The Forge isn't just a name. It's a picture of what God does in us.
In the hands of the Master, the fire doesn't destroy - it refines and defines.
It doesn't break you - it builds you.
AT THE FORGE, WE BELIEVE:
Lives are refined by the fire of God's love. His love softens hearts, burns away what doesn't belong, and prepares us for His shaping.
Lives are shaped by the truth of His Word. Like a blacksmith hammering metal on the anvil, God's Word forms us into the people we were created to be.
Lives are strengthened by the power of His Spirit. What God forges in us is sealed through faith and perseverance, making us strong and unshakable.
Whether you've walked with Jesus for years or you're still searching, The Forge is a place for you-a place where God shapes ordinary lives into extraordinary testimonies.
AS SCRIPTURE REMINDS US:
These trials have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:7)
At The Forge, God is still working. He's not finished refining, shaping, or strengthening and the story He's writing in your life is far from over.
What Kind of Church is The Forge?
At The Forge, we believe church isn't just a place you go - It's a people you become.
And here's what we're becoming:
1. People of the Word
We read the Bible because it's not just a book-it's the living, breathing Word of God. It shapes us, strengthens us, and shows us who we are in Christ. At The Forge, we don't just read Scripture-we build our lives on it. We encourage daily reading, weekly discussion, and real-life application.
"For the word of God is alive and powerful..." (Hebrews 4:12)
2. People of Prayer
We pray because we believe prayer changes things starting with us. We pray for healing, for direction, for breakthrough, and for each other. Whether it's at the altar, in small groups, or quietly in your seat-at The Forge, prayer isn't an afterthought. It's the engine.
The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. (James 5:16)
3. People Who Give
We give because God gave first.
We give our time to serve, our energy to love, our resources to meet needs, and our finances to advance the Kingdom. We don't give out of guilt-we give out of gratitude. At The Forge, generosity is how we live because Jesus is the most generous giver of all.
You must each decide in your heart how much to give... For God loves a person who gives cheerfully. (2 Corinthians 9:7)
WHAT WE BELIEVE…
About God
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.
Genesis 1:1, 26,27,3:22, Psalms 90:2, 1 Peter 1:2, Matthew 28:19
About Mankind
We are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character and to be the supreme object of God’s creation. Although all people have tremendous potential for good, they are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called sin. This attitude separates us from God. The way to have a relationship with God is to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of one’s life, thus experiencing Salvation.
Genesis 1:27, Psalms 8:3-6, Isaiah 53:6a, Romans 3:23, Isaiah 59:1, 2, Romans 10:9-10
About the Father
The Father is the equal to the Son and the Holy Spirit as God. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving and all wise. Because of sin we cannot have a relationship with the Father except through Jesus Christ. It is His will that all of us know Him and love Him intimately as our Heavenly Father. A person should seek His will on a regular basis.
Matthew 6:9-10, John 14:6-11, John 10:27-30, Romans 8:15-16. I John 3:1-3, Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6
About Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the only son born of God. He is equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit as God. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered himself as the only perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended into Heaven’s glory and will return again to reign as King of Kings.
Matthew 1:22, 23, Isaiah 9:6, John 1:1-5, 14:10-30, Hebrews 4:14,15, I Corinthians 15:3-4, Acts 1:9-11, I Timothy 6:14-15, Titus 2:13
About the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under His control daily.
I Corinthians 3:17, John 16:7-13. 14:16.17. Acts 1:8, I Corinthians 2:12, 3:16, Galatians 5:25, Ephesians 1:13, Galatians 5:18
About the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit has given gifts to all believers for the purpose of equipping them to accomplish God’s plans. The variety of spiritual gifts is still given to believers today according to scripture for the purpose of serving God and others.
1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4:11-16, Romans 12:3-8, I Peter 4:10, I Corinthians 14
About Prayer
Prayer is spending time with God talking and listening to Him either as individuals or as a church. Through prayer, one can praise God, confess our sins, thank Him for His blessings, and ask for help for others and themselves. All are called to spend time daily with the Lord in prayer in order to be encouraged by His love and challenged to do His will. Through prayer, the Holy Spirit speaks to believers and they are able to see God do miracles in answers to prayer.
Mark 1:35, James 5:16, 1 John 1:9, Acts 2:42, Colossians 4:2-4, Philippians 4:6
About the Bible
The Bible is God’s “How to” manual for life. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living.
I Timothy 3:16, I Peter 1:20-21, I Timothy 1:13, Psalms 119:105, 12:6, Proverbs 30:5
About Baptism
Baptism is a public testimony that a person has decided to live for Jesus Christ. Baptism is a symbol of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and therefore should be done by immersion. Baptism should follow soon after one’s decision to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Ephesians 2:8-9, Acts 2:38, I Corinthians 1:17-18. Colossians 2:12, Galatians 3:26-27, Matthew 6:9-10, John 14:6, John 10:27-30, John 14:6-11, Romans 8:15-16, 1 John 3:1-3
About Eternal Security
The believer is secure for eternity, because God gives eternal life through Jesus Christ; Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives this security.
John 10:29, II Timothy 1:12, Hebrews 7:25, 10:10, 14, I Peter 1:3-5
About Eternity
God created us to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. God’s desire is that everyone will spend eternity in Heaven with Him. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is Heaven. Heaven and Hell are real places of existence.
John 3:16, John 2:25, John 5:11-13, Romans 6:23, Revelations 20:15, Matthew 1:8, II Peter 3:9, Matthew 2:44-46
About Cohabitation
Scripture offers healthy guidelines for marriage between a man and a woman in terms of procreation, godly intimacy, the nurture of children, and sexual activity. Outside of marriage, the potential negative consequences of living together are many. We encourage resisting sexual temptation and choosing to live consistently with the counsel of Scripture. We are here to encourage, not condemn. We invite those currently living together or considering a cohabiting relationship to receive premarital counseling. We advocate marriage and will do everything we can to help couples prepare for marriage and celebrate that life-changing commitment.
Genesis 1:27-28, Genesis 2:18, Malachi 2:15, 1 Corinthians 7:2
About Husbands, Wives, and God’s Design for Marriage
A Biblical Study from Genesis to Revelation
1. God’s Design in the Beginning
Genesis 1:27–28 (NIV 1984): “So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.’”
Genesis 2:18, 21–24 (ESV): “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him… Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
Marriage is not man’s invention but God’s design—one man, one woman, joined as one flesh. This becomes the blueprint that runs through the entire Bible.
2. The Prophets: Marriage as Covenant
Malachi 2:14–15 (NIV 1984):
“The LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth… Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring.”
The prophets often used marriage imagery to describe God’s covenant with His people: Hosea 2:19–20, Isaiah 54:5–6, Ezekiel 16. Always God as Husband, Israel as Bride—never same-sex imagery.
3. Jesus Reaffirms God’s Design
Matthew 19:4–6 (ESV): “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female… Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?”
Jesus doesn’t redefine marriage; He reaffirms Genesis as the standard.
Jesus also used marriage imagery for His Kingdom: the bridegroom and the bride (Matthew 25:1–13; John 3:29). Always male-female.
4. The Apostles: Marriage and Sexual Ethics
Marriage is a picture of Christ and the Church:
Ephesians 5:22–33 (NIV 1984): “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
Colossians 3:18–19; 1 Peter 3:1–7 - Instructions for wives and husbands. Always husband-wife roles, never same-sex.
Romans 1:26–27 (NIV 1984): “Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.”
This describes mutual, consensual same-sex relations—not abuse or pedophilia.
1 Corinthians 6:9–11; 1 Timothy 1:9–10 – Paul uses two Greek words:
Malakoi (μαλακοί): “soft ones,” here referring to the passive partner in male same-sex acts.
Arsenokoitai (ἀρσενοκοῖται): “male + bed,” drawn from Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, covering all male-male sexual acts.
Important: If Paul only meant pedophilia, he had a word—paiderastēs (παιδεραστής)—which referred to adult men with boys. He deliberately did not use that. Instead, he used broader terms that condemn all same-sex sexual activity, consensual or not.
Jude 7: Sodom and Gomorrah indulged in “unnatural desire.”
5. The End of the Story: Revelation
Revelation 19:7–9 (ESV): “The marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready.”
Revelation 21:2 - The New Jerusalem is described as a bride adorned for her husband.
The Bible opens with a husband and wife (Adam & Eve) and closes with a Bride and Groom (Christ & His Church). God’s design never changes.
6. A Practical Question: What if Two Men Asked Moses to Marry Them?
Moses was God’s covenant mediator. His responsibility was to uphold God’s law, not rewrite it.
Leviticus 18:22; 20:13 explicitly forbid same-sex acts.
If two men had asked Moses, he would have said: “No, because marriage is what God has already defined: one man and one woman.”
7. Addressing the “Homosexual” Word Objection
It’s true the English word homosexual didn’t exist until the 1800s, but the behavior is clearly condemned in Scripture.
From Leviticus (Hebrew) to Paul’s writings (Greek), the language addresses male-male sexual acts directly.
Romans 1 proves it’s not just about pedophilia or abuse—it speaks of grown men consumed with passion for each other.
Paul could have used the Greek word for pedophiles (paiderastēs) if that’s all he meant. He didn’t. Instead, he used broader words that clearly condemn all same-sex acts.
8. The Gospel Response
Scripture is consistent: marriage = male + female. Same-sex acts are sin. But Paul doesn’t stop there.
1 Corinthians 6:11: “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
The Bible calls sin what it is, but it also offers hope, forgiveness, and transformation through Jesus.
Summary
"Some say the word ‘homosexual’ isn’t in the Bible. That’s true—the English word is modern. But the sin is ancient, and the Bible addresses it clearly. From Genesis to Revelation, marriage is always male and female. When Paul wrote, he used Greek words that cover all same-sex behavior. If he only meant pedophilia, he had another word he could have used, but he didn’t. Romans 1 even describes mutual, consensual relations between men, calling it against nature. The consistent testimony of Scripture is that same-sex acts are outside God’s design. But here’s the hope: the same Jesus who calls it sin also offers forgiveness, cleansing, and a brand-new life. That’s the truth we stand on, not to condemn, but to point people to freedom.”