WHAT WE BELIEVE
WHAT WE BELIEVE
THE BIBLE
We believe the Bible is God’s message to mankind. We believe ALL of it, cover to cover, is true…we even dig the maps in the back.
GOD
We believe there is only one God, who has 3 distinct persons in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Like an egg made of a shell, yoke, and white…3 distinct parts, but we call it an egg.
WHAT IS GOD LIKE?
He’s absolutely amazing, with no beginning and no end, self-sustaining, set apart as Holy, good, faithful, unchanging, loves us, and saves us from sin and hell through Jesus Christ.
JESUS
He’s God’s one and only Son, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, and taught us about God and His ways. He died on the cross for us, rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and some day will come again to earth.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
He draws people to God, lives inside believers, helps us to live more like Jesus, and gives special gifts to all believers. Some of the gifts he gives can sometimes seem strange and amazing, (example…when someone is healed or someone speaks about another person and encourages them about their life in ways only God would know) but these are all good and useful for encouraging one another in our walks with God.
SALVATION
We believe everyone sins. Our sins separate us from a relationship with a Holy God. But God in His love for us sent Jesus to pay for our sins on the cross. It is only through faith in receiving that gift that we are saved.
THE CHURCH
There are 2 types of church. The big “C” Church, which consists of all Jesus followers, and makes up the entire Church in which Jesus is the head, and the small “c” church or the local church, which consists of believers who choose to gather together regularly for worship, teaching, and fellowship. Oh yeah…and church should be AWESOME. At least we think so at Lakeland.
HOW ARE CHRISTIANS TO LIVE?
We live to please God and thus our lives reflect Him. We desire to be people of great integrity and generosity, who love and care for our families, communities, and the world.
WHAT ABOUT BAPTISM AND COMMUNION?
Yeah…we love them and practice both. We believe both are symbolic and have unique symbolic purposes. Baptism- we practice the full dunk, and only for those who can express their own personal belief in Jesus…we baptize to publicly proclaim one’s faith in Christ. Communion- once a month we take communion together, taking bread to remember his broken body, and the cup to remember His blood poured out for us…we take communion to remember the cross.
Statement of Faith
WHAT IS THE BIBLE?
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
(2 Tim 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:21)
WHO IS GOD?
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons and that these are equal in every divine perfection and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.
(Deu 6:4; Psa 90:2; Neh 9:17; Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14; I Peter 1:15-16; Rev 4:8)
WHAT IS GOD LIKE?
We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
(Ex 3:14; I Kings 8:27; Isa 6:3; Matt 6:9; John 6:44 & 17:11; Ja 1:17)
WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people and visible return to Earth.
(Matt 1:18-25; John 1:1,14; I Cor 15:3-4; Heb 4:14-16 & 7:24-27; I Peter 2:22 & 3:18; I John 3:5 & 5:20)
WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who came forth from the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin, God’s righteousness, and the coming judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells and bestows spiritual gifts to every believer in Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide.
(John 14:16, 17, 26 & 16:7-15; Ro 8:9 & 12:4-8; I Cor 3:16 & 12:4 – 14:13; Gal 5:22-23; Eph 4:1-16)
HOW DOES ONE EXPERIENCE SALVATION?
We believe that all men are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
(Gen 1-3; John 3:3, 16, 36; Acts 16:31; Ro 3:1-26; 5:1-19, 6:23, 8:29-30, Eph 2:1-10; Titus 3:4-7)
WHAT IS THE CHURCH?
We believe that the universal church is a living spiritual body of which Christ is the Head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local Church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.
(Matt 28:16-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8 & 13:2-3; Acts 2:42-46; Eph 4:1-16; Heb 10:24-25 & 13:15)
HOW ARE CHRISTIANS TO LIVE?
We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well being of his fellow men; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.
(Ro 6:1-2; Phil 1:21, 2:1-4, 4:18-19; I Thes 4:1-12)
WHAT ABOUT BAPTISM AND COMMUNION?
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has instituted two ordinances to the local church: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for the commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Matt 26:17-30 & 28:19-20; Acts 2:38, 2:42 & 8:36-38; Romans 6:3-6; I Cor 11:17-34)
WHAT ABOUT CHRISTIAN RESPONSIBILITY?
We believe that every person who has trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior has direct relations with God and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority.
(Acts 6:3-5 & 14:23; Phil 1:1; Titus 1:5, Heb 13:17; I Peter 2:5 & 2:9; Jude 1 & 3; Rev 2 & 3)
WHAT ABOUT CHURCH COOPERATION?
We believe that the local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in organized associations. Such an organization, whether regional or global, exists and functions by the will of the churches. Therefore, we may likewise cooperate with inter-denominational fellowships on a voluntary independent basis.
(Acts 15 & 21:17-26; Ro 16:1-16; Gal 2:8-10; Col 4:16; Titus 3:12-14; 3 John 5-8)
WHAT ABOUT THE SECOND COMING?
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal joy of the righteous and the endless suffering of the wicked.
(Isa 2:2-4; Matt 24:4-44; John 14:2-3; I Cor 15; I Thes 4:13-17; Titus 2:13; Rev 19:11-16 & 20:1-6, 13-15 & 21:1-7 )