We believe the Bible to be inspired of God. The Bible is the infallible Word of God. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (II Timothy 3:16).

The Bible is the only God-given authority which man possesses; therefore, all doctrine, faith, hope, and all instruction for the church must be based upon, and harmonize with, the Bible. It is to be read and studied by all men and women everywhere, and can only be clearly understood by those who are anointed by the Holy Spirit (I John 2:27). “No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (II Peter 1:20-21).

FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINE :The basic and fundamental doctrine of Lakeland United Pentecostal Church is the Bible standard of full salvation, which is repentance, baptism in water by immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the initial sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance.

THE ONE TRUE GOD: We believe in the one ever-living, eternal God: infinite in power, holy in nature, attributes and purpose; and possessing absolute, indivisible deity. This one true God has revealed Himself as Father; through His Son, in redemption; and as the Holy Spirit, by emanation (I Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6; II Corinthians 5:19; Joel 2:28). The Scripture does more than attempt to prove the existence of God; it asserts, assumes and declares that the knowledge of God is universal (Romans 1:19, 21, 28, 32; 2:15). God is invisible, incorporeal, without parts, without body, and therefore free from all limitations. He is Spirit (John 4:24), and “a spirit hath not flesh and bones” (Luke 24:39). “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord” (Mark 12:29). (See also Deuteronomy 6:4.) “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:6). Before the incarnation, this one true God manifested Himself in divers ways. In the incarnation, He manifests Himself in the Son, who walked among men. As He works in the lives of believers, He manifests Himself as the Holy Spirit.

THE SON OF GOD: The one true God, the Jehovah of the Old Testament, took upon Himself the form of man, and as the Son of man, was born of the virgin Mary. As Paul says, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (I Timothy 3:16). “He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11). This one true God was manifest in the flesh, that is, in His Son Jesus Christ. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them” (II Corinthians 5:19). We believe that, “in him [Jesus] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell” (Colossians 1:19). Therefore, Jesus in His humanity was man; in His deity was and is God. His flesh was the lamb, or the sacrifice of God. He is the only mediator between God and man. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (I Timothy 2:5). Jesus on His Father’s side was divine, on His mother’s side, human; thus, He was known as the Son of God and also the Son of man, or the God-man. “For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all” (I Corinthians 15:27-28). “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). *

THE NAME: God used different titles, such as “God Elohim,” “God Almighty,” “El Shaddai,” “Jehovah,” and especially “Jehovah Lord,” the redemptive name in the Old Testament. “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: . . . and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). This prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled when the Son of God was named. “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

ATONEMENT: The Lord Jesus came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). This divine act of atonement is dependent on the blood of the Lamb of God and is the foundation that makes salvation possible. For “without the shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22). “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7). “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Revelation 1:5). Salvation is by grace through faith based on the atonement provided in Jesus Christ by His death, burial, and resurrection. (See Acts 2:38; 20:28.)

REPENTANCE: Pardon and forgiveness of sins is obtained by genuine repentance, a confessing and forsaking of sins. We are justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). John the Baptist preached repentance, Jesus proclaimed it, and the apostles emphasized it to both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 2:38, 11:18, 17:30). The word repentance means a change of views and purpose, change of heart, change of mind, change of life, transformation, etc. Jesus said, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). Luke 24:47 says, “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

WATER BAPTISM: The scriptural mode of baptism is immersion and is only for those who have fully repented, having turned from their sins and a love of the world. It should be administered by a duly authorized minister of the gospel, in obedience to the Word of God, and in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to the Acts of the Apostles 2:38, 8:16, 10:48, 19:5; thus obeying and fulfilling Matthew 28:19.

THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: John the Baptist, in Matthew 3:11, said, “He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.” Jesus, in Acts 1:5, said, “Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” Luke tells us in Acts 2:4, “They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues [languages], as the Spirit gave them utterance.” The terms “baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire,” “filled with the Holy Spirit,” and the “gift of the Holy Ghost” are synonymous terms used interchangeably in the Bible. It is scriptural to expect all who receive the gift, filling, or baptism of the Holy Spirit to receive the same physical, initial sign of speaking with other tongues. The speaking with other tongues, as recorded in Acts 2:4, 10:46, and 19:6, and the gift of tongues, as explained in I Corinthians, chapters 12 and 14, are the same in essence, but different in use and purpose. The Lord, through the Prophet Joel, said, “I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh” (Joel 2:28). Peter, in explaining this phenomenal experience, said, “Having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he [Jesus] hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear” (Acts 2:33). Further, “the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:39).

DIVINE HEALING: The first covenant that the Lord (Jehovah) made with the children of Israel after they were brought out of Egypt was a covenant of healing. The Lord said, “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord [Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord that healeth] thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26). Our Lord Jesus Christ went about Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing all manner of sickness and disease among the people (Matthew 4:23-24). “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). The vicarious suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ paid not only for the salvation of our souls but also for the healing of our bodies. “With his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Matthew 8:17 reads, “Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” (See also I Peter 2:24.) We see from this that divine healing for the body is in the atonement. Jesus said of believers, “They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Later, James wrote in his epistle to all the churches: “Is any sick among you? let him

HOLINESS: Godly living should characterize the life of every child of the Lord, and we should live according to the pattern and example given in the Word of God. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11-12). “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (I Peter 2:21-23). “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation

THE GRACE OF GOD: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11-12). “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). A Christian must walk with God and keep himself in the love of God (Jude 21) and in the grace of God. When a person transgresses and sins against God and does not repent, he will eventually be lost and cast into the lake of fire. (See John 15:2, 6; II Peter 2:20-21.) Jude speaks of the backsliders of his day, and their reward. (See also Hebrews 6:4-6.)

The Apostle's Doctrine

This booklet is being printed and distributed with a sincere prayer that it may strengthen and establish the believer and that it may enlighten the thousands of perplexed and bewildered souls who are earnestly seeking, amid the maze of men's traditions to find the true doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ. Full Article

Pentecost: What's That?

The day of Pentecost was observed in Jerusalem fifty days after the celebration of the Passover, which commemorated Israel's deliverance out of Egypt. It is significant that this day was chosen by the Lord to begin the fulfillment of Joel 2:28: I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh....Full Article

60 Questions on the Godhead

Read the answers to sixty questions concerning the Godhead as found in the Bible.

You'll read questions and find answers such as:

Is the word trinity in the Bible? No.

Does the Bible say that there are three persons in the Godhead? No.

Does the Bible speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost? Yes.

And many, many, more... Full Article

What Is Sin?

This question is of vital importance because of the fearful judgment against those who commit sin. The soul that sinneth, it shall die, thunders the Old Testament (Ezekiel 18:20). In like tones, the New Testament declares: The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The one who lives in sin throughout his earthly life and faces God without having obtained divine forgiveness will be sentenced to eternal perdition. Full Article

Except Ye Repent

The three words of this title come from Luke 13:5, which reads, Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Plainly, then, the tragic alternative to repentance is eternal perdition.

In view of this fact, it is extremely important that everyone knows what repentance is and how it is accomplished. Full Article

Why We Baptize in Jesus' Name

The subject of water baptism has long been called a great issue and no doubt has been made such by many church leaders of the past and present. In our study of it, let us first consider its importance, or the necessity of being baptized. Full Article

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

The gift of the Holy Spirit has become the topic of much discussion in our day. Men and women of all persuasions and from all walks of life have become interested enough to search for greater understanding of this phenomenal spiritual experience. Capturing headlines, dominating the content of many religious periodicals, and generally creating excitement, this canon of apostolic faith deserves a sincere appraisal. Full Article

Why Did God Choose Tongues?

He was a deacon in a fashionable church, but he did not believe in the Pentecostal doctrine relative to the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Yet he had been exposed to that belief through members of his immediate family. One night, at the close of an Evangelistic service in an Apostolic church, he went forward to pray and was overwhelmingly filled with the Spirit of God. He spoke in other tongues fluently and was so inundated in the Spirit that even hours later he could not speak English. Definitely, this was a biblical experience accompanied not only by speaking in another tongue, but also by the joy and peace of the Holy Ghost. Full Article

After Death: What?

Can anyone think of a more relevant question? All of us pass through the narrow passageway leading from this life to the next-the passageway we call death. We shall all experience the transition into a new realm, another existence beyond this life and world we know today. Full Article

Divine Healing

God is the Great Physician. His knowledge of the human mind and body is complete. He can do more for the sick and the diseased than can all earthly doctors and surgeons combined. He created us; is it not reasonable, then, to believe that He can heal us when we are sick? Full Article

The Scriptures Decree Modesty in Dress

In ancient times, as throughout many countries today, a person's social rank could be determined by his dress. Similarly, dress is a significant measurement of Christian conduct and practice. Christians can often by identified as such by their outward appearance. Full Article

The Way We Worship

If you have never had the opportunity to be in a Spirit-filled service before, you will discover that Biblical expressions of worship are still practiced today. Join in with us as we praise God together in spirit and in truth. Full Article