Personal Testimony

When I was born into the world in May 24, 1974, the world was experiencing significant turmoil.  Duke Ellington who invented ‘Big Band’ had passed away marking the end of a cultural era.  A new political era that began in the 60’s had grown into the 70’s resulting in societal uncertainty.  President Richard Nixon was experiencing the Watergate scandal who in a few months would resign from office leaving another man in charge of the Presidency.  India just a few days before this successfully tested its nuclear bomb becoming only the sixth nation in the world to have done so.  I was born into a time of political, cultural and societal changes that were sweeping the world.

My father who had joined the cultural changes that were sweeping America began to re-think his life.  At the age of thirty, my father gave his life to Jesus Christ after watching a Billy Graham crusade on television.  He was convicted of his sin and gave His life to Jesus Christ.  The night life world for him came to an end when he put his bass guitar in the closet to focus on serving the Lord. 

The love of God was calling my father to be a Kingdom Man who loved and cared for his family by creating a stable world that we could all enjoy and live in.  Every night before bed, my Dad would do the Dad thing and read me a Bible story.  Prior to going to sleep, we would pray together on the side of my bed before I was tucked away for the night.

At the age of six, my Dad was explaining the gospel to me in the basement of our home.  He said, “ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  While I was young, I really understood that my sin was responsible for Christ’s death on the cross.  The picture I remember is the sacrifice of Jesus who loved me and gave His own life to save mine. 

“Denny, would you like to pray with me right now and ask Jesus to come into your heart?”

At that moment in 1980 all the problems of the world were of no importance to me.  My world consisted of a very small house, a church, school and a few stores.  The only thing I could see was my Savior who loved me and gave Himself for me.   

“Dad, I want to ask Jesus to come into my heart.”

My father and I prayed next to each other on the couch in our little basement.  I can still see that old red carpet, the outdated brown paneling and a little cast iron stove.  The world was very small to me then; however, my understanding of the world was going to grow.

Doctrinal Statement

Scripture - I believe the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament Scripture alone to be verbally inspired by God and inerrant in the original text, and that they alone are of supreme and final authority in faith and life.

God - I believe in one God who is Creator of heaven and earth, who is infinite Spirit, light, love, and truth; eternal, almighty, infallible in all things, including His foreknowledge of all future events as well as all free choices; that He is unchangeable, all wise, just, and holy; and that the triune God eternally exists in one essence and three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Creation – I believe in the special creation of the entire space-time universe and of every basic form of life in the six historic days of the Genesis creation record. I also believe in the historicity of the biblical record, including the special creation of Adam and Eve as the literal progenitors of all people, the literal fall and resultant divine curse on the creation, the worldwide flood, and the origin of nations and diverse languages at the tower of Babel.

Jesus Christ    

A.            Incarnation – I believe in Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, the Eternal Word manifested in the flesh. We believe that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and that He is true God and true man, having two distinct natures co-joined in one Person.    

B.            Death - I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of every human being and thus offers salvation as a free gift based on grace alone.    

C.            Resurrection - I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ arose from the dead in the same physical body, though glorified, in which He had lived and died, and that His resurrection body is the pattern of that body that will be given to all believers at the return of Christ.    

D.            Ascension - I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven in the same glorified physical body in which He arose, was seated at His Father's right hand, assuring us of the perfection of His work of redemption, and that He now, as Head over all things to the Church, is engaged on behalf of the saved as their only Advocate.

E.            Return - I believe in the personal, imminent, and premillennial return of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones followed by His millennial reign on earth.

Mankind - I believe that man was originally created in the image and likeness of God, and that he fell through sin; and that as a consequence of his sin, he became dead in trespasses and sins, and that he became subject to the power of the devil. I also believe that this spiritual death, or total depravity of human nature, has been transmitted to the entire human race, the Man Christ Jesus alone being excepted; and hence that every child of Adam is born into the world with a nature that is totally corrupt.

Salvation - I believe that only those who receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior on the condition of faith alone, apart from all good works, are thereby born again of the Holy Spirit, are justified once and for all, and have become children of God.

The Holy Spirit - I believe that the Holy Spirit, being the Third Person of the Godhead, convicts men of sin, regenerates, indwells, baptizes, seals, and sets believers apart to a holy life; that He keeps and empowers believers day by day. I believe that He is the Teacher of the Word of God through which He guides us in our daily lives.

The Final State – I believe in the eternal security and everlasting blessedness of the saved, and the eternal conscious punishment of the lost.

Ordinances - I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ instituted only two ordinances: water baptism and the Lord's Supper, to be observed until He comes. I believe that water baptism is not necessary for salvation but that it is an outward symbol of salvation and a sign of our obedience to Him.

The Church - I believe that the universal Church of Jesus Christ is composed of those who have been redeemed and washed in His blood, regenerated and sealed by the Holy Spirit, and that they are saved to worship and to serve; that it is the responsibility and privilege of all who are saved to seek to win others to Christ, to the "uttermost part of the earth"; that they should seek to live a holy life, to separate themselves from and forsake all that might dishonor God, cast discredit on His cause, or weaken their testimony.

Satan - I believe that there is a personal devil, a being of great cunning and power, who is "the prince and the power of the air," "the prince of this world," and "the god of this age." I believe that he can exert vast power but only as far as God permits him to do so, that he shall ultimately be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone and shall be tormented day and night forever.

Philosophy of Ministry

Grace Vision

The body of Christ exists primarily to be His voice in the world by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The heart of the gospel is the life of Christ who lived, died and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.  Once a believer in Christ has received the grace of God, they then become part of the body of Christ who share and grow in their Christian walk in grace communities.

Grace Perspective

God has created us for relationship and community. We have an inborn need for God and for others which has been broken. Through faith in the Christ we are restored to relationship with God and man where these relationships grow progressively through community.  Christ rebuilds us for relationship and community by his Spirit as we trust him increasingly.

Grace Communities

A grace community is one that is focused on worship, connecting with God and with other believes building positive relationships.  As a result of our spiritual growth, a person comes to know the fruit of the Spirit being produced in their life.

A Christian expresses his faith in Christ through loving relationships in a variety of smaller communities. I would work to strengthen and equip believers to grow and be a part of communities that reach into the world with works of mercy, examples of hope and health, and confidence in the good news of the love of God for us in Christ.

Grace communities refer to any organized gathering that brings people together where they seek to develop communities reflecting all sorts of people and needs.

Grace communities believe pastors and staff are called to serve believers.  My desire is to equip people with a grace perspective and to provide practical help for supported and shared ministries.

Grace communities believe that we have a shared humanity so each community should be welcoming and should often include people from outside the community.

Grace communities are called to a deeper level of love and service where people will be drawn into relationships.  These relationships will be focused on teaching and supporting a grace perspective and grace practice by participating in discipleship and in connect groups.

The Spirit transforms the heart and mind and I believe that church leaders should provide discipleship courses that personalize and mentor people in their walk of faith.

Grace communities are committed small groups that exist for growth, service, shared interests, and life ministry outside of church with an increasing focus on service to others.

Music Style: 

While worship styles vary by culture, it is important that a church reflect a style that would be accepted by that community which encourages an attitude of worship for that community.  

Preaching Styles:

Evangelistic Teaching - teaching that finds common ground with the culture and attempts to make Christianity understandable by appealing to a person's life and knowledge of what is morally good.

Expository Teaching - teaching that seeks to explain the meaning of the Scripture as intended by the authors of Scripture.  Expository teaching examines the text using the historical-grammatical method of interpretation and seeks to find ways to apply the truths of Scripture.

Spiritual Gifts Analysis

Analysis: Churchgrowth.org Spiritual Gift Analysis Results taken on May 2012.

Scale: The test was down on a scale of 1-21 with 1 being the lowest score and 21 being the highest score. 

     Ranking:

1.     Administration - 21

2.     Teaching - 20

3.     Evangelism - 18

4.     Pastor/Shepherd - 17

Description

The gift of Administration means that a person has the Spirit-given capacity and desire to serve God by organizing, administering, promoting, and leading the various affairs.

The gift of Teaching means that a person is one who communicates knowledge, guides, makes known or relays facts.  They have a Spirit-given capacity and desire to serve God by making clear the truth of God’s Word with accuracy.

The gift of Evangelism, Pastor/Shepherd demonstrate that the person has a passion for the lost, a passion for people.  

Video Sample

Coming Soon!!!

Cultural Issues

Cultural Concern

While cultural values vary in every generation, the Bible argues that the culture of Grace is one of integrity that is grounded on certain eternal truths that are to be maintained in order to have an ethical ministry. 

A distinction is made in Scripture between a member and one who serves in leadership.  When a person becomes a member professing faith in Christ, there is a process involved that allows one to grow in a grace community so that shared values are developed over time in loving communities.

I believe that leadership is called to a higher Scriptural standard as Scripture addresses all matters as it relates to faith and practice in the Christian community.

Alcohol/Recreational Drug Usage

Since a person is to be controlled by the love of God found through the Holy Spirit, a leader in the church is not to be given to alcohol or to recreational drugs.

Homosexuality

Since a person is to be controlled by the love of God, a leader in the church cannot be engaged in the homosexual lifestyle.  Christians are not called to live according to the impulses of the flesh; rather, we are to live by the love of the Spirit.

Men’s Role

The men are to serve the church in love by creating an environment where all can grow and connect with each other.  I do believe that all leadership roles where authority is given over men are to be held by men.  I believe the offices of elder and deacon are meant to be filled by men who rule their homes with wisdom whose wives are filled with the Spirit and full of good works.

Women’s Role

I believe all the gifts in the church belong to both men and women.  The gifts are to be used for the edification of the body.  I believe that women can be pastors, teachers, evangelist, etc; however, they are not to have authority over men where men will be made to give an account for their activity or where they speak with authority over a man as in the main worship service.  

Marriage

I hold to the complementarian theological position which acknowledges that men and women have different roles in the family.  The husband is the head of the home and the wife’s primary role is to bring life to the home.   I believe that a man is called to love with a sacrificial love so that his wife feels loved and extremely valued.  I believe that a wife is called to respect her husband as the head of the family and to submit to her husband especially when the husband believes that a decision could have an adverse affect on the life, health and wellbeing of the home.

Spiritual Gifts

I believe that the Spirit gives us the supernatural gift of His love that empowers our gifts and abilities for His glory.  

Ministry Quotes

"Every person is precious in the sight of God. These souls that surround you need to be loved, noticed and blessed today."

"God uses your past to train you for the future so start expecting God to do great things in your future."


"Trouble is a stepping stone to the next stage. No obstacle can hold you back from God's plan for your life."

"Ezekiel 1. This is my conclusion. The four living creatures are angels who represent the people of God who are men, carry the authority of heaven (lion), do the work of God (ox) and who can see things from God's perspective (eagle). These are the ones who cry Holy, Holy, Holy and worship the Lord. The spirit of the four living beast is in the wheels because the Lord goes with these people wherever they go. Since they are intent on doing the will of God, they never turn from their focus on doing the will of God. Obstacles on earth that come into their path are merely jumped over. The Lord is the Lord no matter where his people are because he goes with them wherever they go. The reason the wings, which represent a heavenly purpose being accomplished on earth, are touching is because the people of God are unified in their purpose which is to do the will of God."

"The doctrine of soul sleep is hard to accept since it contradicts so much in Scripture. Jesus clearly said, "And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err."  If Jesus calls it a serious error, I do too!

My first rule is that the Bible was written for all mankind and not just a select few."

"You become born again when you place your faith in Jesus... Your spirit is then baptized into the body of Christ by means of the Holy Spirit."

"I think some don't want to be dominated by love because they want to stay in control... Heaven is all about God"

"I would encourage everyone to be happy with how you were made by God. A woman should be thankful to be a woman and a man should be thankful to be a man. When we look at the opposite sex and say, "I want my spouse to be just like me?" You really are blaming God for a bad design."

“I believe the richness of Genesis lies in the fact that God created, designed, ordered our world for us to enjoy. He made man on the 6th day which is the number of man and then rested on the 7^th to enjoy the creation which is also the number of perfection."

"Even if a person is cloned, they would still have a soul. The soul is the form of the body and what remains the same even while the physical body itself is constantly changing. Have you ever wondered why a person can maintain the same identity over 100 years?  Their bodies have replaced all the cells in it several times by that age...but they are still the same person.. Our identity is in the soul and spirit whose life is experienced and unified in a body. The fact that our souls don't change while the body changes is also what makes them immortal once they have come into existence."

"In the book of Amos, Israel was listed as the eighth nation because the number 8 is the number for new beginnings in the Scripture. The judgment was not the end of Israel; rather, it was to mark a new beginning for them...."

"There are many men who understand 1 Corinthians 13. Many though get offended when they are told to live a life of sacrifice for their wives... One guy told me, "When do I get what I want?"... Most people really don't understand Luke 6, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.""

"Most atheists now call themselves ‘agnostic atheists’.  I usually had a little fun with that because agnostic means that a person has no knowledge which is the same as saying that they need to get an education..."

"We assign responsibilities to roles in terms of their function. A husband has a role to play as much as a wife. These roles are defined in Scripture where a husband is the head and the wife is the helper. If a wife is attempting to be the head, then she is not fulfilling her role as a wife and trying to perform her husband's role in the relationship.  This leads to social confusion and conflict."

"Outside of marriage, a person also has a role to play as a Christian man or woman. I don't think we ever escape a role because to deny roles is really to deny responsibility and this is not Biblical. People that deny roles are proposing anarchy."

"Some of the most frustrated people I know are men who expect their wives to think like men. The same is the case when I meet a woman who expects her husband to think like a woman."

"The Bible makes marriage easy. If you just follow Scripture, if you are smart enough to do that, the Scriptures reveal how men and women are to treat one another."

“A person in a bad marriage is always using "what do I have to do" thinking.... that is non-Christian type thinking. A Christian says, "How can I serve my spouse so that they can be all that God has called them to be?" _--- very different way of thinking"

“When the Bible says that my wife needs to be loved, this means I take her feelings very seriously!!"

"The picture given in Scripture is that once you see the Holiness of God, you immediately recognize that you are a sinner - A simple formula."

“A good way to share Christ with a friend is just to invite them to church.  1 Cor. 14:24 says, "But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

"The evidence for the resurrection is also overwhelming which is another great place to start when talking with an unbeliever.”

"A man is supposed to love His wife as Christ loved the Church and gave his life for it.... A man has to be willing to give up his life, desires, and impulses etc to do what is best for his wife to ensure that she feels loved and knows she is valued. This is the call of God upon a man... We know we are valued by the Lord because He died for us... We have to be willing to do the same with our desires as husbands."

"The Christian view is that man is suppose to sacrifice for his wife and His wife sacrifices by respecting her husband. Each person is living a life of sacrifice and this bonds them together as one."

Romans 8, "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -- Christ does dominate us with his love so that our only desire is for Him.

"When you recognize each other roles, you do see each other as equals. I see my wife as an equal; however, I realize that she has a role to play and I have a role to play. We often times show love by helping each other out in helping the other to fulfill those roles. Since the roles are defined, my wife and I have very little conflict."

"In order to do what is best for my family, this involves their input and I have to know each one of them extremely well so that I can tailor their world for growth as a person. You see this most in terms of raising kids where you have to create a stable world for your kids to grow in... I work with my wife to create this world; however, the success or failure always falls on the man who is the head of the home."

“A person can't deny that man is the head while at the same time saying that he is only a servant. Christ is both the head and a servant because Christ has to fulfill His role as Lord of All and Servant of all at the same time."

"I honestly judge a man's wisdom by looking and talking with their wives. The inner beauty of a woman's spirit tells me if a man is really loving His wife as Christ loved the church."

"If a man is really the head, the wife should experience more freedom, have more influence, become more beautiful and be growing in her faith all while feeling totally secure. The effect of agape love is wonderful if a man is using Christ as His example..."

"For example, we all know that God exist...even the atheist. We talk about God either by affirming him or denying him; however, this does not affect the reality or truth that He exists. The problem for atheist is that their moral depravity will not allow them to see the truth for what it is...."

“When you disbelieve in God you don't really know anything. Knowledge is premised on the fact that God designed the world to be known and enjoyed. Without the designer, you really have no idea what you are looking at. That is the root problem with atheism.  Atheism is really is a form of agnosticism about everything.  Of course, an agnostic is one who claims to have no knowledge about ultimate reality."

“All heresies flow from the fact that a person denies that Christ is both fully God and fully man. All cults are defined on this basis."

“Incest was not wrong until the law was given so no one knew it was wrong until the law was given. The problem though for Darwinians is that incest is never wrong in their worldview since all of mankind is the result of incest.   Incest would still be allowed today since the atheist doesn’t recognize the God of the Bible who thousands of years ago stated it was wrong."

"In the New, the Spirit takes on the role of love driven action due to the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit."

"The role of the man is to create a world for his wife to operate in. As the head of my home I see this as my primary duty. Christ is the head who created this world for us to enjoy. Within that world we create, the wife fills that world with life just like we fill the world with life. My wife feels very, very free in this world that I have created for her and she makes tons of decisions all the time. In fact she makes most of the decisions and I agree with them. However, there are times when her decisions are a threat to the world I have created for her and advise that her decision could hurt her or the kids. In those moments, I do expect my wife to submit to my role in the family."

"A wise man works with and listens to his wife. This is an act of love. I agree with my wife almost all the time..."

"Praying is a form of worship.  We are not called to worship the saints. I don't pray to anyone on the earth and I don't pray to anyone in heaven besides Christ who is both God and man being the mediator between God and man."

"I think some find security in history even if the history has problems. We all want to align with salvation history. I just think that history is better aligned with Scripture than an institution."

"Don't you think that sacred tradition is really a code word for the Pope replacing the authority of Christ and His Spirit with His own?"

"I believe the Scriptures were brought together by the Holy Spirit."

"How can we be far removed from early Christianity when we are still using their gospels and letters?"

“I don't see anything like praying to Mary, penance, the rosary, confession, purgatory in the Scripture."

“The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit given to us in the New is why Jesus said, "The gates of Hell will not prevail against the church."

"Circumcision set the Jews apart physically; however, it also set them apart spiritually. As a result, circumcision of the heart was a spiritual thing. How was one to be circumcised in their heart, they had to believe the word of God. The word of God is what set them apart in my opinion which was the acceptance of the covenant."

"The epistles show that "circumcision of the heart" in the Old is the equivalent of "being born again" in the New.”

"The Scriptures says that 'nothing can separate from the love of God' which I take to mean sin too..."

"The book of life is called the book of life because only those names found in it at the judgement will be saved."

“God's love (agape) is at work in you to do what is good. Without this love, the apostle John says a person is not even a Christian.  A man has a choice to walk with God because his Spirit lives within us. Prior to faith, we didn't have the choice to do good or to love because we were spiritually dead."

"A Christian is one who has be born of God receiving his Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13). Our spirit is baptized into the body of Christ in this way. The way God lives within us is through the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19) and this Spirit has the ability to fill our soul so that our mind, heart, body and strength are being used for His glory (Eph 5:18). God’s work is to produce the fruit of the Spirit being love, joy and peace. The person who commissions the work is Christ (Matt 28)"

"I think the pre-tribulation position pans out because the church is expecting to be raptured unexpectantly.  If a Christian thought he would see the anti-Christ first, then we would be looking for the anti-Christ instead of Christ. I think we can see where the world is heading; however, I don't think it is possible to know and predict when the rapture will take place."

“The old covenant is active in Christ but is now obsolete.”

"My faith has to agree with the will of God in order for anything to happen so it is all grounded in the will of God.  My faith won't move a mountain because it is God's will that moves the mountain."

"The Spirit uses the knowledge we have for his glory in the same way that the Spirit uses our gifts for His glory. This is why we are to grow in knowledge and grace. The sermon on the mount is the word of God that enters our life that the Spirit uses for His glory. I think to argue the other way really leaves us blind as a church since God's word is what gives us knowledge of His will, His ways and His being."

"The list of spiritual gifts is not exhaustive here. The list is never the same in different contexts. Since all our gifts are now used by the Holy Spirit, they are spiritual gifts."

“I believe everyone is born into the New Covenant as Christ died for all; however, I also believe that one has to accept the covenant in order to be saved."

"Was Jesus unable to heal some because of their lack of faith?  It is not that Jesus couldn't do it; rather, he wouldn't do it. All things are subject to the will of God. If a person will not accept the will of God, then God does not force them to accept His grace; however, Jesus could have healed them on command since He was God"

“The Old Covenant is still active in the person of Christ which is why all Israel will be saved. Keep in mind that in the Old Covenant, faith in the Word of God was still the means of salvation. The Word of God became flesh in the New Covenant so the object of salvation is the same even if the content of faith changed in each dispensation."

"Do you think that sin has power over the destiny of a Christian? Or do you believe it was nailed to the cross?  I believe sin was nailed to the cross"

"The point of Christ death and resurrection was to defeat sin. As a result, I don't think sin has any power over a believer. Once you receive the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to spiritually die like Adam and Eve did in the garden again. Sin won in the garden resulting in spiritual death; however, I don't believe that sin can win now since Christ has rose from the dead.  Since the Spirit is in our life permanently once we are made alive in Christ, the evidence of a person's faith before men will be their works so that a person's faith is made perfect by the works but not a necessary requirement for salvation."

"Human pride wants to always be right. We have to be humble enough to listen and respond in love. This is always a great reminder. If we don't respond in love, it can hurt the faith of the person who we are talking with because non-love doesn't grow a person except for their pride."

"If God did not have three persons, then God would not be a social God who made us for relationship. You would have Allah who simply requires obedience rather than relationship."

“Trinitarian Doctrine: Three persons in one essence is the doctrine. The best example is to take a circle and divide into three parts and then make each part of the circle infinite. Since each part is infinite, you never would be able to distinguish a part; however, there are three persons in that original circle which are now infinite so that a person can no longer distinguish one from the other. If a person were to respond that each part could not take the others space, it is important to note that God is not a spatial creature. That is why the Trinity goes beyond our understanding because we live within the mind of God. Only a person outside of God could understand it; however, since God is infinite, there is nothing outside of God because God has no beginning or end.”

"If you don't believe that Christ was God and man then Jesus could not be the mediator between God and man..."

"Let's look at Romans 8:16 which says, "The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Please note that man has a spirit distinct from the Holy Spirit. Man's spirit comes to know the life of God through the Holy Spirit; however, man's spirit is still his own. Without the Holy Spirit, man cannot enjoy fellowship with God with his own spirit because we are spiritually dead being devoid of the life of God. This is why I believe in total depravity. The Bible is amazingly consistent on this issue."

"A holy life is a life filled with the fruit of the Spirit. Pure love being an aspect of the nature of God is Holy; however, it really is more than love because the idea of holiness means perfection which sets God apart from the creation.  God is perfect love, joy etc.  As believers in Christ we can only share in God's perfections through the presence of the Holy Spirit...."

"It really is crazy isn't it that whether we see Christ or not does not affect whether we accept or reject him. Our election is grounded in the sovereignty of God from eternity... It truly is an amazing thought. The voice that we hear is never seen but we follow that voice if we are his sheep."

"When a woman is dominated by love, she knows that her husband is doing what He believes is best for her and she melts in his arms through the discussion even if they don't agree."