
About
FAITH LIKE BIRDS
Faith Like Birds is called to be a voice to a generation. It exists to see teenagers both encounter the Lord and surrender their life to Him through the preaching of the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit. We believe that an encounter with God causes Him to become undeniably real and that it has the ability to change a person’s life forever. We seek to fulfill this call by holding annual large youth gatherings called The Shout. We are also called to support and strengthen other youth ministries and youth leaders by ministering at weekly youth gatherings, conferences, and retreats.
About
BRIAN CONNOLLY
Brian Connolly is the founder of Faith Like Birds Ministries and creator of The Shout. He has been involved in full time ministry since 2005 and has an insatiable passion to see young people’s lives completely changed through an encounter with the Lord. He is an author, itinerant minister, teacher, and creator of various curriculums. He is also a husband, father, and rider of Harley Davidson motorcycles.
Statement of Faith
WHAT WE BELIEVE
THE SCRIPTURES
We believe that the bible is the only inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God. It is alive and active and; therefore, is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of a person’s heart.
2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12
GOD
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Genesis 1:26; 3:22; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10, 11; Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:22; John 14:16
THE FATHER
We believe that God the Father is the maker and lord of heaven and earth. He is sovereign, good, holy, righteous, and He is love. He is compassionate, gracious, and slow to anger. We believe that because He wills that no person should perish and because He so loved the world, He gave His son as a means to save and reconcile the world to Himself.
1 Samuel 2:2; Psalm 34:8; 99:9; 100:5; 103:8; 115:3; 121:2; 145:17; Proverbs 21:2; Isaiah 6:3; Jeremiah 32:17;
John 3:16; Acts 17:24; 2 Corinthians 5:19; 1 Timothy 2:3-4; James 4:14-15; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 2:29; 4:16
THE SON
We believe that Jesus is the incarnate Word and only begotten son of God. He existed and was with God in the beginning. He is the image of the invisible God, the Light, and reveals the nature and will of the Father. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. All things came into being through Him and were made for Him. As a result, He holds all things together and is the head of the Church. He was born of a virgin. He was anointed with the Holy Spirit and inaugurated the kingdom of God through both declaration and demonstration. He was tempted but without sin. He suffered, was crucified, died for our sins, was buried, and on the third day was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He ascended to the right hand of His Father where He reigns as the Apostle and High Priest of our confession and makes intercession for us as our Advocate. He will one day return to judge the living and the dead and consummate His kingdom forever.
Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7, 53:3-10, 61:1-3; Daniel 2:34-35; Matthew 1:18, 4:23; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 1:34-35, 4:17-19, 24:1-7; John 1:1-3, 9, 14, 29; 19:1-3, 16-30, 38-42; Acts 1:9-11; 2:33; 5:30-31; 10:38, 42; 17:31; Romans 1:4; 8:34;
1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Colossians 1:15-18; 2 Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 1:3; 3:1; 4:15; 7:24-27; 1 Peter 3:22; 4:5;
1 John 2:1; Revelation 20:11-13; 21:1-4
THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Helper, the Spirit of truth, the one who proceeds from the Father. He is the one that brings about the new birth, baptizes us into one body, and regenerates and renews a person within. He teaches us all things and brings to remembrance all that Jesus has said and reveals Him to us. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He guides us into all truth and reveals what is to come. He glorifies the Lord by forming Christ within us and reveals the love of God to us. He bears witness that we belong to God and are indeed born again. He intercedes for us and help us to pray. He distributes His gifts according to His own will. The kingdom of God is found in Him and He is the one that empowers us to live and demonstrate the Christian life.
John 3:5-8, 14:16-17, 26, 15:26, 16:8, 13-14; Acts 1:8; Romans 5:5; 8:16, 26-27; 14:17; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 13; Titus 3:4-5
THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift of and the promise of the Father. It is more often than not a subsequent experience to conversion, and is performed by the ascended Christ. It is solely responsible for empowering believers to be a witness for Jesus and is accompanied by a variety of manifestations or signs. It can be received by waiting on God in prayer or through the laying on of hands.
Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; 24:49; John 1:33; Acts 1:4, 8, 14; 2:4, 33, 38-39; 4:31; 8:14-17; 9:10-17; 10:44-46; 19:1-6
HUMANITY
ITS CONDITION
We believe that because of the transgression of Adam, people are born dead in and are a slave to their trespasses and sins.
John 8:34; Romans 3:23; 5:12, 19; Ephesians 2:1
ITS NEED
We believe that because people are born dead in and are a slave to their trespasses and sins, God desires for all people to repent of their sin, turn to Him, and be born again.
Luke 24:46-47; John 3:7; Acts 17:30
ITS PURPOSE
We believe the purpose of humanity is to be made in and reveal the image of God in the earth. God made us to love Him with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to search for and find Him. Before God created, He chose us to be holy and blameless and predestined us for adoption through Christ. As a result, we were also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son and glorify Him through our good works.
Genesis 1:26-30; Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 5:16; 22:37-38; Acts 17:26-29; Romans
8:29; Ephesians 1:4-5
SEXUALITY
God’s plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of marriage, that God created man and woman as unique biological persons. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. For this reason, we believe marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female.
Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5-6; Mark 10:6-9; Romans 1:26-27; I Corinthians 6:9
SALVATION
We believe that salvation is only experienced by grace through faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. He alone both forgives and takes away the sin of the world and is the only way to the Father. Salvation is solely performed by the Holy Spirit’s power to regenerate and renew a person from within. As a result, that individual is then sealed with and becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit. More that that, we believe salvation is an ongoing process that God promises to finish in the individual that endures to the end and continues in the faith. It begins with justification, continues with sanctification, and ends in glorification.
Matthew 24:13; John 1:29; 3:5-8; 14:6; Romans 5:1; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 15:20-28, 50-58; Galatians 1:3-4;
Ephesians 1:7, 13-14; 2:8-9; Philippians 1:6; 2:12-13; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-23; 1 Timothy 1:5; Titus 3:4-7;
Hebrews 7:12-28; 10:14, 19-22; 12:14; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 John 3:2
THE CHURCH
The prime agency for the work of God’s Kingdom is the local Christian Church functioning under the sovereignty of our Lord Jesus Christ. It has been entrusted with the ordinances of Believer’s Baptism and Communion (The Lord’s Supper). Its mission is to evangelize and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and to teach them all that Christ commanded us. It is equipped for the work of service and built up through the grace of Christ’s gifts; namely, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. It gathers to encourage one another in the way of love and doing good.
Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-47; 16:4-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; 12:1-31; Ephesians 4:7-13; Hebrews 10:24-25