Who We Are
A church should be about introducing people to God their Father, Jesus their Lord and the Holy Spirit their friend. A church should be all about introducing people to salvation, healing, the baptism of the Holy Spirit and their Kingdom assignment. A church should be a place where people learn who they are in Christ, how to walk in love and how to live by faith. A church should be a place where people come and every yoke in their life is broken, so they can reach out with their faith and receive what Jesus Christ provided them at calvary. These words were spoken by my friend, Evangelist Phillip Baker, in his book, The Build, and I believe every one of them to be true.
Proclaiming the Gospel, building the Kingdom and teaching Biblical values...
Senior Pastor, Terry Ballard
The Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and it speaks of a loving relationship between God and His creation, which gives us hope and salvation. It is the wisdom of God and is an act of His supreme mercy, love, and faithfulness. The Bible is comprised of sixty-six books, beginning with Genesis and ending with Revelation. The Holy Scriptures are fundamental to instructing every aspect of the Believer's life (2 Tim. 3:16 NASB). Every Christian belief upon which Calvary Community Church builds its faith is drawn from—and firmly embedded within—truths that can clearly be seen in the Word of God as revealed by the Holy Spirit (Heb. 4:12, Heb. 6:17, Acts 17:11 NASB). Everyone who receives Jesus as Lord and Savior has inherited all of the precious promises found in the Bible (2 Pet. 1:4 NASB).
The Church is not confined to any man-made building, but it is comprised of men and women who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior and are committed to living a Christian lifestyle that is governed by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. The Church is the Body of Christ and has many members from the beginning of time into the present day (Eph. 5:29-32 NASB). Finally, the Church is the Betrothed Bride of Christ awaiting the return of the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 11:2, Rev. 19:7-9 NASB).
Jesus is the Son of God who became the Atoning Sacrifice for the sins of all people (1 Jn. 2:2 NASB). God lovingly sent His only Son into the world to save those that would accept and believe in Him (Jn. 3:16 NASB). Through the earthly life and ministry of Jesus, disciples were chosen to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These disciples established the New Testament Church that has continued to thrive into the modern era, and through ongoing discipleship the Gospel is still being preached throughout the earth.
Everyone desperately needs the saving grace of Jesus Christ because the sin nature is inherent to all of humanity (Rom. 5:12 NASB). Jesus will always be mighty to save the sinner and willing to forgive all their sins (1 Jn. 1:9 NASB). Through the confession that Jesus is Lord and the belief that he was crucified and resurrected from the dead, anyone can be saved and have eternal life (Rom. 10:9 NASB).
We encourage every Believer at our church to pursue an intimate relationship with Jesus that is alive and active and not just the outward appearance of religion (2 Tim 3:5, Phil. 3:10 NASB). Jesus desires to interact with the Christian through the Holy Spirt, and only through the pursuit of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately can we realize the love of a Father that gives purpose to our lives (2 Peter 1:8, Jer. 29:11 NASB).
After the acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior, it is important for every Christian to be water baptized (Matt. 28:19- 20 NASB). Water baptism is an outward expression of an inward commitment, and it is a powerful public profession of a Believer's faith in Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 3:21 NASB).
We believe, receive, and welcome the presence and operation of the Holy Spirit in the life of every Believer as well as the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit at our church. The Holy Spirit is the promised gift from the Father to all of those who would receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Eph. 1:13 NASB). The Holy Spirit helps, comforts, counsels, convicts, and lives within every Believer in Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:16, 1 Cor. 6:19 NASB). The Indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit manifests outwardly in the life of the Believer through the Fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22- 23 NASB) and the Gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12 NASB). The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is necessary to the life of every Believer in Jesus Christ (Jn. 3:5 NASB); and we seek the manifested presence of the Holy Spirit at every gathering (Acts13:52 NASB).
The tithe is a return to God of a portion of the abundant blessings received from Him. In the Old Testament, the tithe was to be given with thanksgiving in celebration of the blessings that God bestowed upon His children. The principle of tithing is clearly seen in the Old Testament of the Bible as an act of worship, and this form of worship continues into the New Testament (Num. 18:20-21, Mal. 3:8-10, 1 Cor. 9:1- 14 NASB). In the Old Testament, tithing was obligatory to reveal God's nature of pouring out blessings on His people. As Christians, we too are privileged to possess a heartfelt obligation to give a portion of our income, the tithe, in thanksgiving of God's blessings (1 Cor 16:1-2). We tithe because we are blessed, and we are blessed because we tithe.
We believe that praise and worship leads us to Jesus and is essential to developing our relationship with a loving Heavenly Father. Effective praise and worship can only happen with the help of the Holy Spirit. Every Christian is invited to praise and worship the Creator of Heaven and Earth with singing, clapping, shouting, the lifting up of hands, etc. (Ps. 146-150 NASB). As Believers who are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are encouraged to worship God freely in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:23-24 NASB). We were created to praise, worship, and adore our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Ps. 95:6, Is. 43:21, Heb. 13:15, Rev. 15:4 NASB).
We believe in the prayer of agreement. The Word says that when even two Christians agree about anything in prayer, it shall be done (Matt. 18:19 NASB). Our prayer team is available during each service to pray with those desiring to come into the power of the prayer of agreement. The prayer team will anoint the sick with oil and through the prayer of faith they will be restored in Jesus' Name (Jas. 5:14-15 NASB).
As Believers and Followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all people (Mk. 16:15 NASB). Just as we have become Disciples of Jesus Christ, so are we called to disciple others who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior (Matt. 28:19 NASB). The ministry of Calvary Community Church focuses on leading people to Jesus and helping Christians grow in their faith through discipleship.
Lastly, we bless the nation of Israel because, "all families on earth have been blessed" through their undying commitment to God (Gen.12:3 NASB). We support the Nation of Israel and continually pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the salvation of our Jewish brothers and sisters around the world (Ps. 122:6, Rom. 15:27 NASB).