FOUNDATIONAL TEACHINGS of our church:

"Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15).

WHAT DO WE TEACH?
There are many important truths that any church should teach. The following ones are from one of our pastor's sermons:

THE LORD'S LOVE - WHY PEOPLE BECOME CHRISTIANS.
God took the initiative because He loves people.
Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God used someone to share His love.
Romans 10:15 "As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"

Each person must accept God's loving gift of salvation.
Romans 10:9 "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

DOCTRINAL DISTINCTIVES - WHY PEOPLE BECOME BAPTISTS.
Baptists believe in the priesthood of the believer - that all Christians are equal.
1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness." 

Baptists believe in inspired Scripture - that the Bible alone is our sole authority.
2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness ..."

Baptists believe in salvation by grace through faith -that no one can earn salvation.
Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."
Baptists believe in eternal security - that once saved, Christians are always safe.
Romans 8:38-39 "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ."

Baptists believe in believer's baptism - that baptism comes after salvation.
Matthew 3:15 "But Jesus answered and said to him (John the Baptist), 'Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.' Then he allowed Him."

Baptists believe in evangelistic and discipleship commitment - that all Christians should be a witness for Christ.
Matthew 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end ..."

MISSION MINDEDNESS - WHY PEOPLE BECOME SOUTHERN BAPTISTS.
Southern Baptists support missionaries through the Cooperative Program.
Acts 11:26, 29-30 "... And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. ... Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas & Saul."

FAITHFUL FELLOWSHIP - WHY PEOPLE BECOME MEMBERS OF A LOCAL SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH LIKE ENGLAND FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.
God commands local church involvement.
Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

Christ is glorified through the church.
Ephesians 3:21 "... To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations. There is strength in teaching, fellowship, and worship.
Acts 2:42 "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers."

"THE BAPTIST FAITH & MESSAGE"
SOUTHERN BAPTISTS have prepared a statement of generally held convictions called "The Baptist Faith and Message." It serves as a guide to understanding who we are. The topics here provide only a brief, partial summary. Click this link to the website of the Southern Baptist Convention for full text, biblical references, and related articles.

1. The Scriptures
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.

2. God
There is one and only one living and true God. …The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

3. God the Father
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. …God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

4. God the Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. …He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His death on the cross, He made provision for the redemption of men from sin.

5. God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. …He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. …He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

6. Man
Man was created by the special act of God, in His own image, and is the crowning work of His creation. …By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. … The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore every man possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

7. Salvation
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, sanctification, and glorification.

8. God's Purpose of Grace
Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. …All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end.

9. The Church
A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers who are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel…and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. …This church is an autonomous body. …The New Testament speaks also of the church as the body of Christ, which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages.

10. Baptism & the Lord's Supper
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water. …It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.
The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members … memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

11. The Lord's Day
The first day of the week is the Lord's Day. …It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should be employed in exercises of worship and spiritual devotion.

12. Last Things
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. …Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly…the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell. …The righteous… will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.

13. Evangelism & Missions
It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations … to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by personal effort.

14. Education
The cause of education in the Kingdom of Christ is co-ordinate with the causes of missions and general benevolence … there should be a proper balance between academic freedom and academic responsibility. …The freedom of a teacher in a Christian school, college, or seminary is limited by the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ, by the authoritative nature of the Scriptures, and by the distinct purpose for which the school exists.

15. Stewardship
God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions. They are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions.

16. Cooperation
Christ's people should … organize such associations and conventions as may best secure cooperation for the great objects of the Kingdom of God. Such organizations have no authority over one another or over the churches. …Cooperation is desirable between the various Christian denominations.

17. The Christian & the Social Order
Every Christian is under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in his own life and in human society. ... The Christian should oppose in the spirit of Christ every form of greed, selfishness, and vice.

18. Religious Liberty
Church and state should be separate. The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. …A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal.

19. Family
God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. …Marriage is the unity of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. …The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. …Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord.

5 MAJOR SCRIPTURES FOR SALVATION

FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST WILL RESULT IN SALVATION.

1. FIRST SCRIPTURE FOR SALVATION 
Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

2. SECOND SCRIPTURE FOR SALVATION 
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

3. THIRD SCRIPTURE FOR SALVATION 
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

4. FOURTH SCRIPTURE FOR SALVATION 
Romans 10:13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."

5. FIFTH SCRITURE FOR SALVATION 
Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.