Our Desire to Glorify God

Our ultimate desire is to glorify God. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

“Walking in the light of His Word,” has become a catchword for fulfilling our ultimate desire. Learning how to “walk” involves several basic ideas, including:

• First, studying God’s Word. Biblical education should be both doctrinal and practical. The psalmist tells us, “thy Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105). It is not enough just to know the truth, we must also apply it to every aspect of our life. Join us as we study His Word in our worship services and various small group studies.
• Second, supporting each other in love. The Apostle John tells us, “… if we walk in the light, as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.” (1 John 1:7). We desire to give one another the same kind of love that Christ gives us, a love that is supportive, caring and unconditional.
• Third, sharing the Good News of Christ. Because of the unconditional love of God, we desire to share the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). We want to help light the way for others to believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

Our Doctrinal Statement

The Bible: We believe and teach that the Holy Bible as originally written was verbally inspired and the product of Spirit-controlled men; therefore, it is truth without any error whatsoever (2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:19-21).

The Godhead: We believe and teach that there is one and only one living and true God, an infinite Spirit and Maker and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth. He is glorious in holiness and is worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love. We believe that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who are equal in every divine perfection and who execute distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.

The Deity of Jesus Christ: We believe and teach that Jesus was born of Mary, a virgin, begotten of the Holy Spirit in a miraculous manner, conceived as no other man ever was or ever can be conceived and that He is both the Son of God and God the Son (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:35; John 1:4).

Salvation: We believe and teach that salvation is by grace alone through faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Who by His death made a full satisfaction to God for our sins; that He, being righteous, died for the unrighteous and bore our sin in His own body on the cross, showing Himself to be the all-sufficient Savior (Ephesians 2:8; John 3:16; Romans 3:24, 25). We believe and teach that repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are the only requisites for salvation (Acts 16:31; Acts 20:21).

Resurrection of Christ and Believers: We believe and teach the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:2-7; Luke 24:2-6; John 20:27; 1 Corinthians 15:4; Mark 16:6). We believe and teach the resurrection of the righteous dead (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 52).

The Holy Spirit: We believe and teach that the Holy Spirit is a divine person with God the Father and God the Son, and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world, He convicts men of sin, restrains the Evil One until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He seals, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps the believer, indwelling every true child of God (John 14:16, 17; Matthew 28:19; Hebrews 9:14; John 14:26; Luke 1:35; Genesis 1:1-3; John 16:8-11; Acts 5:30-32; John 3:5, 6; Ephesians 1:13, 14; Mark 1:8; John 1:33; Acts 11:16; Luke 24:49; Romans 8:16; Romans 8:25-27).

Eternal Security of Believers: We believe and teach that all who are truly born again are kept by God the Father for Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6; John 10:28; Romans 8:35-39).

The Great Commission: We believe that the church is an elect company of believers commissioned by Jesus Christ to make disciples of all nations by evangelizing the lost and edifying the saved.

The Second Coming of Christ: We believe and teach the personal, visible, premillennial return of Christ and the related events (John 14:3; Acts 1:11; James 5:8; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Thessalonians 4:16).

The Eternal State: We believe and teach that heaven is the eternal home for those who are redeemed and hell is the place of everlasting conscious torment and punishment for the unredeemed (Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).

The Charismatic Movement: We believe and teach that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues (unlearned languages) and the gift of healing, were limited to the Apostolic Age (1 Corinthians 13:8; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:1-4).

Our Guide to Giving

One of the important issues of our day is how the church practices financial giving. At Lakeside, our desire is to have absolute integrity as we follow God’s Word about giving. Below are some principles from the New Testament to guide our giving:

• The purpose of our giving is to satisfy the needs of others so that God will be worshipped and glorified. (II Cor 9:10-14)
• We should give voluntarily and systematically. This helps us avoid covetousness and impulsive giving. (I Cor. 16:1, II Cor. 9:5)
• Our attitude is one of cheerfulness and joy, not under any kind of compulsion by another. (II Cor 9:7)
• We believe in giving sacrificially. (II Cor. 8:1-11)
• For some people, learning biblical principles about finances is difficult. To meet this need we offer individual private financial counseling. To set up an appointment with our financial counselor, please phone the church office.
• Because we are not under the Mosaic Law, we are not obligated to give ten percent of our income. However, we are told to give as God has prospered us. Therefore, we believe in grace giving which means that we give to honor the Lord and the amount of the gift is a private matter between each person and the Lord. An offering is received at our regularly scheduled Sunday services. A complete financial accounting of our church is available for anyone to examine.

Note: This is a simplified version of our doctrinal statement. You can contact the church office for a full version at (727) 441-1714 or at office@lakesidechapel.com.