Jesus
We believe Jesus is the eternal Son of God, who was moved by love in accordance with the will of the Father, and took on human flesh (Jn. 1:1, 14, 18; Lk. 1:35). Being fully human and fully God, Jesus lived a sinless life and sacrificially died on the cross in our place, bringing salvation to all who would receive his grace and place their trust in Him for salvation (Rom. 3:22-24; 2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus rose again visibly and bodily from the dead three days later and appeared to over five hundred eye witnesses (1 Cor. 15:1-8; Rom. 4:25). Jesus later ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father as the Head of His body the Church (Col. 1:15-20), the only Savior and Mediator between God and humanity (Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:35); He will one day return to earth in power and glory to restore all things (1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Thess. 1:7-9).
The Bible
We believe the Bible to be the fully inspired and living words of God, without error in their original manuscripts and completely trustworthy in every way. We believe the Scriptures are authoritative for all of life. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 Pet. 1:22-23; Heb. 4:12-13)
God
We believe in one living and true God, the Creator of all things visible and invisible. God is personal, infinite, and perfect, One who exists in perfect unity as three equally and fully divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. (Dt. 6:4; 2 Cor. 13:14; Matt. 28:19-20)
Humanity
We believe every single person has intrinsic value, as they have been made in the image of God and are ultimately designed to enjoy a life-giving relationship with the God of universe (Gen. 1:27). Yet, as a result of humankind’s rebellion (Gen. 3; Rom. 3:23), each person has experienced the aftermath of the fall (a sin nature, suffering, & separation from God). As a result, in and of themselves, humanity has no way of restoring a right relationship with God. (Rom. 5:6-8)
Salvation
We believe salvation—the restoration of relationship with God both now and for eternity—is found in Jesus Christ alone (Jn. 14:6; Acts 4:12). Salvation is offered to each and every person by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for the payment of our sin and rose again from the dead on the third day. In that, He defeated sin, death, and Satan (Eph. 2:8-9; 1 Cor. 15:3-8). We believe that salvation is a work of God and that no one—and nothing—can undo what God has done (Rom. 8:38-39; Jn. 10:27-30).
Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the triune God. We believe the Holy Spirit is sent to indwell the believer, baptizing them into new life (Eph. 1:13-14; Jn. 3; 1 Cor. 12:13), sealing them for salvation (Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30) and sanctifying them becoming more like Christ (Jn. 16:8-11; Rom. 8:1-17). We believe that there is evidence of the Spirit’s active work in one’s life, namely the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22; Jn. 15).
Church
We believe the Church is God’s supernaturally empowered community that has experienced the radical grace of God and expresses His love to a broken and hurting world. We believe Jesus is the Head of the Church, and that He has supernaturally gifted every believer to belong and to build-up His Church in unity: “being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit, and purpose” (Eph. 4; 1 Cor. 12; Matt. 28:18-20; Eph. 1:22-23; Phil. 2:1-5).
Mission
We believe every follower of Christ is called to be a minister of the Gospel and an ambassador for Jesus Christ (1 Pet 2:6-10; Matt. 28:18-20; 2 Cor. 5:14-21). Leaders in the church are charged and required to equip God’s people to fulfill their God-given purposes on this planet (Eph. 4:11-13) in a way that cooperates with their unique gifting, within the context of teams, and fueled by love (Rom. 12:3-13).
Spiritual Gifts
We believe Jesus Christ is the giver of spiritual gifts as a sign of His victory over sin, death, and Satan for the building up of His Church (Eph. 4:7-13). We believe all the gifts are at work and in operation today in His church and the expression of these gifts within the context of the worship service should be done in an orderly manner and under the authority of the elders of Awakening Church. (1 Cor. 14)
Baptism & Communion
We believe Jesus left two ordinances for the church that are both memorial and mysterious in nature: Baptism and Communion. Baptism is the public identification of the believer in the Body of Christ and is representative of the Holy Spirit’s work in the heart of the believer. Baptism is how we identify with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection through submersion into water (Matt. 28:18-20). Communion is the active remembrance of the community of believers of Christ’s death until He returns. Communion should be practiced with reverence and self-examination (1 Cor. 11:23-26).
Things to Come
We believe in—and expectantly wait for—the glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ. When He returns, He will restore all things and reign victoriously (1 Cor. 15:51-57; 1 Thess. 4:13-18). We believe that all people will experience a bodily resurrection and stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Those who have placed their faith in Jesus will be ushered into the very presence of God, and experience eternal life in heaven forever. Those who have rejected the offer of salvation will experience eternal separation from God– hell (Lk 16:19-26; Rev. 20:11-15; Heb. 9:26a-28).
Love
Jesus was very clear about what mattered most to Him. On one occasion he said to his disciples: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35). The Apostle Paul also once declared: If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:2). The Bible doesn’t say that we’ll be known for our beliefs, or what we say. The Bible declares that we – as disciples of Jesus Christ – will be known by our love. Love matters most because to God, people matter most.