What is a Baptist Church

What does a Baptist believe?

Are we Protestant or Pentecostal ?  NO!!  But who are the Baptist and what do they believe?  The  Preacher, Charles H. Spurgeon said, "We believe the Baptist are the original Christians.  We did not commence our existence at the Reformation or the Roman Catholic Church  We never came from the Church of Rome, for we were never in it, but we have an unbroken line of discipleship up to the apostles themselves".  

We have always existed from the very days of Christ, and our principles, sometimes forgotten and misunderstood, have always had honest and holy adherents to the Word of God. We believe that God inspired the Holy Bible (King James Version) and that it is perfect and without contradiction.    

Persecuted by the Romans Catholics, and Protestants of almost every sect.  The Baptist stand apart from the secular and ecumenical church. 

There has never existed a government holding Baptist principles which persecuted others.  How can we persecute others when we own selves are saved only by Grace. We have been always ready to suffer, as our history will prove. We do not accept any help from the state nor do we conform the bride of Christ to any standards the state may wish.

B – The Bible is Our Final Authority.
We are not bound by tradition, board decisions, papal decrees, or any other extra-biblical books. We take the KIng James Version as our ONLY rule for faith and practice. We teach that the Scriptures are completely sufficient for all things God has commanded. We believe he has provided us with everything necessary in the scriptures to have a profitable spiritual life.   That means we are committed to teaching and to counseling directly and exclusively from the Word of God. We teach that secular beliefs does not have any legitimate role in the sanctification of the believer. (2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Peter 1:23; 2 Peter 1:20)
A – The Autonomy of the Local Church
Each church is self-governing. . The church answers directly to Christ, the Head of the Church.We are an Independent Baptist church with no affiliation to any Association or conference.   (Colossians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 5:13; Matthew 18:15)
P – The Priesthood of the Individual Believer
Each believer has direct access to God. A person must only go through one Mediator—the Man Jesus Christ. (1 Timothy 2:5; 1 Peter 2:9; Hebrews 4:16)
T – Two Offices: Pastor and Deacon
We have two offices to administrate the Church: Pastor and Deacon. We do not have separate elders, bishops, or officers for church government. (1Timothy 3:1-13; Philippians 1:1)
I – Individual Liberty (you have a free will)
We believe that the individual believer will only give an account to God for their own life before the Judgment Seat of Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:11-15; Romans 14:1-23; 1 John 2:27)
S – Saved Membership and Security of the Believer
We teach that church membership is limited to those who have publicly professed that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior, have obediently followed the Lord in Believer’s Baptism by immersion, and have evidenced true conversion by a changed life. We do not place infants on our membership list. Each member, regardless of age, must give a testimony of salvation by grace based on faith and not of works. Additionally, we believe that once saved, always saved; that the true believer can never lose their salvation. (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 10:28-29; Romans 8:29-35)
T – Two Ordinances—Baptism by Immersion and Communion
In Baptism by immersion, we publicly confess our commitment to Christ and declare our belief in the death, burial, and resurrection. 

As we partake in the Lord’s Table, we examine ourselves, publicly renew our commitment to Christ, and proclaim His death until He comes again.  One does not eat of the communion to be saved or to receive grace.  A person should have first accepted Christ as their Saviour to partake of the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:41-47; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:14-16; Romans 6:3-5)
S – Separation of Church and State

The state is separated from the church and has no power to enforce unbiblical statutes upon the church.  God law prevails.  (Matthew 22:21; Romans 13:1-8; Acts 4:17-19)

Marks of a sound Baptist Church
1.  Preaching: The Good Baptist church is a group of believers meeting together on a regular basis where the preaching is Biblically centered, rightly divided, and the church faithfully, without exception or apology follows the teaching in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2.  Ordinances: we teach that a true church administers the two New Testament Church Ordinances: Believer’s Baptism and the Lord’s Table as prescribed by scripture.
3.  Church Discipline: we teach that the consistent exercise of church discipline (Matthew 18:15-18, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13.) reminds us that a sincere profession of faith in Christ is a wholehearted commitment to submit to the Word of God and to live a life that reflects Christ and his Holiness. We hold to the conviction that members of a church agree to submit to the reproof, correction, and instruction of the scriptures. We willingly uphold, defend, and submit to the government of Christ’s church as taught in the Word of God ) ITim 3:15). 

4.  Worship: we teach that worship must be God-centered rather than man-centered. Our expressions of worship are regulated by Biblical principles, not by what is most entertaining. We sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs accompanied by the instruments played for the glory of God. Our pastor practices the expository method of Biblical preaching. We teach that Christians should meet together regularly for worship and that the focus of those regularly scheduled meetings should be for the purpose of glorifying our Lord and strengthening the believers. Hebrews 10:25.
5. Discipleship: We teach that the commission of the church is to make disciples  of people in all nations. We purpose to preach the gospel individually and bodily. We should also wholeheartedly support world wide missionary endeavors with prayers and finances.
6.  We hold the Gospel, and tenants of salvation without compromise.  We can not fellowship with those who teach any other way to heaven other than by the shed blood of Jesus.