Statement of Faith

 

WE BELIEVE –

​

Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the Son of God, who was eternally pre-existent with the Father and the Holy Spirit in a Holy Trinity; He became incarnate as the virgin-born Savior of the world and through His sinless life, baptism with the Holy Spirit, atoning death on the Cross, and bodily resurrection fulfilled God’s sole plan for the redemption of fallen humanity and restoration of God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. 

​

Jesus is the King of Glory who sits at the right hand of God as His Majesty on high, where He faithfully intercedes for us and from where He will return to earth to rule in righteousness. (Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1-2, 10:36-38; Acts 1:9-11, 2:33-36; 1 Corinthians 15:3-5; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:24-26, 9:26)

​

These truths are revealed in the Scriptures, the Holy Bible, which is the Holy Spirit-inspired and infallible Word of God contained in the books of the Old and New Testaments, complete and truthful in its message and in all the information it provides. The Word of God is the final and conclusive authority given to humankind to reveal  the Kingdom of God, the Way, Truth, and Life in Jesus who alone can satisfy our need to know God and live in a worshipful relationship with Him. (Matthew 5:8; John 5:39, 14:6; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Peter 3:16-18)

​

The Scriptures join with God’s revelation of Himself in Jesus and His Creation to show us the goodness and glory of the eternal Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who is the Creator and Sustainer of all things visible and invisible and who is everywhere present in holiness, wisdom, power, and love to redeem humankind’s promise and potential, and whose redeeming grace alone provides for humankind’s salvation and restoration. (John 1:3, 14:16-26, 16:12-15, 20:30-31; Romans 1:20; Colossians 1:16-17; 1 Timothy 1:17, 2:3-6; Titus 2:11; Hebrews 1:1-3; 1 John 4:15-16; Revelation 1:8)

​

The Gospel of the Kingdom is the complete message of God’s salvation and restoration. The Gospel proclaims that forgiveness of sin, the restoration of God’s loving rule and benevolent Kingdom, and the promise of a blessed and eternal life are available through repentance and faith in Jesus, our Savior and King, and it declares that this faith brings new birth into the Kingdom of God where God’s loving purpose for each individual may be realized through the power of His Holy Spirit. (John 3:3-7; Acts 16:31, 26:17-20; Romans 1:16, 10:8-13; Titus 3:4-7; Hebrews 6:1-2)

​

The Church is constituted of all people who have believed and received the Gospel and is unified by our worship of Jesus the Messiah as our Savior and King. Thus, it is a diverse messianic community of Jews and people from all nations who honor and support one another through mutual prayer, fellowship, and gifts. It is also a reconciled people who through the power of God’s Holy Spirit forgives and asks forgiveness of one another. As such a people, the Church practices water baptism and celebrates The Lord’s Table as prophetic signs of the reality of the new life that believers live in the Messiah. (John 13:34-35, 15:12-13; Acts 2:36; Romans 15:7; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Galatians 3:26-29; Ephesians 2:19-23, 4:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12; 1 John 4:7-21)

​

The whole Church is commissioned by Jesus to take the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the whole world and urges that all people be reconciled to God in Jesus’ Name and experience the fulfillment of their humanity in their worship of and growth in Him. This commission is accomplished through the love and power of the Holy Spirit who has come from God the Father at the request of Jesus the Son to enable all believers to serve one another in grace and to serve others by feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, and visiting the needy and neglected. (Matthew 5:13-16, 24:14, 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; John 16:7-15; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21)

​

The fullness of the Holy Spirit is the wellspring of the Church’s capacity for witness and ministry. Jesus himself baptizes the members of His Body—the Church—with God’s Spirit, to empower each one for good works of reaching people with the Gospel, forgiving people, bringing salvation, freedom, and healing to people. The fruit and gifts of the Spirit are tangible manifestations of the Kingdom of God and evidence of the truth and grace that the Church preaches and shows to all nations. (Matt. 3:11, 24:14; Luke 3:16, 24:48-49; John 7, 14:12, 20:21-23; Acts 1:4-8, 2:1-4; 10; Rom. 12:5-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11; Gal 5:22-23; Heb. 13:8)

​

The Church lives in the hope of God’s glory and the expectation of Jesus’ return. For this reason, believers pray that God’s will be done, and His Kingdom come on earth as in heaven, looking forward to the return of the Messiah and the consummation of God’s Kingdom over all creation, at which time all of those who have received His rule will exchange mortality for immortality. (John 5:28-29; Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 15:35-58; 2 Timothy 4:1-2; 1 Peter 4:7; 2 Peter 3:11-14; 1 John 3:2-3; Revelation 20:11-15)

​

The above affirmations of faith are founded on the revelation of God’s Word and are reaffirmed in the following statements:

​

• We believe in the Trinity of the Eternal Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, perfect in unity as Creator, Redeemer, and Restorer of Humankind.

• We believe in the plenary verbal inspiration of the Bible—the completed canon of the Old and New Testaments, inerrant in the original manuscripts and infallible in its truth for faith and life.

• We believe in the creation of the universe, the fashioning of earth for human habitation, and the historicity of primeval history as presented in the Scriptures.

• We believe in the literal existence of the devil and in the reality of the invisible war against the kingdom of darkness expressed through fallen angelic rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms who seek to tempt and separate humankind from the Father. Furthermore, we boldly stand in the victory our Messiah has provided for us through the finished work of the Cross. (Colossians 2:15)

• We believe in kingdom centered doctrinal distinctiveness, as the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is the primary message Christ taught.  All the books of bible from Genesis to Revelation convey one big overarching theme throughout, which is of the restoration of the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. The primary prophecy of the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6-7 centered on his Kingdom and his everlasting reign.  (1 Chronicles 29:11-12, Matt 3:1-2, Psalm 47:7-8, Psalm 45:6, Psalm 9:7-8, Psalm 145:11-13, Isaiah 37:16, Micah 4:1-3, Daniel 2:44, Daniel 7:14, 7:18, Luke 8:1, Matt 24:14, Acts 28:31, Matthew 4:17,6:10, 9:35,10:7, Luke 4:43, Luke 9:2, Acts 1:3)

• We believe salvation is provided through the Messiah’s finished work of the Cross—that humankind is lost without Jesus the King and Savior, whose atoning blood and substitutionary death alone provide forgiveness for and justification from sin and provide eternal life to experience both now and the life to come. 

• We believe in the literal reality of each—the virgin birth, reconciling death, bodily resurrection, personal ascension, and promised Second Coming of Jesus, the Messiah.

• We believe in the essential unity of the Church under the Kingship and Savior hood of Christ, with a commitment to respond to His prayer “that they may be one” in the Spirit of humility and love.

• We believe in Israel’s irrevocable election and affirm the calling of Jewish followers of the Messiah to remain true to their identity as Jews under the Kingship of Christ (Rom 11:28-29; 1 Cor 7:17-20; Acts 21:17-26). 

• We believe in the Savior’s great commission to go into all the world preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, baptizing, and making disciples.

• We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit’s gifts and works of power and through the Church, beginning with the believer’s receiving the Baptism with the Holy Spirit as at the beginning and propriety of spiritual language activated by faith is available to all who believe and are baptized in the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 14:2, 1 Cor. 14:15, Rom. 8:26, Jude 1:20)

• We believe in showing love and good works toward all humanity in serving human need in tangible ways, that the Gospel not be reproached, and that God’s love be seen in practice as well as proclamation.

• We believe in the final judgment of all humankind into eternal union or eternal separation from God; ministering in this light with the passion of those who believe that “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

• We believe in the Church’s historic view of marriage as the union of a man and a woman to one another in a shared life of fidelity and devotion as a gift given by God to His people and one of the ways through which His image is made known in the world. (Genesis 1:26; John 13:34-35; 15:12-13; Acts 2:36; Rom. 15:7; 1 Cor. 12:3; Gal. 3:26-29; Eph. 2:19-23, 4:1-6; 1 Thess. 4:9-12; 1 John 4:7-21)

• We believe in five-fold ministry and women co-laboring in ministry leadership Although we are not keen on using titles, we believe in the present function of the five office gifts empowered by the Holy Spirit in the church until complete unity and maturity in the body of Christ. Likewise, we acknowledge there are various interpretations surrounding the purposes and functions of those gifts and even controversy due to cases of false representation of those offices. We acknowledge the contribution of women in leadership as shown all throughout the scriptures, including notable figures in the book of Acts. Particular scriptures that appear contrary must be viewed through careful exegesis, in the ancient world-view and context of the ancient Roman/Greek culture. (Ephesians 4:11-16, Luke 2:36, Acts 21:9, Romans 16:1, Romans 16:7,Acts 18, John 4:39, Judges 5:7,Esther 7:3)