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WHY
WE EXIST@ CHURCH in the FARMS
From
Matthew 22:37-40 & Matthew 28:19-20
Church in the Farms exists to
KNOW
Jesus,
GROW
in Him, and GO
show His love to others.
Matthew 22:37-40
37
Jesus
replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38
This is
the first and greatest commandment.
39
And the
second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
40
All the
Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 28:19-20
19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, 20
and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
WHAT WE
BELIEVE @
CHURCH
in the FARMS
Download in Word .doc format
What we
believe about GOD
There is
only one living and true God. He is an intelligent,
spiritual, and personal being; the creator, redeemer,
preserver, and ruler of the universe. God is infinite
in holiness and all other perfections. To Him we owe
the highest love, reverence, and obedience. God
reveals himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with
distinct personal attributes, but without divisions of
nature, essence, or being.
1.
God the Father: God as Father reigns with
providential care over His universe, creatures, and the flow
of human history according to the purpose of His grace.
He is all-powerful, all loving, and all wise. God is
Father of truth to those who become children of God through
faith in Jesus Christ and is fatherly in His attitude toward
all mankind. Gen. 1:1, 26-27; Ex. 3:14; Deut.
6:4; Isaiah 42:5-8, 64:8; Jer. 10:10; Matt. 23:9, 28:19;
Mark 1:10-11; John 4:24; Rom. 8:14-15.
2.
God the Son: Jesus Christ is the Son of God and
is co-equal with the Father. He was conceived of the
Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus lived a
sinless life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice
for the sins of all people by dying on the cross. He
arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His
power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven's
glory and will return again someday to earth to reign as
King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Matt. 1:22; Isaiah
9:6, 53:1-12; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; I Cor. 15:3-4; Rom.
1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; I Tim. 6:14-15; Titus 2:13.
3.
God the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is
co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is
present in the world to make men aware of their need for
Jesus Christ. He lives in every Christian from the
moment of salvation sealing their redemption. He gives
every believer power for living, understanding of spiritual
truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives
every believer a spiritual gift when they are saved.
As Christians we seek to live under His control daily.
2 Cor. 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; I Cor. 2:12,
3:16; Eph. 1:13; Gal. 5:25; Eph. 5:18.
What we
believe about THE BIBLE
The Bible
is God's Word to us. It is written by human writers, under
the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is
the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and
living. Because it is inspired by God, it is the truth
without any mixture of error. 2 Tim. 3:16; 2
Pet. 1:20-21; 2 Tim. 1:13; Psalm 119:105, 160, 12:6; Prov.
30:5.
What we
believe about HUMAN BEINGS
People are
made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in
character. People are the supreme object of God's
creation. Although every person has tremendous
potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of
disobedience toward God called "sin." This attitude
separates people from God and causes many problems in life.
Gen. 1:17; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Rom. 3:23; Isaiah
59:1-2
What we
believe about SALVATION
Salvation
is God's free gift to us, but we must accept it. We
can never make up for sin by self-improvement of good works.
Only by trusting Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness
can anyone be saved from sin's penalty. When we turn
from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are
saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives
Jesus Christ into his life by faith. Rom. 6:23;
Eph. 2:8-9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Gal. 3:26; Rom. 5:1
What we
believe about ETERNAL SECURITY
Because God
gives eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer
is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have
been genuinely saved, you cannot "lose" it. Salvation
is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the
self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and
keeping power of God that gives us this security.
John 10:29, 2 Tim. 1:12; Heb. 7:25, 10:10, 14; I Pet. 1:3-5
What we
believe about ETERNITY
People are
created to exist forever. We will either exist
eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God
through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally
separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union
with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real
places of eternal existence.
John 3:16, 2:25, 5:11-13; Rom. 6:23; Rev. 20:15; Matt.
1:8, 2:44, 46
What we
believe about THE CHURCH
The church
is the local body of believers who have been spiritually
regenerated by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It
is the people of God chosen, constituted, and belonging to
Him, thereby a particular quality of holiness is expected.
It is the local body of Christ, empowered by the Holy
Spirit, actively doing the work of Christ on earth.
Christ is the head of the body and there exists a unified
interconnection among its members characterized by genuine
fellowship. Its purpose is to fulfill the Great Commission
and the Great Commandment. Matt. 28:19-20,
22:36-40; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 5:25-27, 4:4-6, 1:22-23; 1 Cor.
12:13, 26-27,3:16-17; Col. 1:18
What we
believe about SATAN
Satan and
his demons are active in blinding mankind to spiritual truth
in order to keep them from a personal relationship with God
and eternal life. Satan is the father of lies, a
deceiver, and the ruler of the non-believing world system.
He was judged and condemned by the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ and will suffer eternal punishment at judgment.
All believers can and should resist him by faith and
applying scriptural truth. Genesis 3:1-19; Luke
10:18, John 8:44; Eph. 2:1-3, 6:10-19; James 4:7-8; 1 Peter
5:8-9; Revelation 12:13, 20:10; Co. 2:15; 2 Cor. 4:4
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