THE ESSENTIALS WE BELIEVE
ABOUT GOD
There is one true and eternal God. He is the Creator of all things and is a Personal Being who can be known. He exists in three co-equal persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. We call this the ‘Trinity’ – One God, three persons.
(Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-4; Acts 5:3-4)
ABOUT THE BIBLE
The Bible is God’s Word for us today. It’s God’s ‘Love Letter’ to humanity. It is inspired by God and written by human authors that He supernaturally directed. It is truth without error and is the only source of truth for Christian beliefs and living.
(Psalm 119:105; II Timothy 3:15-17; II Peter 1:21)
ABOUT JESUS CHRIST
Jesus is God showing Himself to us in human form. He was born of the virgin Mary by a supernatural act of the Holy Spirit and lived a perfectly sinless life. Because Jesus is God, He is the “same yesterday, today and forever” which means He has power to heal and deliver people today. He died by crucifixion on a cross and rose from the dead three days later by God’s power. He ascended to heaven where He prays for us and will return to earth at the appointed time to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
(Matthew 1:23; Hebrews 13:8; Colossians 2:9; I Corinthians 15:3-4; I Peter 2:22)
ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit shows people their need for God and brings spiritual birth to individuals who, by faith, receive the gift of God’s forgiveness. He lives in the Believer and empowers us to live an effective and powerful Christian life. He is active in the life of the Church, giving gifts to Believers for the mutual benefit & strengthening of the ‘Body’.
(John 16:7-13; Acts 1:8; 8:12-17; 10:44-46; 19:1-6; I Corinthians 3:16; Galatians 5:22 – 23;
I Peter 4:10)
ABOUT SIN
Sin began with our first human parents when they chose to disobey God. Adam and Eve were created good, but chose sin over obedience. As a result every person born after them is born with what the Bible calls a ‘sin nature’. If this sinful condition is not dealt with (through faith in Jesus and receiving His forgiveness), eternal separation from God will be the result.
(Genesis 3; Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 5:12, 19; 6:23)
ABOUT THE CHURCH
The Church is not a club. It’s not an organization or a denomination. The Church in the New testament sense of the word is the Body of people, made up of all who have come to believe in Jesus as the Son of God and who receive Him into their lives to be the Forgiver of their sin and the Leader of their life. The universal Church is expressed locally as smaller units of Christ’s Body that gather in specific locations. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church. The Church exists for the mutual edification of each Believer and to serve in the world as Jesus did.
(Acts 2:46-47; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:11-12; Col. 1:18; Hebrews 10:24-25)
ABOUT SALVATION
Salvation is God’s gift made available through Jesus taking upon Himself the penalty for sin when He died on the cross. We can never attain this gift by any amount of good works we may attempt to do - it is a gift! When we trust in Jesus and receive His forgiveness, we are saved from the penalty of sin, which is eternal separation from our Creator. God went to great lengths to bring us back into relationship with Himself.
(Romans 6:23; Romans 5:8; 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6; I John 5:11-13)
NOW WHAT
It’s not just about what we say we believe, as important as that is. It’s about what we do with what we know that leads to a life that’s fulfilling and eternal (John 10:10; 3:16). That’s where ‘stepping across the line of faith’ comes in. If you would like to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ and come to know the peace, purpose, & passion He provides, along with the assurance that you will spend eternity in heaven, simply talk to God and express this desire to Him. We call this ‘talking to God’ prayer. Beginning a relationship with God is the
ABC’s of Christianity:
Admit that you are separated from God because of your sin.
Believe that Jesus died on the cross for you and rose again from the grave.
Confess (or ‘invite’) Him to be the Forgiver of your sin and the Leader of your life.
Beginning a relationship with Jesus is just that – it’s a beginning. Like any relationship, it will grow as we nurture it. We must do this through things like talking to God daily in prayer; regularly reading His ‘Love Letter’ to us (the Bible); connecting with other Christians in a local Church setting where we can receive support and encouragement; learning to serve and share.
If you have not done so already, we hope you will express your own desire to God to receive His forgiveness and begin a new life. However, if you are not ready to do this, we encourage you to continue to seek answers to your questions.
Core Values
With a genuine desire to honor God & advance His cause, we place high value on:
1. The Bible as God’s authoritative Word to us.
We believe the Bible to be God’s self-disclosure as well as an accurate account of humanity’s experience with the living God. We desire to respond obediently to God’s written and authoritative Word in all matters of personal faith and practices of church life. (2 Timothy 3:16–17; Hebrews 4:12; James 1:22–25; 2 Peter 1:20–21).
2. Prayer as the means to intimate connection with God.
We believe that prayer is the conduit to receive supernatural enablement and a significant way in which we are reminded of our need to depend on God. We are convinced that prayer is integral to accomplishing anything of eternal value. (Acts 2:42; 12:5; I Thessalonians 5:17 -18; Eph. 6:18; James 5:16).
3. Loving and Authentic Relationships within the Community of Believers.
God created us to be in relationship with each other as followers of Christ. It’s within the Body of Christ where God’s love is experienced and expressed! Life change happens best in community with other Christians. (Acts 2:42 – 47; Galatians 6: 1–2; Heb. 10: 24–25).
4. Equipping and Mobilizing Believers to reflect Jesus in their world.
We believe that Jesus is the only hope for a spiritually lost and broken world and that living out genuine and authentic Christianity is what Believers are called to do. Authentically representing Jesus in our culture will eternally impact many. (Colossians 4:5; I Thessalonians 4:12)
5. People …all People.
People matter to God and so they need to matter to us. We believe that small things done with great love make a difference, therefore we are committed to showing God’s love to people, no strings attached. Responding with the compassion of Jesus to the poor and underprivileged is a significant part of this value. (Matthew 5:16; Luke 15; I Timothy 2:3–4)
6. The Ministry of every Believer Expressed through their Spiritual Gifts and Passions.
The Church’s effectiveness at fulfilling its mission depends on Believers discovering and using their gifts. We are committed to helping people serve with their spiritual gifts so that spiritual maturity within the Body will result. (Romans 12:3–8; 1 Corinthians 12 – 14; Ephesians 4:1–16; I Peter 4:10).
7. Unity in Diversity.
We strive to protect the unity of this local church body by focusing on the things that unite us, not that which divides us. This unity will stem from our common passion for the primary truth of the Gospel as well as the Christ-like attitudes of respect and appreciation for the fact that God has made us all different. (Psalm 133:1; John 17:20–23; Romans 15:5; Ephesians 4:3)
8. Godly Marriages & Strong Families
We will place high priority on helping broken and hurting families and on providing support for marriages and families to be healthy and whole. (Matthew 19:4–6; Colossians 3:20–21).
Our Identity
COURAGEOUS & FAITH BASED INNOVATION with the aim of effectively communicating God’s love and message to our culture.
The core message is eternal, but methods of communicating that message can change. We celebrate creativity and believe that it is a result of the Holy Spirit’s work in a Believer’s life. Because we view Christianity as a journey, change and innovation are assumed and expected. Taking risks is worth it to effectively reach people, and we’re committed to that.
MISSIONAL in our approach to personal and Church life.
Our aim is to be guided and motivated by mission, as individual Believers and as a Body of Believers. The Church exists for the world, not for herself. We see all people as in need of redemption (namely that Jesus paid the ‘ransom’ for our spiritual rescue). We believe that the Church is God’s agent for redemptive change in our culture and around the world. (Matthew 28:18–20; Luke 19:10; I Cor. 9:22–23)
SMALL GROUPS as a strategy for spiritual growth, deep relationship and care.
We want to provide a safe place for everyone to be transparent with God, themselves, and others. We believe that spiritual growth happens best in the context of committed and loving relationships with other Believers, where they can encourage and challenge one another, as well as pray, serve, learn, and grow together. In small groups, people can find a place of belonging. (Acts 2:42–47; Galatians 6:1–2)
SERVANT LEADERSHIP in the church and in the world.
At the core of Jesus’ definition of leadership was servanthood and this is a model we want to follow. As followers of Christ we are first called to be servants. In God’s economy, only those who possess and display the heart and lifestyle of a servant, qualify as spiritual leaders. We determine to serve God, fellow Believers and our community, not merely as an activity but as a way of life. (Mark 10:42–45; John 13:1–17)
STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE in all we do.
We believe that giving our best efforts honors God and inspires people. Perfection is not the goal. We simply believe that God deserves our best. Our aim is to display good stewardship of all He has entrusted to us, knowing that careless efforts can be a distraction to people who are genuinely seeking spiritual answers to life. (Colossians 3:17, 23; Psalm 78:72)
VIBRANT AND RELEVANT WORSHIP where people can connect with God.
We value expressions of worship, in the corporate setting, that are varied, genuine and pure in motive. Everything that takes place in a Sunday gathering is ‘worship’; in fact, every aspect of our life is worship to God. With the Holy Spirit’s direction, we aim to worship God in a manner that is vibrant, real, contemporary and relevant. Believers will be inspired and challenged. Seekers will be encouraged to continue their journey of seeking and invited to respond to Jesus’s invitation of a personal relationship with Him. We welcome people from all walks of life, regardless of where they are in their spiritual journey. (John 4:24; Romans 12:1–2; Colossians 3:16; Heb. 10: 24–25)
Affiliated with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada www.paoc.org
PAOC Statement of Essential Truths and Positions and Practices