What we believe

As Members of the Evangelical Alliance, we recognise and stand with their Statement of Faith. We believe in:

• The one true God who lives eternally in three persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
• The love, grace and sovereignty of God in creating, sustaining, ruling, redeeming and judging the world.
• The divine inspiration and supreme authority of the Old and New testament Scriptures, which are the written Word of God – fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.
• The dignity of all people, made male and female in God’s image to love, be holy and care for creation, yet corrupted by sin, which incurs divine wrath and judgement.
• The incarnation of God’s eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ – born of the virgin Mary, truly divine and truly human, yet without sin.
• The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross: dying in our place and paying the price of sin and defeating evil, so reconciling us with God.
• The bodily resurrection of Christ, the first fruits of our resurrection; his ascension to the Father and his reign and mediation as the only Saviour of the world.
• The justification of sinners solely by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
• The ministry of God, the Holy Spirit, who leads us to repentance, unites us with Christ through new birth, empowers our discipleship and enables our witness.
• The Church, the Body of Christ, both local and universal, the priesthood of all believers – given life by the Spirit and endowed with the Spirit’s gifts, to worship God and proclaim the Gospel, promoting justice and love.
• The personal and visible return of Jesus Christ to fulfil the purposes of God, who will raise all people to judgement, bring eternal life to the redeemed and eternal condemnation to the lost, and establish a new Heaven and a new Earth.

The following statements build on the foundation laid by the statement of faith above and form the basis for our approach to all teaching and prayer ministry.

• Our foundational objective, when practising the Christian healing ministry, is the restoration of God’s order in a person’s life.
• We believe that God’s order can only be established from the teaching and application of Scripture (the Bible).
• Our starting point is therefore the Bible and in particular what it says about Jesus Christ and about living as a Christian. Undergirding our understanding of the Bible, we have the substantial body of historic church teaching.

Therefore…

• The Bible provides the foundational principles and guidance for the activities of every Ellel Ministries Centre.
• True Christian healing can only be achieved by the acceptance and practice of what the Bible teaches.
• In seeking to help people to a place of wholeness we need to be truthful about the reality and consequences of what the Bible describes as sin.
• Misrepresenting or disobeying what the Bible says is harmful and a barrier to healing. We therefore need to be open about what the Bible says and the need to honour it.

Below are some important Biblical beliefs/practices which are central to the Christian healing ministry (this is not intended to be an exhaustive statement of Christian theology)…

• Proclaiming that belief in Jesus Christ, His death and His resurrection, is the only way we can be reconciled to Father God. (John 14:6)
• Helping people to see how beliefs, behaviours or life-styles which are sinful are damaging. (John 8:1-11)
• Seeking what is pure and of good repute. (Philippians 4:8-9)
• Encouraging wholesome and edifying conversation and behaviour. (Ephesians 4:29)
• Accepting the order and value of the traditional family. (Ephesians 5:2-6:4)
• Endorsing God’s created order (being distinct but complementary) for male and female. (Matthew 19:4; Genesis 2:24-25)
• Marriage being a life-long covenant between one man and one woman. (Matthew 19:5-6)
• Sexual intimacy being only permissible for a Christian believer within the covenant of marriage. We believe that marriage is a profound spiritual mystery which illustrates the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Church. (Ephesians 5:31-32; Hebrews 13:4)
• Embracing and growing in the fullness of our God-given identity, including our innate, biological sexual identity. (Romans 12:1-2)
• Using our bodies only in the way that God designed them to be used. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)
• Loving the truth. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10)

We believe God remains faithful to all His covenant promises to Israel and the Jewish people¹. As a ministry we are fully committed to praying for and engaging with God’s plans and purposes for Israel², and the return of the Jewish people to their Biblical, ancestral homeland³. Through Jesus, Gentiles are grafted into Israel, forming one unified body while retaining unique identities⁴. We oppose replacement theology and antisemitism⁵, affirm God’s equal love for all people⁶, and value understanding Scripture through its Jewish context⁷. We acknowledge the prophetic significance of the biblical feasts and encourage believers to explore their significance and meaning through personal, non-legalistic engagement with them as they feel led.⁸ We encourage God’s people to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.⁹

¹Genesis 17:7-8, Psalm 105:8-11; ²Isaiah 62:6-7; ³Isaiah 11:12, Jeremiah 31:10; ⁴Ephesians 2:14-16; ⁵Romans 11:11-36; ⁶Psalm 86:9; John 11:50-52; ⁷Romans 9:4-5; ⁸1 Corinthians 5:7, Col 2:16-17; ⁹Psalm 122:6

• Those serving on prayer ministry teams at Ellel centres have received a minimum level of training on our events, receive ongoing training and oversight and follow clearly defined best practice guidelines.
• The safety of all of our guests is paramount and we strive to create a safe and confidential environment on all of our events.
• We welcome all guests with love and acceptance for who they are as God’s creation. We do not seek to judge or condemn anyone but rather to treat each person with dignity and respect.
• We respect each person’s God-given free will and do not endeavour to force our beliefs or practices on anyone.
• Christians who come seeking God’s truth, as laid out in His Word, are given the opportunity at their own request to understand and receive prayer for God to touch their lives.

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