What We Believe

Lighthouse Baptist Church believes in a supernatural Bible, which tells of a supernatural Christ, Who spoke supernatural words, Who performed supernatural miracles, Who lived a supernatural life, Who died a supernatural death, Who rose in supernatural splendor, Who intercedes as the supernatural High Priest and Who will one day return in supernatural glory to establish a supernatural kingdom on this earth and rule and reign for one thousand years. 

God is the Creator, Ruler, and Sovereign of the Universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three persons are co-equal and co-eternal and are one God.
Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-3; Revelation 4:11; Romans 11:33-36; Psalm 115:3; John 4:24; Matthew 28:19 

He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all loving, everywhere present, and all-wise. He reigns with providential care over the universe, and flow of humanity goes according to His eternal purpose and plan.
Psalm 62:11; Psalm 147:5; John 3:16; Psalm 139:7-10; Romans 11:33; Daniel 4:35; Ephesians 1:11

He is the Son of God and co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He is eternal in existence and became man at His incarnation. Born of a virgin, He lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He bodily arose from the dead after three days demonstrating His power of sin and death. He ascended into Heaven and will one day return to Earth again to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.
John 5:18, 10:30; John 14:6; Matthew 28:19; Revelation 1:11,17; Micah 5:2; John 1:14; Isaiah 7:14; Hebrews 4:15; 1 John 2:2; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 
Acts 1:9-10; Revelation 19-20 

He is the third person of the trinity. He guides men into all truths; exalts Christ; convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgement; cultivates Christian character; comforts believers; bestows spiritual gifts by which believers serve God; and seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the lives of believers is the assurance of God to bring them into the fullness of the stature of Christ.
Matthew 28:19; John 14:26, 16:13; John 15:26; Acts 1:8; John 16:8-11; John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7; Ephesians 4:30; Philippians 1:6 

The 66 books of the Bible are God's Word to man. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. It is truth without any mixture of error. It is not to be added to or taken away from.
2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; John 17:17; Psalm 119:160; Revelation 6:23 

People are made in the image of God and are the supreme objects of God's creation. Since the Fall, man is marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called sin. Sin separates people from God. Sin causes death, Hell, and many problems in life.
Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 3; Romans 5:12, 3:23; Isaiah 59:2; Romans 6:23

Salvation is God's gift offered to all people through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. No one can ever be saved by self-improvement or good works. Salvation happens when a sinner recognizes their lost condition, in faith turns to the Lord Jesus Christ, and in repentance turns away from his sin. Then he calls out to Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life. Works do not aid in salvation, but true salvation will result in fruits of repentance.
Romans 3:24; 1 Timothy 4:10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 17:30; Luke 13:3; Romans 10:9-13; Luke 23:43; James 2 

Since salvation is the work of God, all born-again believers are saved eternally; they cannot lose their salvation. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives this security.
John 10:27-30; 1 Peter 1:5; Ephesians 1:13, 4:30; Hebrews 7:25 

People are created to exist forever. They will either exist eternally separated form God by sin or eternally with God through His forgiveness and salvation. The unsaved will go into eternal condemnation in Hell and the believer into eternal paradise with God in Heaven; both are real places of eternal existence.
Matthew 25:46; Luke 16:19-31; Revelation 20:15

Baptism is the first ordinance of the Church. Lighthouse believes baptism must be when a believer is completely immersed under the water and after salvation. Baptism has no saving power but is the fist act of obedience after salvation. Baptism does three things: joins the believer to the local Church, pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord; and identifies a person as a committed follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 3:6, 16; Acts 8:38-39; Acts 2:41-42; Romans 6:3-5; John 14:15 

The Lord's Supper is the second ordinance of the Church. It is a symbolic act of obedience whereby believers remember the death of the Lord Jesus and anticipate His second coming. The bread symbolizes His body and the juice symbolizes His blood. It does not aid in salvation in any way. Here at Lighthouse we partake on the first Sunday of the month.
1 Corinthians 11:23-30

According to the Scripture, Christians are to give cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Lord's work on Earth through the local Church; not through parachurch organizations. The Bible teaches a principle of tithing demonstrated in the Old Testament, which Jesus reaffirmed in the New Testament.
1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Genesis 14:16-20, 28:22; Proverbs 3:9-10; Malachi 3:8-10; Leviticus 27:30; Matthew 22:23; Hebrews 7:1-2
*Note: your giving is between you and the Lord, no one will ever confront you concerning whether you give or not. Giving is counted by the trustees from the Church; the Pastor and staff do not know who gives what. 

It is the duty of every born-again follower of Jesus Christ and of every Church to endeavor to make disciples of all men everywhere. It is the command of Christ for every believer to constantly seek to win the lost for Christ.
Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8

A New Testament Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers who are associated by their common faith and fellowship with Jesus. A local Church is to observe the two ordinances: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. The Church should exercise their God-given gifts and extend the gospel to the ends of the Earth. The Church is an autonomous body serving under the Lordship of Christ. All members are equally responsible as they serve with the scriptural officers of the Church; the pastors and deacons.
2 Timothy 2:1-13; Philippians 1:1

To live in harmony with other believers is clearly the teaching of the New Testament. It is the responsibility of each believer to endeavor to live in fellowship with each member of the congregation. It is further the responsibility of each member to bring all gossiping and backbiting to an end.
Psalm 133:1; Ephesians 4:1-6; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Colossians 3:13-14

Lighthouse believes in the Genesis account of Creation; that is the literal and not figurative. God made man in His own image and likeness. Creation was not a matter of evolutionary change over time from one species to another - from a lower form of life to a higher - but was created directly by God to bring forth only after their "kind" Creation is the general revelation of God that clearly evidences that there is an all-powerful Creator-God, leaving man without excuse.
Genesis 1:26-27; Exodus 20:11; John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16-17; Genesis 1:11, 24; Hebrews 11:3; Romans 1:19-20; Psalm 19:1-3 

We believe man was created in a state of innocence under his Maker, but by voluntary transgression, fell form his sinless state. This choice resulted in the transfer of sin upon all mankind known as inherited sin. People are sinners by choice, leaving man guilty and without defense or excuse before God and under God's just condemnation.
Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 5:12, 3:23, 3:19-20

Government is divinely appointed for the good of man; to keep order, to judge lawbreakers, and to protect the interest of the good. Those in authority are to be prayed for, honored, and obeyed in all things except where human government opposes God's Word. In such cases, Lighthouse believes that Christians are to obey God rather than men.
Romans 13:1-7; Matthew 22:21; 1 Peter 2:13-17; Acts 4:18-20; Daniel 3:17-18 

Satan was once holy an enjoyed heavenly honors as an anointed cherub, but through pride and ambition to be as God, he fell. He is the enemy of God, author of all false religions, behind the present apostasy, lord of the antichrist, and author of all the powers of darkness. Satan still has access to Heaven but will one day be eternally cast out of Heaven. Satan is the accuser of the brethren, man's great tempter, and adversary.
Ezekiel 28:14-17; Isaiah 14:12-15; Ephesians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:7-10 

Lighthouse has both a pre-tribulation and pre-millennial view of eschatology. We believe the rapture of all Christians will happen before any events of the Seven Year Tribulation occur. At the end of the Seven-Year Tribulation will be the battle of Armageddon. Satan will be defeated and bound for 1,000 years during which time Christ will literally reign on Earth. This is  followed by Satan being released for a little season in which he deceives those on the Earth and leads a final assault on God's throne; this is called the battle of Gog and Magog. After this battle, Satan will be sentenced to the Lake of Fire followed by the Great White Throne Judgement where all unbelievers will also be cast forever into the Lake of Fire. All believers will then be ushered into eternity with God.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54; 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 5:9; Revelation 3:10, 19:11-21, 20:1-3, 4-6;
Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30; Revelation 6:9, 20:7-10, 15; Revelation 21-22