09 Statement of Faith

Statement of Faith

The following statement of faith comes from the new member orientation manual co-written by Christiaan J. de Ruiter and is officially adopted by Eagle Wings Charismatic Ministries International

We Believe:

The Word of God in its entirety.

The Bible is the inspired, infallible, and only authoritative Word of God.

• We believe that the Word of God is not a dead or passing word, but a word that stays and is alive from days past until eternity¹. That this word is given to the authors by The Holy Spirit and with that it is without fault and authoritative². God's Holy Word, is a beacon to the world and a guideline to bring the lost from the darkness and dead into the light and eternal life^3.. A prophetic word⁴ reproved over the ages providing an insight into what was and is to come.

1.  Matthew 24:35 Sky and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. Psalm 119:89 Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven [stands firm as the heavens].
2. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action), 17 So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.
3. Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.
4. 2 Peter 1:19-21 And we have the prophetic word [made] firmer still. You will do well to pay close attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dismal (squalid and dark) place until the day breaks through [the gloom] and the Morning Star rises (comes into being) in your hearts. 20 [Yet] first [you must] understand this, that no prophecy of Scripture is [a matter] of any personal or private or special interpretation (loosening, solving).  21 For no prophecy ever originated because some man willed it [to do so--it never came by human impulse], but men spoke from God who was borne along (moved and impelled) by the Holy Spirit.

In the one Triune God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

• We believe in One God¹., the trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, equal in power and majesty.
• God the Father who in His glory is so awesome and glorious, that no man cannot look at His face and live²., He that loves man so much, that He gave his only begotten Son to die on the cross for our sins, through which we are redeemed and reconciled with God the Father³.

• God the Son, Co-existent and eternal with God the Father⁴., who was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary⁵. took it upon Himself the form of man, carried our sins and sorrows. By the shedding of His blood upon the cross of Calvary, purchased redemption for all who believe in Him. Then broke the hold of death and hell and arose from the grave to ascend on high leading captivity captive, that's the great mediator between God and man⁶., He will stand at the right hand of the Father, speaking on behalf of those for whom He has given His life.

• The Holy Spirit, third person of the Godhead⁷., the Spirit of the Father, omnipotent, omnipresent, performing an inexpressible important mission upon the earth, convicting mankind of sin, righteousness, and judgment, bringing sinners to the Savior Jesus Christ⁸., rebuking, pleading, searching, comforting, bringing alive, teaching, glorifying, baptizing and imparting with gifts and power to those who will submit to His leadership and guidance. Preparing them for the second coming of Jesus the Christ.

1. Isaiah 43:10 You are My witnesses, says the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know Me, believe Me, and remain steadfast to Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me. Isaiah 44:8 Fear not, nor be afraid [in the coming violent upheavals]; have I not told it to you from of old and declared it? And you are My witnesses! Is there a God besides Me? There is no [other] Rock; I know not any.
2. Exodus 33:20 But, He said, You can not see My face, for no man shall see Me and live.
3. John 3:16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
4. John 1:1-3 IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. 2 He was present originally with God. 3 All things were made and came into existence through Him, and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being. Job 38:4-7 Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Declare to Me, if you have and know understanding. 5 Who determined the measures of the earth, if you know? Or who stretched the measuring line upon it? 6 Upon what were the foundations of it fastened, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
5. Matthew 1:23 Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel--which, when translated, means, God with us
6. Isaiah 43:11 I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me, there is no Savior. 1 Timothy 2:5-6a For there [is only] one God, and [only] one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 Who gave Himself as a ransom for all [people] Ephesians 2:18 For it is through Him that we both [whether far off or near] now have an introduction (access) by one [Holy] Spirit to the Father [so that we are able to approach Him].
7. John 5:7 The invalid answered, Sir, I have nobody when the water is moving to put me into the pool; but while I am trying to come [into it] myself, somebody else steps down ahead of me.
8. John 15:26 But when the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth Who comes (proceeds) from the Father, He [Himself] will testify regarding Me. 2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace (favor and spiritual blessing) of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the presence and fellowship (the communion and sharing together, and participation) in the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen (so be it). Matthew 28:19 Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Romans 8:11 And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you. John 16:7-14 However, I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you [into close fellowship with you]; but if I go away, I will send Him to you [to be in close fellowship with you]. 8 And when He comes, He will convict and convince the world and bring demonstration to it about sin and about righteousness (uprightness of heart and right standing with God) and about judgment: 9 About sin, because they do not believe in Me [trust in, rely on, and adhere to Me]; 10 About righteousness (uprightness of heart and right standing with God), because I go to My Father, and you will see Me no longer; 11 About judgment, because the ruler (evil genius, prince) of this world [Satan] is judged and condemned and sentence already is passed upon him.12 I have still many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them or to take them upon you or to grasp them now.13 But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future]. 14 He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.

In the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ in his virgin birth, in his sinless life, in his miracles, in his vicarious and atoning death through his shed blood.

• We believe that Jesus Christ is God, born out of a virgin¹., with a life without sin²., performing miracles³., resurrected bringing victory over dead and sin.

1.  Matthew 1:23 Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel--which, when translated, means, God with us.
2. 1 Peter 2:22 He was guilty of no sin, neither was deceit (guile) ever found on His lips. 1 John 3:5 You know that He appeared in visible form and became Man to take away [upon Himself] sins, and in Him there is no sin [essentially and forever]. Isaiah 53:9 And they assigned Him a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth.
3. 1 Timothy 2:5-6a For there [is only] one God, and [only] one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 Who gave Himself as a ransom for all [people] Ephesians 2:18 For it is through Him that we both [whether far off or near] now have an introduction (access) by one [Holy] Spirit to the Father [so that we are able to approach Him].

In his bodily resurrection, in his ascension to the right hand of the Father, and his personal return in power and glory.

• We believe that Jesus the Son of God was resurrected¹. from the dead and ascended². to heaven to be at the right hand of God the Father³. Jesus Christ will return but this time in all of His power and glory⁴..

1. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 For I passed on to you first of all what I also had received, that Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for our sins in accordance with [what] the Scriptures [foretold]
2. Acts 1:11 Who said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into heaven? This same Jesus, Who was caught away and lifted up from among you into heaven, will return in [just] the same way in which you saw Him go into heaven.
3. Colossians 3:1 IF THEN you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
4. Matthew 24:30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and beat their breasts and lament in anguish, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory [in brilliancy and splendor]

That the salvation of the lost and regeneration of the sinful person by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

• Acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, becoming a child of God, and being saved from eternal death, is the first step to obtaining a Christ focused and righteous life. This righteousness can only be obtained with the help of the Holy Spirit in this with the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

1. Titus 3:5 He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of His own pity and mercy, by [the] cleansing [bath] of the new birth (regeneration) and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

 In the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the Christian enabling him/her to live a Godly life. That the baptism of the Holy Spirit according to Acts 2:4, is given to all believers who ask for it.

• The Holy Spirit is the comforter send by Jesus, to help and guide the Christian^1.. When we surrender ourselves to the power and glory of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit He will pour out His blessings, and gifts^2. upon the believers for the edification of God the Father.

1. Acts 2:4 And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit kept giving them clear and loud expression [in each tongue in appropriate words].
2. 1 Corinthians 12:8-13 To one is given in and through the [Holy] Spirit [the power to speak] a message of wisdom, and to another [the power to express] a word of knowledge and understanding according to the same [Holy] Spirit; 9 To another [wonder-working] faith by the same [Holy] Spirit, to another the extraordinary powers of healing by the one Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles, to another prophetic insight (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose); to another the ability to discern and distinguish between [the utterances of true] spirits [and false ones], to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, to another the ability to interpret [such] tongues. 11 All these [gifts, achievements, abilities] are inspired and brought to pass by one and the same [Holy] Spirit, Who apportions to each person individually [exactly] as He chooses. 12 For just as the body is a unity and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so it is with Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). 13 For by [means of the personal agency of] one [Holy] Spirit we were all, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, baptized [and by baptism united together] into one body, and all made to drink of one [Holy] Spirit.

In the resurrection of the saved and the lost; that the saved is resurrected unto life and that the lost is resurrected unto damnation.

• With Jesus coming everybody will be resurrected and will go to either one of two places. Life (heaven) or damnation (lake of fire). Wherever you end up, you will live forever.

1. Isaiah 26:19 Your dead shall live [O Lord]; the bodies of our dead [saints] shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For Your dew [O Lord] is a dew of [sparkling] light [heavenly, supernatural dew]; and the earth shall cast forth the dead [to life again; for on the land of the shades of the dead You will let Your dew fall] Daniel 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake: some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt and abhorrence. John 5:28-29 Do not be surprised and wonder at this, for the time is coming when all those who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, 29 And they shall come out--those who have practiced doing good [will come out] to the resurrection of [new] life, and those who have done evil will be raised for judgment [raised to meet their sentence]. Matthew 25:46 Then they will go away into eternal punishment, but those who are just and upright and in right standing with God into eternal life.

In the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

• The church, which is the body of believers over which Jesus Christ is the Head does not consist of one church or denomination, however, some are misled are led astray, the body of Christ in itself is in spiritual unity, in the Holy Spirit who works throughout.

1. 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 For just as the body is a unity and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so it is with Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). 13 For by [means of the personal agency of] one [Holy] Spirit we were all, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, baptized [and by baptism united together] into one body, and all made to drink of one [Holy] Spirit. 14 For the body does not consist of one limb or organ but of many.

That every believer has been anointed in ministry.

• Every born-again person has the Spirit in them - and thereby is enabled by the Spirit to be used in ALL of the gifts of the Spirit¹. whenever the Spirit wills and to the level that they are willing to be used by Him. Additionally, every born-again person is anointed to some degree to be a help^2. to the body of Christ and to assist in the many different needs of the ministry as they are needed and called upon by the Pastor and other Leaders of the Church.

1. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 But to each one is given the manifestation of the [Holy] Spirit [the evidence, the spiritual illumination of the Spirit] for good and profit. 8 To one is given in and through the [Holy] Spirit [the power to speak] a message of wisdom, and to another [the power to express] a word of knowledge and understanding according to the same [Holy] Spirit; 9 To another [wonder-working] faith by the same [Holy] Spirit, to another the extraordinary powers of healing by the one Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles, to another prophetic insight (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose); to another the ability to discern and distinguish between [the utterances of true] spirits [and false ones], to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, to another the ability to interpret [such] tongues. 11 All these [gifts, achievements, abilities] are inspired and brought to pass by one and the same [Holy] Spirit, Who apportions to each person individually [exactly] as He chooses.
2. 1 Corinthians 12:28 So God has appointed some in the church [for His own use]: first apostles (special messengers); second prophets (inspired preachers and expounders); third teachers; then wonder-workers; then those with ability to heal the sick; helpers; administrators; [speakers in] different (unknown) tongues.

That God will give everyone a fresh start by just asking.

• We believe that the change which takes place in the heart and life at conversion is real^1. That the sinner is born again in a glorious and transforming way, that the old things are behind us, and that all things become new^2. In such a way that the things we first held dear, are now despised, and the things that were first despised are now held most sacred and dear^3.. And that now we have received the gift of life of Jesus Christ our redeemer we are made righteous and are gladly receiving the Holy Spirit^4. With that, we have new longings, new goals, new interests, and above all a new look on life, for this time and eternity. Having the knowledge that our old heart has been washed by the blood of the lamb we have but one desire to openly confess and serve the Master, pursuing the things that are given of Him^5..

1. John 3:3 Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God.
2. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!
3. John 15:19 If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection and would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world [no longer one with it], but I have chosen (selected) you out of the world, the world hates (detests) you.
4. Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Romans 3:24-25 [All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus, 25 Whom God put forward [before the eyes of all] as a mercy seat and propitiation by His blood [the cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to be received] through faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins without punishment.
5. Psalm 1:1-2 BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. 2 But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.

In the equality and unity both physically and spiritually of all believers In Jesus the Christ, Yeshua the Messiah.

• Jesus Christ says that all who will follow Him will be making up the body on which He is the head, One body¹, One head. This means that all who believe in him from whatever social, economic or cultural background will be part of this same body of Christ which we call the church. The church is based upon the foundation of the Apostles with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone.

1. Ephesians 2:11-22 ¹¹Therefore, remember that at one time you were Gentiles (heathens) in the flesh, called Uncircumcision by those who called themselves Circumcision, [itself a mere mark] in the flesh made by human hands. ¹² [Remember] that you were at that time separated (living apart) from Christ [excluded from all part in Him], utterly estranged and outlawed from the rights of Israel as a nation, and strangers with no share in the sacred compacts of the [Messianic] promise [with no knowledge of or right in God’s agreements, His covenants]. And you had no hope (no promise); you were in the world without God. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were [so] far away, through (by, in) the blood of Christ have been brought near. ¹⁴ For He is [Himself] our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). ¹He has made us both [Jew and Gentile] one [body], and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us, ¹⁵ By abolishing in His [own crucified] flesh the enmity [caused by] the Law with its decrees and ordinances [which He annulled]; that He from the two might create in Himself one new man [one new quality of humanity out of the two], so making peace. ¹⁶ And [He designed] to reconcile to God both [Jew and Gentile, united] in a single body by means of His cross, thereby killing the mutual enmity and bringing the feud to an end. ¹⁷ And He came and preached the glad tidings of peace to you who were afar off and [peace] to those who were near. ¹⁸ For it is through Him that we both [whether far off or near] now have an introduction (access) by one [Holy] Spirit to the Father [so that we are able to approach Him]. ¹⁹ Therefore you are no longer outsiders (exiles, migrants, and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God’s own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself); and you belong to God’s [own] household. ²⁰ You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself the chief Cornerstone. ²¹ In Him the whole structure is joined (bound, welded) together harmoniously, and it continues to rise (grow, increase) into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, consecrated, and sacred to the presence of the Lord]. ²² In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you also are being built up [into this structure] with the rest, to form a fixed abode (dwelling place) of God in (by, through) the Spirit.

In the continuity of God's covenant with the Jewish people, the physical people of Israel, in His unchanging will.

Our God is a never-changing God who does not let go of those who seek Him. His covenants created between Abraham, Jacob, and Moses He will not abandon. Judgment may have come and will come but the promise still stands

1. Jeremiah 31:35–36 Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for a light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who stirs up the sea’s roaring billows or stills the waves when they roar—the Lord of hosts is His name: ³⁶ If these ordinances [of fixed order] depart from before Me, says the Lord, then the posterity of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me throughout the ages.
2. Malachi 3:6-7 For I am the Lord, I do not change; that is why you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 Even from the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, How shall we return?

In the fulfillment of all God's promises and prophesies which also the fulfillment of the covenant by the physical return of the Jewish people to their Promised Land.

As God is an unchanging God and his promise stands for eternity He will fulfill his plan for the Jewish people and for those that are the followers of the Messiah. We see the fulfillment of His plan in the establishment of the state of Israel in 1947-1948

1. Deuteronomy 30:1-5 And when all these things have come upon you, the blessings and the curses which I have set before you, and you shall call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, ² And shall return to the Lord your God and obey His voice according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your [mind and] heart and with all your being, ³ Then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion upon you and will gather you again from all the nations where He has scattered you. ⁴ Even if any of your dispersed are in the uttermost parts of the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and from there will He bring you. ⁵ And the Lord your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will do you good and multiply you above your fathers.

That all non-Jewish believers in Jesus Christ, Yeshua the Messiah are grafted into the tree of the root of Jesse, Israel. While this does not make someone Jewish they will be equal participants in Christ's covenants of promise.

The Jewish believer's people stemming from the tree of the root of Jesse are the Olive Tree, strong and old. The wild olive tree are the gentiles of the non-Jewish people, those that are followers of Christ are compared to the branches that are taken from the wild olive tree and are grafted into the olive tree. With this grafting process became one tree, drinking from the same source (God) through the branch (Yeshua Ha'Mashiach)

1. Ephesians 2:12 [Remember] that you were at that time separated (living apart) from Christ [excluded from all part in Him], utterly estranged and outlawed from the rights of Israel as a nation, and strangers with no share in the sacred compacts of the [Messianic] promise [with no knowledge of or right in God’s agreements, His covenants]. And you had no hope (no promise); you were in the world without God.
2. Romans 11:15–24For if their rejection and exclusion from the benefits of salvation were [overruled] for the reconciliation of a world to God, what will their acceptance and admission mean? [It will be nothing short of] life from the dead! ¹⁶ Now if the first handful of dough offered as the firstfruits [Abraham and the patriarchs] is consecrated (holy), so is the whole mass [the nation of Israel]; and if the root [Abraham] is consecrated (holy), so are the branches. ¹⁷ But if some of the branches were broken off, while you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them to share the richness [of the root and sap] of the olive tree, ¹⁸ Do not boast over the branches and pride yourself at their expense. If you do boast and feel superior, remember it is not you that support the root, but the root [that supports] you. ¹⁹ You will say then, Branches were broken (pruned) off so that I might be grafted in! ²⁰ That is true. But they were broken (pruned) off because of their unbelief (their lack of real faith), and you are established through faith [because you do believe]. So do not become proud and conceited, but rather stand in awe and be reverently afraid. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches [because of unbelief], neither will He spare you [if you are guilty of the same offense]. ²² Then note and appreciate the gracious kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s gracious kindness to you—provided you continue in His grace and abide in His kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off (pruned away). ²³ And even those others [the fallen branches, Jews], if they do not persist in [clinging to] their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and against nature grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much easier will it be to graft these natural [branches] back on [the original parent stock of] their own olive tree.
3. Jeremiah 31:33But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, says the Lord, I will put My law within them, and on their hearts will I write it; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.

All scripture is taken from the Amplified Bible Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation.