Abba's House Belief Statement
The Bible
The Holy Scriptures are the word of God without any error. They are completely reliable for every area of our life for instruction to empower us to know God and live life.
God
There is one God, Creator of all things, perfect, all-powerful, all-knowing, and existing above time everywhere, in three Manifestations: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He created everything that exists and initiated the plan of salvation for all of us. He is the 1st manifestation of the Godhead.
Jesus Christ
The 2nd manifestation of the Godhead, Jesus Christ, is God's Son. 100% God, 100% man. He was with God in the beginning. He was sent from heaven to earth, He was born of the virgin, Mary, and lived a perfect life without any sin. He died on the cross in our place to pay the price for all our sin. He rose from the dead after three days, appeared to hundreds of people, and then ascended to the Right Hand of God, the Father. He will visibly return to earth to receive believers into heaven with Him.
The Holy Spirit
The 3rd manifestation of the Godhead, The Holy Spirit is everywhere. He works today like He always has. He glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ, convicts us of sin, makes completely new the believing sinner, lives in us, guides us, teaches us right and wrong, and empowers us to be like Jesus. He gives gifts to every believer in Jesus Christ, and we believe all of those gifts are still available and in operation until Jesus returns and we see Him face to face.
Man
Man was created in the image of God but chose to sin. Every person is born with a sinful nature and in need of salvation. We are completely hopeless to do this on our own. Left in this condition, we are all bound for an eternity separated from God in hell.
Salvation
When Jesus died on the cross, He took all the punishment for our sin that we could not possibly pay. Nobody comes to salvation and God the Father except through Jesus because He is the only One who paid for our sins. Those who put their faith and trust in Him to be their Lord and Savior are "saved" and when they die, will go to heaven.
Baptism in the Holy Spirit
We believe that the moment a person puts their faith and trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside them to help them live a life for God. However, just because He lives inside you doesn't necessarily mean you've let Him control your life. We like to say it this way, "The Holy Spirit can be resident in your life but not be the President of your life!" The moment you give up control and let Him have every area of your life, you are baptized in the Holy Spirit and He empowers you to live your best life. We believe that the greatest sign a believer is controlled by the Holy Spirit is that they show love, joy, peace, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in their everyday lives.
The Return of Jesus Christ
Jesus is coming back-we believe very soon--to receive all those who have put their faith in Him as their Lord and Savior into His presence. We long for His return every day.
Future Events
We believe that everyone who has died as a believer in Christ will be raised from the dead and all the believers currently on the earth at that time will be lifted up into heaven with them to enjoy everlasting joy with the Lord in heaven. Those who never believed in Christ will face judgment and everlasting conscious punishment in hell.
The Church
The true Church is made up of all people, who through saving faith in Jesus Christ, have been changed by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the Body of Christ of which He is the Head.
Water Baptism and Communion
Baptism (which literally means to "put under") is something every believer in Jesus should do after they put their faith in Him to show the word that the person, they used to be is dead and gone and they are a brand new creation in Jesus! The Lord's Supper (communion) is something believers do together to remember the sacrifice of Jesus and reflect on our personal walks with Him.
The Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by a trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come, and God's will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.
The Sacrament of Marriage
"Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife ... ", " ... For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife," Each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.", "Finally the time came for him to marry her.". It is our sincere belief that marriage, as ordained by God, is defined as being between one man and one woman. No other marriage will be performed or condoned.
Grace and Restoration
We are a house of grace. We believe grace should be extended to every person In the same manner Jesus has extended His grace to us. This means we accept people as they are showing them grace and love while at the same time not compromising Scriptural Integrity concerning what the Bible calls sin. Further, we believe if a believer has fallen, they can and should be restored to full fellowship through a biblical restoration process. Our church will be a haven for those who are In need of biblical restoration.