CHURCH
|
Lighthouse Baptist Church is an independent Bible
believing Baptist church. Our goal is to reach
families with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and
teach Christians the Word of God. |
OUR PASTOR
 |
Mark Tossell grew up as an atheist
in
Sydney, Australia. He was miraculously saved at
the age of 17 and became a member of a fundamental
Baptist church. Bro. Tossell graduated from the
University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Engineering
degree in 1989, and then worked for
Procter and Gamble as a project engineer for two
years.
In 1992 God led him to Hyles-Anderson
College in
Crown Point, Indiana, where he met his wife,
Christina. They married in July, 1995, and Bro. Tossell
graduated with a degree in pastoral theology in 1996.
They moved to Sydney in August of 1999, and started
Lighthouse Baptist Church in November of 1999, where
they remain today. The Tossell’s have one son, Adam,
born in 2006 after 11 years of praying for a child.
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STATEMENT OF FAITH
This
statement of faith is a brief summary of the doctrines
believed and accepted by the Lighthouse Baptist Church
from the Word of God, The Bible. This
statement of faith represent no real authority, as the
Word of God is the final authority in all matters of
faith and practice.
The
Bible
We believe
that the Holy Bible was written by men controlled by
the Holy Spirit, that it is truth without any error,
and it is the only complete and final revelation of
the supreme standard by which all human conduct,
creeds, and opinions shall be tried. We
believe that God has supernaturally watched over His
Word and that He has preserved His Word. In English,
this is the King James Bible.
The
Nature of God
We
believe that there is only one true and living God,
and that in the trinity of the Godhead there are three
equal Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost.
The
Creation
We
believe in the Genesis account of creation, and that
it is to be accepted literally, and not allegorically
or figuratively. We reject the
theory of evolution.
The
Lost Condition of Man
We believe that man was created
in innocence under the law of his Maker, but he by
voluntary transgression fell from his sinless and
happy state. Therefore, all mankind are now sinners,
and are under just condemnation without defense or
excuse.
Salvation
We
believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of
grace through the Son of God, Who took upon Him our
nature, yet without sin honoured the divine law by His
personal obedience. By His death He made a full and
vicarious atonement for our sins. He
was the voluntary substitute in the sinner's place,
the Just dying for the unjust. Now,
having risen from the dead, He is enthroned in heaven,
seated at the right hand of the Father.
Heaven
and Hell
The
eternal destiny of the unsaved sinner is a literal
place of punishment called Hell, a place of fire and
torment. The home of the born-again
believer is a literal place of eternal bliss called
Heaven, where the saved praise and glorify the Lord.
Repentance
and Faith
We
believe that being convicted of our guilt, danger, and
helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ,
we turn to God for mercy, repenting of our unbelief
and heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ and
openly confessing Him as our only and all-sufficient
Saviour.
The
Virgin Birth
We
believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of the Holy
Ghost in a miraculous manner, born of Mary, a virgin.
The
Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person,
equal with God the Father and God the Son, and of the
same nature. We believe that the fruit of the
Spirit and power for winning the lost are the evidence
of His indwelling rather than speaking in tongues and
other spectacular demonstrations.
We
believe that God the Holy Spirit is sovereign in the
bestowing of His gifts and that He has given
evangelists, pastors and teachers as sufficient for
the edifying of the church today; that the sign gifts
such as miracles, tongues and healings (as in
miraculous healers) were for a purpose past in the
establishment of the early church and that these have
now ceased with the passing of the apostolic era. We
further believe that the Charismatic/Pentecostal
movement is not a Scriptural movement and is not
supported in any form by this church.
The
Church
We
believe that a church of Christ is a congregation of
baptised believers associated by a covenant of faith
and fellowship of the gospel. Its scripturally
designated officers are pastor and deacons, whose
qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined
in the Scriptures. We believe the
true mission of the church is found in the Great
Commission; First, to make individual disciples;
Second, to baptise them; Third, to teach and instruct,
as Jesus Christ has commanded. We believe that the
local church has the absolute right of
self-government, free from the interference of any
hierarchy of individuals or organisations. We believe
in the separation of the church and state, with each
having definite and distinct spheres of
responsibility. The Bible method of church government
is a theocracy with Christ as the Head of the church;
His deputy on earth is the pastor, who is commanded to
oversee the congregation, to teach and preach, to win
the lost, to lead by example, to serve, and to guide
the business of the church.
Eschatology
We
believe in the pre-tribulation rapture of the saved,
the literal 7 year tribulation period on the earth,
the literal, bodily return of Christ, and the literal
millennial reign of Christ.
