What We Believe...

Christ: We believe in the absolute and essential deity of Jesus Christ who, in becoming fully man, did not cease to be fully God (John 1:14; Rom. 9:5). He eternally existed with the Father and agreed to become a man, die on the cross, and rise in bodily form from the grave to provide propitiation for the sins of mankind and to satisfy the justice of His Holy Father (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

The Holy Spirit: We believe in the absolute deity of the Holy Spirit. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ in the world (John 14:26). We also believe that the Spirit of God gifts all followers of Christ with gifts to build up His Church (1 Cor.12)

Satan: We believe in theexistence of Satan, who was created by God and rebelled against Him. As a spirit being, he leads his demonic forces in continual attack upon the people and purposes of God (1 Pet. 5:8)

The Bible: We believe the Bible to be the complete word of God, that the sixty-six books, as originally written, comprising the Old and New Testaments were verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit of God and were entirely free from error (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

The Human Race: We believe that God created men and women in His own image. That He formed us in the womb and places great value upon us (Gen. 1:26-27; Ps. 139:13-14). As a result of Adam and Eve's rebellion the perfect relationship with God that we were created for was broken. The human race is now naturally sinful in every part and can only be redeemed by the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:10-24).

Salvation: We believe that salvation takes place when the soverign election of God and the obedient response of man come together. The Holy Spirit opens the heart of an individual with the word of God. They see their total helplessness before God apart from the work of Christ, and turn to God in repentance and faith (Rom. 3:21-26).

The Second Coming: We believe in the physical return of Christ for His church and His premillennial coming to establish His kingdom on earth. We believe that nobody knows the hour of the day of his return. We believe that after his reign on the earth for a thousand years He will judge the living and the dead (Rev. 20:11-15).

The Church: We believe that the true churchis composed of all who through faith in Christ become children of God. The true church is manifested in specific locations called local churches. The local church exists for the purpose of glorifying God through worship and the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Acts 2:42).

Baptism: We believe that baptism is an act of obedience to God symbolizing 1) a believer's faith in Jesus who was crucified, buried, and risen from the dead, 2) the believer's death to sin as his old life is buried and he is resurrected to walk in a new life through Christ, 3) a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection from the dead at the Second Coming. Baptist is carried out by immersion in water, and is a prerequisite to the privileges of membership at Rogers Park Community Church (Matt. 3:13-17; 28:19-20; Acts 2:41; Rom. 6:3-5; Col. 2:12).

Lord's Supper: We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Jesus as an act symbolizing 1) the death of Jesus, 2) the forgiveness of humankind's sin, and 3) serves as a memorial of Christ anticipating His Second Coming. The bread and the wine that are used in the Lord's Supper are nothing more than simply symbols of Jesus' body and blood. All believers are welcome to participate in the Lord's Supper. It is not exclusive to those who have been baptized or who are members of the church. We believe the Lord's Supper is an exciting witness of what God has done for the salvation of humankind (Matt. 26:26-30; 1 Cor. 10:16, 21; 11:23-29).