WHAT WE BELIEVE

What do we believe? We hold to the classic truths of the Christian faith (including a belief in the Trinity, the Deity of Christ, Inerrancy of Scriptures, the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, the imminent return of Christ, and active participation in the Body of Christ). Our focus is on fostering individual spiritual growth, learning to have God direct our lives, and working together as the Body of Christ. On the other hand, we do not require or even expect agreement with these points from those who attend – we welcome people from any background or viewpoint in our meetings. Those hosting and leading the meetings, however, share these common beliefs and faith.

Our meetings typically do not focus on discussions of doctrinal topics. Instead, we spend our time learning together from a passage of Scripture, letting it speak for itself. Our desire is to have people experience the living Christ in a more complete way as we look at Him through the Living Word. Members of our group also write for and maintain the website www.maranathaglobal.org, where you can find helpful sermons, articles, and essays about every book of the Bible.

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Although we are not a particularly doctrinaire or sectarian group, we know that many visitors to this site look for a “Statement of Faith” to check for any glaring unorthodox beliefs or heretical doctrines before visiting. For those readers, we’ve included the sample STATEMENT OF FAITH below, which represents the viewpoint of the people hosting and leading the meetings. Please do NOT feel that you need to assent to each of these points before visiting – we welcome anyone in our meetings.

1. The only true living and almighty God eternally exists in three persons, co-equal in glory and power: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14). God is perfect in holiness (Isaiah 6:3), wisdom (Romans 16:2), justice (Revelation 15:3-4) and love (1 John 4:8). He created and upholds all things (John 1:3; Hebrews 1:3). Mankind was created to worship and serve Him. God alone is to be worshipped and exalted (Exodus 20:4-5; Acts 10:25-26).

2. The eternal Son of God, in order to save the Church, became a perfect man, though perfect in deity, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16). He was born from a virgin by the Work of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18,23), lived a perfect life, without sin, fulfilled the Law, was crucified for the sins of mankind, raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) and ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9), where he intercedes continually for the Church before the Father (Hebrews 7:25). Due to His perfect obedience (Philippians 2:8-11), the Lord Jesus received from the Father all authority under heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18) and became the Savior (Acts 4:12) of all those who trust in Him (Acts 16:31) and the only Mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5). The believers have thus the privilege to draw near and to pray to God, the Father (Matthew 6:9), with the assistance of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26) and in the Name of Jesus Christ (John 14:13-14).

3. The Bible, made up of the Old and the New Testaments, is the revealed Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16,17). Its original manuscripts were fully inspired by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they contained no error (John 17:17). It is the only rule of faith and practice for the Church (2 Timothy 1:3). The Church preaches no other doctrines besides those clearly taught in the Holy Scriptures (1 Timothy 6:3-5), as believed by the faithful church all through history. Those doctrines are to be believed, obeyed (1 Peter 1:22) and lived by the Church (2 Timothy 3:15). The same Spirit who inspired the Bible provides illumination for the Church to understand the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 2:10-12). The Holy Spirit quickens the Scriptures (John 6:63) and uses them to reveal Jesus Christ to men (John 15:2) and to glorify Him (John 16:14).

4. All men are sinners and therefore subject to eternal condemnation (Romans 3:23). They may be saved only by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8,9; John 6:47), as the Son of God and as the Christ (Matthew 16:16-17), the only and sufficient Savior. The death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus – signified by His Blood (Ephesians 1:7; 2:13) – for the salvation of all those who believe is the summary and essence of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and the only source of all spiritual life (John 6:53-54; John 7:73-39). The believers are elected according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 2:13; Ephesians 1:4), for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:2).

5. The believers manifest their faith in Jesus and their love for Him by leading a life of obedience (John 14:21-23) and good works (John 15:8), which God prepared beforehand that they should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). The believers strive to live in communion with Jesus (John 15:7) walk in the Spirit (Romans 8:9-13; Galatians 5:16) and live by faith (Romans 1:17). They are led by the Spirit of God (Rom 8:14) and bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:18, 22-25). As they keep hearing and following the Good Shepherd, nobody shall snatch them out of God’s hand (John 10:27-28). The Holy Spirit enables the elect to persevere to the end in faith (Revelation 2:10,26), in sanctification (Hebrews 12:14), in obedience (John 10:27; Romans 6:17; Luke 8:15) and in serving the Church (Hebrews 6:9-12).

6. The Lord baptizes into the church all those who believe in Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:13). The faithful church is God’s instrument to manifest to the world the manifold wisdom of God (Ephesians 3:10) by performing today the ministry of Jesus (John 14:12). The church is to perform God’s Work on earth, preach the Gospel (Matthew 28:19-20), support its members (Ephesians 6:18; Galatians 6:2,10), worship God (Acts 2:46,47), baptize the believers in water (Matthew 28:19) and celebrate the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:41-42). The Lord intends His church to be One Body, all members united by (Ephesians 4:3), to hear from (Revelation 3:22) and to be led by One Spirit (Galatians 5:18, Romans 8:14), to have One Faith (1 Timothy 1:3) and to submit to One Lord, the Head of the Church (Ephesians 1:22,23; 4:1-6).

7. The Lord Jesus baptizes true believers with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33; John 14:16,17,23; Ephesians 1:13; Acts 8:14;17) in order to edify the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:18, 24; 1 Corinthians 14:4,5,12) leading the believers into all truth (John 16:13,14), through the operation of the fivefold Ministry of the Word and the nine gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-12; Ephesians 4:11-16). Thus the Lord prepares the Church for His second coming, which is its great expectation (1 Corinthians 1:7,8; Ephesians 5:25-27; 2 Timothy 4:8). The Lord Jesus will return for His church, which is made up of all believers along History who trusted only in the Blood of the Lord Jesus for their salvation (Revelation 7:9,12,14), at an unexpected day and time (Matthew 24:40,42). Those who died with Jesus will be raised from the dead and all the believers will receive glorified bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51,52). Thereafter the Church will live in communion with the Lord Jesus in eternity (Revelation 21). Those who rejected God’s grace offered in Jesus Christ will be judged and condemned to eternal separation from God (John 3:36; Revelation 20:12-15).