WHAT WE BELIEVE

Doctrine

Simply put, we believe in the truth of the Bible Just as the cliche acronym - Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth - describes, we can find details about the nature of God, the plan of salvation, and answers to many of the struggles we face in our day-to-day Christian lives. The Bible is not meant to be a buffet from which we pick our favorite topics and leave out the more undesired topics. Instead, it should be the source of all of our information, not just some of it. We strive to be as Biblically based in our beliefs, in our living, and in our preaching as possible.

About God

All the way back when the Lord spoke through Moses to the Israelites, the Lord established His distinct oneness: "Hear O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord." Deuteronomy 6:4. This principle is echoed throughout the New Testament. Paul wrote, "One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Ephesians 4:5-6. The Bible tells us that Jesus was God manifest in the flesh: "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." I Timothy 3:16. Also, John tells us the same thing. In John 1:1 and 1:14, he writes, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

Jesus put it bluntly: "I and my Father are one." John 10:30. The Jews sought to stone Jesus after he made this statement because he, "being a man, makest thyself God." John 10:30. Jesus did not distinguish himself from the one God that the Jews knew. Moreover, the Bible describes the Holy Spirit as the Comforter in John 14:26: "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name..." The Bible equates the Holy Spirit, which dwells in us, as Christ himself, as the Spirit of Christ, and as the Spirit of God: Romans 8:9 speaks of the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us, and then Romans 8:10 speaks of Christ Himself dwelling in us.

All of this makes sense because we know that "God is a Spirit." John 4:24. I Timothy 3:16 does not leave us wondering at the substance of the mystery of God; it explains the mystery. God, who is a spirit, was manifest in the flesh. He was not a different God than the one that the Israelites knew as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. His spirit, the Holy Spirit, is the Spirit of Christ - the Spirit of God. All of these manifestations are one. We know that ultimately, when we see the Lord in heaven, there is but one throne in heaven, and one who sits upon that throne. Revelation 4:2.

The Plan of Salvation

Peter, who walked with Jesus and knew Him intimately and received the revelation of who He was ("And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 16:16-17.), was the one who preached on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost fire first fell en masse.

When asked directly what must be done to be saved he responded, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Acts 2:38. There are many passages in the New Testament that speak of baptism and what is necessary, and each of them completely correlate with this Scripture when we fully understand the nature of God and the importance of baptism. It is our way to join into covenant with our Lord and Savior, which is just as important in our present day as it was back in the Old Testament. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Mark 16:16. Baptism by immersion in water in His name and receiving the baptism of His spirit is essential. Why His name? "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12. What about titles as it states in Matthew 28:19? "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" clearly points in Jesus' name when we understand the nature of God as evidenced by the many Scriptures that point to the oneness of His diety. As the old song states "I know Jesus is the Father. I know Jesus is the Son. I know Jesus is the Holy Ghost, and I know these three are one."

To simplify matters, you can liken the plan of salvation to the story of the Three Little Pigs, each pig attempted to build a house using what each knew and what each pig felt it could do. Belief in Jesus Christ alone and proclaiming Him as Savior of the world is not enough - much like the pig who built his house out of hay. "Thou believes that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." James 2:19. Believing and being baptized, while an improvement upon believing alone, can still be likened to the pig who built his house out of sticks - better, but still not as strong as it could be. This idea neglects what Peter gives as a clear instruction in Acts 2:38. If the hay and the sticks couldn't keep the pigs safe from the wolf, why chance our eternal safety on anything other than our fullest defense? Building a spiritual house out of "bricks", therefore, would require us to follow the full plan and not only repent and believe, but to also be baptized in Jesus' Name and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

How We Worship

We get loud. We jump. We shout. We dance. We run. But we do so with very good reason. No, we're not at a good concert getting our jam on. Our entertaining is different from what music studios mass produce. We are entertaining the presence of our God - and nothing should be done more exuberantly than that. Why? There really doesn't need to be dancing does there? If you look to the example of King David, who was favored greatly by the Lord for his earnest love and adoration, there does. When he was able to be in the presence of God and enter into the tabernacle, he danced. And he jumped. And he shouted. And he got so loud that his own wife even mocked him. Yet he refused to be silent and reserved for her sake. In fact, he retorted that he would get even more unabashed in his praise to the Lord Almighty because He alone is worthy. 2 Samuel 6:14-22. If David, a man after God's own heart, could rejoice so openly without having been able to accept the gift of salvation offered by Jesus Christ, how much more should we who have access to and can proclaim His Holy Name jump for joy?