WE BELIEVE:
1. Eternal life with God is through Jesus Christ. His precious blood, as a sacrifice, was poured out to pay for the sins of the world. We believe and confess that Jesus was born of a Virgin, was crucified, rose from the grave, ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of God, ever living to make intercession for us. To be saved, a person must make Jesus Christ the Lord of his/her life and live in accordance with the direction of the Holy Spirit. We believe in water baptism by immersion in the name of the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. (John 3:16-18, John 14:1-3, 1 John 5:10-13, 1 John 1:9, Hebrews 7:24-25, Acts 8:36-37, Acts 8:12, Romans 623-8, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:27-28).
2. The Holy Spirit draws and convicts people of sin. As our guide, He helps us to see our great need for Jesus and the salvation that comes only through Him. After we receive Jesus as both Savior and Lord, we can then be immersed (baptized) into the Holy Spirit. This baptism is evidenced by speaking in tongues and the infilling of power to witness for Jesus with demonstrations and manifestations of God’s power and revelation in our lives. We believe the Holy Spirit, because of the provision of Jesus (the blood), enables a believer to live naturally a supernatural life. The responsibility falls to the believer, through faith in God, to access these provisions. The Holy Spirit is our helper, strengthener and teacher enabling us day by day in our journey to learn more of Jesus. He gives us guidance, direction, correction and revelation. God sent Him for this purpose. (John 14:26, Acts 8:14-17, Acts 11:15-16, Acts 19:1-6, Acts 10:44-46, Romans 8:26-27, Matthew 3:11, John 16:13-14).
3. God, according to His own Word, does not show partiality or favoritism. All believers, bought by the shed blood of Jesus, are precious in his sight. God’s anointing is what determines a person’s calling in the ministry. Race and gender are not factors that qualify or disqualify a person for any office of ministry. Therefore, traditions and cultural norms are never exalted over the anointing of God. (Acts 10:34-35, Mark 12:14-17, Mark 7:5-9, Galatians 3:28, Romans 2:11, 1 Corinthians 12:11).
4. The Bible is inspired of God and authoritative. It readily teaches and shows clearly the effects of sin, its influence in cultures and its destructive force. It reveals our great need of salvation through Jesus Christ and the revelation He desires to impart. It reveals that men and women were created equal; they share the same dominion and, in essence, are the same in authority. Authority comes to the believer by the blood of Jesus and not by one’s gender. The Bible teaches, “the flesh profits nothing.” We are spirit beings who are clothed in flesh. We are all, as Christians, the body of Christ. We move by His Spirit and by His anointing to do His will. Man-made rules, traditions of religion and laws that were established as a result of sin and the sin nature are not in keeping with the true revelation of the Word. Biblical references to slavery and the subservience of women to their husbands are a reflection of the sinful nature of man. This was not God’s plan as set forth in the creation story given in Genesis. Dominion was given equally to man and woman. We reject any doctrine that exalts men over women, or vice versa. We esteem the blood of Jesus and believe we all will stand before God as equal believers. (Hebrews 4:12, Philippians 3:3, John 6:63, Genesis 1:26-27).
5. All believers should be encouraged to seek God and commune directly with Him. He is a God of great love and desires to help us grow in Him and become more like Him in thought and purpose. There is no hierarchy in the Godhead. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are all One. The Bible teaches in I Peter 2:9 and Revelation 1:6 that we are all kings and priests. Therefore, there is no hierarchy in the Church and there is no hierarchy in the home. The High Priest of all believers and the home is Jesus Christ. The person in charge of all believers and in charge of the home is the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 6:33, Matthew 7:7, Jeremiah 29:13, Hebrews 1:8, John 1:1, Romans 8:38-39, John 5:18, Titus 3:4-7, Matthew 1:20, Matthew 28:19, Jude 25, Revelation 1:8, John 4:24, I John 5:20, I John 5:7).
6. We believe in equality. We understand that wives and slaves as mentioned in several books of the Old and New Testament were bought or given as a reward and, according to Civil Law under Roman Rule, were obligated to obey their own masters/husbands. They were expected to obey those who had purchased them. The patriarchal system developed as a result of sin when man strayed away from his original place of dominion as given in Genesis 1:27-28. The Apostle Paul and others encouraged all believers to obey the laws of the land. Obviously, it would be difficult to be a viable witness for Jesus as one who is lawless. We, as Christians, pay taxes, stop at red lights and endeavor to be good citizens for the same reasons. Paul also indicated a principle in Romans 4:15 that says, “Where there is no law, there is no transgression.” The laws of our land in America are very different. We cannot apply laws to our lives that do not even exist. We do not allow slavery in this Country or the buying or selling of persons. Such action is punishable, by law.
There are many instances in the Bible where Jesus and others used ideas, laws and things already familiar to people as examples to explain a spiritual truth. One cannot assume that they were always endorsing these practices, but rather were using them to illustrate and communicate a Spiritual principle that would move people into a greater freedom in God, by using something with which they were familiar. (Colossians 2:8-10, 1 Peter 2:13-16, Exodus 22:16-17, Genesis 29:18-20, Hosea 3:2-3, Hosea 12:12, Exodus 21:7-8, Genesis 34:12, 1 Samuel 17:25).
7. All true believers are, by their new nature in God, givers. We believe paying tithes and giving offerings is essential and fundamental in our loyalty to God and the advancement of His kingdom. (Genesis 14: 14-20, Hebrews 7: 1-4, Matthew 23:23, Luke 16:11, Malachi 3:8-10).
8. Children and youth can be used mightily by God in all the Gifts of the Spirit. Their spirit is complete and lacks nothing, but their minds must be renewed, just like adults. (1 Samuel 3:1-10, Jeremiah 1:4-9, Matthew 19:13-14, Romans 12:2).
9. All of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are valid today. We believe the function of the Church (the body of Christ) is to manifest the power of God through changed lives, signs, wonders, miracles, deliverance and healings. Our desire is to reveal the Glory of a loving God to a dying world. (Acts 5:12, 8:13, 14:3, 8:5-7, 19:11-12, Hebrews 2:3-4, 1 Peter 2:24, 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, Luke 8: 1-3, Matthew 12:15, 1 John 4:17).
This Church is Different
Spirit of Truth Ministries functions by Co-pastors, or equal partners who yield to the Holy Spirit. The leadership in this Church is not determined by race or gender or whether you’re married or single. It is directed, as best we can yield, by God’s Holy Spirit. As much as possible, we shun man-made ideas and programs. The Co-pastors operate with equal authority in all aspects. All of the ministry offices are for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry and are Vital for balanced growth. These offices are included and welcomed in this church ministry. (I Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 4:11-16).
We are committed to telling the Good News of Jesus and all He provides for every believer.