Standing In The Gap Ministries Fundamental Beliefs

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We, as Christians, are committed to the Word of God as contained in the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, that our God has and is and will call out of this earth a people for His Name and that this local group of Christian believers are a part of the universal Church or body of our Lord Jesus Christ.  As a local church, we are further committed to the assembling of ourselves together for fellowship, breaking of bread, public readings of the Word, worship, prayer, spiritual counseling, preaching, and teaching the work of the ministry and the exercise of all spiritual gifts to the end that all believers lives be blameless and conformed to the standard and image of Jesus Christ.  As believers, we are also committed to the fulfillment of the Great Commission given by our Lord to go and teach all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all things commanded by our God.  We, therefore, recognize ourselves as a local church as set forth in the scriptures of the Bible, under the laws of the State Tennessee, that we may serve our God as His church, exercising all other rights and privileges granted to religious bodies.  Our beliefs include, but are not limited to the following:

(A) The Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, and the truth of God to man (II Timothy 3:16).  The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed and, therefore, are the final authority for faith and life.  All issues of interpretation and meaning of the scriptures shall be determined by the Senior Pastor.

(B) God is the Father and the eternal Creator (Geneses 1:1; I John 1:3), Sustainer (Hebrews 1:3; II Timothy 4:18) and Judge of His universe (Hebrews 12:23). He is God manifested in three dispensations: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

(C) Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary is the incarnate, only-begotten Son of God. He was God in the flesh (John 1:1-14) and there is no other name given under heaven whereby mankind can be saved (Acts 4:12).

(D) Mankind was sold into satan's bondage through his obedience to the evil one.  Jesus Christ, therefore, became the Redeemer by dying on the cross and shedding His precious blood as the ransom price for sinners (Acts 20:28), that whosoever believes in Him has everlasting life (John 3:16).

(E) Jesus promised to give His followers the Holy Spirit, who would endue them with power from on high to enable them to be witnesses, beginning at home and reaching unto the uttermost parts of the earth (Luke 24:28; Acts 1:8).

(F) In turn we express our inward change by a public example of being baptize in water in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins. (Acts 2:38)

(G) Jesus Christ tasted death for all mankind (Hebrews 2:9) and was raised eternally and victoriously on the third day (I Corinthians 15:3-4).  All who believe in Him shall inherit full redemption (Romans 10:9).

(H) Knowing this, it behooves His followers to live a holy and pure life in every way as He did, knowing we shall be rewarded and judged according to the deeds done in the flesh (Hebrews 12:14; Matthew 1:27).

(I) It is appointed unto mankind once to die, and after that the judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

(J) The saints and faithful shall reign and live with Him (Revelation 22:5).  All evil shall be destroyed by the brightness of His coming (II Thessalonians 2:8).  The kingdoms of this earth shall become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ.  Of His kingdom there shall be no end (Revelation 11 :5; Luke 1:33).

(K) As the followers of Jesus on the Mount of Olives saw Him go, so also shall He return in like manner (Acts 1:11) and every eye shall see Him (Revelation 1:7).  Those who rejected Him and pierced Him through shall mourn because of their rejection of Him (Zechariah 12:10).  Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of God (Philippians 2:10-11).

(L) We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.  We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex.  We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one's gender by surgery or appearance (Genesis 2:24; 19:5,13; 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29;

I Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; I Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4).

(M) We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; I Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23).

  We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God's wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially.  We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, for the relief of those in need, and the spreading of the Gospel.  We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made (Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Corinthians 16:2; II Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; I Timothy 5:17-18; I John 3:17).