What we believe

ICF FAITH STATEMENT

We the church body of ICF- Limassol, affirm the following:

1. GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE SON, GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

There is one God in whom there are three eternal, distinct, simultaneous persons – the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. They are co-eternal and co-equal, and they are one. We uphold and proclaim our commitment to the Triune God (Matt. 28:19).

2. THE BIBLE

We affirm the divine inspiration of the Old & New Testament, being God’s infallible Word for faith and living; that it is God’s enduring message to the world and we determine to defend, proclaim and embody it (2 Tim. 3:16).

3. REDEMPTION

We recognize that all human beings, though created in the image of God, are sinful and lost. In the cross, Jesus Christ took our place, bore our sins and died in our place; for this reason alone God freely forgives all those who come to Him in repentance and faith (1 Pet. 2:24).

4. BAPTISM & COMMUNION

We affirm Christian baptism, identifying with Christ in his death and resurrection. It is a public testimony and an act of obedience representing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the washing away of our sins, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. Importantly, it is not the water that saves, but Christ, and our faith in him (Mark 1:9-11; Rom. 6:3-5).We recognize Communion as an act of obedience whereby believers, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, reflect on the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming (Luke 22:8-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-31).

5. THE CHURCH

We as the body of Christ are an autonomous/inter-denominational congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper), governed by God’s laws, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. We agree to operate under the leading and Lordship of Christ (as part of the Church Universal) through democratic processes and as such, each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. The church recognizes the redeemed of all ages, believers from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. We believe the church has a responsibility to preach the Word of God, to carry out the work of evangelism by teaching the gospel of Christ, to disciple believers, and to build up one another. The church also recognizes, supports, and embodies the documents referenced below “The Nicene Creed” and “Lausanne Covenant” (Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:42-47; 13:1-3; 14:23; 15:1-29; 20:28; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 12:11-31; 1 Peter 5:1-5).

6. LEADERSHIP

We declare that our church leadership shall consist of people called by God and their lives shall portray the biblical qualifications as listed in the Scriptures (1Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9).

7. SERVANTHOOD

We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others; that their conduct should be blameless before the world; that they should be faithful stewards of their possessions; and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. Simply stated, we are to put God’s work and other people before ourselves (Serving – Matthew 25:34-40, Mark 10:43-45, Acts 2:44-47, Acts 20:35, Philippians 2:3-4; Time – Ephesians 5:15-17; Talents – Romans 12:4-8, 1 Peter 4:10-11; Treasures – 2 Corinthians 9:6-7).

8. GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

We acknowledge that the power and authority of our life and witness together, is through the indwelling Holy Spirit and we recognize and exercise His gifts which are for the common good and building up of the Body of Christ (Rom. 12:1-11; 1 Cor. 12:4-11 and 28; Eph. 4:11-13; 1 John 4:1-6).

9. END TIMES (or ESCHATON)

We believe that according to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth. The dead will be raised and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and dwell with the Lord forever (Matthew 16:27; 24:29-51; 25:31-46; Luke 16:19-26; 17:22-37; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15:24-28 & 35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 5:1-6; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12; 2 Peter 3:7-13; Revelation 1:18; 20:1 – 22:13).