Church: Visible and Invisible

In the Bible talks about two kinds of church memberships. First Kind of Member is at SALVATION: At the instant of our conversion, we become "positional members" in the universal church of Jesus Christ, based solely on His merit and grace. If you are a Christ-follower, then you are already this kind of member. This is eternal and unchanging (I Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 2:13-22; 4:3-6; Colossians 1:13-22). Everyone who is saved is a member of God's Kingdom. Second Kind of Member is at Local Church, the Bible also assumes those "positional members" physically in a visible local Church and become deeply involved in the participation of a local assembly (Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians. 12:25-31; 14:12, 26; Hebrews 10:24-25; I Tim. 3:14-15). The Scriptures teach every believers to be committed to a local church where he or she is loved and cared for, instructed in the things Christ commanded, encouraged to grow spiritually, and serving Christ effectively. The classes are intended to help every believer who attends a Church to come to that place of faith, commitment, and fruitfulness. It is designed as an overview of some of the most foundational truths in the Christian faith. This is one requirement for membership at most Churches. There is no obligation to become a member because the classes will be helpful whether or not you become a member. The primary reason to become a participating member is not to gain a personal advantage, but to identify with the characteristics of biblical maturity and commitment to the mission and future of a local church. All Christian Gentiles and all Christian Jews who are not a part of the Church foundation are being fitted together as a part of God's church, His holy temple, His dwelling, His body. There is only one complete "church of God," one temple, one body, one dwelling; therefore, only one foundation and one cornerstone are needed. One true Church, the body and the bride of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-32), composed of all true believers of the present age (I Cor. 12:12-13); and the organization of its members in local churches for worship, for edification of believers, and for world-wide gospel witness, each local church being autonomous but cooperating in fellowship and work (Eph. 4:11-16). The Holy Spirit, the eternal Spirit of God,who dwelled in Jesus Christ, who empowers the church, who is the source of our life in Christ, and who is poured out on those who believe as the guarantee of redemption. The church is the assembly of those who have accepted God's offer of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. It is the new community of disciples sent into the world to proclaim the reign of God and to provide a foretaste of the church's glorious hope. It is the new society established and sustained by the Holy Spirit. A ministry is a continuation of the work of Christ, who gives gifts through the Holy Spirit to all believers and empowers them for service in the church and in the world. We also believe that God calls particular persons in the church to specific leadership ministries and offices. All who minister are accountable to God and to the community offaith. The church of Jesus Christ is one body with many members, ordered in such a way that, through the one Spirit, believers may be built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God. Christians are called to a committed fellowship of believers.

Book of Romans: Summary

Book of Romans, a GREAT book of doctrines. Written by the Apostle PAUL. The actual theme is "Gospel of God". The Whole World is Guilty before God (1:1-3:20) Justification by Faith in Christ (3:21-5:21) Sanctification through Union with Christ in His Death & Resurrection (6:1-8:39) The Problem with Jewish Unbelief (9:1-11:36) Christian Life and Service for the Glory of God (12:1-16:27) In summary: We all have sinned and separated from God. We are Justified by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ and we have union with God. Through our union with God, we are Sanctified through living in the Holy Spirit. And finally, we are to live in a biblical and Christian living.

Word of God... Sword of the Spirit

"Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." Ephesians 6:17 (NLT) (READ your BIBLE and KNOW the Word of God) "The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian." Tozer, A.W. "Reading the Bible without meditating on it is like trying to eat without swallowing." Anonymous "For some years now I have read through the Bible twice every year. If you picture the Bible to be a mighty tree and every word a little branch, I have shaken every one of these branches because I wanted to know what it was and what it meant." Martin Luther "The Bible was written not to satisfy your curiosity but to help you conform to Christ's image. Not to make you a smarter sinner but to make you like the Savior. Not to fill your head with a collection of biblical facts but to transform your life." Howard G. Hendricks "Here is the great evangelical disaster - the failure of the evangelical world to stand for truth as truth. There is only one word for this - namely ACCOMMODATION. The evangelical church has accommodated to the world spirit of the age. First, there has been accommodation on Scripture, so that many who call themselves evangelicals hold a weakened view of the Bible and no longer affirm the truth of all the Bible teaches. . . .This accommodation has been costly, first in destroying the power of the Scriptures to confront the spirit of our age; second,in allowing the further slide of our culture." Francis Shaeffer

Lukewarm Christians

If you ever had occasion to drink a lukewarm soft drink, you know the feeling. This is an illustration of a lukewarm drink to describe the distaste that makes God spit out the church at Laodicea. He doesn't want to have anything to do with it. The Laodicean church was neither hot or cold; it was nauseating to God. The lukewarm ones are professing Christians who play religious games with God, but are not really His. They have been touched by the gospel in some way. They nauseate God because they know the truth but avoid it. I have posted in another thread that There are people who claim to follow Christ who will avoid hearing "sound doctrine" (See 2 Timothy 4:1-8). There are many who profess to follow Christ seem to be unyielding to God's Word because they prefer to be surrounded by teachers who will tell them exactly what they want to hear. In 2 Timothy 4:3, "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." Jesus pleads with individuals (church at) Laodicea today, "I want to come into your life. I want you to open the door and let Me in." He was also pleading with individuals in the Laodicean church (especiallytoday) to let Him in before it was too late. Christ wants to come into your life and change it.

Job in the Bible

The book of Job may be part of poetry however, different denominations sees differences ... some will say poetry... other will say history. I think a lot of them say both "history and poetry". The main point, the Book of Job is one of the books in the Bible and being read to understand God's view of situations. If God didn't want the Book of Job part of the Bible, it would not have been written. It would be unethical to represent something as literal history that never happened. Job, like many other parts of Scripture that describe miraculous events, is presented as straightforward history. Job reads like history. It talks about a man named Job. He lived in the land of Uz. It relates details about his family, his life, and his suffering. It communicates to us his friends' interest in his suffering, and the spiritual struggling with which Job dealt. There is nothing about the content that ought to cause us to reject this. It is not presented as figurative or symbolic. For many of us, it is set forth as what actually happened. Now, if we should reject Job as history merely because it contains matters which are extraordinary, then we ought to reject much of the rest of the Bible as well. In fact, the Bible, as an inspired document from God, would be rejected on the same grounds, because the idea that God reveals his will to man through the inspiration of the Scriptures is extraordinary. What's interesting is that other biblical writers refer to Job as a real person. Ezekiel refers to Job along with Noah and Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14,20). And James draws upon the example of Job to comfort the suffering, proving the point that God is merciful. He commends the endurance of Job (Jas. 5:11). It would not be very comforting if Job were nothing more than a "Jack and the Beanstalk" story. These biblical references alone authenticate Job as an historical person. In 1 Corinthians 3:19, Paul quotes from Job 5:13 with the words, "It is written," a regular formula for the introduction of an inspired quotation. From the Book of Job, we see that God is in complete control. Satan had neither the power nor the authority to do anything without the permission of God. It was consistent with God's nature and will for him to have allowed those things to happen to Job. The Lord's point to Job, at the end of the book, is that he is the all-powerful Creator. He is the loving Sustainer. And he is the perfect Ruler. He created the Universe, and he knows how to govern it as well. Regarding Satan's "bet" with God demonstrate the true character of Satan. His arrogance in the presence of Jehovah and his inability to "see" the future confirm that he is far removed from the divine nature. God sees the future of Job and Satan cannot.

Living in God's Will

Christian's Spiritual Growth and Knowing God Spiritual growth requires us to understand the Scriptures and get to know our God the Father, our Savior the Son, and our comforter the Holy Spirit. 1. Living in Spiritual Worship: Romans 12 2. Living in Love: 1 Corinthians 13 and 1 John 3 3. Living in Spirit: Galatians 5 and Hebrews 5 - 6 4. Living in Light: Ephesians 5 and 1 John 1 5. Living in the Armor of God: Ephesians 6 6. Living to know Christ: Phillipians 3 and 2 Peter 1 7. Living Spiritually Alert: 1 Thessalonians 5 8. Living in Faith: Hebrews 11 9. Living Close to God: James 4 10. Living in Holiness: 1 Peter 1 11. Living in Truth: 2 John I know God is directing my paths and right now at 46 years old, I still don't know what God has plans for me. I have learned and know that all things work for good in the life of the believer. I do know this, His purpose is to make us more like Christ. With Christ inside me, God has granted me the ability to understand the truth and live accordingly (1 John 1:5-6). I just keep on living and keeping God in my life. God WILL LEAD me to whatever He wanted me to do. I just need to keep my eyes, mind and heart open. Many times, opportunities have passed because: 1. My eyes didn't see 2. My mind was closed 3. My heart was closed 1. Suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope. Romans 5: 1-5 (NIV) "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." 2. Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV) "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." 3. Suffering produces a harvest of righteousness and peace. Hebrews 12:11 (NIV) "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on,however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." 4. Righteousness and peace through holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices. I Peter 2:5 (NIV) "you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 5. Spiritual sacrifices in knowing what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2 (NIV) "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." Summary: What is God's Will in my life? God's purpose in redeeming me is not to make my life happy, healthy, and free of trouble. It is not an escape from my physical pains. God's purpose is to make me more like Christ. He will chose to allow my deafness, multiple sclerosis and other trials not only teach me, but also my loved ones around me, about what it means to become more like Jesus.