The Bible

We believe the Bible is God’s perfect, inspired, and authoritative Word, which, in addition to being helpful for all areas of life and godliness, reveals God’s immeasurable love for the world and for each of His precious masterpieces therein (one of those masterpiece is you!).  |1 Thess 2:13; 2 Tim 3:15-17; John 3:16; Eph 2:10 NLT| 

God - The Trinity

We believe there is only ONE true and living God, and that He is all knowing, all powerful, always present, and utterly Holy, existing as one God yet eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each equally worthy and deserving of our love, obedience and worship.  |Deut 6:4; Isaiah 45:5-7; 1 John 3:20; Jer 23:24; 1 Pet 1:16; Matt 28:19; Psalm 145:3; 1 Chron 29:11; 1 Kings 8:27; Isaiah 55:8-9|   

God The Father

We believe God the Father, the first Person in the Trinity, is the Creator and Sovereign King over all things. We believe that His Father-heart, filled with unrelenting love, has compelled Him to go to the greatest of lengths to reconcile His children back to Himself, culminating in the reconciling work of His Son Jesus Christ on the Cross. |Gen 1:1-31; Eph 3:9; Psalm 103:19; Psalm 47:2; 2 Cor 5:18; Rom 8:14-15; John 3:16|

God The Son - Jesus

We believe in the deity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God and second Person of the Trinity, and that He is one with the Father. We believe in Jesus’ virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His redemptive death on the cross, in His resurrection from the dead, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and that He will one day return in all of His power and glory to ultimately draw all believers to Himself and completely dispose of evil, once and for all. |John 10:30; Mat 1:23; Luke 24; John 1:29; Acts 1:11; 1 Cor 15:24-27; Rev 21:1-4|

We believe that Jesus innocently and willingly suffered, gave His life on a cross, and rose from the grave in order to pay the penalty for our sins, the punishment we deserved, so that through faith in Jesus and repentance for our sins, we can be cleansed and made righteous through the blood of Jesus’s sacrifice and thus can be reconciled to our Father God and live eternally with Him and all believers in Heaven, no longer having to fear the judgment of eternity outside the presence of our God (a.k.a. Hell). |Rom 5:8-9; John 10:15; Rom 3:24-25; 1 Pet 2:24; 2 Cor 5:14-15; 1 Pet 3:18|  

God The Holy Spirit

We believe that God the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, was given as a gift  from the Father after Jesus ascended to the His right hand in Heaven. We believe the Holy Spirit forever dwells with and within Christians, teaching and revealing all truth, convicting all people of their need for God, and transforming believers to aid them in living godly, selfless lives filled with love, as they become more and more like Jesus.  We believe the Holy Spirit is also forever helping, comforting, encouraging, and advocating on behalf of every child of God who has given his or her life to Jesus.  Furthermore, we believe that the Holy Spirit pours out God’s abundant love within us, gives us the right words to minister to a lost world, and that He has sealed us for the day of redemption and thus for our eternal relationship with our Father God, as His beloved children. |Acts 2:38-39; John 14:16; John 14:15-17; 1 Cor 6:19-20; John 14:25-26; John 16:7-14; Gal 5:22-23; Rom 5:5; Mark 13:11; Eph 4:30|  

Humanity and The Good News

We believe that every person who has ever lived, with the one exception of our Lord Jesus, has been corrupted with sin and has thus been separated from a relationship with God.  Though this is true, God in His great love and mercy has made a way for humanity to be rescued from this sin-condition and to be reconciled to the Father through Jesus Christ. Jesus, who never sinned, suffered and died on the cross in order to pay the debt for the sin of the whole world and to cleanse those who will receive Him and His sacrifice from all their sins. We now have the opportunity to have a relationship with our Father God.  When we give our lives to God, repent of our sins, and accept/receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord, God no longer sees us as stained with sin and corruption, instead He sees us as cleansed, pure, righteous, and holy, because when He looks at us He sees the purity of Jesus within us and covering us. |Rom 3:23; 1 John 1:10; Rom 5:12-21; Isaiah 59:2; 2 Cor 5:18-19; John 3:16; John 1:12; 1 John 1:6-9; Gal 3:26-27|

While God has made a way for us to be reconciled to Him, it does require a heart response on our part. The most devastating of all responses a person can make is to reject Him, His love, and His sacrifice. The Bible warns us that those who do not respond by submitting to God in obedience and accepting Jesus’ sacrifice and His invitation to have a relationship with God the Father through Jesus will be eternally separated from God and will live in punishment and torment eternally in Hell. This is the last thing God wants for any of His children He created. He sees each of us as the apple of His eye and longs for us to return to Him and spend eternity with Him. |2 Thes 1:7-10; Mat 25:31-46; Psalm 17:7-8; Rom 8:37-39; Rom 5:8; John 3:16|

So please, turn your heart to Jesus and respond to His love. Do not put it off!  God tells us in the Bible, “now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 5:2).  If you are ready in this moment to turn to Jesus and give your life once and for all to God and to receive Jesus as your Savior, I want to encourage you to talk directly to God and let Him know right now. He’s listening! There is no formula or specific prayer that must be stated to accept Jesus’ sacrifice and to enter into a relationship with Him and our Father God, but in case you don’t know what to say or how to talk to God, please use the following prayer to help you through your conversation with Him:

"Loving God, I know I have sinned in my life in ways I am aware of and in ways I am unaware of, and right now I ask for your forgiveness. I’m so sorry for all the things I’ve done that have hurt others, myself, and especially you. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son, and I believe that He died for my sins and that you raised Him from the dead. I am choosing today to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as the Lord of my life. Guide my life and help me to live the way you want me to. I thank you for forgiving me for all my sin, and that the Bible says that I am now a new creation.  Thank you God, and I look forward to experiencing your love and peace in this life and to living forever with you and all your children in Heaven. I pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen."   

If you just prayed the above prayer or one like it to our Father God, then He and the angels in Heaven are celebrating in this very moment.  Now that you responded in this way, I want to encourage you to connect with other Christians and find a Christian church to start attending.  We would love to have you join our family at Joy Christian Center, but if you are not able to for some reason, please find a good, loving church near you that is founded on truth (the Bible) and is focused on seeking to know God.  If you need help finding a church near you, reach out to us and we will do our best to help. 

God bless you and welcome to God's family!