OUR CORE BELIEFS
God: We believe God is Creator and Ruler of the universe. He co-exists eternally in three persons—God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. They have the same mind, the same plan, the same purpose and same result. (Genesis 1:1, 26-27; 3:22; Psalm 990:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
Jesus: We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, His Lordship, virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His reconciling death for all people, His resurrection from the dead, His ascension to heaven, and His return in power and glory. He is the only Way to heaven, the only Truth to listen to, the only Life to follow. (Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5; 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13)
Holy Spirit: We believe that the Spirit is the special worker within each believer who convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. He is the comforter, and the guide into all truth who’s indwelling empowers and directs each Christian to live godly lives. (Genesis 1:1-2; Luke 1:35; 4:18; Acts 10:38; 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 4:11-12; Acts 1:8; John 14:16-18, 26; 15:26, 27; 16:7-13)
Bible: We believe the O.T. and N.T. as we have them are the inerrant, infallible Word of God, the bases of faith and practice. (2 Peter 1:20, 21; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 30:5, 6; Isaiah 8:20; John 17:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 4:12)
Salvation: “While we were yet sinners, God sent His Son to die for us.” That is grace. God’s choice to extend His deliverance from Satan’s power through His Son and has nothing to do with what humanity does. We cannot work for salvation. We can only accept it through the blood of Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21; John 3:16; Galatians 1:4; 4:4-7; Titus 3:3-7; John 16:8; Galatians 3:13, 14; Romans 10:17; Luke 17:5; Mark 9:23, 24; Ephesians 2:5-10; Colossians 1:13, 14; Romans 8:1-17)
Our Conversion Response: We believe our response to His gracious gift is a response of faith. It consists of a process of these essential elements: Hear and obey the Word of God; repent of sin, confess Christ as Lord and Savior, be baptized (see below) in His name and continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. (John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:9; Romans 10:10; Matthew 10:32; 16:16; Colossians 2:10; Galatians 3:27; 1 Peter 3:21; Acts 2:38-41)
Unity: We believe in the spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 4:4-6)
The Local Body: Each congregation should be locally governed by itself. Jesus is the head of His Body, the Church, yet each congregation is to be led by a plurality of Elders/Shepherds from within the body. (Ephesians 4:11-16)
Marriage: We believe marriage is a union ordained and instituted by God who intends for marriage to be monogamous, life-long loving relationship between a man and a woman. His design for sex is exclusively within the context of a Biblical marriage. It was first instituted in the Book of Genesis and codified in the Levitical law. Jesus explained the original intention and core elements of marriage, and several New Testament letters give explicit instructions on this union. Marriage is a typology of Christ and the New Testament Church. As such, the Church views marriage as a profound spiritual institution established by God. Due to the importance of marriage in the biblical witness, The Christian Church at DeLeon Springs defines “marriage” as the exclusive union of one man and one woman in which such union is a lifetime commitment. (Genesis 2:22-24, Ephesians 5:22-23, Matthew 19:4-6, Mark 10:6-9)
OUR CORE PRACTICES
Communion Practiced Weekly: (Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Acts 2:42)
Baptism By Immersion: Scripture describes baptism as an act that is central to a person’s commitment to follow Jesus. Jesus Himself was baptized by John “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:13-17). When giving instructions to the disciples regarding their mission, Jesus said, “..make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19). After delivering the first sermon of the The Church, Peter was asked by the audience, “What must we do?” His response demonstrates the importance of baptism when he says, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). We practice what the early Church practiced and that is baptism by immersion. The word “baptize” is a Greek word meaning “to dip, dunk, submerge,” which was originally used to describe the act of submerging fabric in colored dye to change the color of cloth. Through baptism, we identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Going under the water illustrates the death of our “old self” and coming up out of the water portrays the reality of our new life in Jesus. (Matthew 3:16-17; Acts 8:26-40; Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:1-11; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:36-38).
Percentage Based Giving: Malachi 3:10; Matthew 6:19-24; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 1 Timothy 6:6-10
PRAY FOR ONE: We pray everyday, “God, give me one person to share your love and gospel with today.” Mark 12:28-31; Matthew 28:19-20