Heartland Worship Center

"What We Believe
1. OF THE SCRIPTURES. We believe that the Holy Bible as originally written was verbally inspired and the product of Spirit-controlled men, and therefore has truth without an admixture of error for its matter. We believe the Bible to be the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions shall be tried. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; (2 Pet. 1:19-21)
2. OF THE TRUE GOD. We believe that there is one and only one, living true God, an infinite and intelligent Spirit, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love; that in the unity of the God-head there are three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. Ex. 20:2-3; 1 Cor. 8:6; Rev. 4:11; 1 John 5:7.
3. OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person; equal to God the Father, God the Son, of the same nature that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world, He restrains the evil one until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of righteousness, of the judgment; that He bears witness of the truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the agent in the New Birth that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer. John 14:16-17; Matt. 28:10; Heb. 9:14; Luke 1:35; Gen. 1:1-3; John 16:8-11; Acts 5:30-32; John 3:5-6; Eph. 1:13-14; Mark 1:8; John 1:33; Acts 11:16; Luke 24:49; Rom. 8:14, 16:26-27; John 15:26-27; Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16; John 16:13; John 14:26; Rom. 8:16; 2 Thes. 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2; Rom. 8:26-27.
4. OF THE DEVIL OR SATAN. We believe in the personality of Satan, that he is the unholy god of this age, and the author of all the power of darkness, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire. Matt. 4:1-3; 2 Cor. 4:3-4; Rev. 20:10.
5. OF THE CREATION. We accept the Genesis account of creation and believe that man came by direct creation of God and not evolution. Gen. 1 & 2; Col. 1:16-17; John 1:3; Psa. 33:6-9.
6. OF THE FALL OF MAN. We believe that man was created in innocence under the law of his maker, by voluntary transgression fell from his sinless and happy state, in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not only in constrain, but of choice; and therefore, under just condemnation without defense of excuse. Gen. 3:1-6; Gen. 3:24; Rom. 5:19; Rom. 5:10-19; Rom. 1:18; Rom. 1:32.
7. OF THE VIRGIN BIRTH. We believe that Jesus was begotten of the Holy Ghost in a miraculous manner; born of Mary, a virgin, as no man was ever born or can be born of woman, and that He is both the Son of God, and God the Son. Gen. 3:15; Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:35; John 1:14.
8. OF THE ATONEMENT FOR SIN. We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace; through the mediatory offices of the Son of God, Who by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him our nature, yet without sin; honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death made a full payment in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the Just dying for the unjust, Christ the Lord, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; that having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in heaven, and uniting in His wonderful person the most tender sympathies with divine perfection, His is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Savior. Eph. 2:8; Acts 15:11; Rom. 3:24; John 3:16; Matt. 18:11; Phil. 2:7; Heb. 2:14; Isa. 15:4-7; Rom. 3:25; 1 John 4:10; 1 Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor. 5:21.
9. OF GRACE IN THE NEW CREATION. We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and in sins is made a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God; that the new creation is brought about in a manner above our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with Divine Truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the Gospel; that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance and faith and newness of life. John 3:3-7; 2 Cor. 5:17; 1 John 5:1; John 3:8; Acts 16:30; 2 Pet. 1:4; Rom 6:23; Eph. 2:1; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Col. 2:13; Luke 5:27.
10. OF JUSTIFICATION. We believe that the great Gospel blessing which Christ secures to such as believe in Him is justification; (a) The justification includes the pardon of sin, and the gift of eternal life on principles of righteousness; (b) That it is bestowed not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done; but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood. His righteousness is imputed unto us. Acts 13:39; Isa. 53:11; Zach; 13:1; Rom. 8:1; Rom. 5:9; Rom. 5:1.
11. OF FAITH AND SALVATION. We believe that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation. Acts 16:30-31.
12. OF THE LOCAL CHURCH. We believe that a local church is a congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His Word; that its officers, pastors, and deacons whose qualifications, claims and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures; we believe that the true mission of the church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have the opportunity. We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government, free from the inherent of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; and that the one and only Head of the church is Christ, through the Holy Spirit; that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel; that each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation; on all matters of membership, of policy of government, of discipline, of benevolence; the will of the local church is final. Acts. 2:41-42; I Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; Eph. 4:11; Acts 20:17-28; 1 Tim. 3:17; Col. 1:18; Eph. 5:23-24; Acts 15:13-18.
13. ON BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem in the crucified, buried, and the risen Savior, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; that it is a pre-requisite to the privileges of a church relation. We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes, and should be preceded always by self-examination. Acts 8:36-39; John 3:23; Rom. 6:3-5; Matt. 3:16; Col. 2:12; 1 Cor. 11:23-28.
14. OF THE SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER. We believe that all who are truly born again are kept by God the Father for Jesus Christ. Phil. 1-6; John 10:28-29; Rom. 8:35-39; Jude 1; 1 Pet. 1-5.
15. OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND THE WICKED. We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that such only as through faith, one is justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and sanctified by the Spirit of our Lord, are truly righteous in His esteem; while all such as continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked, and under the curse, and this distinction holds among men both in and after death, in the everlasting felicity of the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost. Mal. 3:18; Gen. 18:23; Rom. 6:17; 1 John 5:19; Rom. 7:6; Rom. 6:23; Prov. 14:32; Luke 6:25; Matt. 25:24-41; John 8:21.
16 OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT. We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed; except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the coming Prince of the King of the earth. Rom. 13:1-7; 2 Sam. 23:3; Ex. 18:21-22; Acts 23:5; Matt. 22:21; Acts 5:20; Acts 4:19029. Dan. 3:18.
17. OF THE RESURRECTION, PERSONAL, VISIBLE, PREMILLENNIAL, PRETRIBULATION RETURN OF CHRIST-RELATED EVENTS. (a) The Bodily Resurrection of Christ: Matt. 28:5-7, Mark 16:5-6, Luke 24:1-6, Luke 24:39, John 20:27, I Cor. 15:4; (b) The Ascension of Christ from earth to the throne in heaven: Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51, Acts 1:9-11, (Heb. 12:2 & Rev. 3:21?); (c) The High Priesthood of Christ: Heb. 8:2:17, Heb. 5:9-10, Heb. 8:6, I Tim. 2:5, I John 2:1; (d) The Pre-tribulation Rapture of the Church: I Thes. 4:13-18, I Cor. 15:42-44, I Cor. 15:51-52; (e) The Change of the Living in Christ at the Rapture: I Cor. 15:51-53, I Thes. 4:14-18, Phil. 3:20-21; (f) The Pre-millennial Second Coming of Christ: Matt. 24:29-30, John 14:1-3, Acts 1:11, Heb. 9:28, James 5:7-8, Rev. 19:11-16; (g) Christ Sitting on the Throne of David: Luke 1:32, Isa. 9:6-7, Acts 3:29-30; (h) The Millennial Reign of Christ on Earth: Isa. 32:1, Isa. 11:1-9, I Cor. 15:25, Rev. 20:1-6 .
18. OF PRAYER. We believe that prayer is the believers’ communion with God and includes such elements as adoration, praise, thanksgiving, intercession, pleading, petition and waiting upon God; that true prayer, in faith believing, is heard and answered by God when the believer prays in the Spirit and according to His will; that it is not only a blessed privilege, but a positive command of God for us, “…always to pray and not to faint.” We believe that if we regard iniquity in our heart, the Lord will not hear and answer our prayer. Rev. 3:20; Ex. 25:22; Jer. 29:13; Rom. 8:26-27; Jude 20:1; 2 Chro. 16.11; Luke 18:1; Luke 11:13; 1 Thes. 4:2-3; 1 Thes. 5:17; Isa. 59:1-2; Psa. 66:18; Prov. 28:8-9.
19. OF MISSIONS. We believe that the Great Commission to evangelize the world was given to the church by our Risen Lord and that this evangelization is the great mission of the church. Matt. 28:19-20; Rom 1:14-16; Isa. 6:8; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8.
20. OF SEPARATION OF THE WORLD. We believe that all the saved are called into a life of separation from all worldly and sinful practices. James 5:4; Rom. 12:2; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 Cor. 6:14-18.
21. OF SANCTIFICATION. We believe that sanctification is the process by which, according to the will of God, we are made partakers of His holiness; that it is a progressive work that is begun in regeneration; that it is carried on in the hearts of the believers by the presence of the Holy Spirit, in the faithful use of the appointed means, especially the Word of God, prayer, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness, and in the practice of all godly exercise and duties. The sanctification of the believer will be complete at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then, and then only will we have entire sanctification or be sanctified wholly in body, soul, and spirit. 1 Thes. 4:1-10; 1 Thes. 5:23; 1 Cor. 6:11; Phil. 1:5-6; 2 Pet. 3:18; 2 Cor. 3:18; 2 Pet. 1:3-12; John 17:17; 2 Thes. 2:13; 2 Cor. 7:1; Rev. 14:5; Heb. 12:14-23.
22. OF THE SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE AND SPEAKING IN TONGUES. We believe that when a person is born again, he receives the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Whatever God intends for us to have from the Holy Spirit we receive at the time of conversion. We are guided by the inerrant, infallible Word of God as given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We look to the Holy Spirit for discernment in the proper interpretation and application of Scripture. We believe that in the New Testament era, the speaking of tongues was the ability of a person, like Peter, to speak God’s message and people with many diverse dialects all understanding that message in their own language at the same time. We do not practice speaking in tongues as a part of our public, corporate worship. We realize that some people believe that from Paul’s teaching (1 Cor. 14), there is a special prayer language, and we respect the right of any person to practice whatever they choose in the private devotional life; however, such should be confined to the private and personal devotion time and not be reflected in public, corporate worship at Heartland Worship Center. Acts 1:8; Eph. 5:18; Luke 11:13; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 3:19; John 4:14; John 7:37-39; 2 Peter 1:4-11; Gal. 5:22-24."