Mustard Seed Church                                                                                                                5119 Dogwood Drive Mount Jackson, VA 22842

                                                                     Founding Documents

    Constitution:

                  (Abbreviated)

    Churches are governed by their individual Constitution.  Although MSC is quite small and is a young Church, as time passes people need to know the position which their Church holds dear about biblical Christian Church values.  Until MSC becomes a larger organization, we believe the following will serve us well. 

 

    The Church Name:  The name of this Church shall be Mustard Seed Church.  At times referred to as MSC.

 

    God's Purpose for a Christian Church:  The purpose of this Church shall be to preach the Gospel of The Lord Jesus Christ in efforts to reach the heart of unrepentant people.

 

    Pastor:  He shall be a natural man, born a male and from a natural woman.  He shall be, as the Apostle Paul states, "the husband of one wife" (meaning not a Polygamist) and may be a widower.  He shall be a firm believer in, and a preacher of the fundamental truths of the Holy Bible. 1 Timothy 2:12, 3:1-7 

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    Financial Policies:  MSC shall not ever receive any monetary gain by any method outside of the tithes or other Christian people's special circumstance giving and to not knowingly receive money no matter how little or how generous otherwise. Luke 19:45-47

 

    Practices:  Luke 6:1. We believe in Cheerful Worship of the Lord Jesus Christ, to strive to help attendees understand that God's word never changes and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.  Deuteronomy 6:7, 11:19

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    ​Dissolution:  In the event that MSC cannot maintain a membership large enough to sustain itself it shall be sold and all proceeds divided equally between St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and BBN Radio and be in accordance with IRS code 1954 section 501c-3 and any subsequent amendments.      

    Statement of Faith:                                                                                                  

                (Abbreviated)

    Churches have a set of biblical standards which represent the Church.  Although MSC is quite small and is a young Church, as times passes people need to know the position which their Church body holds dear about Christian Church values.  Until MSC becomes a larger Church, we believe the following will serve us well.

 

The Scriptures, The Bible, God's Inerrant Word:

    We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the Bible. 2 Timothy 1:13. We believe in verbal, entire inspiration in the original writing, and God’s preservation of His pure words to every generation.  Psalm 12:6. We believe the Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed.  2 Peter 1. The Bible is our sole and final authority for faith and practice.  Revelation 22:18

 

The Godhead:

    We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Matthew 28:19, etc.  We believe God created all heavens and Earth in six literal 24 hour days and having the heavens and Earth possessing what mankind would come to call "age". Genesis 1:1-27. We believe The Lord God also made the man of the dust of the ground, with age, and breathed into his face the breath of life, and that then, the man became a living soul. Gen. 2:7.

 

The Person and Work of Christ:

    We believe that The Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary in order that He reveal God and redeem sinful mankind.  John 1:1-2, 14; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6, 7:14; Philippians 2:5-8; Galatians 4:4-5.  We believe that The Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His finished work on the cross as a representative, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead.  Romans 3:24-25; 1 Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5.  We believe Jesus' personal sacrifice of Himself buried the Old Testament period sacrifices for sin.  We believe The Lord Jesus Christ was raised bodily and that He ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of the Heavenly Father, where, as our one and only High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor and Advocate.  Act 1:9-10; Hebrews 9:24, 7:25; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2.  

 

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit:

    We believe the Holy Spirit is the power which convinces people of waywardness and of sin in their minds and life.  He is the supernatural agent in one’s regeneration, is alive in the truly regenerant people and sealing them with Jesus until the day of judgement and into all eternity.  John 16:8-11; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13-14.  We believe the gifts of the Holy Spirit such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing were temporary to that age, though God does frequently choose to answer believer’s prayers for the healing of the sick.  1 Corinthians 14:21-27; James 5:14-16 

 

Satan:

   We believe in the reality of the person of Satan and that through people he and the fallen angels wage spiritual warfare against the plan and purposes of God.  Acts 5:3. We believe Satan to be a created angelic being who rebelled and who tempts man to join him in rebellion against the Heavenly Father.  Genesis 3:1-5.  We believe his power is supernatural yet limited and that he cannot act without the permission of the Heavenly Father.  1 John 4:4. Satan and all of those he possesses eternal end is everlasting punishment and suffering in the lake of fire.  Revelation 20:10.

 

Man:

    We believe that man was created with what mankind would come to call "age", in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin, the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and therefore, Mankind is totally depraved and of itself is utterly unable to remedy a lost condition but that every person has dignity and is worthy of Christian love and respect.  Those redeemed of mankind through their biblical repentance to the Lord are to have love for the sinner but is to have no love for the sin of those same lost, unredeemed and or hypocritical unredeemed and phony "Christian" people.  Matthew 7:22-23; Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; Colossians 3:9-11.  

 

The Way of Salvation:

    We believe that the clear message of salvation is repentance toward God and faith toward Jesus Christ.  Acts 20:21. We believe salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  We believe that Jesus died on the cross for all of mankind and that individuals chooses either to accept or reject the grace of God. Ephesians 2:8-10, John 1:12, 1Peter 1:18-19.

 

The Church:

    We believe that the New Testament Church is a local assembly of believers who have voluntarily joined themselves together to carry out the Great Commission and that God is doing His work through churches. The establishment and continuance of churches is clearly taught and defined in the Bible. Acts 14:27, 20:17, 28-32; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11.  We believe in the autonomy of the local Church, free from any external authority or control.  We believe Christ to be the Head of The Church, not any person(s) or group of people.  Acts 13:1-4, 15:19-31, 20:28; Romans 16:1,4; 1 Corinthians 3:9, 16, 5:4-7, 13; 1 Peter 5:1-4. We recognize the ordinances of baptism and The Lord’s Supper as a scriptural means of testimony for local churches. Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42, 18:18; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

 

Biblical Separation:

    We believe that all the saved should live in a manner so as not to bring shame upon The Lord Jesus Christ and that separation from all religious apostacy, all worldly sinful pleasures, practice and associations is commanded of God. 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 12:1-2, 14:13; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; 2 Corinthians 6:14, 7:1.

 

The Return of Christ: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

    We believe the “Blessed Hope” of our Lord’s return is literal, personal, visible, imminent, premillennial and pretribulation. Psalm 89:3-4, Zechariah 14:4-11, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-18, Titus 2:13; Revelation 3:10, 19:11-16, 20:1-6.

 

Eternal State:  Revelation Chapters 21 and 22

    We believe in the bodily resurrection of all people, the saved to eternal life, the unsaved to judgement and everlasting punishment. Matthew 25:46, John 5:28-29, 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13.

    We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with The Lord, where, in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul and body are reunited to be glorified and forever be with The Lord. Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23, 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

    We believe the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when, with the soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgement and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment for their purposeful rejection of the grace of The Lord.  Revelation 20