2024 Nut Tree Road, Vacaville, CAinfo@tsvv.org 707.446.4406
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Essential Truths.
The bible is the word of God.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” —Paul, 2 Timothy 3.16 NLT
“Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.” —Paul, 1 Thessalonians 2.13 NLT
The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct. (1 Peter 1.20-21) The bible’s words are the primary source for teaching and equipping Christians for a life of righteousness. (2 Timothy 3.16-17)
We believe the scriptures teach us we human beings were created in the image of God to have fellowship with him, (Genesis 1.26) but became alienated from this relationship through sinful disobedience. (Genesis 3) As a result, humanity is totally incapable of coming back into a right relationship with God by one’s own effort.
God is a trinity.
We believe there’s one God, who’s the creator and ruler of the universe. (Genesis 1.1) He eternally exists in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28.19)
Christ Jesus is the Son of God.
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” —Jesus, John 14.6 NLT
“For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, “The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” [Psalm 118.22] There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” —Simon Peter, Acts 4.11-12 NLT
Christ Jesus, second person of the trinity, is the Son of God. He was born of a virgin. (Matthew 1.23). He lived a sinless life on earth. (Hebrews 4.15, 7.26) He voluntarily paid for our sin by dying on a cross as our substitute, and was resurrected on the third day. (John 11.25, 1 Corinthians 15.4) He will return again to reign as Lord of Lords. (Acts 1.11, 1 Timothy 6.13-16) This accomplished salvation for all, who receive grace by trusting in Christ Jesus alone. He’s the only mediator between God and us. He baptizes believers in the Holy Spirit, and will return to earth to consummate history. (Acts 1.11, 1 Timothy 6.13-16)
We believe the shed blood of Christ Jesus on the cross solely provides for the forgiveness of sins. (Mark 10.45) Therefore salvation is received only when a person places their faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as the sufficient payment for one’s acknowledged sin. (Acts 2.38). This salvation isn’t earned, but is a gift, available by the grace of God alone. (Ephesians 2.8-9)
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity.
We believe in the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, who empowers each Christian to live a godly life. (Romans 8.11) The body of each believer is a “temple” in which the Holy Spirit is present. (1 Corinthians 6.19-20) Therefore, every believer must foster a life of being filled with the Spirit, which is both an initial and an ongoing experience for Christians. (Ephesians 5.18) The Holy Spirit provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, guidance in doing what is right, and spiritual gifts to edify the church.
You must be born again.
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” —Paul, 2 Corinthians 5.17 NLT
“If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.” —Jesus, Matthew 16.25 NLT
God created humans to have fellowship with him. But we defied God by sinfully going our own way. As a result, we need God’s saving grace to end our alienation from him. Salvation comes only through God’s grace—not human effort—and must be received personally by repentance and faith.
We believe the shed blood of Christ Jesus on the cross solely provides for the forgiveness of sins. (Mark 10.45) Therefore, salvation is received only when a person places their faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as the sufficient payment for one’s acknowledged sin. (Acts 2.38) This salvation is not earned, but a gift available by the grace of God alone. (Ephesians 2.8-9) At the end, everyone will experience bodily resurrection and the judgment. Only believers will enjoy eternal fellowship with God.
Believers can be Spirit-filled and Spirit-led.
“…You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” —Jesus, Acts 1.8 NLT
“So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” —Jesus, Luke 11.13 NLT
We believe the only way possible to live the Christian life is by God’s power within us. Every believer can be filled with the Holy Spirit by simply asking. We seek to practice a daily dependence on God’s Spirit to enable us to do what is right.
The Holy Spirit is the person of the Godhead who indwells, baptizes, and gives supernatural gifts to all believers for empowerment to witness and serve. His present work is the same as that in the New Testament. (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-8; 2:4; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, James 5:14-16)
The Christian life.
We believe that for every Christian, the old way of living for oneself is in the past. The new way of living for Christ is for the present and for the future. (2 Corinthians 5.17) By obedience to the scriptures and daily yielding to the Spirit, we will mature and become conformed to the image of Christ, which should be exhibited by love for God and for one’s neighbor. (Matthew 22.37-39)
The Church.
We believe that the church is the body of Christ, of which Jesus is the head. (Colossians 1.18) The purpose of the church is to gather believers to glorify God by being a powerful witness for Christ Jesus in a lost world. (Matthew 28.18-20) God wants to edify and build up his church. This is why the Holy Spirit gives a variety of spiritual gifts to believers such as encouragement, serving, teaching, healing, prophecy, etc. (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12) We practice two ordinances in the church instituted by Christ himself: Water baptism (Luke 3.21-22) and holy communion. (Luke 22.14-20)
Healing.
We believe Christ’s power to heal, evident in the gospels, is available to all believers today through his atoning sacrifice. (Isaiah 53.4-5) The church is to lay hands on the sick, anoint them with oil, and pray faithfully for their recovery. (James 5.14-15)
The Future.
We believe Christians who have died will be reunited with those still alive at the second coming of Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 4.16-17) This event will be followed by the millennial reign of Christ, (Revelation 20.1-6) a final judgment (Revelation 20.11-15) and the appearance of a new heaven and a new earth. (Revelation 21-22)
Death for the believer is not an event to be feared, but a promotion to anticipate. Jesus is currently preparing an eternal home for all who know Him – so that they may live with Him forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17; Romans 8:23; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 15:51,52; Revelation 21-22)
These statistics are a reason to thank God. However, in the words of former AG World Missions Executive Director Loren Triplett, “We dare not measure our success against anything but the unfinished task.” And so, let us recommit ourselves to do, in the words of the 2nd AG General Council, “the greatest evangelism that the world has ever seen.”
Growing: The Assemblies of God (USA) experienced its 27th year of growth in 2016, with 3.24 million adherents and 2 million in major worship service attendance. In 2016, the AG saw an all-time high of new church plants and water baptisms and a 16 percent increase in Spirit baptisms. A new AG church is planted in the U.S. every 21 hours.
Diverse: Whereas the U.S. population is 39 percent racial or ethnic minority, the AG is 42 percent. In 2016, the African- American percentage of the Fellowship topped 10 percent for the first time.
Young: 54 percent of the Fellowship is under 35 years of age, and over the last decade, its millennial population has grown but 11 percent.
Global: The World Assemblies of God Fellowship encompasses 68.5 million adherents in 367,287 churches served by 392,018 ministers and meeting in 256 countries, territories, or provinces
Evangelistic: Every 37 seconds, a person come to Christ through an Ag church or ministry somewhere in the world. Every 95 minutes a new AG church is planted somewhere in the world.
DETAILED INFORMATION ON CORE BELIEFS, CULTURAL POSITIONS, AND FOUNDATIONAL TRUTHS ARE FOUND THROUGH LINKS BELOW:
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Essential Truths.
The bible is the word of God.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” —Paul, 2 Timothy 3.16 NLT
“Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.” —Paul, 1 Thessalonians 2.13 NLT
The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct. (1 Peter 1.20-21) The bible’s words are the primary source for teaching and equipping Christians for a life of righteousness. (2 Timothy 3.16-17)
We believe the scriptures teach us we human beings were created in the image of God to have fellowship with him, (Genesis 1.26) but became alienated from this relationship through sinful disobedience. (Genesis 3) As a result, humanity is totally incapable of coming back into a right relationship with God by one’s own effort.
God is a trinity.
We believe there’s one God, who’s the creator and ruler of the universe. (Genesis 1.1) He eternally exists in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28.19)
Christ Jesus is the Son of God.
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” —Jesus, John 14.6 NLT
“For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, “The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” [Psalm 118.22] There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” —Simon Peter, Acts 4.11-12 NLT
Christ Jesus, second person of the trinity, is the Son of God. He was born of a virgin. (Matthew 1.23). He lived a sinless life on earth. (Hebrews 4.15, 7.26) He voluntarily paid for our sin by dying on a cross as our substitute, and was resurrected on the third day. (John 11.25, 1 Corinthians 15.4) He will return again to reign as Lord of Lords. (Acts 1.11, 1 Timothy 6.13-16) This accomplished salvation for all, who receive grace by trusting in Christ Jesus alone. He’s the only mediator between God and us. He baptizes believers in the Holy Spirit, and will return to earth to consummate history. (Acts 1.11, 1 Timothy 6.13-16)
We believe the shed blood of Christ Jesus on the cross solely provides for the forgiveness of sins. (Mark 10.45) Therefore salvation is received only when a person places their faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as the sufficient payment for one’s acknowledged sin. (Acts 2.38). This salvation isn’t earned, but is a gift, available by the grace of God alone. (Ephesians 2.8-9)
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity.
We believe in the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, who empowers each Christian to live a godly life. (Romans 8.11) The body of each believer is a “temple” in which the Holy Spirit is present. (1 Corinthians 6.19-20) Therefore, every believer must foster a life of being filled with the Spirit, which is both an initial and an ongoing experience for Christians. (Ephesians 5.18) The Holy Spirit provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, guidance in doing what is right, and spiritual gifts to edify the church.
You must be born again.
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” —Paul, 2 Corinthians 5.17 NLT
“If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.” —Jesus, Matthew 16.25 NLT
God created humans to have fellowship with him. But we defied God by sinfully going our own way. As a result, we need God’s saving grace to end our alienation from him. Salvation comes only through God’s grace—not human effort—and must be received personally by repentance and faith.
We believe the shed blood of Christ Jesus on the cross solely provides for the forgiveness of sins. (Mark 10.45) Therefore, salvation is received only when a person places their faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as the sufficient payment for one’s acknowledged sin. (Acts 2.38) This salvation is not earned, but a gift available by the grace of God alone. (Ephesians 2.8-9) At the end, everyone will experience bodily resurrection and the judgment. Only believers will enjoy eternal fellowship with God.
Believers can be Spirit-filled and Spirit-led.
“…You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” —Jesus, Acts 1.8 NLT
“…Be filled with the Holy Spirit…” —Paul, Ephesians 5.18 NLT
“So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” —Jesus, Luke 11.13 NLT
We believe the only way possible to live the Christian life is by God’s power within us. Every believer can be filled with the Holy Spirit by simply asking. We seek to practice a daily dependence on God’s Spirit to enable us to do what is right.
The Holy Spirit is the person of the Godhead who indwells, baptizes, and gives supernatural gifts to all believers for empowerment to witness and serve. His present work is the same as that in the New Testament. (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-8; 2:4; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, James 5:14-16)
The Christian life.
We believe that for every Christian, the old way of living for oneself is in the past. The new way of living for Christ is for the present and for the future. (2 Corinthians 5.17) By obedience to the scriptures and daily yielding to the Spirit, we will mature and become conformed to the image of Christ, which should be exhibited by love for God and for one’s neighbor. (Matthew 22.37-39)
The Church.
We believe that the church is the body of Christ, of which Jesus is the head. (Colossians 1.18) The purpose of the church is to gather believers to glorify God by being a powerful witness for Christ Jesus in a lost world. (Matthew 28.18-20) God wants to edify and build up his church. This is why the Holy Spirit gives a variety of spiritual gifts to believers such as encouragement, serving, teaching, healing, prophecy, etc. (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12) We practice two ordinances in the church instituted by Christ himself: Water baptism (Luke 3.21-22) and holy communion. (Luke 22.14-20)
Healing.
We believe Christ’s power to heal, evident in the gospels, is available to all believers today through his atoning sacrifice. (Isaiah 53.4-5) The church is to lay hands on the sick, anoint them with oil, and pray faithfully for their recovery. (James 5.14-15)
The Future.
We believe Christians who have died will be reunited with those still alive at the second coming of Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 4.16-17) This event will be followed by the millennial reign of Christ, (Revelation 20.1-6) a final judgment (Revelation 20.11-15) and the appearance of a new heaven and a new earth. (Revelation 21-22)
Death for the believer is not an event to be feared, but a promotion to anticipate. Jesus is currently preparing an eternal home for all who know Him – so that they may live with Him forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17; Romans 8:23; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 15:51,52; Revelation 21-22)
Affiliations.
The Sanctuary Church is affiliated through fellowship and accountability with the Assemblies of God. We are part of the Northern California and Nevada District.
WE ARE PART OF THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD
These statistics are a reason to thank God. However, in the words of former AG World Missions Executive Director Loren Triplett, “We dare not measure our success against anything but the unfinished task.”
And so, let us recommit ourselves to do, in the words of the 2nd AG General Council, “the greatest evangelism that the world has ever seen.”
Growing: The Assemblies of God (USA) experienced its 27th year of growth in 2016, with 3.24 million adherents and 2 million in major worship service attendance. In 2016, the AG saw an all-time high of new church plants and water baptisms and a 16 percent increase in Spirit baptisms. A new AG church is planted in the U.S. every 21 hours.
Diverse: Whereas the U.S. population is 39 percent racial or ethnic minority, the AG is 42 percent. In 2016, the African- American percentage of the Fellowship topped 10 percent for the first time.
Young: 54 percent of the Fellowship is under 35 years of age, and over the last decade, its millennial population has grown but 11 percent.
Global: The World Assemblies of God Fellowship encompasses 68.5 million adherents in 367,287 churches served by 392,018 ministers and meeting in 256 countries, territories, or provinces
Evangelistic: Every 37 seconds, a person come to Christ through an Ag church or ministry somewhere in the world. Every 95 minutes a new AG church is planted somewhere in the world.
DETAILED INFORMATION ON CORE BELIEFS, CULTURAL POSITIONS, AND FOUNDATIONAL TRUTHS ARE FOUND THROUGH LINKS BELOW:
CORE BELIEFS
POSITIONS ON CULTURAL ISSUES
FOUNDATIONAL TRUTHS