Our Beliefs

The Bible

We believe in one God who exist in three distinct equal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is the creator of the universe, never changing, eternal, all-powerful and unending in love.

Genesis 1:1; Matthew 3:16-17; 1 John 5:7-8

 

The Bible is the ‘Owner’s Manual’ for the Believers life. 

The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.  Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.

Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy.  It contains light to direct you, food to support you and comfort to cheer you.  It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter.

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ (the Son of God) became flesh to reveal God to man and rescue the world from evil. He, being fully God yet fully man, is the only person to live a sinless life. He was born of a virgin and took the weight of sin and evil in the world on the cross so mankind could be free from the penalty of sin and creation would be redeemed. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory.

Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:18; John 1:1, 14; 3:16; I Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:15

Holy Spirit

Given at Pentecost, it is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His Ascension, to empower the Church to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth

Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5,2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 11:15-17, 19:1-6

The Salvation Question

Have you ever asked why God created at the plan for Salvation or Why he allowed his Son to suffer the way he did on the Cross?

The reason he did is because every person ever born was born a Sinner … a descendant of Adam.  Sin is your genetic makeup … its in your DNA.    Only Adam was created after God’s Image and Likeness.  Everyone else was born after Adam’s image and likeness which was born from sinful seed or sinful DNA.

Genesis 5: 1 & 3
This is the book of the generations of Adam.  In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him

And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image and called his name Seth

Because you were born as a Sinner, you are destined to spend eternity in hell.

Romans 5:12

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ our Lord

God made a simple plan for you to change your destiny today …

John 3:3

Except a man be Born Again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.

How can you be born again? … How can you get rid of the Sin that’s in your DNA?

Jesus made the way and he made it simple for you to do… It only requires that you have a head and a heart

The Way

Romans 10:9

That if Thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead… THOU SHALT BE SAVED

Friend if you got saved accordingly to the scriptures know this also…..

Once you are Born Again You Cannot be UNBORN!

It is impossible for you to ever lose your new birth in Christ Jesus

Romans 8:38-39

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Salvation is a Gift! It is not something that you earned, It was God’s amazing expression of Love that he offers to everyone who wants to accept it.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace are ye save through faith; and not that of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast

Baptism

What is the Meaning of Baptism?
Now that I am Saved, Where Do I Start?

Baptism illustrates your new life as a Christian.

It is the first act of obedience in service to the Lord and his examples
Mark 1:9-11, & Romans 6:4, Mark 1:9

Baptism illustrates Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 & Colossians 2:12

Baptism does not make you a Christian, only your faith in Christ does that.

Baptism is like a wedding ring – the outward proclamation of the commitment you have made in your heart towards your relationship with Christ Jesus. Romans 10:9 & Ephesians 2:8-9

Who Should be Baptized?
A Believer is someone who has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior according to the Scriptures –
Romans 10:9

When a believer accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, the scriptures says that he/she at that moment is ‘Born Again’ –
John 3: 3 & 7 & 1 Peter 1:23

New Testament believers follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ and the first Gentile in the Bible to be Baptized as told in the story of the Ethiopian eunuch who first ‘believed’ the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and then after was baptized.
Acts 8:26-39

Why Be Baptized by Immersion?Jesus was baptized that way.
Matthew 3:16
Every baptism in the Bible was by immersion.
Acts 8:38-39
The word “baptize” means “to dip underwater” or “to submerge.” It best symbolizes a burial and resurrection.
Romans 6:1-11

What about Children and Infants?
You might be wondering why we don’t baptize children at their parent’s request. In the Bible we find parents bringing children to Jesus. He held them and prayed for them, and He told us to welcome them, but He did not baptize them nor tell anyone else to. The New Testament shows no examples of baptism when the candidate did not request it. All instances of baptism followed an individual’s decision to trust Christ alone for his or her salvation (Acts 10:47-48). At Grace & Truth we wait until a child is old enough to believe and understand the true meaning of baptism. Once a child has made the decision to trust Christ, we will gladly baptize them.

Why Go To Church?

Church is not something you go to, it’s a Family that you belong to.

God has established three major institutions on this planet.  The Family, The Civil Government and THE LOCAL CHURCH.  It is the local church which has been commissioned by God to carry out His purposes in reaching the lost and perfecting the saved.   Therefore, God’s plan for Christians will always be fulfilled best when connected with the local church.

At Grace and Truth Church our Motto is ‘Where the People Are the Church’

The scriptures teach us the importance of living a life that represents all the good qualities that the Church should fulfill  

1 Corinthians 6:19 

The local church is a body of men and women who have been saved and called by God to serve in a specific area.  The Church is the body of Christ – Saved People from every nation.

1 Corinthians 12:27, Matthew 28:19 

The Function of the Local church

  1. Teach the Word of God
  2. Fellowship with Other Believers
  3. Prayer
  4. Observance of Bible Ordinances (Baptism & The Lords Supper)
  5. Testifying God’s Grace & Power
  6. Mutual Assistance and Ministry
  7. Sharing the Gospel throughout our Communities
  8. Glorifying and Praising God

Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23