What We Believe

The Bible

The Bible is accurate, true, and God’s Words on a page. The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired by God and through them, God has revealed himself to man. The Bible alone is the only infallible, inspired Word of God, its authority is ultimate, final, and eternal. We affirm that it cannot be added to, subtracted from, or superseded in any regard. The Bible is the source of all beliefs. It is the standard for living, and it contains all that is needed for guidance in godliness and practical Christian conduct.

Do you have more questions about the Bible? Reliability? Difficult passages that you read?

From Focus on the Family: How do we know the bible is true?

What the Bible says about itself…

2 TIMOTHY 3:15-17 | 2 PETER 1:19-21 | HEBREWS 4:12 | 1 PETER 1:23-25 |
1 THESSALONIANS 2:13

There is One God

There is only one God, who has revealed Himself in three persons: as a Loving Father, Begotten Son, and Holy Spirit. Each expression is distinct and equal; yet, there is nothing that each other does independently. We call this the Trinity. These three persons are in a complete state of unity, just like one’s body has many parts yet work as one. God has always existed, and He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and the creator of all things.

The Father

God the Father is the creator and sustainer of all things, and He created the universe in love. He created man in His own image for fellowship, and He called man back to Himself through Jesus Christ after the rebellion and fall of man.

GENESIS 1:1 | JAMES 1:17 | ROMANS 8:32 | PHILIPPIANS 2:9-11

The Son Jesus

The Lord Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God, was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. He is God’s Anointed One, empowered by the Holy Spirit to inaugurate God’s Kingdom on earth.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is God, the Lord, and giver of life, who was active in the Old Testament and given to the Church in fullness at Pentecost. He empowers the saints for service and witness, cleanses man from the old nature, and conforms us to the image of Christ. The baptism in the Holy Spirit, subsequent to conversion, releases the fullness of the Spirit and is evidenced by the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

We are Born Cut Off from God

In love, God created mankind to have free choice. He did not want to control us but desired that we would walk in a relationship with Him out of our free will and love, not out of control or obligation. With that choice, the first man and woman choose independence from God this is called sin. Due to sin, we are separated from God who is the source of joy, peace, resource, and help. Bottom-line, each of us is born into this world separated from God. God gave the law to show the standard for what is good, and to show us that without a relationship with Him, we fall short, lost, and without hope. As God’s most precious creation, God gave his very best for each and every human to ever be with Him in an unbroken relationship, but it is up to each of us to receive Him.

ROMANS 3:19-23 | GALATIANS 3:22 | EPHESIANS 2:1,2,12

Separated from God

Being cut off from God, mankind is born into a catch-22 situation. The first man Adam burned the only bridge back to God bringing a curse on mankind like a virus into our bloodstream. It infects every part of our nature and infects everything around us. God, in His justice, can not allow the sickness of sin into heaven. At the same time, mankind is responsible for the mess that was made; it is our debt and our responsibility.

Salvation

Being the only one capable and qualified to bring salvation, Jesus came. He laid aside His glory and took on the human form being “fully” God and “fully” man. By being fully man, He had the right to take our place paying the price for our sin that separates us from God. Being fully God, He was sinless making Him the only perfect sacrifice acceptable to pay the price to bring us back into a relationship with God. He was crucified for our sins, died, buried, resurrected, and ascended into heaven. He is now alive today, in the presence of God the Father, and His people. Salvation is realized the same way that our separation from God was realized: by a choice. Instead of choosing our own way, we choose to make Jesus the leader of our life and orient ourselves to follow His leadership, which is only made possible because of the strength He provides through His spirit.

LUKE 24:47 | JOHN 3:3 | ACTS 4:12 | ROMANS 4:1-9, 5:1-11 | EPHESIANS 1:3-14; 4:24

Baptism Of The Holy Spirit

We believe in baptism in the Holy Spirit, which is primarily evidenced through speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. This is for all believers, not a requirement but a profound gift that we should all seek. This is a starting point, and there is always more to receive from the Holy Spirit. We are invited into a partnership with the Holy Spirit in our everyday lives where he empowers us to love others with His love, see situations supernaturally changed, and experience Him in profound ways.

The Christian Life

A Christian is a person who invites God to be the leader of every area of their life; this includes seeking a daily relationship with Him through prayer, worship, modeling your life after what the Bible says, and obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit as He speaks throughout the day. A Christian submits their finances, relationships, goals, and habits under the Holy Spirit’s leadership.

We believe that the Scriptures portray the life of the saint in this world to be one of balance between what God does for us simply because of who He is and what we receive as we respond to Him by faith. God has given us everything we need, and the promises are final and forever. This does not mean that our circumstances will be easy but we are promised joy, peace, and God’s activity as we trust God each day.

We aren’t perfected yet, but as we lean into Jesus He is making us more like Him each day. The Christian life is filled with trials, tests, and warfare against a spiritual enemy. For those abiding in Christ until their deaths or His return, the promises of eternal blessing in the presence of God are assured. To remain faithful through all circumstances of life requires dependence upon the Holy Spirit and a willingness to die to personal desires and passions. A prayer we often pray at Bless the City is . . . Jesus be the Lord of my Life today in new ways and change me in any way that you want!

The Church

The Church is made up of all the people who declare that Jesus is their Lord and savior. We are held together by the glue that is the Spirit of Jesus in us. Using a word picture He promised that He would make us together into a unified Body with Jesus as the head. This Body is made up of people who are united in a single purpose to know God and to make Him Known to the world around them. We are God’s representatives on earth through which He shares His heart that all people might come back to Him. Bless The City Church is one expression of that Body. Individually God has given each of us a specific place in the church: some to lead, some to create, some to lend strength, some to heal, some to teach, and many other skills. We believe in God’s authority that he gives to individuals to lead and guide the church.

ACTS 10:34,35 | 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-31 | MATTHEW 16:18, 28:19, 20 | EPHESIANS 4:11-16; 5:22-32 | 1 TIMOTHY 3:15

Important Things We Do

(Baptism & Communion)

The Bible states that there are two things that all believers should do. The first is baptism, which is an outward sign of what God has already done in the individual’s life. It is a testimony to all that the person now belongs to Jesus. By being baptized the person is identifying with Jesus as their Lord and being baptized into relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Communion or The Lord’s Supper is a remembering of the death of Jesus Christ and this practice is done in remembrance of Him until He comes again. It is a sign of how we have been made one with Him and made a Body together.

MATTHEW 28:19 | 1 CORINTHIANS 11:24-26

The Supernatural

We believe God makes the Super a natural part of life. This means that as we partner with the Holy Spirit, He will heal bodies, transform situations, and do what seems impossible. We honor doctors, healthy eating, paying your bills, and being a good steward of what is given to us; however, we do expect that God’s activity will be in our midst because of what Jesus did on the cross not only to pay the price for our sin but to heal and transform us as well. We believe divine healing may be received by the laying on of hands by the elders, by the prayer of an anointed person gifted by the Holy Spirit for healing the sick, or by a direct act of receiving this provision by faith.

ISAIAH 53:5 | 1 PETER 2:24 | JAMES 5:14-16 | 1 CORINTHIANS 12:9 | MARK 11:23,24

How Things End

While no one knows the hour, time, or day, we know that Jesus will be coming back to earth in the same way that He left. He will come back to defeat evil, judge the living and the dead, and reign.. Every person will be judged and rewarded; some to everlasting life while others to eternal punishment. This judgement is all in connection to that individual’s relationship with Jesus, whether they had one or not. Once this is all complete, there will be a new heaven and a new earth where God and man will dwell together. There will no longer be pain, sin, or tears.

Sexuality and Marriage

Sex is a beautiful gift from God that is designed to function within the context of marriage. God our Creator made two genders male and female and instituted that marriage should be between those two halves coming together to become one. There is no support in Scripture for any sexual relationship other than within the marriage covenant between one man and one woman. This includes any sexual act one does by yourself, to animals, with members of the same sex, or with any member of the opposite sex outside of marriage. God’s intent is always to protect us from harm, not to limit our freedoms. He promises to meet all of our needs as we surrender to his leadership.

Get connecteD

For more information or any questions, prayers requests or if you would just like to connect with us, we would truly love to hear from you.

For tithing and offerings, please feel free to utilize the giving option below: