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    Beliefs

What We Believe

How we see God

God is eternal, the magnificent Power and Creator of all.  Yet, He is also an ever-present, relational comfort to mankind.  He came to earth to show us, in life, how to live, and in death, how to be made truly alive.  There is none other like Him and He reigns supreme over every living thing.

How we see ourselves

God cares for us immensely.  Each individual has a unique plan and purpose designed by God.  We were made in the image of God.  In order for us to truly appreciate who we are, we must see ourselves as Christ sees us.  Though man fell from God’s original intentions, being deceived by the tempter, Christ came to earth to right man’s wrong and to deliver to Himself a people free of sin’s curse which had separated them from Him.

To those who believe, He has given the gift of life, and has done for us what we could not do for ourselves.  Now, when He looks at us, He sees Himself.  Where once there was guilt by association, we now have redemption by association.

How we see each other

We were created with fellowship in mind, with God and with one another.  God loves families.  In fact, it was His idea.  The Church, simply put, is God’s family and an extension of Himself in the earth.  Though His family is large, they enjoy the unity of the faith.  Therefore, we celebrate all that brings us together, and we disregard the trivial differences which serve only to divide.

Our greatest directive as believers is to walk in love toward God and toward one another.  Therefore, we support, uplift, and edify one another in the love of God.  We reach out to the world in the love of God.  We do good to all, in the name, and in the love of God.  The entire world is built through relationships.  When those relationships are healthy, so will the world be.

Other things that matter

God gave us certain institutions such as baptism, communion, and marriage in order that we would have a clearer picture of spiritual concepts and to illustrate how we relate to Him.  We observe them not out of pious tradition, but out of our pursuit to know this great God who has freely given all things to us.

The Bible is God’s tech-support manual for humans.  God-breathed and God-inspired, we do well to heed all that is written therein as it has been given for our edification and maturity.  It is without error.  Yet, we understand that proper Scriptural application requires the illumination of the Holy Spirit.  When you know the heart of a book’s writer, you cannot misinterpret his words.  Likewise, without knowing God’s heart, the words on the page can be misused or misunderstood.  But, when God reveals Himself through His Word, it becomes alive and our faith becomes unshakeable.

God is very much alive and is continuously at work in our lives.  He has given us gifts that work by His Spirit which are useful according to His purposes.  Though spiritual fruit (such as love, joy, peace, patience, etc.) is the true sign of a Spirit-filled life, God’s gifts are important tools by which He reaches out through us to the world.

Additionally, God is still in the miracle business.  We have seen, and will continue to experience, God intervening in our daily activities in miraculous and unexplainable ways.  For this, and in everything, we give God all thanks and praise.