What We Believe

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not die, but have eternal life"

John 3:16

What we believe about...

Here we address some of the truths that are important to us.

God

We believe that God is the Creator of all things and He sustains all things.

(Genesis 1:1, Acts 17:28, Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 11:3)

We believe that God is revealed in the Bible as a Trinity:

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit

(Genesis 1:26, Isaiah 9:6, Matthew 3:16-17, Matthew 28:19, Luke 1:35, 2.Corinthians 13:14).

We believe that God took on human flesh (Philippians 2:6-8, John 14:8-9, Isaiah 9:6), was born to the virgin Mary (Isaiah 7:14) and came in order to save people (Matthew 1:21, John 3:16).

God is holy and righteous (Isaiah 5:16, Isaiah 54:5).

God is just (Psalm 45:6, Psalm 50:6). He is the supreme Judge (Genesis 18:25, Ecclesiastes 12:14).

God is love (1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:16). He loves every human being passionately. God’s love is divine. The word the Bible uses to describe this divine love is 'Agape'. This is an unselfish love that looks for nothing in return. It is a love that just wants to give. God’s love for you is beyond comparison to any human love that you can ever experience.

God is not mad at the world - He loves the world! And it´s because He loves us so much, He did something about our situation caused by sin to rescue us (John 3:16). The amazing thing about God’s love is that He loves us even though we don’t deserve it (Romans 5:8).

He is a God of grace and mercy (John 1:14, Nehemiah 9:31, James 5:11).

The Bible

We believe that God has revealed His wisdom and ways to us through an infallible book known as the Bible.

We believe that the Bible is God’s word (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

It brings light and truth (John 17:17, Psalm 119:105).

It is our final authority on all matters (Matthew 28:18, Psalm 119:89).

We believe that the Bible is dynamic and alive and can positively transform lives today (Hebrews 4:12).

Jesus Christ

We believe Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. On earth, Jesus was at the same time fully God and fully human (John 1:1, John 1:14, John 20:28, Isaiah 9:6, 1 Timothy 2:5, 1 Timothy 3:16).

We believe Jesus came to save mankind and to reconcile mankind to God (John 3:17, John 12:47, John 17:3).

We believe that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour of mankind (John 14:6, Acts 4:12), because He was the only one qualified to die on our behalf. He lived a sinless life (2 Corinthians 5:21).

We believe that people can have their sin forgiven and removed (1 Corinthians 15:17, 20, 22).

Relationship with God and eternal life is only found through Jesus Christ (John 14:6, 1 Timothy 2:5, John 10:28).

We believe His atonement for sin was once and for all (Hebrews 7:27, Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 10:10, John 1:29). It counts and stands today.

We believe that today Jesus is alive, is Lord and King, seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven and has all authority over everyone and everything in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18, Revelation 19:16).

We believe Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

We believe that one day Jesus will return, that He will judge all people and that He will bring about a new heaven and a new earth (Hebrews 9:27, Revelation 21:1).

Baptism

Why?

We believe Baptism is a command of Jesus that all believers should be obedient to. It is for every person who has decided to follow Jesus (Matthew 28:18-19, Acts 2:38).

We believe Baptism is:

- an act of obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20).
- a public identification with Jesus´ death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:1-4).
- the start of a brand new life with Jesus (Colossians 2:12-14, Romans 6:4, Galatians 2:20).
- a foundation to build your new life as a Christian on and to help you move forward (Hebrews 6:2).

Who?

Baptism is for adults and children. However, only when children are old enough to understand what it means and they themselves make a clear personal declaration of belief in the Lord Jesus Christ and decide to follow Him.

When?

We believe Baptism should happen AFTER we have made a clear, personal decision to follow Jesus as Lord and Saviour. This is the order we find in all the examples in the Bible and in Jesus´ command to us (Matthew 28:18-19, Acts 2:38, Acts 8:9-12). Regardless of what may or may not have taken place before this point, this step of Baptism should be taken as a believer (Acts 19:5).

We believe you should be baptised as soon as possible after deciding to follow Jesus. Again, this is how it happened in Acts. People did not need to prove themselves 'good enough Christians' or to wait for 'the right moment' to be baptised. They were baptised as soon as possible after deciding to follow Jesus. Baptism is a step towards and enables Christian maturity, not a reward for it!

How?

We believe all Christians should be baptised in water by full immersion. That means going completely under the water and up again. The meaning of the word baptism actually means "to plunge" or "to submerge". Biblical baptism is therefore only baptism by immersion. This is how Jesus was baptised (Matthew 3:16) and how those who became Christians in the Book of Acts were baptised (Acts 8:38-39).

In addition to the meaning of the word, Baptism is a symbol of Christ’s burial and resurrection. Our entrance into the water during baptism identifies us with Christ’s death on the cross and His burial in the tomb. Upon coming up out of the water, we identify with His resurrection from the dead (Romans 6:1-5).

Does being Baptised save me / make me a Christian?

No, Baptism does not save you or make you a Christian - only your faith in Jesus Christ and your confession of Him as Lord does that (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9-10).

People & Salvation

We believe that all people are created in the image of God and therefore have equal God-given value and worth. (Genesis 1:27).

We believe that mankind was created to know and have relationship with God (Genesis 1:26-31).

We believe that shortly after creation, mankind rebelled and sinned against God, wanting to be their own God (Genesis 3:1-7). As a result of this sin, mankind's original relationship with God was destroyed and there is now death and all sorts of suffering in our world as a result (Romans 5:12-21).

We believe that all people are sinners and need to be saved. We all need to be born again to once more have a relationship with God (Romans 3:23, John 3:3).

We believe that God loves ALL people and longs for ALL to be saved and to have a real, living relationship with Him (John 3:16, 1 Timothy 2:3-4).

We believe people are saved only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works, human efforts, being religious, our family or any other means (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9-10, Acts 16:31, Hebrews 9:22).

We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer when they are born again (Romans 8:9).

We believe that God has a unique plan and purpose for every person and He wants them to know it and fulfil it (Psalm 139:16, Romans 11:29, Jeremiah 1:5).

We believe that all of our gifts, talents and abilities are from God and we should use them to serve God's purpose and others (1 Peter 4:10).

The Church

We believe that the church is the Body of Christ, made up of people from different age groups, backgrounds, nations and cultures (Revelation 7:9). It consists of all those who are born-again and have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour (Ephesians 2:12-13,19-22).

We believe that Jesus is successfully building His church today and it is natural for it to grow in size and stature (Matthew 16:18).

We believe that God desires for His church to be the greatest thing on planet earth (Isaiah 2:1-5,

Ephesians 1:22-23).

The Holy Spirit

The Bible reveals God to be a triune God: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is therefore the 3rd person of the Trinity and is Divine (Genesis 1:26, Isaiah 9:6, Matthew 3:16-17, Matthew 28:19, Luke 1:35, 2 Corinthians 13:14).

The Holy Spirit is a person, not merely an 'influence' (John 14:16-17).

The Holy Spirit reveals to people that they are sinners and need to be saved (John 16:7-8).

We are regenerated, given new birth and life by The Holy Spirit (John 3:3-8, Titus 3:5)

We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer when they are born again (Romans 8:9).

The Holy Spirit helps us and leads us in God's truth and ways (John 14:26).

We should enjoy fellowship with the Holy Spirit and be guided by Him (Galatians 5:25, Romans 8:14, 2 Corinthians 13:14).

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ would baptise Believers in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33).

We believe that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
He has not changed (Hebrews 13:8). He therefore still baptises in the Holy Spirit today.

Whilst we believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer when they are born again (Romans 8:9) it is clear from scripture that the 'Baptism in the Holy Spirit' is something else.

It is a separate occurence from both a person deciding to follow Jesus as Lord and their Baptism by immersion in water. It should be part of the normal experience for those who follow Christ (Acts 1:4-5, Acts 2:1-4, Acts 8:14-20, Acts 9:17-18, Acts 10:44-48, Acts 19:2-7).

We believe that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is to empower us to share the Gospel effectively (Acts 1:8) and to operate in supernatural gifts (1 Corinthians 12:8-10, Mark 16:17).

We believe it is a promise for every believer (Acts 2:38-39).

If Jesus does it and Jesus says it's necessary, then we want it too! (Acts 1:4-5, Acts 1:8)

An on-going encounter

We believe the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is an essential experience. Further, the Bible encourages us to be 'continually filled' with the Spirit and to know His ongoing empowering and fellowship (Ephesians 5:18-20).

What We Believe

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not die, but have eternal life" John 3:16

What we believe about...

God

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not die, but have eternal life"

John 3:16