BASILEIA VINEYARD

WHO WE ARE

2009-07-24T15:57:00.013-04:00

We are a people motivated to follow the teachings of Jesus together in non religious ways. We are a small community of Jesus followers meeting in our homes in the northern Pittsburgh area. We call ourselves Basileia Vineyard. We are not a traditional Sunday morning church. We believe what happens between Sundays is just as important as Sunday.

We base our structure on house churches. We believe the vibrancy of church life is directly tied to one another. In other words, if you don’t really know others, life can be very lonely.

The church is supposed to be a connected body of people following Jesus, not just in name but in reality. So we are trying let our actions demonstrate our focus by discovering together what it means to walk with God, sharing meals together, and supporting one another in prayer. Our focus Kingdom1st, but includes doing life together and hanging out, being there for one another.

For us the small gathering of a house church is like a family and the large gathering on Sunday mornings is like a family reunion. People can afford to miss the large gathering, but no one can afford to be without a family.

House Churches are where you can get to know people, ask questions, grow spiritually, serve alongside others, and express your faith or discover it for the first time. We use the terms house church, organic church, simple church, and home church interchangeably. For us “church” means small family-like units that are learning to love God and their neighbor.

Please feel free to contact us for more information. You’re welcome to visit. Remember, these little bands of disciples are far from perfect. We don’t claim to have our faith figured out, but we’re on the journey together and you’re invited along.

We are a passionate, Spirit-empowered community, who follow Jesus, celebrate God, expecting His presence, equipping each other to serve and impact our neighborhood and the nations.

House to House

2008-08-11T14:49:00.011-04:00

We currently meet in our homes similar to the followers of Christ, from house to house. Acts 5:42, 20:20 Check the link to the right.

Basileia Vineyard is a Church Plant based in Saxonburg, Pa. Basileia is one of a Community of Churches within Vineyard USA. You might be asking why the name Basileia? The simple answer is basileia is the greek word for Kingdom. We believe before church can exist there must be be a community of the kingdom. We believe the Kingdom is when God rules and reigns in our daily lives. We look for his presence when go to work, school, the grocery store or the laundramat.

At Basileia we strive to participate in the Kingdom breakthrough in people's lives. Equipping those who hunger to "DO THE STUFF" with compassion and love as Jesus did.

We believe in living Kingdom oriented lives, bringing the life of Jesus to the people in our community. We seek to enable people to have access to the GOOD NEWS of the gospel in a real way. We want to announce the good news of the kingdom. To live in such a way that people see the Kingdom in us. like Jesus we want to be the friend of sinners. As we journey together we want to understand what it means to live in the kingdom. We want to be captured by the beauty of the kingdom and to demonstrate the glory of the Kingdom to others. Our desire is that you see Jesus in us

Five Things We Value

2008-08-02T14:55:00.004-04:00

Recently during a phone conversation a friend mentioned she was waiting on a Dr. to call in a prescription for a sinus infection that had begun in her. I simply asked if I could pray for her right then. She said yes and I did. We finished our conversation and 5 minutes later she called back all excited saying she was healed. That she felt this swoosh go right through her as we prayed. On another occasion at a local food bank we asked if anyone needed prayer and several replied. In each case God’s presence was there during our prayer and it changed their lives.

Can I pray for you right now? These seven words—seven simply supernatural words—capture the essence of our five core values.

· The Theology and Practice of the Kingdom of God
· Experiencing God
· Reconciling Community
· Compassionate Ministry
· Culturally Relevant Mission

At the Basileia Vineyard, we encourage everyone to be attentive and ready to speak these seven words wherever the opportunity arises—whether in a church building, on the street, in our homes or workplaces. And in this practice of praying for others, we express our five core values.

We offer to pray because we believe the kingdom of God has come, and we trust that at any moment the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit may break in and meet the needs of our broken world.

We experience God when we respond to the Holy Spirit’s pinch and ask, “Can I pray for you right now?” As we pray, we sense God’s heart, we share his love, and we receive his guidance. We are actually partnering with God! His empowering presence fills us and flows through us.

We make a regular practice of meeting together in small groups where, as a reconciling community, we not only practice praying for each other, but also share stories, failures, and successes. We humbly bear one another’s burdens. We are reconciled to one another and to God as we confess our sins and receive forgiveness. We part, freshly empowered to continue the work of the kingdom, bringing reconciliation wherever we go.

Because we are equipped and ready to pray, we often find ourselves engaged in compassionate ministry outside a traditional church service.

A young man while on is job when he stopped to talk to a distraught parent of son going to Iraq and ended up asking, “Can I pray for you right now?” While out for dinner a woman at a restaurant expressed a need for a job and was asked “Can I pray for you right now?”
On one occasion while having dinner with guests in my home a woman began coughing uncontrollably and I asked “can I pray for you right now?” and it stopped. One woman who the Doctor's told her she would not be able to have children now has four! Sometimes, miracles happened as the future invaded the present. Other times, we don’t see any change but we have still shared the love and mercy of Jesus with another person.

When we pray for someone, we are careful to use language that is familiar and meaningful to the person receiving prayer. We meet people in places and situations in which they are comfortable, not waiting for them to come to prayer meetings or Bible studies or a church services. Most often, we take part in culturally relevant mission as we go about our everyday lives, living among our neighbors and engaging in the same culture they engage in, instead of giving into the urge to hide away in the Christian subculture.

Being ready to speak these seven simply supernatural words—Can I pray for you right now?— will help all of us live out the foundational values of the Vineyard. Five core values, seven simple words.

"What time do you meet on Sunday mornings?

2008-08-01T16:23:00.001-04:00

If you came wondering

"Where is your church building located?"

I'm sorry to disappoint you by telling you we do not have a church building. If you are looking for that type of a Vineyard experience, there are other Vineyard churches in the area including one here.

We love the churches that meet on Sunday mornings in a rented space or in their own building and explore together what it means to love God and love each other. For us and for now this is how the Lord seems to be leading us. We have been commissioned by the Lord and the Vineyard to begin a new community. Beginning a new work we are a little different, however very much in his kingdom.

So what does church look like to us? Well, it is somewhat hard to put into words on a blog like this. Probably the best way to begin to explain it is to say this: how about you eMail us, and we can talk about it, or get together over a refreshing drink and a good meal?

One day we'll have had enough meals and hung out with enough people that it will make sense to start having larger gatherings of folks where we all eat a meal together and spend time exploring his kingdom further. Or maybe we'll go do something to impact our local community in a positive way, and then hang out at a coffee shop together and share with one another what we saw God doing in our midst. Along the way we'll be following Jesus and loving Him, each other, and anyone else we encounter along the way.

Sound good to you?

Doin da Stuff

2008-07-24T17:04:00.001-04:00

Doing the Stuff is a phrase John Wimber founder of the Vineyard used in reference to actually being like Jesus. You know like praying for someone and seeing them get healed. Speaking to demons and seeing them flee. Setting people free from bondage to sin. Proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Teaching by example.

What is Church?

2008-06-05T15:29:00.003-04:00

Before we can have community we need to know who we are and what were to do. Below is a summary from Derek Morphew's book 'KINGDOM BREAKTHROUGH'.

The Kingdom and the Church

The Old Testament expectation was that the arrival of the “Age to Come” would terminate that present age. The mystery Jesus proclaimed was that the end of the world could break through before this world actually ended. The breakthrough of this “age to come” occurred with Christ’s birth, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension, and outpouring of the Holy Spirit. These last two events of the breakthrough set up the nature of this period of waiting and tension between this age and the age to come.

In Acts 1:6 the disciples asked

Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?

They were expecting an over throw of the Roman Empire. The disciples /Jews believed the kingdom of this world would be destroyed and replaced by God’s kingdom. The messiah would rule and Israel would be the capitol.

Jesus answer to the disciples announces there will be a delay, eluding what we are to do while were waiting;

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem,and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8

This provisional period is therefore a time of the Holy Spirit for the church. We as believers are to be faithful until the end, proclaiming, announcing the kingdom until the close of the age.

So which is the Kingdom and which is the Church?

The traditional Roman’s and the Protestant’s views of the past identified the kingdom with the church. A more recent view is dispensational separating the kingdom and the church. This view assumes a Davidic type kingdom related to the nation of Israel and the body of Christ being the church with a different destiny.

Next up;
The Church is not the Kingdom
The Kingdom creates the Church
The Church is a structure of human relationships

Church or Kingdom

2008-06-04T15:24:00.003-04:00

The Church is not the Kingdom

By most definitions the church is a people or gathering of those who serve Jesus as the Lord. The kingdom is the personal, dynamic reign of God in the heavens and in the affairs of man upon the earth. We might reign with him in the sense that we share in His triumph but the dominion and lordship belongs to God. Furthermore God reigns over all; the whole universe, the stars, angels and the redeemed of the earth. The kingdom is therefore much wider than the church.

The Kingdom Creates the Church

Mathew 18:18-20 shows the inseparable link between the church and the kingdom. The building of the church is discussed in terms of the keys of the kingdom of God. Those who enter the kingdom automatically enter the church. As the rule and reign of God breaks into this world, men are confronted with the demands of God the king. They are called to give their allegiance to Jesus. The moment they accept his Lordship, they become part of the company that has already accepted his Lordship, the Church

Kingdom Breakthrough, Derek Morphew & The Presence of the Future, George Eldon Ladd

Church or Kingdom

2008-06-03T15:21:00.002-04:00

The Church is a structure of human relationships

Brothers and sisters, shepherds and sheep, teachers and pupils, servants, exhorters, leaders and followers. This structure is created wherever the kingdom [of God] breaks into society. The life of the kingdom brings the church into being; the resulting network of human relationships must seek to contain, express, and transmit the presence of the kingdom. However, sometimes this structure impedes ad even resists the power of the kingdom.

The kingdom is illustrated by the analogy of a snail and its shell. The secretions of the snail create the shell which the snail inhabits. Many shells lie empty and lifeless. As church history has progressed, God has given successive interventions of his kingdom. Each time, a shell has been created appropriate to the life of the church. But church history is strewn with empty shells where the structure remains but the life has disappeared. The kingdom perspective should cure us of a preoccupation with shells. Different outpourings of God's presence take on various modes of expression. Our eye should be fixed on the event of the kingdom. Where is God intervening? Where are his mighty deeds being performed? Where can we see the power of the age to come? Our interest in the shells should be functional. The shell is holy while the snail is there. The shape of the shell is not holy and neither is the shell once the snail has disappeared.

Kingdom Breakthrough, Derek Morphew

What to Expect When You Visit

2008-04-18T19:14:00.012-04:00

Friendly people,
Friendly discussions,
Good food.

We enjoy worshiping our Lord and seeking His presence.
We love to study the Word of God.
We spend some time praying for one another.
We expect that at any given moment God may choose to visit with us.

Sometimes we are inspired to look for people to bless.

Feel free to come check us out, make some friends, have some food and refreshing drinks.

Our History

2007-03-29T10:08:00.000-04:00

Vineyard USA 25th Anniversary from Vineyard USA on Vimeo.

Mentoring~ Training~ Discipling

2007-03-03T18:00:00.003-05:00

Why do the trades have apprenticeships and medical professions require internships? Because personal attention from experienced practitioners help learners master essential skills, attitudes, and knowledge. This, of course, is no surprise to Christians familiar with the mentoring relationships of Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Naomi and Ruth, Paul and Timothy, and Jesus and the disciples. If your interested in learning to do the stuff Jesus did and become more like him, come to one of our gatherings.

PURPOSE OF OUR GATHERING

2007-01-11T14:45:00.000-05:00

Basileia Vineyard's understanding of the church is based on our understanding of the kingdom of God. We believe the purpose of the church is to advance the rule of God on the earth by continuing the ministry of Jesus in word, deed and life through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We have a theology of power that affirms the present day ministry of Jesus through spiritual gifts given to the church to win the lost, heal the sick, care for the poor, cast out demons, and disciple as we live according to the fruit of the Spirit.

We also have a theology of pain knowing that the kingdom will be consummated only at the return of Christ. We teach how to suffer in Christ's name but never to befriend our sickness. Our call is to participate with Jesus in destroying the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) and, like Jesus, our desire is to do what the Father is doing (John 5:19) at any given time.

OUR PRIORITIES

2007-01-11T14:42:00.000-05:00

WORSHIP: Worshipping God is our highest value. It is an end, not a means. We want to give God that which is due to him as we are led by the Word and the Spirit. We want to worship with our whole beings through the culture-current music God has given us. We also worship him through the Word,sacrifice of our time, energy, and resources.

WORD: In the Vineyard we value the Word of God as central to all of life. We believe in expounding the Word for our people for the purpose of living and doing the Bible. Ours is not an accumulation-of-knowledge approach, nor do we desire to filter out parts we do not like. Our desire is to demonstrate a true evangelical commitment to the whole counsel of the inerrant Word of God.

FELLOWSHIP: We believe that Christians are called to serve, and our first area of service is to Christ's body, the Church. Relationships with other believers, therefore, are a priority for us. We want our movement to be characterized by walking together in unity and honesty and are committed to resolving conflict in a healthy way. We pray that the Vineyard way would be the way of love.

MINISTRY: We believe that Christians are called to serve Christ, secondly, by serving the world. Our highest ministry to the world is through evangelism. We don't want our churches to grow through transfer growth (although that can happen) but through winning the lost. We also are committed to Jesus' ministry of healing the sick. We believe the New Testament understanding of salvation is wholeness: Jesus brought salvation for the whole person. This includes healing for the body, deliverance from demons, the healing of damaged emotions, the healing of creation gone awry, repairing broken relationships, and raising the dead. We believe that Jesus has also commissioned us to care for the poor of the earth, be it to feed, clothe, house or teach people to read.

TRAINING: The apostle Paul explains that the job of church leadership is to equip the saints to serve. Jesus had already modeled this through the discipleship loop. The Vineyard believes, therefore, that the church should be taught how to minister. The job of the leader is to give ministry away by teaching people how to move in the gifts of the Holy Spirit as they live their daily lives through the fruit of the Spirit. The value of equipping is one of the Vineyard distinctives.

SENDING: The Vineyard sees the priority of sending through three different lenses. Church renewal is the call to bless the whole body of Christ. Jesus loves his bride in all of her expressions, and we want to participate in his efforts to bring new life to her in any way we can. We believe that one of the calls on John Wimber's life, and therefore on the movement as a whole, is to bring renewal to the existing church through the way of love and through a willingness to receive reciprocally from others in return. In doing so, we work to promote the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This can be seen in our willingness to pray with other pastors, join for mutual services and teach in each other's churches. We also believe the Vineyard has been called to the work of church planting. Most of these will come through the work of church planting in metropolitan areas. This is the New Testament model for making disciples through evangelism and nurture.We aim to plant these churches not only in our culture but in other cultures as well. We embrace the world mission of the church to see the kingdom advance in every ethnic group on earth that the end might come (Matthew 24:14). The Vineyard, then, is also committed to cross cultural church planting.

Theological Statement

2007-01-11T14:37:00.002-05:00

First we affirm orthodox, evangelical doctrine as seen, for instance, in a statement such as the Westminster Creed. Our Theological and Philosophical Statement is viewed in the Statement of Faith link to the right under postings. In addition to our theology as stated in the Theological and Philosophical Statements, we have a number of other core values, these include:

. The pursuit of God

. Christ likeness

. Being Spirit-led

. Prayer

. Discipleship

. The Kingdom of God

. The mercy of God

. Integrity

. The individual, single or married

. Unity and reconciliation

. Collegiate relationships

. Living in reality, affirming both the natural and the supernatural in our worldview

. Simplicity (a non-hyped approach)

. Being culture current so as to contextualize the gospel for our culture

. Collegiate relationships

. Servanthood- Kingdom servants doing servant stuff

. Power Evangelism

. Worship

. Modeling Jesus

. Compassion to the poor, the weak, the sick and hurting

. Good Theology and Good experiences with God

MISSIONS

2007-01-11T14:31:00.003-05:00

Currently we have a partnership to the unreached people groups in China. Our trip was a success. There isn't sufficient space here to tell all. After some interesting delays in Beijing we made it to our connection in South Central China. From there two others who came with me and two of our missionary friends along with one local went into the mountains to visit numerous villages. One man felt the presence of God on his leg as we prayed through a translator.

For the second year in a row the local police showed up to tell us we were welcome in their country but we were not to talk to the local villagers or pray for them because it was illegal. One village had a dream that we were coming two nights before we got there. We had many opportunities to visit, talk about Jesus, and pray.

After a week in the mountains we worked by teaching locals in the city about the Kingdom of God. Speaking before a small underground church about the Kingdom and our team praying after, some were healed physically. Others touched by His love and presence upon them.

In April of 2006 we encountered a person that never heard of Jesus Christ or any of the Bible stories. There are large numbers in small villages through out China that have never heard the GOOD NEWS of the Kingdom and we are reaching them. Our team has been there for eight years now.

We also have many relationships in South Africa. In June of 2006 I had the opportunity to visit a small Indian Church and fellowship with the leaders in their home. The gifts of the Spirit were flowing that evening and We encouraged each other.

We have a team going to China in 2011. If you would like to contribute in any way please contact us.

If you have a heart for China, South Africa, or other parts of the world we have contacts in every Nation, just send us an Email letting us know your desire.

Statement of Faith

2007-01-11T14:27:00.000-05:00

1. God the King and the Holy Trinity WE BELIEVE that God is the Eternal1 King2. He is an infinite,3 unchangeable4 Spirit,5 perfect6 in holiness,7 wisdom,8 goodness,9 justice,10 power11 and love.12 From all eternity13 He exists as the One14 Living15 and True16 God in three persons17 of one substance,18 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,19 equal in power and glory.20

1Deuteronomy 33:27; Romans 1:20; 2Psalm 95:3; Isaiah 43:15; 3Psalm 147:5; Job 11:7-9; 4James 1:17; 5John 4:24; 6Matthew 5:48; 7Isaiah 6:3; 1 Peter 115-16; 8Psalm 104:24; Proverbs 2:6; Isaiah 28:29; 9Exodus 33:19; Psalm 63:2; Psalm 31:19; 10Psalm 33:5; Psalm 89:14; Isaiah 30:18; 11Exodus 15:6; 121 John 4:8; 13Isaiah 43:13; 14Isaiah 45:5; 1 Corinthians 8:4; 15Psalm 42:2; Psalm 84:2; 16Jerimiah 10:10; 17John 1:18; John 10:30; John 14:9; John 14:16-17; John 14:26; John 15:26; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 18John 1:1; John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 3:17; 19Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Revelation 1:4; 20Revelation 5:13; Ephesians 3:14-21

2. God the King: The Creator and Ruler of All Things WE BELIEVE that God's kingdom is everlasting.21 From His throne,22 through His Son, His eternal Word,23 God created,24 upholds25 and governs26 all that exists:27 the heavenly places,28 the angelic hosts,29 the universe,30 the earth,31 every living thing32 and mankind.33 God created all things very good.34

21 Psalm 45:6; Psalm 145:13; Daniel 4:3; 22Psalm 93:1-2; 23John 1:1-3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:15-16; Hebrews 1:1-2; 24Genesis 1:1; Psalm 95:3-5; 25Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3; 26Psalm 103:19; Psalm 104:24-29; 27Psalm 96:4-6; 28Psalm 89:11; 29Psalm 103:20-21; 30Colossians 1:16-17; 31Psalm 104:5; 32Psalm 103:22; 33Psalm 22:28; Psalm 47:8; 34Genesis 1:31

3. Counterfeit Kingdom: Satan and Demonic Hosts WE BELIEVE that Satan, originally a great, good angel, rebelled against God, taking a host of angels with him.35 He was cast out of God's presence and, as a usurper of God's rule, established a counter-kingdom of darkness36 and evil on the earth.37

35Revelation 12:7-9; 362 Corinthians 11:14; Colossians 1:13-14; Ephesians 6:12; 37Mark 3:22-26; Ephesians 2:1-2; 1 John 5:19

4. The Kingdom in the Creation of Man, the Fall and The Doctrine of Original Sin WE BELIEVE that God created mankind in His own image, male and female,38 for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth.39 Under the temptation of Satan,40 our original parents fell from grace,41 bringing sin,42 sickness43 and God's judgement of death to the earth.44 Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation.45 Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin.46 Human beings are born in sin,47 subject to God's judgement of death48 and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness.49

38Genesis 1:26-27; 39Genesis 1:26; 40Genesis 3:1; Revelation 12:9; 41Genesis 3:8; Romans 1:21; Romans 5:16; 42Romans 5:12; 43John 5:14; 441 Corinthians 15:22; 45John 8:44; 1 John 5:19; 46Romans 8:20-23; 47Psalm 51:5; 48Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 2:5; Romans 2:12; Hebrews 9:27; 49Galatians 1:3-5; Galatians 4:8-9; Colossians 1:13

5. God's Providence, Kingdom Law and Covenants WE BELIEVE that God did not abandon His rule over the earth50 which He continues to uphold by His providence.51 In order to bring redemption, God established covenants52 which revealed His grace to sinful people.53 In the covenant with Abraham, God bound Himself to His people Israel, promising to deliver them from bondage to sin and Satan and to bless all the nations through them.54

50Psalm 24:1; Psalm 96:10; 51Isaiah 40:22; Hebrews 1:3; 52Romans 9:4; 53Ephesians 2:12; 54Genesis 17:3-8; Genesis 12:2-3; Genesis 15:4-6; Romans 4:3-5; Romans 4:16; Romans 4:20- 25; Galatians 3:6-9; Galatians 3:13-14 WE BELIEVE that as King, God later redeemed His people by His mighty acts from bondage in Egypt55 and established His covenant through Moses, revealing His perfect will and our obligation to fulfill it.56 The law's purpose is to order our fallen race57 and to make us conscious of our moral responsibility.58 By the work of God's Spirit,59 it convicts us of our sin60 and God's righteous judgement against us61 and brings us to Christ alone for salvation.62

55Exodus 15:3-18; 56Exodus 19:3-6; Exodus 24:3-4; Exodus 24:7; Romans 8:3-4; Romans 8:12- 14; 57Deuteronomy 5:1-3; Deuteronomy 30:15-18; Galatians 3:23-25; 58Psalm 25:8-10; Romans 7:7; 59John 15:26; John 16:8-11; 2 Corinthians 3:14-17; 60Romans 7:13; Galatians 3:19; Galatians 3:21-22; 61Romans 2:1-11; 62Galatians 3:24; Philippians 3:8-9 WE BELIEVE that when Israel rejected God's rule over her as King,63 God established the monarchy in Israel64 and made an unconditional covenant with David,65 promising that his heir would restore God's kingdom reign over His people as Messiah forever.66

631 Samuel 8:6-8; 641 Samuel 8:21-22; 1 Samuel 9:15-16; 1 Samuel 10:1; 1 Samuel 10:24; 652 Samuel 7:11b-16; Psalm 89:34-37; 66Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 11:1-5; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Ezekiel 34:23

6. Christ the Mediator and Eternal King WE BELIEVE that in the fullness of time,67 God honored His covenants with Israel and His prophetic promises of salvation68 by sending His Son,69 Jesus, into the world.70 Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary,71 as fully God and fully man in one person,72 He is humanity as God intended us to be.73 Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit,74 inaugurating God's kingdom reign on earth,75 overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation,76 preaching the good news of salvation,77 healing the sick,78 casting out demons79 and raising the dead.80 Gathering His disciples,81 He reconstituted God's people82 as His Church83 to be the instrument of His kingdom.84 After dying for the sins of the world,85 Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day,86 fulfilling the covenant of blessing given to Abraham.87 In His sinless, perfect life88 Jesus met the demands of the law89 and in His atoning death on the cross90 He took God's judgement for sin91 which we deserve as law-breakers.92 By His death on the cross He also disarmed the demonic powers.93 The covenant with David was fulfilled in Jesus' birth from David's house,94 His Messianic ministry,95 His glorious resurrection from the dead,96 His ascent into heaven and His present rule at the right hand of the Father.97 As God's Son and David's heir,98 He is the eternal Messiah- King,99 advancing God's reign throughout every generation and throughout the whole earth today.100

67Mark 1:15; Galatians 4:4; 68Romans 1:2-4; 69John 1:14; 70John 1:17-18; 71Luke 1:30-35, 72John 1:14; Philippians 2:5-7; 73Romans 5:19; 1 Corinthians 15:22; 1 Peter 2:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 8:29; 74Luke 3:21-22; Luke 4:16-21; 75Mark 1:14-15; Luke 11:20; Luke 17:20-21; 76Luke 4:1-13; 77Luke 4:43; 78Luke 4:40; 79Luke 4:41; 80Luke 7:14-17; 81Mark 1:16-17; 82Mark 3:13-15; 83Matthew 16:18; 84Luke 9:1-2; Luke 10:1-17; 85John 1:29; John 6:51; John 4:9-10; 86Mark 8:31; 1 Corinthians 15:3-5; 87Galatians 3:13-14; 88Acts 3:14-15; Hebrews 4:15; 89Romans 5:18-19; 901 Peter 2:24; 91Galatians 3:13; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 92Romans 1:18; Romans 1:32; Romans 2:12; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; 93Colossians 2:13-15; 94Matthew 1:1; 95Luke 1:68-72; Luke 2:10-11; Matthew 9:27; 96Acts 2:24-28; 97Acts 2:29-36; 98Romans 1:1-4; 99Hebrews 1:1-3; 1001 Corinthians 15:24-26; Ephesians 1:19-23; Revelation 5:5

7. The Ministry of the Holy Spirit WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church at Pentecost in power,101 baptizing believers into the Body of Christ102 and releasing the gifts of the Spirit to them.103 The Spirit brings the permanent indwelling presence of God to us104 for spiritual worship,105 personal sanctification,106 building up the Church,107 gifting us for ministry,108 and driving back the kingdom of Satan by the evangelization of the world109 through proclaiming the word of Jesus110 and doing the works of Jesus.111

101Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1-4; 1021 Corinthians 12:13; 1031 Corinthians 12:4-7; 104John 14:16-17; 105Romans 12:1; Ephesians 5:18-20; 106Romans 8:3-4; 1071 Corinthians 14:12; 1 Corinthians 14:26; 108Romans 12:4-6; 109Luke 11:20; 1 John 3:8b; 110Ephesians 6:10-20; 111John 14:12-13; Romans 15:18-19; 1 Corinthians 4:20

WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ112 and that He is our abiding Helper,113 Teacher,114 and Guide.115 We believe in the filling or the empowering of the Holy Spirit,116 often a conscious experience,117 for ministry today.118 We believe in the present ministry of the Spirit119 and in the exercise of all of the biblical gifts of the Spirit.120 We practice the laying on of hands for the empowering of the Spirit,121 for healing,122 and for recognition and empowering of those whom God has ordained to lead and serve the Church.123

112Romans 8:9-10; 113John 16:7; 114John 14:26; 115John 16:13-15; Romans 8:14; 116Luke 24:49; Acts 4:31; 117Acts 8:18-19; Acts 19:1-2; 1181Corinthians 2:4-5; 2 Corinthians 4:7; 2 Corinthians 6:4-7; 119Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:15-17; 1201 Corinthians 12:7-11; 1 Corinthians 14:1; 1 Corinthians 14:5; 1Thessalonians 5:19-21; 121Acts 8:14-17; Acts 19:6; 122Mark 1:41; Luke 6:18b-19; Mark 16:18; 123Acts 13:1-3; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6

8. The Sufficiency of Scripture WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit inspired the human authors of Holy Scripture124 so that the Bible is without error125 in the original manuscripts. We receive the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments126 as our final, absolute authority, the only infallible rule of faith127 and practice.128

1242 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Corinthians 2:12-13; John 14:26; 125Psalm 19:7-9; Psalm 119:30; Psalm 119:43; Psalm 119:89; Matthew 5:17-18; John 3:34; John 10:35; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Revelation 22:6; 126Luke 24:44; 2 Peter 3:15-16; Revelation 22:18-19; 127Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35; 128Matthew 7:21; Matthew 7:24; Luke 1:38; James 1:22-25

9. The Power of the Gospel Over the Kingdom of Darkness WE BELIEVE that the whole world is under the domination of Satan129 and that all people are sinners by nature130 and choice.131 All people therefore are under God's just judgement.132 Through the preaching of the Good News of Jesus and the Kingdom of God133 and the work of the Holy Spirit,134 God regenerates,135 justifies,136 adopts137 and sanctifies138 through Jesus by the Spirit139 all who repent of their sins140 and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord141 and Saviour.142 By this they are released from Satan's domain and enter into God's kingdom reign.143

129Luke 4:5-7; 1 John 5:19; 1301 Corinthians 15:22; Ephesians 2:1-3; 131Romans 1:21-23; Romans 1:32; 132Romans 1:18; Romans 2:5; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Ephesians 5:6; 133Mark 1:14-15; Acts 8:12; Acts 28:31; Ephesians 5:5; 134John 16:7-11; 135John 3:5-8; 1 Peter 1:23; 136Romans 5:1-2; Romans 5:9; 137Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6; 138Ephesians 5:25; Hebrews 13:12; 1391 Peter 1:1-2; 140Acts 2:38; 141Romans 10:9; 1421 John 4:13-15; 143Colossians 1:13-14; Philippians 3:20

10. The Church: Instrument of the Kingdom WE BELIEVE in the one,144 holy,145 universal Church.146 All who repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit147 and form the living Body of Christ,148 of which He is the head149 and of which we are all members.150

144John 17:20-21; Ephesians 4:3-6; 1451 Corinthians 3:16-17; 146Matthew 16:17-18; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 2:18-19; 1 Peter 2:9-10; 147Titus 3:4-7; 148Romans 12:4-5; 149Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 5:23; 1501 Corinthians 12:27

11. Baptism and the Lord's Supper WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ committed two ordinances to the Church: water baptism151 and the Lord's Supper.152 Both are available to all believers.
151Matthew 28:19-20; 1521 Corinthians 10:14-17; 11:23-26

12. The Kingdom of God and the Final Judgement WE BELIEVE that God's kingdom has come in the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ,153 that it continues to come in the ministry of the Spirit through the Church,154 and that it will be consummated in the glorious, visible and triumphant appearing of Christ155 - His return to the earth as King.156 After Christ returns to reign,157 He will bring about the final defeat of Satan and all of his minions and works,158 the resurrection of the dead,159 the final judgment160 and the eternal blessing of the righteous and eternal conscious punishment of the wicked.161 Finally, God will be all in all162 and His kingdom, His rule and reign,163 will be fulfilled in the new heavens and the new earth,164 recreated by His mighty power, in which righteousness dwells165 and in which He will forever be worshipped.166

153Daniel 7:13-14; Matthew 4:23; Matthew 12:28; 154Matthew 6:10; Matthew 10:7-8; Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:11; John 15:26-27; Romans 14:17-18; 155Mark13:26; Acts 1:9-11; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; 156Revelation 19:11-16; 157Matthew 25:31-32; 1 Corinthians 15:23-25; 158Revelation 20:10; 1591 Corinthians 15:51-52; 160John 5:28-30; Revelation 20:11-15; 161Matthew 25:31-46; 1621 Corinthians 15:24-28; 1631 Timothy 6:13-16; 1642 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:5; 165Revelation 21:27; 1661 Timothy 1:17; Revelation 7:9-12

If you desire further information regarding our theological position e-mail (info@vineyardusa.org) to request the paper entitled "Association of Vineyard Churches Theological and Philosophical Statement".