Here  at Lakes Community we believe that who we are is rooted in What we Believe.

Listed below are the Fundamental Truths about the God Whom we know Personally as laid out in Scripture.

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Declaration of Faith

• We BELIEVE... that the Bible is the Word and Revelation of God, and is therefore inerrant, and our only authority in faith and practice.
  (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:1-21)

• We BELIEVE... in one God, eternally existing in Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

• We BELIEVE... in the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ: that He is very God by Whom and for Whom all things were created.
  (John 1:1-3; Col. 1:15-16)

• We BELIEVE... that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, and is true God and true man. 
  (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18-25)

• We BELIEVE... that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death which is separation from God; and that all human beings are born with a sinful depraved nature.
  (Gen.1:27; 5:12, 19)

• We BELIEVE... that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, a substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are justified on the basis of His shed blood.
  (Isa. 53:4, 7; Jn. 3:16; 1 Peter 2:24)

• We Believe... in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into Heaven, and His present work of intercession for us.
  (Matt. 28:6,7; Acts 1:9; Heb. 7:25)

• We BELIEVE... in the universality of sin, and that the only cleaning from sin is the blood of Jesus Christ.
  (Rom. 3:10,19, 23; Col.1:14; Heb. 9:12-15)

• We BELIEVE... in the personality and deity of the Holy Spirit, Who came on the day of Pentecost to convict of sin, to regenerate, and to indwell believers, as well as administrate in the church of Jesus Christ.
  (John 14:16, 17; 16:8-11)

• We BELIEVE... in the great commission which our Lord gave to His Church to evangelize the World, and that this evangelization is the great mission of the Church of Jesus Christ today.
  (Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts 1:8)

• We BELIEVE... in the blessed hope; the imminent return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
  (John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:13-18)

• We BELIEVE... in the bodily resurrection of the saved and the lost, the eternal existence of all people either in heaven or hell, in divine judgment, rewards and punishments.
  (Dan. 12:2; John. 5:28,29; Luke 16:19-31)

• We BELIEVE... that all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, repent of their sins and receive Him as their personal Savior by faith, are born again by the Holy Spirit, and thereby become the children of God.
  (Acts 20:20; John 1:12; Rom. 10:9-10)

• We BELIEVE... in water baptism by immersion after salvation for every believer.
  (Acts 8:36-39; John 3:23; Rom. 6:4, 5)

• We BELIEVE... in observing the Lord's Supper as Christ commanded in remembrance of Him; that , the elements represent the broken body and the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ; and that all who have been born again are eligible to partake.
  (Acts 2:41, 42; 1 Cor. 11:23-28)

• We BELIEVE... that the Church is the spiritual body of which Christ is the head. We believe that the true Church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We believe that this body expresses itself in local churches whose members have been immersed upon a credible confession of faith and have associated themselves for worship, for instruction, for evangelism, and for service.
  (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:1-47, 8:36-39, 15:1-35; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 11:23-28; Col. 1:18)

• We BELIEVE... in the separation of Church and State. That each local church is self-governing in function and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority. We further believe that every human being is directly responsible to God in matters of faith and life and that each one should be free to worship God according to the dictates of conscience.
  (Acts 4:18-20, 5:27-29; 16:16-40)

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Marriage Policy:

• We BELIEVE... that marriage was ordained by God at creation as the sacred union of one man and one woman. All sexual relations must therefore be reserved for that Union.
  (Gen. 1:26-31; 2:18-25; 1 Cor. 6:9-11)

• This CHURCH AFFIRMS... that all marriage ceremonies performed in the name of this church and any related celebrations of activities allowed in its facilities shall be for the unions that meet the standards named in this church manual stating it's Declaration of Faith, Church Covenant, Constitution and By Laws, and further, that church ministers and staff engage only in marriage ceremonies in keeping with this church's adopted Biblical and theological definition of marriage.        

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  Church  Covenant    

• Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and having been buried with Him in baptism and raised again to walk in newness of life, we do now sincerely covenant with one another as one body in Christ. 

• We affirm that of all earthly organizations with which our members may be affiliated, the church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ Who is the preeminent One, shall have first place in our affections and loyalties as that church is manifested in this local body.       

• We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations.

• We will strive to maintain family and personal devotions, to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and  acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment, to avoid all tattling, back-biting, and excessive anger; to abstain from drunkenness and addictive behavior, and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the cause of our Savior.                              

• We further engage to watch  over one another  in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness  and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Savior, to secure it without delay. 

• We moreover engage, that when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible unite with some other church, where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's Word.