Short History
ICF
originated in 1991 when a few families decided to fellowship and seek
the Lord together. We originally met in each others’ homes, but now as
the church has grown, meet regularly at 10411 47th Avenue in
Beltsville, Maryland. Our intent has remained the same: to be disciples
of the Lord Jesus and to obey the Lord’s commission in Mathew 28:18-20
by making disciples of Christ, emphasizing new birth, holiness of inner
life, mutual love, moral purity, financial integrity and sharing God’s
truth to others—anchoring every aspect of our lives on God’s Word
alone.
We Believe
1. that the Bible (66 books) is the inspired and infallible Word of God, the sole and sufficient guide for our life on earth
2. that there is one God eternally existent in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
3. in the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His humanity, His perfectly sinless life, His substitutionary death as an atonement for our sins, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the Father, and His personal return to the earth for His saints.
4. that all human beings are dead in sin and utterly lost and that the only way their sins can be forgiven is through repentance and through faith in the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ
5. in the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, whereby a person is born again to be a child of God.
6. that justification is by faith in Christ alone, the evidence of this being good works that glorify God.
7. in baptism in water, by immersion, after regeneration, in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
8. in the necessity of being filled with the Holy Spirit continually in order to have power to be witnesses for Christ - by life and by word.
9. in the resurrection of the righteous to eternal life and the resurrection of the unrighteousness to eternal damnation
Our Stand on Money Matters
No appeal for finances are ever sent out anywhere. All that is received as freewill offerings or as voluntary contributions, goes directly to the work of spreading the gospel in India, Mexico and Africa.
Church Leadership
Church leadership should be structured so that all in the fellowship are encouraged to grow into Christ’s self-less character. It should be free from the works of the flesh such as power-seeking, self-enhancement, envy, strife and jealousy, and instead should imitate Christ’s leadership model. While on earth, Jesus led by becoming a servant. He was meek and lowly considering all equally important and esteemed every soul to be highly precious. Jesus created an environment that cultivated the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, longsuffering, patience, and goodness. In following this same model, we can avoid internal church politics and rivalry.
At ICF, we desire to build a community where we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, submitting to each other and honoring Jesus Christ as the ‘head’. Based on this conviction, our church is led by a plurality of elders that is responsible for the pastoral functions of teaching, leading and tending the flock. The elders and the entire body of Christ share in the five-fold ministry of Apostleship, Prophesy, Evangelism, Pastorship, and Teaching as outlined in the New Testament.
The elders of ICF support themselves and their families through ‘tent-making.’ No elder or pastor receives a salary for his work nor are any royalties received for books, audio tapes, or CDs published by ICF. This is not because we believe that this is contrary to Scripture but because God has led us this way.
We believe that this model has been mercifully confirmed by the Lord, based on the results over the past 12 years.
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