We believe it is critical in this world we are living in for Christians to test every Spirit by the Holy Spirit in accordance with 1 John 4:1-5 "4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world." You can not live on someone else's words, you must know how to hear from God and walk in discernment for yourself in order to make it in this lost and confused world.

We believe that if you walk by the Spirit you can discern who is who by the Spirit. In the Bible we see that even demons knew who was who in the spirit. Acts 19:15-17 "15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? 16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified." We teach our people that if demons can tell who is who, Christians should be able to tell as well. The Bible says in John 16:13 "13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." So we know the Holy Spirit will always lead us and guide us into all truth. If the Holy Spirit leads us and guides us into all truth how is that we have so much division among the body concerning who is who? It is because many are looking through the lens of religion as opposed to the lens of the Holy Spirit. We strive to come against man made religion and division by teaching our members to pursue unity in the Spirit as in accordance with Ephesians 4:3-13 "3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Jesus isn't coming back for one denomination, He is coming back for His bride.

The Bible says you will know them by their fruit. Matthew 7:16-20 "16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." We don't solely judge someone's salvation or authenticity on theology alone. Many people have good theology who are going to hell. Many have the whole Bible memorized who are going to hell. What does the fruit of their life say? Even if someone is not perfect, does their fruit say they are genuinely seeking God and transforming? We understand that everyone is at a different level and so we give lots of grace to people and we meet them where they are.

If you have been born again in accordance with what the Bible says you are a brother and sister in Christ and you have been engrafted into God's Kingdom. We realize that everyone doesn't always agree on many issues and topics in the Bible, but this is not a cause for division in the body. We can agree to disagree and move in peace. If it is not a Heaven or Hell issue we do not want to let pride creep in and do the Devil's work of keeping the church divided. The only Heaven or Hell issue is salvation. If someone has been born again they are part of the Kingdom in accordance with John 3. We reject the idea that if something is a non-salvation issue, people must conform to that idea to be part of the church. As the lead pastor I strongly encourage our people to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. We constantly remind them that when it is all said and done they will stand before the Lord for themselves. We teach our Firehouse members to never put a man, woman, or denomination on a pedestal and always look to Jesus and guidance from the Holy Spirit to direct your walk so you can be pleasing in the Father's eyes. In the days and times we are living in we see many who are right with their pastor, their church, and their cliques but they are not right with God. We remind our people that the Bible says in Matthew 7:21-23:

"21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

If we can get a person to really see how amazing Jesus is, and they fall in love with Jesus and develop their own relationship with him with the help of a family like community, God will do the rest of the work. We desire to preach and teach until it becomes real and personal for the individual listening. If a person truly falls in love with Jesus everything else will come into order with time. Our job is simply to plant seeds and water. 1 Corinthians 3:6-8 "6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour."

The goal of Firehouse is to equip the people to answer the unique calling on each of their lives. Though we believe in order and authority we are not creating copycats. Everyone has a unique roll or function in the body, their local assembly, and in the greater Kingdom. The Bible says the 5-fold ministry is there for the perfecting and edification of the saints. Our job is simply to point people into genuine relationship with Jesus and guide them on their journey in whatever way is needed. The Bible says knock and the door will be open, seek and you will find. If we can disciple people to seek God consistently and genuinely for themselves throughout the week God will do the rest. We don't control people or force anyone to do anything but pursue holiness. If you want to be part of the ministry team and use your gifts you must be actively pursuing a holy and set apart lifestyle as in accordance with 1 Peter 1:15-17 "15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." We know no one is perfect and that we all fall short, but we also teach their should be clear visible signs of growth and transformation in a persons walk as they pursue Jesus. If you don't want to be challenged to grow Firehouse is not the church for you.

Firehouse isn't a seeker-friendly Church. It's a church for warriors. I am ready to lay it all down for Jesus. Platform, friends, connections, and even my life. So we preach and teach accordingly. If you still want to operate in your flesh, and live compromised and not change, and have your cake and eat it too... Firehouse isn't the church for you. But if you look at what is going on in this world and you see the state of the church and you want something real and different. Firehouse is for you. If you love to worship for hours Firehouse is for you. If you love soaking in the presence of God Firehouse is for you. If you are ready for war or desire to get ready for war Firehouse is for you. God is raising up some David's in this generation and David went through hell and many battles before he received the crown BUT THE CROWN DID COME EVENTUALLY. We aren't trying to take any shortcuts. Every believer must take up their cross and follow Jesus.

We want to rock the city of Chicago for Jesus. We are working on a million different things to reach out city. We have evangelism and a homeless outreach. We are working on different summer school programs and city wide outreaches to try our best to actually make a difference in this city. We don't want to hide within the four walls. We want to use the four walls as the headquarters to worship God, equip the saints, and to gather to strategize and fellowship. If we aren't making a difference in the city, what are we here for?

We believe the kingdom should move as a family, and the family functions best when everyone is contributing. If you want to be part of the Firehouse family all you have to do is show up to join and we will get you connected. We have many activities outside of Sunday services and Thursday night Bible studies. On Saturdays we have MMA training classes and book clubs. We are looking to get the music school up and running soon as well. The women's ministry has their monthly meetings and gatherings where they have breakfast, yard sales and things of that nature and all women are welcome regardless if they are a member or not. The men often get together and play basketball or other sports a few times a month. We also have game nights that our open to the entire city. A few times throughout the year we plan concerts, roller skating, church BBQs or outings to theme parks as a church. We have a Bible college that is available through Marcus Rogers if you are willing to learn more about the Bible. We are also working on a gardening program where we'll grow our own crops and foods with the hopes of eventually opening our own Kingdom Grocery store. Lastly once a year we have the Kingdom Ball for New Years and we all get dressed up and decked out for some dancing, fun, and fellowship. The bottom line is the goal is to create a family like community where we spend lots of time with one another.