WHAT WE BELIEVE
FAMILY: Living Way Fellowship is part of the Foursquare Denomination.
For
more information about Foursquare click here.
BELIEFS: We value what we believe because it
defines how we know God and how we live in
relationship together.
Below is the list of essential beliefs at LWF:
The Holy Scriptures
We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word
of God: true, immutable,
steadfast, and unchangeable
(2 Timothy 3:16, 17).
The Eternal Godhead
We believe that God is triune: Father, Son and
Holy Spirit; the Three are coexistent,
coeternal,
and equal in divine perfection (1 John 5:7).
The Fall of Man
We believe that man, created
in the image of God, by voluntary disobedience fell
into the depths of sin
and iniquity, bequeathing
sin’s nature and consequences to all mankind, with
their accompanying
loss of intended meaning and
purpose (Genesis 1:27; Romans 5:12).
The
Plan of Redemption
We believe that while we were
yet sinners Christ died for us, took our place, and
with His life’s blood
purchased the pardon for all
who believe in Him (John 3:16; Titus 2:14).
Salvation Through Grace
We believe that
salvation is wholly through grace; that no human
righteousness or merit can contribute
to our
receiving God’s love and favor (Ephesians 2:8).
Repentance and Acceptance
We believe that,
upon sincere repentance and a whole-hearted
acceptance of Christ, we are justified
before God
through
Jesus’ sacrificial death (Romans 10:6-10; 1
John 1:9).
The New Birth
We believe that
the change that takes place in people at conversion
is a very real one; that having received
righteousness in Christ and having received of His
Spirit, people will have new desires, interests,
and
pursuits in life (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians
2:20).
Daily Christian Life
We believe
that it is the will of God that those who have been
born again grow in sanctification,
become partakers of His holiness, and daily grow stronger in the
faith,
power, prayer, love, and service (2
Corinthians 7:1).
Water Baptism and the
Lord's Supper
We believe that being baptized in
the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is an
essential response
to Jesus’ command, testifying to
His Lordship as Christ and King (Romans 6:4).
We
believe in observing the Lord’s Supper, receiving
the broken bread and the fruit of the vine with joy
and faith as we partake anew of the life and triumph
of Christ’s Cross (1 Corinthians 11:24-26)
Baptism in the Holy Spirit
We believe that the
baptism in the Holy Spirit empowers believers to
exalt Jesus, to live lives of holiness,
and to be
witnesses of
God’s saving grace; we expect the
Spirit’s incoming to be after the same manner
as
that in which He came upon believers
in the days of
the Early Church (Acts 1: 5, 8; 2:4).
The
Spirit-Filled Life
We believe that it is the
will of God that believers walk in the Spirit moment
by moment, serving the Lord
and living lives of
patience, love, truth, sincerity, and prayer
(Ephesians 4:30-32; Galatians 5:16, 25).
The
Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit
We believe that
the Holy Spirit bestows enabling ministry gifts upon
believers, and that these gifts
will build up the
Body of Christ through edification and evangelism(1
Corinthians 12:1-11);
as evidence of a Spirit-filled
life, believers should show spiritual “fruit”:
love,
joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, meekness, temperance (Galatians 5:22-25).
Moderation
We believe a Christians’
moderation should be obvious to others and that
relationship with Jesus should
never lead people
into extremes of fanaticism; their lives should
model that of Christ in uprightness,
balance,
humility, and self-sacrifice (Colossians 3:12, 13;
Philippians 4:5).
Divine Healing
We
believe that divine healing is the power of Jesus
Christ to heal the sick in answer to the prayer of
faith;
He, who does not change, is still willing and
able to heal the body, as well as the soul and
spirit
in answer to faith (Mark 16: 17, 18; James
5:14-16).
The Second Coming of Christ
We
believe that the second coming of Christ is personal
and imminent; the certainty of His coming and the
fact that no man knows the hour of His coming prompt
our evangelistic efforts; that the Lord Himself
will
descend from Heaven, the dead in Christ shall rise,
and the redeemed will be caught up
to meet the Lord
in the air (Matthew 24:36, 42, 44; 1 Thessalonians
4:16, 17).
Church Relationship
We
believe that it is our sacred duty to identify
ourselves with a congregation of believers with whom
we can worship God, observe the ordinances of
Christ, exhort and support one another, labor for
the salvation of others,
and work together to
advance the Lord’s Kingdom (Acts 16:5; Hebrews
10:24).
Civil Government
We believe that
civil government is by divine appointment and that
civil laws should be upheld at all times
except in
things
opposed to the will of God (Acts 4: 18-20;
Romans 13:1-5).
Judgment
We believe that
all shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ:
the redeemed to be delivered unto everlasting
life,
and the
unrepentant unto everlasting punishment
(Revelation 20:11, 12; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
Heaven
We believe that heaven is the glorious
habitation of the living God and the eternal home of
born-again believers (John 14:2; Revelation
7:15-17).
Hell
We believe that hell is a
place of darkness, deepest sorrow, and unquenchable
fire, which was not prepared
for man but for the
devil and his angels; yet it will become the place
of eternal separation from God for all
who
reject
Christ as Savior (Matthew 13: 41, 42; Revelation
20:10, 15).
Evangelism
We believe that
soul winning is the “one big business” of the Church
on earth, and that every hindrance to
worldwide
evangelism should be removed (James 5:20; Mark
16:15).
Tithing and Offerings
We believe
that tithing and offerings are ordained of God to
sustain His ministry, spread the Gospel,
and release
personal blessing (Malachi 3:10; 1 Corinthians 16:
1, 2).