Our Mentatlity for Operation

We believe the Holy Scripture, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, to be the verbally inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original writings, and the complete and only infallible rule of faith and life for every believer.

We believe that, under the filling and enlightenment of God the Holy Spirit, Scripture is to be understood within its grammatical-historical setting, in its natural, literal sense, and that each particular passage is to be interpreted consistent with the testimony of all other Scripture. We further believe that the message of God’s revealed Word centers on the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe there is one God, and only one, who is self-existent, eternal and infinite in every excellence, and who eternally exists as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the same in essence, though distinct in personality. These three Persons of the Godhead are equally and fully worthy of unending worship.

We believe that God created a great host of sinless spiritual beings known as angels to worship and serve Him and to be ministering spirits to them who shall be heirs of salvation. As created beings, they themselves are not to be worshipped, though they are presently a higher order of creation than men.

We believe that Satan, the fallen angel, also called the devil, rebelled against God and that, while the holy angels continued to worship and serve their Creator and the heirs of salvation, a great number of evil angels, the demons, chose to follow Satan in his rebellion.

We believe that Satan is the arch-enemy of God and man, a liar and a deceiver, and the one who led Eve into sin in the Garden of Eden. He blinds the minds of the unsaved, holding them in darkness, and he wars against the saints. As the prince of this world, Satan was defeated by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Though he still attempts to obstruct the purposes of God with his network of demons, he and they are doomed to eternal punishment in the lake of fire.

We believe that, in accord with the Book of Genesis, God specially created all things for His glory — the heavens and the earth, all livings after their kind and man, who was specially created from the dust of the earth in the image and likeness of God and free from sin.

We believe that when Adam chose to sin by disobeying God, he lost his innocence. He incurred the penalty of physical death and spiritual death which is separation from God, and he incurred the wrath of God. Thereafter, he passed on to all mankind, except Jesus Christ Himself, an inherently evil and depraved nature, incapable of pleasing God by any self-effort.

We therefore believe that all men are sinners by nature and by choice, and are without hope apart from the grace of God and the salvation which is in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Man and Woman / Manhood / Womanhood

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marriage was designed to consist of a male and female (as created by God in their physical birth) who are committed to one another under God in a union that glorifies God and fulfills His plans (Genesis 2:15-25).

This male and female were intended to live together in marriage only, thereby having  some form of validation and witnesses that confirm they are legally married not just living together in a unholy manner (Genesis 2:18-25, John 4:16-18).

This male and female were intended to enjoy sexual pleasure within their marriage union only (1 Corinthians 7:1-7).

Any sex outside of the male/ female marriage union is considered sinful and improper in the eyes of God. This includes but does not limit to things such as a male having sex with a female he is not married to, a female having sex with a male she is not married to, a male having sex with a male, or a female having sex with another female. (Hebrews13:4, 1Thessalonains 4:1-8, 1Corinthians 5:1-12, 6:9-11, Romans 1:18-27, Ephesians 5:1-21)

Given these perspectives from Scripture, Community of Faith Bible Church does not  support, recognize, encourage, endorse, promote, or condone: A male and female living together as a couple or husband and wife without some form of validation and witnesses that confirm they are legally married not just living together in a unholy manner, a male having sex with a female he is not married to, a female having sex with a male she is not married to, a male having sex with a male, a female having sex with a female, males living together in a union proclaiming to be married as God designed a male and female marriage union, females living together in a union proclaiming to be married as God designed a male and female marriage union and or any other kinds of sexual activity or forms of marriage that the Bible would deem a sin.

Given these perspectives from Scripture, Community of Faith Bible Church would seek to lovingly and compassionately address these matters with individuals that have been found living in this manner with the intent to lead individuals in the godly path. If these individuals are unwilling to submit to God’s will in these matters, they would no longer be able to fellowship with our local assembly of Believers in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Community of Faith Bible Church will only perform weddings for members that are in good standing.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and the eternal possessor of all the attributes of God. He became a man, uniting to His divine nature a true human nature in an indissoluble union and so becoming the God-Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. In His incarnation, Jesus Christ surrendered nothing of His divine nature.

We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of the Holy Spirit in a miraculous manner, born of Mary, a virgin, as no other man was ever born or can be born of woman, and that He is both the Son of God, and God, the Son. He not only had a sinless nature, but remained sinless throughout His lifetime.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; that His death provided a complete atonement for our sins; that He died voluntarily, in obedience to the will of the Father as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; and that all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of the blood He shed.

We believe that Jesus Christ was literally and physically raised from death the third day in the same body, though glorified, in which He had lived and died.

We believe that Jesus Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father and that His acceptance is a final assurance to us that His redeeming work was perfectly accomplished. He became ruler over all things and Head to the Church which is His body, and in this ministry He continues to intercede and to advocate for the saved.

We believe that, owing to universal death through sin, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless born again; that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and sins is freed from the penalty of sin; is declared to have the righteousness of Christ; is made a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God; that the new creation is brought about in a manner above our comprehension, not by culture, nor by character, nor by the will of man, but wholly and solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth as revealed in the Scriptures, and on the basis of the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

We believe that the new birth of the believer comes only through faith in Christ and that repentance is a vital part of believing and is in no way in itself a separate and independent condition of salvation.

We further believe that at the very moment of spiritual birth, the believer has every spiritual blessing in Christ, being absolutely complete in Him and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The saved one is expected to grow in the realization of his blessings and to know a fuller measure of divine power through the yielding of his life more fully to God. He is, however, in need of no further experience or resources other than God and His Word.

We believe that sanctification, which is a setting apart unto God, is threefold:

We believe that, because of the eternal purpose of God toward objects of His love, because of the freedom to exercise grace toward the meritless on the ground of the propitiary blood of Christ, because of the very nature of the divine gift of eternal life, because of the present and unending intercession and advocacy of Christ in heaven, because of the immutability of the unchanging covenants of God, because of the regenerating, abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of all who are saved, we and all true believers everywhere, once saved shall be kept saved forever. We believe, however, that God is a holy and righteous Father and that since He cannot overlook the sin of His children, when they persistently sin, He will chasten and correct them in infinite love; but having undertaken to save and keep them forever, apart from all human merit. He, who cannot fail, will present every one of them faultless in the end before the presence of His glory and conformed to the image of His son.

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity, the same in essence as the Father and the Son and co-equal with them — one God in three persons. As God, the Holy Spirit possesses all the divine attributes and is eternal and self-existent. He was active in creation, in the divine revelation and inspiration of the Bible, and in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

We believe that certain well-defined ministries are committed to the Holy Spirit in this age, and that it is the duty of every Christian to understand them and to be adjusted to them in his own life and experience. These ministries are: the restraining of evil in the world to the measure of the divine will; the convicting of the world respecting sin, righteousness and judgment; the regenerating of all believers; the baptizing into the one body of Christ of all who are saved; the indwelling and anointing of all who are saved, thereby sealing them unto the day of redemption; the teaching of the believers to understand the Scripture; and the continued filling for power, teaching and service of those among the saved who are yielded to Him and who are subject to His will.

We believe that the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, though omnipresent from all eternity, took up His abode in the world in a special sense on the Day of Pentecost according to the divine promise. By His baptism, He unites all to Christ in one body at the time of conversion, and He dwells in every believer. As the indwelling One, He is the source of all power and acceptable worship and service. We believe that He never leaves the Church, nor the feeblest of saints, but is ever present to testify of Christ, seeking to direct believers’ attention to Christ and not to themselves nor to their experiences.

We believe that for the accomplishment of God’s purpose in the world, He has given spiritual gifts to the Church. On the one hand, He has given gifted men such as the foundational apostles and foundational prophets, evangelists and pastor-teachers to equip the believers for the work He has called each one of us to do. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit has given every believer at least one spiritual gift to be used for God’s glory in building up the body of Christ. Biblical spiritual gifts are given to the believers by the sovereign will of God for the purpose of edifying the body of Christ. They are not given for personal gratification. Here is how we see spiritual gifts:

The Mentor Gifts – Offices of authority within the church with supernatural abilities connected to the offices accordingly; These offices of authority are given by God to specific men in the Church to equip the Saints for the work of service. The work of service in essence is character and faith development in Jesus Christ our Lord (Ephesians 4:11-15).

 

Apostle – One that is sent with the authority of another. One who is chosen and commissioned by Christ with miraculous powers to establish the church, and to receive and write down Word of God (the Bible), This was a special office at the beginning stage of the formation of the Church. They were given special revelation from God to be proclaimed to the Church. In order to be an apostle one had to have been chosen by Christ, accompanied Christ during his public ministry, or be an eyewitness of the resurrected Christ. (Ephesians 2:20, Ephesians 3:1-5, Acts 21:10-12, 11:28, 2Corinthians 12:12,Acts 1:12-26, Act 5:12-16)

Prophet – One who was given direct revelation from God to speak to man. They were used during the foundation of the 1st century church. (1 Cor 14:3-4, 29-32 Eph 4:11, Eph 2:11-20, Eph 3:5, Rom 1:1-2, Heb 1:1, 1Peter 1:10, 2Peter 1:16-21)

 Evangelist – One to whom God has given a special ability to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Eph 4:11, Acts 21:8, 8:4-8, 6:8-7:60, 2Tim 4:5)

Pastor-Teacher – One to whom God has given the ability to protect, guide, lead, instruct and care for the children of God in a local congregation. (Acts 20:16-31, Eph 4:11-15, 2Tim 3:1-7,1Peter 5:1-4)

The Manifestation Gifts – Supernatural abilities given at certain times at the will  of the Holy Spirit during the formation of the first century Church, the introduction of the Gospel, and the writing of the New Testament Scriptures. (Hebrews 2:1-4, 1Corinthians 12:1-11, 1Corinthians 2:1-16, Acts 6:8-7:60)

 

Word of Wisdom – The ability to give wisdom and insight into doctrinal truth; it was necessary in the early days because there was no New Testament Scripture that laid out all the doctrine. Now all believers can give words of wisdom as they study the Word of God and share that insight accordingly. (1Cor 12:8, Act 6:8-11, 2Peter 3:14-15)

Word of Knowledge – The ability to apply doctrinal truth to life; this ability was necessary in the early days prior to the New Testament Scripture being complete. Now all can apply doctrinal truth to life as they seek the wisdom of God through the Word of God. (1Cor 12:8)

Faith – An unusual amount trust in God. (1Cor 12:9)

Healing – The ability to cure; to restore back to full health; it also included the ability to restore back to life from physical death. Used to confirm the message and messenger of the Gospel. (1Cor 12:9,Acts 3:1-8, 5:15-16; 8:5-7,12;9:32-35; 14:8-10; 19:11-12;9:36-42; 20:9-12)

Effecting of Miracles – The ability to cast out demons; inducing physical disability;  performed by the Apostles and those closely associated with the Apostles. (1Cor 12:10, Acts 5:16;16:16-18;19:11-12;2:43;5:12;6:8; 8:6-7; 2Cor 12:12) Used to confirm the message and the messenger of the Gospel.

Distinguishing of Spirits – The ability to differentiate the Word of God proclaimed by a True Prophet from that of a Satanic deceiver. This was necessary prior to the New Testament Scripture being complete to provide the complete wisdom for discernment which is now available to all Believers through the Word of God. (1Cor 12:10; Act16:16-19, 5:1-11, 2Cor 11:14-15)

Various kinds of tongues – The ability to communicate in an unlearned, known foreign language or dialect; it was a known language or dialect unknown to the one speaking; it was a tool to proclaim the Gospel to the Jews at Pentecost and a sign of coming judgment to the unbelieving Jews for rejecting the Gospel. (1Cor 12:10, Acts 2:4-11, 1Cor 14:21-22)

Interpretation of Tongues – The ability to interpret an unlearned, known foreign language. ( 1Cor 12:10, 1Cor 14:27)

Key Point to Consider: The Apostles and Prophets were gifted men that God used to organize the first Church, proclaim the Gospel message and formulate the New Testament Scriptures (Ephesians 2:11-20 2Peter 1:19-21). To confirm the authenticity of the messenger and the message, the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, the effecting of miracles, distinguishing spirits, and various kind of tongues were given to the apostle and prophets and various individuals accordingly (Heb 2:2-4, Mk 16:20, Acts 14:3, 2Cor 12:12). Now that the Word of God has been completed, the Church foundation laid, and the Gospel message authenticated, these offices of authority and gifts have seemingly served their purpose. Although God can do anything at any time He wills, we believe that He is not using these particular offices of authority and gifts at this time in this local church. However, we do embrace the reality that God still heals and works miracles according to His will and good pleasure.

 

The Ministry Gifts – Supernatural abilities God has given to members of the Body of Christ to serve one another in this day and time. These abilities have been put under our stewardship to manage accordingly. (Romans 12:3-8, 1Peter 4:10-11)

 

Prophecy- The ability to proclaim and apply God’s Truth so that believers may be edified, encouraged, consoled and non-believers convinced. Men and women who have this gift are to function in this gift according to their male/female role distinctions. (Rom 12:6, 1Tim 2: 9-15, 1Cor 11:3-16)

Service – The ability to help others in their ministries by aiding them in practical ways; these are persons who labor behind the scenes. (Rom 12:7,1Pet 4:11)

Teaching – The ability to instruct believers in the knowledge of the Christian Faith. Men and women who have this gift are to function in this gift according to their male/female role distinctions. (Rom 12:7, 1Tim 2: 9-15, 1Cor 11:3-16)

Exhortation – The ability to come along side and motivate people through encouraging words to live practical Christian lives. (Rom 12:8)

Giving – The ability to support the Lord’s Work materially and monetarily. (Romans 12:8)

Administration – The ability to organize and guide human activities in such a way that Christ’s Program is carried out. Men and women who have this gift are to function in this gift according to their male/female role distinctions (Rom 12:8, 1Tim 2: 9-15,1Cor 11:3-16)

Mercy/Compassion – The ability to empathize with hurting people and to translate that into cheerful acts of service. (Rom 12:8)

We believe that at the moment of spiritual birth every believer is baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ, which is the Church — the spiritual organism headed by Christ and universally composed of all who are born again. The Church, having begun at Pentecost, is distinct from Israel and will continue until Christ comes for her as His bride at the Rapture.

A local church is any group of baptized believers associated in a given locality by a covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel, caring for and edifying one another, observing the two ordinances of Christ, committed to His teachings, exercising the gifts, rights and privileges vested in them by His Word.

We believe the mission of the Church is:

We believe that the local church is autonomous, ruling its own affairs under the headship of Christ alone, that within each local assembly God raises up Biblically qualified Senior Pastor and Elders to rule, with the Senior Pastor being Lead Elder among the Elders and Deacons to serve, and that the Congregation is to submit to its God-ordained leadership.

We believe in Christian fellowship with individuals and churches of similar evangelical doctrinal position, but in no way will we organizationally unite as a church with churches or individuals working toward the non-Scriptural goal of the one-world ecumenical church, nor with churches or individuals who are divisive to the cause of Christ.

We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried and risen Savior, as well as the believer’s walk-in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is pre-requisite to the privileges of church membership and the Lord’s Supper.

We believe that the elements of the Lord’s Supper symbolize the broken body and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Baptized believers, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine in obedience, exercise self-examination, memorialize the death of the Redeemer, and anticipate His second coming.

We believe that, according to the Word of God, the next great event in the fulfillment of prophecy will be the coming of the Lord in the air to receive to Himself into heaven both the believers who are alive and remain unto His coming, and also all who have fallen asleep in Jesus, and that this event is the blessed hope set before us in the Scripture, and for this we should be constantly looking. We believe that the Rapture of the Church will be preceded by a fearful apostasy.

We believe that the Rapture of the Church will be followed by a seven-year period of tribulation. This period will be a time of judgment on the whole earth. The latter half of this period will be the “time of Jacob’s trouble”, which our Lord called the “great tribulation”.

We believe that the “great tribulation” period will be culminated by the return of the Lord Jesus to the earth as He went, in person and on the clouds of heaven, and with power and great glory, to introduce the Millennial Age, to bind Satan and place him in the abyss, to lift the curse which now rests upon the whole creation, to restore Israel to her own land to give her realization of God’s covenant promises, and to bring the whole world to the knowledge of God.

We believe that at death the souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation pass immediately into His presence. They are to remain there in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the glorified bodies when Christ comes for His own, whereupon soul and body reunited shall be associated with Him forever in glory. But the spirits and souls of the unbelieving remain after death conscious of condemnation and in misery until the final judgment of the great white throne at the close of the Millennium. At this time soul and body reunited shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.

We believe that civil government is a divinely ordained institution for the interest and good order of human society; that government leaders are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed, except only in things opposed to the express Word of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the coming Prince of the kings of the earth.