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We should consider heaven as our home (not distant, but present) and while the Kingdom of heaven is coming to earth at the end of all things it is already here and advancing through the community of all believers.<\/p>\n
Philippians 3:20-21<\/strong> But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives.<\/p>\nEphesians 2:6<\/strong> And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus<\/p>\nHebrews 12:22<\/strong> But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly<\/p>\nLuke 17:21<\/strong> nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”<\/p>\nJohn 10:9<\/strong> I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.<\/p>\nMatthew 23:13<\/strong> \u201cWoe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people\u2019s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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We believe…<\/span><\/h1>\nin common with the worldwide established church the core beliefs expressed in the Nicene Creed<\/strong>. These include the trinity of the Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the virgin birth, the physical crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, the future return of the person of Jesus Christ to earth to judge the living and the dead.<\/span><\/p>\nScripture<\/span><\/h3>\nthat the 66 books of the Bible from Genesis to Malachi (39 books) and from Matthew to Revelation (27 books) are the inspired Word of God<\/strong> and that the canon of scripture is closed and complete. The canon of scripture is inspired by God and therefore authoritative.<\/span><\/p>\nSin<\/span><\/h3>\nthat all men are born with a sinful nature inherited from Adam and it is God’s work to make men righteous through the atonement of Jesus Christ – there is no other way to salvation. No man should presume to mediate between men and God in Christ’s place.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/i><\/span><\/div>Supporting Scriptures:<\/h2><\/div><\/div>
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\n- John 14:6-7<\/strong> Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Romans 5:17<\/strong> For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.<\/span><\/li>\n
- 1 John 2:1-2<\/strong> But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense \u2014 Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Salvation<\/span><\/h3>\nthat God is Sovereign and in his divine wisdom has given men free will to choose or reject salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. However, no-one is able to come to salvation unless God chooses and draws them and while people are powerless to save themselves they are saved through the gift of grace.\u00a0 The righteous in Christ<\/em> will inherit eternal life but the wrath of God remains on those who reject<\/em> Jesus Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/i><\/span><\/div>Supporting Scriptures:<\/h2><\/div><\/div>
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\n- John 3:16<\/strong> For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life<\/span><\/li>\n
- John 3:36<\/strong> “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,\u00a0but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God\u2019s wrath remains on them.\u201d<\/li>\n
- John 1:12-13<\/strong> Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.<\/span><\/li>\n
- John 6:43-44<\/strong> Jesus answered. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Salvation is for the whole person (body, soul and spirit)<\/span><\/h3>\nthat the work of salvation is to save us from the consequence of sin and restore us to wholeness. The Greek word sozo<\/strong> is used for both ‘saved’<\/strong> and ‘healed’.<\/strong> In the following passages the word translated saved or healed are the same Greek word ‘sozo’<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/i><\/span><\/div>Supporting Scriptures:<\/h2><\/div><\/div>
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\n- Romans 10:9<\/strong> “If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”<\/span><\/li>\n
- Mark 6:56<\/strong> “all who touched him were healed”<\/span><\/li>\n
- Mark 5:23<\/strong> “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.”<\/span><\/li>\n
- Mark 16:16<\/strong> “Whoever believes and is baptised shall be saved”<\/span><\/li>\n
- Also: Luke 8:36, Acts 2:21, Acts 14:9, Eph 2:8, Luke 18:42, James 5:15, Mark 5:34, Mark 5:28, Luke 17:19, Acts 4:9, Acts 4:12, Mark 6:56<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Salvation is both deliverance from sins and from sickness: <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Psalm 103:3<\/strong> “Praise the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases’.<\/span><\/li>\n
- James 5:14<\/strong> “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.”<\/span><\/li>\n
- 1 Peter 2:24<\/strong> “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”<\/span><\/li>\n
- Isaiah 53:5<\/strong> But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Important Note:<\/strong> This is not to say that if someone is in need of physical healing that they are not saved – anymore than if we sin we are not saved. Salvation, healing and deliverance are first and foremost issues of faith in Jesus, and we hope (as the gospel promises) for the full manifestation of these in our lives, whether in this age or the one to come.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
The Priesthood of all believers<\/span><\/h3>\nthat all Christian’s are called to ‘full time ministry’ (works of service Ephesians 4.12<\/strong>) and that this is to be expressed in all occupations and walks of life.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/i><\/span><\/div>Supporting Scriptures:<\/h2><\/div><\/div>
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\n- 1 Peter 2:4-6<\/strong> As you come to him, the living Stone \u2014 rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him\u2014 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.<\/span><\/li>\n