OUR CORE BELIEFS

GOD

We believe that there is one eternally existing God who has three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is the creator of all that exists, both visible and invisible, and is therefore worthy of all glory and praise. God is perfect in love, power, holiness, goodness, knowledge, wisdom, justice, and mercy. God is unchangeable and therefore is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

REVELATION

God has revealed himself to us through his Son, Jesus Christ, who is the visible image of the invisible God, the holy scriptures, and through all of creation itself.  We believe that in Jesus’ ascension, Jesus gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit, and John 14:16-17 says “16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,[b] who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you”.  As we live according to God’s commands and share God’s light in this world, we are used by God to reveal Himself and His power, truth, and grace to the world.

MANKIND

Humans, both male and female, were created in God's image for His glory. The first humans, Adam and Eve, were created without sin and appointed as caretakers of the rest of God's creations.  We believe in Joel 2:28 which says ““…I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions”, thereby recognizing that God can call whomever God chooses into ministry and leadership, male and female, and all ages, and we respect the humanity of all persons.

THE FALL

When Adam and Eve chose not to obey God, they ceased to be what they were made to be and became distorted images of God. This caused them to fall out of fellowship with God, and fractured all of creation ever since that time. We believe that like Adam and Eve, all of us must daily choose God, or we damage our fellowship with God, which causes damage in our earthly lives.  We believe God Formed us, sin Deformed us; but Jesus can Transform us.

SALVATION

Jesus Christ came to reconcile us with God. He lived a life without sin and willingly died on the cross to pay the penalty for our transgressions. God raised him from the dead and now, by grace, offers as a free gift eternal life to all who follow Christ, by faith, as their Lord and Savior. That is why salvation can be found in Christ alone.  We believe Ephesians 2:8-9 which says “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”.

THE LIFE

We are called to welcome everyone of all backgrounds into “THE LIFE”, that can only be obtained through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  In John 14:6 Jesus says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  “THE LIFE” is To Help Everyone Live In Faith Everyday.  We believe Jesus is the key to everyone living ‘THE LIFE” they were created to have, and TLC seeks to equip, encourage, and empower everyone to live “THE LIFE” Jesus led.

THE CHURCH

The Church is meant to be the visible body of Christ, sent into the world to glorify God and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Life Church is a “Great Commission” church following Matthew 28:19-20 which says “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

RESURRECTION

We believe that Jesus Christ is returning one day to judge both the living and the dead and to usher in the fullness of God's kingdom on earth. We believe Romans 6:4 which says “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives”.  We believe that followers of Christ must “die” to the desires, impulses, proclivities, and calls of this world, and experience a restored, renewed, and redeemed life in Jesus Christ.  This new life is manifest in the thinking, language, and behavior of all believers, and the presence of the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control)  in their lives.  

This is “THE LIFE” God has called us into.

SOCIAL JUSTICE

We are a church that believes that God has called us to fight injustices everywhere in the world.  Our church stands authoritatively on God’s call in Proverbs 31:8-9 (NLT) which says “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.  Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.  We preach a social gospel, which calls believers to not simply be “hearers of the Word, but to be doers of the Word”, serving as God’s agents in this fallen world.  We stand against oppression of all forms, and employ biblical justice paradigms in addressing systemic inequities.