Back to The Blood of Christ, The Fire of the Holy Ghost and The Cross and Discipleship.

Our life in a heavenly calling; The Cross and Discipleship. We preach the life changing message of the Cross of Christ. We preach that we take up our own daily cross of discipleship. We preach that it is His ministry and His inheritance that He desires to have in us. We preach the age old gospel message, with the preaching of the word of God central and the most important thing in our service.

Yes, we preach the life changing message of the Cross of Christ, a message of conviction, a message that convicts men and women of their sin and the need of repentance for those sins and to gain freedom from them. That freedom only comes through Jesus Christ.

This is the only thing that can change men and women from a life of sin and bring them to true repentance. The Lord can forgive every sin and pardon all uncleanness. His precious blood that was shed on Calvary's hill has paid for our sin if we accept Christ Jesus as Lord of our life and ask Him to come in to our heart.

There is a heaven to gain and a hell to avoid. Today the nations and their peoples are going to hell in a hurry. They don't want to know the age old message of the blood of Christ and the true Salvation which comes through Him.

A Short Statement of Faith

We believe in the plenary-verbal inspiration of the accepted canon of the Scriptures as originally given.

We believe in the Eternal Triune God

We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His personal return in power and glory.

We believe that for the salvation of the lost and sinful man, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling, fullness can bring entire sanctification and the Christian is enabled to live a godly life in holiness bearing the fruit of the Spirit, and by whose baptism can bring the baptism into the Holy Spirit through which the Christian is able to experience the Power of God by manifesting the gifts of the Spirit. Both of these ministries of the Holy Spirit are separate and distinct experiences subsequent to salvation, providing for life and service.

We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved into the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.

We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe in the creation, test and fall of man as recorded in Genesis; his total spiritual depravity and inability to attain divine righteousness apart from God

We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of men, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, very God and very man.

We believe Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day and personally appeared to His disciples.

We believe in the necessity of water baptism by immersion.

We believe in the Table of the Lord, commonly called communion or the Lord's Supper, for believers.

We believe in the obligatory nature of tithes and offerings.

We believe in the reality and personality of Satan and the eternal judgment of Satan and his angels.

The Twenty One Beliefs of The Wesleyan Methodist Church

Click on to the Titles itemized below:

1. The Four Aspects of Baptism The Expanded Twelve Church Doctrines

2. Membership and Attendance

3. Christ died for Our Sins

4. The Importance of the Gospel

5. The Importance of the Blood

6. The Penalty of Hell

7. The Reality of Hell

8. The Purpose of Hell

9. The Sinfulness of Mankind

10. Bringing Forth Works meet for Repentance

11. True and False Repentance

12. Deceptive Doctrines that are not Scriptural

13. Entire Sanctification Questions and Answers

14. The Theology of Holiness

15. The Offices of the Holy Spirit

16. The Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit

17. The Scriptural Reality of Divine Healing

18. The Law and Grace

19. Unforgiveness

20. Deception

21. The Necessity of Biblical Hierarchy or Episcopal Authority in Leadership

 

Click for: New Testament Scriptures on Holiness

Click for: The Holiness of God and Our Holiness

Click for: Judging Leaders, False Accusers, Slander and Gossip.

______________________________________________________________________

General Beliefs in wider Wesleyan Methodism and Classical Pentecostalism, which proves their similarity:

Wesleyan Methodism and Classical Pentecostalism believe that one must be saved by believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior for the forgiveness of sins and to be made acceptable to God. Independent Methodism and Classical Pentecostalism also typically believe, like most other evangelicals, that the Bible has definitive authority in matters of faith.

Wesleyan Methodism and Classical Pentecostalism are descended from the Episcopal Church, Methodism and the Methodist Holiness Movement, Wesleyan Methodism and Classical Pentecostalism soteriology is generally Arminian rather than Calvinist, believing that the ability to believe in Jesus is a power of the human free will.

This is in fact one of the distinctions that separates Pentecostal traditions from those of the Second Wave Charismatic and Evangelical churches which tend toward a Calvinistic soteriology. One of the main points of division is the definition of eternal security which is thoroughly Calvinist in the later Evangelical denominations and follows the Arminian tract in Pentecostal churches and denominations. This is most clearly illustrated by the belief held in Pentecostal groups that crediting the charismatic gifts and expressions to demonic or carnal motives and spirits qualifies as an unpardonable sin (Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, Matt. 12:32). In Charismatic and Evangelical churches, this view is marginalized or replaced with the belief that refusing to convert to Christianity before death is the only unpardonable sin.

Wesleyan Methodism and Classical Pentecostalism believe in water baptism as an outward sign of conversion and that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a distinct spiritual experience that all who have believed in Jesus should receive. Most Independent Methodism and Classical Pentecostalism believe that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is always accompanied initially by the outward evidence of speaking in tongues. It is considered a liberalizing tendency to teach contrary to this historic position. This is another major difference between Wesleyan or Independent Methodism/Classical Pentecostalism and Charismatic Christians, who believe that a Christian baptized in the Holy Spirit may exhibit certain supernatural signs, including speaking in tongues, "being slain in the spirit" (where people fall to the ground as if asleep or in convulsions), prophecy (i.e. a vision or a word of God, spoken or felt in the spirit), miraculous healings, miraculous signs, etc.

Wesleyan or Independent Methodism and Classical Pentecostalism reject any connection between personal salvation or conversion and the baptism in the Holy Spirit and teach that it is not necessary for salvation, but a gift from God available to all Christians regardless of denominational affiliation. Traditional Protestants believe that one is baptized with or in the Holy Spirit upon regeneration, the work of the Holy Spirit that enables faith and belief in the unbelieving heart. Wesleyan or Independent Methodism and Classical Pentecostalism would not deny that regeneration is an activity of the Holy Spirit or that it results in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer. Instead they distinguish this indwelling from a subsequent, more intense relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Protestants most often reject such concepts as a "second grace" though not rejecting the idea of periodic or even weekly renewal through repentance and the ordinances of the church. Wesleyan or Independent Methodism and Classical Pentecostalism, unlike their Charismatic or evangelical counterparts, hold a peculiar form of sacredotalism which is similar to the Lutheran view of 'Consubstantiation'. For this reason many will not use the term Sacrament, preferring the term sacerdotal function or ordinance. This belief invests the efficacy of the ordinance in the obedience and participation of the believer and the witness of the celebrant and the congregation. This view stems from a highly developed concept of the priesthood of the individual believer. The activity of the ordinance takes on a sacredotal rather than sacremental role in that it is a sacrificial act offered by the believer on his or her own behalf, rather than a ritual which has an inherent power of its own.

Theology

Theologically, most Wesleyan or Independent Methodist and Classical Pentecostal denominations are aligned with Evangelicalism in that they emphasize the reliability of the Bible and the need for the transformation of an individual's life with faith in Jesus. Wesleyan or Independent Methodism and Classical Pentecostalism also adhere to the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy. Independent Methodism and Classical Pentecostalism differ from fundamentalists by placing less emphasis on personal spiritual experience and more emphasis on the Holy Spirit's work within a person than other Protestants.

One of the most prominent distinguishing characteristics of Wesleyan or Independent Methodism and Classical Pentecostalism from Evangelicalism is its emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit. Most Independent Methodism and Classical Pentecostalism believe that everyone who is genuinely saved has the Holy Spirit with them. But unlike most other Christians they believe that there is a second work of the Holy Spirit called the baptism of the Holy Spirit, in which the Holy Spirit dwells more fully in them, and which opens a believer up to a closer fellowship with God and empowers them for Christian service. Some Independent Methodism and Classical Pentecostalism have modified the view teaching that Spirit baptism is not considered a second chronological work of grace, but a second aspect of the Holy Spirit's ministry. His first ministry is to save and sanctify us by working in us; His second ministry is to empower us for service by working through us through Sanctification. Other Pentecostals believe that Holy Spirit baptism is the actual event of the Holy Spirit taking up residence in the believer's heart rather than a "fuller dwelling" or "second filling". Most Pentecostals cite speaking in tongues, also known as glossolalia, as the normative proof and initial evidence of Holy Spirit baptism. Some Pentecostals have adopted a more liberal view claiming that there are other evidences of Holy Spirit baptism. The doctrine of tongues as the initial evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit is uniquely Pentecostal and is one of the few differences from Charismatic theology which generally claims diverse evidences.

Some ministers and members admit that a believer might be able to speak in tongues, but for various personal reasons (such as a lack of understanding, lack of knowledge on the subject, fear of speaking in tongues, ...) might not. In these cases however, a demonstrated tendency toward a supernatural power, love and the gifts of the Spirit, as well as other signs (increase in the evangelistic capacity, overcoming of personal issues that was impossible before, ...), would indicate that the believer has been baptized in the Spirit. This would be the only case where a believer would be filled with the Holy Spirit, but not exhibit the so-called "initial physical evidence" of speaking in tongues. This, however, would be a minority perspective.

Wesleyan or Independent Methodism and Classical Pentecostalism believe it is essential to repent for the remission of sins and believe in Jesus as Savior in order to obtain salvation. Many believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is an additional gift that is bestowed on believers, generally subsequent to an intermediary step termed sanctification (It is to be observed that this view about sanctification is becoming less prominent) Sanctification refers to a work of grace wherein the effect of past sins are ameliorated and the natural tendency toward a sinful nature is likewise set aside through the working of the Holy Spirit. Other Pentecostals believe that Holy Spirit Baptism is a necessary step in God's plan of salvation citing Peter's answer to the crowd on the Day of Pentecost. The crowd asked Peter what they must do to be saved, and Peter told them to repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and that they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:37-8).

Pentecostals vary in their beliefs of the types of speaking in tongues (1 Cor. 12:28). Following are some possible distinctions. First, there is the initial evidence at the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is when a believer speaks in tongues when they are baptized by the Spirit. This may be the only time an individual ever speaks in tongues - it is not necessarily a repeated experience. Secondly, there is the gift of tongues. This is when a person is moved by God to speak in tongues during a church service or other Christian gathering for everyone to hear. The gift of tongues must be exercised with a person who has the gift of "interpretation of tongues" present, whether that be another person or the one who gives the tongue. The interpreter will interpret the tongue into the language of the gathered Christians so that they can understand the message (1 Cor. 14:13, 27-28). Thirdly, there is tongues as a private prayer and worship language.

In regards to Pentecostal beliefs, church history argues against the idea that charismatic gifts went away shortly after the apostolic age. The early church father Irenaeus (ca. 130-202) as writing, "...we hear many of the brethren in the church who have prophetic gifts, and who speak in tongues through the Spirit, and who also bring to light the secret things of men for their benefit [word of knowledge]...". Irenaeus writes, "When God saw it necessary, and the church prayed and fasted much, they did miraculous things, even of bringing back the spirit to a dead man." Tertullian (ca. 155–230) reported similar incidents, as did Origen (ca. 182 - 251), Eusebius (ca. 275 – 339), Firmilian (ca. 232-269), and Chrysostom (ca. 347 - 407).

 

About Joining Click here!