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God the Father.
The one and only true God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe and the Savior of all mankind. He has eternally existed in three Persons (the Trinity): Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. God knows everything and He is all powerful. God never makes a mistake. There is nothing that is too difficult for Him. He can do anything, but He is always true to His word. Since He knows everything even before it happens, He has never been surprised. He can be in all places at the same time. Billions can speak to Him in different languages at the same time and He hears them all, understands them all, and can respond to each one. He created our earth, the solar system, galaxies, everything. He created us (mankind) because He wants to have a loving relationship with us. He loves us much more than we can understand. God is Love.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1
Before the mountains were created, before You made the earth and the world, You are God without beginning or end. Psalm 90:2
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Jesus is God the Son.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father and the Spirit. Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed many miracles and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people of all time by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven's glory at the right hand of the Father and will return for us so that we can be with Him eternally. His kingdom will never end.
"Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and He will be called Immanuel (meaning, God is with us)." Matthew 1:23
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the Lord Almighty will guarantee this! Isaiah 9:6-7
I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me - that Christ died for our sins, just as the scriptures said. He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, as the scriptures said. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
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The Holy Spirit is God.
The Holy Spirit is God and is co-equal with the Father and the Son. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation and provides the believer with power for living, the understanding of spiritual truth and guidance in doing what is right. He gives believers spiritual gifts for ministry when they are saved. As Christians we seek to live under His loving guidance daily.
And when He [the Holy Spirit] comes, He will convince the world of it's sin, and of God's righteousness, and of the coming judgment. John 16:8
But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere... Acts 1:8
If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:25
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The Bible is the Word of God.
The Bible is God's Word. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit (inspiration). It is the supreme source of truth for Christian belief and lifestyle. Because it is inspired by God, it is Truth without any mixture of error. The Bible tells us where we came from, how we got here, why we are here, how to live our lives, what happens after death and what happens in the future. All of the Bible is true and it does not conflict with real science or facts.
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. 2 Timothy 3:16
Above all, you must understand that no prophesy in Scripture ever came from the prophets themselves or because they wanted to prophesy. It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God. 2 Peter 1:20-21
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Mankind is not even close to being perfect.
People are the supreme object of God's creation and are created in His image. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by disobedience to God - called "sin" - which caused mankind to fall from innocence and goodness, and brought physical and spiritual death. This "sin" separates people from God and causes many problems in life. We (mankind) seem to have failed in everyway possible.
Then God said, "Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life--the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals." So God created people in His own image; God patterned them after Himself; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:26-27
All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. ... Isaiah 53:6
Listen! The Lord is not too weak to save you, and He is not becoming deaf. He can hear you when you call. But there is a problem - your sins have cut you off from God. Because of you sin, He has turned away and will not listen anymore. Isaiah 59:1-2
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Sin - Our Big Problem.
God created us in His own image to have a fulfilling life. He did not make us as robots to automatically love and obey Him. God gave us a free will and freedom of choice. We chose to disobey God and go our own way. This is called "sin" and results in separation from God.
For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. Romans 3:23
Perfection is the standard required by a holy God. Failure to meet this standard brings a death sentence.
For the wages of sin is death,... Romans 6:23
People have tried many ways to make up for their failings, good works, religion, philosophy, morality..., but the Bible says,
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12 and
But your sins have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. Isaiah 59:2
Death is required to pay the price for your sin. You can die yourself, but this is not good enough to make you right with a perfect God - you are not perfect. You need someone perfect to agree to die in your place. But why would someone perfect die for you? Could anyone possibly love you enough to voluntarily die in your place?
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Salvation - God's solution.
Christ also suffered when He died for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but He died for sinners that He might bring us safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but He was raised to life in the Spirit. I Peter 3:18
Salvation is God's gift to us but we must receive it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement, good works or religious effort. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin's penalty - spiritual death and enslavement to sin. When we turn from our self-ruled life to faith in Jesus Christ, we are saved (born again)! Eternal life begins the moment a person, by repentance and faith, receives Jesus, and we are secure in His salvation and His love forever. A lifestyle of full devotion to the Lord is the evidence of salvation.
God saved you by His special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8-9
to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God John 1:12
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Our Response - what do I do?
We must trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and receive Him by personal invitation.
- Admit your need (I am a sinner).
- Be willing to turn from your sins (repent).
- Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose from the grave.
- Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit (receive Him as Lord and Savior)... "Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust You as Savior and follow You as Lord for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name, Amen."
- Be Baptized. Tell others about what you have done. (We would love to hear about it.)
- Pursue a relationship with God and His people. Try a CARE group.
if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9
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Water Baptism
Baptism doesn't make you a believer, it simply demonstrates that you already believe. Baptism does not "save" you, only your faith in Christ does that (if you're baptized before you receive Christ you simply go down as a "dry sinner" and come up as a "wet sinner"). Baptism is like a wedding ring, it's the outward symbol of the inner commitment you've made in your heart. It is a public declaration of an inward transformation and an outward act portraying an inward change. Further, it is a dramatization of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church - about three thousand in all. They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord's supper and in prayer. Acts 2:41-42
At Riverside, we wait until children are old enough to understand the true meaning of a personal relationship with Christ before we baptize them. The purpose of baptism is to publicly confess your personal commitment to Christ, so we dedicate babies, and baptize believers.
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Spirit Baptism
There is another baptism which the Bible calls baptism in the Holy Spirit, whose purpose is empowering the believer for evangelism. Spirit baptism was the normal experience of all believers in the early Christian church, is unrelated to salvation, and should follow the new birth experience. All believers are entitled to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and therefore should seek this gift from the Father according to the command of our Lord Jesus.
In one of these meetings as He was eating a meal with them, He told them, "Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what He promised. Remember, I have told you about this before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:4-5 But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Acts 1:8
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Communion
Communion is a simple meal, not an elaborate ceremony. It is a reminder of what Christ did on the cross for us. It is a covenant. It is a statement of belief. It is a look back at the cross and a look forward to His return.
The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread. When He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body which is for you; eat it in remembrance of Me." In the same way He took the cup saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; drink it to remember Me." For whenever you eat the bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes back. I Corinthians 11:23-26
Jesus never said in the Bible when or how often believers should observe communion. At Riverside, we observe communion on the first Sunday of each month and our communion services are "open" to everyone. It is the parent's responsibility to determine their child's eligibility. Each person is urged to examine their heart before God, prior to participation.
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The Church - the body of Christ.
The church is the body of Christ, the family of God, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of the great commission. Each believer is an integral part of that church. There are two ordinances of the the church: Water Baptism and Communion. God's purpose for His church is fully revealed in the Bible.
He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: The apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13
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Tithing - Putting God first.
We believe in worshipping the Lord with our tithe, a practice of giving 10% of one's income. In addition, offerings are given over and above the tithe for global evangelism, expansion projects, community ministries, etc. As we honor the Lord with our tithes and offerings, we are blessed of God, the church is made financially sound, the Kingdom of God is advanced, and people are helped around the world. The real issue is proper management of my life in order to enhance the Kingdom of God. We believe that every person should cheerfully worship the Lord with giving in an attitude of faith and obedience. You won't trust God with your life if you can't trust Him with your money.
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in My temple. If you do," says the Lord Almighty, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let Me prove it to you! Malachi 3:10
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Eternity - Forever.
People were created to live forever. It is God's desire that we all spend eternity with Him in heaven. "... He does not want anyone to perish, ..." 2 Peter 3:9 However, God did not want to force this on anyone. He allows each one of us to determine in this life where we will spend the rest of our eternity.
There are only two places of eternal habitation, heaven and hell. If we accept God's plan, His gift of salvation, and pursue a relationship with Him, He will welcome us into an everlasting relationship with Him in heaven. If we reject God and His offer to rescue us from the power of sin, we will be eternally separated from God in hell.
Jesus said, "Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as `Lord,' but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. Matthew 7:21
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Heaven
If you accept God's gift of salvation and pursue a relationship with Him, you will spend eternity with Him in heaven, the ultimate reward! He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever." Revelation 21:4 They will never again be hungry or thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat. For the Lamb who stands in front of the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to the springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe away all their tears." Revelation 7:16,17 Things will be so much better there that we will not even think about life on Earth. "Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth--so wonderful that no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Isaiah 65:17
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Hell
By rejecting God and His plan of salvation, you indicate that you do not wish to be with Him. He will also reject you and you will be permanently separated from Him, excluding you from heaven. Hell is the only option available to those who have rejected God, it is a place of unrelenting regrets. You will spend eternity knowing that you had the opportunity to be with God, but that now you have been rejected forever. Hell was created for the Devil and his demons, not for people. It is God's desire that no one would go to hell. "... He does not want anyone to perish, ..." 2 Peter 3:9
Hell is a place of eternal pain and torment. People will be tormented knowing that they had the opportunity to choose a relationship with God. The Bible describes hell as a place of fiery torment: "...you are in danger of the fires of hell." Matthew 5:22 'where the worm never dies and the fire never goes out.' Mark 9:48 It is a place of darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 22:13
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Love
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. I Corinthians 13:4-7
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Good Works
Most religions require their followers to do good deeds in order to gain entrance to heaven or paradise, or a better reincarnation. They teach that followers must deserve their rewards. People who believe this appear to be motivated by selfishness. They do good deeds only because they are trying to earn something for themselves (heaven, paradise, etc.).
The Bible tells us that it is not possible for us to be good enough to meet God's standard. There is nothing within us than can make us acceptable. We can only depend on Christ's sacrifice for us. Because we can not hope to gain entrance to heaven by doing good works, the only possible motivation we (Christians) can have for doing them is that we actually want to. The love of God within us causes us to want to bless and help others.
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