About Us

About

Who we are

We are a community of people who love God above all, bound together in fellowship by the love of Christ, exalting the Almighty in an atmosphere of vibrant praise and worship. We acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all its fullness, having received the mandate to proclaim His Lordship in every sphere of life.

The New Life Fellowship is a Spirit-filled, Bible-based church that seeks to restore people to spiritual, relational, emotional, and physical wholeness through the inspirational teaching of the Word of God, exuberant praise and worship, relational discipling, and fellowship.

The NLF Dubai Church is part of a larger body that is spread across South India, the Middle East, and globally. Browse through these pages to learn more about us. We welcome you to join this movement to impact the city of Dubai with the love of Christ!

DIVINE FOOTPRINT

The New Life Fellowship (NLF) began in a small way in 1983, when the Lord Jesus Christ impressed upon Pastor V.M. Samuel and his wife, Somey, to move out of Mumbai and pioneer a church in Mangalore in Karnataka. God enabled them to envision a church planting movement throughout Karnataka, which still remains one of the most unreached states in South India.

In 1987, Pastor V.M. Samuel and Somey handed over the churches in Mangalore to Pastor Donald and Winnie Menezes and shifted base to Bangalore to lead the church planting movement of the New Life Fellowship. They continue to serve their Lord as the Senior Pastors of the New Life Fellowship Churches, overseeing more than 120 churches in South India & the Middle East.

Pastor V.M. Samuel is of the firm conviction that the church is the answer to the revival of people and the means of reaching out to the unreached. The church planting ministry of the New Life Fellowship continues to progress despite challenges. The Lord has raised up stalwart leaders who have stood firm with Pastor V.M. Samuel in building the kingdom of God. The Lord has also granted him faithful co-workers committed to the leadership and vision of NLF. Together they form a formidable team that is tasked with the vision to establish Bible-based, Spirit-filled, Self-Governing & Self-Supporting Churches with a mandate to “Grow, Go, Give”.

Vision Statement

To establish Christ-centered, Spirit-filled, Bible-based Churches that grow and multiply across nations so as to transform lives and communities.

GROW . GO . GIVE

Mission Statement

We are committed to:

Edify through Word, Worship, Prayer and Fellowship

Equip through Discipleship

Envision through Intercession, Inspiration and Impartation

Empower through laying on of hands and releasing resources

Enlarge through community engagement and evangelism

CORE VALUES

We Value Commitment

To God
To the Local Church
To the Leadership
To the Vision

We Value People

By Accepting and Caring
By Nurturing Healthy Relationships
By Developing God-given Potential

We Value Doctrinal Purity

By Believing that the Bible is infallible, inerrant and God inspired

We Value Stewardship

By Being Accountable
By Being Responsible
By Being Transparent
By Having a spirit of Excellence

We Value Servant Leadership

We Serve
We Respect
We Honor
We Submit

We Value Godly Character

WHAT WE BELIEVE

While we realize that we cannot confine God to mere articles of faith, we also recognize the importance of doctrine in these days when people are being led astray by false teachings. To avoid being tossed about by the winds of doctrine, it is important for every believer to have a firm foundation in the basic fundamental doctrines of the Scriptures.

We offer the following statement as a summary:

We believe that the Bible, as we have it in the sixty six books of the Old and New Testaments, is divinely inspired, and the only infallible and authoritative word of God. (Ref. 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Revelation 22:19)

We believe that there is one God, Creator and Lord of the universe, existing in three persons, co-existent, co-eternal, and co-equal as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, distinguishable yet indivisible. (Ref. Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:6-8; Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:22; John 14:16-17; John 17:20-23; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

We believe that Jesus Christ is God the Son incarnate, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, truly man. He died on the cross of Calvary as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. He was buried, rose from the dead bodily, and ascended into heaven, where He is now the interceding High Priest at the right hand of the Father. (Ref. John 1:14; Luke 1:34-35; Philippians 2:5-8; 1 Corinthians 15:3-5; Hebrews 4:14; Acts 2:23-36)

We believe that man was created in the image of God. He fell into sin and was consequently separated from God. All men are sinners, both by birth and choice. As a result, man is by nature deprived, under condemnation, and unable to attain to divine righteousness. (Ref. Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3:6; Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 3:10-18,23; Romans 5:12-18)

We believe in the salvation of sinners by grace, through repentance and faith in the perfect and complete work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. The blood of Jesus Christ is the only basis for the remission of sins. (Ref. Ephesians 2:8-9; Hebrews 9:12,22; Romans 5:11; Acts 4:12)

While it is essentially spiritual in nature, the benefits of salvation embrace the needs of the total person – spirit, soul, and body. (Ref. 1 Peter 2:24; 3 John 2; 2 Corinthians 8:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23)

We believe that the Holy Spirit is instrumental in:

1. Regeneration, that is, the new birth of every person who responds to God’s Word and accepts Christ as Savior and Lord. (Ref. John 3:3-8; John 6:63; Titus 3:5-6)

2. The experience of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. (Ref. Acts 2:1-4; Acts 8:12-17; Acts 19:1-6)

3. Sanctification – a life of separation from the world to live a life of holiness, producing the Fruit of the Spirit. (Ref. Romans 15:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2)

4. The operation of the gifts and ministries of the Spirit as manifested in the early church. (Ref. 1 Corinthians 12:14; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10,28)

We believe in the reality and personality of Satan and the eternal judgment of him and his angels.
(Ref. Luke 4:1-13; Ephesians 6:12; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:7-10)

We believe that the Church is the redeemed community of God’s people for all time. (Ref. Hebrews 12:22-24)

We believe in the priesthood of all believers – Jesus Christ is both the Head and the Chief Cornerstone of the Church. (Ref. 1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 2:20; Ephesians 5:23)

We believe that the essential functions of the Church are:

1. To worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. (Ref. John 4:23-24)

2. To build itself up in love, unity of faith and grow up in all aspects into Christ – the Head of the Church. (Ref. Ephesians 4:11-16)

3. To actively engage in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ among all nations. (Ref. Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19-20)

We believe in the necessity of water baptism by immersion for believers. (Ref. Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:36-38; Acts 8:16; Acts 10:47-48; Acts 19:1-5)

We believe in the communion, commonly known as the Lord’s Supper or the Breaking of Bread as instituted by the Lord for believers. (Ref. Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-30)

We believe in the giving of our substance to the Lord as a part of spiritual worship. The Bible teaches that our tithes and offerings must be brought into the store house (local church), which is then used for the work and support of the ministry. (Ref. 1 Chronicles 16:29; Malachi 3:10; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Matthew 23:23)

We believe in the resurrection of the believers from the dead to eternal life and unbelievers to eternal judgment. (Ref. 1 Corinthians 15:50-54; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; Revelation 20:11-15)

We believe that Jesus Christ will return to this earth personally, visible and bodily in power and glory to establish His kingdom. (Ref. Matthew 24:30; John 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Acts 1:11; Revelation 1:7)