Statement of Faith
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers,
having itching ears..." (2 Timothy 4:3-KJV). "Jesus answered and said
unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God"
(Matthew 22:29-KJV).
Our Basic Beliefs
In a nutshell, the Bible says that "... Philip went down to the city of
Samaria, and preached Christ unto them" (Acts 8:5). Likewise, River City
Church is centered around the Person of Jesus Christ: To know Him in the Word,
and in the Spirit.
River City values both the Spirit and the Word. Scripture teaches, "Now
the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for
they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures
every day to see if what Paul said was true" (Acts 17:11.)
River City is a Bible-based church, and follow these core beliefs: (This list
is brief. Scroll down further for more specific detail.)
Bible: God's inspired and inerrant Word (2 Tim. 3:16);
One God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Mark 12:29);
Jesus Christ: God Incarnate (John 1:1-18), Born of a virgin, died on the cross,
rose from the dead and ascended on high;
Salvation: By faith in Jesus Christ, calling on his name (Eph. 2:8, Romans
10:13);
Repentance & Baptism: According to Mat. 28:19 and Acts 2:38;
Christ in you: Jesus dwells within each believer (Col. 1:17);
Baptism in the Holy Spirit: Accompanied by the speaking in tongues; The
operation of the gifts of the Spirit (Acts 2, 1 Cor. 12, 14);
Life after Death: Heaven or hell (Heb. 9:27);
Communion: The Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:26);
Healing: Laying on hands, etc. (Mark 16:18);
God's Provision: Prosperity and abundance (3 John 1:2);
Praise and Worship: In Spirit and truth (John 4:24);
Holiness: Power over sin (Heb. 12:14);
Marriage: One man and one woman (Gen. 2, Eph. 5);
Bible Prophecy: Much prophecy fulfilled in 70 A.D., Jesus still coming
literally and visibly (Matthew 24, 1 Thess. 4:16-17).
That's it in a nutshell! For those who like more detail, please read on...
Inspiration of the Bible:
We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16,) and
that holy men spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (2 Peter 1:21).
We believe the Bible is without error in it's original form, contains no
contradictions and is in harmony with science.
God:
We believe in one God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is also the
Creator, the Word (Logos), the Lamb, YHVH (Jehovah/Yahweh) and Lord, and
appeared in several Old Testament theophanies such as the Ancient of Days,
Pillar of Fire, the Angel of God, in the burning bush, the Glory, etc. (Genesis
1:1; John 1:1; 1 John 5:7; Daniel 7:22, Luke 1:35, John 1:29, Ex 3:2, 14, etc).
We believe God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit
and truth (John 4:24) and that the Lord is that Spirit and where the Spirit of
the Lord is, there is liberty (2 Cor. 3:17).
Jesus Christ:
We believe in the full deity of Jesus Christ (Col. 1:19,) that He is
before all things and by Him all things consist (Col. 1:17,) that He is Jehovah
God in the flesh (Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11, 12, etc,) that He is the
brightness of God's glory and the express image of His person (Hebrews 1:2, 3),
that all things were made by Him and without Him was not any thing made that
was made (John 1:3). We believe that He is God manifest in the flesh (John
1:1,14; 1 Tim. 3:16), that His humanity was conceived of the Holy Ghost
and that He is therefore the Son of God (Luke 1:37). He was born of a virgin
(Matthew 1:18-25), lived a sinless life (Romans 8:3, Heb. 4:15,) died for our
sins on the cross (Matthew 27,) descended into Hades (1 Peter 3:19) and rose
from the dead (Matthew 28). We believe that He ascended to heaven and is seated
on the right hand of God (Mark 16:19, Hebrews 1:3).
Christ in the Believer:
We believe that Christ indwells believers by the Holy Spirit (John 14:17-18,
Col. 1:27) and that we become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). We
believe in the supernatural gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-11) and
that these gifts are the manifestation of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:7).
Life after Death, Sin and Salvation:
We believe in life after death (2 Cor. 5:8, Luke 16:19-31,) in heaven and hell,
and that is is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment
(Hebrews 9:27). We believe all have sinned and come short of the glory of God
(Romans 3:23). That the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23). And that God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). We believe that
Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and that no man cometh unto the Father
but by Him (John 14:6) and that there is no salvation in any other: for there
is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts
4:12). We believe in the atonement and in the death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ (1 Cor 2:2; 15:17; 1 John 2:2, 4:10; Heb. 9:22), that as many as receive
Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God (John 1:12, 1 John
5:12-13). We believe that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved, and whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be
saved (Romans 10:9-13).
Water Baptism:
We believe in the baptism of believers by immersion, in the Name of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit, unto the remission of sins and in the Name of the
Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:38, 8:16, 10:48, 19:5). That
baptism in water signifies our identification with the death and resurrection
of Christ, and also our own death to sin and resurrection into new life in
Christ (Romans 6:3-6).
Baptism in the Holy Ghost
We believe in the baptism in the Holy Ghost (Matthew 3:11), and that this
experience is accompanied by spiritual power and tongues as the Spirit giveth
utterance (Acts 1:8, 2:4, 10:46, 19:6).
The Lord's Supper
We believe in the Lord's supper - communion, and that as often as we drink of
it we remember His death until the Lord comes (1 Cor. 11:26). That the
bread and wine is symbolic of His body and of His blood (Luke 22:17-20).
Healing:
We believe that miracles are for today, for Jesus Christ was a healer and that
He is the same yesterday, and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). We
believe that being a healer is an intrinsic characteristic of God, for I am the
Lord that healeth thee (Exodus 15:26). We believe that healing was
provided for in the atonement, for by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah
53:5). We believe that supernatural healing, along with other
supernatural workings of the Holy Spirit will continue until that which is
perfect (Gr. "the end") is come (1 Cor. 13:10), which is described in
1 Cor. 15:24.
Tithes, Offerings, Provision and Prosperity:
We believe in prosperity and in God's provision. We believe that the
believer's lifestyle should be free from covetousness (Hebrews 13:5) and that
no man can serve both God and Mammon (Matthew 6:22) for the love of money is
the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). We believe that Jesus came that we
may have life abundantly (John 10:10,) that the Lord has pleasure in the
prosperity of His servant (Psalm 35:27) and that it is God's wish for His
People that they prosper (3 John 1:2). We believe that God loveth a
cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7,) and that God opens the windows of heaven to
those who honor Him with their tithes, their substance and with the first fruit
of their increase (Malachi 3:10, Proverbs 3:9).
Praise and Worship
We believe that it is our joy to praise and worship God (Psalm 122:1). We
believe that it should be done in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24).
Holiness:
We believe in holiness, without which no man shall see God (Hebrews 12:14) and that
those who persist in sin will not inherit the Kingdom of God (Galatians 5:21, 1
Cor. 6:9-10).
Marriage:
We believe in marriage as a solemn covenant between one man and one woman, and
that marriage symbolizes Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5).
The Second Coming, Judgment and Eternity:
We believe in the Second Coming of Christ, that He will come in like manner as
He was seen ascending to heaven (Acts 1:11). We believe that He will come
back in literal, bodily form. We believe that the Lord Himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1
Thessalonians 4:16-17)
We believe that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that
every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath
done, whether it be good or bad (2 Cor. 5:10), of which Scripture teaches that
I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth
and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the
dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another
book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of
those things which were written in the books, according to their works
(Revelation 20:11-15).
We believe in a new heaven and a new earth in which our Lord Jesus Christ as
the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End will reign upon His throne,
where the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they
shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God
(Revelation 21:1-6) and that for eternity God will be all in all (1 Cor 15:28).
For more of Pastor Joel Hitchcock's teachings, go to
www.joelhitchcock.blogspot.com or www.joelhitchcock.com.
Joel Hitchcock Ministries, Inc.
PO Box 936, Georgetown DE 19947, USA
302-858-0887
River City Church -
"Spirit-filled, Bible-preaching and Family-friendly"