STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

“Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace...Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…”, and mindful that “…God is a Spirit:   and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth…looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…”, knowing  that “…God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father”, and determined to bring “…into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ…”, and longing to “…Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”, the Father himself  bearing witness that “…This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased…the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him”, and realizing that “…in him we live, and move, and have our being…”, and that Jesus Himself said “…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”, and certain that “Neither is there salvation in any other:  for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”, and taking as our example Jesus who “…beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” we are determined to “…preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the (Gentiles) foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and (Gentiles), Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”  (Ephesians 4: 3, 13; John 4: 24; Hebrews 12: 2; Philippians 2: 9-10; 2 Corinthians 10: 5; John 1: 29; Matthew 3: 17; John 1: 32; Acts 17: 28; John 14: 6; Acts 4: 12; Luke 24: 27; 1 Corinthians 1: 23-24).
 

STATEMENT OF FAITH

1. We believe that the Bible, both the Old Testament (Tanach) and the New Testament (B’rit Hadasha), is the only inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God and is “…profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” that every believer “…may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works”, and that “…all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue…” are found therein.  (Exodus 24: 4-8; 2 Samuel 23: 2; Job 32: 8; 2 Peter 1: 20-21; 2 Timothy 3: 16-17; Nehemiah 9: 13; Psalm 119: 160; Deuteronomy 32: 4; Proverbs 4: 2; Isaiah 28: 9;1 Timothy 4: 6;Titus1: 9; 2 John 9; Proverbs19: 5; Ephesians 5: 13; 2 Timothy 4: 2; Proverbs 3: 11-12; 15: 10; Proverbs 4: 13; 12: 1; Psalm 32: 8; Psalm 141: 3-5; Isaiah 11: 4;  Hebrews 5: 13-14; Galatians 5: 22-23; Psalm 19: 7; 37: 37; Romans 12: 2; Ephesians 4: 11-13; Colossians 1: 28; Hebrews 13: 20-21; 2 Peter 1: 3;  Joshua 1: 8;  Titus 1: 1).

2. We believe in one God (Elohim) as He has revealed Himself in the Bible, an infinite, all knowing Spirit, perfect in all His attributes, one in essence, eternally existing in three Persons—Father (Adonai), Son (Y’shua), and Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh), each deserving worship and obedience, and that the meaning of the word one (echad) in the Hebrew language refers to God as a compound unity. “Sh’ma Yisrael Adonai Elohenu, Adonai Echad.” (Psalm 90: 2; 1 Corinthians 2: 10; Job 11: 7; Matthew 5: 48; Isaiah 45: 5-7; Ephesians 4: 3-6; Matthew 28: 19; 2 Corinthians 13: 14; Psalm 95: 1-6; John 4: 24; 1 Samuel 15: 22; Jeremiah 7: 23; John 14: 23; Deuteronomy 6: 4; Mark 12: 28-30).

3. We believe that Jesus Christ (Y’shua HaMashiach), the second Person of the Trinity, is one in essence with the Father, and that “…all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist”, and that He continues “…upholding all things by the word of his power.” He was born of a virgin, the only begotten Son of God, the Messiah (HaMashiach), the Eternal One in whom all the fullness of the deity dwells in bodily form.  He is the Word (Torah) who became flesh and dwelt (succah) among us as Savior, Lord, Redeemer of mankind, and soon coming King.   (John 10: 30; 14: 9; John 1:  1-14; Colossians 1: 15-17; Psalm 2; Hebrews 1: 1-3; Luke 1: 26-35; John 3: 16; Hebrews 5: 5; 1 John 4: 9; John 1: 40-41; 4: 25-26; Revelation 22: 13; Colossians 2: 9; Luke 2: 11; Acts 2: 36; John 20: 28; Job 19: 25; Revelation 22: 7, 12, 20).

4. We believe that the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh), the third Person of the Trinity, is one in essence with the Father and the Son.  We recognize His divine activity in creation, the incarnation, revelation, salvation, and regeneration.  He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, glorifies the Son, indwells all true believers, and conforms them to the image of Christ. He will comfort, teach, lead, and empower those who obey and walk with Him.  (Matthew 28: 19; Acts 5: 3-4; 28: 25-26; 1 Corinthians 12: 4-6; 2 Corinthians 13: 14; Jeremiah 31: 31-34; Hebrews 10: 15-17; Genesis 1: 2; Matthew 1: 18; 2 Peter 1: 20-21; John 3: 5-7; Ephesians 5: 26; 1 Corinthians 12: 13; John 16: 7-9, 14; Acts 1: 5; 2: 4; Romans 8: 29; 2 Corinthians 3: 6; Romans 8: 9; Ephesians 1: 13; Zechariah 4: 6; Acts 1: 8; John 14: 15-18, 25-26).

5. We believe that man is a sinner in need of a savior, and that salvation is a sovereign act of God by grace, through faith, on the basis of the redemptive work of Christ on Calvary’s cross.  Regeneration (the impartation of the divine nature and life), election (God choosing us in Christ before the foundation of the world, justification (the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to us in exchange for our sin), sanctification (God setting us apart as holy unto Him), separation (God separating us from sin unto Jesus Christ as Lord), security (God keeping us by His power forever), and assurance (a settled conviction that we are His) are all elements of salvation.  (Romans 3: 23; 6: 23; Ephesians 2: 8-9; Galatians 3: 13-14; 1 Peter 2: 24; Titus 3: 5; John 3: 13-17; Ephesians 1: 3-5; Romans 9 :11; 11: 5; 1Thessalonians 1: 4; Romans 5: 1, 9; 12: 21; 2 Corinthians 5: 21; Isaiah 53: 4-6; 1 Corinthians  6: 9-11; Hebrews 10: 10, 14; 13: 12;  Jude 1: 1; 2 Corinthians 6: 14-7:1; Romans 12: 1-2; 1 John 2: 15-17; John 6: 37-40; 10: 27-30; Jude 24; Hebrews 13: 5; Matthew 28: 20; Romans 10: 9-10; 8: 14-17).

6. We believe that the church is an assembly or congregation of believers called out of the world to worship God, to encourage one another, and to evangelize the lost.  We are in the world, but not of it.  Only blood washed, born again, Spirit baptized believers constitute the true church.  Jesus Christ is the foundation, the cornerstone, and the head of the church both militant (believers on earth), and triumphant (believers in heaven).  The church is a mystery, a body, a building, and a bride.  A mystery in that both Jews and Gentiles  are “…fellow heirs and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel”, a body in that  “ For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles…”, a building in that Jews and Gentiles are “…fellow citizens and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone”,  and a bride in that we are “espoused to one husband…a chaste virgin to Christ.”   (Psalm 149:1; 22: 22; 26: 12; 2 Corinthians 6: 17-18; Psalm 95: 1-7; Hebrews 10: 24-25; 2 Corinthians 5: 18-20; John 17: 14-16; Hebrews 9: 12; 1 Peter 1: 2; 1 John 1: 7; Revelation 7: 14; John 3: 5-8; Matthew 3: 1; Joel 2: 28; Acts 2: 1; 11: 15; 19: 6; Ephesians 3: 6; 1 Corinthians 12: 13; Ephesians 2: 19-20; 2 Corinthians 11: 2).

7. We believe in the perpetuity of spiritual gifts (charismata) given by the Spirit of God for the edification of the church, the formation of Christian character, and the service of the community.  The gifts of the Spirit are miracles, healing, helpers, administration, faith, apostleship, prophets, discernment of spirits, teaching, the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, tongues, and interpretation of tongues, evangelism, service, contributing, acts of mercy, and giving aid.  The exercise of spiritual gifts brings serious responsibility upon the believer and necessitates order in their use.  The criteria used to judge the relative values of spiritual gifts are doctrinal, moral, and practical. (Hebrew13: 8; 1 Corinthians 12, 13, 14;   Romans 12: 6-8;  Ephesians 4: 7-16
   

STATEMENT OF PRACTICE

1. Knowing that the first and greatest commandment is to “…love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind”, and that “the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”, and that “on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”, and that “in lowliness of mind let each esteem (others) better than themselves” we will seek to obey the Lord  by yielding to the Spirit of God thereby allowing these principles to permeate our lives. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Leviticus 9:18, 34; Matthew 22:37-40; 5:43-45; Galatians 5:14; Philippians 2:3).     

2. Knowing that Jesus has given us the great commission to “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…”, and that the Gospel message is to be proclaimed “…to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile”, and knowing that the Spirit of God “…will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…” we will seek to obey the Lord’s command by yielding to the indwelling power of His Spirit and faithfully proclaim, in word and in deed, the saving message of Jesus Christ. 
(Mathew 28: 19-20; John 16: 8-11; Romans 1: 16; 1 John 3: 18).                                 

3. Knowing that we have been commanded to “…hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering…”, and that we are to “…consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…but exhorting one another:  and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching”, because “the Lord is at hand”, and just as the early church “…continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers”…so we too purpose to “Study to show (ourselves) approved unto God , (workmen) that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”, and to “ …be filled with the Spirit; speaking to (one another) in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in (our hearts) to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting (ourselves) to one to another in the fear of God.”  (Hebrews 10: 23-25; Philippians 4: 5; Acts 2: 42-47; 2 Timothy 2: 15; Ephesians 5: 18-21).

4. Knowing that we have been given the ordinances of water baptism (mikva), and the Lord’s Supper (Pesach), Jesus Christ Himself being our example, we will faithfully administer and partake of these sacred rites until the Lord comes.  Water baptism is a public declaration and an outward demonstration of an inward reality that the believer, in true repentance and faith, has identified with Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.  In response to clear preaching, and having a right understanding of the gospel, the believer dies (immersion in water) to his old life and is raised up (out of the water) to new life in Christ.  (Matthew 28: 19; 3: 13-15; Romans 6: 1-11; 10: 1-17; Acts 9: 26-39).  The Lord’s Supper (Pesach) is a commemoration and proclamation of Christ’s death until He comes again in glory.  In partaking of the elements of bread and wine, symbolic of the Lord’s body and blood, we participate by faith in the death and resurrection of Christ, and in the kingdom of God, by being in actual communion with our risen Lord and other believers in a mystical way.  The Lord’s Supper is not to be partaken of by an unbeliever “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith…, nor by a believer who blasphemes God “…not discerning the Lord’s body…For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself…”  To partake unworthily is to engage in worthless introspection instead of “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…” and understanding that we are made worthy by the blood of the Lamb.  (Matthew 26: 26-30; Mark 14: 22-26; Luke 22: 14-20; 1 Corinthians 10: 16; Jeremiah 17: 9-10; Psalm 26: 2; 1 Corinthians 11: 23-32; 2 Corinthians 13: 5; Ephesians 2: 13; Colossians 1: 20; Hebrews 9: 12; 10: 19; 13:12; 1 Peter 1: 2, 18; Revelation 1: 5; 5: 9; 7: 14; 12: 11).                                                                                                                                                            
5. Knowing that holiness (kadosh) is the very essence of God’s being, and that His people have been called out of the world to be wholly consecrated unto Him, and that “…we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all”, and that God will keep our “…spirit, soul and body…blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”,  and that we are “…an chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation…” we purpose to  “…cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God”, and to “…walk worthy of the vocation wherewith (we) are called.”  (Isaiah 6: 3; Leviticus 11: 44; 1 Peter 1: 16; Hebrews 10: 10; 1 Corinthians 1: 30; 1 Thessalonians 5: 22-23; 1 Peter 2: 9; 2 Corinthians 7: 1; Ephesians 4: 1-3, 17-32; 5: 1-17).

6. Knowing that the Lord hath “…ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel”, and that “…the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the work and doctrine”, and that “The laborer is worthy of his reward”, God commanding us to” Bring…all the tithes into the storehouse…”, (a tithe being ten percent of one’s income and the storehouse being the local church), and to “Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things…Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity:  for God loveth a cheerful giver”, and certain that God has promised to bless us materially and spiritually, we humbly submit to His sovereign authority over every area of our lives, including our finances.  “Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.  For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again…And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work…and (He will) increase the fruits of your righteousness.”  (1 Corinthians 9: 7-14; 1 Timothy 5: 17-18; Malachi 3: 8-11; Galatians 6: 6; 2 Corinthians 9: 7; Luke 6: 38; 2 Corinthians 9: 8, 10).

7. Knowing that God has granted Israel four great unconditional promises (covenants) that govern all that He will do for them:  The Abrahamic Covenant (a nation forever), “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:  And I will bless them that bless thee, and I will curse him that curseth thee:   and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed”; The Palestinian Covenant (a land forever), “And (when thou) shalt return unto the Lord thy God...(He) will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations…that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them”;  The Davidic Covenant (a king forever), “And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever”; the New Covenant (a redeemed people forever), “Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah…I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people…for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord:  for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more”, and that the Israelites are a people “…to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came…  for salvation is of the Jews”, and that God “…hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles”, and that “…though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved”, because “…they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.  For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness…”, based on the law “…have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God …which is of faith…For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.  For if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him form the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For there is no difference between the Jew and the (Gentile):  for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”, since “God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew…” when He lamented “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!  Behold your house is left unto you desolate.  For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Baruch habba B’shem Adonai), but that He would “…pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplications:  and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for (me) as one mourneth for his only son...and they shall call on my name, and I will hear them:  I will say, It is my people:  and they shall say, The Lord is my God”,  and knowing that “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace…but the rest (are) blinded…”, and that “Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look at the end of that which is abolished.  But their minds were blinded; for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament (tanach); which veil is done away in Christ.  But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.  Nevertheless, when (they) shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away”, and also knowing “…that blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in”  we purpose by the power of the Spirit of God within us  to “Preach the word…in season, out of season...being ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear”, and that our “heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.”  Sha’al shalom Yerushalayim (Pray for the peace of Jerusalem)   Baruch shem k’vod malchuso l’olam va-ed.  (Blessed is the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever).  (Genesis 12: 1-3; Deuteronomy 30: 2-3, 20; 2 Samuel 7: 16; Jeremiah 31: 31, 33-34; Exodus 4: 22; 13: 20-22; 16: 10;  19-31; Hebrews 10: 1-5; Genesis 3: 15; 49: 10; Numbers 24: 15-19; Deuteronomy 18: 15-22; John 4: 22; Romans 9: 4-5, 24;  Isaiah  10: 22-23;  Romans 10: 2-4;  9: 30; 10: 9, 12-13; 11: 2; Matthew 23: 37-39; Zechariah 12: 10; 13: 9; Romans 11: 5, 7; 2 Corinthians 3: 13-16; 2 Timothy 4: 2; 1 Peter 3: 15; Romans 10: 1).