WELL THIS SUMS IT UP FOR ME, THANKS SPIRIT AND TRUTH FELLOWSHIP: We believe the following are the crucial teachings of Scripture, crucial because misunderstanding them detracts from the quality of one’s life, which is his ability to reverence and obey the one, true God and His Son. Though there are many other teachings that we think are important, we do not list them here so we can have the greatest possible opportunity to “keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace” with our other Christian brethren (Eph. 4:3). Scripture We believe that the Scriptures are God’s heart to mankind. They are “God-breathed,” perfect in their original writing, without flaw or contradiction, and provide the only sure and steadfast basis for faith. The reason God wants us to know the truth is so we can know Him and show Him to others. Understanding the Scripture is essential for a true and vital relationship with God, and is attainable by applying logic and sound principles of biblical interpretation, in conjunction with the spirit of God in us. God We believe that God, the Creator, is the “the only true God” (John 17:3). He is the God of the Old Testament who revealed himself as Yahweh to the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and others. He is the God of the New Testament who is the Father of Jesus Christ and the heavenly Father of all Christians. He is, holy and separate from all His creation. He has revealed Himself to mankind through His Word, the Holy Scriptures and He wants us to be “imitators” of Himself. He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6). He is the Almighty, who has always been and who always will be, and His chief characteristics are love and truth. Jesus We believe that Jesus Christ, the “last Adam,” is the only-begotten Son of God. He was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, suffered and died as a payment for the sins of all mankind, was raised from the dead, and is now exalted to the position of “Lord” by God His Father. This enables him to function in many ways as God does because God has given Jesus all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18). He is worthy that every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:10 and 11). He is the Messiah, the promised one of God, and he is the only way for mankind to restore their relationship to the Creator. The Holy Spirit The original text of both the Old and New Testaments was all capital letters, so it is from the context that we must determine whether the text is speaking of the “Holy Spirit” or “holy spirit.” We believe that “the Holy Spirit” is another name for God. God is called “the Holy” and “Spirit,” so we would expect that, along with many other names of God such as Yahweh, El Shaddai, the Ancient of Days, and the Blessed One, He would be called “the Holy Spirit.” The gift of holy spirit We believe the gift of holy spirit is born inside every person at the moment he makes Christ his Lord (Rom. 10:9), and that it is that gift of holy spirit that is the “one spirit” of Ephesians 4:4. Jesus Christ first poured out the holy spirit on the Day of Pentecost, empowering Christians to do the same work that he did. It is this “holy spirit of promise,” which is sealed inside each Christian that makes him a “Christian,” guarantees him everlasting life, and enables him to operate all nine “manifestations” of the spirit, which are available, desirable and profitable to every believer to operate by faith, in conjunction with God’s energizing. Salvation We believe that today, in the “Administration of the grace of God” (Eph. 3:2), salvation is permanent for those who have once confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and believed that God raised Him from the dead. We believe that when one adheres to Romans 10:9, he is “saved,” “born again,” “sealed,” “anointed,” “clothed with power from on high” and “baptized with holy spirit.” This baptism in holy spirit is the “one baptism” of Ephesians 4:5. Death and resurrection We believe that when a person dies, his life is gone and he no longer exists anywhere in any form. He stays dead (“asleep”) until he is “awakened” from the dead by the Lord Jesus for judgment unto either everlasting life or everlasting death. The only hope for the dead is the resurrection by the Lord Jesus Christ, the firstborn from among the dead. The Body of Christ We believe that when a person gets born again he becomes part of what the Bible calls, “the Body of Christ.” Just as a body has a head and different parts, the Body of Christ does too. Jesus is the head, and individual Christians are the different parts, with each part serving a unique and important function. The Body of Christ started on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), when the gift of holy spirit was poured out and for the first time people could have “Christ” in them (Col. 1:27). Ephesians 3:6 tells us that part of the “Mystery” (“Sacred Secret”) is that those from both Jew and Gentile would be joint heirs, joint partakers and members of a joint body (“one new man”). Thus, since the Church is made up of both Jews and Gentiles who get saved we believe that there is a scriptural distinction between the Church of the Body of Christ and Israel. The Body of Christ began on the Day of Pentecost, and it will end with the Rapture, at which point God will again begin to save Jews and Gentiles as separate groups, just as He did before the Body of Christ started. Church authority We believe that the Lord Jesus is the Head over all matters to the Church, His Body. Church leaders derive their authority to serve only as they walk worthy of their calling to the end that their character and their example earn them recognition and respect from those they serve. The Devil We believe the Devil once was the angel with a high position of leadership among God’s created beings, perhaps even second in command to God, but He rebelled against God and has become God’s arch-enemy. The Bible never tells us the original name he had as an angel, but instead uses names that describe his evil character, such as Devil (“Slanderer”), Satan (Adversary), Serpent, Dragon, Evil One, etc. God is love; He is good and righteous, and not the author of evil, sin or suffering. When Adam made his free-will decision to disobey God, he transferred his God-given dominion over the earth to the Devil, who is now the “god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4). The world is now under the dominating influence of the Devil (1 John 5:19), and it is he who now holds the power of death (Heb. 2:14). In the future the “Last Adam,” Jesus Christ, will destroy the Devil and put an end to evil.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 20:36:16 +0000
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