Iron Range Christian Center
The Wednesday Notes
Membership Oath
November 21, 2001, "I believe in God the Father..."
November 28, 2001, "And in Jesus Christ His only Son..."
December 5, 2001, "I believe in Jesus who died and now lives..."
December 12, 2001, "I believe in the Holy Spirit"
December 19, 2001, "I believe in the Holy Universal Church"
January 9, 2002, "I believe all scripture is God-breathed..."
January 16, 2002, "I am Orthodox and Pentecostal"
January 23, 2002, "I believe in the Five-Fold Ministry"
January 30, 2002, "I believe in Progressive Sanctification"
February 6, 2002, "I believe in supporting the church"


Nov 21, 2001 – Pastoral Beliefs – MEMBERSHIP OATH, Part #1
I BELIEVE IN GOD ALMIGHTY CREATOR

If I am in the position of Pastor/Teacher, then the church should be interested in knowing my belief system: what I am dogmatic about and what I only have opinions about. The membership oath is a good place to start.


I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ His only Son, my Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy universal church, the communion of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

As scripture states, I believe that all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

I am orthodox Christian in doctrine and Pentecostal in practice: Jesus Christ is the only source of salvation and redemption; the Gifts of the Spirit are available today for the edification of the body of Christ.

I believe in the five-fold ministry of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher who are gifts from God to be servants of the body of Christ, the church, for the purpose of equipping the body for the work of ministry.

I believe the Holy Spirit progressively sanctifies me and provides me the ability to avoid persistent, unrepented willful sins as identified in scripture. I recognize that sin separates me from God.

I will support the church as the Lord directs and involve myself as appropriate and as I am able.


I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH.

Purpose of a creed – Determine what was worth dying over.

Early Christians were being martyred for being Christian – what exactly was "being Christian"? What are the basics? False teachers were bringing in odd things. What was "odd" compared to what should be believed? The creeds responded to various heresies.

I use the Apostle’s Creed because of its age and it by-passes performance issues so common to Pentecostal churches.

I "believe"

To "believe" is not necessarily based upon physical evidence but in faith and hearsay–the experiences of others–the "witness" of others.

Thomas is the great example for us. John 20:24-31

Abraham is our example: Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:1-3

Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

I BELIEVE IN GOD

BELIEF IN GOD IS NOT SALVATION - James 2:19

The fool says there is no God - Psalm 14:1; 53:1


I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER

"Father" suggests being the source of all things.

No one on earth is "father" - Matt 23:9


I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY

There are various principalities and powers in existence–some of which are way beyond what mere man is capable of doing and they could be looked at as a god–but they are no God, but created beings. I believe in God Almighty, as in none more mighty than. - Eph 6:12; 1 Cor 8:5


MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH

But to differentiate and make sure which "god". -- Jonah 1:3-10, Ps 115:15, Ps 121:2, Ps 124:8, Ps 134:3, Ps 146:6

This definition of God seems to be limited to Abraham-sourced religions: Judaism and Christianity. (Islam is not, from my perspective, sourced from Abraham. Besides, the god "revealed" by Mohammed seems to be an ancient Summerian moon-god.)

Evolution theories (besides being illogical, unscientific, and without hard evidence) compromise God as maker of heaven and earth in that natural processes take precedence over His activity. Christian churches that rationalize God as a monitor of the real "god of natural processes" serve a lesser god. -- Romans 1

"In the beginning, God created" is a belief in a beginning of which God is beyond. God is not created. God did not evolve. God created time, energy, space, and matter. The universe is not continuous. Man will not become God.  -- Ez 28; John 10:34-36

The scriptural assumption is that God is and He created. All else is a creation of God. – Isaiah 43:10; Deut 32:21, 39

HAVE I PUT GOD IN A BOX?  A RESPONSE TO:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

The scripture says that "He hangeth the earth upon nothing."    This is I believe an accurate statement, but somewhat incomplete.    Science after many years has learned how gravitational forces operate and can  use those forces for satellites which carry the gospel among other things.  If we had left the scriptural statement as dogma, we would not have learned how to use satellites.

Similarly science has haltingly in fits and starts tried to learn the method by which God created heaven and earth.  Why should we try to limit God by insisting that He could not use all of the systems and processes available to Him in the creation of the stars, planets, and the flora and fauna of earth.  We need to give God full credit for the creation while acknowledging that He is sovreign and can do it any way He chooses.
 

"hangeth the earth upon nothing"

"hangeth" comes from the Hebrew talah which is used as "suspend" especially as in a gibbet.

'erets meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land)

"upon" is translated from a word 'al that seems to always have a relationship with a downward aspect which suggests gravity putting something down on something else.

"nothing" means "nothing whatever"

Therefore, I contend if that verse is even taken as dogma--which there is no reason to do that-- would not and should not have slowed anyone down from discovering orbital mechanics. In fact it pointed out exactly what to look for.

The statement Job made was also in contradiction to his direct observable science, and other contemporary religion and science, because whenever he put anything "upon", it went "upon" something else that had to hold it up. Observable science indicated that everything had to be held up by something else. Revealed prophecy from God indicated another possible answer--and it took "brilliant mankind" several thousand years to discover that the "downward/upon" observable could be fields of gravity ultimately in the "nothing whatever" (none material) of space.

I contend also that when we take man's interpretations of the observable (science), and declare that our determined cause-and-effect MUST have been used by God (the Almighty one), that we are putting God in a box defined by man. To suggest that God made a rock appear to have age assumes that God has defined by revelation to us what "age" is. Scripture reveals that He has consistently not defined aging as a metric whereby we can assume something beyond what He has stated. The ages he has defined are days, weeks, years and He uses them consistently in scripture. A day is as a thousand years reveals that God is outside of His creation of time for mere mortal man. Not that a day in Genesis is actually thousands of years.

"Apparent age" would seem to make God either a liar or a con artist, but we--western science post Darwinists--have made an assumption which is not validated by scripture. A rock is a certain age because it contains a fossil of a certain age because it is in a rock of a certain age--and so the circle goes. The only thing close to aging by cause and effect from the observable is traces of decay of certain radioactive materials. The appearance indicates age because of what we observe now. But man's interpretation may be similar to Job needing a revelation that the earth is upon nothing. We as finite man have a limited world view. Revelation is different. Traces of decay may have a different meaning entirely.

In regards to the age of a rock, consider the first recorded miracle at Cana by Jesus in the Gospel of John. The wedding feast was out of wine. Jesus had six stone jars (preexisting and physical) filled with water to the brim. These were jars for ceremonial washing and held between 20-30 gallons so there was something close to 150 gallons of water used–maybe more. The water was drawn and presented to the Master of Ceremonies as if it were wine. He tasted it and declared "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." What vintage was that "best" wine? What vineyard did it come from? How long was it aged? Did he smell the cork? Who stomped the grapes? Was this vineyard the one Noah was operating? The wine had the "appearance of age" and therefore Jesus lied. Why would Jesus deceive us with the "best" wine when we brilliant human scientists know that "best wine" can only come into existence through a process? The argument that it was not fermented is silly from the context of the account, but even so it would have had to come from grapes that were non-existent. So the rationalization is that it was a "miracle" and as such is outside of science. So what? Why has not science delved into the making of wine miraculously? The main reason is that scripture revealed it was a miracle that took seconds instead of following a "natural process" that man can discover cause and effect–and repeat it.

I have always found it fascinating that Holy Spirit chose to record the first miracle as wine making: and act of creation. Which was, quite honestly, not needed to present Jesus as a fulfillment of prophecy, the Messiah, our Redeemer, etc. All it seems to do is record and verify that He is the God of instantaneous, miraculous, creation–with an appearance of age. From a western scientific perspective, that is.

Science has–your words–"haltingly in fits and starts tried to learn the method by which God created heaven and earth." Should this not have been applied to the wine making? God revealed in Genesis and the rest of scripture exactly how He made the heavens and the earth and the "method" has been declared: He spoke it into existence. But science doesn’t look for the "spoke" process. It was such an incredible miraculous event that He just told us He did it. In the same way He told us He made wine. Now we may learn how to make very good wine–but it will be a process not like what God used. And we may learn how to make heavens and earth, but it will be a process not like what God used. By putting God into the "process box" that we might eventually be able to discover, Jesus cannot make wine, give sight to the blind, heal the lame, or raise the dead. Come to think of it–neither can we–so why bother praying? If God, maker of heaven and earth, is constrained by limitations of natural processes, we will not be resurrected and we have no hope. There is no eternal life. There is no new heaven and new earth because our science has not figured out a method for creating it–it will take billions and billions of years. Instantaneous is not an option especially if there are traces of radioactive decay in the "new rock."

If I have to choose between divine revelation and man’s assumptions for ages, I choose God. Therefore, when I am told that science has "proven" that the age of the universe is 24 billion years old and counting and Holy Scripture keeps repeating the concept, "In the beginning God created..."--And those verses continue with the stars created on day four---And Adam died when he was 930---And there was a flood---And Abraham was born before Noah died–I tend to think God is not lying and science has not yet given me a method Jesus used to make the best wine. Weather forecasters telling me about global warming can’t get the weather right two days from now. This is not a denial of reality, because the "reality" of science assumes things not assumable. A metric must have a confirmable beginning relative to its ending. The confirmable ages of man are still only in the thousands of years because no man was witnessing anything before then. The oldest extant, reliable measure of age we have is to Adam–and scientists and society reject that the patriarchs lived that long. But that account of Adam is a record by intelligence, not broken jars in layers of dirt. Creation was a miracle, not a process. Only the miraculous brings into existence what never was. And God said it was a miracle and honored the miracle with the concept of the Sabbath rest. It is every seventh day, not every seventh billions of years.

Romans 1:19-20 reveals that "what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." This suggests to me that science, instead of assuming that God could not have possibly done it the way he said he did, should assume that divine revelation is giving some hints to get us down better paths of research. Why not look for the evidence–the cause and effect–that matches God’s revelation rather than going after the lie–which is also talked about in Romans 1. My creationist friends claim they are doing that, but with their preconditions of gifts of the Spirit reserved for the Apostles and the miraculous not functioning today, they have limited what they will discover. And they spend more time arguing than discovering "his eternal power and divine nature." The power of God is seen in what He has made.

So this would lend the argument that God’s power was so great that He made processes that caused all the universe to come into existence on its own–He went someplace and left it alone or took a nap. He is so great that He caused all that would ever be to be contained in a microscopic thing that exploded into all the grandeur and wonder of the observable universe. Is God capable of doing that? Of course. And numerous religions have that concept. It may be the most popular. And it cycles. But the revelations from scripture do not say that. His revealed word does not give that as a hint. So why should I assume that was how He made everything when that was not a clue He gave? "Everything wears out like a garment" is a clue for entropy. "Water returns to the place it came from" is a clue toward weather and water-cycle. "Rivers in the deep" tell me about ocean currents. There are clues about breeding and interbreeding and the limitations of species. "Life is in the blood" means something. But I have not found a hint that the six days of creation are, "just kidding–I really meant billions and billions of years. And that vegetation before the Sun-thingy. That was a joke to see if you would catch it."

If we are to take Genesis 1 and other places as symbolism or metaphors, why not also take everything else as nice stories too? Salvation? Resurrection? Eternal life? Gifts of the Spirit? Forgiveness of sin? Healing is figurative. "You will still have pain and sickness, but you will feel good about it–and fulfilled." The fact that Jesus healed was only to show in the observable what He had authority to do in the spiritual. Even if God presented creation as 6 processes and honored those processes in a seven-day week with a Sabbath rest, we have the recorded problem of Adam, who lived a certain number of days that takes us back to a specific date in time. Unless we assume that Adam was a process–and Eve too. Then was Noah a process? David, Jesus and Paul must be processes, too.

God stated there was a creation–and science desires to figure out the method used to make it. God also stated there is a hell–has science desired to figure out the method of eternal punishment? God stated there is eternal life–what method will God use to do that? Divine revelation is revealed information that was otherwise hidden. It either would not have been discovered or would have been difficult to determine definitively without help. "There is a redeemer" seems to be a universal concept understood throughout humanity. "His name is Jesus" is divine revelation. The fact that God chose to tell us how He made the universe suggests to me that it is either not able to be discovered or that there is enough conflicting information that our human finite minds can easily pursue irrelevant and non-God-glorifying paths of research resulting in wrong conclusions. It is not that God is threatened by our research, but that He cares enough for us that our creative energies are not wasted.

I reject the concept that literal acceptance of the 6 days of creation puts God in a box because He is the one that told me about the 6 days of creation–and then repeated it in the rest of scripture. I did not make that up. However, mankind did make assumptions and as such created the old universe theory. The fact that God was there and involved is a belief that I have–I can’t prove it. And He was the witness of what He did–I can’t prove that either. If He made a rock with a trace of radioactive decay that in our supposedly observable scientific brilliance determines is 12 millions years old and He did not tell us to use that as a measure, why should I? Especially when He plainly stated what He did do and He claimed He did it in 6 days. And than He later–for the fun of it–makes some aged, perfect wine instantly out of water. Should I use His wine to measure ages?


Nov 28, 2001 – Our Beliefs – MEMBERSHIP OATH, Part #2
I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD

And in Jesus Christ His only Son, my Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.


I BELIEVE JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY SON OF THE FATHER

This is a distinctive of orthodox Christianity that separates us from other religions and cults.

OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT TEACHES "SON OF GOD"
Ps 2:7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my SON; today I have become your Father.

Matt 3:17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my SON, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

Matt 17:5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my SON, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"

Mark 1:11 And a voice came from heaven: "You are my SON, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

Mark 9:7 Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my SON, whom I love. Listen to him!"

Luke 3:21-22 ...and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my SON, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

Luke 9:35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my SON, whom I have chosen; listen to him."

John 3:16,18 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only SON, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ... Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only SON.

Acts 13:33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: "'You are my SON; today I have become your Father.'

Heb 1:5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my SON; today I have become your Father"? Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my SON"?

Heb 5:5 So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, "You are my SON; today I have become your Father."

2 Peter 1:17-18 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my SON, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

1 John 4:9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only SON into the world that we might live through him.

TRINITY
Trinitarianism is a belief of orthodox Christianity from the beginning. The trinity means: One God in three persons–a mystery that defies understanding.

Old Testament:

New Testament:


Boardman: "The Father is all the fulness of the Godhead invisible, John 1:18; the Son is all the fulness of the Godhead manifested, John 1:14-18; the Spirit is all the fulness of the Godhead acting immediately upon the creature, 1 Cor 2:9-10."

And Jesus STILL quoted Deuteronomy 6:4 in Mark 12:29.   LORD IS ONE.


I BELIEVE JESUS CHRIST IS MY LORD

This is a personal declaration–a willful statement. More than just a belief but some action to the "belief". More than "lip service" to the confession that "Jesus is Lord."  This is bowing of my knee by my choice--my confession that He is Lord because I now choose Him to be while I still can.

Isa 45:23 By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.

Rom 14:11-12 It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'" So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Phil 2:9-11 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Implied in the concept of "Lord" is the submission of personal will to the Lord and an ownership and identification with Jesus as Lord. When personal will is retained by action and deed, "Thy will on earth" is a meaningless statement and denies Jesus as truly sovereign in my life.

LORD. The rendering of several Heb. and Gk. words, which have different meanings:

1. Jehovah (yahweh; Heb. YHWH, "self-existent"). This is used as a proper name of God and should have been retained in that form by the translators.

2. lord (Heb. 'Adon), an early word denoting ownership; hence, absolute control. It is not properly a divine title, being used of the owner of slaves (Gen 24:14,27; 39:2,7, rendered "master"), of kings as the lords of their subjects (Isa 26:13, "master"), of a husband as lord of the wife (Gen 18:12). It is applied to God as the owner and governor of the whole earth (Ps 114:7). It is sometimes used as a term of respect (like our sir) but with a pronoun attached ( "my lord"). It often occurs in the plural.

3. Adonai (Heb. 'adonay), emphatic, "the Lord"; many regard it as the plural of no. 2. It is used chiefly in the Pentateuch-always where God is submissively and reverently addressed (Ex 4:10,13; Josh 7:8) and also when God is spoken of (1 Kings 13:9; 22:6; etc.). The Jews, out of a superstitious reverence for the name Jehovah, always pronounce Adonai where Jehovah is written. The similar form, with the suffix, is also used of men, as of Potiphar (Gen 39:2, "master") and of Joseph (42:30,33).

4. lord, Master (Grk. kurios, "supreme"), he to whom a person or thing belongs, the master, the one having disposition of men or property, as the "owner of the vineyard" (Matt 20:8; 21:40; Mark 12:9; Luke 20:15, see marg.); the "Lord of the harvest" (Matt 9:38; Luke 10:2); the "master of the house" (Mark 13:35, see marg.); "Lord of the Sabbath" (Matt 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5), as having the power to determine what is suitable to the Sabbath, and of releasing himself and others from its obligation. The term is also a title of honor sometimes rendered "sir" and is expressive of the respect and reverence with which servants salute their master (Matt 13:27; Luke 13:8; 14:22; etc.); employed by a son in addressing his father (Matt 21:29); by citizens toward magistrates (27:63); by anyone wishing to honor a man of distinction (8:2,6,8; 15:27; Mark 7:28; Luke 5:12; etc.); by the disciples in saluting Jesus, their teacher and master (Matt 8:25; 16:22; Luke 9:54; John 11:12; etc.). This title is given to God, the ruler of the universe, both with the article ho kurios (Matt 1:22; 5:33; Mark 5:19; Acts 7:33; 2 Tim 1:16,18; etc.) and without the article (Matt 21:9; 27:10; Mark 13:20; Luke 2:9,23,26; Heb 7:21; etc.). The title is also applied to Jesus as the Messiah, since by His death He acquired a special ownership of mankind and after His resurrection was exalted by a partnership in the divine administration (Acts 10:36; Rom 14:8; 1 Cor 7:22; 8:6; Phil 2:9-11).

5. Baal (Heb. ba`al, "master"), applied only to heathen deities, or to the man as husband, and so on, or to one specially skilled in a trade or profession.

6. Other and less important words in the original are rendered "Lord," such as mare', "master" (Acts 2:47), an official title, and seren, a Philistine term found in Joshua, Judges, and 1 Samuel, where "the lords of the Philistines" are mentioned.


I BELIEVE JESUS CHRIST IS DIVINE - CONCEIVED OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Matt 1:18-20 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Luke 1:35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

This statement is included because some heresies through the history of the church have denied that Jesus is divine–God. Many even today say that He is a good man or even a prophet–but not God. "We are to learn from his example."


I BELIEVE JESUS CHRIST IS HUMAN - OF THE "SEED" OF WOMAN - BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY

This is included because of the many heresies indicating that Jesus was not human but only took on a human appearance. And yet was conceived by the Holy Spirit because Mary was a virgin. The Old Testament indicates that:

Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Gen 3:15 and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

zera` (zeh'-rah); from OT:2232; seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity:

Scriptures already quoted for Divinity indicate that Mary was virgin, or as some who study scripture would say, "She was so young that of course she was virgin in that society." There was no possibility that she was not.

Those in "modern" Christianity who declare that it doesn’t matter whether Mary was virgin or not, deny the divinity of Christ and deny scripture. Most are also in the camp where Jesus is only an example to us–not the only way of salvation.

Roman Catholicism defended "virgin birth" to a different extra-biblical extreme by declaring edicts that scripture does not suggest. (Most are relatively recent):


[From Roman Catholic sources]
Immaculate Conception, December 8 (Feast Day of Obligation)
On this feast day we celebrate the fact that the Blessed Virgin Mary was sinless from the first moment of her existence. There is no explicit biblical basis for this belief, which was declared dogma by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854. There are, however, several biblical passages which point in this direction; much like the fact that there is no clear statement about the Trinity in scripture, but nevertheless all Christian churches accept the dogma of the Trinity. She is prophetically foreshadowed in victory over the serpent which is promised to our first parents after their fall into sin (Genesis 3:15, our first reading); she is the virgin who is to conceive and bear a son whose name will be called Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2-3; Matthew 1:22-23).

From the earliest times the Church formulated in her prayer the essentials of her faith concerning the Mother of Jesus. She was declared the Mother of God by the Council of Ephesus in AD 431. But it took a long time to uncover the wonders of grace contained in these words.

St. Irenaeus, in the 3rd century, foreshadowed Mary's Immaculate Conception by calling her the New Eve. St. Ephraem of Syria (A.D. 306-373), a poet, hymn writer and deacon addressed Christ and Mary this way: "You alone and your mother are in all things fair; for there is no flaw in you and no stain in your mother." St. Ambrose (A.D. 340-397) wrote "Adopt me, however, not from Sarah but from Mary, so that it might be from an incorrupt virgin, virgin by grace, free from all stain of sins." By the 8th century, there was a feast in honor of the Mary's Conception in the Eastern Church. In the 11th century, it appeared in the Western Church and was celebrated in England. Two centuries later in Scotland, the Franciscan John Duns Scotus clarified the distinction of how Mary would be immaculately conceived and still call Jesus her savior: Though Mary deserved original sin like all other humans, she was preserved from it at the moment of conception by a pre-redemption. She was saved from sin by her Son from the moment of her conception.

This feast was included in the calendar of the Universal Church in the 14th century; on December 8, 1661, Pope Alexander VII registered the progress of belief in the Immaculate Conception and it was made a feast of obligation in 1708, with an Opening Prayer that declared: "God prepared a worthy dwelling place for [His] Son through the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, preserving her from all sin in view of the foreseen Death of His Son."

The Immaculate Conception is more than just Mary's preservation from evil. It is her fullness of grace. Mary's soul, at the first moment of its creation and infusion into her body, was clothed in sanctifying grace. The stain of original sin was not removed, but rather was excluded from Mary's soul. Freedom from original sin does not necessarily mean freedom from all defects which came into the world as a punishment for sin. Mary, like Christ Himself, was subject to the general human defects, insofar as these involve no moral imperfection. It would be incompatible with Mary's fullness of grace, her perfect purity and immaculate state to be subject to notions of inordinate desire. Like her privilege of the Assumption, her Immaculate Conception is based on Mary's divine motherhood; and in both Mary is the anticipated image of the Church without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27).

The date of December 8 was fixed by the celebration of the Birth of Mary nine months afterwards, on September 8. It is not known why September 8 was selected as the date for the celebration of her birthday.


Dec 5, 2001 – Our Beliefs – MEMBERSHIP OATH, Part #3
I BELIEVE IN JESUS WHO DIED AND NOW LIVES


And in Jesus Christ His only Son, my Lord;   Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

1. SUFFERED UNDER PONTIUS PILATE
This fixes a point in time.  Pontius was a specific person in Roman history.  Jesus is not some mythical story outside of the real world like the legends in all cultures.

And Jesus also suffered in the human sense.  This was not only a spiritual suffering or agony of the soul, but a very real physical suffering at the hands of the professional, torturing, occupation force of the Roman government–they knew how to make humans suffer.

Religious leaders of new religions or cults frequently “suffer”.  Suffering does not by itself make truth out of a “messianic” figure.

2. JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED
Among the Jews, as well as among the Romans, crucifixion was considered the most horrible form of death; to a Jew it would seem the more horrible from the curse "He who is hanged is accursed of God" (Deut 21:23). Our Lord was condemned to it by the popular cry of the Jews (Matt 27:23) on the charge of sedition against Caesar (Luke 23:21-23).

Process. Crucifixion was preceded by scourging with thongs, to which were sometimes added nails, pieces of bone, etc., to heighten the pain, often so intense as to cause death. In our Lord's case, however, this infliction seems neither to have been the legal scourging after sentence nor examination by torture (Acts 22:24) but rather a scourging before the sentence to excite pity and procure immunity from further punishment (Luke 23:22; John 19:1). The criminal carried his own cross, or a part of it, in which case another person was compelled to share the burden (Luke 23:26). The place of execution was outside the city (1 Kings 21:13; Acts 7:58; Heb 13:12); arriving there, the condemned was stripped of his clothes, which became the property of the soldiers (Matt 27:35); and the cross having been previously erected, he was drawn up and made fast to it with cords or nails, although sometimes he was first fastened to the cross and then raised. The limbs of the victim were generally three or four feet from the earth. Before the nailing or binding took place a medicated cup was given out of kindness to confuse the senses and deaden the pangs of the sufferer (Prov 31:6), usually of "wine mixed with myrrh," because myrrh was soporific. The Lord refused it that His senses might be clear (Matt 27:34; Mark 15:23).

If the nailing was the most painful mode in the first instance, the other was more so in the end, for the sufferer was left to die of sheer exhaustion, and when simply bound with thongs, it might take days to accomplish the process. Instances are on record of persons surviving for nine days. Owing to the lingering character of this death our Lord was watched, according to custom, by a party of four soldiers (John 19:23), with their centurion (Matt 27:54), to prevent His being taken down and resuscitated. Fracture of the legs was resorted to by the Jews to hasten death (John 19:31). This was done to the two thieves crucified with Jesus but not to Him, for the soldiers found that He was dead already (19:32-34). The unusual rapidity of the Lord's death was due to the depth of His previous agonies or may be sufficiently accounted for simply from peculiarities of constitution. Pilate expressly satisfied himself as to the actual death by questioning the centurion (Mark 15:44). In most cases the body was allowed to rot on the cross by the action of the sun and rain or to be devoured by birds and beasts. Interment was generally, therefore, forbidden, but in consequence of Deut 21:22-23 an exception was made in favor of the Jews (Matt 27:58).

3. JESUS DIED
There are some who have said that Jesus did not die at the crucifixion and that is why He appeared alive afterwards.  This is an attempt to deny the resurrection.

Pilate investigated whether Jesus had died.  Mark 15:44  Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died.  Pilate, a professional Roman leader should know whether a person was dead.

The spear was put in His side to confirm He was dead.
John 19:34-35  Instead of breaking his legs to help death along, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side...

This also fulfilled prophecy.
Ps 22:16; Is 53:5; Zech 12:10
Side pierced
Legs not broken

4. JESUS WAS BURIED
The burial of Jesus was in compliance with Old Testament prophecies.

Isa 53:9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

5. JESUS DESCENDED INTO HELL (HADES)
Hell is understood to consist of many different levels and parts.  Translation into English is the difficulty.  English “hell” can mean the extremes from “the grave” to the place where Satan is temporarily held until the Lake of Fire.  Sheol [Hebrew] is “place of the dead.”  Hades [Greek] is “underworld, place of the departed.”  Gehenna is a place where children were burned as sacrifices to Molech and where bodies were burnt–a place of abomination for Jews.  Tartarus [Greek] - is “the place of punishment of the fallen angels”

Fallen angels are kept in one place awaiting judgment in chains.  Yet, righteous Abraham and beggar Lazarus were in another portion also referred to as the Bosom of Abraham–they had water.  From the Gospel story Christ told, there is a great chasm between the two dominant places, but they could see each other or the rich man would not have been able to talk to Abraham..  In English–especially older King James English and the language of the Creed–the one word is “hell.” Some modern translations try to differentiate by using foreign words: sheol.

HELL (hel): The English word, from a Teutonic root meaning "to hide" or "cover," had originally the significance of the world of the dead generally, and in this sense is used by Chaucer, Spenser, etc., and in the Creed ("He descended into hell").

Luke 16:19-31
9 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
25 "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
27 "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
29 "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
30 "'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
31 "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

Apparently, this place of comfort after death was a holding tank for saints until the death of Jesus.  When Jesus died, he went and preached in hell or the Greek word “Hades,” or as Peter put it–“prison.”  The “prison” is  phulake (foo-lak-ay'); a guarding or (concretely, guard), the act, the person; figuratively, the place, the condition, or (specifically) the time (as a division of day or night), literally or figuratively.  It’s a holding place–that part of Sheol or Hades where souls were held.  The context of the scripture suggests Jesus preached to “all” who disobeyed from the time of Noah.

1 Peter 3:18-22
18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also-not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand-with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

And apparently when Jesus left hell–at least that portion of hell or Hades–he led those who were being held there free to be with him.  Now, the New Testament states that at death, we are with Christ [Philippians 3:12]

Ps 68:18
18 When you ascended on high,
you led captives in your train;
you received gifts from men,
even from the rebellious--
that you, O LORD God, might dwell there.
NIV

Eph 4:7-10
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore He says:

"When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men."

9(Now this, "He ascended"--what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
NKJV

The word translated “lower” means “locally, of Hades” implying in this structure that the “lower parts of the earth” are the same as a portion of Hades.  Some will argue that “descended” in this context is only the coming of Jesus away from the glorious heavenly state to mere humanity.

6. THIRD DAY JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD
Predicted by Jesus himself:

Matt 12:40  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Matt 27:63  "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.'

Mark 8:31-32  He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

Mark 9:31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise."

Mark 10:33-34  "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise."

John 2:19-22  Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."
The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

7. JESUS ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN
Acts 1:9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

This was a physical ascension; not a spiritual one.

8. SITTETH ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY
Stephen witnessed it:
Acts 7:54-56 When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.  But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.  "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

Fulfillment of prophecy
Ps 110:1  Of David. A psalm.
The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."

Paul taught it
Rom 8:34
2 Cor 6:7
Gal 2:9
Eph 1:20
Col 3:1
Heb 1:3
Heb 1:13
Heb 8:1
Heb 10:12
Heb 12:2

9. FROM THERE, HE WILL RETURN
This is a physical return in a physical body, not a spiritual return.

Matt 24:23-27 [and Mark 13]
23 At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect-if that were possible. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.
26 "So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Acts 1:10-11
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

John 14:1-4
 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going."

10. HE WILL COME TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD.
Present heaven and earth will go away:  Rev 20:11
All the rest of the dead will be resurrected:  Acts 24:15
All will be judged:  Rev 20:12

Num 33:4 who were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them; for the LORD had brought judgment on their gods.
Job 19:29 you should fear the sword yourselves; for wrath will bring punishment by the sword, and then you will know that there is judgment."
Ps 1:5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
Ps 9:7-8 The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.
Eccl 3:17 I thought in my heart,  "God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed."
Eccl 12:14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
Joel 3:2 I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.
Matt 12:36-37 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

John 5:22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,
Rom 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.
2 Cor 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Heb 6:1-2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
2 Peter 2:9 ...if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.


Dec 12, 2001 – Our Beliefs – MEMBERSHIP OATH, Part #4
I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT


I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy universal church, the communion of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

1. I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity; Holy Spirit is not an invention at Pentecost.

Baptismal formula in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Genesis 1:2  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Genesis 41:38  So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?"

Exodus 31:3  and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts--

Exodus 35:31  and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts--

Numbers 24:2  When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him

1 Samuel 10:10  When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying.

1 Samuel 11:6  When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he burned with anger.

1 Samuel 19:20  so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came upon Saul's men and they also prophesied.

1 Samuel 19:23  So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even upon him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth.

2 Chronicles 15:1  The Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded.

2 Chronicles 24:20  Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, "This is what God says: 'Why do you disobey the LORD's commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.'"

Job 33:4  The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Psalms 106:33  for they rebelled against the Spirit of God,
and rash words came from Moses' lips.

Ezekiel 11:24  The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia in the vision given by the Spirit of God.
Then the vision I had seen went up from me,

Matthew 3:16  As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.

Matthew 12:28  But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Romans 8:9  You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

Romans 8:14  because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

1 Corinthians 2:11  For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

1 Corinthians 2:14  The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthians 7:40  In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is-and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

1 Corinthians 12:3   Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:30  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Philippians 3:3  For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh-

1 John 4:2  This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

2. HOLY SPIRIT IS BAPTISM OF FIRE - JESUS IS BAPTIZER
Matt 3:11  "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Mark 1:8  I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Luke 3:16  John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

John 14:26   But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

John 20:22-23  And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

Acts 2:3-4  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

1 Thess 5:19-20  Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt.

3. HOLY SPIRIT BRINGS GIFTS TO THE CHURCH

1 Corinthians 12

Purpose of Wisdom is to preach the foolishness of God (crucifixion) with power–
 How? By laying on of hands.

Purpose of Knowledge is strength to wage war:  intelligence information--
 How? By listening to instruction.

Purpose of Faith is to move destroying mountains–
 How? By the awakening of the word of Christ through music.

Purpose of Healing is to show that Jesus has authority to forgive sins–
 How? By touch, speaking in the name of Jesus.

Purpose of Mighty Miracles is the testimony of God the Father to salvation–
 How? By honoring Jesus with worship.

Purpose of Prophecy is to be the eyes of the church–
 How? You must have an eager desire.

Purpose of Distinguishing between Spirits is so the church can be blameless--
 How? Choose obedience.

Purpose of Tongues is to realize the impossible, astonish unbelievers--
 How? Sign of believers and edification.

Purpose of Interpretation is to edify the church–
 How?  Pray for the interpretation

4. HOLY SPIRIT STILL FUNCTIONS WITHIN THE CHURCH
Holy Spirit did not disappear after the Apostles died-- just because the traditional church has ignored Him..

Pentecostal renewal 1901

Azusa Street 1906

5. HOLY SPIRIT CAN BE GRIEVED

Eph 4:30  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Matt 12:31-32  And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

John 3:5-8  Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

Heb 10:28  How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?

[John 14:6  Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 6:44  "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.]


Dec 19, 2001 - Our Beliefs -- MEMBERSHIP OATH, Part #5
I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY UNIVERSAL CHURCH


I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy universal church, the communion of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

1. I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY UNIVERSAL CHURCH

The church is the Mystery revealed by Paul: Jews and Gentiles are one body in the church.

Col 1:25-27  I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness- the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.  To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

To state that we now have divisions goes against the mystery.  The fact that some people are Protestant, others Roman Catholic, others Orthodox–and then they break down into little “distinctives” of Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Pentecostal–also denies the teaching of Paul when he states:

1 Cor 1:12-14  What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ."
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?

Who do we remember in the sacraments?  A name of a church or Jesus of Nazareth?  The name of a preacher or the Son of God crucified? Were you baptized in the name of Iron Range Christian Center, Martin Luther, Billy Graham, the Pope, or in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?  Do the bread and the cup represent your favorite pastor’s ministry or Jesus of Nazareth?

The church is: CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY.
The church is not a building, a denomination, a specific program on Sunday morning featuring a specific preacher.

A.  ONE CHURCH–many congregations
The church is a local assembly of believers as well as the redeemed of all the ages who follow Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

In the four gospels of the New Testament, the term church is found only in Matt 16:18 and 18:17. This scarcity of usage in those books that report on the life and ministry of Jesus is perhaps best explained by the fact that the church as the body of Christ did not begin until the day of PENTECOST after the ASCENSION of Jesus (Acts 1:1-4).
That the church began on the day of Pentecost may be demonstrated in various ways: (1) Christ Himself declared the church to be yet future; (2) it was founded upon the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, and such an accomplished fact was not possible until Pentecost (Gal 3:23-25); (3) there could be no church until it was fully purchased with Christ's blood (Eph 1:20).

B.  Nature.
The Greek word for church is ekklesia. This word is used 115 times in the New Testament, mostly in the Book of Acts and the writings of the apostle Paul and the general epistles. At least 92 times this word refers to a local congregation. The other references are to the church general, or all believers everywhere for all ages.
When the church general is implied, church refers to all who follow Christ, without respect to locality or time. The most general reference to the church occurs in Eph 1:22; 3:10-21; 5:23-32. Since the church general refers to all believers of all ages, it will not be complete until after the judgment; and the assembly of all the redeemed in one place will become a reality only after the return of Christ (Heb 12:23; Rev 21:1-22:21).
Because the church general will not become a tangible reality until after Christ's return, the greatest emphasis in the New Testament is placed upon the idea of the local church. The local church is the visible operation of the church general in a given time and place.

C.  Commission.
Speaking to His followers after His resurrection, Jesus commissioned the church to make disciples and teach them what He had taught (Matt 28:16). The entire Book of Acts is the story of the early church's struggle to be loyal to this commission. As one reads this book, he is impressed by the reality that Christ, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, continues to direct His church as it carries out its commission.

D.  Activities.
The early church met in the Temple and Jewish synagogues, as well as private homes of believers (Acts 5:42). Later, in recognition of Christ's resurrection on the first day of the week, Sunday became the principal time for public worship (1 Cor 16:2). At these public worship services, missionary teachings and outreach in the name of Christ were offered to all within reach.
In the worship services of early Christians, prayer was offered, not only on the Lord's Day, but on special occasions as well (Acts 12:5), and Scripture was read (James 1:22; 1 Thess 5:27). The breaking of bread and the sharing of the cup on the Lord's Day were observed as a continuing proclamation of Jesus' death, an anticipation of His return, and a participation in His "body and blood" (1 Cor 11:20-29). Offerings for the needy were also received (1 Cor 16:2).

E.  Organization.
At first, church organization was flexible to meet changing needs. As the church became more established, however, church officers came into existence. These included the APOSTLES; PROPHETS; EVANGELISTS; ELDERS; BISHOPS; MINISTERS or teachers, DEACONS; and DEACONESSES.
Although church organization varies from denomination to denomination today, the pattern and purpose of the New Testament remains a model for churches as they pursue their mission in the world.

2.  I BELIEVE IN THE COMMUNION OF THE SAINTS
Communion could mean the sacrament, but more, it means:

Heb 10:24-25  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

EDIFY EACH OTHER

Hebrews 3:7-19  So, as the Holy Spirit says:
"Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, 9 where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. 10 That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'"
12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. 14 WE HAVE COME TO SHARE IN CHRIST if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. 15 As has just been said:
"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion."
16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.

THOSE WHO DO NOT “COMMUNION WITH THE SAINTS” ARE PRONE TO:
• “NEGLECTING SO GREAT A SALVATION.” Hebrew 2:3
• FORSAKING “YOUR FIRST LOVE” Rev 2:4
• BEING WITHOUT “PREPARATION TO DO THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY” Eph 4:12

Communion is:  a sharing; one’s thoughts and emotions with another or others; a group of people professing the same religious faith and practicing the same rites.

Heb 11:39-12:2   These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3. I BELIEVE IN THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN

Ps 130:3-4  If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.

Matt 26:27-29  Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."

Luke 24:46-49   He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

Acts 2:38-39  Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call."

Acts 10:43  All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

Acts 13:38-39  "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.

Acts 26:17-18  I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

Eph 1:6-8  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

Col 1:13-14  For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Eph 2:1-10
2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

“Forgiveness of sin” means the sin is removed–the book of records is clean–there is no evidence.

It is not earned through works of any kind, but by acceptance of what Jesus has done.  Unmerited favor – grace.

With forgiveness comes the fruit of repentance.  Unless there is fruit, the forgiveness has not been accepted.

Matt 3:8  Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

Luke 3:8-9  Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."
 

4.  I BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY

This is physical, not just a spiritual resurrection.
A body–not just a spirit.
Flesh and bones–not smoke and mirrors (and we aren’t floating around as ghosts)

A. JESUS WAS FIRST.
1 Cor 15:20-24  But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

He had flesh and bones and ate fish.  He also appeared where he wanted and in the way he wanted.  And gravity still had no affect on him.

B. WE WHO ARE TRULY THE CHURCH ARE SECOND
Rev 20:4-6  I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

1 Cor 15:42-57  So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed- 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

55 "Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

C.  THE REMAINDER ARE RAISED
Rev 20:11-15  Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Some say this resurrection is one of grotesqueness according to how a person has lived.

5.  I BELIEVE IN THE LIFE EVERLASTING
Imperishable means imperishable.  Besides:

Rev 22:1-5  Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

Forever is forever.


Jan 9, 2002 – Our Beliefs – MEMBERSHIP OATH, Part #6
I BELIEVE SCRIPTURE IS GOD-BREATHED


As scripture states, I believe that all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

1. ALL SCRIPTURE IS GOD BREATHED

"God-breathed" means that it is inspired by the Holy Spirit. Inspiration, not automatic writing. The writers were men inspired by God, not automatons. And, Holy Spirit will make scripture alive in you.

The concept of scripture was in place when Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah and quoted from almost every book of the Old Testament.

Peter confirmed that Paul’s writings were also scripture.

2 Peter 3:15-16 Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

What is scripture? Not all ancient writing is considered scripture.

Gospel of Thomas, Book of Enoch, Gilgamish Epic, Homer, Josephus

And some people have different scriptures: Koran, Book of Mormon.

And some Christians consider different books to be scripture: Esdras, Ecclesiasticus, Maccabees, etc.

OLD TESTAMENT

It became an issue of Hebrew versus Greek. "Legitimate" Jewish scripture as opposed to those Greek "scriptures. Jews decided in 90 AD that "scripture" was in Hebrew–this was in reaction to Christian books coming into existence.

Reformation leaders (Luther) took the viewpoint of the "Hebrew" version advocates. One of the reasons was the apocryphal books were in Greek and also contained source material for some of the church practices that needed reform.

From a Christian point of view, the most significant of the Greek translations of the Old Testament is what is called the Septuagint (Latin for "Seventy" and often abbreviated to "LXX"). This is traditionally credited to the initiative of Ptolemy Philadelphus (285-246 BC) who wanted a translation of the Hebrew Law for his library at Alexandria. He is said to have engaged 70, or more exactly 72, translators for this work - hence the title.

They seem to have translated only the Torah, or Law - that is, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The tradition grew, as traditions do, in the telling. It was said that all 72 translators were miraculously inspired to produce exactly the same translation. Furthermore, the title LXX came to be applied to a much more extensive work than simply the Law.

The LXX was translated by Jerome into the Latin Vulgate.HEBREW CANON:

TORAH - five books of Moses
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy

NEVI’M - the prophets
Joshua
Judges
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Ezekiel

the twelve minor prophets
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

KTHUVIM - the writings
Psalms
Proverbs
Job
The Song of Songs
Ruth
Lamentations
Ecclesiastes
Esther
Daniel
Ezra
Nehemiah
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
The order of the books is different in the Roman Catholic and Protestant bibles.

APOCRYPHA
It is generally true that the Apocrypha is the excess of the Greek (Septuagint) and Latin (Jerome, Vulgate) over the Hebrew Bibles (the Masoretic Text).

(1) 1 Esdras;
(2) 2 Esdras (to be hereafter called "The Apocalyptic Esdras");
(3) Tobit;
(4) Judith;
(5) The Rest of Esther;
(6) The Wisdom of Solomon;
(7) Ecclesiasticus (to be hereafter called "Sirach");
(8) Baruch, with the Epistle of Jeremiah;
(9) The Song of the Three Holy Children;
(10) The History of Susanna;
(11) Bel and the Dragon;
(12) The Prayer of Manasses;
(13) 1 Maccabees;
(14) 2 Maccabees.

NEW TESTAMENT
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Revelation
The reformers considered removing some of the books, but they didn’t. They did group the apocryphal books into one place between the Old and New Testament, unlike the Roman Catholic bible that has them distributed throughout the O.T.

2.  WHAT IS A "BIBLE"?

To begin with, what is the Bible? What does the word mean? It derives from the Greek, Ta Biblia. This is a plural form; but what is To Biblion?

"Biblion" signifies the inner bark of the papyrus plant. Beneath the green outer bark lies a soft white membrane. Strips of these are laid side by side. Other strips are then pasted on at right angles. The resulting papyrus can be written on. It is rather brittle and hence not suitable for folding in our familiar "codex" form, but can be rolled up to make a scroll. These scrolls were usually kept in earthenware jars. A scroll is limited as to size, because it has to be unrolled in order to be read. It would be out of the question to write the whole of what we now call "The Bible" on one scroll. It would be the thickness of an oil drum, and most inconvenient to use. A "book" of the Bible would in principle be a single scroll.

In the ancient world therefore a "Bible" would be a collection of scrolls in earthenware jars, sitting on several shelves. Probably a single individual, unless he were very rich, would not own a complete "Bible". One might find such a collection in a library, or in a synagogue.

But the exact number of scrolls which one might find on the shelves of any particular library would vary, for several reasons.

1.  The limits of the canon of the Old Testament were not decided until the early Christian period. "The suggestion that a particular synod of Jamnia, held c. 100 A.D. [90 A.D.] , finally settled the limits of the OT canon, was made by H.E. Ryle; though it has had a wide currency, there is no evidence to substantiate it"

2.  More than one book might be fitted on to a scroll. It is the Jewish custom nowadays to have the Torah, the five books of the Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) all on one scroll. I do not know when this custom began. Furthermore the Minor Prophets (minor only in respect to the length of their work) were collected on one scroll. It was thought appropriate that there should be twelve such prophets, twelve being a number of some significance in Jewish tradition (twelve patriarchs, twelve tribes). Diligent search however revealed only eleven such prophets - Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai and Zechariah. There were however three short anonymous prophecies left over, each beginning with the phrase "An oracle:" Two of these were tacked on to the end of the Book of Zechariah (Zechariah 9-11 and 12-14). The third had the slightly longer opening, "An oracle: by my messenger". The Hebrew word for "my messenger" is "malachi" and so this final oracle became "Malachi".

3.  And of course, a particular collection might not be complete, because a book might not be available locally, or the owner of the library might not be able to afford it. In any case, the concept of a "Bible" was something vastly different from nowadays. One must next appreciate that by the time of Christ, Hebrew was a dead language. The Jews of Palestine had long spoken Aramaic, the common language of the Middle East. The Hebrew scriptures were no longer even written in the Hebrew alphabet - what we call the Hebrew alphabet is in fact the Aramaic one. The books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Daniel contain large portions written in the Aramaic language. There were translations, or rather paraphrases of the scriptures into Aramaic. These were known as Targums.

Jews of the "Diaspora" or dispersion, settled around the Mediterranean, spoke the common language of the region, i.e. Greek.

3.  ORIGINAL, TRANSLATION, PARAPHRASE

The original manuscripts were written in the language of the authors, not Latin or Elizabethan English.

None of the original originals have been found. They were probably worn out and respectfully burned. Copies were carefully made and the various manuscripts referenced are copies of copies of copies.

Translation is when you try to say the same thing in a different language. Languages do not translate word for word and sometimes even thought by thought doesn’t work too well. Imagine trying to translate, "Run down the hall and make a Xerox for me" or " Does your PC have internet access with Yahoo?" into any ancient language–or a different modern language for that matter. And yet, we all understand those sentences very well right now.

Paraphrase tries to explain the words in yet other words, other examples–it is not an attempt at translation, but understanding. Paraphrase tend to add things that don’t need to be there and sometimes ignores other things that should be.

All preaching is a paraphrase of scripture. Most teaching is too. However, teaching may also be related to translation in the same way that we look up the meanings of words in a dictionary. Pastors and teachers read scripture and then explain it. It is important to read the text yourself and get closer to the translation and thereby closer to the original words.

Hymns and choruses may or may not correctly reflect, interpret, or paraphrase scripture.

Commentary, and even cross references, are in the same category as paraphrase and are not to be taken as scripture.

Chapters and verse numbers are not scripture and at times actually tend to break the thought in ways that have a different meaning. Sentences are unique to English and also sometimes break the thought structure.

Paragraph breaks, section headings, and poetic typesetting are not part of scripture. And capitalization such as LORD versus Lord is an American typesetting attempt to differentiate Hebrew words. There is nothing in English that justifies the use of LORD versus LORD–this is the translator’s stylistic invention used by the printer in English.

4.  HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH BIBLE

500 BC: Completion of All Original Hebrew Manuscripts which make Up The 39 Books of the Old Testament.

200 BC: Completion of the Septuagint Greek Manuscripts which contain The 39 Old Testament Books AND 14 Apocrypha Books.

1st Century AD: Completion of All Original Greek Manuscripts which make Up The 27 Books of the New Testament.

390 AD: Jerome's Latin Vulgate Manuscripts Produced which contain All 80 Books (39 Old Test. + 14 Apocrypha + 27 New Test).

500 AD: Scriptures have been Translated into Over 500 Languages.

600 AD: LATIN was the Only Language Allowed for Scripture.

995 AD: Anglo-Saxon (Early Roots of English Language) Translations of The New Testament Produced.

1384 AD: Wycliffe is the First Person to Produce a (Hand-Written) manuscript Copy of the Complete Bible; All 80 Books.

1455 AD: Gutenberg Invents the Printing Press; Books May Now be mass-Produced Instead of Individually Hand-Written. The First Book Ever Printed is Gutenberg's Bible in Latin.

1516 AD: Erasmus Produces a Greek/Latin Parallel New Testament.

1522 AD: Martin Luther's German New Testament.

1525 AD: William Tyndale's New Testament; The First New Testament to be Printed in the English Language.

1535 AD: Myles Coverdale's Bible; The First Complete Bible to be printed in the English Language (80 Books: O.T. & N.T. & Apocrypha).

1537 AD: Matthews Bible; The Second Complete Bible to be Printed in English. Done by John "Thomas Matthew" Rogers (80 Books).

1539 AD: The "Great Bible" Printed; The First English Language Bible to be Authorized for Public Use (80 Books).

1560 AD: The Geneva Bible Printed; The First English Language Bible to Add Numbered Verses to Each Chapter (80 Books).

1568 AD: The Bishops Bible Printed; The Bible of which the King James was a Revision (80 Books).

1609 AD: The Douay Old Testament is added to the Rheimes New Testament (of 1582) Making the First Complete English Catholic Bible; Translated from the Latin Vulgate (80 Books).

1611 AD: The King James Bible Printed; Originally with All 80 Books. The Apocrypha was Officially Removed in 1885 Leaving Only 66 Books.

1782 AD: Robert Aitken's Bible; The First English Language Bible (a King James Version without Apocrypha) to be Printed in America.

1791 AD: Isaac Collins and Isaiah Thomas Respectively Produce the First Family Bible and First Illustrated Bible Printed in America. Both were King James Versions, with All 80 Books.

1808 AD: Jane Aitken's Bible (Daughter of Robert Aitken); The First Bible to be Printed by a Woman.

1833 AD: Noah Webster's Bible; After Producing his Famous Dictionary, Webster Printed his Own Revision of the King James Bible.

1841 AD: English Hexapla New Testament; an Early Textual Comparison showing the Greek and 6 Famous English Translations in Parallel Columns.

1846 AD: The Illuminated Bible; The Most Lavishly Illustrated Bible printed in America. A King James Version, with All 80 Books.

1885 AD: The "Revised Version" Bible; The First Major English Revision of the King James Bible.

1901 AD: The "American Standard Version"; The First Major American Revision of the King James Bible.

1961 AD The "New English Bible", New Testament, A completely new translation employing contemporary idiom

1970 AD The "New English Bible", Old Testament and Apocrypha

1971 AD: The "New American Standard Bible" (NASB) is Published as a "Modern and Accurate Word for Word English Translation" of the Bible.

1973 AD: The "New International Version" (NIV) is Published as a "Modern and Accurate Phrase for Phrase English Translation" of the Bible.

1982 AD: The "New King James Version" (NKJV) is Published as a "Modern English Version Maintaining the Original Style of the King James."
 

5. KING JAMES ONLY? [Dr. Jeffrey A. Gibbs]

When the subject of Bible translations comes up, someone always wants to speak about the King James Version. Let me state clearly that the KJV (as well as the New King James Version) remains an accurate and useful translation, though there is the problem of "old fashioned English" that makes the KJV difficult for modern readers.

Yet, having said this, let me speak to a peculiar idea that circulates in parts of the church, and especially in certain conservative Protestant circles. The idea goes like this: The KJV (and the more recent NKJV) is the English Bible based most closely on the majority of handwritten copies or manuscripts (especially of the New Testament) that have come down to us through the centuries before the advent of modern printing in the 15th century. Therefore, some assert, the KJV is the only true and reliable translation--hence the "King James Only" concept.

These "King James Only" advocates also at times assert that the manuscripts on which more recent Bible translations chiefly rely, while far older and therefore closer to the time of the New Testament, are affected by "heretical" tendencies and should not be trusted. Even more radical is the claim set forth by some that there is a modern New Age "conspiracy" afoot to foist "heretical" translations upon unsuspecting English-speaking Christians. What is one to make of such assertions?

James R. White, in his article "Is Your Modern Translation Corrupt?" (Christian Research Journal, Winter 1996), offers an excellent, readable response that shows the half-truths and exaggerations in the claims of the "King James Only" crowd. White points out that the King James Version of 1611 was based upon the best Greek (and Hebrew) manuscripts available at the time--but that even these manuscripts varied from one another at different points!

Thus, White comments, "the King James Version is just as much a result of this process of study and examination [of differing textual readings] as any modern text, and those who assert that it is somehow above such 'human' activities are simply ignoring the facts of history."

White's point is well taken. All handwritten manuscripts of the Bible have many (usually) minor variations from one another, and the task of scholars has always been to sort through the various readings to discover which are most original, and to use the best manuscripts available.

In this work (known as "textual criticism"), several common-sense rules or "canons' have emerged, and virtually all Biblical scholars (including our own Missouri Synod scholars) work with the same rules.

I'll mention just two such guidelines. First, older manuscripts are simply much closer to the actual historical events recounted in Scripture, and therefore should receive more weight. The King James Version, as noted above, is based upon manuscripts much farther away from the time when the original human authors of Scripture wrote under God's inspiration.

Second, it is well known that Christian scribes throughout the centuries have tended to "help out" the Biblical text (whether consciously or not) by supplying phrases and words that make an orthodox and Christian teaching "more clear." So, when older manuscripts lack an especially "Christian" phrase, and more recent copies have it, the natural and common-sense conclusion is that the shorter reading is the original one. It is much more likely that well-meaning copyists would have added clarifying words than omit them.

Does all this mean that the King James Version is to be rejected? Not at all. But it does mean that there will be times when an English reader should compare the KJV or NKJV with a more modern, formal-equivalent translation (such as the NASB). Modern translators simply have older and better manuscripts at their disposal, and the KJV contains phrases and verses that are not originally part of the Biblical text.

Let me make one further comment about this whole matter of different manuscript readings, and the need to decide carefully and prayerfully which readings are to be preferred. The simple truth is that the vast majority of such "differences" involve little words that do not change the meaning of the Biblical text in the slightest. A typical variant reading found often in manuscripts of the Gospels, for instance, is the difference between "the disciples" and "his disciples." Slightly different readings; no difference in meaning. Moreover, in no case is any doctrine of the Christian faith affected by any of these variant readings.

6.  EXAMPLE OF TRANSLATION DIFFICULTIES [Bill East]

Did Mark write 'The prophet Isaiah' or 'the prophets' at 1:2?

Nestle's text prints, Kathos gegraptai en to Esaia to prophete, 'as it is written in the prophet Isaiah'. Actually the first part of the quotation which follows, 'Behold, I send my messenger before your face to prepare your way' is not from Isaiah but from Malachi, 3:1. The rest of the quotation, 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness . . .' is from Isaiah 40:3.

'the prophet Isaiah' is found in Sinaiticus and Vaticanus and a few other MSS, and is used in the Revised Version. A slight variant, omitting the first definite article, which is not significant, is found in Bezae and Koridethi, the f1 family and many others. Our reading is vouched for by the Vulgate and the Old Latin translations, the Coptic version, and quotations from Irenaeus and Origen.

The quite different reading, en tois prophetais, 'in the prophets', is found in Alexandrinus, Washingtonianus, the f13 family and other minuscules, and in the Textus Receptus - which is why the King James Version has 'in the prophets'.

Which is right? Undoubtedly, 'in the prophet Isaiah.' This is what Mark wrote. Somebody realising that the first quotation was not from Isaiah 'corrected' it to 'in the prophets'. It is easy to see why someone would want to correct Mark's mistake. On the other hand, if Mark had written 'In the prophets' it is hard to imagine why anyone would want to change it to 'In the prophet Isaiah'. Note that the 'corrected' reading is found predominantly in the Byzantine text, which has been worked over and corrected by scholars in the interest of smoothing out discrepancies - a process fatal to textual purity.

7.  EARLY VERSIONS OF ENGLISH

Consider the following textual comparison of John 3:16 as they appear in many of the famous printings of the English Bible:

1st Ed. King James (1611): "For God so loued the world, that he gaue his only begotten Sonne: that whosoeuer beleeueth in him, should not perish, but haue euerlasting life."

Rheims (1582): "For so God loued the vvorld, that he gaue his only-begotten sonne: that euery one that beleeueth in him, perish not, but may haue life euerlasting"

Geneva (1557): "For God so loueth the world, that he hath geuen his only begotten Sonne: that none that beleue in him, should peryshe, but haue euerlasting lyfe."

Great Bible (1539): "For God so loued the worlde, that he gaue his only begotten sonne, that whosoeuer beleueth in him, shulde not perisshe, but haue euerlasting lyfe."

Tyndale (1534): "For God so loveth the worlde, that he hath geven his only sonne, that none that beleve in him, shuld perisshe: but shuld have everlastinge lyfe."

Wycliff (1380): "for god loued so the world; that he gaf his oon bigetun sone, that eche man that bileueth in him perisch not: but haue euerlastynge liif,"
 

It is possible to go back to manuscripts earlier than Wycliff, but the language found can only be described as the "Anglo-Saxon" roots of English, and would not be easily recognizable as similar to the English spoken today. For example, the Anglo-Saxon pre-English root language of the year 995 AD yields a manuscript that quotes John 3:16 as:

"God lufode middan-eard swa, dat he seade his an-cennedan sunu, dat nan ne forweorde de on hine gely ac habbe dat ece lif."

8.  WE BELIEVE IN SCRIPTURE

We have chosen to believe that the book we call the Holy Bible is the collection of scripture that is God-breathed and we believe that scripture that states "God-breathed" is itself, God-breathed.

We believe the Old Testament includes the 39 books listed..

We believe the New Testament includes the 27 books listed.

We believe the Protestant position that the Apocryphal books from the inter-testamental period are historical and not scriptural.

We trust and believe that others who have made the decisions to exclude certain books from the canon were inspired by the Holy Spirit.

We trust the scholarship that has been done regarding:

We trust the mainstream denominations and organizations that have taken on the task of developing an English translation have done it in good faith and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The translations we use have been done scholars from many different Protestant denominations. The exception is KJV which was by 47 scholars appointed by King James in the 1600s, for the Anglican Church (the Church of England)–the one he, King James, was the head of.

9. WHICH TRANSLATION SHOULD YOU USE?

The one you will actually read.

A bible that sits on the shelf is of no value. At least one in your pocket might stop a bullet sometime.

"But I don’t like to read" Then get a cassette and listen. Listen while in the car. Listen when you go to bed. Listen while you work.

Video is also available, but very limited. The "Jesus" film, part of the Genesis Project, is based on the Gospel of Luke. The Genesis Project has a few more books and portions of books on video. Some I have use the Hebrew in the background while the narrator reads the scripture.

I usually use the NIV for church because of its availability and the large amount of study material that supports it. For personal reading, in addition to the NIV, I also use the New English Bible, the Revised English Bible, the JPS Tanakh, and of course, the KJV–plus a few others for reference. The authors of the commentaries I use do their own "unique" translations from their learned expertise. I also use commentaries from the ancient fathers of the church (100-600 A.D.).

10.  TEACHING, REBUKING, CORRECTING AND TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS

Once we have established that scripture is scripture, why should it not be used for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness? For what other purposes do we have scripture? Scriptures equip people for GOOD work.

Unread scriptures or un-used scriptures don’t do anything.

Avoiding portions of scripture because they are difficult is not a good idea. In other words, maybe you should read the "begats" sometimes.

HOLY SPIRIT MAKES SCRIPTURE COME ALIVE IN YOU.

I believe in the power of the word of God–power to change lives.

Isa 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. [KJV]

Matt 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. [KJV]


Jan 16, 2002 – Our Beliefs – MEMBERSHIP OATH - #7
I AM ORTHODOX AND PENTECOSTAL


I am orthodox Christian in doctrine and Pentecostal in practice: Jesus Christ is the only source of salvation and redemption; the Gifts of the Spirit are available today for the edification of the body of Christ.

1. I AM ORTHODOX
Orthodox means primitive and ancient beliefs of the Christian church. This really does boil down to the Apostles Creed.  The first five parts of this series had to do with the Creed and these are what define “orthodox.”

Dictionary: “orthodox”
1. Conforming to the usual beliefs or established doctrines, especially in religion; proper, correct, or conventional
2. conforming to the Christian faith as formulated in the early ecumenical creeds and confessions.

Heterodox adds to or is different from and tends to lean towards and may become heresy.  Our orthodoxy is based upon the Bible.  Ideas and concepts that are added to the bible would be considered heterodoxy and may become heretical.  Simply stated, if you can’t find it in the Bible or when found, it doesn’t mean what you want it to mean without doing some incredible linguistic contortions, maybe it is heterodoxy.

A few beliefs/practices in some churches that were not in the early church:


Preachers are usually the source of heterodoxy for their own aggrandizement: “look what obscure things I know that you don’t.”
There are enough things in the Bible that we do not effectively implement that we should not have to make up some additional requirements–and isn’t it dangerous to water down the requirements that are there?

2.  I AM PENTECOSTAL IN PRACTICE
What this means is that the experiential Christianity rediscovered and revealed for today that is traceable to the Azusa Street Mission in 1906 is the “practice” of IRCC’s doctrine.  The doctrine is orthodox Christian.  The practice of the doctrine is classical Pentecostal.

This practice includes, but is not limited to the belief that a second work of grace from Jesus is available identified as Baptism of the Holy Spirit or Baptism of Fire.  The initial evidence of this Baptism seems to consistently be speaking in tongues or languages that are unknown to the speaker and maybe unrecognizable by anyone within earshot.  This tends to be a highly emotional event and has a dramatic impact upon an individual.  The purpose of this gift is to give power for the purpose of edifying the body of Christ.  It is not a spiritual performance level that makes one superior to none-tongues speakers.  And it is not salvation.  However, Baptism in Fire can help one stay away from sin.

Some of the practice may include other symptoms hard to explain, but sometimes witnessed.  Besides the manifested gifts, God sometimes does other things in a Pentecostal service and sometimes we do other things in out Pentecostal practice:

• We tend to have slightly livelier music–this is our heritage
• There is more commentary or shouting from the audience
• There may be more emotion such as crying.
• Sometimes people are overcome with joy or laughter.
• Sometimes people fall down–some call it “slain in the Spirit”
• Some people raise their hands–some kneel.
• Some may jump up and down or dance or sway.
• We anoint with oil and pray the prayer of faith
• We lay hands on people when we pray
• Everybody can pray out loud–sometimes all at once.
• Some sing in strange tongues
• Praising God usually means everybody can speak out at the same time
• Some have visions and dreams
• Fasting and prayer are needed and result in spiritual power
• Some have messages from the Holy Spirit and interpretations
• Our “schedule” does not mean that is what we are going to do
• People will “feel” the presence of God–and we don’t understand how that works

This Baptism in Fire was not new to this century but has been seen throughout church history manifested in many different ways.  I tend to think that the Gregorian Chant is a regimented form of singing in the spirit.  Luther declared in “A Mighty Fortress” that “the Spirit and the gifts are ours...”  And the Wesley brothers had some interesting experiences with the Moravians.  Why were the Quakers called that?  Hugeunots are usually considered to have some aspects of Pentecostalism in them.  The stories of the Saints indicate some very supernatural gifts operating in them–unless you elect to not believe the stories.  The original concept of “ordained” meant that “of course those individuals have the gifts of the spirit in them.”  I think that concept was lost a long time ago.  I have seen “ordained” Pentecostal preachers without any Gifts of the Spirit functioning through them.

3.  SALVATION IS THROUGH JESUS CHRIST
We believe that salvation happens when, with a mouth, confession is made.  The logical path is identified by the Apostle Paul when he points out:

a. For ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

As humans, all of us are fallen, all of us are sinful.
Genesis 3, Psalms 141:1-3, Romans 3:9-18

b. For the wages of sin is DEATH, but the FREE gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

To receive eternal salvation in heaven, God requires us to be righteous. None of us are righteous, however, and because all of us have sin, we all deserve to die.
John 8:24, Romans 5:12

c. But God demonstrates His own LOVE for us, in that while we were yet sinners, CHRIST died for us. Romans 5:8

God showed His love to us by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. Because he died, we can have complete forgiveness of sin, and therefore appear righteous in God's eyes.
Hebrews 10:10-14, I John 2:2, I Peter 2:24, I Corinthians 15:3, Acts 5:30-31, Colossians 1:21-22

d. That if you CONFESS with your mouth Jesus as LORD, and BELIEVE in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. Romans 10:9

If we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and if we allow Him to be Lord of our lives, then we will receive eternal salvation.
John 3:16, John 6:40, I John 5:11-12

SALVATION IS NOT INFANT BAPTISM
An infant cannot confess that Jesus Christ is their Lord.  All infant baptism can be is a promise to bring up a child in the way they should be, and then introducing them to the reality of Jesus as soon as they can understand.  Baptism is the sacrament that is a sign to friends and relatives of the commitment to die with Christ and be resurrected with Him.

SALVATION IS NOT COMMUNION (EUCHARIST)
Partaking of the elements of the Eucharist does not put God inside of you and does not provide salvation.  The cup will not remove your sin, only the Son of God has the authority to do that based upon the sacrifice that His perfect life provided.  Paul said with the mouth confession is made leading towards righteousness, not drinking of the cup.

SALVATION IS NOT CONFIRMATION
Training and education is not salvation.  We need to train our children in the basics of Christianity, but without the heart commitment to the principles of Jesus being our salvation, confirmation or any Bible study is simply knowledge.  Knowledge unapplied does not result in anything.

SALVATION IS NOT CHURCH MEMBERSHIP
Being a member of a particular church organization or denomination is not salvation even though some catechisms say it is and some church organizations suggest it by their actions.  And some preachers suggest it with their rhetoric.  Salvation is not obedience of rules but an attitude of the heart that includes dying to self and living to Christ.

Our definition of Eternal Security does not include the option of  salvation no matter what sinful behavior is indulged because sinful behavior indicates that Jesus is not Lord.  On the opposite side is the viewpoint that some feel it is impossible for them to live a righteous life and they must get saved almost hourly.  This Eternal Insecurity brought on by Satan and man and other-man’s guilt also indicates Jesus is not Lord. I know in whom I have believed and am confident that HE is able to keep that which I have committed unto HIM until that day of salvation–that blessed hope–is realized.

SALVATION IS NOT YOUR PARENTS
Just because you were raised in a Christian home does not make you a Christian.  God does not have Grandchildren.  This applies in many ways.

Just because you were born, baptized and confirmed a Lutheran, does not make you a Lutheran.  Martin Luther taught that we are saved by grace, not works–and the Roman church didn’t like his teaching because it impacted their cash flow in the sale of indulgences.

But even the Roman Catholic church teaches that it is the sacrifice that Jesus made–His shed blood–that is the removal of sin and He gave that authority to forgive sins to the church.  But having Catholic parents does not make you a Catholic.  The sacraments are also needed:  Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Orders, and Matrimony. Penance is the sacrament in which forgiveness of sins committed after baptism is granted through the priest's absolution to those who with true sorrow confess their sins and promise to satisfy for the same.

Just because your mom and dad are Pentecostal and speak in tongues does not make you a Pentecostal nonr will it provide you salvation.  Their Baptism of Fire will not rub off on you so that you magically become a Christian. Salvation is something you do personally.

Your family name and your church membership may allow you to be buried in a particular cemetery and have a certain religious ceremony remembering you when you go, but that also is not salvation.  Jesus is salvation.

4.  SACRAMENTS
We believe in two sacraments that the church and Christians should partake of as the Lord commanded: communion and water baptism.

WATER BAPTISM
When a person is saved, born again, regenerated in Christ, they should be baptized in water.  We believe in full immersion.  This should be done as soon as possible.  It is a sign of commitment a person has to die to self and live unto Christ Jesus. In the water, our self is buried.  Coming out of the water symbolizes being born again–living in Christ.

If you have been sprinkled and have that same commitment and understanding, that is okay.  If you cannot physically go into the water and desire water baptism, we will bring the water to you.

We dedicate babies to the Lord.  If elderly family members insist on water being sprinkled, we will not be a stumbling block to that belief.  The dedication (or baptism) is a promise parents, relatives and the churches make to intercede on behalf of the child and expose the child to Christianity so that the child himself declares his own Christianity.  Putting a child around Christianity continuously rather than keeping him from Christianity provides the best chance of learning Christianity.  Waiting until a child is old enough to decide on their own almost guarantees the continuous input Satan has had in that time will confirm that your lack of commitment to Christianity is appropriate religion for them, too.  Salvation for them is optional.

COMMUNION
When we gather together, we remember what Jesus has done in the way he told his disciples and in the way he told the Apostle Paul.  The Last Supper, the Lord’s Supper, was a part of the Passover feast just before he was crucified as Lamb for all sin.  He took the bread– traditionally un-leaven (no yeast)–thanked the Father, blessed it and broke it.  In his ministry, he taught that he was the bread of life.  Isaiah taught us that his body would suffer stripes for the healing of the nations.  He said, “THIS IS MY BODY FOR YOU.”

We use bread.  We use wafers.  We will also use bread with yeast as is used at the feast of Pentecost (Lev 23:17) representing the union of the Gentiles and Jews into the one church–one body.  We do not believe that the bread magically changes into the physical body of Christ.  We also do not teach that the essence of what the Christ is surrounds and goes throughout the bread.  But we do believe that the broken bread is a physical emblem that increases our faith for the moment.  By Christ we are healed.

The cup of thanksgiving–the wine–represents the blood of Christ shed for the removal of sin.  Jesus said to his disciples, “THIS IS MY BLOOD.”  We do not teach that it magically transforms into the literal blood of Jesus as the host is lifted up.  We do teach, “in remembrance of me.”  We do not use wine with alcohol in it–we use grape juice.  That is a tradition from the holiness movement lest someone have a weakness for alcohol.  We do not argue about wine in other traditions.  We distribute the cup in multiple little cups and share together rather than using a common cup, which we also will not argue with.

When we partake of the bread and the cup, we join the one holy universal church as one body in Christ.  This is a mystical unification.

We are not worthy in what we do in our own works to receive the elements of the body of Christ.  We partake worthily when we recognize what Jesus has done for us in his righteousness.  The error warned against is in 1 Cor 11:29-30:  For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.

Some Pentecostals, Mennonites, and others have added the sacrament of foot-washing.  We do not make it a symbolic sacrament because it is realized in example by us being a servant to each other.  Foot washing in the days of Jesus was because feet were dirty from walking barefoot or with sandals.  The woman with the perfume washed Jesus’ feet and dried them with her hair indicating complete devotion to Jesus. What Jesus tried to get across to his disciples is that leaders are to be servants of the people, not elitists requiring special honor and recognition.

5.  GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE FOR TODAY
We are Pentecostal in that we believe the Gifts of the spirit as defined by the Apostle Paul are for today.  We expect the gifts to be operating in the body of Christ–the people of the church–not just the Pastor or leaders of the church. We base this on Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 12 along with several other scriptures.  The purpose of the Gifts is to give power to do the work of the ministry–power from God.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit

the message of
wisdom,
to another the message of
knowledge
by means of the same Spirit, to another
 faith
by the same Spirit, to another gifts of
 healing
by that one Spirit, to another
miraculous powers,
to another
prophecy,
 to another
distinguishing between spirits,
 to another speaking in different kinds of
tongues,
 and to still another the
interpretation of tongues.
All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
1 Corinthians 12:4-13

And now I will show you the most excellent way.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
1 Corinthians 12:31-13:3

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain:
faith,
hope and
love.

But the greatest of these is love.

Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.
1 Corinthians 13:8-14:2

Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.
1 Corinthians 14:39-40

PENTECOST
JESUS breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
John 20:22-23

JESUS, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Acts 1:8

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 2:1-4

The gifts are for the purpose of supernatural power to do the work of the ministry.  Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are to help equip the church body to do the work of the ministry, therefore, if that work is to be done with power, they should be helping the body be equipped with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. This is done by establishing an environment where the Gifts are welcome–where the Spirit is not quenched–nor the body of Christ squelched.  But instead, the body is encouraged to tarry until power comes from on high.

Purpose of the Gift of Wisdom is to preach the foolishness of God (crucifixion) with power– the ability FOR EACH OF US to talk and teach the foolishness of God with power.

 How? By laying on of hands.

Purpose of the Gift of Knowledge is strength to wage war:  intelligence information–
(2 Cor 10:3-6) When we have the supernatural Word of Knowledge, we can speak those WORDS into existence.

 How? By listening to and hearing instruction and scripture – it makes us open and prepares us for the supernatural knowledge Holy Spirit wants to “gift” to us.

Purpose of the Gift of Faith is to move destroying mountains–(the spirit that is Babylon)

 How? By the awakening of the word of Christ through wisdom, knowledge, and “as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”.

Purpose of the Gift of Healing is to show that Jesus has authority to forgive sins–

 How? By touch (anointing), speaking in the name of Jesus.

Purpose of the Gift of Mighty Miracles is the testimony of God the Father to the coming salvation.

 How? By HONORING Jesus with WORSHIP from your heart-- beyond just rules.

Purpose of the Gift of Prophecy is to be the eyes of the church–

 How? Your eager desire–results in dreams, visions, revelations – seeing

Purpose of Distinguishing between Spirits is so the church can be blameless.

 How? Choose obedience.

Purpose of the Gift of Tongues is to realize the impossible, astonish unbelievers--

 How?  Sign of believers and edification.

Purpose of the Gift of Interpretation is to edify the church.

 How?  Pray for the interpretation


Jan 23, 2002 – Our Beliefs – MEMBERSHIP OATH - #8
I BELIEVE IN THE FIVE-FOLD MINISTRY


I believe in the five-fold ministry of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher who are gifts from God to be servants of the body of Christ, the church, for the purpose of equipping the body for the work of ministry.

Eph 2:19-22 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

1. I BELIEVE IN THE FIVE-FOLD MINISTRY

The five-fold ministry are servants to the church, not bosses or dictators.

Eph 4:11-13
11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Matt 20:25-28 [also Mark 10:42 and Luke 22:25]
25 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave- 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Matt 23:8-12 "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Without the five-fold ministry, the church is not being equipped to do the work of the ministry.

Some say that Pastor/Teacher is one function as some translations indicate–which would make it a four-fold ministry.

2. APOSTLE

The twelve disciples are also known as apostles. Judas killed himself so there are 11 original Apostles. The twelfth was replaced with Matthias who was selected by lot. Qualifications included:

"Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection." [Acts 1:21-22]

What they did:

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. [Acts 2:42-43]

With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.

[Acts 4:33]

Paul was known as an Apostle.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. [Acts 13:2-4]

Acts 14 Barnabas and Paul are considered apostles.

Paul

Rom 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God-

1 Cor 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

2 Cor 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Eph 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

Col 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

1 Tim 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

2 Tim 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,

What?

1 Cor 9:1-6 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? 2 Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

3 This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. 4 Don't we have the right to food and drink? 5 Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas? 6 Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?

1 Cor 15:6-10 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

2 Tim 1:11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.

Others:

Rom 16:7 Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.

False Apostles

2 Cor 11:13-15 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

Rev 2:2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.

3. PROPHET

Gift of prophecy versus "Office of" Prophet.

1 Cor 12:10 versus Ephesians 4:11

All these (gifts of the Spirit) are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determine (1 Cor 12:11)
    versus
He (Jesus) gave some to be prophets

1 Cor 12:4-7  There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

Amos 3:7  Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan
to his servants the prophets.

1 Cor 14:1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.

2 Peter 1:20-21 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor 12:28-31  And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But eagerly desire the greater gifts.

Acts 2:17-18  "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women,  will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

Agabus

Acts 11:28  One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)

Acts 21:10-11  After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'"

Philip’s Daughters

Acts 21:8-9  Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. 9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.

Elijah

Example: 2 Kings 1

Samuel

Example: 1 Samuel 15

False Prophets

N.T.

Matt 7:15; 24:11; 24:24; Mark 13:22; Luke 6:26; 2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 4:1

O.T.

Isa 44:24-26; Jer 14:14-16; Jer 23:16; Jer 50:35-36; Lam 2:14; Ezek 13:8-9

Ezek 22:28 Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says'-when the LORD has not spoken

Matt 7:15-20 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

4. EVANGELIST A preacher of the gospel

Philip, the Evangelist

Example: Acts 8

Acts 21:8 Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven.

One of "the seven" chosen to have the oversight of "the daily ministration" of the poor of the Christian community in Jerusalem (Acts 6:5). Whether Philip, bearing a Greek name, was a Hellenist, is not known, but his missionary work reveals to us one free from the religious prejudices of the strict Hebrew.

The martyrdom of Stephen was the beginning of a systematic persecution of the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered over Judaea and Samaria (Acts 8:1), and even as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch (11:19). Thus, the influence of the new teaching was extended, and a beginning made to the missionary movement. The story of Philip's missionary labors is told in Acts 8:5 ff. He went to the chief city of Samaria, called Sebaste in honor of Augustus (Greek Sebastos). The Samaritans, of mixed Israelitish and Gentile blood, had, in consequence of their being rigidly excluded from the Jewish church since the return from exile, built on Mt. Gerizim a rival sanctuary to the temple. To them Philip proclaimed the Christ and wrought signs, with the result that multitudes gave heed, and "were baptized, both men and women." They had been under the influence of a certain sorcerer, Simon, who himself also believed and was baptized, moved, as the sequel proved, by the desire to learn the secret of Philip's ability to perform miracles. The apostles (Acts 8:14) at Jerusalem sanctioned the admission of Samaritans into the church by sending Peter and John, who not only confirmed the work of Philip, but also themselves preached in many Samaritan villages.

The next incident recorded is the conversion of a Gentile, who was, however, a worshipper of the God of Israel, a eunuch under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. As he was returning from worshipping in the temple at Jerusalem, he was met by Philip on the road to Gaza. Philip expounded to him that portion of Isa 53 which he had been reading aloud as he sat in his chariot, and preached unto him Jesus. It is another sign of Philip's insight into the universality of Christianity that he baptized this eunuch who could not have been admitted into full membership in the Jewish church (Deut 23:1).

After this incident Philip went to Azotus (Ashdod), and then traveled north to Caesarea, preaching in the cities on his way. There he settled, for Luke records that Paul and his company abode in the house of Philip, "the evangelist," "one of the seven," for some days (Acts 21:8 ff). This occurred more than 20 years after the incidents recorded in Acts 8. Both at this time and during Paul's imprisonment at Caesarea, Luke had the opportunity of hearing about Philip's work from his own lips. Luke records that Philip had 4 daughters who were preachers (Acts 21:9).

The Jewish rebellion, which finally resulted in the fall of Jerusalem, drove many Christians out of Palestine, and among them Philip and his daughters. One tradition connects Philip and his daughters with Hierapolis in Asia, but in all probability the evangelist is confounded with the apostle. Another tradition represents them as dwelling at Tralles, Philip being the first bishop of the Christian community.

Timothy

2 Tim 4:1-5 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

5. PASTOR A shepherd (literally or figuratively).

Example: John 10 uses word as "shepherd" in reference to Jesus.

1 Peter 5:1-4
1 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

6. TEACHER

Same word is translated Master

James 3:1-2
3:1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.

False Teachers
2 Peter 2:1-3
2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them-bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

7. BISHOP
episkopos (ep-is'-kop-os); from NT:1909 and NT:4649 (in the sense of NT:1983); a superintendent, i.e. Christian officer in genitive case charge of a (or the) church (literally or figuratively):

KJV - bishop, overseer.

1 Tim 3:1-7
Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5(If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.

Titus 1:7-9
Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless-not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

Jan 30, 2002 – Our Beliefs – MEMBERSHIP OATH - #9
I BELIEVE IN PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION


I believe the Holy Spirit progressively sanctifies me and provides me the ability to avoid persistent, unrepented willful sins as identified in scripture. I recognize that sin separates me from God. 

1.    HISTORY-WHY IS THIS AN ISSUE?

The Pentecostal movement came out of the Holiness movement whereby it included some of the various teachings from that movement. The Holiness movement is traceable to Wesley’s Methodism and he taught instantaneous and entire sanctification. As the language was developing for the experiences of Pentecost and before the speaking in tongues became initial evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, several taught that a "Second Blessing" happened after salvation whereby a person is sanctified–this was sometimes considered to be a Pentecostal experience. What "sanctification" seemed to mean is that they claimed they never sinned again. With the experience of the Baptism of Fire, now there was a Third Blessing. Pentecostal terminology was changing–the use of the word "Pentecostal" was changing.

At Azusa Street Revival (1906), the historic testimony was, " I’m saved, I’m sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost." Prior to the experience of speaking in tongues, the blessing of sanctification was equivalent to Baptism of the Holy Spirit–another "crisis experience" where God meets man and a change occurs. At Azusa Street–the origins of the Pentecostal movement–three works of grace are stressed along with divine healing in the atonement and a premillennial Second Coming of Christ to rapture the church. This was known as the "five-fold gospel" of Parham, Seymour, Azusa Street, and the first Pentecostal denominations.

Quote from Randall J. Stephens

"Vinson Synan’s The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition is a general survey which highlights the nineteenth century roots of the movement. Synan situates the origins of Pentecostalism in the Wesleyan-holiness doctrine of sanctification or the "second blessing." For Methodists and pre-Pentecostals, sanctification perfected the believer after conversion. The Pentecostals, states Synan, made the second blessing synonymous with the pentecost account in Acts. Thus, speaking in tongues became a sign of sanctification."

Article by James Goff, Jr, Christian History, Spring 1998

In 1911 as William Durham denounced the "second blessing" doctrine of sanctification, a young woman attacked him with her hat pin to register her "pointed opposition." She was not alone in her contempt for his "demonic" views. The conflict over sanctification had burst forth a year earlier and had became the first full-blown controversy of the Pentecostal movement.

The early Pentecostal movement arose from the Holiness movement, and like its parent, shared John Wesley's views on sanctification: that it was an instantaneous experience of "entire sanctification" or "Christian perfection" and that it was a separate experience from conversion. Early Pentecostals called it a "second blessing" and regarded it as a necessary preparation for a third experience, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (that is, the new Pentecostal experience).

In 1910, William H. Durham, pastor of the North Avenue Mission in Chicago, began making waves throughout Pentecostal circles when he denounced these views. "I began to write against the doctrine that it takes two works of grace to save and cleanse a man," he later wrote. "I denied and still deny that God does not deal with the nature of sin at conversion. I deny that a man who is converted or born again is outwardly washed and cleansed but that his heart is left unclean with enmity against God in it."

This wouldn't be salvation, he argued, because salvation "means that all the old man, or old nature, which was sinful and depraved and which was the very thing in us that was condemned, is crucified with Christ." He dubbed his position the "finished work at Calvary" because he believed the work of Christ on the cross was sufficient for both salvation and sanctification. Finished-work Pentecostals slowly also came to stress a gradual process of sanctification, not an instantaneous one, in which the sanctifying work of Christ was "appropriated" over one's life.

Locked out of Azusa

Durham returned to the Azusa Mission in 1911 (where he had received the gift of tongues in 1906). William Seymour was on a preaching tour, and Durham was invited to preach. His finished-work teaching generated conflict but sparked a fresh revival. Wrote one observer, "The fire began to fall at old Azusa as at the beginning." But when Seymour heard what was going on, he promptly returned and padlocked the church door to prevent the Chicago preacher from speaking further in his pulpit. Undaunted, Durham moved to a rival mission and continued proclaiming his message.

From his home in Kansas, Charles Parham (by then dropping rapidly out of the Pentecostal spotlight) declared, "If this man's doctrine is true, let my life go out to prove it, but if our teaching on a definite grace of sanctification is true, let his life pay the forfeit." When Durham passed away unexpectedly later that year, Parham claimed vindication and remarked to his followers "how signally God has answered."

Despite such ardent denunciation, Durham's interpretation emerged as the preferred theological position for roughly half of all Pentecostals by 1915. Most of the denominations formed as Holiness bodies prior to the Pentecostal outpouring remained staunch supporters of the second-blessing doctrine, while newer organizations, including the Assemblies of God, either left the matter open to individuals or adopted the finished-work view. It is today the view of most American Pentecostals.

[James R. Goff, Jr., is professor of history at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.]

2.    THE PROBLEM

It is one thing to claim that you are entirely sanctified and no longer sin and quite another to "pull it off." If you claim that blessing, the "claim" itself may be prideful and boasting. But what about "unwitting" sins as David cried out for repentance. Unfortunately, the other side is those who won’t even try to be holy because they have so many human weaknesses and don’t want them to go away.

Then there are the expectations of others who are either not Christian or are very immature in the faith. Have you ever noticed how non-Christians seem to know how a Christian is to act? And have you noticed the falling away because a professing Christian sins, i.e., Jim Bakker, Jim Swaggert, Sandi Patti, or even local preachers or church leaders? Because of assumed "perfection" others despise the church–children abandon any attempt at the faith.

In Holiness, there is a performance issue, because there is the perception that to be a Christian, you have to clean up your life. From the Holiness movement, we inherited the THOU SHALT NOTS:

Thou shalt not smoke or use tobacco.

Thou shalt not use alcohol.

Thou shalt not attend theaters or other places of "worldly amusement."

Thou shalt not dance.

Thou shalt not play cards or gamble.

Frequently, these appear on membership applications. Yes, originally they were a sign to others that a convert from the sinner’s bench is abandoning the previous lifestyle to be Christian–getting up on the wagon–a symptom of a heart change. But the devolution is the performance is needed before a heart change and may be done without a heart change.

The bans have also included: professional sports, any sport on Sunday, cola beverages, comic books, makeup, pierced ears, "bobbed" hair, immodest dress. And I still remember the sermon about bowling–because they served liquor there. The same for most fine restaurants.

And the alcohol ban required "rewriting" the Old and New Testaments to mean something else when referencing "wine." And the "rewrites" frequently make the scriptural references to wine, silly. For example:

Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

To be consistent, this verse must read, or at least be understood as, "And be not drunk on unfermented grape juice that has been cut 50/50 with water, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit."

This is not an endorsement of the consumption of alcohol because Proverbs warns very strongly about the problems. [Prov 23:29-31]

The valid Holiness argument is if you don’t start, you can’t be tempted–and that applies to any potentially addictive substance or activity. ABSTINENCE WORKS.

3.    SOME SCRIPTURES ON SANCTIFICATION

John 17:15-19 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

1 Cor 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.

1 Cor 7:14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

1 Thess 4:3-8 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

1 Thess 5:16-24 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil.

23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

4.    "SANCTIFYING WORK"

2 Thess 2:13-15 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

1 Peter 1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

5.    "BE HOLY, BECAUSE I AM HOLY"

Lev 11:44-45 I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground. 45 I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.

Lev 20:7-8 "'Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. 8 Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.

6.    "SANCTIFICATION" ETYMOLOGY:

These words are "holy," "hallow," "hallowed," "holiness," "consecrate," "saint,""sanctify," "sanctification." It must be borne in mind that these words are all translations of the same root, and that therefore no one of them can be treated adequately without reference to the others. All have undergone a certain development. Broadly stated, this has been from the formal, or ritual, to the ethical, and these different meanings must be carefully distinguished.

(from International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Electronic Database Copyright (c)1996 by Biblesoft)

7.    DOCTRINE OF SANCTIFICATION

From: The Great Doctrines of the Bible, William Evans, 1912, 1974, Moody Bible Institute, Chicago

If regeneration has to do with our nature, justification with our standing, and adoption with our position, then sanctification has to do with our character and conduct. In justification we are declared righteous in order that, in sanctification, we may become righteous. Justification is what God does for us, while sanctification is what God does in us. Justification puts us into a right relationship with God, while sanctification exhibits the fruit of that relationships life separated from a sinful world and dedicated unto God.

I. THE MEANING OF SANCTIFICATION

Two thoughts are prominent in this definition: separation from evil, and dedication unto God and His service.

1. Separation From Evil

2 Chron. 29:5, 15-18-"Sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God . . . and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy places. . . . And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness. . . . Then they went in to Hezekiah the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the Lord." I Thess. 4:3"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication." See also Heb. 9:3; Exod. 19:20-22; Lev. 11:44.

It is evident from these scriptures that sanctification has to do with the turning away from all that is sinful and that is defiling to both soul and body.

2. Separation or Dedication Unto God

In this sense whatever is set apart from a profane to a sacred use, whatever is devoted exclusively to the service of God, is sanctified. So it follows that a man may "sanctify his house to be holy unto the Lord," or he may "sanctify unto the Lord some part of a field of his possession" (Lev. 27:14, 16). So also the first-born of all the children were sanctified unto the Lord (Num. 8:17). Even the Son of God Himself, in so far as He was set apart by the Father and sent into the world to do God's will, was sanctified (John 10:36). Whenever a thing or person is separated from the common relations of life in order to be devoted to the sacred, such is said to be sanctified.

3. It Is Used of God.

Whenever the sacred writers desire to show that the Lord is absolutely removed from all that is sinful and unholy, and that He is absolutely holy in Himself they speak of Him as being sanctified: "When I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes" (Ezek. 36:23).

II. THE TIME OF SANCTIFICATION

Sanctification may be viewed as past, present, and future; or instantaneous, progressive, and complete.

1. Instantaneous Sanctification

I Cor. 6: 1 I-"And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." Heb. 10: 10, 14-"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. . . . For by one offering he hath 'perfected forever them that are sanctified." By the death of Jesus Christ the sanctification of the believer takes place at once. The very moment a man believes in Christ he is sanctified, that is, in this first sense: he is separated from sin and separated unto God. For this reason all through the New Testament believers are called saints (I Cor. 1:2, R. V.; Rom. 1:7, R. V.). If a man is not a saint he is not a Christian; if he is a Christian he is a saint. In some quarters people are canonized after they are dead; the New Testament canonizes believers while they are alive. Note how that in I Cor. 6: 1 1 "sanctified" is put before "justified." The believer grows in sanctification rather than into sanctification out of something else. By a simple act of faith in Christ the believer is at once put into a state of sanctification. Every Christian is a sanctified man. The same act that ushers him into the state of justification admits him at once into the state of sanctification, in which he is to grow until he reaches the fulness of the measure of the stature of Christ.

2. Progressive Sanctification

Justification differs from sanctification thus: the former is an instantaneous act with no progression; while the latter is a crisis with a view to a process-an act, which is instantaneous and which at the same time carries with it the idea of growth unto completion.

2 Pet. 3:18-"But grow in [the] grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 2 Cor. 3:18-We "are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit." The tense is interesting here: We are being transformed from one degree of character, or glory, to another. It is because sanctification is progressive, a growth, that we are exhorted to "increase and abound" (I Thess. 3:12), and to "abound more and more" (4: 1, 10) in the graces of the Christian life. The fact that there is always danger of contracting defilement by contact with a sinful world, and that there is, in the life of the true Christian, an ever increasing sense of duty and an ever-deepening consciousness of sin, necessitates a continual growth and development in the graces and virtues of the believer's life. There is such a thing as "perfecting holiness" (2 Cor. 7: 1). God's gift to the church of pastors and teachers is for the purpose of the perfecting of the saints in the likeness of Christ until, at last, they attain unto the fulness of the divine standard, even Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:11-15). Holiness is not a mushroom growth; it is not the thing of an hour; it grows as the coral reef grows: little by little, degree by degree. See also Phil. 3:10-15.

3. Complete and Final Sanctification

1 Thess. 5:23, R. V.-"And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." "Wholly" means complete in every part, perfect in every respect, whether it refers to the Church as a whole, or to the individual believer. Some day the believer is to be complete in all departments of Christian character-no Christian grace missing. Complete in the "spirit" which links him with heaven; in the "body" which links him with earth; in the "soul" as being that on which heaven and earth play. Maturity in each separate element of Christian character: body, soul, and spirit.

This blessing of entire and complete sanctification is to take place when Christ comes: I Thess. 3:13-"To the end that he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints." It is when we shall see Him that we shall be like Him (I John 3:2). How explicitly Paul puts the matter in Phil. 3:12-14, R. V. --- "Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect: but I press on, if so be that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

III. THE MEANS OF SANCTIFICATION

How are men sanctified? What means are used, and what agencies s employed to make men holy and conform them into the likeness of Christ? The agencies and means are both divine and human: both God and man contributing and co-operating towards this desired end.

1. From the Divine Side: It Is the Work of the Triune God.

a) GOD THE FATHER

I Thess. 5:23, 24, R. V.-"And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly.... Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it." God's work is here contrasted with human efforts to achieve the preceding injunctions. Just as in Hebrews 12:2, and Philippians 1:6, the Beginner of faith is also the Finisher; so is it here; consequently the end and aim of every exhortation is but to strengthen faith in God who is able to accomplish these things for us. Of course there is a sense in which the believer is responsible for his progress in the Christian life (Phil. 3:12, 13), yet it is nevertheless true that, after all, it is the divine grace which works all in him (Phil. 2:12, 13). We cannot purify ourselves, but we can yield to God and then the purity will come. The "God of peace," He who reconciles us-is the One who sanctifies us. It is as if the apostle said: "God, by His mighty power will do for you what 1, by my admonitions, and you by your own efforts, cannot do." See also John 17:17-"Sanctify them through thy truth." Christ addresses God as the One who is to sanctify the disciples.

b) JESUS CHRIST THE SON

Heb. 10: 10, R. V.-"By which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." The death of Jesus Christ separates the believer from sin and the world, and sets him apart as redeemed and dedicated to the service of God. This same truth, namely, the sanctification of the Church as based on the sacrificial death of Christ, is set forth in Eph. 5:25, 27 -"Christ loved the church, and gave himself up for it; that he might sanctify it." Christ is "made unto us sanctification" (I Cor. 1:30). See also Heb. 13:12, R. V.

c) THE HOLY SPIRIT SANCTIFIES.

I Pet. 1:2-"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit." 2 Thess. 2:13-" . . . because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." The Holy Spirit seals, attests, and confirms the work of grace in the soul by producing the fruits of righteousness therein. It is the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus who gives us freedom from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2). He is called the Holy Spirit, not only because He is absolutely holy Himself, but also because He produces that quality of soul-character in the believer. The Spirit is the executive of the Godhead for this very purpose. It is the Spirit’s work to war against the lusts of the flesh and enable us to bring forth fruit unto holiness (Gal. 5:17-22). How wonderfully this truth is set forth in the contrast between the seventh and eighth chapters of Romans. Note the unsuccessful struggle of the former, and the victory of the latter. Note also that there is no mention of the Holy Spirit in the seventh, while He is mentioned about sixteen times in the eighth chapter. Herein lies the secret of failure and victory, sin and holiness.

2. From the Human Side

a) FAITH IN THE REDEMPTIVE WORK OF JESUS CHRIST

I Cor. 1:30, R. V.-"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." Christ is indeed all these things to us, but, in reality, He becomes such only as we appropriate Him for ourselves. Only as the believer, daily, yea, even momentarily, takes by faith the holiness of Jesus, His faith, His patience, His love, His grace, to be his own for the need of that very moment, can Christ, who by His death was made unto him sanctification in the instantaneous sense, become unto him sanctification in the progressive sense-producing in the believer His own life moment by moment. Herein lies the secret of a holy life-the momentary appropriation of Jesus Christ in all the riches of His grace for every need as it arises. The degree of our sanctification is the proportion of our appropriation of Christ. See also Acts 26:18.

b) THE STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURES AND OBEDIENCE THERETO

John 17:17-"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." Eph. 5:26- "That he might sanctify and cleanse it [i. e., the Church with the washing of water by the word." John 15:3 "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." Our sanctification is limited by our limitation in the knowledge of and our lack of obedience to the Word of God. How does the Word of God sanctify? By revealing sin; by awakening conscience; by revealing the character of Christ; by showing the example of Christ; by offering the influences and powers of the Holy Spirit, and by setting forth spiritual motives and ideals. There is no power like that of the Word of God for detaching a man from the world, the flesh and the devil.

c) VARIOUS OTHER AGENCIES

Heb. 12:14, R. V.-"Follow after . . . the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord." To "follow after" means to pursue, to seek out, as Saul of Tarsus pursued and followed the early Christians. One cannot become a saint in his sleep. Holiness must be the object of his pursuit. The lazy man will not be the holy man.

Heb. 12: 10, 1 1: God chastens us "for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness." Chastisement ofttimes is intended to produce the peaceable fruit of righteousness."

Rom. 6:19-22; 2 Cor. 6:17; 7: 1. Sanctification is brought about in the life of the believer by his separating himself deliberately from all that is unclean and unholy, and by presenting, continually and constantly, the members of his body as holy instruments unto God for the accomplishment of His holy purposes. Thus by these single acts of surrender unto holiness, sanctification soon becomes the habit of the life.

Feb 6, 2002 – Our Beliefs – MEMBERSHIP OATH - #10
I BELIEVE IN SUPPORTING THE CHURCH

I will support the church as the Lord directs and involve myself as appropriate and as I am able.

Support comes in two principle ways: participation and  financial.

PARTICIPATION
Personal involvement
Heb 10:24-25  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

DURING THE GET TOGETHER–SPUR ONE ANOTHER ON.

Heb 6:4-6  It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

Everyone is involved
1 Cor 14:26  What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.

The church has never been: “YOU--COME AND WATCH”
But rather: “YOU--GO AND DO”

CHURCH IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT
We get together physically–WE BREAK BREAD.
We get together spiritually–we pray for each other over hundreds of miles
We get together electronically–e-mails all over the world?
We get together through epistles in the mail.
We get together by phone.

We do not get together for a RELIGIOUS performance.

Music
Eph 5:19-20  Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Col 3:15-16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Pray
1 Thess 5:16-18  Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Submit
Eph 5:21  Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Heb 13:17  Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Make disciples – be a witness
Matt 28:18-20  Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Acts 1:8  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Testimony
Share what God is doing.  God is active in our lives everyday.  We are obligated to look at what He is doing and give Him the glory.

Learn how to testify by reading the Psalms.  Let those words of glorification of God become part of your thought process.  When Jesus was on the cross–in pain and torment–He quoted the Psalms: “My God, my God, Why have you forsaken me.” Psalm 22:1
 

FINANCIAL

Offerings go back to the beginning: Cain and Abel brought offerings.  One was acceptable–one was not.

GOD DOES NOT NEED “OUR” MONEY
WE NEED GOD’S BLESSING

THE CHURCH DOES NOT WANT “YOUR” MONEY;
THE CHURCH ONLY ACCEPTS MONEY THAT YOU RECOGNIZE IS NOT YOURS,
AND YOU DECLARE IT BELONGS TO GOD.

IF IT CONTINUES TO BE “YOUR” MONEY,
YOU HAD BETTER KEEP IT.

Tithing
A tithe is a tenth.

Tithing is the practice of living on 90% of what you have earned and joyfully giving 10% back to the Lord.  “Giving back to the Lord” usually means returning the tithe to the source or organization that provides your spiritual training, equipping, encouragement, nourishment, etc. (Numbers 18).  If you are unsure who that is, it is usually the same organization that would bury you tomorrow, if you needed it and your survivors wanted something religious involved.   Usually, it is a local church rather than a television personality.

Mal 3:8-12
"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'
"In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse-the whole nation of you-because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.  I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.

We are so used to living under the curse that we think it is normal–that is why 100% of what we have earned typically doesn’t cover our expenses.  That is why we “can’t afford” to tithe.

This is the only test God has told man to try: “see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven...”  Try God–test Him.  See if He doesn’t.

Tithe is holy
If you are going to use the tithe personally–redeem it–that act will cost you 20% interest on the tithe.  If you try to dictate to the church body how “your tithe” is going to be used, you are trying to use it personally so you will need to add the “usury” fee (20%).  If you try to substitute, both the original and the substitution belongs to God.

Lev 27:30-33
"'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.  If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it.  The entire tithe of the herd and flock--every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod--will be holy to the LORD.  He must not pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.'"

If you think you are tithing, can you live on what you gave to your church (and all charities) multiplied by 10?  Just add a zero to your giving statement to see what your annual salary should be from God’s viewpoint.

Another way to look at tithing is, 10% belongs to God and He will use it as He sees fit.  Your “100%” will be less than “90%” effective.  The pests or something will devour the 10% and more.  Your vines–your efforts-- will produce less than 90% of what you were hoping for.  That is what living under the curse is like.

Prov 3:9-10  Honor the LORD with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Hag 1:5-6  Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways.  You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."

Old Testament versus New Testament
Some will say that tithing is an Old Testament requirement and is not mentioned in the New Testament. Paul was a Jew and understood O.T. tithing and the concept of setting aside–saving it up.  Instead of every third year, he said collect it on Sundays.

1 Cor 16:1-4  Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

[Deut 26:12  When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.]

New Testament was FREQUENTLY MORE THAN ONLY A TITHE.
2 Cor 8  And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.   And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But just as you excel in everything-in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us-see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

2 Corinthians 9:5-8    I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

2 Cor 9:6-8   Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

AND BESIDES
Acts 2:44-45  All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.

HOW COLLECTED?
2 Chron 24:8-12
At the king's command, a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the temple of the LORD. A proclamation was then issued in Judah and Jerusalem that they should bring to the LORD the tax that Moses the servant of God had required of Israel in the desert. All the officials and all the people brought their contributions gladly, dropping them into the chest until it was full. Whenever the chest was brought in by the Levites to the king's officials and they saw that there was a large amount of money, the royal secretary and the officer of the chief priest would come and empty the chest and carry it back to its place. They did this regularly and collected a great amount of money. The king and Jehoiada gave it to the men who carried out the work required for the temple of the LORD. They hired masons and carpenters to restore the LORD's temple, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the temple.

OUR BUDGET
The following budget guidelines have been established for Iron Range Christian Center using the scriptures as justification for the policies.

Distribution of tithes and undesignated contributions/gifts/offerings:
10% Tithe to WBWF (Num 18:26:  "Speak to the Levites and say to them: 'When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the LORD's offering.)
10% Savings or Foundation (principle is untouched) (Neh 10:37-39:  A priest descended from Aaron is to accompany the Levites when they receive the tithes, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of the tithes up to ...the storerooms of the treasury.)
20% Pastors/Teachers  (Tim 5:17-18:  The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages.")
20% Apostles/Prophets/Evangelists (Gal 6:6-10:  Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.)
10% Missions (Acts 13:1-3:  While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.)
30% Operations (Neh 12:44-47: At that time men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the contributions, firstfruits and tithes. From the fields around the towns they were to bring into the storerooms the portions required by the Law for the priests and the Levites, for Judah was pleased with the ministering priests and Levites. They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did also the singers and gatekeepers, according to the commands of David and his son Solomon. For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there had been directors for the singers and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. So in the days of Zerubbabel and of Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the singers and gatekeepers. They also set aside the portion for the other Levites, and the Levites set aside the portion for the descendants of Aaron.)

Designated contributions and property are offerings/gifts - not tithes.  Designated contributions go towards specific projects such as a building fund and are outside of the budget.

Collections at special meetings are offerings/gifts for the expenses of that meeting.  Excess of the expenses (including any honorariums) go to the five-fold ministries that make it “special.”

CONTRIBUTIONS CARD
The card is absolutely necessary for cash giving if you desire a giving statement.
Date is obvious for record keeping purposes.
Name and Address is for the annual giving statement–we can only provide that with positive evidence of actual giving.
Phone confirms our records and allows us a way to contact you if something is confusing.

MONEY - this is cash, checks, money orders–anything directly convertible into American currency.
If you do not check a block, it is considered “undesignated”
These and tithes are distributed according to the budget guidelines.
“Missions” monies all go to missions.
“Designated” all go to the identified project

PROPERTY - tangible items of a fair market value.  A Receipt is highly desirable or other independent evidence of value. Property may be distributed or used with the disbursement expense being the same as the market value.  Property may be liquidated. (It is the elder’s responsibility to maximize gain as in the parable of the talents.)

USE OF TITHE
Deut 14:22-27  Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. 23 Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always. 24 But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the LORD your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the LORD will choose to put his Name is so far away), 25 then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. 26 Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice. 27 And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.


 
 


But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today,
so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
Hebrews 3:13 NIV

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Iron Range Christian Center
P.O. Box 282
Ironton, MN 56455-0282

For pastoral care or additional information, call 218-838-6842

Affiliated with World Bible Way Fellowship