Church & Doctrine

We go to a wonderful church – Joy Baptist Church – Pastor Doug Wilcox

You can Visit the church website at the link below

Joy Baptist Church

WHAT WE BELIEVE

Salvation

– I believe that no man can please God in and of himself (his sin has separated him from God)
– I believe that salvation is a gift of God by grace and through faith in Jesus Christ alone
– His death and shed blood on the cross is the entire and full payment for sin
– His resurrection gives his own the victory over the second death and the gift of eternal life with him in his Kingdom
– I believe the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation and the only way to heaven

Ref: Rom. 3:10-12, Eph. 2:8+9, Heb: 10:4, Heb 9:12, Rom:6:5, 1 Co. 15:13+14, Rom. 1:16

Baptism

– I believe that a new believer needs to follow the Lord in believers baptism as a step of obedience to Christ.
– I believe that Biblical Baptism is by immersion only.
– I believe that Baptism is a picture of the death burial and resurrection of Jesus and is not a work of salvation, but rather a statement
of the believers faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
– Baptism does not earn merit with God and is not a part of salvation in any way.

Ref: Acts 8:37, Acts 10:47, Acts 2:41

Local Church

– I believe that the Biblical Local Church is a Separate body of believers that are saved, baptized, and unified together for the cause of
Christ and his doctrine.
– I believe that the Local Church is not connected to any hierarchy and that it’s head is Christ alone.
– I believe that there are two offices in every local Church, Pastor and deacons.
– I believe that the Local Church is placed under the authority of God’s word and no other document.

Ref: 1 Co. 4:17, Acts 2:47, 1 Co. 11:2+3, 1 Tim. 3, and Titus

The Virgin Birth

– I believe that Jesus was born of a virgin.
– He was called that Holy Thing and his miraculous birth was a complete work of God

Ref: Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1: 18, 25, John 1:14

The Scriptures

– I believe that the King James Bible is the inspired, preserved, inerrant  Word of God for the English speaking people.

Ref: 2 Timothy 3:16,17, 2 Peter 1:21, 2 Samuel 23:2, Proverbs 30:5,6, Romans 3:4, Revelation 22:18

The Trinity

– I believe that God the Son, God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit are one
– These three separate persons of God serve to fulfill the same purpose with the same mind
– I believe that God is a triune person
– He has chosen to manifest himself in 3 separate persons making up the complete Godhead.

Ref: John 4:24, Isaiah 9:6, John1:14, 1 Corinthians 8:6

Return of Christ

– I believe in the premillennial return of Jesus Christ
– I believe that Jesus will take the Church out of this world to be with him before the Great Tribulation

Ref: 1 Thessalonians 4:16+17, Rom. 5:9, Jer. 30:7

Music

– We believe that the music we listen to and sing should glorify God by it being conservative and Christ-honoring. (Psalm chapter 150 & Ephesians 5:19)

Dress Standard

– The Bible tells us that we are supposed to adorn ourselves in “modest apparel”. The males in our family wear shirts and pants (sometimes long shorts for swimming) at all times. The females in our family wear long skirts and modest blouses (meaning nothing sleeveless or too low) at all times. Scriptures to refer to WHY we dress this way are: Deuteronomy 22:5; (nakedness is described in Isaiah and thus describes what we SHOULD cover) – Isaiah 47:1-3; and 1 Timothy 2:9.

If you are TRULY seeking God’s heart as to HOW to dress Biblically as a woman, then we recommend you read the books – “What in the World Should I Wear?” and “Modesty Matters” by Cathy Corle.  They are great books to read and study in more depth on this modern day, controversial subject.

Teaching our Children

– Psalms Chapter 1 says that we should not stand in the counsel of the ungodly. Hence, we have chosen to protect our children from the humanistic, ungodly teachings of this culture by NOT sending them to public school, but rather choosing to raise them up in the admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4) by homeschooling them. This way, when they are older and wiser, they will then (by God’s grace) have their spiritual armour on securely (Ephesians 6:11-19) and be able to take a strong stand for TRUTH & RIGHT!! We strive for a BALANCE of love & discipline in our home and expect obedience from our children. When there is obedience there is love, joy, praise, and sometimes reward. BUT….when there is disobedience, they will face the consequence for their act of wrong-doing (Proverbs 22:6).

Marriage

– The Bible tells us that marriage is for life! (Matthew 19:5-6) We especially believe that a Pastor should not have more than one wife. (1 Timothy 3:2 & Titus 1:6) Marriage – according to God’s Word – is CLEARLY only between a man and a woman ( Leviticus 18:22 & 20:13).

Outreach

– We believe in actively reaching out to people for Christ with the Gospel. (Romans 1:16) The Gospel is the only hope for this world and the only thing that can truly change a life.

——————-

We try, by God’s Grace, to obey God’s Word in ALL points including forgiveness, the fruits of the Spirit, showing the love of Christ to others, etc. etc. BUT MOST IMPORTANT- to love the Lord God with all our hearts, souls, and minds! (Joshua 22:5)

Thank you for reading what we believe in – certainly not of our own making – but purely taking a stand on these things because that is what God’s Word says to do.

~God Bless!