What We Believe

Statement of Beliefs of

Global Business Ministries International

Issued by Apostle Les D. CrauseBelievers have been divided through the years because of Doctrinal Beliefs that have caused barriers and destroyed the fellowship and unity in the Body of Christ.

We would like to overcome this problem in the End Times Church, by presenting teachings that are based squarely on the Scriptures. And we would like to do it in such a way that believers can still have different views without causing division in the Body of Christ.

Although this is a large subject and could never be covered fully on one page, I have laid out in point form, what I consider to be the most important teachings that we hold and present to those who come to receive ministry from us.

This will be the foundation for all training and courses given in our training  Schools and students will be expected to accept these beliefs as far as possible. They will be given freedom to express their own viewpoints, and if they can present different views based clearly on the Scriptures, then this will in no way stop them from fellowship and being given all the privileges of being part of this ministry.

We Believe

Old And New

1. We believe that the Holy Bible in its present canon form, apart from The Apochypha and other writings, is the inspired Word of God and is the standard for all teaching and understanding of the Spiritual Life. It is the foundation on which all our teachings are based.

2. We believe in Divine Revelation from the Holy Spirit that God continues to give in these End Times. By revelation we understand some of the new things that God is doing in the earth, which we know is producing a new and different Church in these End Times.

Such revelations can not be put ahead of the Word, but they often shed light on things that are not clearly shown in Scripture. Amongst these is an understanding of the functions of the Fivefold Ministry in the times in which we live, and the revelation of the Mystery of the End Times Church. Included in this is also a revelation of the Fivefold Business Calling, which has never been embraced by the Body of Christ in the past.

This mystery has not yet been fully revealed, and is like the Mystery of the Church which God gave to the Apostle Paul. This was not known by the early Jewish Christians and came as a surprise to them. And in the same way many believers may find it hard to accept some of the new things that God is revealing to His End Times Apostles.

Salvation and The Spiritual Life

3. We believe that as a result of the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden that all men are born in a spiritual condition of sinfulness. This stops them from knowing the blessings of God and makes them subject to the power of sin that is resident in them.

4. We believe that God made covenants with men, from the time of the Fall, leading finally to the New Covenant in which all men are gathered together in one Body in Christ.

Although in the Old Covenant God had chosen for Himself a people in the Nation of Israel, God is in these last days working through a body made up of both Jews and Gentiles, who are one in Christ alone.

No man holds any favor with God through natural birth, heritage, culture or race. Outside of Christ all men are lost, but In Christ all are redeemed and are considered the People of God.

5. We believe that man is redeemed from the effects of sin by Grace alone through Faith in the Finished Work of Calvary. The work was completed on the Cross of Calvary where Jesus shed His Blood for the sins of mankind and cried out “It is Finished.”

6. We believe in the experience of the New Birth in which a person is regenerated by the Spirit of God after professing faith in Jesus and receiving Him as their personal savior.

7. We believe that a born again believer should seek to Walk in the Spirit and overcome sin, living a life that is pleasing to the Lord.

However we do not believe that salvation is dependent on or subject to a believer maintaining a standard of personal righteousness. Salvation is by Grace alone and without faith it is impossible to please God.

Therefore the good works carried out by a born again believer are credited towards their future rewards in the Heavenly Realm and do not determine their position before God or their right to His blessings.

Ministry and Calling

8. We believe in the Anointing of the Holy Spirit upon all true believers, enabling them to carry out their God given calling as members of the Body of Christ.

We believe that the Holy Spirit takes up residence in every born again believer from the moment they receive Jesus as their Savior. They are born again and become spiritual members of the Invisible Body of Christ, which is the True Church of the Living God.

The Holy Spirit lives IN every believer, but not all have experienced or received Him as the Baptizer, in which He comes UPON a believer and empowers them to function in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

9. We believe that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a once only event in which a believer enters into a relationship with the Holy Spirit that provides a gateway to the Gifts of the Spirit.

Although this experience is most commonly accompanied by the one gift that is available to every believer, the ability to Speak in Tongues, we do not believe that speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. However, any believer who has received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit has the right and should seek to make full use of the Gift of Tongues.

10. We believe that the nine Gifts of the Spirit as listed in 1 Corinthians 12 are available today to every born again believer and were never removed or made obsolete.

Every believer who earnestly desires and seeks after the Gifts of the Holy Spirit may be used by God in any of the three groups of Revelation Gifts, Power Gifts and Vocal Gifts.

11. We believe that all believers are given Specific Ministries in the Body of Christ, just as different bodily members have different functions. The list of ministries given in Romans 12 are some of the more common ministry functions of members of the Body of Christ.

These ministry functions do not require the external anointing of the Holy Spirit, but may be enhanced by the addition of the Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit, enabling a believer to become more effective in their ministry.

Thus all members of the Body of Christ are cosidered Called in some way, and have a part to play in the efficient functioning of the visible Church of God.

The True Church

12. We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is identified, not by its Name or its Buildings, but by its Members

Jesus said that where two or three believers have been gathered together in His Name, He would be in their midst. Thus a Local Church is not a building or an organization, but a group of true believers gathering together in Jesus’ Name for the purpose of fellowship, worship and ministry.

13. We believe that the Visible Church is to be seen both in its gathering in local areas, and in the establishment of specific Ministry Centers, from which the Fivefold Leadership will operate.

14. We believe in the full continued existence of the Fivefold Ministry functions of Apostle, Prophet, Teacher, Pastor and Evangelist, with emphasis and seniority falling in this specific order.

Leadership of the Church

15. We believe that the three main Leadership Ministries are Apostle, Prophet and Teacher, and all those who aspire to the highest ministry office of Apostle will usually follow through all three of these in order to be a true leader in the Body of Christ.

Although there are Five leadership ministries, God is raising up specifically the Apostles and Prophets to a level of ministry known as the Ministry Office. This is a permanent position in which God places a person in a place of spiritual authority that lifts them above normal ministry functions.

16. We believe that the local church is governed by elders who are appointed by the Apostles whom God has raised up to establish and oversee the local churches.

Elders are appointed based on spiritual maturity and the ability to lead, and not on ministry calling and gifts. Elders may or may not hold one or more of the Fivefold Ministry Offices. But their authority is vested in the authority that is delegated to them from their presiding Apostolic Leader and is confined to the Local Church in which they were appointed.

17. We believe that the authority of the Fivefold Ministry is not confined to the Local Church, but extends to the Body Universal which includes all believers in the Body of Christ.

Apostles will usually be given a specific realm of operation and a Mandate to fulfill. They are responsible before the Lord to fulfill that mandate and God holds them responsible for the condition of those churches and ministries under their realm of operation.

Each realm of ministy will be led by an Apostolic Team, which should consist of a group of leaders who together function in all of the Fivefold Ministry.

God raises up an Apostolic Father who will impart his spiritual DNA and mandate to other apostles and members of the Fivefold Ministry and will be considered the spiritual overseer of all realms of ministry under His authority.

Genders and Teams in Ministry

18. We believe that God calls both Men and Women to the Fivefold Ministry, including the Apostle.

However, we prefer to only recognize women in Apostolic Office who are married and have the spiritual covering and protection of their husbands. Such a woman has full right to exercise authority and ministry as an Apostle of God without restriction.

Any woman who has qualified for Apostolic Office and is still single will be considered to be under the covering and protection of her Apostolic Father, just as a single woman is considered under the authority of her natural father until she marries

19. We believe that God raises up Apostolic Mothers as well as Apostolic Fathers. In most cases an Apostolic Mother will be married to an Apostolic Father, unless she is a Single Woman who has dedicated herself exclusively to the Call of God and has chosen to remain single for that purpose.

This is an unusual situation and not the normal circumstance for a woman called to the Apostolic Ministry.

20. We believe that every believer and minister receives authority in the Church that is delegated downwards, Jesus Christ being the True Head of the Church

As Jesus gives a mandate and imparts authority to an Apostolic Father and Mother, so that authority is delegated downwards to their spiritual children

The blessing of the Lord is passed down the Chain of Command that He establishes, and protection and covering are provided in this way.

Discipline in the Church is also carried out according to the Chain of Command, just as the Apostle Paul gave instruction to his churches concerning the disciplining of an erring church member.

21. Those in the highest levels of leadership never function independently but are always part of an Apostolic Team.

The Apostolic Team provides a covering of protection for even those called to Apostolic Parentage. And when a leader at the highest level fails or requires discipline, it is up to the Team Members operating directly under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ to bring such discipline to bear.

End Times Bible Prophecy and Israel

22. We believe that God is raising up a Church in these End Times that will not be like the Laodicean Church described in Revelation, as commonly thought by many.

The End Times Church will be magnificent, glorious and victorious. It will not be a struggling church, waiting for the Lord to come and snatch it from tribulation.

This Church is not clearly described in Scripture or in passages relating to the End Times in prophecy. It remains a mystery that has not yet been fully revealed, lest the enemy seek to destroy it as he did to the Early Church.

23. We believe that Jesus is returning to receive His Bride to Himself. But before that day comes, He will establish His Kingdom in this earth through the Church who will live and reign in life through Him. Using His power and the power of the Gospel the Church will bring an influence on this world that will cause the Kingdom of God to flourish and overcome evil.

24. We believe that every Born Again believer who is In Christ is part of the Bride of Christ and will be part of the Church that Jesus comes to receive unto Himself.

25. We believe that God no longer works with Israel as a nation but that the Church of Jesus Christ has become the Israel of God and includes both Jews and Gentiles.

We do not believe in or embrace Messianic Christianity in any form, and we do not believe that Jewish Christians or Jewish people in general have any special favor with God in this Age of Grace in which we are currently living. The Church consists of both Jews and Gentiles and no nation takes priority in God’s eyes.

We do not therefore embrace Messianic Concepts such as praying for Israel, supporting Israel financially or embracing teachings which are clearly Jewish in origin and orientation.

The Godhead

26. We believe that God has revealed Himself to mankind as a Father, a Son and a Counselor, known as the Holy Spirit.

We embrace the true doctrine of the Trinity as presented in early church creeds, which seeks to explain in human terms how God can be ONE and yet THREE at the same time.

However we accept the interpretations of the Godhead as expressed by both Trinitarians and those who embrace what is known as the Oneness of the Godhead.

Both portray Jesus as fully God, which is essential to our salvation. Any doctrine that makes Jesus less than fully God is to be rejected as heresy.

Such extremes are to be seen in Seballianism and Arianism, which make God only one or only three, and in both cases make Jesus less than fully God.

There are two main religious groups which embrace these heresies. The Jehovah’s Witnesses maintain that there is only one God, and that Jesus was only a god. The Mormons on the other hand portray Father, Son and Holy Spirit to be totally separate entities, and thus once again make Jesus just another God, not Almighty God.

27. We believe that the Covenant Name of God in the New Testament is LORD JESUS CHRIST which embraces Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

It is the Name above all other names, and the only Name in which we can be saved, in which we stand, by which we approach God and partake of His blessings.

We do not accept prevalent teachings that insist God be addressed in His Hebrew Names, that one has to leave the vowels out of the Name of God, as the Jews did with the Divine name YAHWEH, or that Jesus be addressed as Yeshua.

Jesus is the translation of the Hebrew Name Joshua and means Yahweh Saves. His name is the full embodiment of the Seven Covenant Names of God given in the Old Testament, known as the Jehovah Titles of God.

28. We believe that true happiness can only be found in the Presence of God.

According to the Scriptures, being in the presence of God brings joy that fully satisfies, and pleasures that last forever.

To be in His Presence is to be in heaven. Whether we walk this earth or have left our earthly homes, our bodies and are in His presence.

Paul said that to be absent from the Body is to be present with the Lord

Yet His presence is also commmunicated to us while we walk this earth through the Comforter, the Holy Spirit whom He has given us.

The Holy Spirit brings the fullness of God to bear upon the creation, and he works through the Word of God, the Scriptures.

All believers who walk in the Spirit operate their lives under the control of the Holy Spirit who dwells in every believer. This influence is communicated outwards through our understanding of the Word of God, by which He has revealed Himself to us.

The Last Things and Future Rewards

29. We believe that every born again believer will spend eternity in the presence of the Lord.

A time of judgement will come, not to determine where we will spend eternity, but to determine our rewards and spiritual status in his Heavenly Kingdom.

We believe that the Scriptures do not teach of a Heaven on some far away planet, but that we will spend eternity in His presence upon the new earth, in the New Jerusalem.

However of greater importance than our future condition is the life in which we now live.

30. We believe that we should make the most of our short time on this earth to do as the famous old creed says, “Love the Lord and enjoy Him forever.”

Our mandate is to train and equip the Body of Christ to get ready for the coming of their Heavenly Bridegroom. To make her without spot or wrinkle, a glorious Church, a bride that the Lord Jesus will receive with joy.

Finances in the Church

31. We believe that the practice of tithing one tenth of one’s income is an Old Covenant practice that came as a result of a covenant that Jacob entered into with God.

He made a covenant vow that he would give God one tenth of all his income, and this covenant vow, as with all covenants, became binding on all of his natural descendants.

We do not believe in imposing this Old Covenant practice on members of the New Covenant Church, and will not condone any teaching that God would curse His people if they do not tithe, as is taught in the book of Malachi.

We do however believe that every believer should see everything they own as belonging to the Lord, and be ready at any time to freely give it away, as was shown by the members of the Early Church.

32. We believe that the work of God should be supported both by the free giving of God’s People and by the generation of finance through valid and legal business methods, as carried out by King Solomon.

He built the House of God from finances created from business, and there will be End Times Apostles who will be called to do the same thing for the Body of Christ.

33.We believe that God is raising up in these End Times, a new breed of leaders who will carry a mandate for business as a calling from God. They will function in a special anointing from God for the creation of wealth and will be trained and equipped to rise up in the same levels of authority as the Fivefold Ministry.

These men and women will be Fivefold Entrepreneurs, and they will take their place in leadership in the Body of Christ with an emphasis on wealth creation, working side by side with those called to the Fivefold Ministry

Fivefold Business Calling

34.We believe that God is raising up Apostolic Entrepreneurs, who together with the Apostles of Ministry, will make up a group known as the Sevenfold Apostolic Leadership in the Body of Christ

These leaders will be prepared and trained with the same intensity as the Apostles of Ministry and will work together with those having a ministry emphasis, to bring balance to the Church where finances are concerned. Instead of imposing pressure and the Old Testament practice of tithing on God’s people, they will train and raise up those who carry an anointing for business, and produce an End Times move that will lead to the transfer of wealth from the hands of unbelievers into the hands of the Body of Christ.

35.We believe that the End Times Church will be a triumphant victorious Church, walking in the power of God and exercising authority over the kingdoms of this world. Jesus is not coming for a weak and failing church, but a Church that has learned to use His power in this world to produce a life of Health, Wealth and Favor with others.

The End Times Church will not be joined in denominational unity, but will operate as a living organism, under the leadership that God has ordained. It will not be a Church that is falling away and defeated, waiting for the Lord to rescue them. But it will be a Church that has learned to use the Power of God to show the world what God can do.

36.We believe that our mandate is to train and equip all believers at all levels to find and fulfill their calling, whether it be a calling to ministry, a calling to business or a calling to the social arts. These will all flow together as three roads that will be walked at the same time.

Until we come to a unity of the faith, walking in love and revealing the Power of God to this world.

These Are The Things We Believe