Testimony
My mom was only 19 or 20 when she had me. My dad was never around. I probably was only 3 or 4, but I remember being confined to the basement of the foster home my older sister and I were put in. Even at this young age I experienced rejection and lack of self-worth. I wanted so much to feel needed, wanted, and loved; like I belonged. At 5 my sister and I were living with our Dad and step-mom. It seemed like my life was almost normal. Expect that this step-mom didn’t know how to give love and affection. She walked into a ready-made family that she was not ready for. I knew deep down that I was still missing out on unconditional love; the love that only parents will give their children just because. To make matters worse, my Dad’s behavior did not change. He was still never around. All through school, I kept looking for love and acceptance. I thought having a girlfriend would help so I almost never was without one. I applied myself in sports hoping that would bring acceptance. It only helped for a while; I still felt empty. After high school graduation I knew I would be drafted. I enlisted in the Navy to avoid the Army. That was when I got introduced to “Mary Jane” (marijuana). Smoking pot made me feel better about myself than ever before. When my tour was up, I continued getting high. So were the hippies. I bought into their lifestyle of love and peace. I thought they held the answers to the questions I had about life, love, and belonging. After a year of living this life, I realized they didn’t. So then I thought getting married was the answer to filling the void I had in my life where love was supposed to fit. She caught my eye at her job in my neighborhood drugstore. It took me a few days to get the courage up to ask her out, but I finally did. Karen said ok to a date. The day after our first date she moved in with me.
At 21, I thought I had life figured out. I learned a trade, had a live-in girlfriend, smoked all the dope I wanted, and got all the information I needed from the newspaper. I finally felt fulfilled and put my search for purpose on the shelf. Six
months later we got married and bought a house. We were living the American dream. Karen got a call from her best friend Ruth, who she knew since grade school. She wanted to move to Vegas and called to see if she could stay with us for a while.
We said sure. Ruth was like us; into smoking pot. Or so I thought. About two weeks later while hanging out, Ruth cried out “I can’t do this any longer. I have to go to church!” WHAT??!? She said she couldn’t live this lie. She told us she had given her life to Jesus Christ before she came to Vegas but kept up the pretense of being a doper because she didn’t know how we would react. I was dumbfounded. I couldn’t understand why Ruth wouldn’t party with us any more just because of this Jesus in her life. For the next several days Ruth and I were at odds. I explained my philosophy of life and she came back with something
she called Scriptures. She countered every argument I came at her with something from the Bible. I was frustrated until she told me about this man Paul and how he wrote most of the New Testament while in jail. I couldn’t figure out how someone who followed Jesus could end up spending most of his life in jail. I never heard this before. Without telling me, Ruth took Karen to church and she accepted Jesus, too. When I found out, I was even angrier. I told them I didn’t want to hear that they went to any of my friends to talk about this Jesus. A few days later my best friend said, “Guess who came to my house last night”? I was angry when he told me Karen and Ruth stopped by to talk about Jesus. He laughed it off, but not me. As soon as I got home I was yelling and screaming. I warned them to leave me alone and that I was going to go to their church and tell everyone off.
Saturday, I bought a lot of Mary Jane planning to get as high as I could. I was going to stay up all night and plan on how to tear these people down. Ruth challenged me before going to bed. “Ask God if Jesus Christ is the only way to get to God”. Even though I had been smoking pot all day and night, I couldn’t get high. Before I went to bed, I asked God if Jesus Christ is the only way to know Him. At that moment something moved in my heart. I no longer wanted revenge. I was at peace, more than ever before. At church all eyes were on me. The girls told everyone of my plan. The preaching began but I didn’t hear a word. I was struggling with God. I couldn’t believe He could forgive me of all the bad things I ever did. I sat there the whole time going back and forth in my mind with God. At the end of the sermon they began to sing Just As I Am. During the song I clearly heard God say “You are forgiven of all your sins”. It was like a bolt of lightening hit me. I began to weep uncontrollably. The next thing I knew I was kneeling at the front of the church and asking Jesus into my life. Galatians 2:20 says “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” I finally had answers to all my questions. I know why I’m on this planet. I have a fulfilling purpose, and a wonderful future to carry me into eternity. If you want your answers about your own purpose and future, please read with your heart the following simple prayer.
You too can experience God's love and purpose for your life. Simply begin by saying this aloud:
Lord Jesus, I am a sinner who needs your help. I believe you are the Son of God and that You died on the Cross to pay for my sins. I invite you into my life to be my Lord and Savior. Thank you for forgiving me. I commit my whole life to you now, In Jesus' name. Amen.
After you have prayed this prayer, call the number below and let someone know that you have asked Jesus into your life.
​
Pastor Gene Lucas
702 278-4320
​
What we Believe
1. THE HOLY BIBLE or THE SCRIPTURES
We believe the Holy Bible is the inspired Word of God and we accept all Scriptures as inerrant, infallible, and the sole and final guide in matters of faith and conduct. (2 Tim. 3:15-17, 2 Peter 1:19-21, Heb. 4:12)
2. THE NATURE OF GOD
We believe God has revealed Himself as One God, manifested in three eternal, co-equal Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deut. 6:4; 2 Samuel 23:2-3, Philip. 2:6, 1 John 5:7)
​
3. MAN & HIS FALL
We believe man is created in the image of God and is a triune eternal being—spirit, soul and body (1 Thes. 5:23, Heb. 4:12). Once good and upright, the first man Adam was tempted by Satan, voluntarily transgressed and fell from innocence. Through sin,
man's spirit is dead, his soul is corrupt, and his body is doomed to decay and death (Rom. 3:10, 23, 5:14).
​
4. JESUS
We believe in the Deity of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary to undo the works of Satan (1 John 3:8). On the Cross He gave His life and shed His blood as a ransom to redeem man
back to God. Jesus died, was buried, but on the Third Day He rose again, victorious over Death. (John 11:25, Rom. 14:9, 2 Cor. 5:15) Redemption for sinners is found only in Christ Jesus, the Son of God. (Rom. 5:12-21)
​
5. SALVATION OR THE NEW BIRTH
We believe the salvation of sinners is the gift of God, separate from religious works and laws. Man receives salvation by God's grace through personal repentance and personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This new birth is necessary for all sinners to be reconciled to God and, when experienced, imparts a new nature and eternal life to the
believer (2 Cor. 7:10;John 3:3-5; 1 John 5:12).
​
6. WATER BAPTISM
We believe baptism in water is a direct commandment of our Lord and is executed by full immersion after the New Birth. The ordinance is a public statement of the believer's association with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection (Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12; Acts 8:36-39).
​
7. HOLY COMMUNION
We believe Holy Communion is an act of covenant given by the Lord for believers only, and the bread and fruit of the vine represent the broken body and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 11:23-34)
​
8. HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM
We believe the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift of God promised by our Lord Jesus to all believers for the purpose of spiritual power in public testimony and service after the New Birth. This experience is accompanied by the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Holy Spirit gives utterance (Matt. 3:11; Luke 24:49; Acts 2:4; 1 Cor. 14).
​
9. THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the perpetuity of the gifts of the Holy Spirit as enumerated in 1 Corinthians 12-14, and as manifested before, during, and after the ministry of Jesus.
​
10. TITHES & OFFERINGS
We believe that all we have comes from the Hand of God and we willingly pay our tithes (10% of our income) and give offerings for the furtherance of His Kingdom. Giving in the Bible comes in the form of firstfruits, tithes and offerings as practiced
by godly people before, during and after the Law. The Bible teaches that we should honor the Lord with our wealth and possessions (Prov. 3:9-10), therefore we give not only out of our obedience to God's Holy commandment (Lev. 27:30–34, Deut. 12:5–6, Mal. 3:10–12) but also with a cheerful heart as an act of worship —an expression of gratitude for what the Lord has bestowed on us (2 Cor. 9:7, 1 Chron. 29:9)
​
11. WORK AS A FORM OF WORSHIP
We believe that all work, if dedicated to the Lord, is a form of worship. Work existed in the Garden before the Fall of Adam and Eve. It is an eternal activity. We as Christians should work heartily as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23), be steadfast and
abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58), and in doing so we are serving the Lord Christ and we will be rewarded (Colossians 3:24). The New Testament teaches that “if that if any would not work, neither should he eat” (2
Thessalonians 3:10). Since work is required and work is a form of worship, all the more we believe that giving is a required form of worship.
​
12. MARRIAGE & FAMILY
We believe that God made male and female sexually different and complementary for the purpose of procreation, that marriage is instituted by God to be a one-flesh union between male and female (Gen. 2:22-24, Mat. 19:5-6, Mark 10:6-9) and that thebiological family is the first unit of sovereign government that exists before all other earthly rulers and its proliferation furthers the moral, spiritual and physical good of a nation. Therefore, a. We defend the sanctity of biological genders, traditional marriage, and the nuclear family.
b. While affirming the dignity of each individual and accepting that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, we teach all to resist sexual immorality, refrain from all attempts to physically change, alter or disagree with a person’s predominant
biological gender, and to seek sexual redemption through repentance, faith in Jesus Christ, and joyful obedience to God’s Word. (Matthew 11:28-30, Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:1-10, I Corinthians 10:13, Hebrews 2:17-18, Hebrews 4:14-16)
c. Sexual Immorality are acts prohibited in the Holy Bible as sinful, including but not limited to, fornication (sex before marriage) adultery (sex outside of marriage), incest, pedophilia, zoophilia (beastiality), pornography, voyeurism, exhibitionism, sodomy, and same-sex sexual acts. (Exodus 20:14, Leviticus 18:7-23, Leviticus 20:10-21, Deuteronomy 5:18, Matthew 15:19, Matthew 5:27-28, Matthew 15:19, Romans 1:26- 27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-13, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Hebrews 13:4, Galatians 5:19,
Ephesians 4:17-19, Colossians3:5)
d. The Holy Scripture grants two life-enhancing options for human sexual behavior: (1) the conjugal “one flesh” marital union of a man and a woman, and (2) celibacy. Either is a gift from God, given as He wills, for His glory and for the good of those who receive His gift. Celibacy or faithful singleness is to be celebrated and affirmed, just as much as marital faithfulness. (Genesis 1:27-28; 2:18, 21-24; Matthew 19:4-6; Mark 10:5-8; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Corinthians 7:1-8; Matthew 19:12; 1 Corinthians
12:12-13; Romans 12:10; 1 Timothy 5:1-2)
​
13. WOMEN IN MINISTRY
Women are an integral part of the Body of Christ which is neither male nor female, with gifts differing according to the grace that is given to them. (Acts 18:24-26, 21:8, 9; Gal. 3:28; Rom. 12:4-6)
​
14. THE CHURCH AS AN INSTITUTION ORDAINED BY GOD
We believe the Church is God’s Family on Earth, a holy institution ordained by Jesus Christ, and the last instrument that the Holy Spirit is using to extend God’s kingdom prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:18, Ephesians 1:20-23,
Ephesians 3:10). Its expansion is the supernatural demonstration of God’s work on Earth and fulfills Jesus’ desire to “build My Church,” “feed My sheep,” and oppose the “gates of hell” (Matt. 16:18, 1 Cor. 14:12, John 21:17). The term “Church” is
used in the Bible to refer to 3 related things:
a. The universal Body of Christ in Heaven and on Earth (Eph 1:22, 1 Cor 3:9, 10:32, 1 Pet 2:15, Heb 12:23);
b. the local body of believers governed by anointed leadership (Acts 14:23, 1 Cor 1:2, 11:18, Col 4:15-16, James 5:14, Rev 2-3); and
c. the physical building where believers commonly worship (1 Tim 3:15, 1 Cor 4:17, 11:18, 22, 12:28, 14:19, 28, 34-35, 3 John 1:10, Heb 3:2). We believe that there is one true universal Church, made up of genuine believers, but this one universal Church is also composed of many local churches, worshipping indoors and outdoors, online and offline. God loves the church in all 3 senses of the word. The local church is under the sovereign headship of the Lord Jesus Christ, and is
completely autonomous; that is, it is self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating in its mature state. (Acts 15:22; Matthew 16:18; 18:15-20). Every believer must be subject to God’s authority in a specific local church for spiritual
protection and long-term fruitfulness (1 Thessalonians 5:12, Hebrews 13:17, 1 Timothy 5:17).
​
15. SANCTIFICATION
We believe that true disciples of Christ will undergo a process of becoming more like Christ and less worldly. (Titus 2:12; Rom 12:1; 1 John 2:15, Col 3:5-9; 1 Thes. 4:7; Eph. 2:8-10) Sanctification is a progressive work of grace that commences at the
moment of new birth but does not end until we stand before Jesus Christ. We are all being changed from glory to glory. (Heb. 12:14; 1 Thes. 5:23; 2 Peter 3:18; Phil. 3:12-14; 2 Cor. 3:18; 1 Cor. 1:30)
​
16. EVANGELISM & MISSIONS
We believe in worldwide evangelism. We believe it is our Christian duty to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28 and Mark 16) by preaching the Gospel, redeeming sinners, and revealing God as the native God of the various cultures on
Earth—the Creator is never a foreign god but the original God of humankind. Every Christian is called to evangelize his neighbor, participate in worldwide missions, and publish the Good News in “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the Earth” (Acts 1:8), and then the end shall come (Matt. 24:14).
​
17. THE RESURRECTION OF THE CHURCH
We believe that the appearing of our Lord Jesus, "...the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air..." (1 Thes. 4:16-17; Titus 2:13; 1 Cor. 15:51-54)
​
18. THE SECOND COMING OR RETURN OF JESUS
We believe in the physical return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The angels said to Jesus’ disciples, "...This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11; John 14:3; Heb. 9:28; Rev. 22:20)
​
19. THE MILLENNIAL REIGN OF CHRIST
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ shall return to Earth as King of kings, and Lord of lords, and together with His saints, who shall be His kings and priests, He shall reign 1000 years (Rev. 5:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-7).
​
20. ETERNAL PUNISHMENT IN HELL AND THE LAKE OF FIRE
The one who physically dies in his sins without accepting Christ is hopelessly and eternally lost in the Lake of Fire and, therefore, has no further opportunity of hearing the Gospel or repenting. The Lake of Fire is literal. The terms "eternal" & "everlasting" used in describing the duration of the punishment of the damned in the
Lake of Fire, carry the same thought and meaning of endless existence as used in describing the duration of joy and ecstasy of saints in the Presence of God (Heb. 9:27; Rev. 19:20)
​
21. DIVINE HEALING
We believe that the New Testament teaches that Christ is the Healer and that healing is for the Glory of God (Matt. 15:31; Mark 2:12; Luke 13:13; Luke 17:15; Acts 3:8-9, 4:14, 21). The Body of Christ is commissioned to continue healing the sick for God's
Glory by the power of His Word, the prayer of faith, the anointing of oil, and the laying on of hands. (Mark 16:18; Matt. 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24; Prov. 4:20-22;
