Vineyard Church of Surprise

Doctrines of the Vineyard Church of Surprise are based on biblical truths, which we hold to be non-negotiable. These truths include the following

SCRIPTURE: “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” (II Timothy 3:16) The Holy Spirit directed the writers of the Bible to the words, thoughts and concepts God desired, but allowed the writer’s own distinctive personality to be manifested in the actual writing. We hold that the Bible is entirely without error in its original manuscripts. II Peter 1:20-21; Mark 12:31; John 8:31; Acts 20.32

GOD THE FATHER: God is a Spirit without a physical body of flesh and bones. He is self-conscious and possesses a will. He is infinite and without limitations and is not restricted to our time and space dimensions, being everywhere present. He is and always has been perfect and unchanging. His power is unlimited and He is sufficient to meet any need or desire that is within His will. He is never frustrated in His plans or in His knowledge, which are also perfect. God is morally pure, holy, righteous and absolutely just. God cannot lie and is absolutely faithful. He deals with mankind according to His grace and not on the basis of man’s merit. His mercy is revealed in His tenderhearted and loving compassion which He shows to His people. God is persistent, patient and long-suffering in His dealings with sinful man. Luke 10-21-22; Matthew 23:9; John 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7; I Timothy 1:1-2; 2:5-6; I Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6

JESUS CHRIST: Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Trinity and is totally and completely God. Jesus Christ was also incarnated in human flesh and is, therefore, totally human. As a man, He was born of a woman (the Virgin Mary), lived on earth, endured all temptations common to man and was the same as man in all things, except for sin. He died on the cross, rose from the dead on the third day and ascended into heaven 40 days thereafter. Jesus, being the promised Messiah of God, fulfilled God’s divine plan of redemption which He had purposed from the beginning of time. Jesus, alone, lived a sinless and totally obedient life. He, alone, is worthy to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Colossians 1:19; 2:9; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 4:15; 7:25; 9:28; Matthew 1:18-25; 20:28; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; 20:28, 30-31; Romans 5:6-8; 6:9-10; 9:5; 8:46; Ephesians 1:4; II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 2:21-23; Acts 1:11; I Timothy 3:16

THE HOLY SPIRIT: The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. He is fully God, coequal and coeternal with the Father and the Son. His mission on earth is to glorify and testify to Jesus Christ. As the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus, Jesus glorifies the Father and the unity of the Trinity is seen. The Holy Spirit empowers man to realize his need for salvation, which can be gained only through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit gives man the ability to accept Jesus Christ as his one and only Savior and enables him to proclaim to the world his salvation in Jesus Christ. John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26-27; 16:9-14; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19, Galatians 5:22-26

THE TRINITY: The Trinity is a mystery that cannot be fully comprehended. God is one, yet He is three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, within the one essence of the Godhead. These three Persons are coequally and coeternally God and share the same authority and attributes. Genesis 1:1, 26; John 1:1, 3; 4:24; Matthew 28:19; Romans 1:19-20; Ephesians 4:5-6

GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: The gifts listed in Romans 12, I Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 and I Peter 4, although extensive, are not exhaustive. These gifts are given to man by God to accomplish certain acts or goals within the Body of Christ. They are given individually and designed for the health, growth and development of the corporate Body. They are never intended to be for the possessor’s own glory, but for the purpose of ministering to the Church. When used properly, these gifts confirm the Word of God and give Him glory. Mark 16:20

CREATION: God created the world and all that is within it. He did so to bring glory to Himself. Mankind, being created in the image and likeness of God, is God’s greatest creation. Although created in His image, mankind has no existence outside of God. Life came to man from God and man owes his continued existence solely to God. Man is not, and can never be, autonomous. Man was created as a personal being, close enough to the rest of creation to have relationship with it, yet designed, first and foremost, to have relationship with God. Genesis 1; 2

THE FALL AND ATONEMENT OF MAN: God created man in His own image. Man willfully chose to sin, incurring the judgment of God. As a consequence of his sin, man was sentenced to physical, spiritual and eternal death, which is separation from God. As a result of Adam’s sin, all human beings are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. By God’s sovereign grace, those who repent and trust Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become new creatures. Jesus Christ’s death pays the debt of sin for all believers so they can stand by faith before God as pure, holy and completely justified. Genesis 1:26; 2:17; 3:1-24; 5:2; Ecclesiastes 2:11; John 1:13; 3:14, 16; 5:24, 30; 7:13; 8:12; 10:26; 14:6; Romans 3:19; 5:19; 8:1; 9:22; II Thessalonians 1:9; Revelation 19:3, 20; 20:10; 14; 15; 21:18; Psalm 51:7; Jeremiah 19:9; James 1:14; Proverbs 28:13; I John 1:9; II Corinthians 5:17

CHURCH GOVERNMENT AND DISCIPLINE: The Church is founded, commissioned and divinely mandated by Jesus Christ. As an extension of the work and mission of Jesus Christ on earth, the Church demonstrates the Kingdom of God to the world. The New Testament structure for local Church government is carried out by elders and deacons. Those called to these specific offices by God are ordained by the Church and are given authority to conduct marriages, communion, funerals, and baptisms.

The goal of Church discipline is to reconcile an individual to the Body of Christ. In Matthew 18:15-18, Jesus gave us the pattern for restoring a Christian brother or sister. When the Church and the individual follow this pattern, they glorify God and bring unity to His Body here on earth. Matthew 16, 18; Acts 4

BAPTISM: Water baptism is a witness to the Church of the changed, internal condition within an individual. Baptism identifies the believer’s commitment to the Body of Christ and his or her willingness to submit to the authority of Christ and His Church. Matthew 28:18-20

THE LORD’S SUPPER: The night before He was crucified, Jesus Christ instituted the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper as a sign of His sacrifice for us and of our assurance in Him. This act of Communion is to be repeated frequently as a continual reminder that Jesus Christ gave Himself as the sacrifice for our sin. Romans 6:3-5; Luke 22:19; I Corinthians 11:23-26

MARRIAGE: God created mankind as male and female and, though being different, they were created to complete each other. God joined Adam and Eve in a covenant of marriage wherein they were to cleave to each other until death. God instituted the covenant of marriage to be monogamous between a man and a woman. This monogamous relationship serves as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. Sexual relations between male and female are blessed of God only in the context of covenantal marriage and are sin outside that relationship. Genesis 2:18-25

Calendar & Events