Our Beliefs

Basic Tenets of our faith

The Kingdom of God: We believe that the kingdom of God is here now and coming in a greater way in the future.  Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God is on the inside of us.  Because of that, we believe we should extend kingdom influence into our culture starting with our own lives.  We believe this influence should move out from our relationship with God in concentric circles of influence.  

Fundamentals of the Faith

1. The Scriptures Inspired

The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man – the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct (2 Timothy 3:15-17; I Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21).  

God, who is Himself Truth and speaks truth only, has inspired Holy Scripture in order thereby to reveal Himself to lost mankind through Jesus Christ as Creator and Lord, Redeemer and Judge. Holy Scripture is God's witness to Himself.

A.  Holy Scripture, being God's own Word, written by men prepared and superintended by His Spirit, is of infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches: it is to be believed, as God's instruction, in all that it affirms; obeyed, as God's command, in all that it requires; embraced, as God's pledge, in all that it promises.

B.  The Holy Spirit, Scripture's divine Author, both authenticates it to us by His inward witness and opens our minds to understand its meaning.

C.  Being wholly and verbally God-given, Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching, no less in what it states about God's acts in creation, about the events of world history, and about its own literary origins under God, than in its witness to God's saving grace in individual lives.

D.  The authority of Scripture is inescapably impaired if this total divine inerrancy is in any way limited or disregarded, or made relative to a view of truth contrary to the Bible's own; and such lapses bring serious loss to both the individual and the Church.

The entire Bible (Old and New Testaments) is the divinely inspired truth delivered by God. The Bible is the ultimate example of how to live one's life of faith.

2. The One True Triune God

The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent “I AM”, the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of mankind. He has further revealed himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10,11; Matthew 28:19).  

God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit, are three distinct persons, existing in a unified form as one body. God is the creator and sustainer of the universe. He is revealed in the Bible. He is eternal, with no beginning and no end. Jesus Christ was the human incarnation of God. He was born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life and died on the cross for the sins of the world. He was resurrected from the dead on the third day and exalted to heaven with God. The Holy Spirit is the essence of God which moves among the people, touching believers here on Earth.

The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Stated differently, God is one in essence and three in person. These definitions express three crucial truths: (1) the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, (2) each Person is fully God, (3) there is only one God. 

3. The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ

The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. The Scriptures declare: (a) His virgin birth (Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:31,35) (b) His sinless life (Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22) (c) His miracles (Acts 2:22; 10:38) (d) His substitutionary work on the cross (1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21) (e) His bodily resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:39; 1 Corinthians 15:4) (f) His exaltation to the right hand of God (Acts 1:9,11; 2:33; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:3)

The Bible directly states that Jesus is God in a number of passages.1 Taken by themselves, these verses provide enough evidence for the church to believe in and teach the deity of Jesus Christ. But the indirect evidence of Scripture is equally compelling.

The names of God are often applied to Jesus. He is called "the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father" and "Immanuel" (meaning "God with us").2 Elsewhere Jesus is called "The Lord (Jehovah) our Righteousness," "God" and "Son of God."3

The Bible ascribes the characteristics of deity to Jesus Christ. He is described as eternal, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent and immutable.4

Jesus Christ is equal with God the Father. He is worshiped as God.5 His name is assigned equal standing with God the Father in the church's baptismal formula and in the apostolic benediction.6

Christ performed works which only God can do. He is creator.7 He is the upholder of all things.8 He forgives sin.9 He will raise the dead and execute judgment.10

Jesus Christ Himself claimed deity. He taught His disciples to pray in His name.11 He claimed that He and the Father were one and that He was the Son of God.12 He claimed that to know Him was to know God, to see Him was to see God, to receive Him was to receive God, to believe Him was to believe in God and to honor Him was to honor God, while to hate Him was to hate God.13

1 John 1:1, 20:28; Romans 9:5; Phil. 2:6; Titus 2:13, Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 5:20. Other passages include John 13:3, 17:5, Colossians 1:15–19, 1 Timothy 3:16, and Hebrews 1:3

2 Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:22–23

3 Jeremiah 23:6; Isaiah 40:3; Hebrews 1:8; 1 Timothy 3:16; John 10:36

4 Eternal (Isaiah 9:6; Micah 5:2; John 1:1–2; 8:58; 17:5; 24; Colossians 1:15, 17; 1 John 1:1; Revelation 1:8); omnipresent (Matthew 18:20; 28:20; John 3:13); omniscient (John 2:24, 25; 16:30; 21:17; Revelation 2:23); omnipotent (Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 3:21; Revelation 1:8; cf. John 5:17; Hebrews 1:3; Matthew 28:18) and immutable (Hebrews 1:10–12; 13:8)

5 John 20:28; Acts 7:59; Hebrews 1:6; cf. Exodus 34:14 and Matthew 4:10

6 Matthew 28:19; cf. Acts 2:38; 2 Corinthians 13:14; cf. 1 Corinthians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2

7 John 1:3, 10; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2,10

8 Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3; cf. Luke 10:22; John 3:35; 17:2; Ephesians 1:22

9 Matthew 9:2–7; cf. Mark 2:7; Luke 7:47, 48; Colossians 3:13

10 John 11:25; cf. John 5:25, 28–29; 6:39, 40, 54; John 5:22

11 John 16:23, 24

12 John 10:30, 36; 14:9; 17:11

13 John 8:18; 14:7; John 12:45; 14:9; Mark 9:37; John 12:44; 14:1; John 5:23; John 15:23

4. The Fall of Man

Man was created good and upright; for God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” However, man by voluntary transgression fell and thereby incurred not only eventual physical death but also immediate spiritual death, which is separation from God (Genesis 1:26,27; 2:17; 3:6; Romans 5:12-19).

5. The Salvation of Man

The only hope of redemption for man is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God. (a) Conditions to Salvation Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God according to the hope of eternal life (Luke 24:47; John 3:3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 2:11; 3:5-7).

(b) The Evidences of Salvation The inward evidence of salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit (Romans 8:16). The outward evidence to all men is a life of righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:24; Titus 2:12).

6. The Ordinances of the Church

   A.  Baptism in Water

The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded in the Scriptures. All who repent and believe on Christ as Saviour and Lord are to be baptized. Thus they declare to the world that they have died with Christ and that they also have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life. (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 10:47,48; Romans 6:4). 

   B.  Holy Communion 

The Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements – bread, and the fruit of the vine – are the symbols expressing our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4); a memorial of His suffering and death (1 Corinthians 11:26); and a prophecy of His second coming (1 Corinthians 11:26); and is enjoined on all believers “till He come!”

7. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit

All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian Church. With it comes the enduement of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4,8; 1 Corinthians 12:131). This experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of the new birth (Acts 8:12-17; 10:4446; 11:14-16; 15:7-9). With the Baptism in the Holy Spirit come such experiences as an overflowing fullness of the Spirit (John 7:37-39; Acts 4:8), a deepened reverence for God (Acts 2:43; Hebrews 12:28), an intensified consecration to God and dedication to His work (Acts 2:42), and a more active love for Christ, for His Word and for the lost (Mark 16:20).  Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit we receive at salvation as a wellspring (John 4:14) but he later spoke of the Holy Spirit at the baptism in the Holy Spirit as a river (John 7:39). 

8. The Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

The baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is witnessed by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance (Acts 2:4). The speaking in tongues in this instance is the same in essence as the gift of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:4-10, 28), but different in purpose and use.  It is for all believers giving the believer a personal prayer language.  It is not the same as the gift of tongues that is accompanied by interpretation in a corporate setting.  

9. Sanctification

Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication unto God (Romans 12: 1,2; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:12). The Scriptures teach a life of “holiness without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). By the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to obey the command, “Be ye holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:5).

Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing his identification with Christ in His death and resurrection, and by faith reckoning daily upon the fact of that union and by offering every faculty continually to the dominion of the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:1-11; 8:1,2,13; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 2:12,13; 1 Peter 1:5)

10. The Church and Its Mission

The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of her great commission. Each believer, born of the Spirit, is an integral part of the Church of the Firstborn, which are written in heaven (Ephesians 1:22,23; Hebrews 12:23).

Since God’s purpose concerning man is to save that which is lost, to be worshiped by man, and to build a body of believers in the image of His Son, the primary reason-for-being a Christian is:

   A.  To be with God in relationship (Mark 3:14a)

   B.  To be an agency of God for evangelizing the world (Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:19,20; Mark 3:14b; 16:15,16).

   C.  To be a corporate body in which man may worship God (1 Corinthians 12:13).

   D.  To be a channel of God’s purpose to build a body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son (Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Corinthians 12:28; 1 Corinthians 14:12).

Jubilee Family Church believes in the New Testament apostolic pattern by teaching and encouraging believers to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. This experience: 

A.  Empowers the saints to evangelize in the power of the Spirit with accompanying supernatural signs (Mark 16:15-20; Acts 4:29-31; Hebrews 2:3,4).

   B.  Adds a necessary dimension to the worshipful relationship with God (1 Corinthians 2:10-16; 1 Corinthians 12:13,14).

   C.  Enables them to respond to the full working of the Holy Spirit in expression of fruit and gifts and ministries as in New Testament times for the edifying of the body of Christ (Galatians 5:22-26; 1 Corinthians 14:12; Ephesians 4:11,12; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Colossians 1:29).

11. The Ministry

A divinely called and scripturally ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for the threefold purpose of leading the Church in: 

   A.  Evangelization of the world (Mark 16:15-20);

   B.  Worship of God (John 4:23,24);

   C.  Building a body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son (Ephesians 4:11-16).

   D.  We believe this takes all 5 of the doma gifts, apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher (Eph 4:11-13).  We believe all five ascension gifts will be in operation in a powerful way before Jesus comes back because he's coming back for a Church that is spotless and without wrinkle (Eph 5:27).  All 5 ministry gifts work together to perfect the saints.  

12. Divine Healing & Deliverance

Divine healing is an integral part of the gospel. Deliverance from sickness and demons is provided for in the atonement, and is the privilege of all believers (Isaiah 53:4,5; Matthew 8:16,17; James 5:14-16).

13. The Blessed Hope

The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation together with those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord is the imminent and blessed hope of the Christian (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Romans 8:23; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 15:51,52).

14. The Millennial Reign of Christ

The second coming of Christ includes the rapture of the saints, which is our blessed hope, followed by the visible return of Christ with His saints to reign on the earth for one thousand years (Zechariah 14:5; Matthew 24:27,30; Revelations 1:7; 19:11-14; 20:1-6). This millennial reign will bring the salvation of national Israel (Ezekiel 37:21,22; Zephaniah 3:19,20; Romans 11:26,27) and the establishment of universal peace (Isaiah 11:6-9; Psalm 72:3-8; Micah 4:3,4).

15. The Final Judgment

There will be a final judgment in which the wicked dead will be raised and judged according to their works. Whosoever is not found in the Book of Life, together with the devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, will be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Matthew 25:46; Mark 9:43-48; Revelations 19:20; 20:11-15; 21:8).

16. The New Heavens and the New Earth

“We, according to His promise, look for the new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13; Revelations 21,22).