… and His manifestations as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
(Genesis 1:26, Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 3:16-17, John 14:16-17)
… and that it is applicable to us today. (Psalm 119:105, John 6:63, 2 Timothy 3:16-17). As a church, we like to study the TLV and CJB versions of the Bible.
… the promised Messiah, who was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died, and rose again on the third day for the salvation of the world, and will some day return for His bride, the Church. (Luke 1:35; 1 John 3:5; 1 Peter 1:18-19, 2:22, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
… and that His presence resides and moves in the life of every believer. (John 14:16-17, John 14:26, Acts 2:2-4, Acts 19:5-6, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
… to be God’s hands and feet to connect people with our Creator. (Matthew 16:18; Romans 12:4-5; Ephesians 5:22-23, 25-26; James 5:14-15)
… as God’s idea to propagate His goodness and bless our communities and society as a whole. (Genesis 1:27-28, Genesis 12:3, Psalm 127:3, Psalm 128:3)
… to be God’s chosen people as declared in Scripture to be a beacon, blessing and example to all the nations in drawing people to the One true God. (Genesis 12:3; Deuteronomy 28:8-13; Deuteronomy 7:6, 14:2; 2 Chronicles 6:6; Psalm 105:43)
… and when we do, we will experience unity in our families and embrace our spiritual inheritance. (Ephesians 2:11-13, Colossians 3:12, Titus 2:14, 1 Peter 2:9)
Biblical Foundations
We believe that the Bible, comprised of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and the later writings known as the New Testament, is the only infallible and authoritative word of God. We recognize its divine inspiration, and accept its teachings as our final authority in all matters of faith and practice (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Proverbs 3:1-6; Psalms 119:89, 105; Isaiah 48:12-16; Romans 8:14-17; II Timothy 2:15, 3:16-17). It cannot be added to, subtracted from, or superseded in any regard. The Bible is the source of all doctrine, instruction, correction and reproof. It contains all that is needed for guidance in godliness and practical godly conduct.
It is the testimony of both Testaments that God is both One and Triune. The Biblical revelation testifies that there is only one true God, the God of Israel. For this reason, we believe that the Shema, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4), teaches that God is Echad, as so declared: a united one, a composite unity, eternally existent in plural oneness [Genesis 1:1 (Elohim: God); Gen. 1:26 “Let us make man in our image”; Genesis 2:24 Adam and Eve were created to be as one flesh (basar echad)], that He is a personal God who created us (Genesis 1 & 2), and that He exists forever in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as mentioned in Romans 8:14-17 (Father, Spirit, and Messiah – Son) and Matthew 28:18-20 (immersing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
Yahweh is His eternal name as revealed to Moses (Exodus 3:15). God the Father is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, who created the universe in love to respond to Himself. He created man in His own image for fellowship, and calls man back to Himself through Jesus (Yeshua) after the rebellion and fall of man. (Genesis 1:26)
Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah promised to Israel and the whole world for redemption and salvation. He is eternally God. He was together with the Father and the Holy Spirit from the beginning, and through Him all things were made. For man’s redemption He left heaven and became incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary (Miriam) and henceforth He is forever one Messiah with two natures, God and Man, in one Person. (John 1:1)
The Holy Spirit is God, the Lord and giver of life, who was active in the Old Testament, and given to the Church in fullness at Pentecost. He empowers the saints for service and witness. He imparts the life of Messiah to the believer through the new birth experience and works to conform the believer to the image of Yeshua.
The baptism in the Holy Spirit, subsequent to conversion, releases the fullness of the Spirit in the life of the believer and is evidenced by tongues, joy, praise and other inward and outward manifestations. (John 14:16, 17)
Creation
Man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27)
Sin
Through disobedience, sin entered the world and man fell from his first state and became separated from God (Genesis 2:17; 3:22-24). Therefore, according to the Scriptures, all men are born with a sinful nature (Psalms. 14:1-3; 49:7; 53:13; Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:9-12, 23; 5:12).
Redemption
Man’s only hope for redemption (salvation) is through the atonement made by the Yeshua Messiah (Leviticus 17:11; Isaiah 53; Dan. 9:24-26; I Cor. 15:22; Heb. 9:11-14, 28; John 1:12, 3:36), resulting in regeneration by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5), which is the new birth (John 3:3-8). For by grace we are saved through faith, it is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9).
We believe in the bodily, personal, second coming of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, the resurrection of the Saints, the Millennium, and the final judgment. The final judgment will ultimately reveal the eternal status of both the saints and the unbelievers, determined by their relationship to Yeshua. We affirm with the Bible the final state of the New Heavens and New Earth. (John 14:3, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 25:31-34, Hebrews 9:28)
First Coming
Promised in Daniel 9:24-26. Its purpose was to make an atonement for sin (Daniel 9:24-26; Isaiah 53; Romans 3:21-31; Hebrews 9-10; John 3:16-17).
Second Coming
Promised coming in the air to receive the believers to Himself (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; John 14:1-6; I Corinthians 15:51-57) after the tribulation foretold by the prophets and the Book of Revelation.
The Redeemer shall come to Zion (Isaiah 59:20-21; Zechariah 14:4). Israel’s spiritual redemption (Zechariah 12:8-13:1; Romans 11:25-27; Hebrews 9:28; Jerermiah 31:31-40; the New Covenant).
Israel’s Restoration
Israel’s national restoration is to restore the remnant of His people Israel from the four corners of the earth, and restore the Davidic Kingdom (Isaiah 11 – to re-establish the throne and kingdom of David, which will last forever) [Isaiah 9:6-7 (Luke 1:30-33); Jereremiah 23:3-8].
We believe in the resurrection of both the redeemed and the lost: the former to everlasting life and the latter to eternal separation from God, a state of everlasting punishment in the lake of fire (Job 14:14; 19:25-27; Daniel 12:2-3; John 3:36; 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 10-15; 21:7-8).
We believe Scripture clearly speaks on the doctrines of eternal punishment for the unsaved and eternal salvation and complete happiness for the saved — a literal hell for the unsaved and literal Heaven for the saved. (Matthew 25:34,41,46, Luke 16:19-31, John 14:1-3, Revelation 20:11-15)
Yeshua’s vicarious death on the cross paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world, and inaugurated the New Covenant in His blood, for those who confess Yeshua as their Lord and Savior. His atoning sacrifice makes available healing of the body, soul and spirit, when appropriated by His saints. (Hebrews 9:12, 1 Peter 3:18, Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24, Revelation 5:9)
The Bible declares clearly that salvation is a free gift of God appropriated only through faith, based completely on the accomplished and finished work of Yeshua’s death and His resurrection. Salvation occurs when a person confesses and accepts Yeshua as Lord and Savior, resulting in being born again. The new birth is described as being united with Messiah in His death and resurrection, so that we pass from death to life, and our identity changes from the old man to a new creation in Yeshua. The results of salvation include justification, reconciliation, regeneration, righteousness, and sanctification.
The new life in Yeshua also includes the privileges of adoption and inheritance as sons of God and as citizens in His Kingdom. Salvation is an act of free will in response to God’s personal love for mankind. It is predestined only in the sense that God, through His omniscience, foreknew those who would choose Him. (Mark 16:15-16, Acts 2:38, Romans 10:8-10, Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 John 2:2)
The goal of the Church is to make disciples of all nations and to present the saints complete in Messiah. This Congregation is governed by the office of Elder as mentioned in scripture. It is essential to the life of the Church that scriptural patterns of discipline be practiced and that oversight for congregational discipline, individual and corporate, be exercised by the leadership of the Congregation. (Matthew 16:18, Acts 20:28, Romans 12:4-5, Hebrews 13:17)
Through the experience of salvation, our old life, inherited from Adam, is crucified with Messiah and we are born again as new creations into the risen life of Yeshua, the second man. As new creations, we are born into the Kingdom of God as infants and we live our lives becoming progressively more mature in our faith as we yield to the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. This maturity is an experiential process of having our minds renewed by the truth that is revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures. As we become progressively more mature in Yeshua, our behavior will more and more reflect His life in us and His purposes for us. A vital part of this process is living life in the context of covenant communities of disciples that make up the Church and allowing ourselves to be built up by our relationships with other believers.
The life of a believer, while joyful and fulfilling, still includes trials, tests, and warfare against a spiritual enemy who takes advantage of our flesh to lure us into sinful behavior and independence from God. Victory over these trials, tests and attacks is provided to us through our faith in Messiah’s finished work on the cross that redeems us from the power of the enemy. (Romans 12:12, Ephesians 4:14-16, Galatians, 5:16-26, Philippians 2:12-13)
We believe the baptism in the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance, is for all believers as promised by John the Baptist, Jesus, and Peter. The fulfillment of this promise was witnessed by early disciples of Christ and operates in many present-day disciples of Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 14, Matthew 3:11, Acts 1:4-8; 2:38-41; 2:4, 10:44-47, 19:1-6)
One of the perpetual commandments of the Lord Yeshua to the Church is water baptism. Water baptism is the outward sign of what God has already done in the individual’s life and a testimony to all that the person belongs to Yeshua. It is an identification with Yeshua in his death and resurrection and is effected in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:38, 8:12, 35-38, Romans 6:3)
We believe that the Holy Communion is a commemoration of the death of the Lord and is done in remembrance of Him until He comes again and is a sign of our participation in Him. This institution is reserved for believers. (Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16, Matthew 28:19, Colossians 2:12-13, Luke 22:19-20, 1 Corinthians 15:23-26)
We recognize and support the contribution of women in the ministry of the church. We believe in the value of women in all aspects of ministry with the exception of those areas that exercise governmental authority within congregations. Furthermore, we believe God has ordained the family unit to serve as a model for the entire church with the father as the head of the home and functioning as a servant-leader as described in Ephesians 5. We, therefore, believe that both men and women can reach their fullest potential in ministry within the structure of the biblical family model.
We believe a woman can teach and lead within any of the vast array of ministry roles and positions as long as she demonstrates a biblically-qualifying lifestyle. She must also submit herself, along with other servant-leaders, to those leaders God has placed in positions of governing authority, specifically, the Senior Pastor and the local Elders. We believe that the positions of Senior Pastor and Elders (because of their governmental responsibility) are reserved only for men. With the exception of these two positions, we consider all ministry positions and opportunities to be open to women.
We believe the term “marriage”, has only one meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God which is the joining together of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive covenant as defined in the Bible (“Biblical Marriage”). We believe that because God our Creator established marriage as a sacred institution between one man and one woman, the idea that marriage is a covenant only between one man and one woman has been the Biblical definition of marriage for all of human history. We believe Biblical Marriage is the only definition of marriage God recognizes or accepts. (Genesis 2:22-24, Matthew 19:4-6, 1 Timothy 3:12, Ephesians 5:22-28)
The Traditional Definition of Marriage is the only definition of marriage that will be recognized or accepted. No elder, officer, employee, servant, agent, or any person, corporation, organization, or entity under the direction or control of this congregation shall commit any act or omission, or make any decision whatever, that would be inconsistent with, or that could be perceived by any person to be inconsistent with, full support of this congregation’s Marriage Policy and strict adherence to the Traditional Definition of Marriage rather than any alternative to the Traditional Definition of Marriage.
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person. (Genesis 1:26-27, Psalm 139:13-16)
Jewish Roots
We recognize that Jewish people (physical descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, whether through the mother’s or the father’s blood-line) who place their faith in Israel’s Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus), continue to be Jewish according to the Scriptures (Romans 2:28-29). Gentiles who place their faith in Yeshua, are “grafted” into the Jewish olive tree of faith (Romans 11:17-25) becoming spiritual sons and daughters of Abraham (Galatians 3:28-29).
We believe that true “Messianic Judaism,” the faith of first-century believers, acknowledges the continuity of faith in the one true God, revealed throughout the Scriptures, and ultimately manifested in God’s Son, Yeshua the Messiah. We believe that salvation has always been “by faith,” and that works of law, or righteous acts, have never saved anyone (Genesis 15:6; Romans 2-6; Ephesians 2:8-9; Heb. 11:6, 39).
We acknowledge that the New Covenant body of believers is composed of both Jews and Gentiles who have received Yeshua the Messiah as the Promised Redeemer. The “middle wall of partition” has been broken down and now we worship the God of Israel together (I Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 2:13-14).
As the Body of Messiah, we recognize that in terms of history, culture, and covenants, the Gospel was promised and preached to the Jews first, then to the Gentiles. This does not mean that the Gospel is exclusively for the Jews, but that as a chosen nation, God revealed Himself to them first.
Gentiles are charged to preach the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” (Romans 1:16 NKJV)
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 NKJV)
The One New Man is the reality of the Body of Messiah. Based in part on Ephesians 2:15, Scripture affirms that Jesus’ death on the cross accomplished the following:
- Brought peace and unity between Jew and Gentile
- Tore down the wall of hostility that separated us
- Created One New Man from the two peoples
“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.” (Ephesians 2:14-16 NKJV)
We promote unity in the Body of Christ to fulfill God’s heart for oneness. Unity does not mean uniformity. Rather, it means affirming the distinct Gentile and Jewish identities. One does not have to become the other to be saved or be accepted in the Body of Christ.
“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:20-21 NASB)
“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3 NKJV)
To honor means to love and support the Jewish people through whom we received the Bible, the knowledge of the one true God, and our savior Yeshua. A tangible way in which we honor and show love to Israel is by giving the tithes of the tithes to Messianic ministries in Israel. When we honor the seed of Abraham, according to Genesis 12:3, believers and the Church as a whole position themselves to:
- Walk in the fullness of the Abrahamic blessing.
- Renew a genuine love and support for Israel and the Jewish people.
- Activate unprecedented blessings that will impact their personal lives, families, and communities.
“And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3 NASB)
“You, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree.” (Romans 11:17-18 NKJV)
“Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who previously were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ… So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household.” (Ephesians 2:12-13, 19 TLV)