WHAT WE BELIEVE:
Our Creed, Discipline, Guidelines for Order and Full Doctrine:
Our creed, discipline, rules of order and doctrine is the Word of God as taught and revealed by the Holy Spirit (St. John 14:26, I Cor 2:9-14). “All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (II Tim 3:16-17).
As members of the Body of Christ, which is the true church (Ephes 1:22-23), the word of God declares but one way of entrance therein, and that is “by one spirit are we all baptized into one body,” and that is a Baptism of “Water and Spirit.” ( I Cor 12:12-27; Gal 3:26-28; Rom 6:3-4; John 3:5; Acts 2:38).
The Six Principles of the Doctrine of Christ:
The Six Principles of the Doctrine of Christ serve as the fundamental teachings of the Apostolic Doctrine. They are found in Hebrews 6:1-3 and are listed below as:
* Repentance from Dead Works * Faith Toward God * Doctrine of Baptisms * Laying on of Hands * Resurrection of the Dead * Eternal Judgment
The principles represent the starting point of the path to perfection, and we believe one cannot produce the kind of holy lifestyle God demands apart from an understanding of these basic truths.
God’s Standard of Salvation:
We earnestly contend for God’s standard of salvation. In the Word of God, we can find nothing short of a Holy, Spirit-filled life with signs following, as on the day of Pentecost. ( Mark 16:16,17; Acts 2:4; 8:14-17, 9:17-18, 10:44-48, 19:1-6. See Romans 12:1-2; Hebrews 12:14; Matthew 5:48, I Peter 1:15-16).
Repentance and Remission of Sins:
The only grounds upon which God will accept a sinner is repentance from the heart, for the sins that he has committed. “A broken and a contrite heart…thou wilt not despise,,: (Psalm 51:17). Jesus preached that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name, beginning at Jerusalem (Luke 24:47), and Peter fulfilled this command on the day of Pentecost (See Acts 2:38).
Water Baptism in Jesus’ Name:
We contend that salvation as described by Jesus in St. John 3:1-5 is contained in one being baptized of both water and spirit. Baptism, from the greek word ‘baptizo’ meaning full immersion in water, must be administered in the name of Jesus, and not under the phrase father, son and holy spirit. In obeying the command of Jesus in Matthew 28:19 we baptize in the NAME OF the father, in the NAME OF the son, and the NAME OF the holy spirit – meaning father is not a name, but HAS a name. Same for the son and holy spirit. There was no record in scripture of anyone being baptized under the father, son, holy spirit formula. We do find consistently where individuals were baptized in the Name of the Lord.
Infilling of the Holy Spirit:
Salvation is evident in one being filled with the precious gift of the Holy Spirit. The initial evidence of the Holy Spirit is that one would began speaking in other tongues as the spirits gives the utterance (ability, words to say). Acts 2:4, 10:44-48, 19:1-6
God’s Standard of Holy Living:
Godly living should characterize the life of every child of the Lord, and we should live according to the pattern and example given in the Word of God. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11-12). “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (I Peter 2:21-23). “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). We wholeheartedly disapprove of our members indulging in any activities which are not conducive to good Christianity and godly living. We admonish all of our members to refrain from any ungodly practices in the interest of spiritual progress and the soon coming of the Lord for His church.
The Godhead:
We fully believe in the mystery of the Godhead. We believe that Jesus was 100% human and 100% divine, and further, that the Godhead be understood to mean all of the fulness of God. (Colossians 1:19 and 2:9). We believe that Jesus was Mary’s son and Mary’s God, Creator and creature, God manifest in the flesh; that the flesh of Jesus was the same as ours, with the exception that it had no sin; that Jesus was the Eternal Father made visible , apart from whom there is no God. We believe that at the final consummation of all things there will be one God, and that will be our Lord Jesus Christ.
Resurrection and Translation of the Saints:
We believe that the time draweth near for the coming of the Lord to make a change in the present order of things. The dead in Christ shall rise first. Those (saints) that remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. The righteous and the wicked dead shall not rise until the thousand years are expired, which will be the white throne of judgement, and whosoever is not found written in the book of life shall be cast into the lake of fire. See Revelation 10th ch; Matthew 24:36-43; Luke 17:20-27; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; Phil. 3:20-21; and 1 Thes. 4:13-17.
Christ having come for his saints in the translation, 1 Thessalonians 4:17, shall after the tribulation period, return with them and reign on the earth for a thousand years. There shall be peace on earth and good will toward men, after which , there shall take place the second resurrection and the White Throne of Judgement. It is written, ” Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
The Millennial reign:
Furthermore, we believe that the distress upon the earth is the “beginning of sorrows” and will become more intense until there “Shall be a time of trouble, such as there never was since there was a nation, even to this present time.” Matthew 24:3-8; Daniel 12:1; and that period of “tribulation” will be followed by the dawn of a better day on earth; and that for one thousand years there shall be “peace on earth and good will toward men” Revelation 20:7-15, 21:8; and Matthew 5:5
Final Judgement:
When the thousand years are finished, there shall be a general resurrection of the dead, who shall be summoned before the Great White Throne for their final judgement, and all whose names are not found written in the book of life shall be cast into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone, which is the second death that God hath prepared for the devil and his angeles and all the wicked who serve him. Satan being cast in first. Revelation 20:7-15, 21:8; and Matthew 25:42-46
