THE LEADERSHIP TEAM
Our Senior Pastor and Founder & First Lady
Our Senior Pastor and Founder & First Lady
Our Senior Pastor and Founder & First Lady
Bishop Freddie B. Marshall, PhD
and
Azaviea Brown Marshall, MBA, BCMBT
Our Parish Pastors
Our Senior Pastor and Founder & First Lady
Our Senior Pastor and Founder & First Lady
Overseer Justin Spencer Marshall
and
Elder Alicia M. Marshall, BS
WHAT WE BELIEVE AND WHY
ARTICLES OF FAITH
The Bible
Is the inspired Word of God, giving a true history of the creation of the heavens, the earth, and mankind; containing a correct prophecy of the ages to come regarding the heavens, the earth and the destiny of man. Furthermore, there is no salvation outside of that which is contained in its pages. We believe that the Bible is God’s Word of inspired truths given to the believer for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness so that the believer is well-equipped for every good work according to I Timothy 3:16-17. We accept the scriptures of the Old Testament and New Testaments as the inspired record of God’s revelatory actions in human history and as the authoritative basis for our doctrine and practice according to I Corinthians 3:6 and II Timothy 2:15.
God
God is a Spirit (John 4:24), the Eternal One, the Creator of ALL THINGS and all men; thus, He is the Father of mankind. He is the first, the last and beside Him there is no other God. (Isaiah 44:6). There was no God formed before Him, neither shall there be after Him (Isaiah 48:12).
Father
God is a Spirit (John 4:24), the Eternal One, the Creator of ALL THINGS and all men; thus, He is the Father of mankind. He is the first, the last and beside Him there is no other God. (Isaiah 44:6). There was no God formed before Him, neither shall there be after Him (Isaiah 48:12).
Son
The Son, which is one with the Father, the seed of a woman, conceived by the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mary, the same is the Word. “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins…Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us (Matthew 1:21, 23). “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful. Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life” (I John 5:20).
Holy Ghost
Is the inspired Word of God, giving a true history of the creation of the heavens, the earth, and mankind; containing a correct prophecy of the ages to come regarding the heavens, the earth and the destiny of man. Furthermore, there is no salvation outside of that which is contained in its pages.
The Godhead
The Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost are the Godhead, but God is one. “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consists, And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell.” “For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: (Colossians 1:15-19 and Colossians 2:9-10).
Salvation
Salvation (deliverance from) consist of deliverance from all sin and unrighteousness through the Blood of Jesus Christ; by repentance of sins, water baptism in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and receiving the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, and the continuance of a godly life. (Acts 2:36-41) “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” “…Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed” (Romans 3:23 and 10:9-11).
Baptism of the Holy Ghost
he baptism of the Holy Ghost is the birth of the Spirit (John 3:5). Spiritual baptism is necessary to put anyone into the Kingdom of God and is evidenced by the speaking in other tongues as the Spirit of God gives utterance (Acts 2:4). This baptism is subsequent to the operation of the Holy Ghost, by which a man is drawn to Christ, by the Father (John 6:44). It was prophesied by Joel (Joel 2:28-29) and Isaiah (Isaiah 28:11); foretold by John the Baptist (Matt. 3:11); purchased by the blood of Jesus and promised by Him to His disciples (John 14:26; 15:26); first outpoured on the day of Pentecost upon the Jews (Acts 10: 44-46; 19:6); and, “The promise is unto you and your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:39).
Humanity
We believe that humanity was created in the image of God- who created the first couple, Adam and Eve, according to Genesis 1:26-30; 2:7; 5:1-3; 9:6; Acts 17:24-28; I Thessalonians 5:23; and Hebrews 4:12. It is our faith that Divine Order was established in the Garden of Eden wherein man was made for God and woman was made for man; and these dwelt in peace and total harmony with God and nature until they disobeyed the Will of God for their lives according to Genesis 2 & 3.
Spiritual Gifts
We believe that the presence and power of the Holy Ghost is just as valid and applicable to us as it was for those believers in the book of Acts according to Mark 11:22-24; Acts 2:39, and Ephesians 4:13. When Jesus Christ ascended to the Father Almighty, He gave gifts to the people of God to be used for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of ministry, and for the edifying of the Body of Christ according to Ephesians 4:7-16. Our conviction is that the gift of the Holy Ghost is the primary gift, common to every obedient believer and that He inspires various individual gifts within the Body for us to profit withal according to I Corinthians 12-14; therefore we ascribe to such manifestations as miraculous healing of the spirit, soul, and body; prophetic utterances that foretell and forth-tell within the parameters of the Holy Writ, praying and speaking in spiritual languages (known and unknown).
The Church
We believe in the one universal Church of God ordained to gather and govern all those who are called to be saints unto the Lord Most High. We acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ as the Supreme Head of the Church and are subject to His standard of living as dictated to us in The Holy Bible according to Ephesians 1:15-23; 4:1-4; 1-6. Though the Church of God is universal, God has ordained local fellowships to be governed by spiritual Elders within the five-fold ministry of Ephesians 4:11-16. Every child of God should be accountable to a local fellowship of believers and should submit to the local church authority, who is the Senior Pastor, in order that they may edify, exhort, and comfort one another according to 1Corinthians 4:1-3 and Hebrews 10:23-25. We adhere to the recitation of both the Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed, with the belief that the original authority of the Holy Catholic Church was birthed through Apostolic Succession, thereby originally governed by the Apostles Doctrine.
Political Government
We believe that governments are God-given institutions ordained to serve those who do good and are ordained to execute wrath upon those who do evil. Hence, we do honor magistrates and the powers that be. We respect and obey all civil laws that do not contradict the statutes of the Holy Scripture according to Romans 13:1-10 and Titus 3:1. 32.
Church Ordinances
An ordinance is a symbolic ritual or ceremony that was instituted and blessed by God to demonstrate and enhance our understanding of the Christian faith. The Greater Church of Deliverance recognizes, An ordinance is a symbolic ritual or ceremony that was instituted and blessed by God to demonstrate we are saved by grace through faith according to Ephesians 2:8-9; but through the holy ordinances, weaccording to scripture, four ordinances of the church. There is no salvific value in the ordinance itself, as EXPRESS OUR FAITH, love and gratitude to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for His redemptive work at Calvary. Based upon scriptural text, the Greater Church of Deliverance encourages the observance of four (4) holy ordinances: Water Baptism, Holy Communion (The Lord’s Supper, Feet Washing and Tithing, but the application of these four ordinances are left to the spiritual discretion of the pastor.
Water Baptism
As sanctified believers, members of the Greater Church of Deliverance claim citizenship in the Kingdom of God through the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because He has died for us, we are called to live for Him; and in the waters of baptism, faithful believers testify of their transition and conformity to the life of Christ according to St. Matthew 28:18-20; St. Mark 16:15-18; Romans 6:1-4; and Galatians 2:20. Baptism is a rite of passage in the life of the believer and is to the Christian faith what circumcision was/is to the Abrahamic covenant. Thus, the Greater Church of Deliverance administers baptism upon its members in the spirit of this constitution. The mode of baptism in the Greater Church of Deliverance is total immersion of the body into the water, representing burial and resurrection with Christ, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost In Jesus Name. With love to all, malice toward none, and with due respect to all who differ with us in our interpretation of the scriptures, we prefer to follow the instructions of our Lord Jesus as in St. Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 2:38.
Holy Communion (The Lord’s Supper)
As Jesus prepared to go to the cross, He connected His suffering and death with the Passover meal of the Jews. For the Greater Church of Deliverance, Saint Luke 22:14-20 set forth the ordinances of the Lord’s Supper. The unleavened bread is symbolic of the sin-free sacrifice that was ripped to pieces for our sin and sickness (Isaiah 53:2-5) while the cup symbolizes the blood that was shed for the remission of our sins (Hebrews 9:22, 20:1-18).
Feet Washing
After Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, he removed His garments of status and assumed the position of a servant proceeding to wash His disciples’ feet (Saint John 13:2-17). By washing one another’s feet, the followers of Christ demonstrate their love one toward the other and a symbolic testimony of our willingness to care for each other’s needs. As we recommit to Christ in Holy Communion, so we recommit to the love our brothers and sisters in the service of Feet Washing.
Tithing
The first tenth of all our increase belongs to the Lord because God is the Source and Supply of our wealth. Tithing was neither instituted in the dispensation of Law by Moses nor abrogated in the dispensation of grace by Jesus Christ. It is an institution of our “father of faith” – Abraham (Genesis 14:18-20; Galatians 3:29) and continued throughout the lineage of faith (Genesis 28:20-22). It is a symbolic testimony that the believer’s physical and financial well-being is rooted in the Lord Jireh– our Ultimate Provider. It was incorporated into the Law of God as a means of caring for the House of God wherein the Levitical priests dwelt (Numbers 18:21-28; Deuteronomy 14:22-29). The people of God were charged to bring the tithe to the “storehouse” so sufficiency would be in the House (Malachi 3:8-12). We encourage that all tithes be brought to the local assembly to which each member has committed.
