GOD : There is one God1, who is infinitely perfect2, existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.3
JESUS : Jesus Christ is true God and true man.4 He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.5 He died upon the cross, the Just for the unjust6 as a substitutionary sacrifice.7 All who believe in Him are justified on the grounds of His shed blood.8 He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures9 and is now at the right hand of the Majesty on high as our great High Priest.10 He will come again to establish His kingdom of righteousness and peace.11
HOLY SPIRIT : The Holy Spirit is a divine person,12 sent to indwell, guide, teach and empower the believer13 and convince the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.14 It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly,15 being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service.16 This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion.17
BIBLE : The Old and New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men and women. They constitute the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice.18
SALVATION : Men and women were originally created in the image and likeness of God.19 They fell through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual death. All men and women are born with a sinful nature,20 are separated from the life of God and can be saved only through the atoning work of Jesus Christ.21 The portion of the impenitent and unbelieving is existence forever in conscious torment22 and that of the believer in everlasting joy and bliss.23 Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all men; and those who repent and believe in Him are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life and become the children of God.24
CHURCH : The Church consists of all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood and are born again of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church25 which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the Gospel to all nations.26 The local church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the worship of God, for edification through the Word of God, for prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel and observance of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper.27 Provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body.28 Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this present age.29
HUMAN DESTINY : There shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust; for the former, a resurrection unto life;30 for the latter, a resurrection unto judgment.31 The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent32 and will be personal, visible and premillennial.33 This is the believer's blessed hope and is a vital truth which is an incentive to holy living and faithful service.34
NOTES : 1Deuteronomy 6:4; 2Matthew 5:48; 3Matthew 28:19;4Philippians 2:6–11; 5Luke 1:34–38; 6I Peter 3:18; 7Hebrews 2:9; 8Romans 5:9; 9Acts 2:23–24; 10Hebrews 8:1; 11Matthew 26:64; 12John 14:14–18; 13John 16:13, Acts 1:8; 14John 16:7–11; 15I Thessalonians 5:23; 16Acts 1:8;17Romans 6:1–14; 182 Peter 1:20–21, 2 Timothy 3:15–16; 19Genesis 1:27; 20Romans 3:23; 211 Corinthians 15:20–23; 22Revelation 21:8; 23Revelation 21:1–4; 24Titus 3:4–7; 25Ephesians 1:22–23; 26Matthew 28:19–20; 27Acts 2:41–47; 28Matthew 8:16–17; 29James 5:13–16; 30I Corinthians 15:20–23; 31John 5:28–29; 32Hebrews 10:37; 33Luke 21:27; 34Titus 2:11–14
Savior
Sanctifer
Healer
Coming King
We are an Acts 1:8 Church
Jesus said,
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Our goal and desire is to see individuals and families come to personal faith in Christ,
Becoming Fully Devoted Followers of Jesus.
Matthew 22:37-40; 28:19-20; John 13:34-35
- Love God and Love Others
- Obey Jesus' Command to Go Make Disciples
◊ Proclaim the Good News
◊ Reach out to the Unreached
◊ Launch and Mobilize New Ministries
As a church we are striving to follow the Biblical model of discipleship, loving, and caring for one-another shown to us in the Bible through Acts 2:42-47; 4:29-37; 6:1-7.
How will we accomplish what Jesus asked us to do?
- Regular Corporate Gatherings to Worship God, making Him known.
- Encourage the Fellowship of Believers, building healthy relationships.
- Small Group Discipleship multiplication within homes and within ROL facility.
- Loving One-another and loving the world around us.
- Consistent and on-going discipleship and multiplication of leaders
- Ministry teams who help organizations with projects in our city, state, or country.
- Pray for, give to, and send out ministry workers – local and world-wide missions.
Multiplying Home Small Groups with:
- Common Purpose - Common Goals – Building up the Body of Christ in Unity
Be a GREENHOUSE where future ministry leaders are:
- Identified as being called into full time ministry.
- Mentored, trained, and equipped to serve.
- Sent Out to further the Kingdom of God.
ROL Church recognizes there are many facets to being a healthy, vibrant growing ministry. We need adequate facilities to accommodate Kid’s Church and Adult Small Group Gatherings, Uplifting Sunday Worship Services, and Community Outreach events to mention a few. In addition to ministering to those who attend River of Life Church, our Biblical mandate is to reach our community and the world with the Good News of Jesus the Christ. To do this purposefully and effectively we need to be a sending church with people and resources into unreached areas of the world. This includes overseas missions and those whom God have called into full time ministry to serve within a regional church.
What does this mean for ROL Church? At the core of who we, the very fabric of our spiritual DNA, we must embrace and live out our Lord’s commands to “Go make disciples. . .” (Matthew 28:19) and go into the world and “be my (Jesus’) witnesses, telling people about me everywhere. . .” (Acts 1:8). To do this, we must be intentional, purposeful, and committed to do all we can to raise up a new generation of spiritual leaders and resources to accomplish the Great Commission given to us by our Lord God. We must create a spiritual Greenhouse Environment.
What Is a Greenhouse Environment?
A greenhouse provides a healthy, protective, nutritional environment for plants to grow and thrive. A seed isn’t simply thrown into the soil right away. Instead, a seed is nurtured and grown into a healthy “sapling” within the greenhouse.
This is also true of the Greenhouse Environment (GHE). GHEs grow healthy plants. They provide a nurturing environment for a “seed” (a leader-in-the-making, also called a GHE resident) to develop and become a ministry leader that is transplanted into the field. The local church is the greenhouse, the place where it all must happen. Without the local church, there may be addition, but there is no multiplication.
A GHE is any church or environment that willingly trains and sends leaders into the field. Churches of all sizes, ages, ethnicities, and styles can be a GHE. Many Alliance churches are already GHEs, and our goal is to see all of our churches reach, teach, train, and send leaders into the field as part of our Christ-centered, Acts 1:8 family.
Three Keys to a Greenhouse Environment
- Spirit – a willingness in the church spirit to give itself away.
- Strategy – a plan to discover, develop, and deploy leaders.
- Structure – the resources, training, and support to launch these teams.
ROL MASTER’s plan includes becoming a GREENHOUSE where leaders are:
- Identified as being called into full time ministry.
- Mentored, trained, and equipped to serve.
- Sent Out to further the Kingdom of God.
