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Doctrines & Beliefs
OUR LIFESTYLE STATEMENT
What We Practice
Beliefs are not worth much unless they are translated into actions. Based on what the Bible teaches, we feel very strongly about the following seven practices:
v BIBLE AS OUR SOLE AUTHORITY
“The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us to do what is right.”
Since God’s Word is the only completely reliable and truthful authority, we accept the Bible as our manual for living. Our first question when faced with a decision is “What does the Bible say?” We practice daily Bible reading, Bible study, and Bible memorization. The Bible is the basis for all we believe.
v AUTONOMY OF EACH LOCAL CHURCH
“Christ is the head of His Body, the church. He is the source of the Body’s life…” Colossians 1:18
Christ is the recognized head of our church, not any person, group, or religious organization. While recognizing the value of associating and cooperating with other groups of Christians, we believe every local church should be self-governing and independent from any denominational control. In relating to our “mission churches” that we sponsor, we encourage each congregation to determine it’s own strategy, structure, and style.
v PRIESTHOOD OF EVERY BELIEVER
“Christ loves us, and by His death He has freed us from our sins and made us a kingdom of priests to serve God…” Revelation 1:6 (GN) “You are…the King’s priests…God’s own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God.” 1 Peter 2:9 (GN)
The Bible teaches that every Christian is called to “full time” Christian service, regardless of his or her vocation. We practice the truth that every believer is a minister by encouraging every member to find a place of service and ministry. Every believer has direct access to God through prayer Bible reading.
“A tithe of everything you produce belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.” Leviticus 27:30
At The Church at Quail Creek, we practice tithing for the support of Christ’s body, the church, as God commands. We recognize that giving 10% of our income is the biblical standard of giving.
“For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised with Christ…” Colossians 2:12 (GN)
We practice baptism by immersion under water – the way Jesus was baptized, and the way the Bible commands.
(Jesus said), “I am the Vine, you are the branches. If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; but apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
We believe the only way possible to live the Christian life is by God’s power within us. So we seek to practice a daily dependence on God’s Spirit to enable us to do what is right. (Philippians 2:13; Ephesians 5:18)
v TELLING OTHERS ABOUT CHRIST
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15
It is the responsibility of every Christian to share the Good News with those with whom God brings us into contact. We practice personal sharing about Christ and inviting friends to church.
OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH
What We Believe
- In essential beliefs ----- we have unity.
“There is one Body and one Spirit…there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of us all…” Ephesians 4:4-6
- In non-essential beliefs ----- we have liberty.
“Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters…. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls…. So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God…. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.” Romans 14:1,4,12,22
“If I hold in my mind not only human knowledge but also the very secrets of God, and if I have the faith that can move mountains----but have no love, I amount to nothing at all.” I Corinthians 13:2
About The Scriptures
We believe the entire Bible is the inerrant, infallible, and objective Word of God written by men who were divinely inspired. It is, and will remain forever, the final and supreme authority and standard by which all human conduct, doctrine, opinion, and decision should be tried. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.
There is only one true and living God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being: the Creator of all things, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe-infinitely holy and perfect. He reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
God the Father
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all-powerful, all loving, and all wise. Father to those who become His children through faith in Jesus Christ, and fatherly in His attitude toward all men.
God the Son
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, pre-existing with God the Father before His birth in Bethlehem. In His incarnation, He was supernaturally conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus Christ perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself the demands and necessities of the human nature, identifying completely with man, yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His death on the cross made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He rose from the dead on the third day, according to the Scriptures, appeared into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where He is the one Mediator between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever-present Lord.
God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a divine person in the Godhead, equal with God the Father and God the Son. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures, and through illumination, enables men to understand the truth. He exalts Christ and convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He indwells and seals the believer at the point of initial salvation and fills and empowers the believer to live holy and fruitful life. Through His power, the believer is sealed unto the day of final redemption. He comforts believers and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. We believe the baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place at the time of salvation and is not separate from salvation. His presence in the believer is the assurance of God to bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
About Man
Man was created by the special act of God, in His own image, and is the crowning work of His creation. In the beginning, man was innocent of sin and endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice, man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race, thereby incurring not only physical death for all mankind to follow, but also spiritual death, which is separation from God. All human beings are born with a sinful nature and are in need of redemption, which can only be obtained through the grace of God by faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
About Salvation
Salvation is not obtained through good works; it is the gift of God, offered freely to all who, by faith, accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, trusting His shed blood to secure pardon and eternal redemption. Salvation involves repentance, a genuine turning away from sin toward God. It involves justification, God’s gracious and full acquittal of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. It involves sanctification, the believer is set apart for God’s purposes and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual perfection through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. It involves glorification, the final culmination of salvation and the final and blessed state of the redeemed. Salvation is a present reality, and the believer can have assurance of salvation and can enjoy the life of salvation. All who have been truly born again will be saved forever and cannot lose their salvation.
Heaven is literal, beautiful, and perfect place prepared by God for those who have placed their faith in His Son. The most wonderful thing about heaven is the presence of the Lord Himself. Everyone who receives Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will live forever in a resurrected and glorified body in heaven.
Hell is also a literal place prepared by God for Satan and his angels. Every person who dies without accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will spend eternity in this place of everlasting punishment. It is a place of eternal suffering; physical, mental, and spiritual.
About Satan
Satan is a real person. He was created in perfection and originally lived in Heaven, but was cast out of Heaven with the host of angels whom he led in a rebellion against God. Satan is wholly depraved, powerful, and deceptive. He is the temporary ruler of this world, the head of a vast network of evil spirits who work ceaselessly for the destruction of all that is godly. It is Satan’s aim to keep unsaved people lost and to divide, deceive, and devour individual Christians and New Testament churches. We believe Satan keeps a close watch on believers and stands ready to tempt them at their vulnerable points. Christ defeated Satan at the cross at Calvary; through His power and blood, believers have authority over Satan. Satan and his followers are doomed to be cast into the lake of fire at the end of the age.
It is the believer’s highest privilege to live for Jesus Christ in this world. He indwells us by His Holy Spirit, giving us His power and enabling us to be all that God requires. The Christian life is a constant struggle between the flesh and the spirit, but we posses supernatural armor to protect us in this spiritual warfare. It is a life of faith and commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and separation from the ways of the world. As long as we live in obedience to the commands of God, we will experience spiritual growth and become more and more conformed to the image of Christ. We believe that witnessing and sharing our faith is a normal and necessary expression of the Christian life. In the Spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose every form of greed, selfishness, and vice and should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the aged, the widowed, the helpless and the sick. Christians should be careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising loyalty to His truth.
About the Local Church
The church was purchased with Christ’s blood and is God’s instrument in the present age. All Christians should belong to and be active in a local New Testament church, a body of scripturally baptized believers in whom Jesus Christ lives and over whom He lords. The church body is to live under the direction and discipline of the Word of God, united in the Holy Spirit for the purpose of evangelizing the lost, edifying the saints, and glorifying the Lord. We believe in the separation of church and state and the priesthood of the believer. Christ is the head of the church with the pastor serving as the spiritual leader (under-shepherd) of the body.
About Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
We believe baptism by immersion is the only scriptural mode. Baptism does not save a person, but is an act of obedience to the command of Christ. It symbolizes the believer’s faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, and is a testimony to the world of the believer’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord’s Supper is an act of obedience that portrays Christ body broken for our sins and His blood shed for our redemption. It is not a saving ordinance, but a symbolic one, a memorial to our Redeemer’s death. We believe every baptized believer should partake of the Lord’s Supper as an act of worship, remembrance, gratitude, and praise to Jesus Christ for what He has done for us.
About Giving
God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; we owe all we have to Him. Christians are under obligation to serve God with their time, talents, and material possessions, recognizing these are entrusted to them to use for God’s glory and to help others. We believe Christians should give at least ten percent of their income to the Lord through the local church. The tithe should be a starting point from which the Christian gives additionally as directed by the Holy Spirit-cheerfully, regularly, proportionately, and liberally as an act of dedication to Jesus Christ and in order to fulfill the Great Commission.
About World Evangelism
We believe is the duty and privilege of every believer to do all that is possible to make the gospel available to as many people as possible. Missionary effort begins at home, then spreads to the community, the city, the state, the nation, and the world. It is the personal duty of every child of God to constantly seek to win the lost to Christ. It is the corporate duty of the church to direct its energies to getting the gospel to all the world in fulfillment of the Great Commission.
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10 Steps to Prayer
1. Find a comfortable place where you won't be interrupted. Read several chapters of one of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.
2. Close your eyes: give thanks for three things. Move toward God and away from self-sufficiency.
3. Ask God to bless and help three other people who you believe may need God's help today. Move toward others and away from self-centeredness.
4. Ask God to forgive your sins and mistakes as you confess them; ask God to give you the strength to forgive.
5. Ask God to help one other person that you find hard to like. Ask for insight into that person's problems and how you may allow God's love to flow through you.
6. Ask to be sensitive today toward the needs of one person with whom you may share God's love by word and deed.
7. Ask for insight into your own personal problems.
8. Ask for help in achieving your personal goals.
9. Ask God to tell you the most important thing you need to do
today in order to “seek first His kingdom.”
10. Listen for three minutes for what God may say to you.
Close with the Lord's Prayer
What the Bible Says
About Prayer
"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." Matthew 26:41
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8
"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 19:19-20
"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Matthew 21:22
"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. " Mark 11:24-25
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