We believe God calls us to …
- Engage in the local church by coming together to worship him and grow in our understanding and application of his word. Hebrews 10:23-24 says “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
- Invest in one another’s lives through relationships, care, and support. 1 Peter 4:10 says “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace…”
- Serve with the gifts and resources God has provided to strengthen the church, meet needs in our community, and to reach out with gospel hope both near and far.Philippians 2:3-4 says “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
About God
We believe in one living, sovereign, and all-glorious God existing in three persons-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; one and equal in nature, attributes, and glory. These three are one God; infinite, eternal, unchangeable, all wise, all powerful, all knowing, holy, just, loving, gracious, good, and true. Executing distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.
We believe that God is supremely joyful in the fellowship of the Trinity, each Person beholding and expressing His eternal and unsurpassed delight in the all-satisfying perfections of the triune God.
God the Father is God. The fountain of all being, is an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. Creator and sustainer of all things, He infallibly foreknows and brings about all things according to His own purpose and grace. Expressing Himself in relationships with those whom He chooses, He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
God the Son-We believe Jesus Christ is God. He is both fully God and fully human. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, preformed miracles, died the only sufficient substitutionary death to pay the penalty for sin, physically rose from the dead, appeared, to the apostles and other witnesses, physical ascended to heaven, was glorified, and is now in perpetual intercession for His people.
He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, opening the hearts and minds of people to turn from sin and believe in the Son. He indwells every believer in order to regenerate, sanctify, and empower believers as an abiding helper, teacher and guide.
God the Holy Spirit is God. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, opening the hearts and minds of people to turn from sin and believe in the Son. He indwells every believer in order to regenerate, sanctify, and empower believers as an abiding helper, teacher and guide.
Creation of the Universe and Man
We believe that God created the world from nothing and governs all things at all times in all places. He makes the world exist, upholding the universe by the word of His power and He is holding the world together in himself.
We believe that all humanity is created in the image of God and possesses intrinsic dignity and worth. God made humanity—male and female—in His own image. Set apart as His image bearers, every human being is sacred. All men and all women, bearing the image of God, are meant to represent God in His creation. They enjoy equal access to God by faith in Christ Jesus and are both called to move beyond passive self-indulgence to significant private and public engagement in family, church and civic life. Adam and Eve were made to complement each other in a one-flesh union in the covenant of marriage that establishes the only God-ordained pattern for intimate companionship, pure sexual expression, and procreation. A husband is commanded to love his wife as Christ loved the church. A wife is commanded to submit to her husband as the church submits to Christ. Marriage reflects the relationship of Christ and the Church. In God’s wise purposes, men and women are not simply interchangeable, but rather they complement each other in mutually enriching ways.
Sin
We believe that God created Adam and Eve, the first humans, without sin and in perfect fellowship with Him. Through the temptation of Satan, they chose to transgress against God causing separation from God and incurring His judgment. The effect of sin are pervasive upon all of humanity extending to the mind, will, body and affections.
It also extends throughout all creation bringing about physical, spiritual and eternal death, which is separation from God; all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by choice and therefore under condemnation.
Thus all the adversity and suffering in the world is an echo and a witness of the exceedingly great evil of moral depravity in the heart of mankind; and every new day of life is a God-given, merciful reprieve from imminent judgment, pointing to repentance. Unregenerate humanity lives under the dominion of sin and Satan. He is at enmity with God, hostile toward and hateful of God.
He gives His gifts “to each one individually just as He wills,” to serve the Church and to reach the world with the gospel. Spiritual gifts should be used in a proper and orderly manner, in love, and without causing devision. The gifts of the Holy Spirit that we see on display in the New Testament are still active within the life of the church. These gifts did not end with the close of the New Testament or the death of the last Apostle. Spiritual gifts are not an indication of spiritual maturity and they should not be used for self-promotion.
Salvation
We believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. The death of Christ is full payment for our sins and satisfies the just requirement of God. We believe the Scriptures teach that regeneration, or the new birth, is that by which the Holy Spirit imparts a new nature and a new spiritual life, not before possessed, and the person becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus. The mind is given a holy disposition and a new desire to serve God, the dominion of sin is broken, and the heart is transformed from a love of sin and self to a love of holiness and God. We are no longer slaves to sin, but are children of God. We have forgiveness for every sin and rest secure in the reality of eternal life.
God’s eternal purpose and Election
We believe that God, from all eternity, in order to display the full extent of His glory for the eternal and ever-increasing enjoyment of all who love Him, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His will, freely and unchangeably ordain and foreknow whatever comes to pass.
We believe that God upholds and governs all things – from galaxies to subatomic particles, from the forces of nature to the movements of nations and from the public plans of politicians to the secret acts of solitary persons – all in accord with His eternal, all-wise purposes to glorify Himself, yet in such a way that He never sins, nor ever condemns a person unjustly; but that His ordaining and governing all things is compatible with the moral accountability of all persons created in His image.
We believe that God’s election is an unconditional act of free grace which was given through His Son Christ Jesus before the world began. By this act God chose, before the foundation of the world, those who would be delivered from bondage to sin and brought to repentance and saving faith in His Son Christ Jesus.
The Church
We believe in the universal Church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. The ultimate mission of the Church is to bring glory to God by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ both in our community and throughout the world.The Church is called to make disciples through worship, prayer, preaching, teaching, observance of the ordinances, fellowship, the exercise of our gifts and talents, and evangelism.
The Ordinances (Sacraments)
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water into the name of the triune God and is a public testimony of faith in Christ in obedience to His command. Baptism identifies the believer with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered on a regular basis until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ’s Commission to Make Disciples of All Nations
We believe that the commission given by the Lord Jesus to make disciples of all nations is binding on His Church to the end of the age. This task is to proclaim the Gospel to every tribe and tongue and people and nation, baptizing them, teaching them the words and ways of the Lord, and gathering them into church able to fulfill their Christian calling among their own people. The ultimate aim of world missions is that God would create, by His Word, worshippers who glorify His name through glad-hearted faith and obedience. Missions exists because worship doesn‘t. When the time of ingathering is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. Worship, therefore, is the fuel and the goal of missions.
Future
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous and the endless suffering of the wicked. Believers will enter a new heaven and new earth prepared for them to enjoy perfect, everlasting fellowship with God. Satan, with his hosts and all those outside Christ, will be separated from the benevolent presence of God, enduring endless suffering in eternal punishment.
Statement on Marriage and Sexuality
It is the biblical position that marriage involves the union of one man and one woman in permanent sacred fidelity. Though various cultures and customs have evolving definitions of marriage, it is God alone who has ultimate authority to prescribe and describe the marital relationship.
Furthermore, sexual intimacy is only properly exercised and pursued within the confines of this marital relationship. Sexual immorality, defined as any sexual activity outside of the boundaries of the sacred marital relationship between one man and one woman, is clearly and expressly prohibited by the Lord.
As a consequence, the Church regards any and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography or even lustful intent toward such, as sinful and ultimately unsatisfying. Moreover, the Church also regards as sinful the intent or desire to surgically alter one’s biological sex to a different sex. Since the body is a creation of God, the Church holds sexual identity to be biologically determined, and associated gender norms are to be observed as appropriate to biblical standards. Disagreement with one’s biological sex only leads to spiritual confusion and emotional chaos.
In order to preserve the function and integrity of the Church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical example to the Church Members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by the Church in any capacity or united to the Church in membership should abide by and agree to this “Statement on Marriage and Sexuality“ and conduct themselves accordingly.
Though sinful sexual expression is egregious (as is all sin), the gospel provides redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
Furthermore, there is a difference between temptation and unrepented sin. Jesus was tempted in all ways as we are, yet He never sinned. Members, employees, volunteers and attendees of the Church wrestling with all manner of sexual temptation will find a Church ready to point them to Jesus and join with them to fight for their obedience to Christ. Jesus called the weary and heavy-laden to Himself. As a church desiring to follow Christ fully, the Church will be a safe place for men and women fighting sexual temptations of all kinds. For those fighting temptation and repenting of sin, the Church will provide love, care and direction.
The Church’s Statement on Marriage and Sexuality does not provide grounds for bigotry, bullying or hate, as we fully believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect and dignity, regardless of his or her lifestyle. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated as sinful and are not in accordance with the Scriptures nor the doctrines of the Church.
This specifically gives the Elder board the right and authority to prohibit acts or omissions, including but not limited to (a) permitting any Church assets or property, whether real property, personal property, intangible property, or any property or asset of any kind that is subject to the direction or control of the Church, to be used in any manner that would be—or, in the sole determination of the Elders, could be perceived by any person to be— inconsistent with this Statement on Marriage and Sexuality; and (b) permitting any Church facilities to be used by any person, organization, corporation, or group that would or might use such facilities to convey, intentionally or by implication, what might be perceived as a favorable impression about any definition of marriage other than that contained in this Section.
The Church’s Statement on Marriage and Sexuality is based upon God’s will for human life as conveyed to us through the Scriptures, upon which this Church has been founded and anchored, and this shall not be subject to change through popular vote; referendum; prevailing opinion of Members or the general public; influence of or interpretation by any government authority, agency, or official action; or legal developments on the local, state, or federal level
NOTE: We are currently in the process of establishing a plurality of elders to lead Awaken Church. Part of their responsibility entails preparing doctrinal statement that will be affirmed by the members of Awaken Church. In the meantime, some of the statements expressed on this page were written by Elder Boards of other churches that have similar convictions and beliefs as Awaken Church. We look forward to our elders finalizing a statement for Awaken that’s not necessary different from what is stated here, but is simply expressed in our own words.