What We Believe
We believe in the complete written word of God. We are learning and growing in grace and mercy. God bless, Joshua Toupos (Amos37)
The Scriptures
Bibliology: We believe that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). We understand this to mean that the whole Bible is inspired, in that holy men of God “were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21) to write the very words of Scripture. We believe that this divine inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts of Scripture as it appeared in the original manuscripts. We believe that the whole Bible in those original manuscripts is, therefore, without error. We believe that all Scripture centers around the Lord Jesus Christ in His person, work, and in His first and second coming. Therefore, no portion of the Old Testament is properly read or understood until it leads to Christ. We also believe that all Scripture was designed for our practical instruction. (Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39;Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11; 2 Timothy 3:16)
The Triune Godhead
The Trinity: We believe in the one true and living God, the Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, and Ruler of all things. He is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, and is revealed to us as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God the Father: God, as Father, reigns over all of His universe with providential care. He is all-powerful, all-loving, all-knowing, and all-wise. He is fatherly in attitude toward all men but is Father, indeed, to those who have become children of God through Jesus Christ, who will deliver them into the Father’s hands. (Genesis 1:1; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Jeremiah 10:10; Matthew 6:9; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Corinthians 15: 24;Ephesians 4:6)
God the Son: Christology. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. He accomplished this redemption by voluntarily giving Himself as a sinless, substitutionary sacrifice on the cross, thereby satisfying God’s righteous judgment against sin. After substantiating the accomplishment of that redemption and justification by His bodily resurrection from the grave, He ascended to the right hand of His Father, where He intercedes on behalf of those who trust Him. (Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1, 2, 14, 18; Romans 3:24-26;Romans 8:3)
God the Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Person who convicts the world of sin (righteousness and judgment); that He alone brings new life to those who are spiritually dead; that He baptizes (or places) all believers into the one true Church, which is the Body of Christ; that He indwells them permanently, seals them unto the day of final redemption, bestows spiritual gifts upon them, and fills (controls) those who are yielding to Him. Every believer is called to live in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit so that he will not fulfill the lust of the flesh but will bear fruit to the glory of God. (John 3:3-8; 14:16-17; 16:7-11; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 13; Ephesians 4:30; 5:18)
Creation
Creation Seminars: We believe that man was created directly by and in the image of God. We believe that God created the heavens and the earth, including all life, by direct act. (Genesis 1:1; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17) In six literal solar days. Jesus Christ is the Creator.
Man
Anthropology: Although man was created in the image of God, he fell into sin and is lost. This is true of all men; and except a man be born again by the Holy Spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (Genesis 1:26-27; John 3:3; Romans 3:10, 23)
The Devil – Satan
Angelology: We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin, and the reason for the fall of man, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal punishment in the lake of fire. (Matthew 4:1-3; Acts 5:3; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:10)
Atonement For Sin
Jesus the Lamb of God: We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a substitutionary sacrifice and that all who believe on Him are redeemed by His shed blood. We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ and in His ascension into heaven; He is our High Priest and Advocate. (John 1:1-3, 14; 3:1-7;Hebrews 10:4-14; 1 John 2:2)
Salvation
Soteriology: We believe that salvation is the gift of God’s grace. It cannot be gained or made more secure by meritorious works, but is freely bestowed upon all who put their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ at Calvary. All who so trust the Savior are forgiven of their sins and born into the family of God by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. (John 1:12; Acts 16:30-33; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-9)
The Christian Walk
We believe that we have a holy calling to walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit, and so to live in the power of the indwelling Spirit in order that we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. The flesh is never eradicated in this life. Individuals must choose to keep the flesh in subjection to Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, or it will surely manifest its presence in life and dishonor our Lord. (Romans 6:11-13; 8:2, 4, 12-13; Galatians 5:16-23;Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 2:1-10; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 1 John 1:4-7; 3:5-9)
The Great Commission
Evangelism: Until the return of Christ, it is the Christian’s duty and privilege to seek the fulfillment of Christ’s Great Commission and to minister in His name to a needy world. We are to be instruments of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit ministers redemption and reconciliation in the world. (Matthew 25:31-46; 28:18-20)
Prophecy (Things to Come)
We teach prophecy from a Pre Millennial Dispensational point of view. This is a secondary issue for us. We appreciate other views and DO NOT divide over Eschatology. We believe in the literal return of Christ to rule over a literal Kingdom that will fulfill Four unconditional covenants (Abrahmic (Genesis 12:1-3, 6-7; 13:14-17; 15; 17:1-14; 22:15-18), Palestinian (Deuteronomy 30:1-10), Mosaic, (Deuteronomy 11; et al.) Davidic, (2 Samuel 7:8-16 (Luke 1:32-33).
Daniel’s 70th week which will usher in the 7 year Tribulation (Daniel 7:25-26, Daniel 9:27, Daniel 12:7, Revelation 11:2, Revelation 12:5-6, 14, Revelation 13:5-7.) A PreTrib Rapture… (We know some get excited) (1 Thess, 4:16-18, 1 Cor. 15:51-53,
The Unknown Hour
When we search the Scriptures and read the passages describing the Lord Jesus’ return, we find verses that tell us we won’t know the day and hour of that event. Matthew 25:13 says Jesus will return at an unknown time, while Revelation 12:6 indicates that the Jews will have to wait on the Lord 1,260 days, starting when the Antichrist stands in the Temple of God and declares himself to be God (2 Thes 2:4).
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb In Luke 12:36, the Word states that when Christ returns, He will be returning from a wedding. In Revelation 19:7-8, we read about the marriage itself. The marriage supper takes place before the marriage.
The Saint U-Turn
In the pre-trib scenario, after we rise to meet the Lord in the air, we will go to heaven and abide there a minimum of seven years. At the end of that period, Christ will come down to earth, defeat the Antichrist, and cleanse the temple. In a post-trib rapture, we would rise in the air to meet the Lord, then do a 180-degree U-turn and come back down to earth. Revelation 1:7 states that Christ will appear out of the clouds and come down to earth. Zechariah 14:4 says that His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives. If He’s already headed our way, why would we need to be caught up to meet Him? See how we Contrast The Rapture with The Second Coming here.
The Time of Jacob’s Trouble
In several passages, the Bible refers to the tribulation as a time of trouble for the Jews. The phrase “Jacob’s trouble” pertains to the descendants of Jacob. (Israel) Jeremiah 30:7 says that this time of trouble will come just before the Lord returns to save His people. The final week of Daniel’s 70th week is yet to take place. An angel told Daniel that, “70 weeks are determined unto thy people” (Dan 9:24). Scripture never mentions that the tribulation is meant to be a time of testing for Christians. However, some post-tribbers try to claim that they are the ones being tested during the tribulation. To make this so, they need to spiritualize the 144,000 Jewish believers in Revelation 7:2-8 who receive God’s protective seal. Placing the Church dispensation into the same time frame as the seven-year Jewish dispensation, as the post-tribbers do, raises one good question: Can two dispensations transpire at the same time? In the past, God has only dealt with one at a time. Having both present during the tribulation would have to be an exception.
Having said just a little bit we give a wide latitude for brother & sisters in Christ to disagree on these topics. We teach from a Historical, Grammatical Method of Hermeneutics and use Hebrew & Greek word studies with a strong emphasis on the original cultural meaning to the original audience. NOT a return to the law!
