We believe the doctrines of the Bible are sacred and unchanging.
We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, given to us all so that we may
know Him and know how to live pleasing to Him. If anyone follows the Bible,
they will make it to Heaven.
Salvation
We believe that all have sinned and fallen short of what is pleasing to God (Romans 3:23). The Bible teaches that the wages of sin is death, eternal death and separation from God (Romans 6:23). We believe that even while we were sinners, God loved us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us (Romans 5:8) and if we will confess our sins to Jesus, Jesus will forgive us (1 John 1:9). Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord, shall be saved (Romans 10:13). Anyone who has been forgiven is now a child of God and they now have the hope of heaven (John 10:28).
When a person has been forgiven, you become a new creature in Christ Jesus. Old things have passed away and all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). We have been given a new heart. From that new heart flows new passions, new desires, new love, and new life. The things that we once did that we knew were wrong, we no longer do because we have a new heart and we love God. In short, salvation brings deliverance to our lives. Deliverance from the sinful addictions and actions that once had us bound.
Spiritual Growth
Just as a child must learn to crawl before they can walk, so must a new Christian. A new employee must learn their new responsibilities. A newly married couple must learn how to live with each other. A new puppy must learn where it can and cannot roam. A new Christian must learn what the heart of God is so that they can live in a manner that is pleasing to God. This learning process is done in many different ways. One can learn about God through Sunday School, attending church services, personal Bible studies, and getting connected with a small group that help each other to be held accountable in their walk with God. While there are many ways to grow, rest assured, you are not in this alone. Just as a parent "hovers" over their child as they begin to walk, catching them if they begin to teeter or picking them up if they stumble, God does the same with His children. The early part of your journey with Christ may seem discouraging at times, but sooner or later, you are walking spiritually and enjoying every moment of it!
Sanctification
As you grow in Christ, you will begin to notice what seems to be a battle raging on the inside of you. By now, God has been showing you areas of your heart that He wants to mold more into His image. Deep within, you are surrendered to what God wants. But lately, it seems harder to be surrendered. He is speaking to you about some personal issues. The battle is this: you want to say "yes." You want to continue to follow God. He has been so good to you but something inside seems to be digging in its heels, making it hard to just say "yes." What in the world is it? It is what we call the "sin nature," or "inbred sin." Don't feel alone; every single person was born with this nature within them. It is a nature that is rooted in selfishness. It is ugly. That is what God wants to get rid of. But the only way to get rid of it is to recognize that it is there, and then surrender it to God. When you get to a place where you truly surrender yourself...all of you...to God, He will cleanse your heart from this ugly selfishness and in its place He will fill you with His fullness. Simply put, He will be the supreme ruler of your heart. While there will be times that you do not understand "why" God is asking something of you, you will be surrendered to His will because you know He ALWAYS knows what is best for you. Getting to this place in your spiritual walk is what we call "becoming spiritually mature" or sanctified entirely.
service
Scriptures tell us that we have been saved to serve. In the Gospel of Luke, we read the story of the Good Samaritan. A man had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead. A couple groups of pious religious men walked right past this broken man as he lay on the side of the road. But a Samaritan man stopped to help the hurting man. He cleaned out his wounds, bandaged him up, put the hurting man on his donkey and took him into town for proper help. He paid the hotel manager in advance for this man's stay and said, "When I return, I will pay whatever extra cost that may accumulate along the way." Jesus asked his followers, "Who was the right person?" They responded, "The one who showed mercy." Jesus said, "You are correct, go and do likewise." When Jesus saves us from our sins and cleanses our heart from that selfish nature, His purpose is that we may go help others who are hurting and in need of Christ themselves. What God has done for us, He wants to do for others and He wants to use us to help bring others to Jesus. We were saved to serve.
Stumbling
God's power is so mighty that it can not only save us from our sins and sanctify our hearts, but it can keep us from stumbling back into sin. Jude 24 tells us that, "He, God, is able to keep us from stumbling." If we hide God's Word in our hearts, it will keep us from sinning. In other words, if we live in complete obedience to God's Word, we will not sin. That is the beauty of it all. We can live in victory. But the devil is sly and cunning. While he is nowhere near as powerful as God, he is stronger than we are. He is a liar and a deceiver. His job is to bombard us - day in and day out - with temptations, discouragements and lies about how God doesn't care. And if we begin to listen to the devil's voice, he will lead us away from God. And if this happens, we can fall from grace. God forbid that this would happen; but if it does, what next? Are you finished? Is God done with you? NO! 1 John 2:1 tells us that if we do stumble and sin, we have an advocate with the Father. Jesus, personally, will plead our case before God, Himself. And if we will ask for forgiveness, He will restore us to a right relationship with God.
