

STATEMENT OF FAITH: .We believe that the Bible is God's Word. It is Divinely inspired, infallible, without errors, authoritative and is completely practical to navigate thru life's storms. .We believe that there is one God eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are "one" but not the same i.e. one in unity, purpose and direction. .We believe in the deity of Jesus i.e. He is God. We believe in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and redemptive death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father and in His personal return in power and glory. In short, He's everything to us. (Know Jesus, know peace) .We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is biblically essential. Jesus died for all mankind and any can receive the free gift. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) "Believe" means to surrender then give your life to Jesus, repent, follow Him and don't look back. Jesus said, "No one can come to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6) We believe that. We believe that Calvinism is an erroneous teaching that says that God has "pre-decided" who He is and isn't going to save. (It's a very short list) It is, however, in direct opposition to what the Bible teaches of God "desires all men to be saved,"* (I Tim.2:4) Jesus died for "the whole world", (I John 2:2) and "not willing that any should perish." (II Peter 3:9) Yes, we believe that we have been 'predestined' but it is predestined to be conformed to "the image of His Son". (Romans 8:29)* God is not limited to time, therefore He knew before the world began, who would be saved. (Most Calvinists we've met, lean towards legalism and sectarianism) We believe that Arminianism--although not as cruel or void of compassion as Calvinism--is equally an erroneous teaching. It states that one can get saved without the Holy Spirit's conviction. By exercising free will and at a time of your own choosing, this teaching intimates that you're in charge of your own salvation. The Bible teaches, however, that no one gets saved without the Spirit and while we all have free will, free will alone, can't save you. It's by grace we have been saved (a gift from God) and is only by what Jesus did on the cross, that secures it. .We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling and empowerment, the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life and through whom the Spiritual gifts are operational in the Church today. .We believe that God has provided--to desiring believers--an enduement of Spiritual power for the evangelization of the lost. .We believe that we should follow Jesus because He saved us, not because of our "perks." Yes, He does bless financially and we thank Him for that. Yet there are times of challenge, as well. Paul said, in essence whether we're up or down: We follow Him. We can do all things with Him. (Phil. 4:12-13) Our mentor, Derek Van der Merwe has said many times: 'God is more interested in our character than our comfort.' The 30, 60, 100 fold return Jesus talked about is the Word of God sown in people's heart, not a multi-level, get rich quick lottery. Be a cheerful giver with pure intentions because He likes that. You'll reap what you sow. .We believe that you cannot 'hate' anyone as a Christian. If a church separates or divides over race, they are in direct opposition to the Lord and are out of God's will, if they continue. .We believe in the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman. It is the God-ordained template for family and society. The sexual union between husband and wife is holy. It is designed by our Creator for children, mutual pleasure & satisfaction, as well as, moral safety. ( I Corinthians 7) .We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost. Those that are saved unto the resurrection of life. Those that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation. .We believe in the Spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. In essentials: Unity. In non-essentials: Freedom. In all things: Love. UP FRONT Ministries is a pro-life and pro-family (husband, wife, kids) ministry. As you study, a word of encouragement about sound doctrine and a caution regarding deception in the church: While the Internet can be an amazing tool for information, you need to be careful and discerning about what you feed on. For example, on the good side, www.Jesus.org is a healthy site. (it rolls over to www.christianity.com) We recommend this site for good, solid teachings. There are, however, a number of false ministry sites like www.Jesus.com that will try and mislead you. (Anyone can call themselves, 'Christian,' 'Child of God', or 'Minister' but remember Jesus talked a lot about "wolves in sheep's clothing." Besides, anyone can purchase a web domain name.) Many sites, some associated with the Gospel of inclusion--another false teaching that states everyone is saved no matter what you do or how you live--will try and mislead you with flowery language like "affirming," "welcoming," and "embracing" regarding alternative, forbidden lifestyles. (We are to love the sinner--as Jesus told us to--but we are to speak the truth in love against the sin, as we're also instructed to do. The Lord will most certainly affirm, welcome and embrace anyone....when they surrender to Him, that is, their life...and all that it involves. However, to follow Jesus, they must yield to Him and His Word) These liberal sites are misleading and Biblically unsound. Many of these sites are anti-marriage i.e. anti-husband and wife, with an "agenda." (There's definitely an assault on marriage today) It is deception, "in the church." Satan is tricky and extremely clever, so be careful what you listen to. Remember there are tares next to the wheat. In His own words: (John 14:6) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (there's no ambiguity there) Jesus is God and He's always right. Jesus also said: (Mark 10:6) “From the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.” (that's the God-ordained template of marriage) We encourage you to read the New Testament yourself to be familiar with winds of doctrine that deceive, entice and play off your emotions, rather than praying to, and reasoning with, the Lord. But remember this: God loves everyone equally and desires them all to obtain salvation, so don't repel those He's trying to reach. Again, it's the goodness of God that leads people to repent, not His wrath. Finally this...an admonition to any Christian: Proverbs 6:16-19 (New King James Version) "These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him":* 1· A proud look, 2· A lying tongue, 3· Hands that shed innocent blood, 4· A heart that devises wicked plans, 5· Feet that are swift in running to evil, 6· A false witness who speaks lies, 7· And one who sows discord among brethren.