Our Scriptural foundations as a local church:
The Scriptures : We believe that the Scriptures are God’s foundation of truth for every culture and generation. God’s word is our only rule of faith and practice, not to be added to or taken from. (2 Tim. 3:16-17, Mark 13:31, John 17:17, Mat. 4:4, John 8:32)
God : We believe in the one true and living God, creator of heaven and earth, who has revealed Himself as; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (I John 5:6-7)
Jesus Christ : We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His sinless life, in His Miracles, in His atoning death through the shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, in His present day ministry as our High Priest, Advocate, and Intercessor, and His personal return in power and glory. (Col. 2:9, Mat. 1:23, 2 Cor. 5:21, Acts 10:38, Rom. 3:25, John 2:18-22, Acts 2:33, Heb. 7:25, Acts 1:11)
Forgiveness and New Life : We believe that forgiveness and new life is offered to everyone who puts their complete trust in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and personally receives Him as Savior and Lord. It is a gift of God and provided solely by grace through repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ. (John 3:16, 1 Cor. 15:1-5, Eph. 2:8-9, John 1:12)
Water Baptism : We believe that water baptism by immersion is the biblical pattern for all who believe in Christ Jesus as Saviour and Lord. This ordinance is a symbol of the Christian’s identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. (Mat. 28:19, Rom. 6:4, Col. 2:12, Acts 8:36-39)
The Lord’s Supper (Communion) : We believe that communion is to be entered into by all believers after personal examination. The Lord’s supper is the partaking of the bread and cup by the believers as a continuing memorial of the broken body and shed blood of Christ. (Mark 14:22, Luke 22:19, Matt. 26:26-30, 1 Cor. 11:23-30, 10:16-17, Acts 2:46)
Victorious Christian Living : We believe that God is good and every human need is meet in Him. All believers have full access to wholeness, physical healing, deliverance, and provision. These blessings are a direct result of faith and obedience to God’s word. (John 10:10, Acts 10:38, 3John 2, 1 Thess. 5:23, Is. 1:19-20, Joshua 1:8)
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit : We believe in the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, with the supernatural sign of speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. The gift of the Holy Spirit is for every born-again Christian and is for the purpose of providing refreshment and empowerment. (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:5, 2:4, 8:14-17)
The Leadership Structure : We believe that the church, universal and local is the Body of Christ, an expression of Jesus on the earth. We believe that every local church is to be led by the one God has called to be the pastor. The pastor’s primary role is to feed (teach), lead (directional) and oversee (care & counsel) In addition, respected and proven leaders that are raised up within the church should assist the pastor, and the entire membership should work together to fulfil the overall vision. (Eph. 4:8-12, 1 Peter 5:1-4, 1 Tim.3, Titus 1:5, Acts 14:23, Heb. 13:7,17 and Acts 6:1-7)
The Gifts of the Spirit: We believe in the gifts as they are presented in the Bible. We believe these gifts are for today and are to be operating as they did in the early church. (Chapters 12 –14 of 1 Corinthians)
Tithes and Offerings: We encourage tithing as it is presented in the Scriptures, ten percent of one’s financial income. We also believe in giving offerings as the Lord directs. Both, tithing and offerings should be given out of a heart of love for God, not legalistic obligation. In this way, God will be put first and Cornerstone Church will be well funded for every good work. (Gen. 14:18-20, Malachi 3:9-12, Prov. 3:9-12, Matt. 23:23, Luke 10:38, 2 Cor. 9:1-13)
12. Evangelism: We believe in obeying the last words of Jesus to go into all the world and share the good news. Our world includes those around us, as well as people the Lord sends to us to reach. We believe that we accomplish this through the way we live, the things we say and do as followers of Christ. (Mark 16:15-20, Matt. 28:19-20, 2 Cor. 5:17-21, Acts 1:8)
Loving God...Loving People
