Planting Churches Among the City's Poor - Volume 2

336 • P LANTING C HURCHES AMONG THE C ITY ’ S P OOR : V OLUME 2

28.19; 1 Cor. 8.4; 2 Cor. 3.14; 57.15; 1 Tim. 1.17; Col. 1.16, 17; 1 John 4.10-16 ).

3. Jesus Christ is God’s eternal Son. As true God and true man He allowed Himself to be born of a virgin, taught men how to live through His sinless life, was crucified as a sacrifice for our sins, arose bodily from the dead, was seen by over 500 persons and returned to heaven to prepare a place for us ( Isa. 7.14; Matt. 1.20-23; Luke 1.35; John 1.1-4, 14; 14.1-3; Acts 2.22-24; 32-36; 1 Cor. 15.3-8; Titus 2.14; 1 Pet. 2.21-25; 1 John 2.2 ). 4. The Holy Spirit, who is God with the Father and the Son, persuades us to repent of our sins and confess Jesus as Lord. He lives in us, teaches us and enables God’s church to glorify Him, live godly lives, and testify of Christ and His Kingdom in the world ( John 3.3-7; 16.7-13; Rom. 8.1-14; 1 Cor. 12.3; 6.19-20; Eph. 5.17-21; 1 Thess. 5.23; 2 Thess. 2.13 ). deserves only God’s wrath, in grace God freely chose to redeem humankind though the sacrifice of His Son who took our punishment. We receive salvation through repentance and personal faith in Jesus Christ, and as a result are forgiven for our sins, reborn by the Holy Spirit, and become the children of God ( Gen. 1.26-27; 2.7; 3.13, 16-17; Ps. 100.1-3; Isa. 53.4-5; John 1.12-13; Rom. 3.10-12, 23; 2 Cor. 5.17; 7.9-10; Eph. 1.3-8; 2.8,9; 1 John 1.9 ). 6. The Church is the body of Christ. He is its head and the source of its life. The Body is composed of those who have received Him as Savior and Lord, whether living or dead, regardless of race, nation, tribe, or people. The Church exists to celebrate the life of God, cultivate personal growth in Christ, care about one another in Christ and communicate Christ to the world ( Matt. 16.15-18; 28.20; Acts 1.8; 2.47; 2.41-42; Rom. 12.3-16; 1 Cor. 12.4-12; Eph. 1.20-22; 2.19-22; 4.11-13; 5.23-24a; Col. 1.18; 3.21; Rev. 4.11 ). 7. Jesus Christ will return to earth to raise the dead, judge the world and establish His glorious Kingdom. This is the hope of the Church and its encouragement for ministry. Those who have been reborn will live with Him forever. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the saved and lost, the eternal conscious existence of all human beings, either in heaven or hell, and in divine judgments, rewards, and punishments. ( John 5.29; 1 Cor. 3.11-15; 15.51-58; 2 Cor. 5.6-10; 1 Thess. 4.13-18; 2 John 8; Rev. 19-20; Matt. 6.10, 13; 16.27-28; 5. Men and women were created in God’s image , tempted by Satan and voluntarily rebelled against God. Although sin brings death and