Our Core Beliefs

At the core of our beliefs is how Jesus came into being, his experience on earth and our born-again experience as Christians. Below are the core principles of our faith, which are biblical, foundational beliefs of the Church of the Latter Rain.

...mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people

ISAIAH 56:7 KJV

OVERCOMING PERSECUTION

The Bible gives many examples of Jesus and the Early Church being persecuted by misguided people. Persecution came in the form of rumors and lies, physical affliction and unjust judgments. 


Despite these circumstances, a church was established and flourished for many years. With the help of God,  Jesus overcame persecution as did the Early Church. 


The Church of the Latter Rain has faced many persecutions and has dealt with them according to the scriptures. If our vision is to build a church like the Early Church, we can only expect to face some of the same challenges that they did.

JESUS' PERSECUTION

Biblical history tells us that it all started around 4 B.C. when a child was born in Bethlehem. The child Jesus was sent here to accomplish three things: 

 

1. To make an end to the Mosaic Law (Matthew 5:7, Luke 16:16)


2. To set the pattern of salvation by living a sinless life (Hebrews 2:18, 4:15)

3. To put a church together that would follow his leadership and example (Matthew 16:18-19)


The Lord Jesus was so concerned about the leadership of His church that He hand picked twelve men through the guidance of his Father. After the replacement of Judas Iscariot with Matthias there were twelve spiritual sticks of dynamite that exploded on the scene in Jerusalem. It was A.D. 29 and the world would never be the same. Right in the midst of one of the greatest empires ever created, the Lord established His kingdom with its own leadership, order, and culture. The Lord’s Church was here and it was filled with great power, might, and spiritual determination.


The Early Church became a platform for the Lord to showcase the handiwork of his glory. For the first time in history a church was on the scene that had been given spiritual gifts to assist the church and the lives of the people they would impact. The church was filled with astonishing healings, miracles and testimonies of men who possessed understanding and wisdom not seen since the days of Solomon. Blinded eyes were restored, the lame began to walk, and the deaf began to hear. From the healing at the gate called “Beautiful” to the powerful covering of God witnessed when a viper bit Paul and yet he was unharmed, the Lord was with the Early Church until the very end. Despite the undeniable evidence of God’s support of his Son Jesus Christ and the church that He built, there were always individuals who despised what God was doing and even attempted to resist his will. From Jesus’ birth until his death he was lied on, discredited, and unbelieved.


  • It was spread that Jesus was born of fornication and that Mary being engaged to Joseph had committed adultery with another man. John 8:39-41

    Jesus was born of the Holy Ghost while Mary had never known a man. 

    • Matthew 1:18
    • Luke 1:31-35

  • It was spread that Jesus cast out devils because he was the prince of the devils and had an evil spirit himself. Matthew9:34, 12:23, 24, Mark 3:22, John 8:48,

    Jesus had been given power from his Father to cast out devils.

    • Matthew 28:18

  • It was spread that Jesus was arrogant and blasphemous, and made himself a god by saying he could forgive sins, which he could not do. Luke 7:47-49, John 10:32-33

    The Lord was given power from his Father to forgive sin. 

    • Matthew 9:5-6

  • It was spread that Jesus preached a message of hatred towards family and that he may at any time start a cult-like suicide movement with his followers. John 8:22

    The Lord mentioned that the family of God were those who are willing to do the will of his Father and this superseded his natural family.  He also stated that unless you hate your natural family (which meant to put them second keeping God as your priority above everything.  Not hating them, as we would use the word hate today.) and even your own life (which meant your way of doing things versus learning to do things God's way) for his sake that you would not be fit for the kingdom of God. 

    • Matthew 10:34-39, 12:46-50
    • Luke 14:25-26

  • The Jewish nation took offense to this statement and spread rumors that Jesus was arrogant, exalted and made himself greater than their father Abraham (and he was greater). John 8:53

    Jesus existed prior to his existence on earth, which was made evident by his statement "...before Abraham was, I am."

    • John 8:57-58

  • The Jewish nation denied the Lord's kingship and the Roman Empire made light of it. In fact, the Jews spread the rumor that Jesus was a self proclaimed King with no power or authority whatsoever. They even used this as a ploy to get him killed by saying they had no king but Caesar and anyone else who would make themselves a king was not Caesar's friend (even though they did not recognize Rome as their leadership). Matthew 27:42-43, Luke 23;1-2, John 19:12-15, 19-22

    God sent Jesus to be King of the Jews and led them into a new kingdom that superseded the kingdom of Israel.

    • Luke 22:28
    • John 12:12-16
    • Colossians 1:13

  • When it was discovered that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the grave many people denied it, even though it was known that Lazarus had been dead for 4 days. In fact, a group of Jews went about seeking to kill Lazarus so others would not believe in Jesus through this miracle. Furthermore, when it was discovered that Jesus had without doubt risen from the dead, it is a recorded fact that many were bribed to say that he did not rise and that his body had been stolen away. Matthew 27: 62-66, Matthew 28:11-15, John 11:53-57, John 12:9-11

    Jesus through the power of God raised Lazarus from the grave.  In addition, the spirit of God raised Jesus himself from the dead.

    • John 11:38-44

THE EARLY CHURCH PERSECUTION

(Born and Raised in the Fire)

The Lord Jesus warned the twelve before his departure that as the world hated him it would also hate them. He forewarned them of enemies that would arise and of people who would be wolves in sheep’s clothing. Without controversy he warned the twelve that the truth would always be resisted and despised by someone. This was never more evident than with Jesus who not only told the truth, but also was truth himself in the flesh. As prophesied by Christ, the Early Church was persecuted, lied on, and resisted by many (Acts 28:22). 


 

  • Almost instantly it was spread that those beautiful men and women who came out of the upper room had obviously just exited a powerhouse party leaving them intoxicated by wine and not by God. Acts 2:12-13

    The Lord filled the twelve Apostles with the Holy ghost on the Day of Pentecost causing them to speak in other tongues as they poured out of the upper room in Jerusalem. 

    • Acts 2:1-8

  • Instead of everyone celebrating that a man who had not walked from his birth (it had been 40 years) had been healed, there were some who questioned and challenged this powerful event. Sadly, Peter and John were called into question regarding what they had done and by what power they had done it. Acts 4:1-9,17-18

    Peter and John healed a man at the gate beautiful through the use of spiritual gifts that had been given to the church. 

    • Acts 3:1-10

  • The word was spread that Peter had killed the people of God. In fact, many individuals feared to join the Early Church due to Ananias and Saphira’s casualties. Acts 5:11-13

    The Early Church had arrived at the height of love and unity. So much so that the church through complete “selflessness” was able to entrust the twelve apostles with all that they had and they did this by an internal, divine love and not by force or politics. As a result, some individuals who had been in the Early Church for a sufficient amount of time attempted to be deceitful with their money and lie against what God was doing (by not being honest) and dropped dead. This happened to Ananias and Saphira by the hand of God and not the hand of man.

    • Acts 4:32-37
    • Acts 5:1-11

  • From the moment of his calling, Paul’s apostleship was questioned, challenged, doubted, and even denied. Unlike the other apostles, Paul often had to make mention of his calling and constantly confirm that God had given him a revelation. In addition to this burden, Paul was also labeled as a ringleader, a mover of sedition, and a pestilent fellow because of his strong efforts to drive racism and prejudice out of the church. That church had to mature to a level of love that included both the Jews and the Gentiles. I Corinthians 9:1-2, Romans 3:28-30

    The Lord called Apostle Paul to be one of the greatest apostles that ever lived. With his calling he received a special responsibility of taking the truth of Christ beyond Jewish cultural lines to the Gentile nations.

    • Acts 9:10-16
    • Romans 11:13
    • Romans 10:12-13

  • Despite the overwhelming truth that Paul preached there were many who gave their lives to spread lies and rumors that were contrary because they didn’t want to change. Disturbingly, Paul’s churches were attacked by people who came from the region of Jerusalem stating that “if you were not naturally circumcised you could not be saved”. Even though Paul was attempting to build something so righteous and holy as a true house of prayer for all of God’s people, there were those who could not rest unless they found a way to promote segregation. As a result, Paul had to work even harder to ensure the church remained welcome to all whom God might lead into it. Acts 23:12-15, Acts 15:1

    Paul preached that the circumcision under the law (that once was the earmark of Jewish culture) was no longer a requirement to be apart of the people of God. He proclaimed that the true flesh that needed to be removed was the fleshly desire coming forth from the heart of man. Because of this, salvation could be unto all who were willing to overcome their fleshly desires and not to those who were of a particular culture or tradition.

    • Romans 2:28-29
    • Colossians 2:8-11

  • It was spread that Paul had problems with women and could not handle being married. Without doubt many questioned Paul’s ability to address the marriage issue being that he was single. Besides the fact that Paul had been called and sent by the greatest counselor that ever lived on earth, people tried to attack his credibility. Many people possessed complete confidence in Paul’s ability to lead the church (which was often referred to as the wife of Christ), and yet they spread rumors regarding his ability to lead a wife of his own. I Corinthians 9:3-5, II Corinthians 11:1-3

    Paul remained a single man during the course of his ministry so that he could give his full time and energy to the church of God. Paul communicated in his writings that he had power to lead about sister or wife. Nevertheless, without distraction Paul served the church to the fullest and dedicated his life towards apprehending what the Lord had apprehended him for.

    • I Corinthians 7:7-9
    • I Corinthians 7:35

  • Instead of all of the Jews receiving Paul, many of them cried out, “Men of Israel, help; this is the man that teacheth all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place…”. The people begin to beat Paul until they were stopped by the presence of centurion soldiers of Rome. Later, Paul would find himself in the judgment hall of Herod defending himself against a charming orator named Tertulus. Tertulus had been hired to lie and persuade the governor against Paul. Convincingly, Tertulus continued with words dripping with flattery towards Felix the governor, he would continue in his dissertation to label Paul as a ringleader, a mover of sedition, and a pestilent fellow. Even though Paul was nothing but a true man of God, he would through these efforts end up trapped in the Roman judicial system and later be beheaded at the hand of Nero the Emperor of Rome. Acts 21:27-32, Acts 24: 19,2

    Paul was determined to go to Jerusalem and bring an offering from the Gentiles to the poor saints that were at Jerusalem. Paul was convinced that the saints at Jerusalem could see the divine love that the Gentiles had developed under his ministry through their voluntary financial support. When he came to Jerusalem he shaved his head and honored the local customs so that the people would receive him and he could declare what great things God had done through his ministry.

    • Romans 15:25-27
    • Acts 21:10-24

PERSECUTION TODAY

As you can see God’s son and His church have always been lied on, rumored against, and vehemently persecuted (II Peter 2:1-2). It is with this understanding that we more cheerfully accept our destiny to experience some of the same treatment by individuals who have been misguided and have lost their way. In addition, we expect some people to have negative comments when they are corrected for improper conduct, are mentally unstable, or when something meaningful for God is being done. It is unfortunate that when people hear lies and rumors, they often don’t have a chance to hear the whole story and even assess the credibility of the speaker. Although we have found defending ourselves unnecessary, time would fail us to mention some of the items that we have in our possession listed below:

 

Documented proof to disprove all accusations made by disgruntled individuals.


Letters of apology from individuals who were convicted by the false things they said against us.


Letters from police departments showing our outstanding record in the communities in which we worship.


Letters on file of the unchristian-like conduct of individuals who when corrected got upset and gave their life to trying to discredit our churches.


Accusers who later went to prison for breaking the law and participating in fraudulent activities.



Accusers with known and medically verified mental conditions.


However, we are most amazed by some of the things that we have heard about ourselves from people who have never even attended our churches.


  • “Don’t go to that church they have guns on the roof and locks on the doors to prevent you from leaving until service is over.”

    This is just hilarious and in fact would be unallowable by the city authorities in the numerous cities that we have churches. Interestingly enough, we have been around for more than 40 years and have never had anything but an excellent relationship with law enforcement and they have always been very responsive to our needs.

  • “The people who attend General Assembly Churches are too dedicated and therefore must be affected by something the church is putting in their drinks when they serve dinner every Sunday.”

    While the statement about putting something in drinks is ridiculous and almost humorous, it is true that we have faithfully served our people every Sunday with a full course meal. For some of our faithful congregants this may be the best meal their family may have had all week. We have done this free of charge every week and not just on a special day (i.e. Thanksgiving or Christmas) like some churches.

  • “That church uses mind-controlling tactics to get people to stay dedicated to what they believe. Furthermore, if you go to that church you will get brainwashed.”

    First of all, we must understand that anyone who is not in control of their mind is a dangerous person. If anything, it is best when a person's mind is under some sort of control. We definitely believe and teach our congregants to let the Lord and His doctrine take control of their mind. Any mind that is absent of the controlling force of the word of God is destined for Christian failure. It is interesting how many people will find it common for a person to allow a profession, a military position, and/or money to control their mind, but get concerned when someone gets too dedicated to God’s word. We believe the word of God is what changes a person's way of thinking and alters a carnal mindset to a spiritual mindset.

  • “That church teaches its people to hate their families and doesn’t believe that its congregants should have children.”

    It is unfortunate that lies spread ten times faster than the truth, nevertheless thank God that when you go to the source you can get pure and clean truth. This lie always amazes us since it is so far from everything that we stand for. We do believe that no man or woman should put their biological family, job, hobbies, personal goals and even the desires of their own heart before God (Matthew 10:37). We believe that God should be the priority of every Christian, no matter what the sacrifice. However, should someone find themselves in the unfavorable situation in which someone in their family does not wish to serve God they should possess no hate, anger, or malice towards that family member.

  • “It is clear that the church is a cult! It must be, look at how dedicated the people are to that church. No one should take church that serious!”

    First of all, we must ask what is a cult? Next, we must ask who is qualified to call someone a cult? What is a cult expert and how do you become one? Disgruntled people as well as self-proclaimed cult experts question the validity of almost every church in the nation, but who questions their credibility to ask questions? Is there a university for cult experts? One man's cult is another man's favorite church.

WHAT IS A CULT?

Since many unlearned individuals today are lured in by so many who claim to know about churches and seek to judge one church to be normal and another to be a cult, we would like to define what a cult is. Webster defines a cult as “a quasi-religious group, often living in a colony, with a charismatic leader who indoctrinates members with unorthodox or extremist views. A devoted attachment to, or extravagant admiration for, a person, principle, or lifestyle...” According to this definition was Jesus Christ a cult leader? Was Jesus Christ a charismatic person? Did Apostle Paul indoctrinate people with extremist views in the time that he lived? Did people admire the twelve apostles and seek to live by their principles and lifestyle? What is an extremist view? Was it an extreme view when the early Europeans decided to overthrow the Native Americans and start a new America? Was it an extremist view when Dr. King proclaimed his dream to see children of all races joining hands in the 60s? Was it an extremist view when Mahatma Gandhi sought to bring peace between the Hindus and the Muslims of his time? Was it an extremist view when John F. Kennedy so eloquently asked America to ask what they could do for their country, instead of what their country could do for them? As you can see by Webster’s definition there could be, and could have been many defined as a cult. In fact, our government, our military, and even our local social clubs may be in danger of being a cult by this definition.


 

CHURCH LEADERSHIP

Our churches have a solid leadership of elders in several states and multiple cities throughout America and overseas. These elders work together to care for the needs of the people in distinct harmony with the pattern and example left by the Early Church. We have been taught that “a one man rule” is a “dangerous rule,” and as a result our churches are operated by a unified brotherhood of elders with a united vision.  It is our desire to do all things according to the scriptures, realizing that the scriptures is our safety.  Our humble request for all who seek to understand us is to judge us by the scriptures (by the Early Church), otherwise you will judge us by opinion, perceptions, and at worse a rumor.  Unlike so many churches of the past that were built into one man, our assemblies are built into Christ and because of this, there is great safety and comfort.  As Paul stated in I Corinthians 3:11, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”  


 

DIVERSITY IN THE CHURCH

Our churches have been around for almost 50 years and are filled with common people of all walks of life and from almost every nation, ethnicity, and social status. From top-notch executives, to common, hard working truck drivers, we are honored to have such a diverse cross-section of “free thinking” people. Our church emphasizes receiving a personal revelation and often admonishes our congregants to not attempt to convince or be convinced by anyone to come or stay in our churches. It is our opinion that if someone can talk you into coming or staying in our churches then someone can talk you into leaving. However, if God shows you that this church is where you need to be to grow as a spiritual Christian, there is nothing that anyone can do to take that away from you. 


 

THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH

Finally, we are no different than the Corinthian Church. We teach divine order, but we have people that are common and face the problems of all humans bound by gravity and dependent on oxygen. We face the same problems that the rest of society faces. Nevertheless, the church of God was created to address the problems of the present and not just celebrate past victories. Like the church at Corinth, we are confronted with new challenges all of the time and are thankful that we have a leadership and a team of dedicated saints that have been able to rise above challenges and persevere through life’s obstacles. In the Church of Corinth there was a mixture of everything. There was envy, jealousy, division, immorality, and confusion present in the Corinthian Church. Not only that, when we take a detailed trip through the book of I Corinthians we see troubles on every side. 


Below are just some of the problems that were evident:



  • Chapter 1:  Paul begs the brethren to work in unity and have no division among them.
  • Chapter 2:  Paul instructs the church of the importance of becoming more spiritual.
  • Chapter 3:  Paul addressed the church’s growth level and called them carnal. He went on to mention that the church had envy, strife, and division among them. Some went as far as choosing who was their favorite minister between Paul and Apollos.
  • Chapter 4:  Individuals tried to judge Paul and as a result he stated, “it is a small thing that I be judged of you…”
  • Chapter 5:  Paul had to address a situation where a man had his father’s wife and as a result had to be disfellowshipped.
  • Chapter 6:  Paul had to address saints in the church who were going to law against each other because they could not resolve things amongst themselves.
  • Chapter 7:  Paul addressed the laws of marriage because of marital problems that had increased in the church.
  • Chapter 8:  Paul had to address people who had differences about eating various types of meat.
  • Chapter 9:  Paul had to address people who questioned his Apostleship.
  • Chapter 10:  Paul addressed people who were eating things that were offered to idols.
  • Chapter 11:  Paul had to address problems of people taking the Lord’s supper lightly, while not being spiritual enough to understand what it really meant.
  • Chapter 12:  Paul had to teach the church to think as a body because there was too much separation amongst them.
  • Chapter 13:  Paul had to emphasize the importance of charity to keep the church focused.
  • Chapter 14:  Paul had to address church order because people were being disorderly in the church services at Corinth.
  • Chapter 15:  Paul had to address the subject of the resurrection because there were men who were promoting that Paul’s teachings on the resurrection were invalid.


Despite all of these challenges the Corinthian church was still the true Body of Christ and they were deeply rooted in the order of God. Many have asked if we feel that we are the only church. We often like to emphasize some things to them. First, we must come to see that the Lord only has one church, which is the Body of Christ.  Is Christ divided? Our churches are dedicated to operating in an order that would qualify us to call ourselves a part of the Body of Christ and we have an obligation to fellowship with any church that bears the same commitment in truth.  Just because a church calls itself a church or even the Body of Christ, doesn’t mean it is recognized by God. In fact, there were many religious denominations in existence while Jesus was establishing the Body of Christ.  Could you be a Pharisee in Jesus time and be a part of the Body of Christ?  How about a Sadducee?  Do you think those denominations which persecuted Jesus at every opportunity were still just in the eyes of God? With this in mind, we must ask if you could not be in a religious denomination in the days of Jesus and still be in the Body of Christ; then, how could you be in a religious denomination and still be in the Body of Christ today? Is God's church organization or an organism?


If you came to the Corinthian Church looking for problems, you would have definitely found them. However, Jesus forewarned the twelve, years before the Corinthian Church, that “the pure in heart” would see God. If you came to the Corinthian Church with a pure heart you would have seen the manifestations of God. Likewise, when you come to the Body of Christ today you will see God working mightily and yet there will be some who don’t receive the truth, and will manifest this in their conduct and behavior. Nevertheless, the true Body of Christ will continue to persevere through all of its trials, tribulations and persecutions. There are many counterfeit churches that exist today, however wherever there is “a counterfeit” there must be “a real”. Although there will be intense persecutions someone must still ask the question, “will the real Body of Christ please stand up!”