Typically refers to water baptism that is undertaken by new believers in Christ. It is a public declaration of faith commanded in the Bible and involves full water submersion. Click Water Baptism from the bottom of any page on our website to learn more.

The Body of Christ refers to the local church. The implication is the church (which is a group of believers, not the building) represents the actual body of Jesus here on Earth. The church is His hands and feet so to speak.

The Bible is the inspired Word of God written by men chosen by God to reveal Himself and His ways to all mankind.

A disciple is one who follows the teachings of another, in this case Jesus. The purpose is to become more like Jesus day by day and help others do so too.

Father is often used to refer to God, our heavenly father and the father of Jesus. God is three persons in one; the Father, the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit.

Gospel means Good News. The Gospel of Jesus is the Good News that reconciliation of all people to God is available through faith in Him.

Learn more on our page titled Jesus accessible from the main menu.

The Holy Spirit is God. All three persons of God (The Father, The Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit) have always been and always will be. The Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit, He is the Spirit of Jesus. He is the one who lives inside all believers. He is a teacher, guide and comforter to name a few. He is the one that shows us the way.

He is alive and He speaks every day. He is very interested in every aspect of our lives and is a manifestation of God’s power. He is the spirit of truth who reveals the things of God to us. He is our helper.

Jesus is God’s only Son who came to earth as a man to take the punishment for all the sins of all mankind forever. His love which He demonstrated by His sacrifice on the cross reveals the amazing love of God for all people. He died for us and rose again on the third day victorious over sin and death. Jesus made a way for us all to be right with God if we would believe in and follow Him. Learn more on our page titled Jesus accessible from the main menu.

A kingdom is a domain ruled by a king. This is not as common in the world today but it is a Godly principle. Jesus has been made King of kings and Lord of lords. He sits at the right hand of the Father with all authority. In heaven, God’s rule is absolute, on earth at this time it is not due to sin (the enemy has a huge influence over our world). When we refer to the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven, typically it is the idea of bringing God’s Kingdom here to Earth right now! This is one of the main roles of the local church. In God’s Kingdom, everything is right, there is no sin, no evil, no sickness, no pain, just glorious light and peace and joy. It won’t fully come until the day of the Lord (when Jesus returns) but we’re called to bring people into it now.

Pentecostal – This word has a few applications. It is a description used to describe some church denominations (such as this one) typically meaning spiritual. God is a Spirit and we are also spirits so being spiritual is being true. It is God’s Spirit that lives and when His Holy Spirit is allowed to work and move in our world, a church is alive and doing His will. Amazing things can and do happen.

Pentecost is also a Jewish Spring harvest festival that was celebrated when the Holy Spirit first came upon the early believers in Jesus (see the book of Acts). Signs and wonders followed the receiving of this wonderful gift. Jesus, Himself told them His Father would send a helper, the Holy Spirit. Recognition of this miraculous event is how the denomination received its name.

Prayer is simply talking to God. As believers in Jesus, we all have direct access to the very throne room of God through the powerful work of Jesus on the cross. We can speak to God anytime, anywhere and He hears us. There are many ways people pray but at its core, it’s a conversation with God. He desires a personal and intimate relationship with us and the best way for healthy relationships is regular communication. He is our heavenly Father and loves His kids and loves to hear from us.

By being still and quiet, we also allow Him the opportunity to speak to us. Communication is a two-way street. He may point us to something in His Word, the Bible or bring someone across our paths. He can also plant a quiet thought. It's an amazing thing and privilege that we can communicate with the creator of the universe who loves us so much.

Due to the sin of Adam and Eve (see the book of Genesis) we are all born into sin and have a sinful nature. Physical death still exists today because of sin but spiritual death (eternal separation from God) is no more for those who accept the free gift of Jesus and follow Him. Jesus has set us free from the eternal consequences of our sins.

In other words, Jesus redeems us from the consequences of our sins. God is holy and perfect and full of justice so consequences for evil is right.

Repent simply means to change your mind or turn direction. It is used commonly in the Bible when addressing sin. God requires us to choose to turn away from sinful ways and pursue Him and His ways.

Righteous means being made right with God and doing the right things as defined by God. None of us can ever be good enough to be right with God on our own. The Bible tells us no one is righteous which is why we need someone to save us from our sins, His name is Jesus. Our faith in Him and what He did for us makes us righteous in the eyes of God. He sees us like Jesus, as His sons and daughters whom He loves so dearly.

Sanctify (sanctification) means to be made holy which means worthy of praise and perfect. God is holy, He is righteous, just and perfect, without sin. We are not but we’re called to be. Once we accept Jesus, the Holy Spirit (God’s Spirit) lives within us and works with us to become more holy day by day. The goal is to become like Jesus. The Bible tells us we won’t fully succeed here on Earth but the journey is worth it and the eternal rewards are great.

Sin means missing the mark or falling short of God’s glory and standards. We’re all made in the image of God for His glory and because of our sins, we fail Him and His standards. It is the sole cause of death, destruction and every problem and evil in our world both externally and within ourselves. It is our enemy because our sin separates us from God. It is why Jesus had to come to free us from it. Jesus defeated sin and death when He died on the cross and rose again on the third day. This is why He is so amazing, we can not save ourselves, we need Him.

Soul typically refers to what makes us alive, our mind, will and emotions. Just as God is a three-part being, so are we. We are made up of a body, soul and spirit.

Our Spirit is the core of who we are, it’s our heart. God is spirit and so are we. When we’re saved our spirit connects with the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit). The spirit will live forever (either with God or not) whereas our earthly body is temporary.

A testimony simply means someone’s personal story or experience with God. It is a powerful way to reveal the love of God as we can usually relate to other people’s situations.

When the Holy Spirit takes up residence in a believer He likes to give gifts (plus we can ask for them). Some of these gifts may be spiritual or supernatural. One such gift is the gift of tongues. In the Bible, this gift has provided people with the ability to speak another language they have not learned as was necessary at the time.

Additionally, it may not be an earthly language at all but a heavenly one. Praying in tongues is one sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence in a believer. It’s also beneficial when a believer doesn’t know what or how to pray because it’s being spoken by the Holy Spirit who does know everything. Some may have the gift of interpreting the tongues but often it’s a gift used by a believer between them and the Lord.