GOD

There is one God, creator of all things and ruler of the Universe. He is infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. John 14:28 states, "You have heard me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice because I have said, 'I am going to the Father, for my Father is greater than I.'" The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and is a divine impartation of Christ. One of the clearest pictures of the Trinity, or the Godhead, is presented at the baptism of Jesus in Matthew 3:13-17.

Genesis 1:1,26,27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2

JESUS CHRIST

Jesus, the Christ, became man without ceasing to be God in order to reveal the Father's nature and redeem man. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. Jesus is the substitutionary sacrifice for our sins and arose bodily from the dead for our justification. Ascended into heaven, he is exalted and seated at the right hand of God as our Mediator - fully God and fully man.

Genesis 18:7; Psalms 2:7; Isaiah 7:14, 9:6; Matthew 1:18-23, 8:29, 28:1-6, 19; John 1:1-5, 11:25-27, 12:44-50, 14:10-30, 20:1-20; Acts 1:9-11, 7:55-56, 9:4-5, 20; Romans 1:3-4, 5:6-21, 10:4; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, 24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 3:11, 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6, 6:14-15; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 4:14-15, 7:14-28, 12:2, 13:5-8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 1 John 1:7-9, 4:14-15; Revelation 1:13-16, 12:10-11, 13:8, 19:16

HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit dwells, guides, instructs, and empowers the believer for godly living, witnessing to the lost and dedicated service in the Church. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Jesus, convict the world of sin, comfort the Christian and baptize the believer with power to be an effective witness. He bestows spiritual gifts upon each believer to better equip them to do the work of the ministry.

Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; Isaiah 61:1-3; Matthew 12:28-32, 28:19; Luke 1:35, 4:18-19, 24:49; John 14:16-17, 16:7-13; Acts 1:8, 4:31, 5:3, 6:3, 8:17, 15:28; Romans 8:9-11, 26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14, 3:16, 12:3-11; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 4:6, 5:25; Ephesians 1:13, 4:30, 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 9:8, 14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13, 5:7; Revelation 22:17

BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is given to all who believe in Jesus Christ and ask for this heavenly power. It is a separate and distinct experience subsequent to salvation and baptism by immersion in water. The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is an inward experience that empowers the believer to become an effective witness to the rest of the world. We know the Holy Spirit will baptize the believer with his power into the body of Christ with his gifts, each of which is given as the Spirit wills.

Luke 11:13; Acts 1:2-8,16, 2:4-21,33, 38, 4:31, 5:32, 8:15-19, 10:38-46, 19:6; Romans 15:13-16; 1 Corinthians 12, 14:12-13; Galatians 5:22-26; Ephesians 1:13; 4:4-6, 12-16, 30-32; Jude 1:20

MAN

On the last day of creation, and out of one holy breath, God made man - and from man, came woman. Man is made in the spiritual image of God and to have a godly character. God desired a mutual relationship with man – the ultimate object of God's affection. Although man was made to be perfect in character, Adam's fall from grace in the Garden of Eden flawed this perfection; thus, was the inception of "sin." This sinful condition separates man from God, and only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.

Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6, 59:1-2; Romans 3:23; 1 Corinthians 15:47

SALVATION

Romans 10:13 says, "For whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Salvation is a free gift received through repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Man is saved by grace through faith, as an instant and perfect gift from God to us without reservation, and not by any works of the flesh. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. This faith is the acceptance and believing upon Jesus Christ in your heart and confession with your mouth that he is your personal Lord and Savior, who by his own blood obtained eternal redemption on the Cross. The inward witness of salvation is the direct witness of the Holy Spirit. The outward evidence to all men is a dedicated life of righteousness.

Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 43:25; Matthew 1:21, 4:17, 27:22-28; Luke 24:47; John 1:12, 10:9, 28-29, 14:6; Acts 2:21, 16:30-31, 20:32; Romans 5:1-2, 6:7, 23, 10:13-15; Galatians 3:22-26, 5:22-25; Ephesians 2:8-22; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14, 3:5-7; 1 John 1:6-2:11

THE CHURCH

The body of Christ, the true New Testament Church is one composed of all persons, despite background or upbringing, tribe or tongue, neighborhood or nation. They are all brothers and sisters in God's eyes by the saving grace and knowledge of Christ. They are all associated in the faith and fellowship of Christ set apart to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20). They have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and renewed in their mind. Those in the body of Christ are commonly united together by the universal belief in Jesus as the only begotten Son of God and Savior of all mankind.

Matthew 16:15-19, 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-47, 5:11-14, 14:23-27, 15:1-30; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 5:4-5, 9:13-14; Ephesians 1:22-23, 3:8-11, 21, 5:22-32; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 2:9-14, 4:14; Hebrews 10:25, 11:39-40; 1 Peter 5:1-4

WATER BAPTISM

Baptism by full immersion in water of a believer is an act necessary once we are saved to outwardly declare we have died with Christ and have been raised to walk with him in the newness of life. This act is performed soon after salvation and done in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and in the authority of the name of Jesus for the remission of sins.

Matthew 3:13-17, 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11, 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22, 22:19; John 3:23; Acts 8:35-39, 16:30-33, 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16-21, 11:20-29; Colossians 2:12

THE BIBLE

From Genesis to the book of Revelation, all 66 books of the Old and New Testaments in the Bible are the infallible, inspired Word of God, as given to the inspired men of God by the Holy Spirit. This is a book of perfect instruction to man. God was its Author without any union of error, and this over a span of 1,600 years through the pen and the spirit of 40 different anointed authors. Faith is acting out the principles of truth in the Word of God, which is the supreme template of human behavior.

Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; Joshua 8:34; Psalm 12:6, 119:105, 160; Proverbs 30:5; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 5:16-17; Luke 21:33; John 5:39, 16:13-15; Acts 2:16; Romans 15:4, 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 1:13, 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 2 Peter 1:20-21

LAYING ON OF HANDS

Acts 14:3 says, "Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands." Laying on of hands is an act in which one person places his hands on the body of another person with a definite spiritual purpose. It is transferred through the believer by ministering to those in need in the name of Jesus, as well as commissioning one in the ministry.

Numbers 27:18-23; Deuteronomy 34:9; 2 Kings 11:16; 2 Chronicles 23:15; Mark 6:5; Luke 4:40, 13:13; Acts 4:3, 6:6, 8:17, 19:6, 21:27, 28:8; 2 Timothy 1:6; Hebrews 6:1-2; James 5:14; 1 John 2:27