What Makes TBBC Special?
We Are...
STILL PREACHING
Dynamic, passionate preaching straight from the Bible still brings more lasting change than comedy routines, drama, or motivational talks. Come discover the benefits of Bible preaching.
STILL MEN
The rumour that masculine men hate church isn’t entirely true. Come discover an environment where real men still believe and are taught to step up and provide sincere, loving leadership in the church and in their families.
STILL HYMNS
Much church music today amounts to dumbing down the lyrics and cranking up the volume to build interest. The hymns we sing still generate an attitude toward God that is anything but lifeless and boring.
STILL REVERENT
Casual is all the rage in Kiwi institutions, but God deserves better. While you won’t find a judgmental spirit here, you will find a place that still believes reverence is right in the presence of God.
STILL FAMILY
Our culture’s experiments with the family have left many Kiwi homes in a sorry state. We still teach the biblical roles for the family as the best answer to our nation’s woes while also recognizing that God has a plan for every person, regardless of how difficult their family situation might be.
STILL EXCITING
God doesn’t need a band or the latest fad to be exciting. We still enjoy timeless, Spirit-filled worship around God’s Book that stirs the soul in a way that strobe lights and dancing in the aisles can never manufacture.
STILL ANSWERING
Evolution. Atheism. Abortion. Euthanasia. Many churches have been silenced by the world or other "christians" because they have no answers greater than their own opinions. We still believe that God has something to say about every issue and his answer is always the final right answer.
Our Pastor
David Withington
David & Te Ani brought their family from Blenheim to Timaru in 2013. For five years he worked as the assistant pastor of TBBC under Jeff Williams before the church called David to be their pastor in February of 2018.
David was saved as a teen in Blenheim and had the opportunity to train at the Blenheim Bible Institute.
David and Te Ani have been blessed with five children: Sophia, Jonathan, Mattthew, Elijah & James.
What Do We Believe at TBBC?
The Scriptures
We believe that the Bible is the literal and completed word of God. We believe that the Bible is verbally inspired, the product of Spirit-filled men and is preserved for us today without error in the Authorized Version of 1611. We believe the Bible to be the sole standard of conduct for the believer and to have only one correct interpretation which may be revealed to any believer by the Holy Spirit.
The True God
We believe that there is one and only one living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, the Creator and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth. We believe that in the Godhead there are three persons - The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost - equal in every divine perfection and yet executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in creation; that He convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; that He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in our preaching and testimony; that He is the agent of the new birth; that He seals, fills, leads, intercedes, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and comforts the believer.
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Ghost in a miraculous manner, born of a virgin; and that He is both completely man and completely God. He was subject to temptation, yet was without any sin. He is the Messiah for Israel, the Saviour of the world, the only way any man can come to God the Father for forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. He is to be worshipped and glorified as the LORD.
Satan
We believe that Satan was once holy and enjoyed heavenly honours but through pride and ambition to be like God, fell and drew after him a host of angels. He is now the prince of the power of the air and the unholy god of this world. We hold him to be a real and literal being responsible for all evil in the world. His final destiny will be the Lake of Fire.
The Creation
We believe the Genesis account of creation to be a literal, historical account of the direct creative acts of God in the person of Jesus Christ without any evolutionary processes. We hold that man is made up of a body, soul and spirit with all men being descended from the historical Adam and Eve, the first parents of the human race.
The Fall of Man
We believe that man was created in a state of innocence by his Creator, but by voluntary and wilful disobedience Adam sinned bringing death and sin into the human race. As all men since Adam are partakers of his fallen nature, all men are sinners by nature and by conduct and therefore are under just condemnation, without defence or excuse.
Salvation
We believe that Jesus Christ atoned for our sins on the cross with His shed blood; this atonement was not limited, but is effectual for any sinner accepting it by faith. We believe that the new birth is the regenerative act of the Holy Spirit upon a sinner when he repents of his sins and believes the gospel according to the Scriptures, receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. We believe that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and is in no way dependent upon our own works or merits. As a result of the new birth, the sinner is made a new creature in Christ receiving eternal life as a free gift of God; salvation makes one a son of God and this relationship is eternally secure.
Eternal Destiny of Man
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust; the everlasting blessedness of the saved in heaven and the literal, eternal punishment of the lost in the Lake of Fire.
The Church
We believe in the unity of all true believers in the Church which is the Body of Christ, which was established on the Day of Pentecost, and that all believers are added to this Church by the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the exact time that they trust in Jesus Christ as Saviour. We believe that this Church is only manifested practically through the local church which is a congregation of immersed believers associated by covenant of faith; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by his laws in accordance with Pauline revelation; and that its officers are pastors and deacons, whose qualifications and duties are clearly defined in Scripture. We believe the true mission of the church is for the edification, perfection, exhortation, and comfort of its members in spiritual matters; the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have opportunity. We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government free from any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; that the one and only head of the local church is the pastor, just as Jesus is the Head and Chief Shepherd over the entire church; that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with one another in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the gospel; that each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation; and that on all matters of membership, policy, government, discipline and benevolence, the will of the local church is final.
Baptism and the Lord's Supper
We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water, by the local church, to show forth in a like figure our submission to, and faith in, the crucified, buried and risen Saviour, through Whom we died to sin and rose to new life. We hold that only one scriptural baptism is necessary in the life of any believer and that baptism is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership. We believe that the Lord's Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes, and should be preceded always by serious self-examination and confession.
Spiritual Gifts, Miracles, Signs & Wonders
We believe that the gifts of the Spirit from I Corinthians chapter twelve are given, today, for the ministry to all parts of the Body of Christ with the exception of those gifts which are specifically called "signs." Those gifts which are signs, wonders or miracles given by the Spirit during the beginning of the church in the book of Acts were for these purposes:
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to identify an apostle
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to get the Jews to listen to the gospel or to believe new revelation; and.
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to confirm new revelations from God before the completion of the written scriptures.
Since there are no apostles alive today, since our ministry is almost exclusively to Gentiles, and since we have a completed Bible, we reject the use today of the supernatural sign gifts, such as tongues or divine healings (we do believe that God can and does heal in accordance with his divine will through faith and confession). We believe that any other signs or wonders today are heresy and "lying signs and wonder" produced by either Satanic powers or by self-delusion
Things to Come
We believe in the personal, imminent, pre-tribulation, pre-millennial return of the Lord Jesus Christ to catch up to Himself the church. We believe that the church will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ in heaven where the individual Christian's works and motives will stand the test of fire for reward or loss. Simultaneously, those on earth will be undergoing the seven years of tribulation determined upon the nation of Israel and the world. Christ will return at the end of the tribulation to judge the nations and establish his earthly kingdom for 1000 years. Following this will be the last, great judgment of the Great White Throne where all of the unconverted since Adam will be judged according to their works to determine their degree of punishment in the Lake of Fire. God will then destroy the earth by fire making a New Heaven and a New Earth.