What We Believe

Statement of Faith
Center of Praise Ministries, Inc. is a Christian church. Although it is independent and nondenominational in its governance, It maintains a classical Pentecostal and Neo-Charismatic worship expression. We affirm that women and men are equal in purpose, ministry, and calling. Yet, distinct roles are noted within marriage and the family. 

God the Father:
We believe that the Father is almighty, and the creator of heaven and earth (1 Corinthians 8:6)

Jesus, Lord Savior, and the Christ:
Jesus is not only the Christ but also the Creator of all that exists (Colossians 1:16).

Jesus Christ, who pre-existed with God the Father in the form of God, emptied Himself to become fully a man that He might be the propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of mankind (Philippians 2:5-11).

Jesus was born of a virgin, by the seed of the Holy Spirit.

"There is one God, and one Mediator between God and humankind; the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). He is the gateway to God and the only way given by God for restored fellowship and communion.

He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

Holy Spirit:
We believe that the Holy Spirit is God. He has always existed with the Father and the Son. Humankind is filled with the Spirit of Christ at the moment of salvation.

Baptism in the Holy Spirit:
Jesus Christ facilitates the subsequent baptizing of the Holy Spirit upon the believer (Matthew 3:11). This baptism is accompanied by speaking in tongues as a sign (Acts 2:4 10:44-46 19:6), but the clear revelation of Christ’s nature (fruit of the Spirit) and life within serves as the evidence. We believe the manifestation of tongues (prayer language (1 Corinthians 14) is available to all who believe but is not essential for salvation or regeneration. The purpose of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is to impart spiritual power to the believer to be a witness (Acts 1:8).

Atonement:
Those who trust in Jesus Christ have access to the Throne of Grace by His sacrifice alone (Hebrews 4:14-16). Good works offered for the purpose of acceptance, standing, or approval are therefore an affront to the cross by which all of these things were gained for us by Jesus Christ.

The New Birth:

We believe in our hearts that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that death facilitated propitiation for our salvation; resulting in regeneration and renewal that constitutes our new birth into new creations (Romans 10:8-13). Although immediate perfection is not realized, we by faith do journey from glory to glory; believing God to transform us into Christ’s image (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Water Baptism:
Water Baptism is symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  Once we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, baptism is a way for us to declare our new life in Christ publicly. It is also a step of obedience based on God’s commands and allows us to follow the example of Jesus, who submitted himself to baptism to "fulfill all righteousness."

Eternal Security of Salvation:
We wholeheartedly note that our salvation is secure in the One that provided it. Our spiritual birth, just as our physical birth, cannot be revoked nor reversed (Jude 24 and 25).

Faith:
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is when those things we can’t see with our natural eye become a reality or (substance) to us. Though we can’t see them with our natural eye, the eyes of our understanding (heart) are illuminated (Ephesians 1:15-21).

The Authority of Scripture:
We hold to the infallibility and inerrancy of the entire Word of God. We endeavor to maintain the simplicity of the biblical testimony and its stated practices.  We do not accept as truth any revelation, vision, dream, prophecy, or discernment which contradicts Scripture or cannot be verified by it. We believe that the Old Testament must always be taught in light of the revelation provided in the New Testament. Although we draw from various versions and translations of scripture, our primary teachings draw from the English Standard Version of the Bible. 

The Lord's Supper:
We acknowledge the ordinance of the Lord's Supper in remembrance of Jesus Christ; as a testimony of our communion with Him.  The Body, which was for us, carried away our sins. The Cup entered us into a new covenant, a covenant of life.  This ordinance is a personal and public statement of faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We communally celebrate the holy eucharist weekly on the first day of week. 

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ:
We believe in the literal, physical return of the Lord Jesus Christ to take authority and rule on the earth (Acts 1: 9-11).  We believe in the rapture of the Church when those who are alive shall be translated up to meet him in the air. Those who have died in the faith will be resurrected and precede those who are alive. We shall all be changed and caught up to be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Satan will be judged, and humankind’s enemy (death) shall be destroyed. It is then that the Lord shall establish a new heaven and new earth. We believe that the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the translation of the saints, and the establishing of his eternal Kingdom are synonymous events. 

Marriage and the Family:
We firmly believe that God created male and female. We believe that the sacred ministry of marriage is solely between one man and one woman. We further believe in the sanctity of life from conception to grave. All life is sacred. 

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