United Christian Faith Ministries

PURPOSE AND MISSION

Last Update: August 18, 2006

It is the purpose and mission of the United Christian Faith Ministries to represent the body of Christ as described in the Old and New Testaments, to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ as led by the Holy Spirit, to bring the unsaved to Jesus Christ; to build up the body in principles of communion and Godly living, to have a vital part in missions here and abroad, and to strive toward unity in the Body of Christ. Being sovereign and governed by the commandments of God revealed in the Bible, it is resolved that all members in covenant agree to obey the guidance and leadership given of the Holy Spirit united in one accord for the following purposes:

1. To proclaim in fullness the Gospel of Jesus Christ worldwide.
2. To present salvation unto the lost.
3. To promote, praise and worship God and oversee places of worship and be their covering.
4. To teach, edify, lead, guide, disciple, unify, and protect the Body of Christ.
5. To establish and oversee charters, departments, institutions, offices, and be their covering.
6. To license, and to oversee ministers of the gospel and be their covering.
7. To Administer Church discipline.
8. To perpetrate all the above until the return of Christ.

GOVERNANCE

The Holy Spirit guides the affairs of The United Christian Faith Ministries giving authority to those appointed to oversee, lead, and guide in administering the affairs of the Church. We therefore claim the right to be governed under the Headship of Jesus and His authority over the Church, and reject all claims by the civil government to Headship or sovereignty over the Church. ^[1]

AFFILIATION

While maintaining sovereignty the United Christian Faith Ministries shall seek associations to maintain voluntarily cooperative fellowship with other Christian organizations that are equally Biblically yoked holding Evangelical Christian doctrines, purpose, mission, and deeds to serving Christ.

BASIC TENETS OF FAITH

The Holy Bible: We believe the Bible (66 books of the Old and New Testaments) is the "God-breathed" sole source of written divine revelation, and that its original autograph manuscripts are free from errors and contradictions. We believe the Bible is the only infallible, authoritative, and trustworthy rule for faith and life. ^[2]

One God: We believe there is one true and eternal Holy God, who is the sovereign Sustainer of all things whose fullness and Glory is beyond all human comprehension. We believe this one God is Triune, existing eternally and simultaneously as three distinct persons of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe all three persons in the Godhead equally and completely share one divine nature being coequal in nature, glory, unity, and who are the only proper object of all worship and faith. ^[3]

God the Father: We believe the Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and allows for the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all-powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. ^[4]

God the Son: We believe in the eternal existence of Jesus as the Son of God. We believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah who is wholly God (second person of the Trinity) and wholly man (Incarnate Son of God) who came to earth to be born of the flesh by the conception of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary.

We believe that Jesus lived a sinless and perfect life in the flesh. He gave Himself as a substitute sacrifice to be crucified on the cross as payment in full for the penalty of the sins of all humanity. We believe that Jesus bodily arose from the dead on the third day and ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father where he ministers as our High Priest and Advocate and who is deserving of all honor, glory, and reverence unto which every knee should bow in worshipping Him as very God. ^[5]

God the Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine third Person of the Godhead sent to minister salvation, to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, to regenerate believers to repentance for the forgiveness of sins. We believe the Holy Spirit literally indwells believers as a new creation in Christ that protects, guides, instructs, comforts believers, and gives empowering gifts for godly living and spiritual service. We believe the Holy Spirit seals the believer unto the day of final redemption and that his indwelling presence is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ in worship, evangelism, and service. ^[6]

Mankind: We believe God created mankind distinct in kind from all other life on earth being created in His image and likeness. We believe that Adam and Eve, the first human beings, chose to listen to the serpent and rebelled against God resulting of this original sin of mankind to be inherently sinful, and being separated and facing just punishment from God. Because of this original sin, mankind cannot on its own restore its place with God. We believe that God in His great love and mercy for mankind sent his Son to redeem mankind and save him from the eternal judgment of God. ^[7]

Substitutionary Atonement: We believe that the Father manifested his love and mercy to mankind to send His only begotten Son who in his body bore the sins of mankind in His sinless body on the cross and died in our place is alone all sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to the Father, and not by the works or merits of mankind. ^[8]

Salvation: We believe that salvation is the undeserved gift of God by His grace alone, given through faith alone in Jesus, as a finished work of Christ whom the Father imputes in believers the righteousness of Christ to raise them from spiritual death to eternal spiritual life. ^[9]

The Church: We believe that Jesus is the Founder and living Head of the Church. We believe the Church is the spiritual body of Christ a universal divine spiritual organism of those purchased and redeemed in the blood covenant to have a common shared life as a family being joined together by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to enjoy the presence of Jesus among us forever. ^[10]

The Family: We believe that the marriage covenant is entered only between one man and one woman, and that God has appointed the Husband as the head of the family even as Christ is the Head of the Church. That parents should exercise dominion over the family to bring every area of life into obedience to God so that His presence and blessings are enjoyed forever. Therefore, let none divide what God has joined together.^[11]

Covenant Ordinances: We believe Jesus gave the Church two ordinances as signs and seals of our covenant relationship with God. The first ordinance of Baptism is administered only once using water and the triune name of God as a ceremonial washing of the outward sign of an inward reality of our life-surrender and obedience to Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection.

We believe the second ordinance of our covenant with the Lord is the sharing the Lord’s Supper to be observed by the Church until the end of the world as a perpetual memorial of His sacrifice, the sealing of all benefits of true believers, their spiritual nourishment, edification, and our shared union with Him joined together as his Body. This memorial when administered as the "Lord's Supper" it is common to share an agape meal of those redeemed by the blood of Christ. ^[12]

Stewardship: We believe that Christians are to continually, cheerfully, and liberally be givers in worship of God to make disciples of all nations and proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus for the redemption of the lost, by giving of our time, talents, and material blessings as taught in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. ^[13]

Religious Freedom: We believe that God alone reigns Sovereign and has established civil governments and therefore, it is the duty of Christians to obey and render loyal obedience to civil governments who do not act contrary to the will of God. We further believe that it is the duty under the authority of God for civil governments to protect the freedom of the Church to freely worship and practice beliefs without interference, prejudice or bias, and without limiting or defining the dimension, practices or mission of the Church. We believe that civil governments have no power or right to impose penalties for religious opinions of any kind, nor impose any taxes on the Church as it is the Body of Christ.

We believe that Jesus is the Head of the Church of whom we can only pledge our full allegiance as His Bride. We further believe that the Holy Spirit guides the affairs of the Church giving authority of those appointed to administer and oversee in the affairs of the Church. Therefore, Christians are not to resort to bringing Church matters before civil governments for which Christ has appointed and ordained Elders of the Church to rule over. ^[14]

Ordination: We believe God calls those according to His will without respect to natural born male or female, race or culture to receive ministry gifts of the Holy Spirit. Therefore the Church shall qualify, equip, and recognize by ordination those called of God to Minister to the Body of Christ, and shall hold accountable Ministers to their callings by those appointed of God to oversee the work of the ministry. ^[15]

The Future: We believe that at the appointed time Jesus will bodily return to earth in great glory and majesty to fulfill the purposes of God, to establish the Kingdom of God on earth, to raise all people to judgment bringing eternal life to the redeemed and eternal condemnation to the lost, and to establish a new heaven and new earth. ^[16]

Scriptural References