Orlando North Church
Sunday Services
In person at 10:00 AM and streaming live at 10:00 AM at YouTube.com/OrlandoNorth
Address
1021 Douglas Avenue
Altamonte Springs FL 32714
Phone
407-644-0003
Orlando North
WHAT WE BELIEVE
OUR MISSION
We are called to Go & Be Christ’s church to the world through the Holy Spirit by connecting people to God, to people, to purpose, and to service for His glory.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
From the time of the Apostles to today, Christians have laid out doctrine (beliefs) in brief, definitive statements. As those who know God, we believe it necessary to set forth the cornerstone truths of our church in a concise fashion as guided by Scripture. Our Statement of Faith summarizes essential Christian beliefs, distinctives of our church in particular, shows unity in Christ, and guards the church against error.
The essential doctrines within the Orlando North Church Statement of Faith represent what we believe to be core elements of biblical teaching. We expect all members of Orlando North Church to affirm these doctrines.
The theological distinctives within Orlando North Church’s Statement of Faith reflect what distinguishes Orlando North Church from other churches that would affirm the essential doctrines. These distinctives indelibly shape the way Orlando North Church is led and the direction of the church. We do not expect all members to embrace all aspects of these distinctives. Still, members should expect that the distinctives will be maintained in all ministry environments at Orlando North Church, and members may not teach contrary to them.
DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
God has made Himself known to the world in Jesus Christ, the Scriptures, and creation.
We believe that God has made Himself known to His creation. He has revealed Himself to us in His Son, the incarnate Word (Heb.1:1-2), in Scripture, the inspired Word (2 Tim. 3:16), and in creation (Ps. 8; Rom. 1:20)
We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the perfect revelation of who God is. Jesus Christ is the “image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15), “the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3), and a perfect reflection of God the Father (John 5:19).
We believe the Scriptures, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, are the inspired Word of God and are, therefore, without error in their original writings. These writings alone constitute the verbally inspired Word of God, which is utterly authoritative and free from error. The Scripture is sufficient for all that God requires for us to believe and do and is, therefore, to be regarded as God’s instruction in all that it teaches; obeyed, as God’s command, in all that it requires; and trusted as God’s pledge, in all that it promises (Is. 40:6-8). As God’s people hear, believe, and obey the Word, they are equipped as disciples of Christ and witnesses to the gospel (Rom. 10:14-17).
DOCTRINE OF CREATION AND PROVIDENCE
We believe that God created the world from nothing and governs all things at all times in all places (Gen. 1:1-2; Ps. 24:1). God’s creative work is the overflow of the love present within the Trinitarian fellowship. Creation, according to the design of God, was good (Gen. 1:3-31).
God doesn’t let the world exist; he makes the world exist. He upholds the universe by the word of his power, and he holds the world together in himself (Col. 1:17, Rom. 11:36).
DOCTRINE OF SIN
We believe that sin has fractured all things, leaving the world desperately needing salvation.
Through the temptation of Satan, humanity transgressed the command of God and fell from their original holiness and righteousness (Gen. 3). Now, the entire human race inherits a corrupt nature that is opposed to God and His law (Rom. 3:9-20). Therefore, all humans are under condemnation. This depravity is radical and pervasive. It extends to the mind, will, body, and affections. Unregenerate humanity lives under the dominion of sin and Satan (Eph. 2:1-3). He is at enmity with God, hostile toward and hateful of God.
DOCTRINE OF SANCTIFICATION
Sanctification is the process by which believers partake in God’s holiness according to his purpose. It is a progressive work beginning in regeneration and continuing in the hearts of believers through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit and God’s appointed means. These means include the Word of God, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness, prayer, and the oversight and fellowship of the visible church.
DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH
We believe that the Church is the body of Christ sent into the world to shine forth the glory of God. God, by His Word and Spirit, creates the Church, calling sinful humanity into the fellowship of Christ’s body (1 Cor. 12:12-31). By the same Word and Spirit, He guides and preserves that newly redeemed humanity.
The Church comprises those who have become genuine followers of Jesus Christ and have personally appropriated the gospel. The Church exists to worship and glorify God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The ministry of the Church is an extension of the ministry of Jesus in the power of the Spirit.
The Church’s ultimate mission is to bring glory to God by making disciples (Matt. 28:18-20). The Church is called to make disciples through worship, prayer, the teaching of the Word, observance of the ordinances, fellowship, the exercise of our gifts and talents, and the proclamation of the gospel both in our community and throughout the world.
DOCTRINE OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
We believe the Lord’s Supper is the second of two ordinances of the church (water baptism being the first).
As with water baptism, the Lord’s Supper is to be observed only by those who have become genuine followers of Christ. This ordinance symbolizes the breaking of Christ’s body and the shedding of his blood on our behalf. It is to be observed repeatedly throughout the Christian life as a sign of continued participation in the atoning benefits of Christ’s death. As we come to the table with faith and self-examination, we remember and proclaim the death of Christ, receive spiritual nourishment for our souls, and signify our unity with other members of Christ’s body.
DOCTRINE OF GOD
We believe in one God eternally existing as one essence and three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each of whom is fully God, yet there is one God.
Each Person of the Trinity is fully, equally, and eternally God, yet there is one God. Each person is worthy of the same worship, honor, and praise. The entire Christian faith is bound together with the confession of God’s Trinitarian nature (Matt. 28:18-20).
We believe in God the Father, the creator of heaven and earth.
We believe in the Son, God from God, eternally begotten but not made, who in history assumed to himself a human nature for the sake of our salvation (John 1:14; Heb. 1:3). He is fully God and fully man. Through Him, all things came into being and were created. He was before all things, and in him, all things hold together by the word of his power (Col.1:15-20). He suffered, died, was buried, resurrected, ascended, and sits at the Father’s right hand until He returns for the final judgment and consummation of the Kingdom.
We believe in the Holy Spirit who eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son, and is sent by the Father and Son to give new life (John 15:26-27). The Holy Spirit unites believers to Jesus Christ in faith, brings about the new birth, and dwells within the regenerate (Eph. 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit has come to glorify the Son, who, in turn, came to glorify the Father. He will lead the Church into a proper understanding and rich application of the truth of God’s Word. He is to be respected, honored, and worshiped as God, the third person of the Trinity.
The triune God – Father, Son, and Spirit – is the creator of all things, visible and invisible. As the immortal and eternal creator, he sovereignly rules over all his creation (Ps. 24:1).
DOCTRINE OF HUMANITY
We believe that all humanity is created in the image of God and possesses intrinsic dignity and worth. God made humanity, male and female, in his image (Gen. 1:27-30). Set apart as his image bearers, every human possesses intrinsic dignity and worth and represents God in his creation (1 Cor. 10:31).
God declares the created order to be very good, distinguishing men and women as his agents to care for, manage, and govern. They enjoy equal access to God by faith in Christ Jesus and are both called to move beyond passive self-indulgence to significant private and public engagement in family, church, and civic life.
God created Adam and Eve male and female, crowning his creation with gender as a gift. Marriage, between one man and one woman, exemplifies God’s relationship with his people.
DOCTRINE OF SALVATION
We believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone.
We believe that, due to universal death through sin, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born again (John 3:5-8); that salvation is only by grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ; and that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ through faith are declared righteous by God and become children of God (Heb.10:19-25).
We believe the Scriptures teach that regeneration, or the new birth, is that act of God by which the Holy Spirit imparts a new nature and a new spiritual life, not before possessed. The person becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus (Gal. 2:20). The mind is given a holy disposition and a new desire to serve God, the dominion of sin is broken, and the heart is transformed from a love of sin and self to a love of holiness and God.
DOCTRINE OF WATER BAPTISM
We believe water baptism is the first of two ordinances of the church (the Lord’s Supper being the second).
Water baptism is only intended for those who have received the saving benefits of Christ through the new birth of the Holy Spirit. In obedience to Christ’s command and as a testimony to God, the Church, oneself, and the world, believers are baptized by water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Water baptism is a visual and symbolic demonstration of a person’s union with Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection. It signifies that a former way of life has been put to death and vividly depicts the release from the mastery of Satan, sin, and death.
The precedent in the New Testament is baptism following conversion by immersion into water. Baptism by immersion is meant to symbolically depict the believer’s real union to Christ in His death and resurrection (Rom. 6:1-14).
DOCTRINE OF RESURRECTION AND CONSUMMATION OF GOD’S KINGDOM
We believe that Jesus Christ will return to the world to judge the living and the dead.
The consummation of all things includes the future, physical, visible, personal, and glorious return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the glorification of those alive in Christ, the judgment of the just and the unjust, and the fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth. In the consummation, Satan, with his hosts and all those outside Christ, is finally separated from the benevolent presence of God, enduring eternal punishment (Rev. 20:7-15), but the righteous, in glorious bodies, will live and reign with Him forever, serving Him and giving Him unending praise and glory. Then the eager expectation of creation will be fulfilled, and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God, who makes all things new (Rev. 21:1-5).