What We Believe

1. We believe the Holy Bible is the Word of God. We accept fully the writing of the entire Old and New Testament as the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God. We believe the Bible is the final authority in all matters of doctrine, duty, and decisions as individuals, as New Testament churches, and as Take Heart Ministries. Psalm 119:89; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13

2. We believe in the Godhead. We believe in the only true God, the Creator, Who is eternal, loving, just, merciful, holy, and unchanging, and that God exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in every divine attribute and executing distinct but complementary offices in the work of redemption. Colossians 2:9; Matthew 28:19, 3:14-17.

3. We believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Only Begotten Son: that He pre-existed with God the Father before His birth in Bethlehem; that He was supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit in the body of the virgin Mary; that He lived a totally sinless and perfect life; that He died on a cross for the sins of the whole world; that He was buried and supernaturally raised out of the grave and declared the victorious Son of God over sin, death, and hell; that He presently is seated at the right hand of God in the place of authority in heaven, and that He is coming back to the earth soon to resurrect bodily the dead in Christ and to rapture every living believer to be carried to heaven with Him. John 3:16; Colossians 1:17, Isaiah 7:14; Luke 2:26-28, 1 Peter 2:22, 24; Romans 1:1-4; Hebrews 7:25; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

4. We believe in the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, equal with God the Father and God the Son. We believe the Holy Spirit convicts and regenerates the sinner, indwells and seals the believer at the point of initial salvation, and fills and empowers the believer in order that he might live a holy and fruitful life. We believe every Christian should live his life under the control of the Holy Spirit of God. We believe that the evidence of the fullness or control, of the Holy Spirit is in living a godly, holy, fruitful, and witnessing life. We do not accept the teaching that any of the sign gifts are to be sought as evidence of the Holy Spirit’s fullness. We believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is an experience that takes place at the time of salvation and is not separate from salvation. John 14:16, 26; 15:26-27 16:7-11; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 12:13.

5. We believe that man is a sinner. We believe that Adam, the first man, was created in the image of God and in innocence. However, by his voluntary transgression against the will and law of God, man fell into sin and incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death, which is separation from God. Consequently, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are in need of redemption. Psalm 51:5; Isiah 53:6, Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-4.

6. We believe in Salvation. We believe that salvation is by grace through faith. It is the free gift of God. We believe that man is saved by faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe a person must repent of his sin and by faith receive and trust the Person and provision of Jesus

   Christ as Lord in order to be saved. We believe that salvation is a present reality, that one can be saved and can know that he is saved and can enjoy his life of salvation. We also believe that all who truly have been born again will be saved forever and cannot lose their salvation. We believe that being saved is the most important experience in any individual’s life. Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10, 13; Hebrews 9:22; Romans 5:1-19; Matthew 16:26.

7. We believe in Heaven. We believe that heaven is a real place. We believe it is a lovely and perfect place that will be populated by the saints of God from all ages. We believe the most important thing about heaven is the presence of the Lord Himself. We believe a person must make proper preparations to go to heaven by receiving Jesus Christ as one’s own Lord and Savior. John 14:16; Hebrews 12:22-24; Revelation 21:10-17, 22:1-2.

8. We believe in Hell. We believe that hell is a real place, that it was prepared for the devil and his angels, and that all of those who die outside of the Lord Jesus Christ will spend eternity in hell. We believe that hell is a literal place of physical, mental, spiritual, and eternal suffering. We believe that every person will spend eternity either in heaven or in hell. Luke 16:19-31; Revelation 20:11-15; Matthew 13:42, 25:41; Mark 9:43, 46.

9. We believe in Satan: that he is a real person; that he was created, and that he originally lived in heaven but was cast out of heaven when he rebelled against God. We believe Satan is totally sinful, deceptive, and powerful. We believe that he is the leader of a vast host of evil spirits who seek to keep unsaved people lost, who seek to divide and deceive New Testament churches, and who seek to devour and deceive individual Christians. We believe that Christ defeated the Devil at the cross and that the Christian now has authority and power over the Devil through the Lord Jesus Christ. We also believe that Satan ultimately will be cast into the lake of fire at the end of the age. Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Ephesians 6:12; Genesis 3:1; 2 Corinthians 11:14, Revelation 12:11; 1 John 4:4.

10. We believe in the Christian life. We believe the greatest privilege of the Christian is to live for Jesus in this present age. We believe the Christian life is a supernatural life – Christ living His life in us and through us. It is a spiritual life – the Holy Spirit of God empowering and enabling us to be what God wants us to be. It is a life of warfare – a constant struggle between the flesh and the spirit. It is a life of separation – separation from the ways of the world. It is a life of faith, which is total commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is living by the promises of God and in obedience to the commands of God. The Christian life is a life of progress, spiritual growth, and maturity, where we become more and more like Jesus. It is a life of fruitfulness, where the fruit of the Spirit is exhibited in our lives in the way we live and in the witness of our lives as we lead other people to saving faith in Jesus Christ. We believe that witnessing is a necessary and normal part of the Christian life. Galatians 2:20, 3:23, 5:17, 3:11, 4:19; Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:22-23; Acts 1:8; Titus 2:11-13.

11. We believe in the Local Church. We believe that the local church is God’s instrument in this present age and that all Christians should belong to and be an active part of a local New Testament

    Church. We believe the church is a body of baptized believers in whom Jesus Christ lives and over whom He lords. We believe the church is to live under the direction and discipline of the Holy Word of God. The local church is united together in the Holy Spirit for the purpose of evangelizing the lost, building up the saved, and glorifying the Lord. We believe the church belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ, purchased with His own blood. We believe that members of the church should love Christ and all members of the body and be faithful to the purposes of the church. We believe the church is a God-governed body with the pastor serving as the spiritual leader of the body. Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 3:21; Acts: 2:41-47.

12. We believe in Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as Church Ordinances. We believe that baptism by immersion is the only Scriptural mode. We believe that baptism does not save, but it is an act of obedience to the command of Christ and a testimony to the world of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that baptism identifies one with Jesus Christ and with the people of God. Romans 6:1-5; Matthew 28:19-20. We further believe that the Lord’s Supper is a symbolic ordinance which pictures Christ’s body broken for our sins and His blood shed for our redemption. We believe it is symbolic rather than a saving ordinance. We believe that every born-again, baptized believer should take the Lord’s Supper as an act of worship, praise, remembrance, and gratitude to Jesus Christ for what He has done for the sinner. 1 Corinthians 11:23-24.

13. We believe in Giving. We believe that every Christian should give at least 10 percent of his income to the Lord through the local church. We further believe that every Christian should grow beyond the tithe to Spirit-directed giving. We believe the Christian’s time, spiritual ability, and money ought to be given back to God as an act of dedication and love to Jesus Christ and in order to fulfill the Great Commission. Matthew 28:18-20; Leviticus 27:30; Malachi 3:10; Luke 6:38.

14. We believe in World Evangelism. We believe that it is the responsibility and privilege of every member of the local church to do everything he can to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ available to as many people as possible. Hence, we believe that evangelism begins at home, as we lead people to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Evangelism then spreads to the community, the city, the state, the nation, and to the world. We believe that the energies of the church ought to be directed totally toward getting the Gospel to the masses of the world. We believe it is the solemn responsibility of the church to do everything possible to fulfill the Great Commission. Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-15; Luke 24:44-49; John 20:21-23; Acts 1:8.