Our theological perspectives are rooted in the Holy Bible, the Word of God. The Word of God is infallible in all that it affirms and is the first and final rule of faith and morals. Moreover, we are products of the Oneness witness of the Apostolic Pentecostal tradition in the United States. As such, we affirm the Oneness of God who has made Himself known as “Father in Creation,” “Son in Redemption,” and “Holy Spirit,” who regenerates and infills the believer, and superintends the body of Christ. We believe and practice baptism of those who confess faith in the saving work of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38).

We affirm the Incarnation, the Virgin Birth of our Savior, the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, His Second Coming, the Pentecostal experience of the infilling of the Holy Spirit, with speaking in tongues as the Holy Spirit gives the utterance, and the charismata as set forth in I Corinthians: 12-14. We believe that living a holy life is a biblical mandate and we are empowered to live such a life, by the Holy Spirit.

 OUR AFFIRMATIONS OF FAITH AND PRACTICE

We believe:

1. that the Spirit of Jesus Christ works through the Word, to produce a relationship with those who hear and are led to say “yes” to God’s invitation to come to Jesus Christ. Saying “yes” leads to a spiritual relationship with Christ that is referred to in the Scriptures, as “being saved.” We believe that as a saved person walks with God through Bible study, personal devotion, service and witness as well as fellowship with other believers, that person will grow in their relationship with God. Great blessings come from an ever-growing, closer relationship with God (Acts 2: 31-47; Romans 1:16-17; Romans 6:3-11; Colossians 2:12).
2. that the greatest joy and happiness in the world comes when a person is filled with the Holy Spirit. We believe that a saved person can receive the baptism in the Spirit as they seek God through worship, Bible study/reading, fellowship with other Christians, personal prayer or other periods of devotion.In the Scriptures,the initial infilling of the Holy Spirit is called the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Spirit comes to those who seek to be filled, and takes a person to a deeper level of closeness to God and power with God. After that first infilling, the believer must seek to be filled over and over again. The infilling of the Holy Spirit enables a believer to overcome all the deep weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities of life (Acts 2: 27-42; Acts 4:23-31; Colossians 3: 1-4).
3. the Scriptures to be the inspired, infallible Word of God in all that it affirms. It was written by holy men of God, who were moved and controlled by the Holy Spirit in their writing. We believe the Bible to be the divine authority for all matters of life and faith. The Scriptures are words of life that nourish when read, give peace and power when studied, make clean when committed to memory, and bring Good News and new life when obeyed (Colossians 3:16; II Thessalonians 2: 16-19; I Timothy 4; 5-6; I Timothy 5:17; II Timothy 2:15; Titus 1:9; Hebrews 4:12; I John 1:1; I Peter 1:23).

4. the Bible reveals God as a God of justice and righteousness, who commands all His children to stand up and struggle for justice and righteousness for all the oppressed in the earth (Hosea 12:6; Amos 5: 24, Micah 6:8; Micah 17: 18-19; Luke 4: 18-21).

5. that God is doing a special work through our ministry here at Christ Temple of the Apostolic Faith, Inc. We welcome all who desire to worship with us, or inquire concerning our faith.

We are located in a community of people of color and recognize the work of the enemy among our people in the form of: disbelief, disobedience, destructiveness, despair, and depression. To confront this, Christ Temple of the Apostolic Faith, Inc. preaches, teaches and promotes, a problem- solving grasp of the Christian faith. We apply the teachings of the Bible to the problems that confront us. We believe that a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ gives us the power to break the sinful patterns of the self and society, and to live the victorious life.

The Lord Jesus can break every chain and destroy every stronghold, so we can be freed from all so that we can be freed for all : for our community, for our city, for this country, and the entire world! (Luke 4: 14-21; Romans 8: 31-37; II Corinthians 10: 3-6; Ephesians 6:13; I Thessalonians 5: 8-10; II Timothy 2:3-5; I John 5:4)

6. that every Spirit-filled believer can live the victorious life. The victorious life is a life full of the power of God, where the blessings of God are evident. The victorious life is one where, as one writer put it, “obstacles are being overcome and power is growing inside oneself”. The victorious life is one where the believer confronts problems, challenges and difficulties, and overcomes them through humility and the power of God. The victorious life is a shared life, for no one gains victory in Christ by herself or himself. The victorious life is one full of health, strength, joy, peace, and accomplishment.

It is the goal of Christ Temple of the Apostolic Faith, Inc., that we as a Church and as individual members in the Church, become more obedient to our God so that we may live, the victorious life (Romans 6: 1-14; Romans 8: 1-13; Galatians 5: 22-25; II John 5:4).

*[Thanks to Rev. Dr. Mark V. C. Taylor, Pastor of Church of the Open Door, a colleague and friend, for much of the content that forms this section.]