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Statement of Faith

 

We are part of a global church planting movement, known as Hope International Ministries (HIM). As a member of this movement, our goal in ministry finds its succinct expression through the following mission statement:

 

"Fulfilling the Great Commission by raising Christ-centered disciples to plant vibrant biblical churches in Auckland, New Zealand and all over the world."


We endeavour to live out this mission statement in accordance to sound biblical doctrine. This is spelled out in our Statement of Faith, as given below:

 

1. The Bible


We believe in every word of the Old and New Testaments as originally given, and that God inspired humans to write it without error. The Bible is the Word of God. It is the absolute truth and, therefore, is the standard of faith as well as the ultimate handbook for every aspect in a believer's life.

 

 

2. God

 

We believe in the one true and eternal God, the Creator of everything. God is One, but exists in Three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Though they are co-equal, co-existent, and co-eternal, they play different roles in human history, working together in creation, revelation, redemption, and the final judgement.

 


3. Jesus Christ

 

We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was supernaturally conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Whilst on earth, He was both perfectly God and perfectly man at the same time, and was without sin. He was crucified on the cross and physically rose from the dead on the third day to fulfil the will of the Father to provide salvation from sin to those who believe in Him. He ascended physically to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. One day in the future, He will come again to establish His kingdom.

 


4. The Holy Spirit

 

We believe that the Holy Spirit is God who convicts people of sin and leads them to repent of their sin and place their faith in Jesus for salvation. He dwells within believers to enable them to lead holy lives and obey God's will.

 

We believe that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the Bible remain in the Church today and should be fully exercised to build up the Body of Christ. The baptism of the Holy Spirit, an experience distinct from repentance and faith in Jesus for salvation, enables Christians to testify of Christ in the power of the Spirit. Speaking in tongues is the normal initial sign of being baptised in the Holy Spirit.

 

In the Christian life, every believer must live in obedience to Christ and be under the covering of the Holy Spirit. Christians should always be filled with the Spirit.

 


5. Angel, Satan and God's Plan


We believe God created angelic beings for His service. They are supernatural, but not divine. The Bible teaches that Satan, together with the many angels that follow him, are evil, supernatural, angelic beings, and that there is a spiritual kingdom on earth under Satan's authority opposed to God and His plan. Satan's kingdom is at war with God's kingdom. The death and resurrection of Jesus on the cross defeated Satan and enables all men and women who put their trust in Jesus to join God's kingdom. The Church has been commissioned to rescue men and women from Satan's kingdom to God's, a task which will conclude when Jesus returns. God will ultimately triumph when Satan's rule is terminated and his kingdom destroyed.

 

 

6. Man

 

We believe that God created man in His likeness and without sin, but they sinned willingly. As a consequence, sin entered the world and all mankind has inherited a sinful nature. Since everyone has fallen short of God's standard because of sin and is subject to God's wrath and condemnation, they all need His salvation, which is made possible through the death of Jesus Christ; otherwise, they will be judged and punished eternally in hell.

 


7. Salvation

 

We believe that we can be saved from God's wrath when we confess and repent from sin and place our trust in Jesus Christ. Salvation is given by the grace of God only on the basis of Jesus' sacrifice for sin when He died on the cross and cannot be achieved by a person's own works. At the point of salvation, an individual becomes a new creation in Christ. Through obedience and faith, a Christian is gradually transformed to become more like Jesus.

 


8. The Church

 

We believe that the church is the community of God's people and is central to God's plan of salvation. Once we become Christians, we are adopted into God's family and become part of the Universal Church, made up of Christians of every age. Local churches are made up of believers who regularly meet together in different localities to worship, listen to the Word of God, fellowship, witness, participate in communion, pray, and have other activities together. We believe that every Christian should be committed to a local church.

 


9. Eternal Judgement

 

We believe that the dead will be raised and everyone will have to give an account before God. All those who have put their faith in God will receive their reward and live eternally with God in heaven. On the Day of Judgement, the remainder will be judged and receive eternal punishment in hell.

 

 

10. Baptism and Communion

 

We believe that all Christians should be water baptised in obedience to Jesus' command and as a public testimony of their commitment to follow Him. Water baptism is the immersion of a person completely in water as a symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Communion is for Christians to remember Jesus by partaking of bread and wine as symbols of the flesh and blood of Jesus and the covenant God has made to bring salvation through faith in Christ. It is practised in obedience to the command of Jesus and can be celebrated as often as believers gather together until Jesus returns.

 


11. Worship

 

We believe that Christians must worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. Worship is acknowledging the worthiness of God and opening our hearts to relate to Him. Worshipping according to biblical patterns allows us to use outward expression to come close to God. Some of these expressions of worship include worshipping with other Christians, using musical instruments, singing, and exercising the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

12. Healing


We believe it is normally God's will for all mankind to be whole and healthy, both physically and spiritually. The Church is vested with the authority of Jesus Christ to bring a ministry of healing in every possible way, that is, both through the power of God and through medical knowledge and expertise, as part of the manifestation of the love of God for all mankind, which God desires to bring through His church.

 
©2011 Hope Church - Auckland, New Zealand