CHURCH BASICS OF FAITH

• We have the Bible as our sole authority for matters of faith and practice. We believe both the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God and a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. (2 Timothy 3:16 & Psalm 119:105) We plead for unity of all God's people on the basics of New Testament teaching, as found in God's Word.
  
  
  1. We believe in God the Father who created the universe. God wants a personal relationship with us, and will hear and answer our prayers. (Genesis 1:1, Matthew 6:9)
  2. We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the only Son of the living God, and our Savior.(Matthew 16:16, John 20:31) Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life and performed many miracles before thousands of eyewitnesses. He was crucified as a sacrifice for our sins and was bodily raised on the third day. Until He comes again, He sits at the right hand of God where he rules over His Church and intercedes for God's children. (Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 4:14-15; I Peter 2:21-24; I Corinthians 15:3-5; John 14:1-6; Romans 8:31-34; Luke 1:26-35; Ephesians 1:18-23, 5:23; Acts 1:9-11)
  3. We believe in the Holy Spirit who reveals truth and opens the heart that leads to conversion and that He works through the life of a person following that conversion to bear fruits that honor God. (I Corinthians 2:14-16, Acts 2:38, Romans 8:26-27, Galatians 5:22)
  4. We believe the Biblical record that sin entered the world thru Adam and Eve; and that the Scripture defines what sin is, and it warns us of sins consequences. (Genesis 3, Exodus 20:1-17, I John 3:4)
  5. We believe in the future punishment of the wicked and the future reward of the righteous. (Revelation 19:20, John 16:1-6) 6. We believe all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
  6. We believe the wages of sin lead to death but eternal life is possible through Jesus. (Romans 5:8)
  7. We believe we are saved by God's grace, thru faith in Christ and His redemptive work, and are created in Christ Jesus (with our repentance of sin, confession of Jesus, and baptism into Christ by immersion) according to the New Testament Pattern established by Christ and the apostles. Once we are saved, we are expected to do good works in His name. (Ephesians 2:8-10, Acts 2:22-41)
  8. We believe The Church is the body of Christ on earth, empowered by the Holy Spirit and exists to evangelize the lost and edify the saved. (Ephesians 4:1-16) 10. We believe that Jesus Christ will one day return to earth and reign forever as King of kings and Lord of lords. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
  
  
  
• We follow the New Testament plan of salvation. We preach Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the son of the Living God, who died for our sins and has risen from the grave. (Acts 2:22-24, 31-33, 36) When a person asks "what do I do"? We repeat Jesus' instructions as found in the Great Commission texts and what the apostles' practiced in the New Testament. After presenting the message of God's grace and hearing the good news of Christ's atonement, the New Testament leaders instructed people to accept God's grace, believe, repent of sin, confess Jesus as Lord, and be baptized (by immersion) for the remission of sin. (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-16, Acts 2:36-38) Such a person can have assurance that they are "saved" from their sin, are part of the Family of God, and have the promised eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!
  
  
• We seek to worship God in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24) Our corporate worship consists of the teaching of the apostle's doctrine, breaking of bread (Lord's Supper), praying, the singing of hymns and songs, receiving of tithes/offerings, and fellowship. (Acts 2:42, Ephesians 5:19, 1 Corinthians 16:2)
  
  
• We observe the institution of the Lord's Supper on the Lord's Day. We say it is the Lord's Supper for all the Lord's children. (Acts 20:7)
  
  
• Our church members are anyone who has submitted to the New Testament plan of salvation. A "saved" person is added to the church membership upon their baptism into Christ by immersion. (Acts 2:41) When a new person comes to worship with us from another church heritage, and inquires about church membership, we teach from His Word and ask that they submit to the New Testament plan of salvation. Anyone who has submitted to the New Testament plan of salvation, may "place or transfer their church membership" to RVCC, but will be asked to signify that they have been "saved" by willingly and publicly confessing Jesus as Christ and Lord before our church family.
  
  
• We call ourselves Christians, but contend that we are "Christians only, but not the only Christians." (Acts 11:26)
  
  
• We are an independent church, in that we are not governed by an outside denominational structure. We will elect our own leaders and they direct the affairs of the church under the leadership of the Holy Spirit in accordance with His Word. (II Timothy 4:1-5, I Timothy 4:1-16, I Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-16)
  
  
• We have an intentional purpose to fulfill the task given to the church in the New Testament Scriptures:
  
  1. To exalt God in worship…together as many families and daily in our homes. (Acts 2:42-47, John 4:23-24)
  2. To evangelize the lost by attracting them to Jesus…thru worship, witness, and the word of God! (Mark 16:15-16, Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 24:27, Acts 1:8)
  3. To educate all God's people by teaching them how to develop a personal daily relationship with God, using God's word and prayer. (Matthew 28:18-20, I Timothy 2:1-4, II Timothy 3:14-17, 4:1-5)
  4. To equip every member for service in Christ's name that they may be a force for good in the world in which they live. (Matthew 28:18-20, Ephesians 2:8-10)
  5. To encourage all God's people to be faithful to God until death! (Revelations 2:10, Hebrews 10:25)
  6. To excel in life for that is the will of God in Christ Jesus! (John 10:10, Ephesians 3:20-21) "We exist to love God and to love people." River Valley Christian Church is here to exalt, to evangelize, to educate, to equip, to encourage and to excel in all we do in the name of Christ as a Church family so that we will glorify God.