What We Believe

The following are the core doctrines (or beliefs) of All Peoples Fellowship, based on the foundational truths taught in the Bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical truths.

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts of the accepted 66 book canon, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

(John 10:35; 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16;
2 Peter 1:20-21)

We believe that there is one true God, existing eternally in three persons--the Father, Son and Holy Spirit--that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they carry out distinct but harmonious roles in the work of creation, providence and redemption. We believe that God created the universe and humanity in sinless perfection for his glory and good purposes.

(Exodus 3:14; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 1:14,18; 14:11; 15:26; 1 Corinthians 8:4,6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 4:6; 1 John 5:7;
Genesis 1)

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of the world and of each person, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

(Psalms 95:3,6; Psalms 139:1-12; Isaiah 40:21-26; 48:12; John 7:37,38; Ephesians 1:3, 17-23)

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in his full divinity and full humanity. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary and atoning death, burial, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, continual intercession for His people, and personal, visible return to earth.

(Isaiah 52:11-53:12; Matthew 3:16-17; Mark 9:35; Acts 1:9;
Hebrews 1:1-4)

We believe in the Holy Spirit who was sent from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide.

(John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26-27; 16:7-14; Romans 8:9;
1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19;
Galatians 5:22-26)

We believe that God created humans - both male and female - in His own image and likeness. Gender is inseparably connected to biological sex and is part of the goodness of God’s creation. Men and women are equal in dignity and worth and have equal access to God through faith in Christ. Adam and Eve belonged to the created order that God himself declared to be very good. Humankind is to serve as God’s representatives to care for, manage, and govern creation, living in right relationship with their Creator God, each other and the world.

Adam and Eve, the first humans, were made to complement each other, and were given to one another in marriage, a monogamous one-flesh union between one man and one woman that establishes the only normative pattern and appropriate context of sexual relations for all men and all women. Sex difference (male-female) is essential to God’s design for marriage. Marriage finds its ultimate meaning as a picture of the union between Christ and his Church.

God gave men and women complementary roles in marriage and in the church. Both husbands and wives are responsible to God for the spiritual nurture and life in the home. God has given to the man primary responsibility to lead his wife and family in accordance with the servant leadership and sacrificial love modeled by Jesus Christ. As
co-heirs and image-bearers of God, women in the home, church and world share the highest calling of serving the living God as disciples, parents, and Christ’s ambassadors, restricted only from the church office of elder-pastor and having teaching authority over men.

(Genesis 1:26-31, 2:18; ; Matthew 19:3-9; Romans 7:2;
Acts 18:24 26; 1 Corinthians 11:2- 16; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Corinthians 14:34-35;
Colossians 3:18-19)

We believe that Adam, made in the image of God, distorted that image and lost his original sinless perfection, for himself and all his future children, by falling into sin through Satan’s temptation and brought death and sickness into the world. As a result, all human beings are spiritually dead, alienated from God, corrupted in every aspect of
their being (physically, mentally, volitionally, emotionally, spiritually) and condemned ultimately to spiritual and eternal death, apart from God’s own gracious intervention. We believe that all people are sinners by fallen nature and by choice and are, therefore, under the just condemnation and wrath of God.

Creation as well became corrupted and even now yearns for freedom from the effects of the fall of humankind.

(Genesis 1:27, 31; 2:16; 3:6-24; 6:12; Psalms 51:5; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Isaiah 53:6; Ezekiel 18:19-20; Matthew 20:15; John 3:6;
Acts 17:26 29; Romans 1:18,20,32; 2:1-16; 3:9-19; 5:12,15-19; 8:7; Galatians 3:10,22; Ephesians 2:1-3;
Romans 8:19-25)

We believe that the gospel is the good news of what God has accomplished for his sinful people through Christ, namely his virgin birth, sinless life, sacrificial death, bodily resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of the Father, for our complete justification--God’s gracious gift of forgiveness and Christ’s righteousness.

 We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. In this act, God defeated death, sin and Satan. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation. This gospel of salvation is available to all who would trust in Christ as Savior and repent of their sins.
We believe that God’s sovereignty in salvation neither diminishes the responsibility of people to believe in Christ nor marginalizes the necessity and power of prayer and evangelism.

(John 1:12-13; 6:37-44; 10:25-30; Acts 13:48; 16:30-31;
Romans 3 4; 8:1-17,31-39; 9:1-23; 10:8-10; Ephesians 1:4-5; 2:8-10; Titus 3:3-7; 1 John 1:7,9; John 3:16; Acts 2:23; Romans 3:21-26;
1 Corinthians 1:18-31;
2 Corinthians 5:21;
Galatians 3:10-14; Ephesians 2:1-10; Hebrews 10:12-14; 1 Peter 1:18-21; 2:22-24; 1 John 1:9; 5:11-12; Romans 5:8, 8:16-17; Mark 1:15)

We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God. The gospel is not only the means by which we are saved but also how we are kept by the power of God and progress in the Christian faith. Those who have been regenerated or experienced new life are made holy through God’s word and the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. Christians should seek to live out both the Great Commandment–“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matt 22:36-40)--and the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20).

(John 14:15, 23-24; Romans 12:1-3; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 10:31;
2 Corinthians 9:6-9; Colossians 1:9-10; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 John 2:3-6; Acts 4:32-37; Matthew 22:36-40;
Matthew 28:18-20)

We acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ over his church, the leadership of elder- pastors and the participation of the congregation. The true Church is manifest in particular local churches whose membership is to be composed only of believers. To each of these churches–the local assembled body of believers–He has given
independent authority for administering the order, discipline, and worship that He has appointed.

The elder-pastors of each local church have been granted authority under the headship of Jesus Christ to provide oversight, to teach and preach the Word of God. The officers of the church are elder-pastors and deacons. Elders-pastors are charged with the tasks of teaching and leading the church; the office of elder-pastor is restricted to men. Deacons are servant leaders of the church whose role is to come alongside and assist the church and the elder-pastors by serving the basic needs of church members.

We embrace a missionary understanding of the local church and its role as the means God has chosen to make disciples of all nations.

We believe that God has given to the local church the responsibility of keeping one another accountable to confess our common struggle with sin and our mutual need for God’s mercy and grace; exhort one another toward maturity by encouraging each other to love God and others.

(Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 16:18; 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 9:31;
Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19;
Ephesians 1:12, 22-23; 4:12-13; 5:16-19, 25; ;
1 Timothy 2:11-15; 3:1-7; Titus 2:3-5;
1 Peter 3:1-7; Acts 6:1-6; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Timothy 3:1-13;
Matthew 28:18-20; Hebrews 10:24-25; James 5:16; 1 John 1:9; Ephesians 3:16-19, Matthew 22:37-40; Acts 4:13-20;
1 Timothy 2:5)

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has given two ordinances to the local church to be regularly observed: baptism and the Lord's Supper (or Communion).

We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the triune God in accordance with repentance and trust in Christ to save. We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for the regular remembrance and proclamation of his death and the inauguration of his new covenant with his people.

(Matthew 28:19; Acts 10:47-48; Romans 6:4; 1 Cor 11:23-26,
Mark 14:22-25, Matthew 26:26-29, Luke 22:18-20, Colossians 2:12)

We believe each local church is independent and must be free from interference by any church or political authority. We affirm that God alone is Lord of the conscience, and he has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in any way contrary to His Word or not contained in it. Since government officials are ordained by God, we ought to be subject to them in everything that is “lawful” or not contained in the Scriptures.

(Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 6:1-7; Romans 13:1-7)

We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the establishment of his kingdom in its fullness on earth. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment leading to the eternal punishment of the unrighteous under the just wrath of God and the eternal joy of those made righteous by the blood of Christ.

(Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 15; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:15;
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2 Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13;
Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15)