A QUICK GUIDE TO.......

GOD

He's real. He's alive. He is Spirit. He made you, me and everything there is. He is all knowing, all powerful and present everywhere. He is love. He reveals himself to us as God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit. Three persons - but only one God.

GOD THE FATHER

He's the first person of the Godhead. He has always existed.

GOD THE SON - JESUS CHRIST

He's the second person of the Godhead. He has always existed. He definitely was not created (whatever the Jehovah's Witnesses on your doorstep may try to tell you!) but was instrumental in the creation of everything that was ever made. He is 100% God and 100% man at the same time.

By the way, "Christ" is not a surname. It's a special title that comes from the Greek word meaning "anointed". The same word in Hebrew is "Messiah". Jesus temporarily stripped himself of his divine powers to come to earth to be born as a baby in Bethlehem about 2,000 years ago.

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

He's God in action! Before anyone becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit is already at work. He's the one who makes you realise that you're not perfect and you don't come up to God's standards. Then He shows you that you will have to face God's judgement unless you can find someone to rescue you in time. Then He points you in the direction of Jesus! Once you become a Christian, He'll be your constant companion and guide, teaching you, helping you understand the Bible, and above all giving you the supernatural power you need to live your life as a disciple of Jesus.

THE CROSS

The death of Jesus on the cross was no accident. God planned it from the very beginning. He knew that you and I would never come up to His standards of holiness and purity. All sin is a crime punishable by death. But instead of punishing you and me as we deserve, Jesus took our punishment for us. All our sin was laid on Him and He died in your place and mine on the cross. God's offer of forgiveness is open to everyone who admits that they need it and accepts what Jesus has done for them.

THE VIRGIN BIRTH

If Jesus had been conceived from an earthly father instead of a heavenly one, he would have been born a sinner just like you and me. So then when he died on the cross he would have been paying the price of his own sin instead of yours and mine. Thanks to his virgin birth, he was able to be the sinless sin-bearer you and I needed.

THE RESURRECTION

No resurrection - no Christianity! That's how important the resurrection is. If Jesus was not raised from the dead, then he wasn't who he claimed to be and we've all been wasting our time for nearly 2000 years! If he truly was raised from the dead, then he was and is the Son of God and his sacrifice on the cross was acceptable to the Father. That in turn opens the way for each one of us to have our sins forgiven and to be born again into a relationship with God.

THE BIBLE

It's God's Word. It's inspired and inspiring. It's got everything you need to know about the meaning of life, about God, about becoming a Christian, about living the Christian life, about Heaven, Hell, eternity, etc., etc. .... Above all it's true and it's reliable. But you'll need the help of the HOLY SPIRIT to really understand it.

CHURCH

You don't need to go to church to be a Christian. But if you're a Christian you need to go to church! The real church is not a building or an institution, it's a body of people. The Bible tells us that Christians need to meet together to worship God collectively, to receive teaching, to pray together and to encourage one another. If you take a burning coal out of a fire, it soon goes cold. In the same way a Christian who doesn't go to church is likely to grow cold and fall away from their faith.

HEAVEN

- is where God lives and reigns. It's not "up there" or "down there". It's not "inside you". It's not a physical place at all. It's much more real than that - it's the spiritual realm, a whole new dimension. The Bible gives us glimpses of it - the book of Revelation is a good example - but the whole thing seems so far beyond our daily experience that the writers can't find words to describe it. They can only use symbols and metaphors. We just know it's a place of joy, peace and beauty where you can bask in the presence of God and enjoy Him forever. Knowing Jesus in this life will give us a tiny taste of it, but for the full thing we have to wait till either we die or Jesus returns.

HELL

- exists in the spiritual realm too. But in every other respect it's the complete and utter opposite of Heaven. Just take the description of Heaven in the paragraph above and turn it upside down. You'll get the picture.

ANGELS 

- are spiritual beings created by God to be His servants. The name comes from a Greek word meaning messenger. The Bible tells us that God has often used angels to convey His messages to people.

THE DEVIL

- the Bible does not tell us a lot about him, but it is clear that he is a person, a spiritual being who was probably once a high ranking angel. One of his names, Lucifer, actually means "bringer of light" - just the opposite of what he has become today. At some point, before the creation of mankind, he rebelled against God. He was expelled from Heaven and cast down on to the earth. He is a liar and a destroyer.

HUMANITY

- the peak of God's creation (sorry, can't go along with that evolution stuff - it's beyond belief!) God designed and created men and women to live in harmony with one another and with all creation, yes, but above all to live in fellowship with Him.

(Our thanks to Brian Robson of London, England, for these brief summaries.) 

What about if I want to get married in your churches ?

Marriage

Marriage was invented by God at the very beginning. He created man and woman. Adam and his wife. They were made for each other. Together they lived in the garden. Together they were given the responsibility of "having dominion" over the earth. Together they fell. Together they had children, and populated the earth. God made us for marriage, and he designed marriage for us.

As Christians we see marriage as a reflection of Jesus' love relationship with the church. We affirm the Biblical, historical, and traditional concept of marriage. If you are a couple preparing for marriage, we would like to meet with you and pray with you as you plan for this solemn covenant between a husband and wife. We have resources available that can help you get a good foundation for a lifelong partnership. Our facility, and our minister is available to perform weddings and to provide pre-marriage counsel.

Preference is given to members of the church, but you do not have to be a member or a regular attendee to be married here.

FULL GOSPEL - Click here