What we believe
CHRIST IS LORD. “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11).
THE SUPREME AUTHORITY OF THE SCRIPTURES IN ALL MATTERS OF FAITH AND PRACTICE. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:16-17). We believe that the Scriptures are sufficient, certain and authoritative revelation of God in everything affecting our beliefs and our behaviour, and obedience to their teaching is binding upon all Christians.
THE COMPETENCY OF THE BELIEVER BEFORE GOD. This doctrine, we believe, is inherent in New Testament teaching. “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.” (I Timothy 2:5). “For you have one master, the Christ”(Matthew 23:10). This implies the priesthood of all believers, that every believer under God is competent to approach Him without any intermediary. This means that everyone has the right to worship God according to the dictates of an enlightened conscience without any earthly hindrance. As a result of this principle, we teach that every believer is responsible, under the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit, to develop his own personal and spiritual relationship with God.
THE REGENERATE CHURCH MEMBERSHIP. This doctrine is clearly taught in many places in the New Testament. “You must be born again.” (John 3:7). “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3). “Those who accepted his message were baptized..: (Acts 2:41). The members of the New Testament churches are spoken of as a “sanctified”, “quickened”, “beloved of God”, “saints and faithful brethren in Christ.” The New Testament teaches a continuing growth in the knowledge of God and Christ through personal and congregational prayer and study of the Scriptures (sanctification).
THE CHURCH IS A SPIRITUAL DEMOCRACY. We believe in religious liberty, including the principle of congregational church government, with the members of the church having equal rights, privileges and duties under the Lordship of Christ. In that both freedom and responsibility are involved, independence and inter-dependence are equally acknowledged, each member being free to make his/her own decisions within the local context while associating with others in fellowship and wider service to carry out the commission of Christ. “So we though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” (Romans 12:5).
THIS CHURCH OBSERVES AND RECOGNIZES TWO ORDINANCES.
Baptism is a symbol of deep spiritual experience. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4).
We believe that it is by immersion that this burial and resurrection are portrayed as evidenced by the practice of the New Testament.
Baptism is an oath of solemn obligation. When one is baptized based on intelligent understanding of its meaning and significance, he/she is registering a vow before men that he/she will “walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4). Therefore, the act of baptism represents a powerful witness to all those who observe this ordinance.
Baptism is a confession of faith. Jesus said, “Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son , and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19). This formula is stated at each baptism and expresses the faith of the candidate as well as that of the baptizing minister.
The Lord’s Supper is both a memorial and a symbol. It is observed in remembrance of Jesus, His life, His death, His resurrection, and His coming again. “Do this in remembrance of Me” (I Corinthians 11:24). This ordinance is a visible expression of the Gospel and it is in the light of the Gospel that it must be understood. The Bread and the Cup speak of Christ’s broken body and shed blood, the price He so willingly paid for our salvation. It is the presence of Christ, mediated through the believer’s faith, which transforms this act of remembrance into a service of communion.
Open Communion is our practice. This means that persons who are not members of church, but who are professing Christian believers walking in fellowship with the Lord, are welcomed to actively participate by receiving the Bread and the Cup.