OUR 5 MAIN DISTINCTIVES:
THE WHOLE BIBLE IS FOR ALL PEOPLE FOR ALL TIME.
The first main distinctive that stands out above all others is that we believe that the whole Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is the eternal Word of God, and it is, therefore, for all people for all time.
However, unlike many Christians, we believe that God’s instructions, laws, commandments, statutes, and judgments laid down in the first five books of the Bible is for all people for all time since it was given both to the Israelites and to Gentiles, not to the Jews alone.
Also, unlike some Christians, we believe that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, and Divine Healing are also for all people for all time.
We fully support both positions because they are both in the Bible, and we believe that literally all of the Bible is for all people for all time.
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THE HEARTBEAT AND FOCUS OF THE BIBLE AND MESSIAH’S MINISTRY IS GOD’S KINGDOM
All of our ministry and teachings are centered and focused around God’s Kingdom, which is what we believe is the overall subject matter of the Bible, God’s Kingdom Manual, as well as the heartbeat, pulse, and focus of Yeshua (Jesus) in His life and ministry as well. And we believe that if it is the heartbeat and focus of the Father and the Son, than it should be our focus as well.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF USING HERMENEUTICS TO INTERPRET SCRIPTURE.
We believe that in order to properly understand and interpret the Bible, the guidelines and rules of hermeneutics need to be followed. For example, biblical texts need to be interpreted within their proper context, both within the context of Scripture (e.g., the surrounding passage, chapter, book, Scripture overall) and its extra-biblical contexts, such as historical, social-cultural, linguistic, religious, and philosophical contexts.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF USING GOD’S TEACHING TOOLS FOR INSTRUCTION, DISCIPLESHIP AND EVANGELISM.
We believe that in order to facilitate the learning of the Scriptures, congregations need to get people to engage with the Scriptures in many different ways, such as using the key terms from the Scriptures, placing passages back into their original contexts, explaining those contexts, as well as using the teaching tools that God has provided in His Word, such as the commandments and biblical feasts, that He put there to teach us things about Himself, the ministry of Messiah (past, present, and future), as well as things about ourselves, like who we are in Messiah, how we should live our lives, and about our ministry to others.
Consequently, they were given to teach, educate, and disciple us, as well as be a venue through which to bless us — but they were NEVER intended to be used for our Justification or to give us eternal life. Also, God designed these teaching tools to appeal to all His people, regardless of their particular learning styles (i.e., visual, auditory, tactile, or kinetic) or their individual backgrounds.
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ALL BELIEVERS ARE CALLED FOR SOME FORM OF MINISTRY.
We believe that every believer has been called to be ministers on some level, whether as a minister to one’s own family, friends and neighbors, as a minister on some level within a particular church, or as a minister called to work with people from another country (i.e., “a missionary”). Consequently, every believer needs to be educated, trained, and equipped to function within the ministry that Christ has called each to do for His glory and honor — not just those who plan “to enter the ministry” full-time.
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