Faith Lutheran Church exists for this reason:
It is our mission to seek the unchurched, strive for spiritual growth, and to strengthen one another through the Word of God and His Sacraments.
This we believe: (Overview)
1) God and His Revelation
a) We believe in the Triune God (one God revealed as three distinct persons)
i) The Father who created and preserves us
ii) The Son who redeemed us (bought us back from the power of Satan to serve the Triune God)
iii) The Holy Spirit who sanctifies us (sets us apart from the unbelieving world as God's people in his Church)
b) We believe God reveals himself in:
i) Nature (the natural knowledge of God)
ii) The Bible (the revealed knowledge of God)
2) The Bible
a) We believe the whole Bible is true.
b) We believe the Bible is factual in all matters (science, history, etc.) and contains no errors.
c) We believe God used men, using their own style, to write the Bible (Verbal Inspiration).
3) Creation and Man
a) We believe the world was created in 6 natural and consecutive days.
b) We believe God created man sinless.
c) We believe man lost this divine image by yielding to the temptation of the devil and sinning. This brought sin and death to ALL men.
d) We believe no person can save them self or be their own Savior.
4) We Believe in Jesus Christ, the God-man.
a) Immediately after the first sin, God promised to send a Savior.
b) We believe Jesus is
i) 100% True God from all eternity
ii) 100% True man and fully human, born of the virgin Mary
c) We believe Jesus died and rose for the sins of the world, not just for those who believe.
OBJECTIVE JUSTIFICATION: Jesus died for all people for all time. This is the chief teaching of the Bible.
d) We believe there is nothing we can do to earn heaven by ourselves.
5) We Believe in the Holy Spirit
a) The Holy Spirit gives us the gift of faith.
b) The Holy Spirit gives us the gift of faith by using the Means of Grace.
c) We can reject the gift of faith.
d) The Holy Spirit strengthens and keeps us in faith to live God-pleasing lives. This is called "sanctification." Our good works and God-pleasing lives are a result of faith, never the cause.
6) The Means of Grace
a) DEFINITION: The Means of Grace are the tools the Holy Spirit uses to bring us to faith and to keep us in faith.
b) What they are. The Gospel in the Bible, Baptism, Lord's Supper (Communion)
i) Baptism
(1) What it is
(2) What it offers
(3) For who it is intended, including babies.
(a) Babies have inherited human sinfulness.
(b) Babies can believe supernaturally and come to faith through the miracle of baptism.
ii) Lord's Supper
(1) WHAT IT IS: The Lord's Supper offers bread and wine in a natural way and Christ's body and blood through a miracle. Through this we receive forgiveness, strength for Christian living and certaibty of eternal life. We call this the "real presence" - meaning Christ's body and blood are really present along with the bread and wine. See information below concerning our communion practices.
(2) For who is it intended: Repentant sinners who
(a) Believe in the real presence
(b) Are well instructed about the Bible and Lord's Supper
(c) Are able to examine themselves
(d) Agree with all the teachings of the Bible
(3) Questions to ask yourself before Lord's Supper
(a) What is present?
(b) What is offered?
(c) Am I truly sorry for my sins?
(d) Will I, with the Holy Spirit's help, change my sinful life?
7) The Holy Christian Church
a) WHAT IT IS: The Holy Christian Church is all people everywhere who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Since true faith is inside a person only God knows for sure who its members are. For this reason we call it the "invisible church". A Christian congregation is a group of people gathered around the Word and sacraments. We call these "visible" churches.
b) God wants us to separate from false teaching churches:
i) Out of love for God and his Word
ii) Out of love and concern for our souls
iii) Out of love and concern for the souls of others
c) God wants us to test visible churches: We do that by studying the teaching of the Bible with the teachings of the church. They must agree 100%.
d) God wants us to join with churches that teach the Bible in all its truth and purity. This involves five areas:
i) Worship
ii) Lord's Supper
iii) Prayer
iv) Education
v) Mission Work
8) The Public Ministry
a) How the local congregation operates publicly: Our church has pastors who serve as shepherds of God's flock. This is ordained by God and called the Office of the Holy Ministry.
9) Christ's Return and Judgment
a) We believe Christ will return visibly and in glory and power.
b) We believe all the dead will be raised up.
i) The bodies of believers will join or be reunited with their souls and go to heaven.
ii) The bodies of unbelievers will join or be reunited with their souls and go to hell.
c) We believe that at Christ's return the present world and universe, as we know it, will come to an end.
d) We reject any denial of the bodily resurrection and the reality of hell.
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NOTE: OUR COMMUNION PRACTICE: We celebrate Holy Communion on the first and third Sunday of every month, festival Sundays, and at other times as announced beforehand so communicants can properly examine themselves and prepare for the Sacrament of the Altar.
We ask that only those who have previously spoken to Pastor Martin or are members in good standing of this or any WELS or ELS congregation come to the Lord’s Table. This is in no way a judgment of anyone’s faith, but rather we have the Scriptural desire (1 Corinthians 11) to ensure that all who come to the altar know what they are receiving, have examined themselves, and share in our confession of faith, as it is revealed in the infallible Scriptures and properly explained in the Lutheran confessions. This has been the historic practice of the Christian Church and is intended to safeguard both the Sacrament and those present. St. Paul warns that those who receive the Sacrament in an unworthy manner (that is, without examining themselves and recognizing the Body and Blood of Christ) eat and drink judgment on themselves. No one would want a doctor who prescribed medicine without knowing his patient’s condition, and no Christian should want a pastor who would administer the Sacrament in a similarly inappropriate way. This is an act of love and is done with the full hope of communing with you in the future, after we are better acquainted and any appropriate instruction has taken place.
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