Christian
International Ministries Network is a group of
ministries dedicated to helping the Body of Christ fulfill our
God-given
destiny. Founders Dr. Bill and Evelyn Hamon have led CI from its
beginning as a
Bible School in 1967 to an internationally recognized ministry today.
Dr. Hamon
is a forerunner in restoring an understanding of prophetic ministry to
the
Church. His heart is to impart his 50-plus years of ministerial
experience and
insight to raise up others.
CI’s
vision to
play a vital role in the bringing of the restoration of prophets and
apostles
to the Church, is based upon Acts 3:20-21: “And he shall send Jesus
Christ,
which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until
the
times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth
of all
his holy prophets since the world began.” (emphasis added). This
restoration of
“all things” includes the restoration of apostles and prophets to the
Church to
take their place alongside evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Together
these
“five-fold” ministers will equip the believers for the work of the
ministry
(Eph. 4:11-12).
Along
with the
restoration of the offices of apostle and prophet, we believe God is
restoring
all the gifts of the Spirit which were active in the early Church. As
the 1st
century believers turned their world upside down through the power of
the Holy
Spirit, God wants to move in and through His people today. Equipping
believers
for the work of the ministry includes teaching them in the prophetic
(revelation) gifts and apostolic (miracle) gifts (I Cor. 12:8-10). To
prophesy
is to speak forth the word and heart of God, as Jesus did (Jn. 8:28),
and to do
apostolic works is to do what Jesus did: “Heal the sick, cleanse the
lepers,
raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.”
(Mt.
10:8, see also Jn. 5:19). As the Church does this, the world will be
impacted,
a great harvest of souls will come in, and the Bride of Christ will be
fully
perfected for the Lord’s return (Eph. 4:13-16, Rev. 19:7-8).
SCRIPTURE. –
We believe
the Scriptures to be the inspired and inerrant Word of God. They are
revelation
from God to man, the infallible rule of faith and conduct. [II Tim.
3:16; I
Peter 2:2.]
THE
NATURE OF GOD –
We
believe in one God, eternal and self existent, self-revealed and
manifested to
man as Father, Son and Holy Ghost. [Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29; Isa.
43:10-11; Matt.
28:19.] We believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having
been
conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of the virgin, Mary. [John 1:1,14;
Mat.
1:18; Luke 1:26-27; Luke 2:7; I Tim. 2:5.] We believe that Jesus Christ
died on
the cross and shed his blood as a sacrifice for our sins;
He
arose bodily
from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of
the
Majesty on High. [I Pet. 2:24; Heb. 9:11-14; I Cor. 15:3-8; Acts
2:32-36; Heb.
10:12.] We believe in the personal, literal second coming of our Lord
Jesus
Christ to judge both the quick and the dead. [I Thess. 4:16; Heb 9:27;
I Cor.
15:51-52; Rev. 20:11-15; Acts 24:15.] We believe in the ministry of the
Holy
Spirit to glorify Christ, to convict men of sin, righteousness and
judgment and
to empower the believer. [John 15:26; John 16:8, 14; Acts 1:8.]
GOD’S
RELATION TO MAN –
We
believe that man was created in the image of God, but fell into sin.
[Gen.
1:26-31; Gen. 3:1-7; Rom. 5:12-21.] We believe that man can be
justified only
by grace through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. [Eph.
4:11-12; Rom.
3:24-28.] We believe that water baptism identifies us with the death
and burial
of Christ, and that we should arise to walk in newness of life. [Rom.
6:3-9; I
Pet. 3:21.] We believe in the bodily resurrection of all the dead.
[Acts 24:15;
I Cor. 15:35-44; Rev. 20:11-15.] We believe in everlasting blessedness
for the
believer, with judgment and everlasting punishment for the unbeliever.
[Mat.
7:21-23; Rev. 20:11-15; John 5:29.]
THE
CHURCH- We
believe that the true Church is composed of such persons who, through
saving
faith in Jesus Christ, have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. [I
Pet. 2:4-5;
Eph. 2:19-22.] We believe that Christ wants the members of His Church
to carry
the Gospel into all the world. [Mat. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8.] We believe
that the
Church of Jesus Christ is God’s instrument to establish and extend
God’s
Kingdom until the literal coming of Christ to reign over all the earth.
[Rev.
11:15.] We believe in the autonomy of each local church and that
itinerant
ministries should be based out of and related to a local church with
accountability
to a senior minister. [Acts 13:1; Acts 15.] We believe that the church
is the
Body of Christ expressed as the church individual, the church local and
the
church universal and invisible. As such we believe the church to be
more than
just a building or a gathering of people. It is a body living in
relationship
and harmony under direction of the head, Jesus Christ. [I Cor. 6:15; II
Cor.
1:1; Rom. 16:5; I Pet. 2:4-5; Eph. 2:19-22; I Cor. 12:12-31; Rom.
12:4-5; Eph.
4:11-16.] We believe that in all matters concerning the Body of Christ,
in its
direction, discipline, ministry and functioning that specific guidance
and
instruction, revelation and discernment of truth from falsehood, is
available
by the leading of the Holy Spirit who enables us to know spiritual
things by
the Spirit. [Acts 13:1-3; I Tim. 1:18; Rom. 8:14; I Tim. 5:22; John
16:13-15; I
Cor. 5:3.]
THE
WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT–
We believe
that the Holy Spirit is at work today within the Church through His
gifts,
fruits and anointed ministers. [Acts 2:39; Rom. 12:6-8; I Cor. 12:1-11;
Gal.
5:22-23; Eph. 4:11; I Cor. 12:28.] We believe that the gifts of the
Holy Spirit
are given to every believer and need to be activated and exercised to
fulfill
their divine purpose of blessing the Body of Christ. [Acts 2:39; II
Tim. 1:6.]
We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit wherein the Spirit is sent
to gift
each believer with their own private prayer/praise language used to
edify
themselves, and that such a baptism empowers the believer to be
effective for
Christ. [Acts 1:8; Acts 2:39; I Cor. 14:2; Jude 20; I Cor. 14:18; Acts
19:1-6.]
We believe in divine healing of the body as part of the atoning work of
Jesus
Christ. This healing can be received and also ministered to others by
various gifts
[I Cor. 12:8-10; Mat. 8:16-17; I Pet. 2:24.]
THE
MINISTRIES OF CHRIST – We
believe in the full function of the five-fold ministry which was given
to
perfect and equip the saints so they can enter into the work of their
ministry,
thereby edifying the whole Body of Christ. [Eph. 4:11-16; I Cor.
12:28.] We
believe in the present day ministries of the apostles and prophets,
which
Christ has set in the Church as foundational and revelational
ministries. We
believe these two ministries will be restored to function in full power
and
authority before the literal second coming of Christ. [Eph. 2:20; Acts
3:21.]
DISCIPLINE
– We
believe in church discipline administered within the relational group
in a
spirit of meekness and confidentiality. The purpose of such discipline
is the
restoration of the one subject to the discipline and/or the
purification of
the relational group. The steps of discipline are one on one private
confrontation, private confrontation with witnesses, and, finally,
exposure to
the relational group for judgment leading to restoration or separation.
[Mat.
18:15-20; Gal. 6:1; Rom. 16:17; II John 9-11; I Cor. 5; II Cor. 2:6-8;
I Tim.
5:20.]
MEMBERSHIP
– The
Church, by its very composition, is a membership organization. The
local church
is the manifestation within our society of The Church. Each local
church exists
for an express purpose in God’s plan. Individual members of the Body of
Christ
will wish to associate with our congregation as members. All believers
are
members of The Church. The Lord will set some of those members of The
Church
into this local congregation as members as it pleases him. As members
of this
local congregation they are given into the care and oversight of the
leadership
which must give an account to God for their souls. The elders of this
church
shall have the right to determine who may attend church meetings and
functions.
This church is owned by the Lord Jesus Christ who has entrusted the
care of the
flock to the leadership he has raised up here. It is not a place of
public
accommodation, nor is it a public institution, and its property is not
a public
place but is, rather, private property belonging to this church. (Acts
20:28-31; II Peter 2:1-3; I Tim. 1:20; 6:5; I Cor. 5:1-13; II Thess.
3:6-15; II
John 9-11; II Tim. 3:1-5; Titus 3:10-11; Rom. 16:17).
REPENTANCE
– Repentance
is a gift from God. It is simply not true that a person can repent at
any time.
Repentance is dependant upon the convicting action of the Holy Spirit
in the
lives of sinners and believers. The conviction of the Holy Spirit,
which often
accompanies the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, will result in
the
revelation of the sinfulness of self which should lead to Godly sorrow.
Remorse, or worldly sorrow, is a feeling of deep regret, hopelessness
or even
despair. It does not lead to constructive change. On the other hand
Godly
sorrow, which may at times be mistaken for worldly sorrow, produces
repentance
which causes us to turn away from sin and selfishness and to receive
faith for
change. Worldly sorrow is destructive but repentance is life giving.
Repentance
changes the way we feel and act about sin, self and God. Repentance is
a total
change of heart, mind, attitude, emotions, will, action and lifestyle
flowing
form the turmoil and sorrow of Holy Spirit conviction of sin. [II Cor.
7:10;
Psalms 51; Acts 11:18; II Tim. 2:25; Gen. 6:3; Rom. 1:18-32; Mat.
9:12-13.]
MEDIATION
– We
believe as members of the same body of Christ, baptized by one spirit
into one
body that we must endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond
of peace
and as such that we should not bring a lawsuit against another
Christian
individual or ministry unless all scriptural principles have been
complied with
through efforts of mediation. We believe that all such disputes should
be
resolved within the Body of Christ without taking them before
unbelievers for
judgment. (I Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:3-6).
PROPHECY –
We
believe that God speaks today. We believe that hearing from God, both
individually as members and corporately as a church and association of
churches, through prophecy or any other biblical means chosen by God to
communicate, is essential to our faith and walk with God. Prophecy and
prophetic utterance is only one method of discerning God’s will and
direction
and it is recognized that none of the methods or channels of prophecy
will
always be 100 percent accurate and actions should not be taken on the
basis of
prophetic words alone without other confirmation. We believe that
prophetic
presbytery serves the purpose in the Body of Christ in activating,
establishing, releasing, commissioning, and ordaining gifts to their
office,
function, and place of relationship and/or leadership. [I Cor. 14:3,
Eph. 4:11;
Eph. 2:20; I Tim. 4:14; Acts 13:1-3; Titus 1:5; Rom. 12:6; I Pet. 4:10;
I Cor.
14:39; I Cor. 14:1; I Thess. 5:19-21; I Tim. 5:22; II Tim. 1:6.]
ORDINANCES.
– We
believe in two primary new testament ordinances: Baptism by immersion
and The
Lord’s Supper. However, we do not believe that the administration of
such
ordinances is limited to ordained or licensed ministers. We believe in
the
priesthood of believers.
Ordination
and
licensing in this church is a separation and recognition of a specific
gifting
of God. We believe that God calls men into specific ministries as
apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. God calls. Man can only
recognize
the call and acknowledge it. Ordination is on the basis of that
recognition of
God’s gifting. Men called to a specific office by God and ordained or
licensed
by this church will have the right to participate in the traditional
sacramental and ordinal functions of the church such as marriage,
funerals,
baptisms, and the like. They shall also be expected to function in the
spiritual giftings of their office and to demonstrate the reality of
their
calling. This church is a non-sacramental protestant church. We reject
the
efficacy of ritual and the concept of a separate priestly class. We
recognize
the priesthood of believers and the serving ministry of the apostle,
prophet,
evangelist, pastor, and teacher with government by elders. As such, we
recognize that those called to those offices will function in a manner
to lead
by example in prayer, worship, teaching, laying on of hands, and
prophesying
and that such actions on the part of those ordained and licensed by
this church
are equivalent to the sacramental function of the priesthood in
traditional
sacramental churches.
BENEVOLENCE
– We
believe that the Scriptures are clear concerning helping those in need.
We are
commanded to do good to all people as we have opportunity, with a
special
emphasis upon caring for those who profess to be fellow Christians,
especially
those of our own fellowship of believers. We are commanded to be
generous and
willing to share, laying up treasure for ourselves in the coming age by
our
kindness and generosity in this life. This is true for the church as an
organization as well as for the individual members of the church.
Therefore, in
accordance with the biblical commands, as a fundamental aspect of the
practice
of our faith, we will share of our material goods with those in need
and will
minister to them to the best of our abilities, whatever the need.
[Prov. 25:21;
Is. 58:10; Gal. 6:10; 1 Tim. 6:18-19; Heb. 13:16.]
RELATIONS
OF CHURCH AND STATE – God
has
entrusted the church the solemn Biblical responsibility of being the
conscience
of society, culture and government. As such the church has a duty
before God to
speak to the issues that arise from and relate to society, culture and
government. Specifically, the church, in the tradition of the prophets,
is
required to call government to account before God for the actions taken
by the
government with the view toward keeping the government in its proper
role and
relationship as a steward under God of the resources of the nation. [I
Kings
18:18; II Chron. 15:1-4; Matt. 5:13-14; Acts 12:23; I Sam. 15:14-35.]
The
church has a divine mandate to practice its religion as dictated by
God. The
earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. The church is the
blood-bought
bride of Christ of whom Jesus is the head, the Lord and the only
master. As
such we categorically reject any and all claims by the state to
headship or
sovereignty over the church. When earthly governments leave their
God-ordained
sphere of responsibility and seek to restrain, hamper or limit the
church’s
obedience to Christ in all areas of life, then the church must and will
obey
God rather than man and must also confront the government with its
error and
call it back to its proper place under God. (Exodus 8, 9, 10; Daniel 3,
6; Acts
4:19; 5:29).
COUNSELING
[DISCIPLESHIP] – We
believe that the scriptures clearly define that members of a
congregation can
seek out advice, consultation, direction, purpose, resolution, and
guidance
from amongst the shepherds, elders, mature men and women, and Five-Fold
Ministry Gifts within the Body of Christ. [I Kings 1:12; Prov. 27:9;
Prov.
11:14; Ps. 55:13-14.] We further believe that consultation and
instruction is
applicable by the scriptures through sessions, a company of persons in
close
deliberation set together, to lay a foundation, set in place and give
wise
counsel. This also provides safety, defense, rescue and freedom from
trouble.
[Ps. 55:13-14; Prov. 1:11-14; Prov. 12:15.] The personal care of the
saints is
the sanctification of the whole person, body, soul and spirit, [I
Thess. 3:13;
5:23.] through the love that flows from faith, patience and hope, and
the
redemptive power of the Cross of Christ, [Rom. 3:25; Luke 9:23.] The
atoning
blood of Jesus, [Eph. 2:13-16; I Peter 1:18-19.] The transformation of
the soul
through the word of God, [Rom. 12:1-2.] the denying of the old nature,
[Gal.
2:20, 5:24; I Peter 1:13-15.] salvation through grace not works, [Eph.
2:1-8.]
and the promise of the resurrection, [John 3:16, 10:25-26.] are the
effective
working mechanisms that characterize pastoral care ministry. Such
ministry is
foundational to the practice of our faith.
DELIVERANCE- The
need
for deliverance is manifested by an inability to be free from a
bondage: e.g.,
mental (emotional), physical or spiritual normally associated with
demon
activity. It is God’s desire to bring deliverance to his people. Job
5:19,
Psalms 91:3, II Timothy 4:13; Hebrews 2:15; II Peter 2:9). We have been
granted
the authority in the name of Jesus to bring deliverance to others.
(Mark 16:17,
John 14:12; I Cor. 12:8-11). We must understand that our warfare is
with the
forces of evil (Eph. 6:12), our weapon is the word of God, our
authority and
power is from Jesus himself (Mark 16:17, Acts 1:8) and that the
battlefield is
first of all in the spiritual realms. (Eph. 6:10-18, II Cor. 10:3-5,
Rom. 8:9,
Gal. 5:22-23).
HUMAN
SEXUALITY- We
believe in the creation and God as the Creator. We believe that God
created man
and that He created them Male and Female. As such he created them
different so
as to complement and complete each other. God instituted monogamous
marriage
between male and female as the foundation of the family, the basic
structure of
human society. For this reason homosexuality is an abomination before
God.