| What We Believe |
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What We Believe We believe that... • God is bigger and better and closer than we can imagine. • The Bible is God's perfect guidebook for living. • Jesus is God showing himself to us. • Through His Holy Spirit, God lives in and through us now. • Nothing in creation "just happened." God made it all. • Grace is the only way to have a relationship with God. • Faith is the only way to grow in our relationship with God. • God has allowed evil to provide us with a choice. God can bring good even out of evil events and God promises victory over evil to those who choose to become Christ followers. • Heaven and Hell are real places. Death is a beginning, not the end. • The church exists to serve people like Jesus served people. • Jesus is coming again. What We Believe Expanded We teach from the Bible and our Beliefs are based on these Holy Scriptures. We believe that the Bible is relevant to today's problems and to the needs of individuals. Therefore, we offer an environment that is Biblical and relevant to real life situations. What we believe about... What we believe about God... God God is the Creator and ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,... ...who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. What we believe about Jesus Christ... Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven's glory and will return again to earth to reign as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?" Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back." "I have no husband," she replied. Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true." "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he." Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?" Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" They came out of the town and made their way toward him. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,... ...regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." ...to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time--God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,... ...while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,... What we believe about the Holy Spirit... The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make mankind aware of our need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christ Follower from the moment of decision to trust Jesus Christ by faith. He provides the Christ Follower with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christ Follwer seeks to live under His control daily. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,... Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children What we believe about mankind... We are all made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. We are the supreme object of God's creation. Although mankind has tremendous potential for good, we are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called "sin". This attitude separates us from God. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet... We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all. NOTE: Italics added by Pee Dee Community Fellowship webmaster. Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,... What we believe about salvation... Salvation is a gift from God to mankind. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness can we be saved from sin's penalty. Eternal life begins the moment we receive Jesus Christ into our life by faith. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. ...he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,... You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,... Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,... What we believe about the Bible... The Bible is God's Word to all mankind. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without any mixture of error. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,... Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal. And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. What we believe about eternity... We are all created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. The place of eternal separation from God is called Hell. Heaven is the place of eternal union with God. 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. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Hell) NOTE: Italics added by Valley View Baptist Church webmaster. Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire (Hell) prepared for the devil and his angels. NOTE: Italics added by Valley View Baptist Church webmaster. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. (Heaven) NOTE: Italics added by Valley View Baptist Church webmaster. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (Heaven) NOTE: Italics added by Valley View Baptist Church webmaster. What we believe about eternal security... Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the believer is secure in the salvation for eternity. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christ Follower. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives this security. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ..because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. What we believe about baptism... I. WHY BE BAPTIZED? 1. Because you want to follow Christ's example. "At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan." Mark 1:9 2. Because Christ commanded it. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 3. Because it shows you are a believer. "...and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized." Acts 18:8 4. Because obeying Christ's command shows you know Him. "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands." 1 John 2:3 II. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF BAPTISM? 1. It is a symbol of Christ's burial and resurrection. "...that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." 1 Corinthians 15:3,4 "..having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead." Colossians 2:12 2. It is a symbol of your new life as a Christ Follower. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." Romans 6:4 Baptism does not make you a believer, it shows that you already are one! Baptism does not "save" you, only your faith in Christ does that. Baptism is like a wedding ring - it's the outward symbol of the commitment you made in your heart. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8,9 III. HOW ARE WE TO BE BAPTIZED? 1. Like Jesus was baptized - by being immersed in water. "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water..." Matthew 3:16 2. Every baptism in the Bible was by immersion under water. (Example) "...Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing." Acts 8:38,39 3. The word "Baptize" literally means "to dip under water. The Greek word "baptizo" means to immerse or dip under water. 4. It is the best way to picture a burial and resurrection. The founders of denominations agree: Martin Luther... "I would have those who are to be baptized to be entirely immersed, as the word imports and the mystery signifies." John Calvin... "The word 'baptize' signifies to immerse. It is certain that immersion was the practice of the ancient church." John Wesley... "Buried with Him, alluding to baptizing by immersion according to the custom of the first church." IV. WHO SHOULD BE BAPTIZED? 1. Every person who has made the decision to believe in Christ. "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." Acts 2:41 "But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women." Acts 8:12 "Simon himself believed and was baptized..." Acts 8:13 2. The one requirement for baptism is belief in Christ! We do not baptize children until they are old enough to understand and believe. V. WILL I HAVE TO SAY ANYTHING? No. At the beginning of the baptism service, the pastor will briefly explain the meaning of baptism. You will wait at the edge of the water for your turn to be baptized. The pastor will introduce you, briefly lower you just under the water, and then you will leave the water, dry off, and watch with the others. |