COTS Jax
Church on the Street of Jacksonville FL (COTS Jax) is a private non-profit residential reentry program that helps lower the recidivism rate by transitioning just-released born-again ex-offenders into Disciples of Jesus Christ through Way of the Master biblical evangelism.
Our Mission is for COTS Jax to become the leading provider of a non-profit residential reentry program for those who:
~had a call to proclaim the Gospel,
~want to be equipped to re-enter society successfully,
~want to be discipled into witnessing and/or missionary work.
Our ministryÂ’s Target is born-again just-released ex-offenders (...when you did it to one of the least of these...you were doing it to me! Matt 25:40), thereby lowering the recidivism rate.
Our Purpose is not only to reach out with the love of Jesus Christ, providing food, clothing, temporary shelter, and meeting their spiritual needs, but also to encourage and equip these believers to be fully committed Disciples. Therefore, our mission, at Church on the Street Jax, is to leave new COTS Units and well equipped Disciples in it's wake, and not merely converts.
150,000 people die every 24 hours—most without the Savior. We are deeply concerned that so few Christians reach out to the lost. Statistics show that this is as low as 5%. One of the reasons for this is that many don’t feel equipped. As a ministry, our purpose is to inspire and equip Christians—to teach them how to share the gospel simply, effectively, biblically... the way Jesus did. "The Way of the Master" is non-denominational. We believe and preach that the Bible is the Word of God, and that Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh, crucified for the sin of the world, and that He rose again on the third day. We believe and teach that salvation is by grace, through faith, and not of works.
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, authoritative, and inerrant Word of God (II Timothy 3:15-17, II Peter 1:21).
We believe there is one God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:1, Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19, John 10:30).
We believe in the deity of Christ (John 10:33); His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:34-35); His sinless life (Hebrews 4:15, 7:26); His miracles (John 2:11); His vicarious and atoning death (I Corinthians 15:3, Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 2:9); His resurrection (John 11:25, I Corinthians 15:4); His ascension to the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19); His personal return to earth in power and glory (Acts 1:11, Revelation 19:11-16).
We believe in the absolute necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit for salvation because of the exceeding sinfulness of the human nature, and that all are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Christ, and that only by God's grace through faith alone are we saved. (John 3:16-19; 5:24, Luke 24:46-48,* Romans 3:23; 5:8-9, Ephesians 2:8-10, Titus 3:5).
We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; those who are saved unto the resurrection of life, and those who are not unto the resurrection of damnation (John 5:28-29).
We believe in the spiritual unity of the believers in our Lord Jesus Christ
(Romans 8:9, I Corinthians 12:12-13, Galatians 3:26-28).
We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by Whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life (Romans 8:13-14, I Corinthians 3:16, 6:19-20, Ephesians 4:30; 5:18).
We believe that we as Christians are examples of the love of God in this world. It is this (agape) love that we desire to possess and without which we have no right to call ourselves Christians (I John 4:16-17).
We believe it is the mandate of God for each one of us to go into the whole world and to preach the Gospel to every living creature. (Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:19-20)
