About - Spirit Lake Community Church

Beliefs

The Church of God (Anderson, IN) is a global movement of people who seek to fulfill God’s mission. We’re committed to studying the Word of God and faithfully living it out. We’re committed to the mission Jesus Christ gave every believer: to make disciples of all nations (Mat. 28:18–20)

ENJOY THIS SHORT VIDEO ON CHURCH OF GOD’S HISTORY

The Church of God movement appeared in the 1880s in the midst of the broader American Holiness Revival. The pioneers of the Church of God hoped to restore a more biblical understanding and practice of what it means to be the church. One of our early church songs says: “The Bible is our rule of faith and Christ alone is Lord.” This lyric still summarizes the core belief of Church of God people. We have not issued any official belief statement, and we have no formal creed. Yet, the following statements reflect the heart of the Church of God:

Jesus is Lord.

The singularity, the exclusivity, the divinity of the one Lord Jesus is central to who we are. He is the Bread of Life. The Water of Life. The Lamb of God. The Way, the Truth, and the Life. The one Mediator between God and humankind. The Lord of lords, the King of kings. The Son of Man. The Son of God. The Word become Flesh. The Name at which every knee shall bow. Jesus is the subject (Acts 2:36).

Holiness.

The Person, the work, and the power of the Holy Spirit is fundamental to who we are as a people. We unabashedly own the truth that the Spirit can transform us, possess us, equip us, and empower us. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that sanctifies us, makes us holy, sets us apart for sacred service, and seals us for eternity’s sake. It is the Spirit that convicts us of sin and enables us to overcome sin. It is the Holy Spirit that can breathe supernatural gifts into us, for Jesus’ sake. He is the Comforter promised by Jesus and the witness of our redemption (Gal 5:22–23)

Unity.

We are a people uniquely called by God to be a catalyst for Christian unity, believing that the division of the body of Christ is hell’s greatest weapon to thwart heaven’s ends in this world. We are convinced that the splintering of the body is not the Lord’s work, but the enemy’s; we believe that hell trembles at the prospect of a people united, redeemed by the blood, and possessed by the Spirit (John 17:21).

The Great Commandments.

Love God with your whole self. And, love your neighbors as yourself. The Scripture tells us this is the sum of the Law and the Prophets. When a teacher of the Law sought to test Jesus (Luke 10), asking, “What must I do to have eternal life?” Jesus asked him what he read in the Scripture. When the man replied with the Great Commandments, Jesus approved, saying, “You have answered well; do this and you will live.” It was this exchange that birthed the seminal parable of the Good Samaritan. As a people in the pursuit of holiness, the Great Commandments clothe us.

The Supremacy of Scripture.

We are a people of the Bible—the Old and New Testaments, supernaturally inspired, preserved across time, cultures, and continents, delivered to us, useful for reproof and instruction, for righteousness. The Scripture is our backstop, the ultimate field of inquiry and judgment, the measure of conduct, faith, and practice. Whatever the question, whatever the test, whatever comes before us, in the end, it is the Scripture, above all other disciplines, that informs and defines us. All other sources of knowledge fall beneath its shadow (2 Tim 3:14–17).

Great Commission.

Kingdom of God.

The Trinity.

Women in Ministry.

The distributions of gifts by the Holy Spirit for the edification of the body of Christ is not determined by gender. God has poured out his Spirit on all people, and both sons and daughters will prophesy—and teach, and shepherd the flock. In Christ, in the kingdom of God, that which once divided us—Jew, Gentile; slave, free; male, female—no longer separate. From the earliest days of the Church of God movement, we’ve celebrated the ministry leadership of outstanding women clergy and continue to do so (Acts 2:17; Gal 3:28).

Learn about the Church of God Anderson, IN Movement by CLICKING HERE

Statement of Faith

WE BELIEVE in one God revealed in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

WE BELIEVE That humankind was created in the image of God but fell into sin; therefore, mankind is separated from God and is living apart from the life God desires for us.

WE BELIEVE In the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. That work is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, to guide, instruct, purify and empower the believer for Godly living and service.

WE BELIEVE In the Bible as the inspired Word of God, the revelation of His Will, and the divine authority for the living of the Christian life and faith.

WE BELIEVE Jesus Christ is truly God and truly human, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He died upon the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. He arose bodily from the dead and ascended into heaven where He sits at the right hand of God the Father. He shall return personally and visibly a second time in Glory and Power.

WE BELIEVE The church is the body of Christ; who by faith in Him has been saved and born into God’s family and are working together for the building up of the Kingdom of God.

WE BELIEVE That all of life is a stewardship. All that we have belongs to God. We are simply caretakers of what He has placed into our hands. We, therefore, are to use responsibly God’s resources which would involve the giving of our tithes and offerings, the donating of our time to God’s work and the dedicating of our talents to God’s Kingdom.

WE BELIEVE In water baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper as ordinances that are to be observed by the Body. They are not a means of salvation but instead; a symbol of the inward work of grace and mercy.

WE BELIEVE That one day, in a time known only to God, Jesus Christ will visibly return in triumph and glory. He will not come to establish an earthly kingdom, but to resurrect the dead and bring final judgement to all mankind. The righteous through Christ will gain everlasting life in the presence of God, and the unrighteous will receive eternal destruction. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord of Lord.