Doctrine Matters

Holding to the Absolute inerrancy of the Scriptures as being verbally and plenarily given by inspiration of God. The Scriptures are preserved perfectly into the English language in the King James Bible (A.V. 1611).

The Scriptures are to be interpreted literally. They prove Themselves to be dispensational and Premillennial in Their design and hermeneutic (that is, interpretation).

The fundamentals of the Christian faith include:

the inerrancy and infallibility of the Scriptures (sixty-six books: Genesis through Revelation), including-

the literal Genesis account of the creation,

a literal and personal devil (Satan; the dragon; the serpent),

the fall of man into sin and into a state wherein he needs redemption by his Creator and,

the literal and supernatural nature of the miracles as recorded by the Holy Ghost;

the Triune Godhead;

the pre-existence, co-equality, deity, virgin birth, sinlessness, substitutionary/vicarious atonement, bodily resurrection and ascension and Second Coming of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

the deity, personality and co-equality of the Holy Spirit.

salvation of man by grace through faith, not of any works or maintenance on the part of the sinner.

The literalness and reality of both heaven (eternal place of joy and bliss for the redeemed), hell (a fiery, torment-filled holding place for the unredeemed until final judgment) and the lake of fire (eternal fiery suffering for the unregenerate).

Christ died for the sins of every man; every sinner. One hundred percent of the human race with the exception of Jesus Christ was lost in sin and in need of a salvation that no man could or can provide for himself, and a salvation to which no man could or can contribute. Jesus Christ provided that salvation by bleeding and dying as the one-and-only sinless and perfect Sacrifice for sin. Christ died and suffered the extremity of the judgment of God on sin and sins for every man. God accepted His Son's payment for the sins of the world, and accepted the sinless Blood of Christ as the token that His own Holiness had been met and satisfied (Propitiation). The Holiness of God being met, the believing sinner thereby finds himself fully pardoned, freely justified and as welcome into the presence of God as Jesus is, for He is placed in Christ.

Individual salvation, therefore, occurs when any sinner hears the Gospel of the Grace of God, abandons and repudiates any hope in anything other than the finished redemptive work and righteous merits of Jesus Christ (repentance), and rests and is satisfied-accepting what God has already accepted as the only remedy for sin and only appeasement for the anger and judgment of God on sin.  In salvation repentance and faith are deliberate on the part of the sinner.

At the time of personal salvation the Holy Spirit indwells and seals the believing sinner unto the day of redemption: the rapture. Salvation is secure eternally by the work and faithfulness of God, and not by man.  Redemption is provided in a covenant between God the Father and God the Son - the sinner being but the beneficiary by the unmerited favor of God. God saves sinners to change them into the image of His dear Son. This work of God becomes manifest in the lives and testimonies of genuine believers.

The work of God in this age involves the Body of Christ of which every genuine believer is made a part by an unseen baptism and an unseen circumcision (made without hands) performed by the Holy Spirit at the moment he or she trusts Christ as Personal Savior. The Body of Christ is a singular spiritual Body composed of every regenerated child of God from the Resurrection of Jesus Christ to the translation (rapture of the Church).  The Body of Christ is called "the church" with the definite singular article. It therefore may be termed the "true" church as no unregenerate persons are ever placed in union with it.  The Body of Christ, however, must never be confused with any visible church movement on earth organized under human authority, denominational, ecumenical or otherwise.

Scriptural local churches are composed of those who publicly profess having experienced the New Birth (regeneration), have been baptized by immersion in water under proper authority, and who covenant together in one locale for purposes prescribed in the New Testament. Scriptural local churches are each independent and autonomous, and have the nature of reflecting to the world God's purposes in the Body of Christ and its life under its Head, Christ. Christ is the Head and the Holy Spirit is the Administrator in a New Testament Church. The pictorial/typical ordinances of the church are believer's baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper using unleavened bread and unfermented juice of the grape.  The two offices of the church are elder (the presiding elder being the bishop or pastor) and deacon (servant to the church). A local church ideally, Scripturally has a regenerate membership. We recognize, however, that it is possible for people to enter membership in a local church in an unregenerate condition, making New Testament church discipline a necessity. Every child of God should be devoted to  the work  of  our Lord  through  a local church. All  missionary activity should be conducted by and through local churches. The local church is the only earthly institution given to Christians by example and precept in the New Testament.

Every child of God should live a separated Christian life as instructed by the New Testament and not be enamored by or involved in the fashions, trends or movements of this world, secular, religious or otherwise. Every believer should maintain a testimony that enhances the effectiveness of his or her personal witness for Jesus Christ and renders him or her ever sensitive and available to the call of God. Likewise, the local church should be separate from the fashions, trends and movements of this world, secular, political, religious or otherwise. The church should maintain strict and obvious separation from liberalism, modernism, neo-orthodoxy, neo-evangelicalism, ecumenicalism and the modern-day Charismatic movement.

The sign gifts such as speaking in unknown (un-learned) tongues and healing were given during the Acts history (approximately 40 years) for the purpose of calling Jews to their Messiah/Savior in fulfillment of Old Testament prophesy in preparation for the Millennial Age. Upon the final rejection of Jesus Christ by Israel and her religious leaders (e.g. Acts chapter 28), the sign gifts were withdrawn, and the Church entered a previously unprophesied and predominantly Gentile age. Although we believe that God still performs myriad miracles in the lives of His children in answer to their prayers, and that He can and does often heal the sick according to His own purposes, we know that the sign gifts for the Jews are not given today. That which is practiced by the modern-day Charismatic/Tongues/Healing movement is counterfeit, even devilish, and brings confusion and reproach to the cause of Jesus Christ.

We are opposed to the worldly (often effeminate) contemporary church music and "worship" styles.

Every believer should be actively engaged in personal evangelization (Biblical soul winning) of the unsaved directly around him or her, and should be involved in worldwide missionary-evangelism through prayer and giving of money and resources through his or her local church. Every church should be involved in both local and worldwide missionary-evangelization of the unsaved by commissioning, sending and supporting Bible-believing, Gospel-preaching missionary-evangelists, Bible teachers and church planters, both inside the United States and abroad.

Every child of God should be eagerly anticipating and awaiting the translation (rapture) of the Body of Christ to meet her Head, Christ, in the air.  This we believe will occur imminently and prior to the beginning of Daniel's Seventieth Week of prophesy (Pretribulational Rapture). Following the fulfillment of Daniel's Seventieth Week, the time of Jacob's Trouble, Jesus Christ will return literally, bodily and personally to rule the entire earth from David's Throne in Jerusalem for One Thousand Years (Premillennial Second Advent), with a regenerated (Born Again) Nation of Israel being the chief and principle nation over the Gentiles nations.

At the close of Christ's Millennial Reign, all the dead of all the ages will be raised and all the unconverted will be gathered to be individually judged at the Great White Throne Judgment.  They will then be justly cast in to the Lake of Fire.  The eternal state will then commence.

Baptist Distinctives to Which We Adhere & Teach on the Foreign Field

Bible as the sole and final Authority in all matters of faith, practice, life & death, marriage, child rearing, friendships, employment, politics, science, and everything else.

Autonomy of each local Bible-practicing congregation of believers.

Priesthood of every Believer which we also call Free Individual Access to God for Every one of His Children.

Two (pictorial/typical) Ordinances of the Church: water baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper.

Individual Soul Liberty. The other side of the Priesthood of the believer. Every individual will give account for himself with regard to his faith and practice.

Two Offices: Elder/Pastor/Bishop and Deacon.