We believe.
“In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, in all things love.”
Lakeside Christian Church believes the following beliefs are necessary to call one a Christian:
1 // The Bible, consisting of the 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament, is inspired by God and inerrant as originally written. Therefore it is the complete, necessary, and sufficient basis of our faith.
2 // God is the creator of the universe.
3 // There is one God in three persons, also known as the trinity. We know the three parts as the Father, the Son or Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
4 // Jesus Christ is the only son of God. He is fully God and was also fully man. He was born of the virgin Mary. Christ was crucified, died, and was buried. On the 3rd day he rose to life again. He ascended into heaven and now sits at God’s right hand where he intercedes on our behalf.
5 // We believe in THE HOLY SPIRIT: Who is the third person of the Trinity; that He convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment; that He regenerates, indwells, seals, distributes gifts and anoints all who become children of God through Christ. All believers are baptized by the Holy Spirit at salvation. He further empowers, guides, teaches, sanctifies and fills believers who surrender to Him.
6 // All people are by nature and choice sinful and deserving of eternal punishment. In his death Christ took our punishment for sin so that we could be forgiven.
7 // Salvation is by faith alone in the work of Jesus Christ, without any work required to neither obtain nor preserve it. Salvation is the gift of God based on His grace, not our virtue or merit. It is available to all.
Lakeside Christian Church stands firmly on the following beliefs although we recognize that not all Christians agree:
1 // The universe was created by God out of nothing. We believe that man was the direct creation of God.
2 // Christ’s return is imminent. We do not know the day or the hour. His return will be personal and visible. Upon His initial return, He will remove from earth the saved, both living and dead. After a time of judgment, He will return and establish His literal kingdom on earth for 1,000 years.
3 // In the end, all people will be judged. Those who have believed upon Christ while they were still living–and thus received forgiveness for their sins–will live forever with the Lord. Those who have chosen to not believe will receive the punishment themselves and will be thrown eternally into the lake of fire (Hell).
4 // There are two ordinances recognized by this church. These are baptism and the Lord’s Supper (communion). Neither is a sacrament and both are purely representational. Baptism by immersion takes place after salvation and symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Its purpose is to publically proclaim one’s salvation. Communion is the partaking of bread and wine (or other drink) by believers as a continuing reminder of the broken body and shed blood of Christ.
5 // The local church is made up of these believers who, after being born again by the Holy Spirit were also, by the Holy Spirit, placed into Christ’s body, the Church. Here, in this relationship with Christ, the believer (henceforth called “the Christian”) is in perfect standing before God. The purpose of the local church is to facilitate the Spirit’s ministry in the building up of believers.
6 // Satan is real. He is active on the earth. He was originally created by God full of wisdom, perfect in beauty, and a powerful being. He rebelled against God, thus becoming the great adversary of God and the human race.
7 // We believe in the priesthood of all believers: that Christ is our eternal Great High Priest and through Him every Christian has direct access to God without the need of a human priest.
8 // Those who are Christians should live righteously and exhibit Godly works. This is not as a means or even confirmation of salvation, but rather as evidence of a proper relationship with Christ.
9 // We believe in the institution of marriage as comprised of one man and one woman for as long as they live.
10 // We believe that marriage is a covenant relationship between a husband, wife and God. Divorce is permissible in cases of sexual infidelity or abandonment. Remarriage is permissible for divorced persons who have maintained their covenant and were divorced on account of sexual infidelity on the part of their spouse. Caveat: Separation is a prudent course of action and is advised when the safety and security of a spouse and/or children are at risk.
11 // We believe that sex is a gift from God and intended to be enjoyed solely within the marriage relationship.
These statements of faith are found in detail in the Lakeside Covenant, Constitution and By-Laws and are available upon request at office@lakesidechristian.net. Be sure to include your complete mailing address.
Vince Armfield
with Elders