THE SCRIPTURES

The Bible is the inspired Word of God, the product of holy men of old who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. The New Covenant, as recorded in the New Testament, we accept as our infallible guide in matters pertaining to conduct and doctrine. (II Tim. 3:16, I Thess. 2:13, II Peter 1:21)

THE GODHEAD

Our God is one, but manifested in three persons - The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, being co-equal (Phil. 2:6). God the Father is greater than all; the sender of the Word (Logos) and the Begotten (John 14:28, John 16:28, John 1:14). The Son is the Word flesh-covered, the One Begotten, and has existed with the Father from the beginning (John 1:1, John 1:18, John 1:14). The Holy Spirit proceeds forth from both the Father and the Son and is eternal. (John 15:26)

MAN, HIS FALL AND REDEMPTION

Man is a created being, made in the likeness and image of God, but, through Adam's transgression and fall, sin came into the world. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." As it is written, "There is none righteous, no, not one." Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was manifested to undo the work of the devil and gave His life and shed His blood to redeem and restore man back to God (Rom. 5:14, Rom. 3:10, Rom. 3:23, I John 3:8). Salvation is the gift of God to man, separate from works and the law, and is made operative by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, producing works acceptable to God (Eph. 2:8)

ETERNAL LIFE AND THE NEW BIRTH

Man's first step toward salvation is godly sorrow that worketh repentance. The New Birth is necessary to all men, and when experienced, produces eternal life. (II Cor. 7:10, I Jn. 5:12, Jn. 3:3-5)

WATER BAPTISM

Baptism in water is by immersion, is a direct commandment of our Lord, and is for believers only. The ordinance is a symbol of the Christian's identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection (Matt. 28:19, Rom. 6:4, Col. 2:12, Acts 8:36-39). The following recommendations regarding the water baptismal formula is adopted: to wit: "On the confession of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and by his authority, I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen." 

BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Baptism in the Holy Ghost and fire is a gift from God as promised by the Lord Jesus Christ to all believers in this dispensation and is received subsequent to the New Birth. This experience is accompanied by the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Holy Spirit Himself gives utterance. (Matt. 3:11, John 14:16-17, Acts 1:9, Acts 2:38-39, Acts 19:1-7, Acts 2:4)

SANCTIFICATION

The Bible teaches that without holiness no man can see the Lord. We believe in the Doctrine of Sanctification as a definite, yet progressive work of grace, commencing at the time of regeneration and continuing until the consummation of salvation at Christ's return. (Heb. 12:14, I Thess. 5:23, II Peter 3:18, II Cor. 3:18, Phil. 3:12-14, I Cor. 1:30) 

DIVING HEALING

Healing is for the physical ills of the human body and is wrought by the power of God through the prayer of faith, and by the laying on of hands. It is provided for in the atonement of Christ, and is the privilege of every member of the Church today. (Mark 16:18, James 5:14-15, I Peter 2:24, Matt 8:1-17, Isa. 53:4-5)

RESURRECTION OF THE JUST AND THE RETURN OF THE LORD

The angels said to Jesus' disciples, "This same Jesus shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." His coming is imminent. When He comes, "...the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air...." (Acts 1:11, I Thess. 4:16-17). Following the Tribulation, He shall return to earth as King of kings and Lord of lords, and together with His saints, who shall be kings and priests, He shall reign a thousand years. (Rev. 20:6) 

HELL AND ETERNAL RETRIBUTION

The one who physically dies in his sins without accepting Christ is hopelessly and eternally lost in the Lake of Fire and therefore has no further opportunity of hearing the Gospel or repenting. The Lake of Fire is literal. The terms "eternal" and "everlasting" used in describing the duration of the punishment of the damned in the Lake of Fire, carry the same thought and meaning of endless existence as used in denoting the duration of joy and ecstasy of saints in the presence of God (Heb. 9:27, Rev. 19:20)

The Bible teaches us that in the beginning God made the earth, all of the animals and trees and finally, Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve enjoyed a perfect relationship with God. There was no sickness, no sadness, nothing but joy and perfection in God’s continual presence…until they sinned. When that happened, that relationship was broken, and through their sin, Adam and Eve gave Satan the dominion over this world, the dominion that God had intended for them and their descendants.But God, knowing that the free will He had given His human creation would ultimately fail, had a plan. He Himself would do what man couldn’t do. He became man and dealt with sin once and for all.Scripture says that the sin nature is passed through the seed of our fathers, so Jesus, having been born of a virgin, did not have this nature, much like Adam and Eve before their fall. In fact, the Bible calls Jesus the second Adam because of this. The Bible also tells us that Jesus is God, who came and lived among us as a man; He is God the Son, eternally one with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He alone can forgive our sins and give salvation. The writer of Hebrews explains how "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven" (Hebrews 1:1-3).Many people believe that Jesus was alive, that He was a good person, a great teacher and a spiritual man, but they deny that He is God. Jesus Himself, however, never refuted that claim. In fact, He upheld it, directly through dialogue and through signs and wonders…

JESUS PERFORMED MIRACLES, INCLUDING RAISING OTHERS AND HIMSELF FROM THE DEAD

"Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people." Matthew 4:23

Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. Matthew 17:18

"While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. 'Your daughter is dead,' he said. 'Don't bother the teacher any more.' Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, 'Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.' …Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. 'Stop wailing,' Jesus said. 'She is not dead but asleep.' They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, 'My child, get up!' Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat." Luke 8:49-50, 52-55

"As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, 'Don't cry.' Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, 'Young man, I say to you, get up!' The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother." Luke 7:12-15

"When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, 'Take off the grave clothes and let him go.'" John 11:43, 44

"In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He [Jesus] is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' Then they remembered his words." Luke 24:5-8

SO WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ME?

Earlier on, we talked a bit about Adam and Eve and how God had intended to have a relationship with them that would last an eternity. When they rebelled against God, though, that relationship was broken. God, having come in the form of a man, Jesus Christ, would undo the damage to that relationship cause by sin.This Biblical message of salvation is simple and clear and astounding at the same time. We have all committed sin against God (Romans 3:23). Other than Jesus Christ, there is no one who has lived an entire life without sinning (Ecclesiastes 7:20). Because of our sin, we have earned judgment from God (Romans 6:23), and that judgment is death, both physical and spiritual. Because of our sin and its deserved punishment, there is nothing we can do on our own to fix this situation.Jesus lived a perfect life and always taught the truth. However, humanity rejected Jesus and put Him to death by crucifying Him. Through that horrible act, Jesus took the burden and judgment of sin on Himself, and He died in our place (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus was then resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:4), proving that His payment for sin was sufficient and that He had overcome sin and death. As a result of Jesus’ sacrifice, God offers us salvation as a gift. God calls us all to change our minds about Jesus (Acts 17:30) and to receive Him and His sacrifice as the full payment of our sins (1 John 2:2). Salvation is gained by receiving the gift God offers us.

HOW DO I RECEIVE THAT GIFT?

The Bible says that the gift of salvation is received through faith in Jesus Christ. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Salvation is gained by faith (Ephesians 2:8), by receiving Jesus as Savior (John 1:12), and by fully trusting Jesus alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).If you understand this good news (the gospel) and believe it to be true, you can ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. From the moment you ask, Jesus will come and live in your heart. He will transform you into something new (2 Corinthians 5:17), from the inside out, and your relationship with the One, True God will come to life! All you have to do is believe and ask Him!If you've asked Him into your heart, please drop us a note letting us know! We'd love to hear about it! You can e-mail us at debbierichmin@aol.com. We'd also recommend that you find a good Bible-believing church to learn more about Jesus and the Bible, and to find other believers who can help you get connected. We love you and hope that you've taken that step today!