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What We Believe

STATEMENT OF FAITH | pHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY

STATEMENT OF FAITH

Calvary Chapel Churches have been formed as a fellowship of believers under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Our supreme desire is know Christ and be conformed to His image by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are not a denominational church, nor are we opposed to denominations as such; only to their over-emphasis of the doctrinal differences that have led to the division of the Body of Christ.
We believe the only true basis of Christian fellowship is Christ's (Agape) love, which is greater than differences we possess, and without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians.

INTRODUCTION

DOCTRINAL BELIEFS

#1
We believe in what is termed "The Apostles' Creed" as embodying all the fundamental doctrines of orthodox evangelical Christianity.
#2
We believe there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all.
#3
We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love; that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
#4
We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings; His substitutionary atoning death; bodily resurrection; ascension into heaven; perpetual intercession for His people; and personal, visible return to earth. We believe that He is one and the same as God. He was fully human and fully God.
#5
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower in ministry all who believe in Christ. We believe the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is an abiding Helper, Teacher, and Guide. We believe that Jesus Christ baptizes the seeking believer with the Holy Spirit and power for service, either at the time of or subsequent to regeneration, which is a separate work from the indwelling Spirit for salvation. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and in the exercise of all biblical gifts of the Spirit as reflected through the fruit of that same Spirit.
#6
We believe that all the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, and that they are the infallible rule of faith and practice.
#7
We believe all people are by nature separated from God and responsible for their own sin, but that salvation, redemption, and forgiveness are freely offered to all by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. When a person repents of sin and accepts Jesus Christ as his/her personal Lord and Savior, trusting Him to save, that person is immediately born again and sealed by the Holy Spirit, all of his/her sins are forgiven, and that person becomes a child of God, destined to spend eternity with the Lord.
#8
We await the pre-tribulation rapture of the church, and we believe in the literal Second Coming of Christ with His saints to rule the earth, which will be personal and visible. This motivates us to holy living, heartfelt worship, committed service, diligent study of God's Word, regular fellowship, participation in adult baptism by immersion and Holy Communion.
#9
We are neither Five-Point Calvinists, nor are we Arminians. We adhere firmly to the biblical teaching of God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. We avoid any theological systems of belief that go beyond the written Word and thereby divide the body of Christ.
#10
We do not believe in "positive confession" (the faith movement belief that God can be commanded to heal or work miracles according to man's will); human prophecy that supersedes the Scriptures; the incorporation of humanistic and secular psychology into biblical teaching; the overemphasis of spiritual gifts and experiential signs and wonders to the exclusion of biblical teaching; or that true Christians can be demon-possessed.
#11
We believe in the universal Church, in the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members.
#12
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ committed two ordinances to the Church: 1) baptism, and 2) the Lord's Supper. We believe in baptism by immersion and communion, both of which are open to all believers in Jesus Christ.
#13
We believe in the laying on of hands for the sending out of pastors and missionaries, and in conjunction with the anointing of oil by the elders for the healing of the sick.

WHAT WE BELIEVE (CONT.)

PRACTICAL BELIEFS

#1
We believe the only true basis of Christian fellowship is Christ's (agape) love, which is greater than differences we possess, and without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians.
#2
We believe worship of God should be spiritual; therefore, we remain flexible and yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit to direct our worship.
#3
We believe worship of God should be inspirational; therefore, we give great place to music in our worship.
#4
We believe worship of God should be intelligent; therefore, our services are designed with great emphasis upon the teaching of the Word of God that He might instruct us on how He should be worshiped. We seek to teach the Word of God in such a way that its message can be applied to the individual's life, leading that person to a greater maturity in Christ. We teach both expositionally and topically.
#5
We believe that the Bible clearly delineates that spiritual gifts are for the edification of the body and that they are to be exercised in love. We believe that love is more important than the most spectacular gifts, and without love, all exercise of spiritual gifts is worthless. In our services, we focus on a personal relationship with God through worship, prayer, and the teaching of the Word of God. We do not practice speaking in tongues during worship or while a Bible study is in progress because we do not believe that the Holy Spirit would interrupt Himself. God is not the author of confusion. These gifts are encouraged in more intimate settings, e.g. personal prayer times, and afterglow services where their benefit can accomplish the purpose for which they have been given - the edification of the body of Christ.
#6
We believe that the church government should be simplistic rather than a complex bureaucracy, and we depend on the Holy Spirit to lead, rather than on fleshly promotion.
#7
We believe worship of God should be fruitful; therefore, we look for His love in our lives as the supreme manifestation that we have been truly worshiping Him.

PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY

Calvary Chapel Churches have been a tremendous example of how God honors His Word. Calvary Church is a fellowship planted in Aurora to bring glory and honor to His name.
Highlighted below are fifteen key biblical truths that serve to guide our fellowship and ministry here.
It is on these sound biblical foundations that Calvary Church is firmly planted.

15 BIBLICAL TRUTHS

PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY

#1 | "THE MINISTRY BELONGS TO THE LORD"
ZECHARIAH 4:6
"Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, Says the LORD of hosts." (Zech 4.6) We desire to be led by His Spirit and of His Spirit (Galatians 3:3). We want to stay clear of worldly programs and techniques in regard to the ministry.
#2 | "PRAYER IS THE BACKBONE OF THE MINISTRY"
1 THESSALONIANS 5:17
"Pray without ceasing." (1 Thess. 5:17) The key to any spiritual success in the ministry is much prayer. It's once been said that the Church moves forward on Her knees. We pray a lot at Calvary Church.
#3 | "WORSHIP IS VITAL"
JOHN 4:24
"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24) Spirit-led worship is vital at Calvary Church. Our worship is not just a time filler or a warm-up for the message. Our worship is a time set aside for the body to adore Him in all of His majesty.
#4 | "EMPHASIZE WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US NOT WHAT WE SHOULD DO FOR GOD"
EPHESIANS 1:3
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3) We seek to continually teach of the blessings of God, of all that He has done for us. We want to direct you past man to Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:7); not looking to, or dependent upon man but upon God alone.
#5 | "WHERE AND WHEN GOD GUIDES, HE PROVIDES"
PHILIPPIANS 4:19
"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:19) We do not beg or present high-pressure sales techniques to raise money. We believe God will supply all of our financial needs and seek to be good stewards of His resources (Romans 12:11).
#6 | "YOU GOTTA BE THE SERVANT OF ALL"
MARK 10:45
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45) Consistent servanthood was Jesus' style of ministry and so it must be ours (John 13:3-5). If we see something that needs to be done we can simply chip in and do it. The way up to God's Kingdom is to be a servant of all.
#7 | "WE MUST BE SUBMISSIVE AND UNCONDITIONALLY LOYAL TO GOD"
JAMES 4:7
"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7) As we submit to our loving Heavenly Father, we seek to support those whom the Lord has put in authority. We desire to quickly resolve any problems that may arise so that we continue in unity serving the Lord.
#8 | "GOD WANTS INSPIRATION NOT PERSPIRATION"
2 TIMOTHY 2:24
"And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient...." (2 Tim. 2:24) God has a timing for His ministry and we desire to yield to His timing. We do not want to strive trying to knock through a door God has already closed. We always try to take steps of faith that are inspired by God.
#9 | "BLESSED ARE THE FLEXIBLE FOR THEY SHALL NOT BE BROKEN"
PROVERBS 3:5
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;." (Prov. 3:5) We seek to stay open and flexible to the things God desires to accomplish through us. Each Calvary Chapel is an independent vessel of the Lord free to biblically minister to each specific area of need.
#10 | "MINISTER TO OTHERS AND SEEK NOT TO BE MINISTERED TO"
EPHESIANS 4:11-12
"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." (Eph. 4:12-13) Each member of God's family has special ministry gifts. We need to continually serve God with them, giving and ministering to others.
#11 | "WE ARE A MINISTRY TO ANYONE"
GALATIANS 3:28
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:28) We desire to minister to everyone across the board; to anyone coming through the doors. As a fellowship, we are not a museum for saints but a hospital for the hurting. We want people to learn in a relaxed, comfortable, and informal yet respectable atmosphere.
#12 | "FEED THE FLOCK CONSISTENTLY VERSE BY VERSE, CHAPTER BY CHAPTER"
ACTS 20:27
"For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God." (Acts 20:27) We desire to be a place where the Lord's sheep love to feed on the Word of God. God's Word is powerful so we teach it line upon line, verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter, book-by-book, and precept upon precept. We desire to know God through teaching His full counsel, the entire Bible.
#13 | "WE ARE THEOLOGICALLY BALANCED"
EPHESIANS 4:14
"...that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting." (Eph. 4:14) We desire to avoid doctrinal extremes. We're not just another church but a balanced body of believers seeking to be doctrinally sound, shying away from the present day extremes.
#14 | "HEALTHY SHEEP BEGET HEALTHY SHEEP"
ACTS 20:28
"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." (Acts 20:28) God honors His Word and increases the seeds that are planted by His sheep. When we teach the pure Word of God, it in turn develops a burden for the lost in the world. When God opens the doors, we go!
#15 | "WHEN CONFRONTED WITH SOMETHING WE DON'T UNDERSTAND, ALWAYS FALL BACK ON THAT WHICH WE DO UNDERSTAND"
PSALM 34:8
"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" (Psalm 34:8) We ought to always fall back on these foundational truths: (1) The Lord is Good, (2) God is Love, (3) Jesus is Lord, and (4) The Lord is ever present and will always be with you. As we hold fast to these truths, we'll find that the Lord will get us through anything. Calvary Chapel Aurora desires to be a ministry to the people, for the people, and by the people, all to the glory of God alone. We are excited that you are here and welcome you to make this your home church. Get plugged in and enjoy the movement of God in your life. You are truly loved!

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