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About Us We are a Church plant in New Braunfels, TX from North East Bible Church, and a member of the Evangelical Free Church. DNA "Principles of Our Existence" Our DNA Statement uses the word G-R-A-C-E as a guiding acrostic, outlining principles that reflect our spiritual heart as a congregation desiring to reproduce, and a guide for our vision as we look to the future. Our Constitution View our Constitution which includes the Covenant of Membership. Our Purpose To glorify God by being and making disciples of Jesus Christ. Our Vision To be a body of believers whose primary focus is to glorify God in all that we do: to worship Him, to edify and build up the local body, to love and serve others, to share the good news of Jesus Christ, and to live holy and obedient lives. In all areas of ministry, we desire to do all things in an excellent manner, pleasing to God and attractive to people,. Our Goal To develop members of this local body into mature disciples of Jesus Christ. Discipleship is the lifelong process of deepening our relationship with our Lord. As we mature as disciples, we become more Christ-like in attitude, action, and lifestyle. We increasingly display His character as we allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit to daily live out His values and disciplines. We do this by loving the Lord totally, loving our neighbors as ourselves, going and making disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to obey God’s commandments. Matthew 22:37-40; Matthew 28:19-20 What We Believe The Scriptures. We believe that the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are the written Word of God, without error in the original writings, and they are the divine and final authority for the Christian in faith and practice. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21). The Godhead. We believe in one God, Creator of all things, who exists eternally and perfectly in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are one God deserving precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience. Each one executes distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. (Genesis 1:1, 26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalms 90:2; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1, 10:30; 14:9; 2 Corinthians 13:14). Satan. We believe that Satan is an actual person and not an imaginary influence. He was once a mighty angel, but in pride and ambition he attempted to betray the Almighty and was cast down to earth in judgment. He is the greatest enemy, the mightiest tempter, and the most relentless accuser of the saints. At Armageddon he will be defeated by Christ and eventually be thrown into the lake of fire, the eternal place of punishment prepared for him and his angels. (Job 1-2; Matthew 4:1-11; Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:12-19; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 Corinthians 7:5; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:10; 20:1-10). Creation. We believe that God personally created the heavens and earth; that man was originally created in the image and after the likeness of God; that he disobeyed God, bringing sin (total depravity) and its condemnation upon the whole human race; and that every human being since Adam is born into the world with a nature which not only possesses no spark of divine life, but essentially and unchangeably is evil apart from divine grace (Genesis 1:1, 26 John 1:1-3; 3:17-19; Psalms 14:1-3; 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Mark 7:20-23; Romans 1:18-32; 3:10-20 ; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3). The Person and Work of Christ. We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and is true God and true man. He died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, arose bodily from the dead, and ascended into heaven where He sits at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest and Advocate. (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; 27-28; Mark 15-16; Luke 23-24; John 1:1-4, 14; 19-20). We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for this regeneration and only those who believe that Jesus died and rose again for the forgiveness of their sins and have trusted in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior are born of the Holy Spirit and thus become children of God. (John 1:12; Romans 3:24-25; 5:8-11; 6:23; Ephesians 1:3-8; 2:8-9). We believe that Jesus will return for His Church prior to the tribulation, that the dead in Christ will be raised first and then those who are alive will be caught up with them to meet Christ in the air, to be with Him forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We believe that Jesus will return to earth at the end of the tribulation to defeat Satan and his armies, restore Israel, and set up His physical kingdom on earth for a thousand years. (Revelation 19-20; Isaiah 2:2-4; 11; Psalm 110:1-3). The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit. We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, and during this age to convict men, regenerate and seal the believing sinner, and indwell, guide, instruct, and empower the believer for godly living, service, and worship. He intercedes for us as we seek to pray as we should. (John 16:7-15; Romans 8:9-11, 26-27; 1 Corinthians 12:7; 2 Corinthians 1:22). The Believer’s Relationship to God. We believe that man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is therefore lost and only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit are salvation and spiritual life realized. (Genesis 1:26-27; 3; Romans 3:23; 6:4; 1 Corinthians 12:13). We believe that our spiritual regeneration is the gift of God and the resulting salvation involves three tenses – past, present, and future – and is comprised of: - Justification: The past tense, for when a person places his or her faith in the finished work of Christ, we are saved from the penalty of sin (death) and are, by God’s grace, declared righteous. (Romans 3:24-26; 6:23); - Sanctification: In this present life, each believer in Christ is being saved from the power of sin. This is a lifelong process as the Holy Spirit empowers us to live holy lives as we come to know the Savior more intimately and personally. (John 15:1-11;17:17; Romans 8; Galatians 5:16-25; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 5:17; Philippians 2:12-13); and - Glorification: In the future, when we meet our Savior face to face, we shall be saved from the presence of sin as our earthly bodies are transformed and we are conformed to the image of His glory. (1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 51-53; 1 John 3:2). We believe that when we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, our regeneration is sealed by the Holy Spirit, the life we receive is eternal, and no one is able to snatch us from our Father’s hand or separate us from His love. (John 10:28-30; Romans 8:29-39; 1 Peter 1:3-5). The Church. We believe that the Church, the universal body of Christ, is comprised of all those who have professed belief in Jesus Christ as their Savior. It was constituted on the Day of Pentecost. The local church is that assembly of believers who come together in Christian fellowship to carry out God’s will – corporate praise and worship, observing the ordinances, evangelizing, building up believers (making disciples), giving, ministering to one another, etc. (Ephesians 1:22-23; Hebrews 12:23; Matthew 16:18; Acts 2; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 14:26; 1 Timothy 2:1-8). Church Ordinances. As a church we will observe the following ordinances in obedience to Christ’s teaching. Although not essential to justification, we believe that: - Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a believer, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to demonstrate our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior. Baptism is a symbol of our death to sin and resurrection to new life. Water baptism is a significant step of obedience in the life of a believer toward becoming a mature disciple. The Scriptures demonstrate the importance of baptism in the account of Christ’s own baptism, in His commission, and in the immediate baptism of new believers during the establishment of the early church. (Matthew 3:13-17; 28:19; Acts 2:38; 8:38; 16:14-15, 31-33); and - Communion, the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, is a memorial by which, together, we remember the sacrificial love of Christ until He returns, and should always be preceded by solemn self-examination. (Matthew 26:26-29; Luke 22:14-20;1 Corinthians 11:23-34). The Rapture. We believe in the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ to receive to Himself all those who have believed in Him, and so shall we ever be with the Lord (John 14:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 3:10-11). The Pre-Millennial Return and Reign of Christ. We believe in the bodily return of Christ with His saints as prophesied in the Davidic covenant prior to the era of Israel’s restoration and universal peace for a thousand years, thus fulfilling prophecy. (2 Samuel 7; Isaiah 2:2-5; Zechariah 14; Revelation 19:11-20:5). The Eternal State. We believe that the just and the unjust will be resurrected bodily, the just to the everlasting blessedness of the saved, and the unjust to the everlasting condemnation of the lost. (Psalm 16:8-11; 49:13-15; Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2; John 5:28-29; 1 Corinthians 15:20-24; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20). Church Ordinances As a church we will observe the following ordinances in obedience to Christ’s teaching. Although not essential to justification, we believe that:
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