Plymouth Haven Baptist Church

Core Truth: It is doubtful that there has ever been a Christian who has been perfectly satisfied with how well they have been satisfied with their level of success in living the Christian life and bearing the spiritual fruit that Christ taught should be the case when in John 15:16 He said: “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you that you might go and bear and keep on bearing fruit, and that your fruit may be lasting, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you.” However, our gracious and patient Lord has also given us the remedy to our frustration, and has actually modeled the solution for us, if we are willing to pay the price.

Core Truth: A relentless war has been waged against Truth throughout human history. It began in the Garden of Eden when the serpent first said to Eve? “Hath God said?” and it has not stopped since. Satan’s relentless war against the truth has continued to take its toll on every succeeding generation of mankind and it continues to this very moment, bringing untold misery, destruction and death to multiplied millions of people every day, and perhaps never more so than in this present hour.

Core Truth: From our Lord’s own testimony itself, He and the Father have not left us to our own devices – about anything in our lives! And if He made it His life’s goal to get the mind of His Father on all the things that He said or did, how much more should we seek to do the same today. But for many that also raises such questions as: “Does God really speak to His children personally these days and if so, How does it do it? What does His voice sound like? And how can I be sure it is He who is speaking to me and not someone or something else?

Core Truth: Death is always necessary for any sort of harvest to occur. This is a universal principle and if it applied to our Lord then surely it applies to us. We, too, will only bear fruit that is eternal to the extent that we are willing to die to self and all its wishes, aspirations, and demands, whereas whatever we are clinging to that He has asked us to surrender will cause us to remain unfruitful for eternity – the place and time where it matters most.

Jesus is Logos in a world of chaos, Life in the midst of death, and Light in the domain of darkness.

Core Truth: Everyone is connected to a “vine” of some sort, but only those who are truly in Christ and who remain connected to Him can experience genuine fruitfulness. And it is also only those who are willing to submit to the often painful process of divine pruning who will experiences that level of fruitfulness that delights the Father’s heart and validates one’s claim to being a true follower of Christ.

The Core Truth is: As important as hearing God speak to us in a way that first brought us to faith and salvation, equally important is our need to hear His voice on a day-by-day and moment-by-moment basis. Only this will enable us to live our lives in ways that maximize our personal peace, help us define our purpose, and determine our kingdom productivity, while bringing the most possible honor and glory to our Lord and the greatest blessing and encouragement to others.

Core Truth: “There was the cup; hell was in it; the Savior drank it – not a sip, and then a pause; not a draught, and then a ceasing; but He drained it till there is not a dreg left for any of His people! The great ten-thonged whip of the law was worn out upon His back; there is no lash left with which to smite one for whom Jesus died! The great bombardment of God’s justice has exhausted all its ammunition; there is nothing left to be hurled against a child of God!” (Spurgeon Sermon: “It Is Finished”)

Core Truth: “The work of the Sprit is to impart life, to implant hope, to give liberty, to testify of Christ to guide us into all truth, to teach us all things, to comfort the believer, and to convict the world of sin.” (D.L. Moody) “Without the Spirit of God, we can do nothing. We are as ships without wind. We are useless.” (Spurgeon)

Core Truth: Becoming a Christian is not a matter of signing up for a series of do’s and don’ts that are based on our ability to perform. Rather, becoming a Christian is a matter of freely receiving the incredible gift of a brand new life in Christ – a life filled to overflowing with everything needed to please God, bless and encourage others, and live lives that will be eternal in their consequence.

Core Truth: While as the apostle Paul declared, by one man’s actions sin and all its destructive consequences were released into what had been a perfect world, God the Father chose to offer a way of escape and complete restoration of all who will believe in and receive His perfect Gift, the Perfect Christ.

Jesus is the Son of God, fully God and fully man. He was born and lived a sinless life. He died, was buried, and He rose again from the dead. He will come again, in glory, one day to judge the living and the dead. Who do you say that Jesus is?

Core Truth: It’s been said that a person with a theory is always at the mercy of a person with an experience, and it is fair to say that there are some things in life that we as Christians should know what we’re talking about! It is the Christian who can answer such important questions as: “Why are we here? Where are we going when we die? And, is there really any hope or meaning in this present world?” It is the Christian who can “speak what we do know;” all else is mere theory and conjecture.

God has made Himself known to us, as Trinity, and that has been done in the person of Christ, and none can take that away from us!

Core Truth: Worship is our response to God, both personal and corporate, for Who He is, whereas praise and thanksgiving are expressions of gratitude for what He has done – all coming from hearts filled with genuine love, childlike submission, and unquestioning obedience to His will.

Core Truth: No person or nation can ever be truly free apart from the freedom, which was secured by the sufferings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ 2000 years ago – all other freedoms ultimately flow from that divine fountainhead. And it can further be argued that apart from that freedom, no other freedoms can exist nor long endure.

Core Truth: Christ set the example for all who would follow Him. It was an example of resolute obedience to the Father’s will, and a refusal to compromise or seek an easier way out, no matter what that cup contained.

Jesus’ cure for our troubled hearts is faith in his promises. 1. You have an eternal home with me. John 14:1-4 2. You come to, know, and see the Father through me. John 14:5-11 3. You have great works to do through me. John 14:12 4. You have confidence I will answer your prayers. John 14:13-15 5. You have the Father, Son and Holy Spirit with you. John 14:16-26 6. You have My peace. John 14:27

Core Truth: One of the most difficult things even the most devout Christian often faces is what to do when, no matter how hard we pray and try to have faith, God seems either unconcerned, disinterested, or deafeningly silent about what we are going through that is, perplexing us, weighing us down, and greatly testing our faith.

Core Truth: Regardless of mankind’s claims otherwise, only those who have been set free by the Lord Jesus Christ actually know what it means to be free.

Core Truth: Trouble is part of everyone’s life and it comes in all shapes and sizes. And though we cannot prevent its arrival, we can have a strategy in place that will help maximize its divine purpose and usefulness when it does.

Core Truth: To truly surrender to God is to put oneself completely at His disposal and be willing to live only for that which pleases Him and advances His kingdom in the world.

Core Truth: It is far too easy for us to miss the real secret of our Lord’s life and ministry here on earth. His power over demons, diseases, discouragements, and difficulties was not due to His divine nature, but rather to His total surrender to the Father’s will.

Core Truth: The only true freedom is that freedom which can only be found in Christ; all other supposed freedoms are mere illusions.

Core Truth: While each Memorial Day it is fitting that we pause to remember those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedoms, let us also remember the One Who purchased the greatest freedom of all – freedom from the power and the eternal penalty of sin.

Core Truth: There is a great difference between “working for the Lord” and allowing Him to do His work through us. To promote the cause of Christ in the flesh rather than the Spirit is distracting and even destructive, regardless of how satisfying it might be to our own ego or how good it might make us look in the eyes of others.

Core Truth: The way Christ wants to live His live through us is by the presence, wisdom, grace and power of the Holy Spirit Who upon the day of our New Birth came to abide with us forever.

Core Truth: The key to living a truly effective Christian life is to simply allow Christ to live His life THROUGH us.

Core Truth: Streams of living water will flow from within anyone who believes in Jesus.

Core Truth: Trouble is part of everyone’s life and it comes in all shapes and sizes. And though we cannot prevent its arrival, we can have a strategy in place that will help maximize its divine purpose and usefulness when it does.

Core Truth: Worship that is acceptable to God is that which comes from a heart that has been quickened (made alive) by the Holy Spirit and rooted in Biblical Truth.

Core Truth: God has created us and given us breath so that we can worship Him and give Him praise (Psalm 150:6). However, our worship must be born of the Spirit and rooted in the truth of His Word. All else is at best mere religious noise and at worst, an offense to the One we seek to honor.

Core Truth: Jesus is The Life - the only life there is. All else is dead, no matter how “alive” it may seem at the time. But the good news is that He has come into a dead and dark world to bring that which is dead to life again!

Core Truth: Many people believe there is a no such thing as absolute truth. For them, “Truth” is simply whatever they think or want it to be. However, Christ allows no such latitude. He alone is Truth and those who are of the truth will recognize and welcome Him as such.

Core Truth: From the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden, God’s one and relentless objective has been to provide a way back home for all who will repent and believe the Gospel, and the mandate upon every Christian is to share that good news with as many as possible.

Core Truth: The fundamental truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the irrefutable fact that those who live by faith in Him will never die and the implications of that are profound – both for those who have bowed the knee to Him in repentance and faith … and for those who refuse to do so!

Core Truth: “God did not abolish the fact of evil: He transformed it. He did not stop the crucifixion: He rose from the dead. The empty tomb opens before the world, telling us it is God Who still has the last word, not ourselves, that on Easter Day life looks forward, onward, upward, God-ward.” (Dorothy L. Sayers; Elmer S. Freeman)

Core Truth: We have been personally chosen and appointed by Christ to go wherever He sends us and bear fruit that will last for eternity.

Core Truth: The secret of a fruitful life is contained in our willingness to live in unbroken fellowship with Christ, without Whom we can do nothing!

Core Truth: Our Father’s goal is that through an abiding relationship with His Son, He can bring us to a place in Christ where our lives are rich with the fruit of the Spirit and in good works - works that glorify Him daily before a watching world.

Core Truth: The secret of a truly fruitful Christian life lies not within ourselves but in the One Who lives within us and simply seeks our permission to live His life through us in every moment of our lives.

Core Truth: Christ’s command that we “go into every part of the world and preach the good news of the Gospel” was never a suggestion, nor even a polite request. Rather, it is a divine mandate to every believer, carrying with it the “fierce urgency of NOW.”

Core Truth: The Christian life demands faith; not just in the difficult places of life but when we have been tested to the limit and beyond, and all hope seems gone! Such faith only comes through experience and by a consistent diet of God’s Presence and Word.

Core Truth: At a time when we seem surrounded by troubles and our world is being shaken on every side, our Lord’s words are meant to remind us that it is all part of His eternal plan and is intended to prepare us for the life with Him that is to come!

Core Truth: While we are called as Christians to live in an environment that is intrinsically alien and hostile, Christ intends us to live in ways that are righteous, rigorous, reconciling and redemptive.

Core Truth: Through His death on the cross Christ paid the full penalty for our sins; but through the power of His resurrection He destroyed the works of the devil, including death itself!

Core Truth: Our willingness to walk in humility, love and unity with each other has a direct effect on the world's ability to believe that our Lord is Who He says He is.

Core Truth: As with Mary, our giving to Christ is most beautiful and pleasing to Him when it is done simply to honor and bless Him, no matter what others may think about it.

Core Truth: Our freedom in Christ is a finished and irreversible work of grace. However, that does not alter our power to choose good over evil, right over wrong, and righteousness instead of sin, and our freedom to live a victorious Christian life remains a matter of choice every moment that we live.

Core Truth: Christ is not coming back to find a bride who is weak, sickly, and ineffective in her witness before a watching world. Rather, He is coming back for a triumphant church that has caused hell to tremble and millions to kneel at the foot of the cross.

Core Truth: The greatest freedom anyone can ever know is that which comes from knowing Jesus Christ.

Core Truth: The resurrection issue takes the question, ‘Is Christianity valid?’ out of the realm of philosophy and makes it a question of history. ~ Josh McDowell

Core truth: When God the Father sent Christ into the world He forever removed all doubt as to who God is and what our heart’s response to Him should be.

Core Truth: “God did not promise to keep us from trouble, He just promised to be there when it happens.”

Core Truth: “God did not promise to keep us from trouble, He just promised to be there when it happens.”