WHO ARE WE?
Your belief system is very important to your spiritual life. Offered below is what we teach here at Greater Shepherd. This system of belief is the result of years of study and prayer.
1. We believe that God is the creator and sustainer of all things. He is sovereign and there is no power or force that dare claim equality to Him. God is perfect in all His attributes, guiding all matters of life according to His will and good pleasure. God has uniquely offered Himself to us through the perfect and supreme revelation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the world. (Genesis 1-2; I Chronicles 29:11-17; St. John 1:1-18)
2. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Through the Virgin Mary He experienced the struggle of humanity. Being fashioned and formed as a servant, He submitted Himself to death and because of His obedience to the will of God was raised to new life, thus providing salvation for all who will, by faith receive Him as Savior and Lord. He now sits on the right hand of God, making intercession for us and preparing to return to reign eternally as Lord of all. (Luke 2:1-20; Acts 4:11; I Corinthians15; Philippians 2:5-11)
3. We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, the agent of Jesus Christ, released to all believers at the moment of salvation to convict us, correct us, inspire us and instruct us. The Holy Spirit serves as the other Paraclete, the continued presence of Jesus Christ both in the life of the believer and the Church. (St. John 14-15; Romans 8:26)
4. We believe that Humanity is the supreme creation of the eternal God, made for His glory and created to achieve His purpose. However, because of the reality of demonic presence, broke covenant with God our creator in the Garden of Eden. God, in His infinite love, sent Jesus Christ to redeem us and because of His sacrificial and substitutionary death, we can through faith claim covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This we call discipleship. We are thus in covenant with God and are called to seek those who do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. This we call evangelism. (Genesis 1-2; Psalms 18; Matthew 16:13-24; Romans 6)
5. We believe that the Church is a community of persons who have claimed, through faith, Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. She is the creation of the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, called to proclaim Him in the world to all who sincerely desire to experience God. The church is empowered by the Holy Spirit to the ministry of good works, which is defined in Acts 2:41-47.
6. We believe that Sin is the willful departure from the will and word of God. As the Apostle Paul defined it in Romans 3:23, it is “missing of the mark”, which is defined and determined by God in Jesus Christ. Due to the fall of humanity in the Garden, sin can only be conquered through an empowered and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
7. We believe that because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we will one day experience the Second Resurrection. This is the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ to reclaim all whom dared to live a life of worship and work to His glory. This will precede the Tribulation, which will serve as the period of punishment of those who failed to confess Him as Lord. Those who are raptured will experience a judgment where they will be rewarded for their faithfulness on the earth. (I Corinthians 15; I Thessalonians 5)
