Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Our Logo



JESUS CHRIST: THE SAVIOR

We believe that (1)while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, the Just for the unjust; (2)freely, and by divine appointment of the Father, taking the sinner's place, bearing his sins, receiving his condemnation, dying his death, (3)fully paying his penalty, and signing with His life's blood, the pardon of every one who should believe upon Him; (4)that upon simple faith and acceptance of the atonement purchased on Mount Calvary, (5)the vilest sinner may be cleansed of his iniquities and made whiter than driven snow.

Scripture References:

1. “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” (Is. 53:5)

2. “who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:14)

3. “Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.” (Is. 55:7)

4. “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb. 7:25)

5. “”Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.’” (Is. 1:18)




JESUS CHRIST: THE GREAT PHYSICIAN


We believe that divine healing is the power of the Lord Jesus Christ 1to heal the sick and the afflicted in answer to believing prayer; that He who is the same 2yesterday, today and forever has never changed but is 3still an all-sufficient help in the time of trouble, able to meet the needs of, and quicken the body into newness of life, as well 61 as the soul and spirit in answer to the 4faith of them who ever 5pray with submission to His divine and sovereign will.


Scripture References:


1. “‘He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.’” (Mt. 8:17)

2. “For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’”? (Mt.9:5)

3. “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mk. 16:17,18)

4. “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29,30)

5. “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed...” (James 5:14-16)





JESUS CHRIST: THE BAPTIZER WITH THE HOLY GHOST


We believe that the baptism of (1)the Holy Spirit is the incoming of the promised Comforter in mighty and glorious fullness (2)to endue the believer with power from on high; to glorify and exalt the Lord Jesus; to give inspired utterance in witnessing of Him; to foster the spirit of prayer, holiness, sobriety; to equip the individual and the Church for practical, efficient, joyous, Spirit-filled soul-winning in the fields of life; and that this being still the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, the believer may have every reason to expect His incoming to be after the same (3)manner as that in which He came upon (4)Jew and Gentile alike in Bible days, and (5)as recorded in the Word, that it may be truly said of us as of the house of Cornelius: (6)the Holy Ghost fell on them as on us at the beginning.

Scripture References:

1. “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever–the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (Jn.14:16,17)

2. “for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:5,8)

3. “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:4)

4. “Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:17)

5. “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.” (Acts 10:44-46)

6. “And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.” (Acts 19:6) “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16)





JESUS CHRIST: THE SOON-COMING KING


We believe that the second coming of Christ is personal and imminent; that He will descend from Heaven (1)in the clouds of glory with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God; and that at this hour, which no man knoweth beforehand, the dead in Christ shall rise, then the (2)redeemed that are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and that so shall they ever be with the Lord; that also seeing that a thousand years is as a day with the Lord, and (3)that no man knoweth the hour of His appearance, which we believe to be near at hand, each day should be lived as though He were (4)expected to appear at even, yet that in obedience to His explicit command, (5)“Occupy till I come,” the work of spreading the gospel, the sending forth of missionaries, and the general duties for the upbuilding of the church (6)should be carried on as diligently, and thoroughly, as though neither ours nor the next generation should live in the flesh to see the glorious day.

Scripture References:

1. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” (1Thess. 4:16,17)

2. “...denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:12,13)

3. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Mt. 24:36,42,44)

4. “...so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” (Heb. 9:28)

5. “ ...‘Do business till I come.’” (Lk. 19:13)

6. “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that hewill gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.”(Lk. 12:35-37)

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Our Mission and Vision

MISSION OF THE FOURSQUARE CHURCH

The Foursquare Church exists to glorify God and advance His kingdom. Jesus Christ's command is to preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19). Therefore, we are "Dedicated unto the cause of inter-denominational and worldwide evangelism."* These words express our spirit and our focus.

Our call is to preach Jesus Christ, God's Son, as the Savior, Healer, Baptizer with the Holy Spirit and coming King. Our assignment is to develop healthy, growing churches. Our commitment is to plant national churches around the world led by loving servants of Jesus Christ. Churches developed in this manner will reproduce again and again. This makes possible the spread of the gospel to those who have not heard or accepted the message of God's Son.


VISION OF THE FOURSQUARE CHURCH

The vision of The Foursquare Church is to present Jesus Christ, God's Son, to every person in every culture and nation as The Savior, The Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, The Healer and The Soon-Coming King. Since the founding of The Foursquare Church in 1923, that vision has been realized through evangelizing the lost and establishing local congregations in the United States and abroad, through the nurturing and training of believers into leadership on all levels of church life, and in cooperation with other members of the body of Christ at large in the fellowship of the Gospel and the fulfillment of the biblical mandate to be "light" and "salt" on the earth.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Our Core Values


Values central to the life, mission and vision of The Foursquare Church.

CHRIST-CENTERED WORSHIP

We prioritize joyous worship, honoring the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as we extol the life and love of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 11:36-12:1-2).

We hold to the creeds asserting Jesus as God’s virgin-born Son--His sinless life, atoning death and literal resurrection providing salvation (Acts 4:12).

We focus a Christ-honoring, grace-based preaching and teaching ministry rooted in the authority of God’s eternal Word, the Holy Bible (2 Timothy 3:16).

CHURCH HEALTH AND BIBLICAL BALANCE

We prioritize a personal and church lifestyle of vital joy and hope as Christ and His kingdom are described in John 10:10, Romans 14:17 and 15:13.

We promote creative personal and church ministry that spreads the Gospel meets human need and multiplies life-begetting ministries (Phil. 1:9-11).

We prioritize passion with order in worship, biblical grace with obedience in lifestyle, with liberty, wisdom and charity in all things (1 Corinthians 13:13; 14:40).

We embrace all who love Christ, pursuing our distinct sense of mission and values, while affirming the whole church beyond our ranks (Philippians 2:1-10).

SPIRIT-FILLED DISCIPLESHIP

We prioritize the apostolic plan for discipleship as in Acts 8:14-17; 19:1-6, calling believers to decisively open to the Holy Spirit’s fullness and fruit.

We acknowledge the distinct and ongoing gift-giving ministry of the Spirit and instruct in how to minister in His power to Christ’s glory (1 Corinthians 12-14).

We pursue faith-filled prayer, intercession and spiritual warfare with Holy Spirit enabled power and discernment as in Ephesians 6:10-20 and 1 Timothy 2:1-6.

GLOBAL EVANGELISM

We prioritize the apostolic convictions in 2 Corinthians 5:14, 15; being constrained by the love of Christ knowing eternal souls are at risk, and commissioned by the grace of God since all who believe may be saved.

We are constant to our founding call to worldwide, interdenominational evangelism, proclaiming to all that Jesus Christ is the Savior, Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, Healer, and Soon-Coming King (Acts 20:27).

FELLOWSHIP AND MINISTRY

We prioritize planting and growing local churches as in Acts 9:31 and Ephesians 3:14-19, that believers may be grown, nurtured and equipped for ministry.

We cultivate every-member ministry as in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Christ’s will being that His church be the living evidence of His love and power to the world.

We honor the Holy Spirit’s call to and giftings of church leaders under Christ’s commission and lordship, irrespective of age, gender or ethnicity (Acts 2:17-18).

SOCIAL CONSCIENCE

We prioritize the Gospel of Jesus Christ as God’s power unto salvation for all, begetting works of compassion, justice and human aid (Matthew 5:13-16).

We place high value on the sanctity of human life, of biblical marriage and morality, and we welcome ethnic diversity (Isaiah 56:7; Philippians 2:15-16).

We accept the timeless purpose of God through his ancient people Israel, and reject anti-Semitism and all ethnic discrimination (Romans 11:11-27; Acts 17:26).

Our Beliefs


1. The Holy Scriptures
We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God: true, immutable, steadfast, and unchangeable (2 Timothy 3:16, 17).

2. The Eternal Godhead
We believe that God is triune: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; the Three are coexistent, coeternal, and equal in divine perfection (1 John 5:7).

3. The Fall of Man
We believe that man, created in the image of God, by voluntary disobedience fell into the depths of sin and iniquity, bequeathing sin’s nature and consequences to all mankind, with their accompanying loss of intended meaning and purpose (Genesis 1:27; Romans 5:12).

4. The Plan of Redemption
We believe that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, took our place, and with His life’s blood purchased the pardon for all who believe in Him (John 3:16; Titus 2:14).

5. Salvation Through Grace
We believe that salvation is wholly through grace; that no human righteousness or merit can contribute to our receiving God’s love and favor (Ephesians 2:8).

6. Repentance and Acceptance
We believe that, upon sincere repentance and a whole-hearted acceptance of Christ, we are justified before God through Jesus’ sacrificial death (Romans 10:6-10; 1 John 1:9).

7. The New Birth
We believe that the change that takes place in people at conversion is a very real one; that having received righteousness in Christ and having received of His Spirit, people will have new desires, interests, and pursuits in life (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20).

8. Daily Christian Life
We believe that it is the will of God that those who have been born again grow in sanctification, become partakers of His holiness, and daily grow stronger in the faith, power, prayer, love, and service (2 Corinthians 7:1).

9. Water Baptism and the Lord's Supper
We believe that being baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is an essential response to Jesus’ command, testifying to His lordship as Christ and King (Romans 6:4). We believe in observing the Lord’s Supper, receiving the broken bread and the fruit of the vine with joy and faith as we partake anew of the life and triumph of Christ’s Cross (1 Corinthians 11:24-26)

10. Baptism in the Holy Spirit
We believe that the baptism in the Holy Spirit empowers believers to exalt Jesus, to live lives of holiness, and to be witnesses of God’s saving grace; we expect the Spirit’s incoming to be after the same manner as that in which He came upon believers in the days of the Early Church (Acts 1: 5, 8; 2:4).

11. The Spirit-Filled Life
We believe that it is the will of God that believers walk in the Spirit moment by moment, serving the Lord and living lives of patience, love, truth, sincerity, and prayer (Ephesians 4:30-32; Galatians 5:16, 25).

12. The Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit bestows enabling ministry gifts upon believers, and that these gifts will build up the Body of Christ through edification and evangelism(1 Corinthians 12:1-11); as evidence of a Spirit-filled life, believers should show spiritual “fruit”: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Galatians 5:22-25).

13. Moderation
We believe a Christians’ moderation should be obvious to others and that relationship with Jesus should never lead people into extremes of fanaticism; their lives should model that of Christ in uprightness, balance, humility, and self-sacrifice (Colossians 3:12, 13; Philippians 4:5).

14. Divine Healing
We believe that divine healing is the power of Jesus Christ to heal the sick in answer to the prayer of faith; He, who does not change, is still willing and able to heal the body, as well as the soul and spirit in answer to faith (Mark 16: 17, 18; James 5:14-16).

15. The Second Coming of Christ
We believe that the second coming of Christ is personal and imminent; the certainty of His coming and the fact that no man knows the hour of His coming prompt our evangelistic efforts; that the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven, the dead in Christ shall rise, and the redeemed will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air (Matthew 24:36, 42, 44; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17).

16. Church Relationship
We believe that it is our sacred duty to identify ourselves with a congregation of believers with whom we can worship God, observe the ordinances of Christ, exhort and support one another, labor for the salvation of others, and work together to advance the Lord’s Kingdom (Acts 16:5; Hebrews 10:24).

17. Civil Government
We believe that civil government is by divine appointment and that civil laws should be upheld at all times except in things opposed to the will of God (Acts 4: 18-20; Romans 13:1-5).
18. Judgement
We believe that all shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ: the redeemed to be delivered unto everlasting life, and the unrepentant unto everlasting punishment (Revelation 20:11, 12; 2 Corinthians 5:10).

19. Heaven
We believe that heaven is the glorious habitation of the living God and the eternal home of born-again believers (John 14:2; Revelation 7:15-17).

20. Hell
We believe that hell is a place of darkness, deepest sorrow, and unquenchable fire, which was not prepared for man but for the devil and his angels; yet it will become the place of eternal separation from God for all who reject Christ as Savior (Matthew 13: 41, 42; Revelation 10:10, 15).

21. Evangelism
We believe that soul winning is the “one big business” of the Church on earth, and that every hindrance to worldwide evangelism should be removed (James 5:20; Mark 16:15).

22. Tithing and Offerings
We believe that tithing and offerings are ordained of God to sustain His ministry, spread the Gospel, and release personal blessing (Malachi 3:10; 1 Corinthians 16: 1, 2).