What We Believe

The Doctrine of the Bible

We believe in one living and true God, eternal, and of infinite power, wisdom, goodness, and righteousness.  He is a loving and faithful God who is Creator and preserver of all things.  (Genesis 1:1; Jeremiah 10:10; 1 Timothy 1:17).  In the unity of this Godhead there are three persons of one substance with identical qualities and attributes: The Father (God), the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit (John 1:1-2; 4:24; 5:18; 10:30).

I. The Son of God

We believe in the divine nature of Jesus Christ, God's only Son, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin, Mary.  Christ was both fully man and fully God. He walked our earth, suffered at the hands of men, was crucified, died, and was buried as a sacrifice for the sins of all men and women everywhere.  The purpose was to restore our relationship to God which is broken by sin (disobedience) (Luke 1:27; 31:35, John 3:16; Romans 5:10; Ephesians 5:2).  Christ rose from the dead and ascended into heaven in full victory over Satan and sin.  He now intercedes for the body of believers to God the Father (Matthew 28:5-9, Luke 4:7)

II. The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit as the person of the Holy Trinity who lives within us, giving us power to live a holy life and guiding us to truth (Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6). We believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues and the exercise to the gifts.  (Acts 2:4, 10:44-46, 19:6; 1 Corinthians 12).

III. The Authority of Scripture

We believe that the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments combined constitute the Holy Bible; no books may be added or deleted.  The Holy Bible is inspired and inerrant (that is, without error or failure of basic contents and meaning in the original manuscripts). The Holy Bible contains all the necessary truth to lead men and women into salvation (Psalm 19:7; John 17:17; Romans 15:4, 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15-17).

IV. Man

We believe that mankind was created by God in his own image (Genesis 1:27), but because of Adam's sin (disobedience) man inherits a corrupt nature that inclines him to do wrong (Genesis 3:6; 6:5, Romans 5:12.) Man, on his own, is not capable of achieving a life without sin (Proverbs 20:9; Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:6).  Because Man is created in God's own image, we have a "God-likeness" which includes knowledge between right and wrong, the ability to choose which course we will take, and the responsibility for our actions, or our choices (Joshua 24:15, 1 Kings 20:40, John 7:17).

V. Salvation

We believe that Jesus Christ, the living son of God, was given by God as a sacrifice for the sins of all men.  Christ died on the cross to mend the broken relationships which were caused by man's sin of disobedience. This served relationship between God and man may be restored into perfect harmony through belief in Jesus Christ by faith, and not on the basis of our works.  (Galatians 5:4-5; Ephesians 5:2; 1 Peter 1"19).  After receiving salvation by faith through belief in Jesus Christ, the "born-again" believer (John 3:3) may live free from the judgment of God by living a life according to the teaching of the scriptures and trusting the Holy Spirit for the power to live a holy life according to God's Word.

VI. The Second Coming of Christ

We believe that those who have not accepted Christ as their personal Savior and are unrepentant will be judged by God in His perfect justice and doomed to eternal punishment (Ecclesiastes 12:14; Matthew 25:32-46; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 2:16).  We believe in the personal return of Jesus Christ to receive His believers into heaven and eternal life.  The time of His return is unknown, but may be at any moment.  This is the glorious hope of all God's children (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; James 5:7-8, Revelation 22:12, 20).

Church History
The Living Word Bible Church began with a vision that God placed in the hearts of Dr. Thomas and Maureen Anderson to establish a church that would focus on building strong families and become a training center for the church body. It began meeting in a small structure in Apache Junction, Arizona in November, 1986 with a congregation of 80 people. In less than four months, attendance had tripled and Living Word had to relocate to a nearby store front that was big enough to hold the rapidly growing congregation.

A year later the church had tripled again and moved to a Mesa business complex where they began The Living Word Bible College that would train men and women to become missionaries, pastors and leaders. This unique church was quickly gaining a reputation for practical teaching and strong supporting music, youth and children's ministries.

It was not long before the congregation outgrew that property and in 1991, with a weekly attendance of 1,000, The Living Word moved into a 35,000 square foot warehouse that was extensively remodeled to make it into a church. The build outs included a gymnasium, a fully stocked fitness center, a 21st century children's hall, a coffee house and a beautiful 900-seat sanctuary.

The new facility was a stretch but the very practical and functional design served well. Six years later however the parking lot could no longer hold all of the cars. Attendance at Living Word had doubled yet again and plans were begun for a magnificent new facility that could accommodate the ever growing congregation. In early 2001 the old building was sold to a local charter school and Living Word moved again.

The current building was occupied in the summer of 2001. It is an elegant, three-domed structure that houses a 2,000 seat, state-of-the-art sanctuary, a castle-themed children's dome modeled after Disneyland's "Main Street," a 20,000 square foot foyer with tiled floors, columns, a fountain and a fireplace, a bookstore, a 100 seat café, a gymnasium and much more. The parking capacity is over five times that of the previous facility.

The growth of The Living Word Bible Church is far from finished. Plans are already being made to expand the current facility with a new sanctuary, as more and more families find this to be a place where they can learn and grow in the love of God.