he did exactly what it says he did; that what he says is “the truth” and that we must do what he says to do because the “Truth” is indeed in him.
John 8:24
24 …for unless you believe that I am who I say I am, you will die in your sins.”
Step-3: REPENT
Thirdly you must realize that you are indeed a sinner and that the wages of sin is ‘death’ and destruction. You must willingly turn away from sin with a sincere desire to belong to god and have remorse for your past sins. Becoming a new person, no longer that old sinner that you used to be;
Romans 6:23
23 for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Luke 13:3
3 …but unless you change your hearts and lives, you will be destroyed…!
Step-4: CONFESS
You must confess your new found knowledge that you are a sinner and confess these sins as you remember them to god in prayer.
1 John 1:9
9 but if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.
Acts 3:19
19 now turn from your sins and turn to god, so you can be cleansed of your sins.
Step-5: BAPTISM
For the 5th step, you must be baptized by water immersion to join in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. This must be done of your own freewill, this means that you must be old enough and have the mental capability to understand what you are doing and to declare that this is what you want to do. The Bible teaches there is no other way to join in the death and resurrection of our Lord. Without Baptism we have no part in his death and resurrection and therefore we have no part in Him.
Mark 16:16
16 Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved; but anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.
Acts 2:38
38 peter replied, “Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to god, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 3:26-27
26 so you are all children of god through faith in Christ Jesus.27 and all who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him.
Colossians 2:12-13
12 for you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to a new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.13 you were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then god made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins.
Acts 22:16
16 And now why delay? Get up and be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on the name of the lord.’
You must understand that simply following these steps will get you no where. Your decision to follow these first 5 steps must come from a sincere desire in your heart. If you have followed these 5 steps with sincerity from your heart…CONGRADULATIONS you are now a Christian, A Student of or Disciple of Christ.
ONE MORE STEP TO ETERNAL LIFE
Now, many denominations and people will tell you that now you are a Christian, you are saved and no more to worry about. THEY ARE WRONG….even Paul said that he worried that with all his preaching and teaching he might somehow fall short and not finish his race for Eternal life.
There is one more step you must follow to receive eternal life when Jesus returns…this step however will take you the rest of your earthly life to complete.
Step-6: ENDURE
The sixth and final step: live for Jesus everyday in everything you do and say. This means the clothes you wear, the jokes you tell, the movies you watch, the music you listen to, the things you do for recreation, everything must be done in the faith of Jesus the Christ…
Matthew 24:13 -but those who endure to the end will be saved.
Romans 8:24-25-we were saved and we have this hope. If we see what we are waiting for, that is not really hope. People do not hope for something they already have.25 but we are hoping for something we do not have yet, and we are waiting for it patiently.
You see, once our sins are forgiven then we must continue to live as a follower of Christ so that we will receive what we hope for…”eternal life”. Our hope is the return of Jesus who will bring with him our reward of eternal life.
I hope that you have learned how easy it is to be or become a Biblical Christian and receive eternal life on the day of the Lord, when all the dead in Christ shall rise and we, who are alive, will be caught up with together with them to meet Jesus in the air.
You are now a Christian - - - - - You have been forgiven for all your past sins and can call on Jesus' name if you do sin, to have that sin forgiven also.....You have entered the race that Paul speaks of...the race for ETERNAL LIFE. it is a race that we must endure to the end if we desire to receive the gift of eternal life.
John 8:30-32 NLT:
Then many who heard him say these things believed in him. 31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Being born again does not happen to someone without their knowledge, one must be able of their own free will to Believe, Repent, and be Baptized, thus making a plea to God with a clean conscience. It is clearly impossible for infants and persons with severe mental disorders (that is to say, unable to understand) to make this decision, therefore it would be unbiblical and pointless to baptize such with Christian Baptism. Persons such as these that I have just mentioned are protected by the “Grace” of God.
Colossians 2:11-13 (NLT) When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. It was a spiritual procedure—the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to a new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins.
Acts 22:16… Why are you waiting? If you believe and have repented, Get up and be baptized and have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.
Rom. 5:1, 6:3-4, Heb. 10:16-17, Gal. 5:22-26, 1 John 2:3-6, 1 Pet. 1:23, 3:21.
34. SEXUAL SINS
Adultery - Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 5:18; Matthew 5:27-28, 19:18; Luke 18:20; Romans 13:9; 1Corinthians 6:9; James 2:11
Bestiality - Leviticus 18:23, 20:15-16;
Fornication - Leviticus 18, and 20:
Homosexuality - Leviticus 18:22-23, 20:13; Romans 1:27:
35. SOUL (See Man)
We Believe that a body plus God’s Breath of Life (Spirit) equals a living Soul (a living being)
Gen. 2:7
36. SPIRIT
We believe that the Spirit of Man is in fact the “Breath of Life” that God gives. (Gen. 2:7)
37. SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We believe that the Bible teaches us that there are gifts of the Holy Spirit and every Christian has access to one or more of these gifts. The Bible teaches that we may ask for any one or all of the gifts the Spirit offers. We may or may not receive it.
When a gift is given (including tongues and prophecy) it is always under the control of the one who has the gift. There is never an out of control moment unless one gives in to temptation from their own mind and thoughts which is of the devil. We are taught by Paul and through out the Bible that control is a must. Never is there an episode of being "slain" in the spirit including falling or rolling on the ground. Being unable to control these gifts is "Unbiblical".
Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Discerning Of Spirits, Ministry, Giving, Tongues (Both Human and Spiritual), Interpretation of Tongues (Both Human and Spiritual), Teaching, Exhorting, Administration, Mercy;
1Cor. 12, 14, Romans 12:6-8; Eph. 4:7-16;
38. STATE OF THE DEAD
We believe and teach just as the Bible, that Body + Breath of Life = A Living Soul. When one dies, one is asleep or is no longer a soul or being and knows nothing about anything
When a human being dies, the “breath of life” that is given by God does in fact leave that human being and lives only in the since that “all parts of God are alive”. As God is Spirit, and God is life, all aspects of God, (even those we cannot understand about Him) are alive.
A. Those that are righteous and have died will be in a peaceful un-disturbed, unknowing sleep until Jesus returns and wakes all his children to rise from the grave together with the righteous that have not tasted death and together they will receive eternal life.
B. The unrighteous dead who have died before the thousand years start (following the tribulation period), and the rest who fall dead when Jesus calls the righteous to meet him, Will be kept in a spiritual prison of darkness, loneliness and fear until the thousand years are ended. When sentence will be passed and carried out (Destruction)
Psalms 115:17; 143:3; 146:2-4; Job 3:13, 14:10-12; Ecclesiastes 9:5-6,10; Dan. 12:2. John 3:16, John 5:28-29, II Pet. 3:7-9, Rev. 20:12-15.
39. TEMPTATIONS
We believe and teach that ALL temptation is from the devil. God does not tempt anyone. He does however allow Christians to be tempted by Satan. How ever no matter the temptation, God never allows the temptation to go beyond what each of us can withstand (if we choose to do so). For this reason Christians should do their best to ‘not’ put themselves in situations or places where temptations could arise. By knowingly putting ourselves into these positions where temptation may arise, we may well be committing sin.
Matthew 4:1-11, 6:13, 16:1, 26:41; Mark 1:13; Luke 4:13, 8:13, 22:31-32; John 13:2; 1Corinthians 10:13; James 1:2-3, 12-16; 1Thessaloniam 3:5; 1Timothy 6:9-10; 1Peter 1:6-7; Hebrews 2:18, 4:14-15;
40. TITHES
We believe that tithes are unbiblical for the Christian. Tithes were a mandatory payment just as other Old Testament laws were forced and mandatory so were the tithes.
A Christian is taught freewill, and freewill offering is all that should be taught by the Ministers of the Lord. As Christians, any offerings, be it money, time or other things, must be an amount offered from the heart, and not from the feeling of guilt, shame, force or fear. And as Paul teaches, Must not be an amount that hurts you or your family.
Luke 11:41, 2 Corinthians 8:13, 9:7, Galatians 5:1
41. WAGES OF MINISTERS
The Bible teaches that God’s workers should be paid for their work. In the Old Testament it was through tithing to the Priests since they had no inheritance of the land as the rest of the Jews did. The People also tithed a percentage of fruits, vegetables, meat and many other first fruits to the Priests, so that the store house for God’s people would always be full.
The Christian is no longer under a forced or mandatory tithing law. The Christian gives from their abundance according to their heart and conscience. A Christian should never give by promise of what they don’t have but rather give from what they do have.
1 Corinthians 9:13-20 (NLT)
13 Don’t you know that those who work in the Temple get their meals from the food brought to the Temple as offerings? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings.
14 In the same way, the Lord gave orders that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it.
15 Yet I have never used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that I would like to start now. In fact, I would rather die than lose my distinction of preaching without charge.
16 For preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t do it!
17 If I were doing this of my own free will, then I would deserve payment. But God has chosen me and given me this sacred trust, and I have no choice.
18 What then is my pay? It is the satisfaction I get from preaching the Good News without expense to anyone, never demanding my rights as a preacher.
19 This means I am not bound to obey people just because they pay me, yet I have become a servant of everyone so that I can bring them to Christ.
20 When I am with the Jews, I become one of them so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with those who follow the Jewish laws, I do the same, even though I am not subject to the law, so that I can bring them to Christ.
42. WOMAN
We believe and teach that woman was created from a rib that was removed from the man. The Bible teaches that she was created in the image of and for the benefit of man. She became a living soul when God breathed the breath of life into her.
In God’s order of things a woman and a man are equally saved by grace but are designed for different reasons and have different purposes in the teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Genesis 2:21-24, 3:16; Ephesians5:22-24, 33; 1Corinthians. 11:3, 7-10;
Ephesians 5:22-30 (NLT)
You wives will submit to your husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of his body, the church; he gave his life to be her Savior. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives must submit to your husbands in everything. 25 And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man is actually loving himself when he loves his wife. 29 No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body, which is the church. 30 And we are his body.
1 Corinthians 11:3 (NKJV)-3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
1 Corinthians 11:7-11 (NLT)-A man should not wear anything on his head when worshiping, for man is God’s glory, made in God’s own image, but woman is the glory of man. 8 For the first man didn’t come from woman, but the first woman came from man. 9 And man was not made for woman’s benefit, but woman was made for man. 10 So a woman should wear a covering on her head as a sign of authority because the angels are watching.
Genesis 2:21-24 (NLT)
So the Lord God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. He took one of Adam’s ribs and closed up the place from which he had taken it. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib and brought her to Adam. 23 “At last!” Adam exclaimed. “She is part of my own flesh and bone! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken out of a man.” 24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.
Genesis 3:16 (NLT)-Then he said to the woman, “You will bear children with intense pain and suffering. And though your desire will be for your husband, he will be your master.”
This of course does not even imply that ‘Master’ is meant in the way of a “slave” or hired help. Just as Jesus is our Master in that The Church is to be ‘his’ helper, in serving him in his position and carrying out his desire so it is with Man and Woman. Each has a position that God has given and should stay in that position or we have the same condition of The Devil and Fallen Angels not remaining in the position they were given.
Man was created from the earth, in the image of God, and is the crowning work of God’s creation (Genesis 1:26-30). He became a living soul when God breathed the breath of life into him. In the beginning man was innocent of sin, and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice, through the temptation of Satan, man sinned against God, and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also that spiritual death which is separation from God (Genesis 2:16).
Human beings are born with a sinful nature (Psalm 51:5), and in the case of those who reach moral responsibility, become sinners in thought, word, and deed (Isaiah 6:5; Romans 5:12, 19; Romans 1:18-32).
When David spoke of being conceived “in sin” (Psalm 51:5), he spoke not of the act of conception, but of the inherited bias to sin that is transmitted at conception.
The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in his own image, and in that Christ died for human beings, and therefore every individual is worthy of respect and Christian love (1 Peter 2:17).
In God’s order of things it is the Christian man that has the responsibility to teach and direct the Spiritual life and well being of his family and the church.
But by man's transgression, he became separated from God. All who reach the age of accountability are responsible for their sinful deeds.
Gen. 1:20, 2:7, 3; John 3:3, Rom. 3:10-12, 23.
29. MARRIAGE (See Divorce and Re-Marriage)
We believe that Christian Marriage is between one woman and one man and the contract is ended only when the husband or wife dies, or a biblical divorce is obtained.
Marriage was meant to be a lifelong union ordained of God in which a man and a woman of like mind. Faith and fellowship are united in the Lord in Holy Matrimony.
Matthew 10:9, 22:29-30; Romans 7:1-3I; Cor. 7:39; Eph. 5:21-33; Col. 3:18-19; Titus 2:2-6, I Pet. 3:1, 7.
30. PRAYER
We Believe and teach that prayer is ‘Only’ to “The One Living God”. Not to anyone or anything, either alive or dead, in this world, or another in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Father Himself hears our prayers.
We believe that there is no other mediator between man and God. That only Jesus suffered and willingly gave his life for our sins on the cross of Calvary. That he was buried and rose to life again ascending into Heaven to be with the Father as our High Priest and Mediator.
It is not proper for a Christian to pray to anyone but God the Father in the name of Jesus and to Jesus himself as our living mediator. Neither Mary, nor any other departed human being can mediate for us as they are dead (asleep in the grave) and the Bible teaches that it is a sin to attempt to communicate with the dead.
John 16:23-27; Ephesians 5:20; Colossians 3:17; 1 Timothy 2:5, Proverbs 2:5;
31. REMARRIAGE: (See Marriage and Divorce)
We Believe and teach that the Bible provides three reasons that a Christian may remarry and not commit a sin.
A: If a non-Christian spouse leaves/divorces, the Christian is free to divorce/remarry. 1Corinthians7:12-15
B: If the spouse of a Christian is unfaithful, the Christian is free to divorce/remarry. Matthew 5:32, 19:9
C: The death of a spouse.
32. SATAN (See Angels)
We believe and teach that the devil was created by God and is “only” an Angel.
From the Bible we get the impression that Satan was an (Archangel), who was in charge of other angels.
As Angels are created with freewill, (just as humans are) Satan chose to turn against God the Father and all that was good.
Being that he was in charge of other angels, he was able to lead many of the angels astray with him (the Bible tells us 1/3 of all the angels).
We believe and teach that he can do “nothing” that God does not allow him to do. He cannot force a Christian (or any one else) to do any thing. He can only put temptation before us.
Job, Matthew 4:1-1, Luke 10:18, 22:31, John 8:38-44, 13:2; Acts 5:3; Heb. 2:7; Eph. 6: 12
33. SALVATION
It Really Is Very Simple: The Bible is very clear and leaves no doubt that there are 6 steps a person must take in order to receive salvation and eternal life.
Step-1: HEAR
The first thing you must do is to hear the gospel. This means the ‘good news’ of Jesus Christ. A Mature Christian who understand the importance of these steps must explain them.
Romans 10:17
17 so faith comes from hearing the good news, and people hear the good news when someone tells them about Christ.
Step-2: BELIEVE
The second step is that you must believe what has been taught to you from “The Word of God”. that is to say, ‘have faith’ that Jesus of Nazareth is exactly who the Bible says that he is and he did exactly what it says he did; that what he says is “the truth” and that we must do what he says to do because the “Truth” is indeed in him.
John 8:24
24 …for unless you believe that I am who I say I am, you will die in your sins.”
Step-3: REPENT
Thirdly you must realize that you are indeed a sinner and that the wages of sin is ‘death’ and destruction. You must willingly turn away from sin with a sincere desire to belong to god and have remorse for your past sins. Becoming a new person, no longer that old sinner that you used to be;
Romans 6:23
23 for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Luke 13:3
3 …but unless you change your hearts and lives, you will be destroyed…!
Step-4: CONFESS
You must confess your new found knowledge that you are a sinner and confess these sins as you remember them to god in prayer.
1 John 1:9
9 but if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.
Acts 3:19
19 now turn from your sins and turn to god, so you can be cleansed of your sins.
Step-5: BAPTISM
For the 5th step, you must be baptized by water immersion to join in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. This must be done of your own freewill, this means that you must be old enough and have the mental capability to understand what you are doing and to declare that this is what you want to do. The Bible teaches there is no other way to join in the death and resurrection of our Lord. Without Baptism we have no part in his death and resurrection and therefore we have no part in Him.
Mark 16:16
16 Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved; but anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.
Acts 2:38
38 peter replied, “Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to god, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 3:26-27
26 so you are all children of god through faith in Christ Jesus.27 and all who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him.
Colossians 2:12-13
12 for you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to a new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.13 you were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then god made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins.
Acts 22:16
16 And now why delay? Get up and be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on the name of the lord.’
You must understand that simply following these steps will get you no where. Your decision to follow these first 5 steps must come from a sincere desire in your heart. If you have followed these 5 steps with sincerity from your heart…CONGRADULATIONS you are now a Christian, A Student of or Disciple of Christ.
ONE MORE STEP TO ETERNAL LIFE
Now, many denominations and people will tell you that now you are a Christian, you are saved and no more to worry about. THEY ARE WRONG….even Paul said that he worried that with all his preaching and teaching he might somehow fall short and not finish his race for Eternal life.
There is one more step you must follow to receive eternal life when Jesus returns…this step however will take you the rest of your earthly life to complete.
Step-6: ENDURE
The sixth and final step: live for Jesus everyday in everything you do and say. This means the clothes you wear, the jokes you tell, the movies you watch, the music you listen to, the things you do for recreation, everything must be done in the faith of Jesus the Christ…
Matthew 24:13 -but those who endure to the end will be saved.
Romans 8:24-25-we were saved and we have this hope. If we see what we are waiting for, that is not really hope. People do not hope for something they already have.25 but we are hoping for something we do not have yet, and we are waiting for it patiently.
You see, once our sins are forgiven then we must continue to live as a follower of Christ so that we will receive what we hope for…”eternal life”. Our hope is the return of Jesus who will bring with him our reward of eternal life.
I hope that you have learned how easy it is to be or become a Biblical Christian and receive eternal life on the day of the Lord, when all the dead in Christ shall rise and we, who are alive, will be caught up with together with them to meet Jesus in the air.
You are now a Christian - - - - - You have been forgiven for all your past sins and can call on Jesus' name if you do sin, to have that sin forgiven also.....You have entered the race that Paul speaks of...the race for ETERNAL LIFE. it is a race that we must endure to the end if we desire to receive the gift of eternal life.
John 8:30-32 NLT:
Then many who heard him say these things believed in him. 31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Being born again does not happen to someone without their knowledge, one must be able of their own free will to Believe, Repent, and be Baptized, thus making a plea to God with a clean conscience. It is clearly impossible for infants and persons with severe mental disorders (that is to say, unable to understand) to make this decision, therefore it would be unbiblical and pointless to baptize such with Christian Baptism. Persons such as these that I have just mentioned are protected by the “Grace” of God.
Colossians 2:11-13 (NLT) When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. It was a spiritual procedure—the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to a new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins.
Acts 22:16… Why are you waiting? If you believe and have repented, Get up and be baptized and have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.
Rom. 5:1, 6:3-4, Heb. 10:16-17, Gal. 5:22-26, 1 John 2:3-6, 1 Pet. 1:23, 3:21.
34. SEXUAL SINS
Adultery - Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 5:18; Matthew 5:27-28, 19:18; Luke 18:20; Romans 13:9; 1Corinthians 6:9; James 2:11
Bestiality - Leviticus 18:23, 20:15-16;
Fornication - Leviticus 18, and 20:
Homosexuality - Leviticus 18:22-23, 20:13; Romans 1:27:
35. SOUL (See Man)
We Believe that a body plus God’s Breath of Life (Spirit) equals a living Soul (a living being)
Gen. 2:7
36. SPIRIT
We believe that the Spirit of Man is in fact the “Breath of Life” that God gives. (Gen. 2:7)
37. SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We believe that the Bible teaches us that there are gifts of the Holy Spirit and every Christian has access to one or more of these gifts. The Bible teaches that we may ask for any one or all of the gifts the Spirit offers. We may or may not receive it.
When a gift is given (including tongues and prophecy) it is always under the control of the one who has the gift. There is never an out of control moment unless one gives in to temptation from their own mind and thoughts which is of the devil. We are taught by Paul and through out the Bible that control is a must. Never is there an episode of being "slain" in the spirit including falling or rolling on the ground. Being unable to control these gifts is "Unbiblical".
Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Discerning Of Spirits, Ministry, Giving, Tongues (Both Human and Spiritual), Interpretation of Tongues (Both Human and Spiritual), Teaching, Exhorting, Administration, Mercy;
1Cor. 12, 14, Romans 12:6-8; Eph. 4:7-16;
38. STATE OF THE DEAD
We believe and teach just as the Bible, that Body + Breath of Life = A Living Soul. When one dies, one is asleep or is no longer a soul or being and knows nothing about anything
When a human being dies, the “breath of life” that is given by God does in fact leave that human being and lives only in the since that “all parts of God are alive”. As God is Spirit, and God is life, all aspects of God, (even those we cannot understand about Him) are alive.
A. Those that are righteous and have died will be in a peaceful un-disturbed, unknowing sleep until Jesus returns and wakes all his children to rise from the grave together with the righteous that have not tasted death and together they will receive eternal life.
B. The unrighteous dead who have died before the thousand years start (following the tribulation period), and the rest who fall dead when Jesus calls the righteous to meet him, Will be kept in a spiritual prison of darkness, loneliness and fear until the thousand years are ended. When sentence will be passed and carried out (Destruction)
Psalms 115:17; 143:3; 146:2-4; Job 3:13, 14:10-12; Ecclesiastes 9:5-6,10; Dan. 12:2. John 3:16, John 5:28-29, II Pet. 3:7-9, Rev. 20:12-15.
39. TEMPTATIONS
We believe and teach that ALL temptation is from the devil. God does not tempt anyone. He does however allow Christians to be tempted by Satan. How ever no matter the temptation, God never allows the temptation to go beyond what each of us can withstand (if we choose to do so). For this reason Christians should do their best to ‘not’ put themselves in situations or places where temptations could arise. By knowingly putting ourselves into these positions where temptation may arise, we may well be committing sin.
Matthew 4:1-11, 6:13, 16:1, 26:41; Mark 1:13; Luke 4:13, 8:13, 22:31-32; John 13:2; 1Corinthians 10:13; James 1:2-3, 12-16; 1Thessaloniam 3:5; 1Timothy 6:9-10; 1Peter 1:6-7; Hebrews 2:18, 4:14-15;
40. TITHES
We believe that tithes are unbiblical for the Christian. Tithes were a mandatory payment just as other Old Testament laws were forced and mandatory so were the tithes.
A Christian is taught freewill, and freewill offering is all that should be taught by the Ministers of the Lord. As Christians, any offerings, be it money, time or other things, must be an amount offered from the heart, and not from the feeling of guilt, shame, force or fear. And as Paul teaches, Must not be an amount that hurts you or your family.
Luke 11:41, 2 Corinthians 8:13, 9:7, Galatians 5:1
41. WAGES OF MINISTERS
The Bible teaches that God’s workers should be paid for their work. In the Old Testament it was through tithing to the Priests since they had no inheritance of the land as the rest of the Jews did. The People also tithed a percentage of fruits, vegetables, meat and many other first fruits to the Priests, so that the store house for God’s people would always be full.
The Christian is no longer under a forced or mandatory tithing law. The Christian gives from their abundance according to their heart and conscience. A Christian should never give by promise of what they don’t have but rather give from what they do have.
1 Corinthians 9:13-20 (NLT)
13 Don’t you know that those who work in the Temple get their meals from the food brought to the Temple as offerings? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings.
14 In the same way, the Lord gave orders that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it.
15 Yet I have never used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that I would like to start now. In fact, I would rather die than lose my distinction of preaching without charge.
16 For preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t do it!
17 If I were doing this of my own free will, then I would deserve payment. But God has chosen me and given me this sacred trust, and I have no choice.
18 What then is my pay? It is the satisfaction I get from preaching the Good News without expense to anyone, never demanding my rights as a preacher.
19 This means I am not bound to obey people just because they pay me, yet I have become a servant of everyone so that I can bring them to Christ.
20 When I am with the Jews, I become one of them so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with those who follow the Jewish laws, I do the same, even though I am not subject to the law, so that I can bring them to Christ.
42. WOMAN
We believe and teach that woman was created from a rib that was removed from the man. The Bible teaches that she was created in the image of and for the benefit of man. She became a living soul when God breathed the breath of life into her.
In God’s order of things a woman and a man are equally saved by grace but are designed for different reasons and have different purposes in the teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Genesis 2:21-24, 3:16; Ephesians5:22-24, 33; 1Corinthians. 11:3, 7-10;
Ephesians 5:22-30 (NLT)
You wives will submit to your husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of his body, the church; he gave his life to be her Savior. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives must submit to your husbands in everything. 25 And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man is actually loving himself when he loves his wife. 29 No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body, which is the church. 30 And we are his body.
1 Corinthians 11:3 (NKJV)-3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
1 Corinthians 11:7-11 (NLT)-A man should not wear anything on his head when worshiping, for man is God’s glory, made in God’s own image, but woman is the glory of man. 8 For the first man didn’t come from woman, but the first woman came from man. 9 And man was not made for woman’s benefit, but woman was made for man. 10 So a woman should wear a covering on her head as a sign of authority because the angels are watching.
Genesis 2:21-24 (NLT)
So the Lord God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. He took one of Adam’s ribs and closed up the place from which he had taken it. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib and brought her to Adam. 23 “At last!” Adam exclaimed. “She is part of my own flesh and bone! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken out of a man.” 24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.
Genesis 3:16 (NLT)-Then he said to the woman, “You will bear children with intense pain and suffering. And though your desire will be for your husband, he will be your master.”
This of course does not even imply that ‘Master’ is meant in the way of a “slave” or hired help. Just as Jesus is our Master in that The Church is to be ‘his’ helper, in serving him in his position and carrying out his desire so it is with Man and Woman. Each has a position that God has given and should stay in that position or we have the same condition of The Devil and Fallen Angels not remaining in the position they were given.