What We Believe
Everyone involved in the outreach aspects of this ministry must be in full agreement with the following doctrinal resolution.
Concerning God
There is one true God who is the Creator of all, existing in three persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. [Genesis 1:1,26; John 1:1,3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19,20; Ephesians 4:5,6]
Concerning Man
All of mankind has been created and designed in the image of God, but has also inherited a sin nature through the first man, Adam. Through sin, all have become utterly depraved, suppressing the truth that God is the eternally powerful Creator and reason for our existence. All individuals have instead made other things their supreme passion and treasured those things above God in their hearts. [Genesis 1:26; Genesis 3:6; Romans 5:12, 16-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; Romans 3:10-23; Romans 1:18-25]
A General revelation of God has been expressed through creation to all people. No person has sufficiently lived in accordance with this general revelation, and therefore all of mankind has been separated from God and condemned, remaining under His wrath. There is nothing expressed in this general revelation that imparts a means of being restored to God. [Romans 1:18-25; Romans 3:9-20; 1 John 1:10]
Concerning the Scriptures
God has superintended the writing of the Hebrew and Greek Bible (Old and New Testaments), so that they are without error in the original manuscripts. In so doing, He accurately express His ultimate plan, His character, His instructions, and what He commands of all people everywhere. [2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Mark 13:31; John 8:31,32; John 20:31; Acts 20:32]
Concerning Jesus Christ
The historical person, known to us as Jesus of Nazareth, is the Son of God, an eternally existent member of the Holy Trinity. He has no beginning and no end, and by Him all things, both visible and invisible, were created and are continually sustained. [John 1:1-2, 14, 8:58, 20:28; Acts 20:28; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; Isaiah 9:6-7; Colossians 1:16-17; John 1:2; Hebrews 1:2-3, 2:10]
Jesus was born without sin, of the Holy Spirit, in the virgin Mary, who knew no man sexually until after she gave birth. The life of Jesus expressed the true reality of the Kingdom of God as spoken about in the Old Testament. The whole of all true devotion to God is bound up in hoping in, trusting in, obeying, submitting to, following, and loving this Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of God who became the Son of Man. [Luke 1:26-28; Matthew 1:16-25; 1 John 5:12; 1 Peter 2:4-10; Hebrews 8:12, 12:18-29; 1 Corinthians 10:1-11]
Jesus endured physical torture by crucifixion and temporary separation from the Father, absorbing God’s wrath as the effectual substitute for everyone who puts their faith in Him. He experienced a physical death, and approximately three days later raised to life, and consequently ascended into heaven where He reigns with God the Father. [Matthew 27:32-44; Mark 15:21-32; Luke 23:26-43; John 19:16-30; Matthew 27:45-55; Mark 15:33-41; Luke 23:44-49; John 19:28-37; Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-10; Mark 16:19-20; Luke 24:50-53]
Concerning Salvation and Judgment
Salvation from sin and death is found by faith alone, in the person and work of Christ. This faith is never without evidence and is always accompanied by the repentance of sin. Even though times of failure are evident for all Christians who remain alive on earth, their eternal salvation is evidenced by a life which is marked by treasuring Jesus and persevering in loving faithfulness to Him. This faithfulness is the fruit of God’s miraculous work in the life of a Christian. [Ephesians 2:8; Romans 3:21-25; James 2:14-26; 1 John 5:13; John 3:36; Galatians 3:11; 1 Corinthians 1:21; 1 John 1:6; John 3:16; Matthew 7:17-19; Acts 20:21; Luke 24:27; Luke 13:5,13]
Those who do not posses this kind of faith in Jesus Christ remain under the wrath of God. [John 3:36]
Jesus will one day return to retrieve His people and condemn the unbelieving. All of the dead will rise and inherit either eternal life, or eternal torment. [Matthew 16:27; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Phil. 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; 2 Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 15; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 20:11-15]
Concerning the Role of Preaching
Even though most people see the gospel message as foolishness, God has foreordained that through the foolishness of what we preach, some people will receive the power of God unto salvation. This does not necessitate an ability to audibly hear the gospel, but rather highlights the need for the message to be delivered in some form. The believer should preach the gospel indiscriminately to all people, looking for the miraculous work of Christ to be wrought in even the hardest of hearts. [Romans 10:9-17; Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 1:18; James 1:21; 1 Corinthians 1:21; Acts 17:30; Matthew 10:27]