Blessed and Highly Favored!

What We Believe

Technically this section is our “statement of faith.” It’s important because it provides the foundation on which Faith Life Church is built.

• God

  God is the Creator of the world we live in. He controls what happens with His creation (the churchy word for that is sovereignty). He is eternal, meaning that He has always existed and always will. And He exists in three forms, all at the same time – God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit.

• Mankind

  Mankind (that is, all human beings, male and female) was made in the spiritual image of God. His intent was that we would conform to His character. Mankind was made to give God glory – to be living, walking, breathing reminders that He exists. We fall short of that standard because of sin, an innate predisposition to disobey God. It’s part of us and wasn’t caused by anything we’ve experienced after we were born. Our sinful attitude separates us from God. We can’t have a right relationship with God on our own; we need to be forgiven of our sin, and that is only possible by believing that Jesus’s sacrificial death on our behalf at Calvary was for each of us, individually.

• Eternal Life

  Eternal life is promised to all of us. We are not earthly beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having an earthly experience! We have two possible destinations when our lives on Earth end: Heaven and Hell. The difference between destinations doesn’t depend on whether you were a “good person” or a “bad person;” it depends on whether or not you have asked Jesus Christ to accept the penalty for your sins. If you have, you are as sure to live forever in Heaven as if you were there right now!

• Jesus Christ

  Jesus Christ is the only Son of God the Father. He came to this Earth in human form more than 2,000 years ago, lived a sinless life and died a sacrificial death for every sin that mankind had committed to that point and would commit afterward. He then rose from the dead and resides in Heaven with God the Father. He has promised to return to Earth to establish a Kingdom here, and all who have accepted a relationship with Him (or, as we often say, those who are “saved” or “born again) will be part of that Kingdom.

• The Bible

  The Bible is God’s Word for His people. It was written over the course of centuries by human authors under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. More churchy words here: the Bible is inspired (meaning it reflects God’s heart for how we should live and not the opinions of the human authors) and inerrant (meaning that it is absolutely true in all respects). The Bible is God’s standard, and we experience more success in our spiritual lives as we conform our lives to its teachings. There are many translations of the Bible available, but you can find His heart and His directions for us in any of them.

• Water Baptism

  Water baptism is a ritual, or sacrament, practiced in Christian churches to demonstrate that an individual life has been transformed by salvation through Jesus Christ. It is not a substitute for salvation, but a public recognition that salvation has transformed an individual life. At World Harvest Church we believe baptism can only be made by a man, woman or child with the capability of understanding what salvation means. We call it believer’s baptism or water baptism (because it involves immersion in a body of water). There is nothing wrong with dedicating an infant or young child to God, but it doesn’t take the place of that child’s eventual need to make his or her own decision for Jesus Christ.

• Holy Spirit Baptism

  Baptism in the Holy Spirit, or “Holy Ghost” baptism, is a noticeable indication of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life, such as happened in the second chapter of the book of Acts. It can show in many ways. At WHC you’ll commonly hear members speaking in tongues, a means of communication with God that doesn’t use any humanly recognizable language. That is just one of many manifestations of Holy Ghost baptism you’ll find at our church. Speaking in tongues is not a spiritual badge of honor, indicating some level of Christian maturity that those who don’t do it don’t have (we’re sorry if you’ve ever had it presented to you that way). It does permit those who practice it a dimension to their relationship with God they didn’t have before.

• Communion

  Communion is a sacrament practiced within the Church to remember the sacrificial death and promised return of Jesus Christ. There are many different ways to observe communion, but each way is modeled on a ceremony Jesus led His disciples in the day before His death, and uses bread or wafers and juice. Communion is most commonly observed during worship services of a local church, but at World Harvest Church we believe it can and should be celebrated individually and among families – any time Christians choose to remember Him together – and can be done as often as one is led to do it.

• Tithing

  Tithing is God’s command for His people to give to His work through local congregations. A tithe is 10 percent of your income. We believe the Bible supports paying one’s tithe to his or her local congregation.

• Offering

  Offering is a financial gift above and beyond the tithe. It is commonly targeted toward a specific church project, such as a compassionate outreach or other event, or the purchase or construction of facilities. Offering can also be given as an indication of trusting God for a specific need in your personal life.

• Biblical Sexuality

  Biblical Sexuality is expressly defined by God. Before birth, God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female through genetic encoding and physiological manifestation. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.

• Family

  The Family is God’s foundational institution for human society.

• Marriage

  Marriage has only one meaning: the uniting of one biological man and one biological woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only within the confines of marriage. Because marriage is a covenant between one man, one woman, and God, the church has the responsibility, in its sole discretion, to evaluate the readiness of those seeking to enter into the marriage covenant. The church may decline to solemnize or host a marriage ceremony that is contrary to the church’s Statement of Faith or the Bible.