About Us
What we believe
We are an independent evangelical church that gathers in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ according to the simple New Testament pattern. At present we have 60-70 church members and with many young families being part of the church we have around 40 children attending regularly. We have no significant church infrastructure and no paid staff and are focused on keeping the Lord Jesus and the truth of God central to all that we do and say. We preach, teach, believe and practice the bible in every area of life and whilst we don’t have a creed or statement of faith, the following summary truth statements should give some idea of our beliefs:
What We Believe About The Lord Jesus Christ
We believe in the eternal deity of Our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:1 (ESV)
Simeon[a] Peter, a servant[b] and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
We believe in the eternal deity of Our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 1:8 (ESV)
But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom
We believe in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ and His sinless life.
1 Peter 1:21-22 (ESV)
who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 22Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
![What we believe at Riverside Christian Assembly: 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”[a] 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[b] will be called holy—the Son of God.<br />
Luke 1: 34-35 (ESV)<br />
We believe in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ and His sinless life.](https://theriverside.church/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/4-300x300.png)
We believe in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ and His sinless life.
Luke 1: 34-35 (ESV)
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”[a] 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[b] will be called holy—the Son of God.
We believe in the atoning death of Christ.
1 Corinthians 15.3 (ESV)
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
We believe in the atoning death of Christ.
Romans 5:5 (ESV)
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
We believe in the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1: 21 (ESV)
who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
We believe that Jesus will soon return.
John 14:13 (ESV)
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
We believe that Jesus will soon return.
Philippians 3:20 (ESV)
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
We believe in Christ’s future reign over the earth
1 Corinthians 15:25 (ESV)
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
We believe in Christ’s future reign over the earth
Revelation 20:6 (ESV)
Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
We believe in Jesus judgment of all.
2 Timothy 4:1 (ESV)
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:
We believe in Jesus judgment of all.
Revelation 20:15 (ESV)
And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
What We Believe About Salvation From Sin
We believe man is sinful and that all come short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23 (ESV)
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
We believe man is sinful and that all come short of the glory of God.
Psalm 14:2-3 (ESV)
“The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”
We believe that sin has a penalty and its wages are death.
Romans 6:23 (ESV)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We believe that sin has a penalty and its wages are death.
Ezekiel 18:4 (ESV)
“Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.”
We believe that man cannot save himself. It is only by grace through faith that we are saved.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
We believe that man cannot save himself. It is only by grace through faith that we are saved.
Jeremiah 13:23 (ESV)
“Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil.”
We believe God has commanded all men to repentance.
Acts 17:30 (ESV)
The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
We believe faith is needed in order to be saved.
Acts 16:31 (ESV)
“And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.””
We believe we can be assured of eternal salvation in Christ.
Hebrews 7:25 (ESV)
“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”
What We Believe About The Local Church
We believe the church is a company of baptized believers.
Acts 2:41 (ESV)
“So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”
We believe in the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper.
Acs 2:42 (ESV)
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
We believe in the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper.
Acts 20:7 (ESV)
“On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.”
We believe in regular bible teaching.
Acts 11:26 (ESV)
“and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.”
We believe in regular bible teaching.
Matthew 18:18-20 (ESV)
“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””
We believe in urgent gospel preaching.
Philippians 1:27 (ESV)
“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,”
We believe in urgent gospel preaching.
Mark 16:15 (ESV)
“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.””
We believe in prayer meetings.
Acts 12:5 (ESV)
“So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.”
We believe in the use of spiritual gifts.
1 Peter 4:10 (ESV)
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:”
We believe in the use of spiritual gifts.
1 Corinthians 14: 34-35 (ESV)
“the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.”
We believe in leadership by God-appointed elders.
Acts 20:28 (ESV)
“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”
We believe in leadership by God-appointed elders.
1 Peter 5: 1-5 (ESV)
“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.””