Great Church Lodi Core Beliefs.
The Bible
We believe the Bible is God’s inspired Word and reveals His eternal plan and will for all humanity as recorded by holy men of old who received, spoke, and wrote as the Holy Spirit moved them. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
The Scriptures
We believe God is the only eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present Creator. Who is preeminent over all things seen and unseen, visible and invisible, tangible and intangible. He is the supreme Creator, Ruler, and governor of the universe, natural, spiritual, Heaven, and earth. We believe He is the One God, yet reveals Himself triune, God, the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 1:1-4, John 1:1-5, Colossians 1:12-20
Jesus Christ
We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He is the only begotten son of the Father (the One True God.) He is the anointed Messiah and the Savior of the whole world, as foretold and declared in the Holy Scriptures. We believe He was and is the fulfillment prophecy of prophets who prophesied of His birth; His coming. He became the eternal sacrifice for the sins of all humanity! We believe He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was crucified (died) on the cross, was buried in a tomb, but resurrected on the third day. We believe that because of His life and sacrifice, humanity is forgiven and can receive abundant life here and eternal life in the life to come.
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the infilling and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. As born-again believers (children of God), we are spiritually enabled, released, and empowered to witness His love, grace, and healing power through various special gifts freely given to us to improve the body of Christ.
Mark 1:8, Luke 1:35, John 14:26, Acts 1:8
Man
We believe Mankind was created in and after the image and likeness of God the Creator out of His deep desire for loving fellowship and purpose. We believe God created humanity, male and female, after the predetermined counsels of His own will to carry out His unique plan and purpose for the earth.
Sin
We believe that humanity’s sinful nature came as the direct result of the transgression of the first man Adam, and as a result, sin, sickness, and disease came into the world, but that Jesus died to be the remedy of it all. We believe that through Jesus Christ, we are saved, and sin no longer has power over us.
Born Again
We believe that Salvation (being spiritually reborn) and having eternal life was and is adequately provided for through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, and the price is paid. We believe that through Jesus Christ’s life, death, burial, and resurrection, our sins have been paid for in full and that our eternal safety is received and secured when one believes, trusts in, and relies on what He did for the world through His sacrifice. We believe that it is only through Christ that we are saved, and only through Him can man receive eternal life and no other.
Spiritual Life
We believe through faith in Jesus Christ’s life, His death and resurrection we are spiritually born again, forgiven, reconciled, restored, and reconnected as sons and daughters of God. Through Him, we are restored back to fellowship with God the Father. We believe that our sins are forgiven as a direct result of our understanding and receiving Jesus’s life-saving gift of grace by faith.
Eternal Life
We believe that beyond this natural life, there is an eternal existence far more significant than anything that this world offers. We believe that Heaven is the infinite and ultimate resting place for all who believe, receive, trust in, and rely on what Jesus Christ did for all humanity in His death, burial and resurrection. We believe that this place is called Heaven.
Prayer
We believe that prayer is both a privilege and an essential part of our lives as believers. As spiritual beings (his children), we share the unique ability to communicate with God in our minds and spirits. We believe that through prayer, God hears and answers us via divine interventions, through life, His word, spiritual leadership, and through the love of those, He’s placed around us.
The Church
We believe Christ died to save and reconcile us to God and establish His church on earth. As His people, sons, and daughters, we can find faith, fellowship, and meaning through serving Him, one another, our community, and the world around us. We believe the church is God’s chosen entity for equipping us, his children, to reach our community and the world around us with His healing power and grace. We believe that all believers are called to be planted in a healthy church fellowship where they and their families can find freedom for their roots to grow and bear fruit under the spiritual leadership/covering of a local pastor with a heart and vision that is of God!
Agreement
We believe there is power in spiritual agreement and that amazing things happen when we pray in congruence with His will. We believe that when believers pray, we change, things change, and Miracles still happen!
Giving (Donation)
We believe that it gives our Heavenly Father great pleasure to bless us as His children, spiritually, physically, and financially. We believe God blesses His people with resources so we can, in turn, bless others around us. We believe that giving should always be done by faith (not out of compulsion) with a great love for God, His church, and His Kingdom so that others might come to know Christ Jesus! We believe in the biblical principle of tithe and offerings; that we should give (not out of necessity) but out of faith, knowing God’s abundant favor rests upon all those who are a part of His Covenant, His Kingdom, and His church
Malachi 3:10-12, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15