The Father's Love International Ministries

Doctrines:

There are doctrines we may consider non-essential, but which are important. We therefore make known our belief on these, while presenting them with tolerance toward those who may hold a different position. We are committed to truth and accuracy in doctrine, but also understand that one can hold right doctrines and still do damage to the body of Christ by causing divisions over the non-essentials. We are therefore just as committed to the essential Christian character, believing that "In all things there must be charity." As the apostle stated, "The goal of our instruction is love, from a pure heart and a sincere faith" (I Timothy 1:5). That, too, is our goal and commitment as we promote the following teachings that we hold as truth:

On the Person of Jesus

Jesus Christ is the Word (Logos) of God. The Word was with God in the beginning, which states His pre-existence as one with God. "By Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth" (Colossians 1:16), therefore making Jesus the Creator. Jesus Christ is the Purpose of God found in all of creation. He is the Father's delight and desire, and the Father is looking for the reflection of His Son in all created things. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. In the beginning, it was the ultimate purpose of God for all things to be summed up in Christ (Ephesians 1:10).

Jesus Christ, Who pre-existed with God in the form of God, emptied Himself to become fully a man that He might be the propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Through His propitiatory sacrifice made on the cross, all who believe in Him and His sacrifice have their sins remitted and are restored to the fellowship with God lost by man's transgression.

Jesus was born of a virgin, by the seed of the Holy Spirit. His virgin birth is a testimony that only the Spirit can beget that which is Spirit. Those of the new creation are not solely of human origin, but are born from above by the Holy Spirit. The resurrection of Jesus' physical body after His crucifixion was literal, as will be the resurrection of both the just and the unjust on the Day of Judgment.

"There is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (I Timothy 2:5). All who seek restoration and fellowship with God must go through Jesus and cannot approach God through any person, spirit or doctrine. It is also a supreme presumption for any person or institution to seek to be mediator for others in place of Christ Jesus Himself.

The apostolic commission was for His followers to labor until Christ was formed in His church, to present every person complete in Christ, and to manifest the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. When Jesus is lifted up, He will draw all people to Himself. We consider it the primary purpose of the church to esteem and exalt Jesus in every way. It is the focus and devotion of Rivermistlighthouse Home Church to know and preach Him, and not ourselves. We pray for the grace to continually respond to His call to return to our first Love, that we might passionately devote ourselves to pleasing Him in all things while preparing for His return.

On Man

We believe that man was created by God from the dust of the earth, without sin or the knowledge of good and evil. The first man, Adam, transgressed the command of God, and as God had warned, the process of death entered him and all of his descendants because of that transgression. Therefore, all have sinned and are worthy of the sentence of death. Because of our unrighteousness, we are unable to approach a holy God, except through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. Through Jesus, we not only can come before the Throne of Grace, but we may approach it boldly since our confidence is not in ourselves, but in the Lord Jesus.

On the Atonement

Because all have sinned and are therefore under the sentence of death, all must trust in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus for the remission of sins. There is no other way to reconcile with God or escape from eternal judgment, except through the propitiatory sacrifice of Jesus.

Those who trust in Jesus Christ have access to the Throne of Grace by His sacrifice and by His sacrifice alone. Good works are acceptable to God only as a love offering given to Him because of His worthiness, and have no bearing on our acceptance, standing or approval, all of which were accomplished by the cross. Good works offered for the purpose of acceptance, standing or approval are therefore an affront to the cross by which all of these things were gained for us by Jesus. Good works are not offered for His approval, but for His joy and glory, and must be offered through the Son (I Peter 2:5) in obedience to Him. Therefore, the goal of our service is obedience and not sacrifice.

On the New Birth

Believing in our hearts that Jesus is the Son of God and in His propitiation made for our salvation results in a regeneration and renewal that constitutes our new birth into new creations. Although this does not imply immediate perfection in our temporal life or lifestyle, it does mean that true faith will result in a radical change in us. Being "born again" implies a new beginning, not an ending. Christian maturity in faith, truth and life is a process. Even so, this process must begin with spiritual regeneration or new birth. While it is possible to change our behavior without regeneration, changing our hearts requires the new birth, and it is our hearts upon which God looks.

On the Purpose of Faith

True faith is of the heart and not just the mind (Romans 10:10). God's purpose in requiring faith for salvation is to raise our focus and concentration above the temporal to the One who is eternal. Therefore, the gospel that is able to save souls must be preached in the power of the Spirit of God. The gospel is not dependent upon human eloquence or persuasion that may change minds, but cannot change hearts. Only the Spirit of God can reveal the Son of God, and only the Son of God can reveal the Father.

On the Authority of Scripture

We believe in the Divine inspiration and authority of the 66 books of the Holy Bible as the complete canon of God's testimony to mankind. We are committed to esteeming Scripture as the very Word of God, inerrant in its original form. We do not accept any doctrine which contradicts Scripture.

We understand that there are many practices and doctrines that are considered orthodox which do not contradict the Scripture, but which are not directly addressed in His Word. We are committed to giving liberty in the belief and practice of these teachings, but we will endeavor to maintain the simplicity of the biblical testimony and its stated practices as we are given grace to perceive them. We do not accept any spiritual experience as having its source in the Holy Sprit that does not have a precedent in Scripture. We do not accept any revelation, vision, dream, prophecy or discernment as truth which contradicts Scripture, or cannot be verified by it. We do not believe that any other writings have the same authority as the canon of Scripture.

On the Lord's Supper

We acknowledge the ordinance of the Lord's Supper in remembrance of Jesus and as a testimony of our communion (common-union) with Him in His body, the church. We consider it a holy ordinance, but we do not accept the teaching that communion is for the purpose of remitting sins, which Scripture testifies is based solely in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross (Hebrews 9:25-28). The taking of bread and wine (or juice) is symbolic of Jesus' body and blood given for the remission of sin. His actual body and blood shed at Calvary is what atoned our sins. The Lord's Supper is taken to remember Jesus and His sacrifice. (Matthew 26:26-28; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28)

On Water Baptism

We believe that water baptism should be by immersion and accomplished immediately after commitment to the Lordship of Jesus and His atoning sacrifice for our sin. This ordinance is a personal and public statement of faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ on our behalf, and is a commitment to lay down our lives to be one with Him in His death, burial and resurrection.

On the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

We believe that the "baptism in the Holy Spirit" is an additional impartation which may be subsequent to regeneration (see Acts 8:15-17 and 19:1-6). This baptism is usually accompanied by the gifts of the Spirit, such as speaking in tongues, prophecy, etc.

We believe that this gift is immediately available to all who believe (Acts 2:38-39), but is not essential for salvation or regeneration. While these are accomplished by the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-7), there were disciples who did not even know that there was a Holy Spirit. Just as Paul made it a priority to instruct those believers and pray for them to receive this gift, we are committed to doing the same.

The purpose of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is to impart spiritual power to the believer to be a witness (Acts 1:8, 5:32). This baptism is to be distinguished from being filled with the Spirit (Acts 4:31, 7:55, 13:9,52), which can be a special and repeated empowering for specific purposes.

We believe that when Christians truly have been baptized with the Holy Spirit, they should begin to take on His nature and fruit, becoming "helpers" "givers" and "comforters", leading others into truth, and testifying of Jesus.

On the Present Ministry of the Holy Spirit

We believe that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) and that His ministry in and through the church by the Holy Spirit has not changed from the beginning. We accept, acknowledge, encourage and seek all of the biblical gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit as present and vital for the church to accomplish her full purpose today.

On the Second Coming of Christ

We believe in the literal, physical return of the Lord Jesus Christ to take authority and rule on earth. We believe that those who are alive and remain at the return of our Lord will be changed and caught up to be with Him in the air. Those who have died in the faith will be resurrected and precede those who are alive in being changed and caught up to be with Him. We know many are suffering great tribulation now and believe it is an insult to the saints who have died and are suffering to preach that "God will take us out before it gets bad." We adhere to what Jesus taught in Matthew 24 and the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 2.

We believe in the literal, physical resurrection of both the just and the unjust for the Day of Judgment. For those of us who have been justified by faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on our behalf, this resurrection is for eternal life in fellowship with God. Those who are not justified by faith in Jesus are resurrected for an eternal judgment.

The Testimony of my surrender to Jesus:

It was February 12, 1997, and from every angle my life looked fine; however, I was miserable. I had been trying to "be a good person" and live my life in a way that would please my fellow man, but my good community works did not fill the void in my soul. The more I looked to the world for solace, the more lost I became.

My sorrow began when I was ten and my father suddenly passed away. Then nine years later my mother succumbed to cancer. I blamed God for my terrible losses because I felt He could have stopped them in the first place. Confusion had set in when my dad died but as I watched my mother's life ebb away, my anger burned hot against God. No one taught me what Jesus said about such things:

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (John 10:10)

Because I did not know this I held onto the lie that God had killed my parents. I heard God was kind and loving, but I saw Him as a big bully just looking for someone to pick on - like the Greek god, Zeus, who threw lightning bolts at people - and I was a target! Why would I go to God for help or comfort? In my anger I gave my affection to the world. Many years were spent subconsciously trying to escape the pain as I partied away the days hiding my heartache - mostly from myself. Then in 1982, I had a profound revelation of the personage of Jesus, and accepted Him as my Savior. He delivered me from the addictions that dulled my senses and He gave me the ability to walk in the light of His love.

Three years later, because of a spiritually shattering divorce, I slipped away from Jesus and fell back into a milder version of the lifestyle from which the Lord had freed me. The Holy Spirit was convicting me of sin and persistently worked to draw me to the Father, but because I ignored Him I suffered continual guilt, shame, depression and condemnation. When God delivers us from sin and we turn back to it, the penalty is far greater than we can imagine. It is not God's doing. Sin is its own punishment.

On the morning of February 12, 1997, I was nursing a hangover and happened to notice on the calendar that it was the first day of Lent. Lent is known throughout the Christian world as a time of reflection and often personal sacrifice prior to the commemoration of Jesus' death and subsequent celebration of His victorious resurrection. When I was a child I remembered adults giving up things for Lent - only to see them renege on their commitment a few days later. Consequently, I never saw the importance of participating myself.

However, something went off inside me! There was something very different about this Lent - it was the opportunity I needed to declare my heart's intentions to the Lord. I wanted to change, but honestly, I did not know how to initiate it. Deep down I knew that God was the only One who could help me. He had done it in 1982 and I could only hope He would be merciful to me again. The Lord had been drawing me to Himself and I could ignore Him no longer.

Wanting a new beginning I looked up to heaven and said, "God, I am going to give up alcohol for Lent." In that moment I knew this was a serious vow to God. When I said this to the Lord, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said, "And you will fast the last three days." This startled me! It was as if someone had been standing right next to me and spoke into my ear! I knew it was the Lord because it would never occur to me to do such a thing! I had never fasted a meal let alone three whole days! In my disbelief I let out an fearful retort, "We'll see about that!" God's love surrounded me and calmed my fears. It was amazing. His love amazed and still amazes me!

Ten days into my vow my resolve weakened. Unsure I could make it the full length of Lent, I called a friend for moral support. This Christian woman had recently befriended me, and though I did feel a sense of conviction around her, she never once used any condemning words or actions towards me. She knew how close to extinction my faith had wandered over the years. She asked me point blank, "Judy, do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?" In the face of this direct question I could deny Him no longer, "Yes." I answered. She asked if I had accepted Jesus as my Savior. "Yes." Well then," she continued, "Do you believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God?" Again I gave an affirmative, "Yes." She asked if I had a Bible. I told her I did, but gave her the excuse that all my books were still packed away somewhere in my garage. She said, "Well ~ you better go find it." With that she hung up! I knew she was right, so I went out to the garage and found it at the top of the first box I opened!!! I had to laugh because those boxes had been shuffled around and moved numerous times. God can be so funny at times.

Taking my Bible inside I asked, "What do I need, Lord?" The word, "Healed" came to mind. I looked in the concordance and one Scripture stood out to me in Psalm 107. As I read it I was amazed. I was reading my testimony!

Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. So He subjected them to bitter labor [worry]; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men, for He breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and He saved this from their distress. He sent forth His word and healed them; He rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of His works with songs of joy. Psalm 107:10-16; 19-22 (Emphasis mine)

I understood in that moment that Jesus was there to set me free. He was not there to condemn me. The Holy Spirit opened up the eyes of my understanding and I understood exactly how I had gotten trapped and exactly what I needed to do to be set free. I cried to the Lord! A great turning took place in my heart at that moment. I repented of sinning against God Almighty and being disobedient to His Word. A great freedom and peace flooded my soul! About a week later I wrote a song to testify to God's mercy in my life. It can be found at:

http://www.thefathersloveim.org/i_cried_to_the_lord

The last three days I did fast. This was a powerful time for me and at the end of that fast I enjoyed a sense of love and belonging like I had never known. I knew I had been adopted by God! I was now a child of the King of kings! I also knew that I need not ever be chained by addictions. God made His love known and if He did it for me, He will do it for you! Experiencing the Father's love is what so many people in the world are missing; it is the revelation of this love that He has given me to share.

Jesus met me in my kitchen that day and swooped down and rescued me. Perhaps the Lord is speaking to you right now about an addiction you have been fighting. It is time for freedom!!! The Lord awaits you to turn to Him in your trouble so He can save you from your distress. He will cut through your iron bars! As we enter into the Lenten season, I believe the power of God is available for you to be set free from the things that have kept you bound. His is willing to meet your right where you are. Jesus died to deliver us from the evil one! He loves you and there is nothing you have done that His perfect love cannot cover. There is no amount of sin that exceeds the power of the Father's love!

It is important to note that Jesus is approachable anytime - not just at certain times or seasons, so if you are reading this at a time other than Lent, please do not let that stop you from coming to Him right now. We can come to Jesus anytime. He stands watching and waiting for us to turn our eyes upward so that He can deliver us from destruction. He died so that we could be free. He stands at the door of our heart and waits for us to open it to Him. If you have not already done it, I encourage you to open it to Him. Then watch as the adventure with Him unfolds before you!

In the Father's abiding love,

Rev. Judy Bauman

Statement of Faith

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God and is inspired by God's Spirit. It is sufficient to guide us in our daily walk.

We believe that God is eternal, three persons in One: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We believe that God the Father is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Jesus came to show us the Father. We believe the Holy Spirit reveals God to us and teaches, guides and comforts us.

We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless and perfect life, His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, His bodily resurrection, and His present dominion at the right hand of God the Father.

We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, whose indwelling enables the Christian to lead a godly life, and whose baptism provides power for service. We believe this baptism to be immediately available upon conversion to Christ Jesus.

We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

We believe that the only way eternal life is received is by faith alone in Jesus Christ.

We believe the local church is the primary God-established base of worship, nurture, fellowship, and evangelism. We do not believe that God limits Himself to a building but Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone and He is fitting us together as a living temple for God to inhabit. Together we make the Church and God is changing how that looks.

We believe in the resurrection from the dead of both the saved and the lost: they that are saved unto resurrection of life, and those that have not known God unto the resurrection of judgment.

We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus.

We believe in the table of the Lord, the Lord's Supper, commonly called Holy Communion, for believers. We believe it is symbolic of the body and blood of Jesus poured out for our sins and taken to remember His sacrifice.

We believe in water baptism for believers. Our preferred method is by immersion.

We believe in the personal return of Christ in power to receive His church unto Himself. We believe no man knows when He will return and believe Jesus when He said in Matthew 24:36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone."

We believe that praise and worship is to honor and bless God and not entertain man. We believe that we can go "boldly to the Throne of Grace and receive mercy in our time of need" but we also know that to take the time to truly worship the Father blesses Him. We know the Father seeks those who worship Him in spirit and in truth.

We believe that prayer is the touchstone of our power. It is our communication with God but it is also how He communicates with us. Prayer is not a one-way communication. We believe we must take time to listen as His sheep hear His voice and another they will not follow.

We believe that God's Word clearly indicates that sexual immorality; debauchery, gossip, hatred, rage, discord, pride, idolatry, selfish ambition, drunkenness, murder and the like are sin and will separate us from God. Those practicing sin will not inherit the kingdom of God. However, those committing such sins are able to be restored to God through repentance (turning away from sin and showing the fruit of repentance) and belief on the Lord Christ Jesus