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I Doctrine of
the Church
I believe that the church is a local assembly of baptized
believers who work together in order to 1) Carry out the Great
Commission (Outreach) and 2) Encourage, teach, and disciple one
another. The two ordinances of the local church are Baptism and
the Lord's Supper.
II Baptism
I believe that Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a
believer, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost, with the authority of the local church, to show forth a
symbol of our faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior,
with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new
life.
III Lord’s Supper
I believe that Baptism is a prerequisite to the Lord's supper,
in which the members of the church, by the sacred use of
unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine are to be done in
remembrance of the dying love of Christ; preceded always by
self-examination.
IV Second Coming of Christ
I believe that the second coming of Christ will happen after the
rapture and then tribulation period mentioned in the book of the
Revelation. It is a real event and will fulfill prophecy in the
Old and New Testaments. Christ will come to reign for a literal
thousand years.
V Neo-Evangelicalism
I believe that we should take the Bible as the complete Word of
God. All of what it says since the day the Scriptures were
written are to be taken as the Word of God. That has not
changed. We are not to "pick and choose" what we think is
relevant for our lives today. We don't have to make the Bible
relevant, it already is. We just need to believe and obey it.
VI Ecumenical Movement
I believe that we should work together with other churches of
like faith and practice. The habit of churches working together
"in spite of" their differences is dangerous. The Lord
established His Word to be understood and carried out. It would
be impossible to work closely with others who have different
theology and doctrine. It is also confusing to believers who are
trying to decide what they believe.
VII Charismatic Movement
I believe that the charismatic movement, which styles itself as
New Testament churches, has misunderstood and misinterpreted key
scripture that deal with the primitive church. I believe that
the special gifts given for the first church were apostolic in
nature and therefore fulfilled their purpose and ceased with the
apostles. These gifts were to help the first church to be mature
beyond its age; help it to function more effectively, and to be
a sign to the unbelieving Jews (Isaiah 28). I believe the gift
of tongues has ceased. I believe that the gift of prophecy has
ended. I believe that God can heal supernaturally but that the
"gift of healing" was an apostolic gift given as a sign to the
unbelieving Jews of the day.
VIII The Five Points of
Calvinism
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Total
Depravity -- I believe that man is totally
depraved. There is no spark of divinity in him.
Without God reaching out to man, man would have no
hope of every reaching God.
-
Unconditional Election -- I believe that God
is Sovereign and that He knows the beginning from
the end. He knows who will and who will not accept
His gift of salvation in Christ. However, I do
believe that this election is general in that all
men where created to be able to accept Christ. It is
a choice "whosoever" (Romans 10;13). God did not
elect or choose some to be created with the express
intent of going to hell.
-
Limited
Atonement -- I believe that Christ died for
all. Atonement was meant for all but is only limited
by man's choice. God is always offering his
salvation to whosoever will accept it. He sent
Christ to die for the "world" (Cosmos).
-
Irresistible Grace -- I believe it is the
Holy Spirit's job to draw men to God, however, man
must make the choice. God does not force some to be
saved against their will. A person must choose of
his own free will. It is the only part that man has
in the salvation process but it is a real and
important part.
-
Perseverance of the Saints -- I believe that
once saved always saved. God's work of redemption
changes a person's eternity forever. A person who is
truly saved never earned their salvation and they
can not lose it by works either. A person's life can
only reveal of what sort his profession of salvation
really is.
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IX Establishment of Indigenous
Churches
In my missionary endeavors, I will adopt the
policy set forth in BBFI's Mission Policy booklet. The
following is an excerpt from that booklet (Article X, Section
5):
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The Fellowship holds that the type of
ministry it pursues at home shall be duplicated on the
mission field, namely: Spirit-filled Gospel Preaching
accompanied by personal work, visitation, the building
of large Sunday schools with the goal of establishing
great independent, responsible churches.
Fellowship missionaries believe and practice the
indigenous system self-governing, self-supporting, and
self extending churches. It holds that there is a
distinction between the ministry of a pastor and a
missionary; that the pastor of a national church on the
mission field should be a national supported by and with
the tithes and offerings of the national church.
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Convictions:
I hold to the conviction that it is unbiblical for a
Christian to consume alcoholic beverages. Our body is the temple
of the Holy Spirit, who is God. If you defile your body by
drinking alcohol then you are sinning against God himself. If
God was here in human form he would not indulge in it.
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