Open Heaven Christian Church Statement of Faith

The basic doctrines within Open Heaven Christian Church Statement of Faith represent what we believe to be core elements of biblical teaching. We expect anyone wishing to become a member of the Open Heaven Christian Church to affirm these doctrines.

Open Heaven Christian Church is a nondenominational Christian Church, our Statement of Faith reflects what distinguishes Open Heaven Christian Church from other churches that do not affirm the basic doctrinal beliefs as stated in the Bible.

Our statement of faith indelibly shapes the way that Open Heaven Christian Church is led and the direction the church is headed.

We do not expect all members to embrace all aspects of our beliefs, but members should expect that the Church will maintain all aspects of this statement of faith and never deviate from these core doctrines in all aspects of ministry environments at Open Heaven Christian Church, and members may not teach any doctrines contrary to them or they will be identified by the overseeing Pastor as ones who cause divisions. Any person who is found causing divisions by promoting any heresies that contradict the word of God and Open Heaven Christian Church’s statement of faith will be asked to leave the assembly of Open Heaven Christian Church as we will not tolerate false doctrines. If anyone is identified as causing division at Open Heaven Christian Church, they will be asked to repent, embrace, and affirm the teachings found in the scripture or they will be excommunicated from our assembly as stated in Romans 16.

Romans 16:17-18 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve, not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

STATEMENT OF FAITH

God is One

We believe God is love and all-powerful as one God eternally existing as one manifested in three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each of whom is fully God, yet there is only one true and eternally living God.

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit Each are fully, equal and eternal God who is to be worshiped, honored, and praised!

We believe in God the Father, the Creator of heaven and earth. We believe in the Son of God Jesus who is the eternal Anointed One whom God the Father sent to earth. Jesus is eternally begotten but not created because He is God. Jesus took on human nature for the sake of our salvation and gave himself as a living sacrifice by dying on the cross and shedding his blood for all of mankind. (John 1:14; Heb. 1:3).

He is fully God and fully man who walked upon the earth he created. Through Him, all things came into existence and were created. He was before all things, and in Him, all things hold together by the word of His power. (Colossians 1:15-20).

He suffered, died, was buried, resurrected, ascended, and sits at the right hand of the Father until He returns for the final judgment and consummation of His Kingdom which is eternal and everlasting!

We believe in the Holy Spirit who eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son and is sent by the Father and Son to give new life to all who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 15:26-27). The Holy Spirit unites believers to Jesus Christ in faith brings about a new Spiritual birth, and dwells within the believer. (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit has come to lead believers to glorify the Son who, in turn, came to glorify the Father. He leads the Church into a right understanding of the truth of God’s Word the Bible and ministers Salvation, Healing, and Deliverance to whosoever will call upon the Lord. The Holy Spirit is to be highly respected, honored, and worshiped as God, The Holy Spirit is a person of the Godhead.

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are the Creator of all things, visible and invisible. As the immortal and eternal Creator, He rules sovereign over all of His creation. (Psalm. 24:1).

Divine Revelation

We believe that God has made Himself known to His creation. He has revealed Himself to us in His Son, the incarnate Word (Hebrews 1:1-2), in Scripture, the inspired Word (2 Tim. 3:16), and in creation (Psalm 8; Romans 1:20)

We believe that Jesus is the Anointed One i.e. The Christ, the Son of God, and is the perfect revelation of who God is. Jesus Christ is the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), “the exact image of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3), and a perfect reflection of God the Father in His Son Jesus. (John 5:19).

We believe that all 66 books of the Old and New Testaments are the only canonized books that are the inerrant, inspired, and unadulterated written Word of God and are therefore without error in their original writings. The Word of God alone constitutes the authoritative will of God free from error. The Word of God is sufficient for all that God requires us to believe and do. The Word of God is to be preached, taught, trusted, and obeyed as God’s command for all believers.

Creation

We believe that God created the world from nothing and governs all things at all times in all places. (Genesis 1:1-2; Psalm 24:1). God’s creative work is the overflow of the love. Creation, according to the design of God, was good (Genesis 1:3-31).

God upholds the universe by the word of His power, and He holds the world together in Himself. (Colossians 1:17).

Mankind

We believe that all humanity is created in the image of God. God made male and female in His image. (Genesis 1:27-30). All men and all women, bearing the image of God, are meant to represent God in His creation (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Men and women are His agents to care for, manage, and govern all over earthly matters as they enjoy access to God helping them by faith in Christ Jesus and both males and females are called to move beyond passive complacency in private and public engagement in family, church and civic life as over-comers through Christ Jesus as Lord ruling and directing their life to accomplish and conquer in all things that pertain to life using their God-given talents and gifts!

Marriage

We believe the union of marriage is only between males and females to complement each other as a one-flesh union by the covenant of marriage ordained by God. Sexual relations of male and female are between husband and wife bonding as one what God has brought together in a husband and wife. Marriage is holy before God.

Men and Women

As part of God’s good-created order, men and women are to have different yet complementary roles and responsibilities in the home and the church. As it relates to the church, men and women are both expected to lead; however, the office of bishop or elder is reserved for qualified men (1 Tim. 3; Titus 1).

Sin

We believe that sin has fractured all things, leaving the world in desperate need of salvation. The temptation of Satan in the Garden caused all of humanity to transgress the command of God. (Genesis 3). All have fallen short of the glory of God and need Jesus Christ as their savior. The entire human race inherited a corrupt nature that is opposed to God and His law (Romans 3:9-20). All humans are under condemnation until they have received Jesus as their savior. Humanity lives under the dominion of sin and Satan (Ephesians 2:1-3) and is at enmity with God, hostile toward and hateful of God until one has become born again (John 3).

Salvation

We believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

We believe that, due to universal death through sin, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born again (John 3:5-8); that salvation is only by grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ; and that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ through faith are declared righteous by God and become children of God (Hebrews10:19-25).

We believe the Scriptures teach that regeneration, or the new birth, is that act of God by which the Holy Spirit imparts a new nature and a new spiritual life to anyone who receives Jesus Christ. The person becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus (Galatians 2:20). Their mind is given a holy disposition and a new desire to follow and serve God, the dominion of sin is broken, and the heart is transformed from a love of sin, and self to a love of holiness and God.

Deliverance and Healing

We believe the casting out of devils is part of the great commission that the Lord gave to the Church. We pray deliverance prayers for those who are bound with sickness and disease expecting the Lord to heal all manner of physical, mental, and emotional sicknesses. (Mark 16).

Sovereignty of God in Salvation

The salvation of humanity is fundamentally the work of God yet requires the will of the person. Before the foundation of the world, God elected His people, setting His affection and grace upon them (Romans 8:29-30). In love, God predestined His people for adoption (Ephesians 1:4-6). Faith is a gift of grace that is given by the mercy and pleasure of God, so that no one may boast. Apart from the intervention of God, humanity cannot choose of his own accord to worship God and pursue righteousness (Romans 3; Ephesians 2:1-3). God’s sovereignty in salvation is comprehensive and includes; deliverance from the demonic, mental, emotional, and physical healing and restoration. Salvation is the work of God by the Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus.

The Church

We believe that the Church is the body of Christ sent into the world to shine forth as a light in the glory of God.

God, by His Word and Spirit, creates the Church, calling sinful humanity into the fellowship of Christ’s body (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). By the same Word and Spirit, He guides and preserves that newly redeemed humanity.

The Church is made up of those who have become genuine followers of Jesus Christ and have personally appropriated the gospel into their lives.

The Church exists to worship and glorify God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The ministry of the Church is an extension of the ministry of Jesus in the power of the Spirit to reach out to others with the good news of salvation of God’s love and power by being a witness of the gospel to the world.

The mission of the Church is to bring glory to God by making disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). The Church is called to make disciples through worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of the ordinances of Christ, fellowship, the exercise of our gifts and talents, and the proclamation of the gospel both in our community and throughout the world.

We believe there are three ordinances of the Church. One is that believers are to love one another, believer baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all in the name of Jesus, and the observance of Lord’s Supper when assembling to worship the Lord.

Water baptism is only intended for those who have received the saving benefits of Christ through the new birth of the Holy Spirit. In obedience to Christ’s command and as a testimony to God, the Church, oneself, and the world, believers are baptized by water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Water baptism is a visual and symbolic demonstration of a person’s union with Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection. It signifies that a former way of life has been put to death and vividly depicts the release from the mastery of Satan, sin, and death.

As with water baptism, the Lord’s Supper is to be observed only by those who have become genuine followers of Christ. This ordinance symbolizes the breaking of Christ’s body and the shedding of His blood on our behalf and is to be observed repeatedly throughout the Christian life as a sign of continued participation in the atoning benefits of Christ’s death. As we come to the table with an attitude of faith and self-examination, we remember and proclaim the death of Christ, receive spiritual nourishment for our souls, and signify our unity with other members of Christ’s body.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

The gifts of the Holy Spirit that we see on display in the New Testament are still active within the life of the church today. These gifts did not end with the close of the New Testament or the death of the last apostle (1 Corinthians 12:1-11).

Baptism by Immersion

We find and believe in the New Testament two distinct baptisms. One following conversion by full submersion into water. Baptism by submersion is meant to symbolically depict the believer’s real union to Christ in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:1-14). The other is a baptism in the Holy Spirit with evidence of receiving a new utterance in tongues (Mark 16; Acts 19).

Resurrection and the Consummation of the Kingdom of God

We believe that Jesus Christ is returning to the world in the future to judge the living and the dead.

The consummation of all things includes the future, physical, visible, literal, personal, and glorious return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the glorification of those alive in Christ, the judgment of the just and the unjust, and the fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth. In the consummation, Satan, with his hosts and all those outside Christ, is finally separated from the benevolent presence of God, enduring eternal punishment (Revelation 20:7-15), but the righteous, in glorious bodies, will live and reign with Him forever, serving Him and giving Him unending praise and glory. Then the eager expectation of creation will be fulfilled, and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God, who makes all things new (Revelation 21:1-5).