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We Believe
Christian & Missionary Logo
Becoming a Church Member
Why Go to Sunday School?
Water Baptism
Divine Healing
Statement of Faith
2. Jesus Christ is the true God and the true man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He died upon the cross, the Just for the unjust, as a substitutionary sacrifice, and all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood. He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures. He is now at the right hand of Majesty on high as our great High Priest. He will come again to establish His kingdom, righteousness and peace. Philippians 2:611, Luke 1:34-38, I Peter 3:18, Hebrews 2:9, Romans 5:9, Acts 2:2324, Hebrews 8:1, Matthew 26:64
3. The Holy Spirit is a divine person, sent to dwell, guide, teach, empower the believer, and convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. John 14:1518, John 16:13, Acts 1:8, John 16:711
4. The Old and New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men. They constitute the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice. 2 Peter 1:2021, 2 Timothy 3:1516
5. Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God: he fell through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual death. All men are born with a sinful nature, are separated from the life of God, and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The portion of the unrepentant and unbelieving is existence forever in conscious torment; and that of the believer, in everlasting joy and bliss. Genesis 1:27, Romans 3:23, 1 Corinthians 15:2023, Revelation 21:8, Revelation 21:14
6. Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all men; and those who repent and believe in Him are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become the children of God. Titus 3:47
7. It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly, being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service. This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion. 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Acts 1:8, Romans 6:114
8. Provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body. Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this present age. Matthew 8:1617, James 5:1316
9. The Church consists of all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood, and are born again of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church, which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the gospel to all nations. The local church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the worship of God, for edification through the Word of God, for prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel, and observance of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Ephesians 1:2223, Matthew 28:1920, Acts 2:4147
10. There shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust; for the former, a resurrection unto life; for the latter, a resurrection unto judgment. 1 Corinthians 15:2023, John 5:2829
11. The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent and will be personal, visible, and premillennial. This is the believer's blessed hope and is a vital truth which is an incentive to holy living and faithful service. Hebrews 10:37, Luke 21:27, Titus 2:1114
Christian & Missionary Logo
The CROSS - Jesus Christ is our Savior.
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to man by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
We believe Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures ... that we are redeemed through His precious blood, justified by His death and Resurrection, made righteous through His righteousness, and accepted in His name.
The LAVER - Jesus Christ is our Sanctifier.
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness" (2 Peter 1:3).
Holiness is the Lord Jesus Christ Himselfso dwelling in our hearts and so walking in our steps that we shall live like Him. This can never be in a sense that will minister to our own pride or self-sufficiency, for before we can receive it, we must come to the end of ourselves and never become self-sufficient apart from Christ. Such holiness means living a life of simple dependence, moment by moment, on Christ alone.
Note: The laver symbol represents a vessel used in the temple of the Old Testament. The priest used it to wash his hands and feet before entering the Holy Place. It signifies the daily cleansing from sin by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The PITCHER - Jesus Christ is our Healer.
"And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up" (James 5:15).
The Lord Jesus has purchased and provided for His believing and obedient children physical strength, life, and healing as freely as the spiritual blessings of the gospel. He took up our infirmities as well as our sins, and from His risen life and living touch, our faith may draw health and strength until our life work is done.
Note: This symbol represents a pitcher containing oil to anoint the sick for healing that comes through obedience to God's Word.
The CROWN - Jesus Christ is our Coming King.
"You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven" (Mark 14:62).
The Lord Jesus is coming personally to this earth again. It is not a mere spiritual coming, either at death or in a deeper experience of the Holy Spirit, or in the spread of the gospel throughout the world; but it is the coming of the Lord Himself as literally and personally as when He went away.
The GLOBE - Completing Christ's Commission.
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14).
The globe adds a new dimension to the long-familiar official logo of the C&MA. The four Christ-centered symbols speak of Gods gift of love to all peoples of every generation. They represent what Christ gives of Himself to His people so that He may present them to the Father without fault and with great joy. Now we give because He gave.
The globe represents our mission in the world. "Freely you have received, freely give," the Lord urged His followers as He sent them to spread the Good News throughout the land. That appeal from His heart to ours will continue until the gospel, through the efforts of His Church, has reached all peoples, and He comes again.
For a deeper study on this topic, please pick up the green brochure from the church foyer entitled "Christ for Today."
Becoming a Church Member
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Smethport Alliance Church, you may email Pastor Al or call him at (814) 887-5850.
1. Confession of faith in Jesus Christ and evidence of regeneration.
2. Belief in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; in the verbal inspiration of the Holy Scriptures as originally given; in the substitutionary atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ; in the eternal salvation of all who believe in Him and the eternal punishment of all who reject Him.
3. Acceptance of the doctrines of the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King.
4. Full sympathy with the principles and objectives of the Christian & Missionary Alliance and cooperation by faithful support of its work.
5. Compliance with other qualifications for membership as stated in the church bylaws.
Why Go to Sunday School?
- To study the Bible, the message of God Almighty.
- To better prepare how to face the problems of life.
- To learn obedience and respect for parents and those in authority.
- To have opportunity to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
- To build strong character.
- To share Christian experiences with others.
- To be shown how we can be of God's service in this world.
- To form true friendships with Believers.
- To bring others to hear the message of the Gospel.
- To discuss spiritual problems in small groups with those of the same age or same interest.
Water Baptism
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit"(Matthew 28:19).
Established by Christ, the Christian baptism is unique among the religions of the world. It is not a magical rite which makes one a Christian. Baptism is an act that bears testimony to the world of God's grace and witnesses to the bleiever himself of the inner working of God in his heart.
The Greek word for baptism means to "immerse," "douse," or "saturate." These meanings, along with the fact that immersion was practiced widely by the Jews, give support to the immersion as the proper mode of baptism. In Acts 8:38,39, we can see that there is a large enough quantity of water for both Philip and the Ethiopian to wade into the water for baptism.
The symbolic meaning of baptism speaks of being buried and raised up. Immersion best depicts the spiritual meaning of the ordiance. Paul says of baptism, "Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4).
The apostle depicts baptism as a symbol of the believer's union with Christ. Baptism also symbolizes the believer's identification with Christ in His death and resurrection. The believer rises from the baptismal water charged to walk in newness of life. That newness of life is the effect of being born again through the Holy Spirit.
This ordinance also portrays the putting off of the old life and the putting on of the new life. In the practice of baptism one must change his garments. In a spiritual sense the baptismal candidate is celebrating the change that has taken place in his own life as a result of accepting Jesus Christ as personal Savior.
Divine Healing
You must receive divine healing straight from God. If you are sincere in your desire for God's best, you will cherish these seven secrets:1. Be in Touch with Christ - Divine healing, like every other blessing of the gospel, is centered in our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we must be in touch with Him. It is Christ who is our life, and we must know and receive Him before we receive anything from Him.
2. Be Right with God - The first promise of healing, recorded in Exodus 15:26, was conditioned upon the obedience of the people. God does not demand that you be perfect, but that you be sincere in your desire to please him, and walk in all the light He gives you.
3. Hold onto the Promise - Faith comes from knowing God's will. You can only ask God for as much as He has authorized you to ask; and if you find that from your Bible that He authorized you to ask for healing, you need have no trouble about the faith needed.
4. Be Committed - It is one thing to be willing to take the Lord, to intend to take the Lord, to be trying to take the Lord for the blessing you need; but is quite another thing to take the Lord and count it done; this is committment. Psalm 37:5 says, "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him; and he will do this."
5. Be Obedient - After long sickness and suffering, both mind and body are sunk in a habit of conscious helplessness, and the sense of helplessness holds us by a power that we must break. Only as we rise up and put forth the power of a believing will, and begin to act, will we find God meeting us with new strength and healing.
6. Keep Receiving - Your communing with Christ is the source of your life. Abide in Him and draw life from Him every moment. You may not get your healing in a flash; frequently it comes breath by breath, as you keep taking the Lord Himself for new life. John 15:7 says, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you."
7. Keep Following - The spirit of joy, freedom from anxious care and worry, a generous and loving heart, the sedative of peace, the uplifting influence of hope and confidence - these are better than pills, stimulants, and sedatives. Solomon said, "A cheerful heart is good medicine" (Prov. 17:22 NIV).
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