Our Distinctives
The following are the distinctives of Eliot Baptist Church based on the foundational truths taught in the bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.
WE BELIEVE.....
We believe that this church is a local assembly of people who, by the illumination of God the Father, confess that Jesus is "The Christ, Son of the Living God". Through the person of the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus Himself is personally and actively involved in building up this local body. The people, property, and programs of our church all belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of this church.
(Ephesians 1:22-23 5:23-24)
We believe in the Lordship of Jesus Christ over the total ministry of the church, over the leadership of the church, and over every believer in every area of life. (Ephesians 4:4-6)
We believe in individual and corporate response to God's Word, The Bible, as the guide for our lives, and the teaching of God's Word for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:12)
We believe in individual and corporate prayer as the source of power for the ministries of the church.
(Matthew 6:5-13, Acts 2:42, James 5:16)
We believe in individual and corporate worship and expression of worship. Worship is ascribing worth to our Sovereign God in spirit and in truth. Our aim in worship is to exalt, honour, and glorify God, resulting in the Worshiper responding to God and being conformed to God's will and entering into his joyful service. Expressions of worship include private and public praise and thanksgiving.
(John 4.23-24, 20.7, Ephesians 5.19, Hebrews 13.15)
We believe in the priority of local evangelism and worldwide missions that encourage the involvement of every believer. (Acts 1:8)
We believe that God has chosen local churches to accomplish His purposes in the world, and that God has equipped every believer with spiritual gifts so that he or she has the ability and potential for ministry. (Ephesians 4:11-16)
We believe in the exercise of willing stewardship by every believer of his or her time, spiritual gifts, finances, and other material sources.
(I Corinthians 16:1-2, Luke 6:38, Acts 4:32-35, Romans 12:6,
I Peter 4:10)
We believe in the continued and consistent growth of every believer toward spiritual maturity “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ". (Ephesians 4:13)
We believe in the love of Christ created by the Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers as the basis for fellowship. (Philippians 2:1-4)
We believe in the practice of believers' baptism by immersion as a visible testimony of a new relationship with Jesus Christ.
(Acts 10:47-48)
We believe in the regular observance of the Lord's Supper with all who know and love Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives.
(I Corinthians 11:23-39)
We believe in family relationships as stated in Ephesians 5:22-6:4, with the husband taking his role as leader and loving his wife as Christ loved the church; and the wife likewise loving her husband.
(Titus 2:4-5)
We believe that there are two valid and healthy relationships in God's sight, a marriage relationship or singleness. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church. Marriage provides the framework for intimate companionship for the man and the woman (Gen.2:24),the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race. Relationships of a sexual nature outside of marriage, including homosexual relationships are not “valid alternative life styles” (Rom. 1:24-27). The Bible condemns them as sin , though they are not an unforgivable sin. Forgiveness and redemption is available to all humanity as sinners. (Rom.3:22-23)
We believe in the encouragement of biblically qualified men in the body to take leadership roles in the church. (I Timothy 3:1)
We think of ourselves in earnest conflict with Satan and his hosts, but are confident that under the Lordship of Christ and the leadership of the Spirit, the gates of hell cannot prevail against us.
(Matthew 16:18, Ephesians 6:10-17)
(Ephesians 1:22-23 5:23-24)
We believe in the Lordship of Jesus Christ over the total ministry of the church, over the leadership of the church, and over every believer in every area of life. (Ephesians 4:4-6)
We believe in individual and corporate response to God's Word, The Bible, as the guide for our lives, and the teaching of God's Word for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:12)
We believe in individual and corporate prayer as the source of power for the ministries of the church.
(Matthew 6:5-13, Acts 2:42, James 5:16)
We believe in individual and corporate worship and expression of worship. Worship is ascribing worth to our Sovereign God in spirit and in truth. Our aim in worship is to exalt, honour, and glorify God, resulting in the Worshiper responding to God and being conformed to God's will and entering into his joyful service. Expressions of worship include private and public praise and thanksgiving.
(John 4.23-24, 20.7, Ephesians 5.19, Hebrews 13.15)
We believe in the priority of local evangelism and worldwide missions that encourage the involvement of every believer. (Acts 1:8)
We believe that God has chosen local churches to accomplish His purposes in the world, and that God has equipped every believer with spiritual gifts so that he or she has the ability and potential for ministry. (Ephesians 4:11-16)
We believe in the exercise of willing stewardship by every believer of his or her time, spiritual gifts, finances, and other material sources.
(I Corinthians 16:1-2, Luke 6:38, Acts 4:32-35, Romans 12:6,
I Peter 4:10)
We believe in the continued and consistent growth of every believer toward spiritual maturity “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ". (Ephesians 4:13)
We believe in the love of Christ created by the Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers as the basis for fellowship. (Philippians 2:1-4)
We believe in the practice of believers' baptism by immersion as a visible testimony of a new relationship with Jesus Christ.
(Acts 10:47-48)
We believe in the regular observance of the Lord's Supper with all who know and love Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives.
(I Corinthians 11:23-39)
We believe in family relationships as stated in Ephesians 5:22-6:4, with the husband taking his role as leader and loving his wife as Christ loved the church; and the wife likewise loving her husband.
(Titus 2:4-5)
We believe that there are two valid and healthy relationships in God's sight, a marriage relationship or singleness. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church. Marriage provides the framework for intimate companionship for the man and the woman (Gen.2:24),the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race. Relationships of a sexual nature outside of marriage, including homosexual relationships are not “valid alternative life styles” (Rom. 1:24-27). The Bible condemns them as sin , though they are not an unforgivable sin. Forgiveness and redemption is available to all humanity as sinners. (Rom.3:22-23)
We believe in the encouragement of biblically qualified men in the body to take leadership roles in the church. (I Timothy 3:1)
We think of ourselves in earnest conflict with Satan and his hosts, but are confident that under the Lordship of Christ and the leadership of the Spirit, the gates of hell cannot prevail against us.
(Matthew 16:18, Ephesians 6:10-17)