The Book of Acts - Paul Jones

Summary: Paul Jones is the pastor of Reality Church in Olympia Washington. To find more content like this please visit www.realityolympia.com At REALITY the whole Bible is our creed. Therefore, any effort to define what we believe necessitates a desire to emphasize the whole Word of God as the source of our core beliefs. It's unrealistic to think that any individual, man-made system of beliefs is completely error free or, conversely, without merit at all. It is therefore our sincere desire to teach the Bible; be true to its original languages; and be respectful to the historical context, the context of each passage, and the accepted and normal use of language (i.e. being able to discern the difference between a parable and a proverb, a prophecy and an historical account, etc.) We trust that this will enable us to understand the intended meaning and truth that is to be found in God's inspired word. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe in the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His promised return in power and glory. We believe that people are made in the image of God, but our sin has marred that image and separated us from fellowship with Him.  We believe that Jesus death and resurrection is the only means of restoring the fellowship that was lost. We believe in the deity of the Holy Spirit, that He is personal, and dwells continually in the lives of those that have put their faith in Christ.  We believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the Scriptures, and that they are valid for today and should be exercised according to Scriptural guidelines. We believe that love is more important than any spiritual gift, and without love all exercise of spiritual gifts is worthless. We reject the over-emphasis of spiritual gifts, and experiential signs and wonders to the exclusion of Biblical teaching and sound doctrine. We hold God's word as our supreme authority in all that we do at REALITY.  God's word is our standard, and contains everything that pertains to life and godliness. We believe that all of the 66 books of the Bible are inspired by God, are relevant to our daily lives, and transcend all culture. God's word is taught chapter by chapter with the goal of seeing the whole counsel of God.  We are affiliated with the Calvary Chapel movement because of our shared vision for ministry and understanding of doctrine.