What Do We Believe?

We believe in God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son, and the Holy Spirit as the only Holy Triune God, undivided in essence, and co-equal in power and glory.  We believe there is only one God, Who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, the Preserver, and the Governor of all things, and Who is the only proper Object of Worship.  We believe in Jesus who went out from the Father; was conceived by the Holy Spirit within the virgin Mary; became participatory of a human body; walked on this earth; and was crucified and died for our transgressions, burdens, and problems.  We believe that Jesus died so that we can live eternally, and that through His precious blood we have been redeemed from the power of sin.  We believe that by His resurrection, there is eternal life for all who believe.  (1 John 5:7-8)  (Colossians 1:15-17)  (Deuteronomy 32:6)  (Matthew 4:10)  (Hebrews 2:10)  (Hebrews 7:27)  (1 Corinthians 15:16-17)

We believe that since the fall of our first parents, man is entirely unable, in his own strength, to find salvation and reconciliation with God, and that he is wholly dependent upon God’s Grace and Mercy.  We believe that salvation, by God’s Grace, depends upon repentance, faith in God, cleansing by the shed blood of Jesus, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit.  We believe that baptism in water is a personal and dynamic meeting with God, and a sign of the believer’s death, burial, and resurrection in Jesus Christ.  We believe it is a privilege of all believers, in response to the command of God’s Word, to receive the power of the Holy Spirit to live holy and victorious lives, and that the Holy Spirit operates through gifts, ministries, and manifestations, to glorify Jesus, through His Body, to the world.  We believe that Jesus Christ, at the time of His ascension into Heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father, gifted the Church with living ministry expressions of Himself, through apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, for the building up of the Body of Christ, and the equipping of the believers to the work of service.  (Romans 5:12-14)  (Ephesians 2:8)  (Romans 3:22-26)  (Romans 5:8)  (Romans 8:9-11)  (Acts 4:12)  (Acts 2:38)  (Romans 6:3-4)  (1 Corinthians 12:1-11)

We believe that neither ritual, tradition, ceremony, nor rite can replace conversion, relationship with God, or true worship, and that nothing less than the Lordship of Christ upon a life, is the mark of a Christian.  We believe in the continuance of the Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements of bread and the fruit of the vine, as instituted by Jesus with His disciples, so that we may truly discern the Body of Christ in its totality, unity, and authority, and that this celebration stands as a memorial of Christ’s suffering, death, resurrection, and as a prophecy of His coming and, as such, is commanded to all His followers until that Day.  We believe in the physical, triumphant return of Jesus Christ, to an overcoming and glorious Church.  (Galatians 3:1-5)  (John 4:23-24)  (Colossians 2:8)  (1 Corinthians 10:15-17)  (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)  (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18)

We believe that every believer can and must maintain a 100% sin free existence.  We accept and believe that the Scriptural suggestion, that suggests that the Church must function within the fivefold ministry, is just.  This suggestion in Scripture is made so that every believer may function in productive dignity within the Body of Christ.  This ensures that no one stagnates after salvation, but rather that everyone reaches their purpose and function within the Body.  (1 Peter 1:16)  (Ephesians 4:11-14)

We believe that elders carry the responsibility for the oversight and care of the staff and the members.  Where necessary, elders must carry out biblical discipline for the protection of the local church.  We believe that divine healing was provided for in the Old Testament and is an integral part of the New Testament Gospel.

We believe in family.  God the Father and Jesus as God the Son are both Names attributed to these two Persons of the Holy Trinity.  If we look at the Holy Spirit as described in John 14:26 (Comforter = Parakleton [Παρακλητον]), and John 16:7 (Comforter = Parakletos [Παρακλητος]); it is interesting to note that the root of the two Greek words used here is Parakleoo (Παρακλεω).  Parakleoo is a verb and has a very broad use and meaning, amongst which is Helper, Comforter, Counsellor, etc.  Interestingly these are also the qualities found all through Scripture to describe the Godly wife.  As Christians, we are also called the sons and daughters of God, we are the Bride of Christ; everywhere you look in the Bible when the interaction between God and His people are mentioned it refers to the family unit.  Thus, family is very important to God.  So, fathers, teach your children how to relate to a loving Father who would give everything for their welfare, show them discipline not in righteous fury, but in true love, grace, and mercy.  Mothers, teach your children how to relate to a comforting, counselling, and helping Holy Spirit, show them compassion and care not to be glorified or to be seen, but in true love, in humility, for everyone God has created as an equal, regardless of their age, lifestyle, or background.  Children, teach the world how to relate to the loving Son, being an example of honour, love, and obedience to your parents, not out of fear of retribution, but in true love, trust, and confidence in their guidance.  Godly families, teach a broken world how to relate to a Holy, Loving God, not by merely existing with the individuals of the family you were born into, but in true love, unity, acceptance, accountability, forgiveness, and grace.

At this point we would like to emphasise that we in no way liken our Holy God and Creator to His creation by imposing race, gender, or class onto our God.  Our theology teaches us that we are created in HIS image, and that any godly attribute we might possess we are likened to HIM.  By making this comparison we simply aim to illustrate similarities between a Godly family unit and the Holy Trinity.  We are after all, called to be His ambassadors and representation on this earth.  By imitating God in our family unit, we can say to this world as the Apostle Paul said with confidence; “Imitate me, as I imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

We also believe that the Bible upholds monogamous, heterosexual marriages between a natural man and a natural woman as God’s exclusive design for marriage.  Therefore, Lifestylez Family Ministries cannot bless any marriage that is outside God’s original pattern.  (John 14:26)  (John 16:7)  (Genesis 2:22-24)

We believe in worship.  Although we absolutely love and enjoy to relish ourselves in the presence of our God when we corporately sing His praises and worship Him, we firmly believe that worship is not in the least limited to song and music.  We believe that living a life of worship means living a life of continual prayer, perpetual repentance, and knowing Him in everything we do.  As we know David was not a perfect man, yet God called him a man after His own Heart.  David feared, he killed, he doubted, he committed adultery, BUT, he always swiftly repented.  He lived a life of prayer, obedience, love, and adoration for God.  Living a life of worship is not living a life without falling, it is living a life of when we fall, we quickly get back up, repent of the mistakes we have made, adjusting our course to avoid the same mistake in the future, and then continuing our journey with God.  (Acts 13:22)

We believe in prayer.  All forms of prayer are important to God as forms of communication with Him, and thus it is important to us.  From the ritual prayers such as praying before a meal or praying for protection (sounding more or less the same every time it is prayed), to continual prayers praying a few words here and there during the day in between tasks (most Christians are experts in these and this is most common amongst believers), to quality-time prayers where we lock ourself in our prayer-closets, leaving everybody and everything outside, and purely focus on time with God (this is the prayer that God most longs for), to intercession prayer that is solely activated by the Holy Spirit (the most precious, and most rare form of prayer), are all there to bring us closer to a loving God who longs to speak to His children.

We believe in spiritual warfare.  We believe that when Christ returns for His bride He is not returning for a scared, timid, and helpless bride; but for a bride who not only has the sparkling, pure white robe of righteousness, but who also wears a big pair of army boots in preparation of the Gospel of peace.  It is clear in Ephesians 6:12 that we are to be a people in continual conflict with evil, constantly resisting the devil.  Underneath our wedding gown, we are clothed in full battle armour.  (Ephesians 6:12)  (Ephesians 6:14-17)

We believe in the Word.  We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testaments were given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that they only constitute the Divine Rule of Christian faith and practice.  The Word is the foundation of everything that we believe.  If it is not found in the Bible, or if it cannot be substantiated or explained from the Bible, it is not preached, taught, or proclaimed.  It is clear that ALL Scripture is God breathed, that it is a truth for our protection and wellbeing, and that the Word will endure forever.  All truth is in God and the truth shall set us free.  We believe that the very doctrine that invokes division within the Body amongst denominations can be bridged by returning to the Word and by teaching the Truth.  (2 Peter 1:20-21)  (2 Timothy 3:16-17)  (Hebrews 4:12)  (Isaiah 40:8)

Lifestylez Family Ministries is open to any further truth that the Holy Spirit may illuminate from the Scriptures.

This is the God that we worship and for Whom we will continually labour until He comes for us.