Beliefs You’ll discover in 2nd Base

God tells me about Himself and how He designed me to live in the Bible

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Bible is God’s written Word to us. It was authored by human beings as they experienced the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christians and the sole basis for what we believe. Holy Spirit inspired reading of and meditation upon Scripture enhances our personal relationship with God and teaches us how to live. When studying the Bible, we search for principles that transcend time and culture to apply to our lives and actions.

2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; Psalm 119:105

God invites me to manage His resources for Him

“A tithe of everything you produce belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.” Leviticus 26:30

We believe all Christians are asked to give of their resources to their church. This includes their time and money. We recognize tithe is defined in the Old Testament Scriptures as 10% of our income, while offerings are any other donations. This sets forth the principles of regular budgeted giving and additional targeted or special giving. We believe each member should prayerfully consider how much to give regularly and when to sacrifice for special offerings.

Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15; 1 Chronicles 29:14; Haggai 1:3-11; Malachi 3:8-12; 1 Corinthians 9:9-14; Matthew 23:23; 2 Corinthians 8:1-15; Romans 15:26, 27

God wants to spend personal time with me

“The Sabbath was made to benefit people, and not people to benefit the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27

Sabbath rest is central to our relationship with God. God observed  Sabbath at the end of the creation of this world and set aside the 7th day of the week for that purpose. Sabbath rest was included in the covenant He made with ancient Israel, known as the Ten Commandments. Jesus observed the Sabbath and said the Sabbath was made to be a blessing to people (Mark 2:27). Sabbath rest is a symbol of salvation by grace apart from our own efforts toward being good.

In our time-challenged culture, a day set aside to (1) worship with other believers, (2) rest physically, (3) connect personally with God through Bible study and prayer, (4) spend time with family and friends, and (5) minister to the needs of others is vital to our spiritual health.

Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11; Luke 4:16; Isaiah 56:5, 6; 58:13, 14; Matthew 12:1-12; Exodus 31:13-17; Ezekiel 20:12, 20; Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Hebrews 4:1-11; Leviticus 23:32; Mark 1:32

God will help me grow by sending me the Holy Spirit

Jesus said, “I am the Vine, you are the branches. If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; but apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

We believe the only way possible to live the Christian life is by God’s power within us, so we seek to practice a daily dependence on God’s Spirit to enable us to know and do what is right.

Philippians 2:13 and Ephesians 5:18.

Beliefs You’ll discover in 2nd Base – Surfing Tsunamis

God reveals Himself to Me in three persons who act as one

There is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three co-eternal Persons. God is immortal, all-powerful, all-knowing, above all, and ever present. He is infinite and beyond human comprehension, yet known through His self-revelation. He is forever worthy of worship, adoration, and service by the whole creation.

Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; Ephesians 4:4-6; 1 Peter 1:2; 1Timothy 1:17; Revelation 14:7.

God The Father

“who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:” 1 Peter 2:2

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.

Genesis 1:1, 26, 27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Colossians 1: 15-17; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:13; John 14:7-10

God the Son – Jesus Christ

“…regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord” Romans 1:3-4

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Matthew 1:20-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5; 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14, 15; 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4; Romans 1:3, 4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14, 15; 1 Thessalonians 3:13-18; Revelation 21

God the Holy Spirit

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-17

The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ, convict them of sin and reveal to them God’s grace. He lives in every Christian. He provides the Christian with understanding of spiritual truth, guidance in doing what is right, power for living, comfort and peace. He gives every believer spiritual gifts for the purpose of sharing the gospel. As Christians, we seek to live under His control daily.

2 Corinthians 3:17, 18; John 14: 16, 17, 16:7-13; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12-15, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 5:18

God has given me boundaries called Law to protect me and teach me to live according to my design

We show our love for God by obeying his commandments, and they are not hard to follow. 1 John 5:3 (CEV)

The great principles of God’s law are embodied in the Ten Commandments and exemplified in the life of Christ. They express God’s love, will, and purposes concerning human conduct and relationships and are binding upon all people in every age. They are the basis of God’s covenant with His people and the standard in God’s judgment. Through the Holy Spirit they point out sin and help us realize we need a Savior. Salvation is all of grace and not of works, but our choice to follow Jesus teachings will begin to produce actions like Jesus lived. All of this happens through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us.  When others see the change in our lives it will lead them to seek the grace of Jesus also.

Exodus 20:1-17; Psalm 40:7, 8; Matthew 22:36-40; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Matthew 5:17-20; Hebrews. 8:8-10; John 15:7-10; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 John 5:3; Romans 8:3, 4; Psalm 19:7-14

A life of purpose is a whole-body experience.

Whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, you must do all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NLT)

Because I was created by God for a purpose and he desires an intimate relationship with me, I want to give him the best raw materials possible to rebuild my life with.  That means what I watch and do for entertainment should be things that honor God.  It means that how I dress should not distract from the beauty of what God is doing inside me. It means that my physical body is important to God and I should learn to live a life of health through what I eat, living by healthy principles and maintaining balance and moderation in all things.  It means I will choose to say no to alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs because they are harmful to my body.  By learning to live this way I will discover freedom, joy, health, and life.

Romans 12:1, 2; 1 John 2:6; Ephesians 5:1-21; Philippians 4:8; 2 Corinthians 10:5; 6:14-7:1; 1 Peter 3:1-4; 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20; 10:31; Leviticus 11:1-47; 3 John 2

Families are crucial to God’s plan for teaching us about Him

Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise. And this is the promise: If you honor your father and mother, “you will live a long life, full of blessing.” And now a word to you fathers. Don’t make your children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord. Ephesians 6:1-4 (NLT)

Marriage was God’s plan from the very beginning as a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman.  It is in a marriage that we learn about love, honor, respect, commitment, forgiveness, patience and many other qualities that God shows to us so perfectly.  Although many family relationships may fall short of the ideal, those who fully commit themselves to each other in Christ can achieve loving unity through the guidance of the Spirit and the support of the church. While divorce is an unfortunate necessity in some circumstances, even infidelity can be healed through the love of God.  When parents build a healthy relationship together, children can learn firsthand that Christ is a loving disciplinarian, ever tender and caring, who wants them to become members of His body.

Genesis 2:18-25; Matthew 19:3-9; John 2:1-11; 2 Corinthians 6:14; Ephesians 5:21-33; Matthew 5:31, 32; Mark 10:11, 12; Luke 16:18; 1 Corinthians 7:10, 11; Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:1-4; Deuteronomy 6:5-9; Proverbs 22:6; Malachi 4:5, 6

God has a plan to fix the Sin problem, and he revealed in symbols through the Sanctuary

“I want the people of Israel to build me a sacred residence where I can live among them. You must make this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the plans I will show you. Exodus 25:8-9 (NLT)

The Old Testament tabernacle and its services were builtfrom a pattern of Sanctuary in heaven.  The building, its services, and its feasts were all designed to paint a picture of God’s plan to repair the damage to us and our world caused by sin.  This plan spans the history of our planet and Jesus is right now in heaven working out the last few parts of that plan.  He is preparing for the trial that will ultimately vindicate God of all Satan’s accusations against him.  All who choose to become followers of Jesus will play a key role as evidence in God’s defense.

Hebrews 8:1-5; 4:14-16; 9:11-28; 10:19-22; 1:3; 2:16, 17; Daniel 7:9-27; 8:13, 14; 9:24-27; Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6; Leviticus 16; Revelation 14:6, 7; 20:12; 14:12; 22:12

Death, as we know it, is a chance to sleep until Jesus returns to raise all who believe in Him

“I assure you, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. John 5:24 (NLT)

God is the only being who possesses immortality, but he gives the gift of eternal life to anyone who believes in Jesus Christ and what he did for us.  Jesus was raised from the dead as a promise that those who die now will be raised when He comes again.  Until then, death is like suspended animation for all people while we wait for God to finish his plan for eliminating sin from the universe.

Romans 6:23; 1 Timothy 6:15, 16; Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6; Psalm 146:3, 4; John 11:11-14; Colossians 3:4; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; John 5:28, 29; Revelation 20:1-10

The Millennium is our chance to confirm that God has been right in his judgments and that the Devil and all who chose to follow him were wrong

Don’t you know that someday we Christians are going to judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide these little things among yourselves? Don’t you realize that we Christians will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disagreements here on earth. 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 (NLT)

The millennium is the thousand-year reign of Christ with the saved in heaven between the first and second resurrections. During this time the wicked dead will be judged; the earth will be destroyed, without living human inhabitants, but occupied by Satan and his angels. At its close Christ with His saints and the Holy City will descend from heaven to earth. The unrighteous dead will then be resurrected, and with Satan and his angels will surround the city; but the fires of hell will consume them and cleanse the earth. The universe will thus be freed of sin and sinners forever.

Revelation 20; 1 Corinthians 6:2, 3; Jeremiah 4:23-26; Revelation 21:1-5; Malachi 4:1; Ezekiel 28:18, 19

Our final home for eternity is on Planet Earth, perfectly remade by God as His home with His people.

God blesses those who are gentle and lowly, for the whole earth will belong to them. Matthew 5:5 (NLT)

On the new earth, in which righteousness dwells, God will provide an eternal home for the redeemed and a perfect environment for everlasting life, love, joy, and learning in His presence. For here God Himself will dwell with His people, and suffering and death will have passed away. The war between God and Satan will be ended, and sin will be no more. All things will declare that God is love; and He shall reign forever.

2 Peter 3:13; Isaiah 35; 65:17-25; Matthew 5:5; Revelation 21:1-7; 22:1-5; 11:15