Some essentials held by the believers that gather Wheatland Chapel, subject to the Word of God. This summary is not to be intended as being creedal, denominational, nor exhaustive.
1. The Bible is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16 God-breathed), inerrant in the original Hebrew & Greek documents, and the absolute final authority in all matters of faith and practice. In the English translations we have, there is a high degree of accuracy available and we rejoice in those men who have gone before us and labored in this field. We are confident in the perfection of the Bible.
2. There is one God, eternally subsistent in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Co-equal in deity, glory, majesty.
3. The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, born of a virgin, sinlessly perfect. His sacrifice on the cross is substitutionary and sacrificial. He arose bodily from the dead and ascended to His Father’s right hand, where He now ministers as our Great High Priest. His return will be to first in the air to rapture His Church and then second, to the ground to reign on the earth.
4. Every member of the human race is fallen, sinful and lost (Romans 3:23), making the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit essential for the salvation of man. Redemption is entirely through the blood of Christ, and salvation is by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph. 2:8-10) Good works must essentially follow salvation as evidence of the presence of that life... but they do not contribute to nor merit eternal life...they evidence it. Man is depraved and totally incapable of righting his lost condition. He needs God's grace. See also salvation - below.
5. At regeneration, the Holy Spirit indwells the believer, who is sealed until the day of redemption. Every believer is immersed into the body of Christ, and is also empowered to live a godly life. (Ephesians 4:30)
6. There will be a resurrection of the saved and of the lost; of the saved unto eternal life in heaven, and of the lost unto eternal and conscious judgment in hell. (John 11:23, Revelation 20:5-6) These resurrections do not occur at the same time. There is no second chance after death.
7. The Church began with the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2), and is composed of all true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ (2:47). Ephesians 2 tell us that God made this new "body" from both believing Jews and Gentiles. These believers are united to Him and to one another by the indwelling Holy Spirit making the Church, as a whole, a living organism, known as the Body of Christ. The Church did not replace nor supplement Israel, the church is a separate part of God's program. The universal church is all true believers everywhere, in contrast to local churches. We often refer to the Church as the Assembly since in English the word Church etymologically refers to a building (Scottish kirk) whereas the Greek word does refer to a called-out group of people. The assembly does not supplant nor replace Israel. It differs in origin, purpose, destiny. There was no "assembly/church" in the Old Testament.
8. Christ, our risen Head, is the Giver of gifts, such as evangelists, shepherds and teachers, who are responsible to Him for their service. These are given, “for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of the ministry, unto the edifying of the Body of Christ.” (Eph 4:8-16) Those individuals with miraculous sign gifts ceased with the apostolic age (Heb 2:4).
9. There are two Christian ordinances (for lack of a better word): Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism by immersion identifies the believer with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection so that the believer can and must walk in newness of life (not perfection but increasing sanctification). The Lord’s Supper is a memorial event, instituted by the Lord Himself, exclusively for His own. In the observance of this Supper, believers, functioning as worshiping priests before God, remember the Lord Jesus Christ and proclaim His death until He comes. We practice this weekly. Neither ordinance is a means of grace, rather, their practice is related to obedience.
10. Every true child of God possesses eternal life and, being justified, sanctified and sealed with the Holy Spirit, is safe and secure for all eternity. Once in Christ, in Christ forever. However, a Christian can, through sin, lose fellowship, joy, power, testimony and reward, thereby incurring the local church's discipline and/or the Father’s chastening. Relationship is eternal, being established by the new birth; Fellowship, however, is dependent upon obedience to the Lord. Assurance, being different than eternal security, is in accordance with the principles laid out in 1st John...a believer can know he has eternal life by considering the principles laid out in 1st John (see 1 Jn 5:13) for that evidence which gives assurance. A person professing Christianity- but not reflecting that position in a measure of godly living (not perfection)- is a contradiction in terms, and assurance is not clear in such cases.
11. The personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ to translate His Church is imminent, pre-trib, and pre-millennial. That coming is an event which concludes the present age of grace. This age will be followed by the outpouring of God’s wrath on the earth, known as the Tribulation. After this, Christ’s Millennial Kingdom will be established, the curse removed, and the “glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the water covers the sea.” Israel and their Messiah (Jesus Christ) will be the center of the earth's activities. At the conclusion of His Millennial reign, after man's final rebellion, Christ will deliver the Kingdom to God the Father, that the Triune God may be all in all. Eternity commences.
12. Marriage is designed by God as a lifelong union between one man and one woman only. Marriage lasts until the death of one partner. (Romans 7:2) Christian marriage is a picture of Christ and the church, and no other variations are viable for Christians, whether polygamy or same gender. There are only two genders, God made them- science/biology affirms them as genetically male XY and female XX. We do not yield to the anyone's redefinition of such...These are Biblical, biological, scientific, common sense, and obvious truths. With regard to Sexuality: Fornication and Adultery are contrary to acceptable Christian behavior and are sinful manifestations of fallen human nature. Sexuality is a clean and good gift from God- in the context of (only) the one-man, one-woman, permanent marriage relationship union. There is no exception to this principle, regardless of cultural practices. As the apostle said to the Corinthians "such were some of you."
13. Church Meetings The Universal Church is composed of all saved people, the out-called Assembly (ekklesia). The primary purpose of local Church meetings are for the believers to gather in local fellowship- for worship, the apostles doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer - to build up of the body of Christ in love. These are practices of the believers in fellowship. Guests are welcome- yet, as guests. Technically the meetings are not public. Visitors from other local churches who are not known, should ideally come with a letter from their home church/elders, introducing them where they are not known. Our church gatherings are not tailored for the visitor and the lost.
14. Human government Human government finds its basis in God, its inception being Genesis 9:5 with the institution of capital punishment. It may take different forms (Kings to Capitalism, and everything in between -for better or worse). Romans 13:1-7 summarize both the purpose of human government and Christian's relationship thereunto. Christians are subject to, and submissive to human government unless that government seeks to compel them to disobey God, and then it is their duty to obey God, and not man. Christians also are to pray for those in authority (1 Tim 2:2) and honor them as God's servants. (Romans 13:4).
15. Salvation: Christ is the propitiation (satisfaction) for the whole world of sinners- God desires the salvation of all humanity. God has not failed when men reject the Savior, and then perish forever; therefore universalism is heresy. Regeneration follows faith, and faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). This is by faith alone, in Christ alone, apart from works- When a sinner repents and believes the gospel- meaning the substitutionary sacrificial death & resurrection of Christ- he is born again, and justified before God eternally. He passes from death into life, from being alienated from God, into sonship, from being an enemy of God into eternal bliss forever. The work is all of Christ, and it was a finished once-for-all work.
Some wbc distinctives:
1. Leadership/oversight: We practice a plurality of qualified male eldership (ie...no one man minister/pastor). We practice this because this is what we see in scripture. 1 Timothy 2:12
2. Missions: God calls workers, assigns their sphere, the local church looses & commends them to the work as the Lord leads them. No special human mission board controls the movements and ministry of the workers. CMML is a service organization that helps commended workers overseas, but they do not control the workers directly nor indirectly. The mission model is faith driven, not via solicitation of funds. God calls & provides the workers' needs.
3. Priesthood of all believers: All believers are to participate in the ministry of the assembly, growing in their gift and edifying the body. This is practiced in accordance with NT principles, maintaining the distinct roles of men and women in the public ministry of the assembly. There is an equality in Christ, as Galatians 3:28 teaches positionally that males & females in Christ are one. Yet male & female roles in the local church and in the family family remain distinct.
4. Doctrine: We believe in the necessity of sound doctrine and therefore we practice systematic and expository bible teaching. We believe & affirm the following positions as being scriptural: premillennialism, classical dispensationalism, eternal security of believers. We are cessationist with regard to individual people no longer having sign gifts.
5. Music: We love the hymns of the faith. In them we best find fulfillment of that admonition of the apostle to "teach and admonish one another in songs and hymns and spiritual songs....." (Col. 3:16) In liberty, we do have both an organ and piano for accompaniment during the Bible Hour meeting. We do not pursue the modern pattern of performance oriented bands and worship teams, finding such unfettered musicians & music to be a hindrance to the priesthood of all believers and one of the key entryways of doctrinal error and female leadership into the modern church. Thus Hillsong, Bethel, Elevation music- and the like- are avoided.
6. Weekly Lord's Supper/Remembrance: Our first meeting each Sunday is the Remembrance of Christ in His Person and work, during the Lord's Supper. This is the chief meeting of the assembly. Men, as led by the Spirit, lead forth, not pre-planned, but also decently and orderly. This is not a public meeting.
7. Reception into Fellowship is practiced instead of Church Membership. Anyone who has been born again (ie...has life in Christ) and walks in his/her Christian life consistently with that profession and with the New Testament doctrine, can be received into fellowship of the believers that meet at the chapel. Since local fellowship is voluntary, it is recommended that any seeking fellowship ensure they first adhere to the apostle's doctrine, and also agree with wbc's stated beliefs and in particular our bylaws, both of which are subject ultimately and only to the authority of scripture. We do not desire this to be a creedal type requirement of course.
8. Church Autonomy: We believe each local gathering/church is responsible to the Lord and His Word to meet, worship, and evangelize according to scriptural patterns, without an overseeing governing body or ecclesiastical organization having any authority whatsoever over the local churches. Therefore we answer to Christ, not a governing body or denominational group, though we may and do fellowship with other like-minded, but non-denominational believers and congregations throughout the world. We have no particular church denomination name nor affiliation.
9. Bible Translation - we prefer the Authorized version, but many use the NKJV as well. Yet there is no litmus test for translation use (we are not KJV-onlyists)- but we generally affirm that underlying Greek Text which is known as the Textus Receptus for the New Testament (or more accurately- the Majority Text). This is the basis of the KJV and NKJV. It is useful to have a common bible in use so that public reading and preaching there is no confusion when varied translations are used and people have to scramble to follow along. Let all things be done decently and in order.
updated April 2024
-------------------------------
|
