Our Purpose

To praise and worship God and to make known our Lord Jesus Christ's glorious message:

• that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4).
• He appeared in person to many after He was raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:5-8)

Our Pattern

Bethel Chapel is a meeting place for Christians who gather to worship in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:20).

We follow the New Testament pattern of a local church:

• They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)

We are not affiliated with any denominational group, but are under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Word of God (the Bible) alone. (See Ephesians 1:22)

We observe in simplicity the two ordinances that our Lord Jesus Christ requested of His people:

1. Baptism by immersion for everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ

(See Matthew 28:19, Acts 8:36-38, Romans 6:3,4).

2. The Lord's Supper (the Breaking of Bread), where we, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, gather on the first day of the week, in response to His request "Do this in remembrance of Me" and "proclaim the Lord's death until He comes"

(See Luke 11:19-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Acts 20:7).

Our Principal Beliefs

The Bible is...

• the divinely inspired word of God
• the complete revelation of His will to people
• our infallible (without error) and all-sufficient guide for eternal salvation and living the Christian life the way He wants us to

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

[K]nowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation... (2 Peter 1:20-21)

God...

• is the only one living and true God.
• is the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of all things.
• exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All have the same nature, attributes, and perfection, yet each carry out distinct and harmonious roles in the work of creation and of redemption.

See Deuteronomy 6:4, 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, Matthew 28:19, Jude 25.

Jesus Christ...

• is God.
• in his humanity, was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived a perfect and sinless life

See John 1:1, Matthew 1:18-25, 1 John 3:5, Philippians 2:6.

How does the Bible explain the current human condition?

People are absolutely unable, by their own efforts, to save themselves from the eternal separation from God that results because of our sinful nature that we inherited as a result of the Fall (the first sin) in the Garden of Eden.

See Genesis 3, Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, Hebrews 9:27, Revelation 20:11-15.

Is there a remedy for this current condition?

Jesus Christ, by shedding His blood on the cross, was the perfect sacrifice and completely and eternally redeemed us (bought us back).

As a result of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, any person who believes in Him is both immediately and eternally saved from the penalty of sin, which is eternal separation from God.

See 1 Peter 1:18-19, John 3:16, John 10:28-30, Romans 5:8, Hebrews 9:26, 1 John 5:11-13.

All who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, are united to Him in one body, the church. Jesus who rose and ascended to Heaven is the Head of this body, the church.

See 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, Ephesians 1:22-23, Colossians 1:18.

Is Jesus really coming back?

The time is quickly approaching when Jesus' body, the church, will be raptured (taken up) to heaven when Jesus comes in the air. This is set to happen before the Great Tribulation and before the revelation of Jesus' glorious coming to earth to reign in righteousness.

See 1 Thessalonians 1:10 and 4:13-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10.