Doctrine and Beliefs of SHALOM Ministries which is an outreach ministry dedicated to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ while meeting the overwhelming needs of the people in inner city milwaukee through various programs

What We Believe

This missional community accepts the Holy Scriptures as the revealed will of God, the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice, and for the purpose of maintaining general unity, adopts the following statement of faith:

1. The Scriptures Inspired
The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to humanity, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21).

2. The Eternal Godhead (Bible references)
There is but one true and living God; maker of heaven and earth and all that is in them; the Alpha and Omega, whoever was, and is and shall be, time without end, Amen; that He is infinitely holy, mighty, tender, loving and glorious; worthy of all possible love and honor, confidence and obedience, majesty, dominion and might both now and forever; and that in the unity of the Godhead there are three, equal in every divine perfection excluding distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption (Isaiah 43:10; 44:8).
    a. The Father - Whose glory is so exceeding bright that mortal man cannot look upon His face and live, but whose heart was so filled with love and pity for lost and sin-benighted people that He freely gave His only begotten Son to redeem and reconcile them unto Himself Exodus 33:20; John 3:16).
    b. The Son - Co-existent and co-eternal with the Father, who, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary took upon Himself the form of man, bore out sins, carried our sorrows, and by the shedding of His precious blood upon the cross of Calvary, purchased redemption for all that would believe upon Him: then, bursting the bonds of death and hell rose from the grave and ascended on high leading captivity captive, that as the great mediator between God and man, He might stand at the right hand of the Father making intercession for those whom He laid down His life (Job 38:4-7; John 1:1-3; Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 43:11; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Ephesians 2:18).
   c. The Holy Spirit - The third person of the Godhead, the Spirit of the Father shed abroad, omnipotent, omnipresent, performing an inexpressibly important mission upon earth, convicting of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment drawing sinners to the Savior, rebuking, pleading, searching, comforting, guiding, quickening, teaching, glorifying, baptizing and enduing with power from on high those who yield to His tender ministrations, preparing them for the great day of the Lord's appearing (Matthew 28:19; John 15:26; 16:7-14; Romans 8:11; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

3. The Fall of Humanity
The human race was created good and upright; for God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." However man by voluntary transgression fell and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:17; 3:6; Romans 5:12-19).

4. The Salvation of Humanity
The shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God is the only hope of redemption of the human race (Acts 20:28; Romans 3:25; 5:9; Ephesians 1:7). Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, person becomes an heir of God according to the hope of eternal life (Luke 24:47; John 3:3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 2:11; 3:5-7). The inward evidence of salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit (Romans 8:16). The outward evidence to society is a life of righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:24; Titus 2:12).

5. The Ordinances of the Church
    a. Baptism in Water
The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded in the Scriptures. All who repent and believe on Christ as Savior and Lord are to be baptized. Thus they declare to the world that they have died with Christ and that they also have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 10:47-48; Romans 6:4).
    b. The Lord's Supper
The Lord's Supper, consisting of the elements--bread and the fruit of the vine--is the symbol expressing our sharing in the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4); a memorial of His suffering and death (1 Corinthians 11:26); and a prophecy of His second coming (1 Corinthians 11:26); and is enjoined on all believers "until He comes."

6. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the incoming of the promised Comforter in mighty and glorious fullness to endow the believer with power from on high; to glorify and exalt the Lord Jesus; to give inspired utterance in witnessing of Him; to foster the spirit of prayer, holiness, sobriety; to equip the individual and the Church for practical efficient, joyous, Spirit-filled soul-winning in the fields of life; and that this being still the dispensation of the Holy Spirit the believer may have every reason
to expect His incoming to be after the same manner as that in which He came upon Jew and Gentile alike in Bible days, and as recorded in the Word, that it may be truly said of us as of the house of Cornelius: "the Holy Spirit fell on them as on us at the beginning" (John 14:16-17; Acts 1:5-8; 2:4; 10:44-46; 19:6; 1 Corinthians 3:16). The baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is witnessed by the sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance (Acts 2:4). The speaking in tongues in this instance is the same in essence as the gift of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:4-10, 28), but difference in purpose and use.

7. Sanctification
Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication unto God (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:12). The Scriptures teach a life of "holiness without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). By the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to obey the command: 'Be holy, for I am holy'' (1 Peter 1:15-16). Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing his identification with Christ in His death and resurrection, and by faith reckoning
daily upon the fact of that union, and by offering every faculty continually to the dominion of the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:1-13; 8:1- 2, 13; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 2:12-13; 1 Peter 1:5).

E. The Church and Its Mission
The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit with divine
appointments for the fulfillment of her great commission. Each believer, born of the Spirit is an integral part of the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn, which are written in heaven (Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:22; Hebrews 12:23). Since God's purpose concerning people is to seek and to save that which is lost to be worshiped by man, and to build a body of believers in the image of His Son, the priority reason-for-being of S.H.A.L.O.M. Ministries is:
    a. To be agency of God for evangelizing the world (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark
16:15-16).
    b. To be a corporate body in which people may worship God (1 Corinthians 12:13).
    c. To be a channel of God's purpose to build a body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son (Ephesians 4:11-16;
1 Corinthians 12;28; 1 Corinthians 14:12).

9. Leadership
A divinely commissioned and ordained by scripture leadership has been provided by our Lord for the threefold purpose of leading the Church in the:
    a. Evangelization of the world (Mark 16:15-20).
    b. Worship of God (John 4:23-24).
    c. Building of a body of saints being predicted in the image of His Son (Ephesians 4:11,16).

10. Divine Healing
Divine healing is an integral part of the gospel. Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the Atonement and is the privilege of all believers (Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 8:16-17; James 5:14-16).

11. The Blessed Hope
The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation together with those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord is the imminent and blessed hope of the Church (Romans 8:23; 1 Corinthians 15:51- 52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Titus 2:13).

12. The Millennial Reign of Christ
The second coming of Christ includes the rapture of the saints, which is our blessed hope, followed by the visible return of Christ with His saints to reign on the earth for one thousand years (Zechariah 14:5; Matthew 24:27-30; Revelation 1:7; 19:11-14; 20:1-6). This millennial reign will bring the salvation of national Israel (Ezekiel 37:21–22.; Zephaniah 3:19-20; Romans 11:26-27) and the establishment of universal peace (Psalm 72:3-8; Isaiah 11:6-9;Micah 4:3-4).

13. The Final Judgment
There will be a final judgment in which the wicked dead will be raised and judged according to their works. Whosoever is not found written in the Book of Life, together with the devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet will be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake which
burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Matthew 25:46; Mark 9:43–48; Revelation 19:20; 20:11-15; 21:8).

14. The New Heavens and the New Earth
“We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness" (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:22).