Our Beliefs

THE BIBLE

We believe The Bible is INSPIRED by God and declares His design and plan for all of humanity for all time. Yes, we believe the Bible is true. Yes, we believe it is still applicable today...and in fact for all of time to come. We believe God inspired it...and led people to record it. We believe it is perhaps the most accurate work of ancient literature that exists. But most importantly, we believe that through it God still speaks to us today. We believe that it reveals His original design and purpose for all of humanity. We believe that the Bible is a living document and that it contains fresh and relevant truths for today. We believe it is trustworthy. We believe you can bank your life and your decision-making on it. It does not tell you what specifically you must do. It is NOT a book of do’s and don’ts. It is life-giving and life-inspiring. It informs all areas of life and reveals how God originally designed for us to live and how He wants us to live life today—in the 21st Century! (2 Timothy 3:15-17, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Peter 1:21)

GOD

We believe the One True God has revealed Himself as the Great I AM—the one on Whom all existence depends and Whose existence is dependent on no one and nothing. God is TRIUNE in His nature and expresses Himself as God The Father, Jesus The Son, and The Holy Spirit (a belief called the doctrine of the Trinity). We believe God is alive and well. We also believe that while He supersedes all that exists, He is actively involved in life on earth today and is the Lord of the entire Universe. We believe all of creation declares God’s glory because He is the Creator of the Universe, and all life flows from Him. We believe that Jesus Christ, while fully man, is also fully God. He has always existed with God. He is in unity with God, and will always exist in unity with God. Jesus is not just a prophet or a teacher, although He was both. He IS God, co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Holy Spirit, who is also God, is active and present on the earth today. The Holy Spirit is one with the Father and the Son and proceeds from them. All three work in perfect unity and full dependence on the other. Together they are God, the GREAT I AM. (Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 43:10,11 Matthew 28:19, Luke 3:22)

OUR CONDITION

Mankind, all of humanity, was created good and upright and in a life-giving relationship with, and dependence upon, God. However, mankind chose voluntarily to REJECT God’s love, provision, the life He had designed for them, and therefore, relationship with Him. As a result, all of mankind has experienced not only physical but spiritual death, which is separation from God.  One man chose to reject God’s will and God’s life. As a result, each person is born separated from and alienated from God by that person’s very nature. No one has the power in himself or herself to restore that relationship with God. Therefore, each person needs a redeemer who can restore and redeem them to that original life-giving relationship and dependence upon God. (Genesis 1:26,27, Genesis 2:17, Genesis 3:6, Romans 3:23 and 5:12-19)

SALVATION

The only Redeemer for mankind is JESUS CHRIST, Who lived the life God originally purposed for all of mankind, and then willingly gave up that life, so that all those who accept His Lordship, will be restored to that original life-giving relationship with, and dependence upon God. As humans, we generally do not like to yield control or influence over any area of our lives to anyone, including God. This is what causes all of the trouble in the world around us. It has been fully documented in the Bible since the beginning, and the newspapers still document it today. There is only one answer: To get back to God’s original purpose for us. We cannot get there on our own. Our very nature ruins every attempt we make to return to God’s way of life in our own strength.  We can return to God’s original design for our life by allowing the Holy Spirit to indwell us by willfully surrendering our lives to Jesus Christ. Through this we learn how to live life the way God designed it to be lived. The life Jesus lived is our example, and He is our Redeemer—He only is able to restore us to God’s original purpose for us. The Holy Spirit living in us shows us how to live as Jesus lived (how God wants each of us to live) as we listen to Him and walk out each day with Him. When we fail in our surrender to His will for our lives, we repent (turn away from going our own way) and return to simply following Jesus in complete dependence upon the Holy Spirit. While we will never be perfect in our surrender to Him, we can daily learn to live with more dependence on Him. As we do, we will see our lives change, and will experience more and more of His original purpose for our lives. (Luke 24:47, John 3:3, Romans 10:13-15, Ephesians 2:8, Titus 2:11, Titus 3:5-7)

THE ETERNAL KINGDOM

At the end of time, Jesus Christ will return to the earth and re-establish God’s Kingdom here, all according to God’s original purpose and plan. Those who have lived life in relationship with God through Jesus Christ, both alive and deceased, will spend ETERNITY with the Father, the Son, and  the Holy Spirit. Those who have rejected the life of God through Jesus Christ, alive and deceased, will spend eternity separated from God. God is the Creator of the Universe. The day will come when all of the Universe will be restored to its original purpose, under God’s authority and direction, and therefore, infused with His life and His nature. Those who have desired to live that way will enjoy the fruit of that relationship forever. Those who have rejected His authority and His life while they lived on earth will experience the ultimate penalty of their decision, and will spend eternity forever separated from God. It will be a loveless, lightless, and lifeless existence. (Zechariah 14:5, Matthew 24:27, Matthew 24:30, Revelation 1:7, Revelation 19:11-14, Revelation 20:1-6, Matthew 25:46, Mark 9:43-48, Revelation 19:20, Revelation 20:11-15, Revelation 21:8)

IT IS THESE CORE BELIEFS THAT ARE THE FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIANITY. THESE BELIEFS INFORM ALL OF OUR DECISION-MAKING AS CHRIST-FOLLOWERS.  These are the beliefs that make Christianity what it is...a life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ. There are other things that different churches believe and practice, but for every true Christian church, these beliefs will be considered non-negotiable. Remove any of these beliefs from the essence of faith and you have removed yourself from the core of Christianity. Each Christian church has beliefs and practices that do not determine where you will spend eternity, but that are rooted in teachings in the Bible. There are two beliefs and practices that we embrace and encourage and hope to bring clarity about. You do not have to embrace these to attend or be part of Abundant Life Church. We do however ask you to be open to all that God has for you as you search the Bible and learn to follow Jesus.

TWO FOUNDATIONAL BELIEFS AND PRACTICES THAT WE OBSERVE AS A CHURCH:

WATER BAPTISM

We believe that WATER BAPTISM by immersion for a believer is a powerful way to identify with a life surrendered to Jesus Christ.  While many in our area have been raised in churches which believe and practice the baptism of infants by sprinkling, we believe and practice complete immersion in water of an individual who has made a personal decision to follow Christ. Baptism by immersion is a powerful identification of a personal decision to surrender fully to Jesus as Lord. It symbolizes being raised to a new life lived under His direction through the Scriptures and by the power of the Holy Spirit. For those who were baptized as infants, and who have lived their lives surrendered to Jesus, we want you to know that we celebrate that decision to live a life surrendered to Jesus. We are not asking you to refute anything that you have believed. However, we do encourage you to affirm all that you have believed by being water baptized by immersion. We ask you to prayerfully read the Scriptures listed below and then simply ask God what He would have you do. (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16, Acts 10:47,48, Romans 6:4)

HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM

We believe that the baptism in the HOLY SPIRIT is the empowerment of a Christ-follower by the Holy Spirit. This occurs AFTER, and is separate from, deciding to surrender to Christ. We believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit can come with power and with the ability to pray in other tongues (either a heaven language unknown to man or an earthly language that one has not learned), communicating with God in languages given by the Holy Spirit.  Everyone, who has surrendered to Jesus as a Christ-follower, can and should eagerly seek all that God has for him or her in this life. We believe the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, with power, is part of God’s plan for each person. It is an experience that all of our pastoral staff and many of our leaders have embraced and live out on a daily basis. If this is a new thought for you, or if you have questions about it, we encourage you to ask. We want to put helpful teaching resources in your hands.  We also want you to know that this is a belief we hold deeply, but we will never be dogmatic about it, nor do we consider a Christ-follower who has not experienced the Baptism in the Holy Spirit deficient in their belief or value in any way. (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4, Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, Acts 8:12-17, Acts 10:44-46, Acts 11:14-16, Acts 15:7-9)

We belong to the Assemblies of God denomination.