Our Story

Welcome and thank you for visiting Maranatha's website.  We are so excited about all that God has done, is doing, and will do at Maranatha!

We are a Spirit-filled, non-denominational church. "Maranatha" means, "Our Lord is coming soon!"  That's why we are doing our part as a community of believers to preach, teach, and reach out to the people in Luling and surrounding areas with the "Good News" of Jesus Christ!

Our Vision

Our vision, simply stated is:
"Changing lives, Changing our world!"

Our goal is to introduce people to Jesus Christ and bring them into His family.  
As they grow and mature spiritually,
we help equip them for their ministry in the church, in their home, and in the world.


History

Maranatha Christian Fellowship's first official service was held on Sunday, July 27, 1986, at the Carter and Company Insurance building located across from the Luling Post Office.

The founding of Maranatha was not man's idea, but God's.  He had placed the desire for a non-denominational Spirit-filled church in the hearts of those who were gathering for worship, prayer, and Bible study, long before the first service was held.

Psalm 127:1, which says, "Except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it...", has been a foundational scripture for Maranatha.  After seeking God's guidance, Oral Hardin was ordained as the first Pastor on November 20, 1988.

Pastor Oral and his wife, Donna, faithfully served God at Maranatha until May 2000, when he was called to start a church in Clovis, New Mexico.  Again, after much prayer, Pastor Allen Davis and his wife Kim were ordained as pastors of Maranatha in June of 2000.

We realize "Maranatha" is an unusual word/name but it is the name that the Lord gave for the church, and it has great meaning and history. "Maranatha" is an Aramaic expression written by the apostle Paul as he concluded his first letter to the Corinthians (I Cor. 16:22).  The meaning seems to be, "Our Lord is coming soon."  The fact that Paul used an Aramaic expressian in addressing the gentile Christians of Corinth indicates that "Maranatha" had become a familiar expression of Christian hope; a watch word of the imminent 
second coming of the Lord.

Statement of Faith

The Holy Bible
The Holy Bible and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of God. The Holy Bible alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. The Word of God is inspired, infallible, and inerrant. (II Tim. 3:16, II Pet. 1:20-21, Prov. 30:5, Romans 16:25-26)
The Trinity
The testimony of Holy Scripture and the Christian Church is that God is One being, eternally existent in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:16-17, Matt. 28:19)
God The Father
God the Father is Creator and Sustainer of all things. He created mankind in His own image for fellowship, and calls man back to Himself through Jesus Christ. (Matt. 26:39, John 14:9, Romans 1:7)
God The Son
Jesus Christ is eternally God. He was together with the Father and the Holy Spirit from the beginning and through Him all things were made. For man's redemption He left Heaven and became incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, and rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory. (John 1:1, 14, 20:28, I Tim. 3:16, Philippians 2:5-6)
God The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is God, the Lord and giver of life, Who was active in the Old Testament, and given to the Church in fullness at Pentecost. He empowers the saints for service and witness, cleanses humanity from the old nature, and conforms us to the image of Christ. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit, releases the fullness of the Spirit and can be evidenced by tongues and/or other gifts and fruit of the Spirit. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of biblical parameters. (Hebrews 2:4, Romans 1:11, 12:4-8, Ephesians 4:16, II Timothy 1:5-16, 4:14, I Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40, I Peter 4:10)
Salvation
All of us are born with a sinful nature. Our only hope of redemption from this sinful nature is through faith in Jesus Christ. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; His death, burial, and resurrection. Salvation is by personal repentance, belief in the Lord Jesus, and personal acceptance of Him into one's life as Savior. Salvation is an act of free will in response to God's personal love for mankind. Salvation should produce an active lifestyle of living obedience and service to Jesus Christ our Savior (Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 2:16, Galatians 3:8, Romans 10:9-10, Acts 16:31)
Water Baptism
We believe in the ordinance of water baptism by immersion in obedience to the Word of God. All who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior should be baptized in water as a public profession of their faith in Christ. (Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:38)
Holy Communion
The Lord's Supper is a unique time of communion in the presence of God when the elements of bread and grape juice (the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ) are taken in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross. (Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 16:16, Acts 8:12, 36-38, 10:47-48, I Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-25)
The Church
The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of Jesus' great commission. The universal church consists of all communities of believers that accept the correct teachings of the Bible. (Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22, Hebrews 12:23, John 17:11, 20-23)
Eschatology

We affirm the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of believers, and the final judgment. Heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and unbelievers will be judged by God and sent to Hell where they will be eternally tormented with the Devil and the fallen angels. (Matthew 24:30, Acts 1:9-11, I Thessalonians 4:15-17, Revelation 1:7)