A Church that serves the Lord Jesus
We started as a home church on November 21st 2009 with friends who have a deep desire for the Lord Jesus Christ. We want an intimate relationship with Jesus, His people, and to do His will. Our core value is Love, without Love no matter what you do it is just making noise. We now meet in our first building on US 1 South (God is Good) We had our grand opening on Feb. 5th 2010.
God really begin to challenge us to serach the scriptures and confirm all our doctrine and beliefs with His word and be willing to let go of men's tradition and men's doctrine and to obey His commands. that is when in August 27th 2011 we changed our sunday morning service to saturday morning to keep the Sabbath Holy. (for more info on Sabbath see our What We Belive section)
We are a Free Church, Just what exactly is a free-church? We are glad you asked!
A free-church operates independent of, and is in no way subordinate to, the civil government.
It is the right of any church to operate free of the corrupting and compromising influence and control of the State; and it is a right guaranteed by the Constitution:
<Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof>
A free-church is not some radical-fringe concept. Rather, the free-church was one of the most influential, and certainly one of the most common, institutions in early American history. The worldview of those men who fought for America's independence embraced an uncompromising belief that the church was not an underling, a vassal, or in any way subordinate to any king, parliament, or any other civil government body.
The church is the religious institution ordained and established by Jesus Christ Himself, and Christ has never delegated His authority to the civil jurisdiction to rule in the affairs of His church.
A free-church is the opposite of a State-Church.
Americans, are generally offended by the notion of the State creating or controlling their churches, or that their churches would be subordinate to the State. However, this is exactly what has occurred in recent years as a direct result of churches incorporating and seeking a 501c3 status -- they have become State-Churches.
A free-church is a church that is truly separate, independent and autonomous from the State. It is established by a local body of Christian believers, or chartered or "planted" by another church body or denomination, without the permission or sanction of the State. The only "sovereign" of the free-church is the Lord Jesus Christ. A free-church cannot incorporate, it cannot seek a 501c3 status, it cannot become a tax collector for the State (withholding agent), it cannot accept government-issued tax numbers (EIN).
The term "free-church" was widely used by the American colonists. It was not a term that they coined, but one which they inherited from their fathers and forebears such as the Scottish Covenanters, and the "non-conformist" English clergy, both of whom fled the persecutions of the Anglican State-Church and it's "sovereign head" the British monarchy.
Even after American independence there continued to be Christians who fled the religious persecution of their State-Church systems for the freedom of religion America offered them. They too often used the term "free-church" to describe the churches they organized. Such an example of this would be the Evangelical Free Church, which was founded by a group of Scandinavians who settled in America in the mid-nineteenth century.
Tragically, the Evangelical Free Church In America today has become a "Free Church" in name only. By incorporating and becoming a 501c3 they, some years ago, decided to abandon those principles that their Swedish, Danish and Norwegian forefathers endured great persecution for.
The church must cease operating as an underling, subordinate to the State, or in any way dependent upon the State for "privileges and benefits." The solution rests in the church organizing and operating as a church -- the ecclesia, not as something other than what the Lord Jesus Himself ordained and specified. Jesus spoke of the church as a “body” with Himself as the “head” of His church, and we as various “members of the body.” The church is, therefore, not an “organization” (a “legal entity”) but a living, breathing “organism.”
This should not be a difficult biblical doctrine to grasp, particularly for the Pastor. Sadly, however, ever since local churches started organizing as tax-exempt non-profit corporations in the mid-twentieth century, and since the incorporated 501c3 church is now the status quo, many folks have a hard time conceiving of the church operating as just a church. For some odd reason, just being a church isn’t good enough anymore for too many Christians.
The thinking today appears to be that we must somehow be smarter than Jesus and His disciples were. They refused to incorporate and that refusal resulted in their persecution (incorporation of all “spontaneous collectivities of persons” became mandatory throughout the Roman Empire by 6 A.D.). We’re told that we live in a far more complex world than the first-century church, and so the church too must inevitably become more complex and just adapt to the complexities of the modern information age. The simplicities of the organizational infrastructure (polity) of the early church are no longer adequate to address the complex world in which we live.
Those who hold to such beliefs, whether in word or deed, are in reality, making a public proclamation that Jesus Christ is no longer competent to govern His own church and provide for, and protect it.
The courts well-understand that “a church is not an entity recognized in law,” meaning that they have no jurisdiction over the church. However, organizing a church as a church is an especially difficult concept for attorneys to grasp. Few attorneys can comprehend that there are things and issues completely outside the purview and jurisdiction of the civil government, nor do they much care for the idea. After all, it’s hard to get many billable hours out of those churches that understand that the civil government has no jurisdiction over them. A free-church needs an attorney like a fish needs a bicycle.
The legal support for the State’s lack of jurisdiction over the church in America is not only the Word of God, but the First Amendment to the Constitution for the United States:
<Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof>
No church in any nation at any point in history can lay claim to the freedoms and liberties that are guaranteed the church in America. The First Amendment is an act of God’s Providence to safeguard His church and maintain its independence from the State. The First Amendment is the highest form of real protection the church has ever known in history.
The solution rests in the church abandoning the phony third-rate protections and benefits of the State and returning to those real protections and benefits that are ours in Christ Jesus.
This infomation was gather from Heal Our Land Ministries, by Peter Kershaw and more info is at www.hushmoney.org
Lifetime Ministry is not and will not be incorporated. We will follow Jesus Christ. We will not file for an IRS ruling of 501c3 status. God's Church is not exempt from taxes, it is outside of tax.
By the provisions of the First Amendment to the Constitution: "Congress shall make no law regarding an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
The Church is therefore immune to government limitations; unless a local church willingly subjects itself to government control, and thereby surrenders Christ's headship.
Jesus is Lord!
God is our service ministries' source, not any man made government; and not even you my friend. If the government closes our assembly doors we will still praise God, and follow him. To see how our model, the early church, handled government orders read Acts chapters 3 & 4.
If we get no tax benefit; well and good. Lifetime Ministry is a free Church. God is able to supply all our needs, exceedingly, abundantly, above all we can ask or think.
We think those who contribute to our church and live in America are safe taking their deductions if they wish. Regardless of man's rules and how they change, we will not trade God's unlimited eternal provision for man's limited promise.
Ask God's Holy Spirit where and how He would have you contribute, and then follow His leading. If you are to give to us, give joyfully. If you can not give joyfully, don't give. God will provide for us from some other quarter. Jesus Christ is our source.