Our Beliefs
Plain, simple and laid out in black and white.
THE WORD OF GOD
At GLORY House, we believe that the Word of God is true, relevant for today and experienced in many distinct yet related ways. One way we experience it is through the written Word found within the pages of The Bible. It says in 2 Tim 3:16-17 "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work." (NLT). According to Hebrews 4:12, It is "alive and powerful". We believe that God speaks directly to His people in what is referred to as a "Rhema" Word. "Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God." Matt 4:4 (AMP). Jesus is referred to as "The Word in John 1:1-14. It is also essential for the faith needed for salvation. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17 (NKJV).
SALVATION
We believe that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone. No amount of works can ever make one "good enough" to make it. Salvation is only possible because of the shed blood of Jesus and the power of His resurrection. However, we believe there is much more to salvation than merely getting a "ticket to heaven" or a "get out of hell pass". The Greek word for salvation is SOZO (σῴζω). It appears in the New Testament some 108 times and besides meaning "saved" or "to be saved", it is translated in many places as "healed" or "delivered". It carries with it the meaning of "being completely made whole". At GLORY House we believe in the Salvation of the whole man; spirit, body and soul. According to Luke 4:18-19 Jesus came and was anointed 1) to share the good news, 2) to set those free who were held captive by the power of sin in their lives, 3) to heal the sick and diseased, 4) to bring comfort to those who were broken hearted and emotionally wounded, 5) to set free those who were held prisoners by demonic oppression and 6) to proclaim favor upon His people. In this context, it's our understanding that we are saved (spirit), healed (physical body) and delivered (soul - mind, will and emotions) all as a part of the "salvation package" that Jesus paid for and is available to all who believe and put their faith in Him.
BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
According to Ephesians 1:13, when we were saved, we "were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" (KJV). It is at this point that the Spirit comes to live inside of us and fills us for OUR benefit. When one is baptized with The Holy Spirit, He comes "upon us" and fills us to overflowing for the benefit of others, as this "empowers" us to be able to minister effectively. John the Baptist predicted that Jesus would come and baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33). In John 20:22, Jesus breathed on the disciples and said "Receive The Holy Spirit. We believe this was the point at which the disciples were "saved", because later in Acts 1:5 Jesus recalled John's words, and told His followers that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from then. The spectacular events of the day of Pentecost ten days later were the obvious fulfillment of His words (Acts 2). Peter told the people there that day that "this promise is unto you, your children and all who are afar off as many as The Lord shall call". That includes you and me. See Acts 2:4, Acts 10:44-46 and Acts 19:6. In each of these accounts, the initial evidence of The Baptism of The Holy Spirit was speaking in tongues, and we believe that still holds true today. This is distinctly different from the "gift of tongues" and the prayer language (praying in the Spirit) that we receive once we are filled. See 1 Cor 14:15, Romans 8:26 and Jude 1:20.
HOLINESS
Just as The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus and remained, once that "heavenly dove" comes upon us, we must walk each step of our lives with Him in mind. In other words, we do not go places or do things that could grieve The Holy Spirit and cause Him to depart from us. We walk in and live a life of holiness because of the love and gratitude we have toward God, not to earn any special favor or reward. At GLORY House, we believe living a life of holiness and purity before God is necessary in order to live in the manner in which Jesus lived and do the things that Jesus did. The very fact that Jesus did these miraculous things was only possible because of the life of holiness that He lived. Even though Jesus was God and has been from the beginning, He chose to lay aside His diety when He came to earth in human form. As a man, filled with the Spirit, walking in holiness, Jesus set the example for every Christ follower that would ever come after Him and gave us something to strive toward. He did what He saw His Father doing and said what He heard His Father saying all because of the life of holiness He lived. This lifestyle increased His awareness of The Spirit and made Him sensitive to the things of God. When we allow sin to enter our lives, it causes a disruption and interference in our line of communication with God. We become clogged and the flow of The Spirit can stop unless we repent and free ourselves from those things that are causing the blockage.
Holiness is a life of unrestricted flow in The Spirit.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We believe that every born again Spirit-filled believer can be used in Spiritual Gifts. The Gifts belong to "The Body", not the individual believer. Everyone has the ability to flow in any of the gifts as The Holy Spirit directs. We realize that some people will be more "gifted" in some areas than others and will flow naturally in those areas, but they can still be used by God in any of the gifts as circumstances and situations present themselves. In 1 Corinthians 12, we find a list of the 9 "Gifts of the Spirit":
The Word of Knowledge is simply the Holy Spirit transmitting His specific knowledge to you on something that you would have no ability or means to be able to know about on your own. It is supernatural knowledge and insight being given directly to you by the Holy Spirit Himself, not by your own mind or your own intelligence levels.
The Word of Wisdom - There will be times that a word of knowledge will not be quite enough to solve the problem. This is where you will now need a word of wisdom. A word of wisdom will give you the ability to be able to properly apply the knowledge that you may already have on a particular situation.
The Gift of Prophecy is when you get a direct Word from the Lord to usually give to someone else. And when I say a direct word, I mean the message from the Lord that will be given to you will literally be word for word. Its purpose is to help edify and build others up, or to help them out with something specific they may be dealing with.
The Gift of Faith, is something that comes directly from the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that we all have a certain measure of faith that has already been given to us by the Lord when we are saved. It is used when our own levels of faith in the Lord will not be enough to get the job done with what He may be asking us to do for Him.
The Gifts of Healings. One of the things that Jesus is wanting all of us to do for Him to is pray for the sick. And if we do, then many of the times they will “recover,” which means that He is going to heal them. What this means is that at any time the Holy Spirit can manifest this special gift through any believer so He can then heal someone of any kind of disease, illness, or sickness. The word “gifts” is plural, which means there are different kinds of healings the Lord can and will do.
The Gift of Miracles is when an intervention in the natural universe by God takes place. It could be a phenomena that transcends natural laws or a divine act by which God reveals Himself to people
Discerning of spirits.
The first thing to notice about this gift is that the “s” in the word “spirits” is with a small “s.” This means that it is not referring to the Holy Spirit. The only other spirits that are out there that this gift is referring to are the following three kinds of spirits: demons, angels and human spirits. This gift is used to fully expose what is really going on and operating behind the scenes with someone and is essential during deliverance.
The Gift of Tongues is simply the Holy Spirit giving you the supernatural ability to speak in a foreign tongue or language that you have no knowledge or ability to speak out on your own. When combined with Interpretation of Tongues, it is greater and more powerful than prophesy.
Please note, that this is not the same as our prayer language that we receive once we are baptized in The Holy Spirit. Praying in The Spirit involves a type of tongue which is a heavenly language of angels (unknown tongues). It is not of this earth and not subject to interpretation.
Interpretation of Tongues is where the Holy Spirit will give you the interpretation of the tongues that you have either spoken yourself or when they are being spoken by someone else in a gathering.
FIVE FOLD MINISTRY
Although we believe in the 5-fold Ministry according to Ephesians 4:11-13, we do not think think these "offices" are meant to "rule" as is the custom of some groups, but to "serve" the Body of Christ with the sole purpose of equipping the saints and expanding the Kingdom of God here on the earth. They are not the "head" for there is only one Head and that is Jesus Christ. Every Spirit-filled believer, through their God given talents and giftings, should lean toward serving in one or more of these five areas.
Apostles are like fathers who impart to the Body of Christ and raise them up as sons and daughters in the faith. Apostle means “One sent as a messenger” Their message awakens people to their God designed potential and destiny. They are instrumental in people discovering who they really are, and in walking alongside them in order to get to the place God desires for them. An apostle can and should be able to minister effectively in all the offices of the 5-fold ministry, but especially in the area of the prophetic.
Prophets bring supernatural revelation and insight, giving vision of the times and seasons of God so that the saints know what to do. Prophet means “to bubble forth, as from a fountain,” or “to utter”. A Prophet is a God chosen spokesperson. They are effective in revealing God’s heart for His people wherever they go. They can accurately discern God’s heart for a situation, helping people experience God’s voice for the very first time, and help them develop the ability to hear God's voice in their own lives. Prophets work hand in hand with apostles and can also work effectively in the area of evangelism, but due to their unique personalities are rarely able to be used to shepherd or teach.
Evangelists impart zeal for souls to be saved and equip the saints with wisdom and anointing in winning the lost. Evangelist means “a publisher of glad tidings”. They are the carriers of the Good News and partner with Jesus in celebrating people’s transformation. They stir curiosity and desire to know Jesus because their very life is a living invitation to all to join the Family of God. Evangelists, due to their compassion for the lost, often have the nurturing characteristics needed to shepherd. They can also flow prophetically to draw people into a relationship with Jesus. They lead by example, but rarely if ever have the ability to teach effectively.
Shepherds nurture the Body of Christ with counseling, clothing them with Christ-like armor and garments. A shepherd is an elder or “spiritual guide" for the body. They tend, keep, pasture, feed and guard the flock. The word "pastor" used in most modern institutional churches is a mis-translation of the Greek word poimén (ποιμένα). It was translated as "pastors" only one time in the entire bible. In fact it is "pastors" (plural) in Ephesians 4:11, not pastor. In every other instance in scripture where the word poimén appears, it was correctly translated as the word shepherd.
Shepherds are instrumental in guiding people through brokenness back to a place of wholeness and in healing their souls from any wounds that keep them from moving forward. They create a safe atmosphere of family and belonging while bringing fun and enjoyment to the ministry of God. This allows people to feel like they are part of a greater family. Shepherds can do the work of an evangelist. They are also well equipped to teach in order to bring unity to the body. Shepherds, because they more often than not lack the ability to prophesy, often are wary of prophets and tend to be skeptical of their message.
Teachers teach the Word of God with simplicity and wisdom. Teacher means “to point out" or “to instruct systematically. Their purpose is to train disciples. They make the truth and knowledge about God accessible to all through their God given ability for breaking confusion and misinformation. They are strategic in helping people know the truth of God and also how to practically apply it to their own lives. Teachers are more often than not also gifted as shepherds that guide and direct the flock. They tend to look at things more practically and often do not have the patience it takes to evangelize and win the lost, but find themselves more useful at ministering to the body itself.
THE "CHURCH" & RELIGION
At GLORY House, we do not want to be just another "church" or religious organization. We are a group of believers, meeting in a house of worship who are a small part of the global Body of Christ often referred to as "The Church" or "The Bride of Christ". We are not a part of any denomination, because the origin of this word is also found in the root word for denominator; the part of a fraction that "divides".
The Greek word that is translated as “church” in the Bible is ekklesia (ἐκκλησία). However, this has been mistranslated into the English language, for the word "church" has a very different origin and meaning. The word ekklesia is made up of a prefix and a root. The prefix is ek or ex, which means “out of ” or “from.” The root word is a form of the verb kaleo, which means “to call.” Thus, ekklesia means “those who are the called-out ones.” Simply put, an ekklesia is a community of believers composed of those who are called by God not only outwardly but inwardly by the Holy Spirit. The word church, on the other hand, comes from the old English word "circe" (Scottish kirk). It is where we derive the word circle. Stonehenge in England is an example of a circe where early druid people worshiped pagan deities.
When Jesus calls someone to discipleship, He is calling that person to Himself, to belong to Him, to follow Him, and to learn from Him and of Him. He is the head. Not man. The idea of modern "church" is to put a man (pastor) on a pedestal in front of a congregation where he (clergy) is the head and the people (laity) are mere spectators. This is unbiblical, as we are all called to be kings and priests in God's Kingdom. At GLORY House, we gather much in the same way the first century ekklesia did; in homes, etc and not in large, man made "church" buildings. We believe everyone has a voice, a prophesy, a revelation and we give space to allow God to speak through everyone, not just one person. In the modern institutional church, everything is based on a hierarchical system which stifles the voice of most everyone except the pastors, etc and leaves many pieces of the puzzle missing. This distorts the overall picture God is trying to reveal to His Body. When pieces are missing, a spirit of religion is ready to step in and say "let me take over from here".
God in this hour is saying “My people don’t know who they are; they don’t know what they have; they don’t know where they are. When they do realize these things, it will deliver them from a spirit of religion.” Christianity is about having a real relationship with the resurrected, living Christ. Religion on the other hand, is man’s perception of God based on their culture or their upbringing or based on what an authority figure told them what they thought God was like. Religion will always keep you trying to become what you already are; it will always try to have you get something you’ve already gotten or it will try to get you to go somewhere that you’ve already come to. Religion is always trying to die or bring death rather than recognizing that the old life is already dead. Religion is performance based; it is always trying to get you to “measure up” by performing a certain way or following a specific set of rules in order for you to earn your place and it always comes with consequences if you “don’t get it right”. It is also highly sin conscience. It loves to point out failures and talk about sins. Anything you give your attention to, you strengthen. So, because it focuses on sins, it causes those “sins” to be strengthened in your life. Sin conscience simply means I’m more aware of my ugliness than my beauty; I’m more aware of my weakness than my strength; I’m more aware of what I’ve done wrong than what has already been done right. It is fear motivated and tries to scare you into obeying God. At GLORY House, we do not focus on one’s past failures or current struggles. We do not judge or point fingers but are here to show the love of Christ and help you work through whatever situation you find yourself in.