OUR BELIEFS
1. What do you believe about baptism? – Once you have accepted Christ as
your Savior, the Bible instructs us to be baptized. It is a symbol of your new life
as a Christian. Baptism does not "save" you, only your faith in Christ does.
Acts 18:8; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:4; Ephesians 2:8,9; Colossians 2:12
2. What do you believe about Communion? Jesus asked His disciples to
remember His death and resurrection. Communion is a serious, but simple act
of remembrance. I Corinthians 11: 23-26; I John 1:9; Romans 12:1
3. What do you believe about God? – He is the Creator and Ruler of the universe.
Genesis 1:1,26,27; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14
4. What do you believe about Jesus? – He is the Son of God, co-equal with the
Father. Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-15; 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14-15;
1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; 1Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13
5. What do you believe about the Holy Spirit? – Co-equal with Father and Son.
2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13; 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12; 3:16;
Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:18
6. What do you believe about the Bible? – It’s God’s word to us – Our perfect
manual for life. 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Psalm 12:6; 119:105, 160; Proverbs 30:5
7. What do you believe about Salvation? – It is God’s free gift for us to accept.
Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6; 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26;
Romans 5:1
8. What do you believe about eternity? – People were created to exist forever.
John 3:16; 12:25; 14:2-3; 17:3; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15
9. What do you believe about stewardship? – God is a giver! He gave us everything when He gave us His Son Jesus. We give generously in every area of our lives to follow His example of giving.
Genesis 14:18-20, Genesis 28:20-22, Deuteronomy 14:22-26, Malachi 3:10,
Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42, 2 Corinthians 9:7
10. What do you believe about marriage? – It is a holy union between one man
and one woman. Ephesians 5:21-33
11. What do you believe about tithing (giving 10 percent of our monthly income back to God)?
The tithe is permanent, not temporary
One of the most common misconceptions about the tithe is that it originated in the Mosaic law, and is therefore now abolished along with that law (though in truth the law is not abolished but fulfilled in Christ. Nevertheless, the tithe did not originate with the Mosaic law at all. There is no evidence in the Bible that the tithe has been abolished for New Testament believers. (Even if we did take the position that the tithe was no longer applicable, we would have to acknowledge that the new covenant requirements on our finances, if anything, must be more profoundly all-encompassing than under the old covenant.)
The tithe originated with Christ, not Moses.
One could argue that the tithe originated with Christ himself. It was Melchizedek to whom Abraham, the father of believers in Christ tithed. Melchizedek, then, the king of righteousness and of peace, is surely Christ himself. The application or use may be somewhat different under the new covenant (in that literal priests and Levites do not exist), in the same way its use was different in the days before Moses. But whatever the precise application may be, the tithe cannot be considered abolished under the new covenant, because it was not instituted under the old.
The tithe is thus linked with the power of an endless life.
If Melchizedek is indeed Christ, then from the beginning the tithe was meant to be presented to One who held within him the power of endless life.
Under the new covenant, though our tithe is presented literally to the church, in reality it is presented to Christ, and is only stewarded by the church leadership. If we present our tithe to Christ, then Christ, as our High Priest, in turn presents it to the Father, and the Father will respond with blessing.