In case you are wondering, we are big fans of the truths and core principles of life that are detailed in the Bible, and we encourage one another to live by those principles. Here are some of the important concepts that undergird our beliefs and prompt our actions:
We believe in the Biblical perspecitve of the eternal Creator God who made all that is seen and unseen and to whom we all are accountable. We believe that God has always existed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And though our three-pound brains cannot fully understand such profound mystery, we can easily adore God’s beauty, acknowledge His sovereignty, and be renewed by His love.
We believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God who is divinely equal with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. He is the Messiah, the Rescuer of people who wandered away from God and were blocked from ever finding Him because of their sin. Jesus saved us by setting aside the immediate glory of God’s presence to live as a man on this broken planet and to then forfeit His sinless life to pay the debt of sin amassed by all mankind. After physically dying as a penalty for our sins, Jesus physically returned to life and is now seated with God the Father, until His Second Coming.
We believe that God sends the Holy Spirit to live within any and all people who put their faith in Jesus the Christ as their Savior and Lord. The Holy Spirit gives us Christ’s life, transforms our character, and enables us to live in fellowship with God.
We believe that all of us who put our trust in Jesus the Christ are cleansed of the sin and shame that once separated us from God. We are spiritually born again into God’s family. Like exiting a womb, we no longer live in darkness, but in the light of God’s love.
We believe that all people who put their trust in Jesus the Christ should be immersed in water, publicly, as an outward testimony of something that has taken place inwardly and as a public declaration of allegiance to Jesus the Lord. The act declares that the old sin-soiled life is now buried and a brand new clean life is raised up in its place. Water baptism was commanded by Jesus; so, we take that very seriously.
We believe that when Jesus ascended into heaven to sit at his Father’s right hand, he poured out the Holy Spirit upon his church. Jesus still pours out the Holy Spirit upon His followers, in order to equip and empower us to be His witnesses and to demonstrate God’s love and truth to all people, everywhere; just as John, that amazing Baptist, prophesied.
We believe that the Holy Spirit still gives particular spiritual gifts to His people to better enable us to demonstrate His love to others and accomplish the tasks that He directs us to do. His gifts include wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues. Like all gifts, we can choose to unwrap them and enjoy putting them to use or perhaps leave the packaging in place and quietly store them away in the bottom of our closets.
We believe that all followers of Christ Jesus should regularly celebrate the Lord’s Supper with other followers. This symbolic meal was instituted by Jesus and reminds us of the healing, forgiveness, and unity that is ours because of the sacrifice of His body and the pouring out of His blood upon a cross of execution.
We believe that the time will come when the outpouring of God’s grace upon the world will end. Jesus will then return to enforce His rule over all creation. Every person who has ever lived will stand before Jesus the Lord to be judged. Those who loved and accepted Him will remain with Him, forever; but those who rejected Him will be removed from His presence of love, forever.
We believe that the church is called people of God, specifically, those people who respond to God’s call to abandon a sin darkened existence and embrace the light of life found in Jesus Christ. We come together regularly to be instructed from God’s Word, worship, encourage one another, share the Lord’s Supper, pray, and equip one another for the 24/7 work of being his disciples and witnesses. Jesus instructed and empowered every church person to communicate God’s good news of love and life to all other people they meet and to show them how to follow Jesus for themselves.
We believe that we should deliberately strive to expand the influence of God’s love in our neighborhoods; that is, in those places where we choose to live, work, shop and play. We believe that neighbors should be the prime recipients of our acts of kindness. Neighbors include the people in our immediate families; in the houses next door; in our places of employment; at the other tables in the restaurant; and anyone else who we happen to encounter.
Our first responsibility is local. God expects us to share the Good News to our own families, our neighbors, our colleagues, and all with whom we relate. This being the case, LifeNet focuses on impacting our neighborhoods for Christ through loving service, hospitality, prayer, Bible studies, sharing the Gospel, giving, and by any means possible.
Internationally we support God’s worldwide mission to share the Gospel and make disciples by sending financial support to those who serve in foreign lands and praying for them. We also encourage people to consider if God is calling them beyond local service into foreign missions.