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What we believe
Jump to a section using these links: History -
The
Balance - Doctrine -
What we do not believe -
Worship - Statement of
Faith - Conclusion
What we believe: History
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Deal Christian Fellowship began
in 1992 as a small non-denominational church of 12 members meeting
in homes. Now in 2011, DCF at Sutherland Road, Deal, consists of
some 70+ souls. The DCF web-site reaches out to Christians and
churches across the world and there are connections with other
churches both locally and in other countries. Bible study notes and
recordings already complement this work on the web, with more to
follow, and are readily available to all who want to read and
listen.
Many Christians have asked exactly what DCF believes, what are its
distinctives, what sets it apart from other Christian groups. At
DCF, we have always been hesitant to try and answer those questions,
not because we are unsure of our beliefs, but because we are
cautious to avoid division within the Body of Christ. After all,
what really matters is what we have in common as Christians: the
"essential" doctrines of the infallibility of God's Word, the virgin
birth of Christ, His sinless life, death for our sins, bodily
resurrection, ascension to glory, and personal return to rule the
earth. These are the essence of Christianity, and agreed upon by
virtually all born again believers.
When we move away from the essential doctrines to those that are
less essential we risk setting barriers up in the church, something
we at Deal Christian Fellowship have no desire to do. Still, DCF is
distinct from denominational churches and other Protestant groups
and people want to know what those distinctions are. That is the
purpose of this publication.
It is not our purpose to cause division or discord in the Body of
Christ, conversely, we long for unity among God's people of all
persuasions, and we allow for a great deal of flexibility within our
own ranks. There are however some distinctives that make DCF fairly
unique and which define our mission.
What we believe: The
Balance
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In a broad general sense, DCF is
the middle ground between fundamentalism and Pentecostalism in
modern Protestant theology. In fact, we believe that this is at
least part of the reason why God has raised up this ministry.
Fundamentalism is that portion of Protestantism that holds to the
literal interpretation of the Scriptures, believing that they are
divinely inspired and inerrant. Hence, the "fundamentals" of the
faith are emphasized. Although the modern news media and the liberal
church scorn fundamentalists as backwards and stupid, the truth is
that fundamentalism has preserved the integrity of God's Word and
held on to the essential doctrines of the orthodox faith.
Pentecostalism as a modern movement grew out of the Azusa Street
revival in Los Angeles at the turn of the 20th century, and produced
denominations that emphasize the fullness of the Holy Spirit and the
exercise of spiritual and Scriptural gifts of the Spirit that had
fallen dormant in the main line churches. Also criticized by the
liberal church and news media as being emotionally driven,
Pentecostalism restored to the church the importance of gifts of the
Spirit and the power of God for the believer today.
Over the years, however, fundamentalism, while it clung to the
integrity of God's Word, tended to become rigid, legalistic, and
unaccepting of spiritual gifts. Similarly, Pentecostalism became
enthusiastic and emotional often at the expense of the teaching of
God's Word.
DCF sits in the balance between the two. At DCF we believe in the
gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the Bible, and we encourage
their exercise, but always decently and in order, and with the
primary emphasis on the Word of God, which we look to as our primary
rule of faith.
We believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the
Scriptures, and that they are valid for today if they are exercised
within the Scriptural guidelines. We as believers are to covet the
best gifts, seeking to exercise them in love that the whole Body of
Christ might be edified. We believe that love is more important than
the most spectacular gifts, and without this love all exercise of
spiritual gifts is worthless.
Because of this balance, DCF services are designed to be centered
around the verse by verse teaching of God's Word, We appreciate that
many Pentecostals may think DCF is not emotional enough, and many
fundamentalists may think DCF is too emotional. That balance, could
well be an indication that we are right where God wants us to be.
DCF also differs from most mainline churches in its style of church
government. Most denominational churches maintain either a
congregational form of church government, a Presbyterian form, or an
Episcopal form of running their churches. These three terms should
not be confused with the denominations that bear the same names
because other churches of different names share the same styles of
government.
The congregational form of church government is an invention that
appeals to our sense of democracy. Basically, the congregation as a
whole makes all decisions in these churches by voting on matters of
importance and appointing committees from its ranks to run the daily
operation of the church. Most Congregational, Baptist, Pentecostal,
Brethren, and non-denominational churches are organized in this
fashion. The congregation votes on hiring a pastor, votes on how to
spend the money, and on anything else of importance. Although
democratic people like the idea, congregational forms of church
government often wind up at best causing the pastor to be directed
by the sheep he is supposed to lead, and at worst reducing the
pastor to a hireling.
The Episcopal form of church government, used by Episcopalian,
Anglican, Catholic, Orthodox, and Methodist churches (to name a few)
is controlled by a church hierarchy which may have differing names.
Basically, there is a bishop, or someone of similar stature if
called by a different name, who oversees the churches, appoints
pastors to pulpits, sets policy, and guides the vision of the local
congregations. Unfortunately, this style of government, which grew
out of European monarchies, leaves little freedom for the local
pastor or congregation to follow the leading of the Spirit.
The Presbyterian form of church government, which is typical in
Presbyterian and Reformed churches, puts the decisions of church
policy in the hands of a select group of elders (the "presbytery")
who are appointed in various different ways, depending on the
church. These elders are over the pastor, who in turn is over the
congregation. The problem here too is that this system puts the
God-appointed leader, the pastor, under some of those he is supposed
to lead.
Deal Christian Fellowship is organized differently. Church
government at DCF is very simple, not a complex bureaucracy,
committees and sub-committees are essentially non-existent.
Basically, at DCF we believe that the pastor is responsible for the
church, responsible to hear from God, and responsible to feed and
love His people faithfully.
Elders are appointed to help the pastor care for the spiritual needs
of the congregation, as are trustees to help the pastor care for the
material needs of the church.
At DCF, church organization is de-emphasized, and only the
organization that is needed to run the church is instituted. The
pastor guides the church as he is led by the Holy Spirit, and we
trust God to put the pastor where He wants him to be.
What we believe: Doctrine
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At DCF we believe in all the
fundamental doctrines of the evangelical Protestant church. For
example, we believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, that the Bible,
Old and New Testaments, is the inspired, infallible Word of God.
We believe that God is eternally existent in three separate persons:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that God is the personal,
transcendent, and sovereign creator of all things.
We believe that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, that He
was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, provided for the
atonement of our sins by His vicarious death on the Cross, was
bodily resurrected by the power of the Holy Spirit, ascended back to
the right hand of God the Father, and ever lives to make
intercession for us.
After He ascended to Heaven, Jesus poured out His Holy Spirit on the
believers in Jerusalem, enabling them to fulfill His command to
preach the Gospel to the entire world, an obligation shared by all
believers today.
We believe that all people are by nature separated from God and
responsible for their own sin, but that salvation, redemption, and
forgiveness of sin are freely offered to all by the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ. When a person repents of sin and accepts Jesus
Christ as personal Saviour and Lord, trusting Him to save, that
person is immediately born again and sealed by the Holy Spirit, all
his/her sins are forgiven, and that person becomes a child of God,
destined to spend eternity with the Lord.
As we previously mentioned, we believe in the proper Scriptural
exercise of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Bible, the
greatest gift of all being God's love.
At DCF, we await the pre-tribulation rapture of the church. DCF is
strongly committed to a belief that the church will be raptured
before the seven year tribulation period described in Revelation
chapters 6 through 18. We recognize that other believers hold a
different view, but this is the way we see the Scripture's teaching
on this subject.
We believe that the second coming of Jesus Christ with His saints to
rule on the earth will be personal, pre-millennial, and visible.
This motivates us to heartfelt worship, committed service, diligent
study of God's Word, regular fellowship with other Christians, and
participation in both adult baptism by immersion and in Holy
Communion.
Deal Christian Fellowship rejects the teaching of "amillenialism"
which spiritualizes Scripture and denies the literal 1,000 year
reign of Christ on the earth as described in Revelation chapter 20.
What we believe: What we do
not believe
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At DCF we reject some popular
doctrines of some Christian groups because we believe them to be in
error Scripturally. This does not mean that we will not fellowship
with those holding these views, it simply means that such views are
outside the boundaries of what constitutes Deal Christian Fellowship
as a church.
For example, we reject, as we have already mentioned, "amillennialism",
post-millennialism, as well as a mid or post-tribulation rapture
view. At DCF, we are strongly pre-millennialists and pre-tribulation
rapturists.
We also reject the belief, held by some Pentecostals and
charismatics, that Christians can be demon possessed. The Scripture
says "greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world"
which makes no sense if a believer can be simultaneously indwelt by
both the Holy Spirit and evil spirits. Born again Christians can be
attacked by demons, but they cannot be possessed or controlled by
them.
In addition, we reject "5-point Calvinism". For a deeper
understanding of what Calvinism is, we recommend the book “Calvinism
versus Arminianism” by Chuck Smith, and “What Love Is This” by Dave
Hunt, but for our purposes here, suffice it to say that DCF rejects
two of the five points of five point Calvinism. First, Calvinism
teaches that Jesus' atonement on the Cross was limited, that is,
that He died only for a chosen group, His "elect", not for the sins
of the entire world. At DCF, we believe that Jesus died on the Cross
for all the sins of all people, and that anyone who wants to can
accept Him as their Lord and Saviour and be born again.
Strict five point Calvinists believe that only the elect can be
saved and that God has elected others to spend eternity in hell.
Secondly, we reject the Calvinistic teaching called "irresistible
grace", which is the belief that man cannot, even if he wants to,
resist the wooing and calling of God to salvation. Instead, at DCF
we believe that man has a free will, and he can resist the call of
God if he chooses to do so. Therefore, those who hold to five point
Calvinism are outside of the borders of what defines Deal Christian
Fellowship.
At DCF, we also reject the teaching of "positive confession" which
is the doctrine put forth by the faith movement teachers that says
that we as human beings can have unlimited health and wealth because
we, like God, have the ability to create our own reality by the
confession of our lips. These people teach that if a person will
confess health and wealth consistently, then that is what they will
have, and, conversely, the Christian living in sickness or poverty
is settling for less than his full inheritance in Christ. At DCF, we
believe that many believers both in the Bible and in daily life are
often afflicted not because their confession is wrong, but simply
because we live in a foreign world. We believe that the health and
prosperity doctrine is a perversion of Scripture and is often used
to fleece the flock of God. We do not believe that God can be
commanded by man to heal or provide, but that we must always submit
to His perfect will even in affliction.
Additionally, we reject the teaching that uses human prophecy to
supercede the Word of God. There are some Christian groups around
which claim to have prophets and apostles of equal validity with
those who wrote the Bible. Moreover, they claim that the prophetic
utterances from these people take precedence over the Word of God.
At DCF, we believe that the Bible is the final authority and the
complete Word of God for His church today, and that no prophecy or
teaching can ever supercede it.
Some churches have incorporated human secular psychology and
philosophy into their teaching programmes, creating sermons that are
more based on secular humanistic theory than on the Word of God. For
more on this subject see the book “The Seduction Of Christianity” by
Dave Hunt. While we respect our fellow believers who work in mental
health related fields, we at DCF believe that the central mission of
the church is to proclaim God's Word to a lost and hurting world.
Moreover, it has been our experience that humanistic psychology and
philosophy often do more harm than good, and people respond best
when God's Word is proclaimed in the power and love of the Holy
Spirit. It is God's Word that changes lives for the better. At Deal
Christian Fellowship our services remain centered on the teaching of
the Bible.
This is not to imply that we object to the work of the many
dedicated Christian mental health professionals; on the contrary, we
thank God for them. Our point is simply that in our church services,
we emphasize the teaching of God's Word.
And finally, as we have mentioned before, Deal Christian Fellowship
rejects the over-emphasis of spiritual gifts and experiential signs
and wonders to the exclusion of Biblical teaching. Again, we are a
Bible based ministry that avoids programmes and gimmicks in favour
of the simple teaching of the Word of God in love to His people. In
our services, we focus on a personal relationship with God through
worship, prayer, and the teaching of the Word of God. We offer
chapter by chapter, verse by verse expository studies; we do not
allow speaking in tongues loudly during services because we do not
believe that the Holy Spirit would interrupt Himself.
What we believe: Worship
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Many people are under the
impression that a particular style of worship is always insisted
upon at DCF, that style being the modern contemporary sound using
modern stringed instruments and drums. Although most of our services
do utilize this form of contemporary worship, there is actually a
great variety of styles of music found in our church. Some services
have been very traditional and conservative, while others have used
electric guitars, wind instruments and drums. There is no set style
of worship that makes DCF unique; instead there is wide latitude in
expression. All of us desire, of course, that whatever the style of
worship, it come from our hearts.
Similarly, some of our congregation are elderly people in suits and
ties, some are young people in jeans and tee shirts, in short we are
a combination of different ages, styles, and backgrounds of people
who come together with one common focus: love for Jesus Christ and
the desire to know Him more intimately. We recognise indeed that
“man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart”.
What we believe: Statement
of Faith
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Deal Christian Fellowship has
been formed as a fellowship of believers in the Lordship of Jesus
Christ. Our supreme desire is to know Christ and be conformed to His
image by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are not a denominational
church, nor are we opposed to denominations as such, only to their
over-emphasis of the doctrinal differences that have led to the
division of the Body of Christ.
We believe the only true basis of Christian fellowship is Christ's
(Agape) love, which is greater than any differences we possess, and
without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians.
We believe worship of God should be spiritual. Therefore, we remain
flexible and yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit to direct our
worship.
We believe worship of God should be inspirational. Therefore, we
give great place to music in our worship.
We believe worship of God should be intelligent. Therefore, our
services are designed with great emphasis upon the teaching of the
Word of God that He might instruct us how He should be worshipped.
We believe worship of God should be fruitful. Therefore, we look for
His love in our lives as the supreme manifestation that we have been
truly worshipping Him.
We believe in all the fundamental doctrines of orthodox evangelical
Christianity.
We believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, that the Bible, Old and
New Testaments is the inspired, infallible Word of God.
We believe that God is eternally existent in three separate persons:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe that God is the personal, transcendent, and sovereign
Creator of all things.
We believe that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, that He
was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, provided for the
atonement of our sins by His vicarious death on the Cross, was
bodily resurrected by the power of the Holy Spirit, ascended back to
the right hand of God the Father, and ever lives to make
intercession for us.
After Jesus ascended to Heaven, He poured out His Holy Spirit on the
believers in Jerusalem, enabling them to fulfill His command to
preach the Gospel to the entire world, an obligation shared by all
believers today.
We believe that all people are by nature separated from God and
responsible for their own sin, but that salvation, redemption, and
forgiveness are freely offered to all by the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ. When a person repents of sin and accepts Jesus Christ as
personal Saviour and Lord, trusting Him to save, that person is
immediately born again and sealed by the Holy Spirit, all his/her
sins are forgiven, and that person becomes a child of God, destined
to spend eternity with the Lord.
We believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the
Scriptures, and that they are valid for today if they are exercised
within the Scriptural guidelines. We as believers are to covet the
best gifts, seeking to exercise them in love that the whole Body of
Christ might be edified. We believe that love is more important than
the most spectacular gifts, and without this love all exercise of
spiritual gifts is worthless.
We believe that church government should be simplistic rather than a
complex bureaucracy, and we depend on the Holy Spirit to lead,
rather than on fleshly promotion.
We await the pre-tribulation rapture of the church, and we believe
that the second coming of Christ with His saints to rule on the
earth will be personal, pre-millennial, and visible. This motivates
us to holy living, heartfelt worship, committed service, diligent
study of God's Word, regular fellowship, and participation in adult
baptism by immersion and Holy Communion.
We seek to teach the Word of God in such a way that its message can
be applied to an individual's life, leading that person to greater
maturity in Christ.
We reject: (1) The belief that true Christians can be demon
possessed; (2) "5-point Calvinism" (i.e., a fatalistic Calvinistic
view that leaves no room for free will; specifically, we reject the
belief that Jesus' atonement was limited, instead we believe that He
died for all people, and we reject the assertion that God's wooing
grace cannot be resisted or that He has elected some people to go to
hell; instead we believe that anyone who wills to come to Christ may
do so); (3) "positive confession" (the faith movement belief that
God can be commanded to heal or work miracles according to man's
will), (4) human prophecy that supersedes the Scripture, (5) the
incorporation of humanistic and secular psychology and philosophy
into Biblical teaching, and (6) the over-emphasis of spiritual
gifts, experiential signs and wonders to the exclusion of Biblical
teaching.
In our services, we focus on a personal relationship with God
through worship, prayer, and the teaching of the Word of God. We
teach both expositorily and topically. We do not allow speaking in
tongues loudly during services, nor prophecy while a Bible study is
in progress because we do not believe that the Holy Spirit would
interrupt Himself.
What we believe:
Conclusion
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By clarifying some of what we
believe at Deal Christian Fellowship, our purpose has been simply to
help others less familiar with the church gain insight into who we
are. It has not been our intention to say that we are right and
everyone else is wrong, nor has it been our intention to argue our
position with any Christian believer. We desire to have nothing but
love and fellowship with anyone who calls on the name of our Lord in
truth and sincerity.
While there are many additional areas of policy and doctrine we
could discuss, and while we could write volumes in an effort to
defend all our positions against other positions, this is not our
desire. Our desire is to simply adore Jesus, and we invite all God's
people to join us as we do so.
We seek the unity of the Spirit in a bond of peace and love and
believe that God has called us to a unique ministry that fulfills
His special purpose in this generation. May God bless you as you
seek to draw near to Him in love.
If you have any questions or would like any more information please
feel free to email us:
info@dcf-online.co.uk
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