Encouragement That Lasts bases its ministry on the following statement of faith:

Authority of Scripture

We believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of God.

 

The Godhead

We believe there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We believe God the Father is holy, begins and ends all things according to His own purpose, and that all the Lord Jesus Christ did and said was in accordance with the Father’s will.

We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ (God the Son), in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood on the cross, in His burial, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit, His present ministry of convicting people of sin, restraining the extent of sin in the world, and opening the hearts and minds of people to turn from sin and believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life.  He indwells every believer, empowers them to live in obedience to the will of God, and comforts, teaches, and equips them for ministry. 

 

Creation

We believe God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them.  Creation reveals to all the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature.

 

Separation from God

We believe all men everywhere are guilty of sinning against God and are spiritually separated from Him, incapable of reconciling themselves to Him through any means apart from His plan of grace and redemption.

 

Salvation by God

We believe God initiates salvation through the Holy Spirit’s revelation to individuals of their separation from Him because of their sin, and gifting them with the faith to believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, for eternal life.

We believe salvation is only through faith in Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life.

 

Eternity

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the saved and the unsaved.

We believe God will give those who place their trust in Jesus Christ with eternal life with Him in heaven, free from the presence of sin, and that He will banish those who reject God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ to everlasting punishment and separation from God.

 

The Church

We believe in the spiritual unifying of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and that all true believers are members of His body, the Church.

We believe the Church has the responsibility and privilege of sharing and proclaiming the message of salvation (possible only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ) and make disciples (helping followers of Christ grow up into maturity in Him).

 

Intimacy with Christ

We believe Christ’s followers will seek to know His heart, dedicate themselves to prayer, live to honor and serve Him, submit to His authority over their lives, and love others sacrificially through His ministry of reconciliation (evangelism).

We believe knowing Jesus intimately and in living in His freedom is the greatest joy and privilege a person can have in this life and throughout eternity.  Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and the beauty of having intimacy with Him today and always is the essence of Encouragement That Lasts.