Friday, November 7, 2008
Basic Theology
This will be the last segment of this series. I would like to invite those interested to call me @ 704 245-3755 for help with Bible questions or interest in a new small group study called "Starting Point". Future Prophecy has so many differing views. How do we Know what is True? Dispensational Theology can be helpful since it is a comprehensive way of viewing the entire Bible. A dispensation is a distinct period of time in which God tests mans obedience. Man always Fails! Then God gives a new test with new promises. In their "innocent" state Adam and Eve failed so God promised a Redeemer and allowed mankind to be tested by "Human Conscience". But mankind did what was right in their own eyes. God saves Noah and then tested man through "Human Government". Next came a period of "Promise" to Abraham and then the "Law" of Moses. Now we are in the dispensation of "Grace". Salvation has always been by grace but now we have freedom in Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit. The final period of testing before eternity begins is the "Kingdom" of Christ on earth for 1000 years. The distinctive of this theology are two-fold: 1. Consistent normal, literal, grammatical rule of interpretation. 2. Keeping the Church and Israel distinct in God's plan for each.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Small Group Options
If you would like to be in a new small group with others who have recently made a decision to follow Christ please call me at 704 245-3755. This group will allow you to meet new friends, study the Bible at a slow easy pace, and ask all the questions you have! Please call me for the details about "Starting Point". If you have a heart for people and enjoy engaging people in meaningful discussions God might be calling you to lead a small group. Even if you are in a small group but know you are not ready to lead one please call me about meeting together to learn how. This would be informal mentoring at your own pace with myself and one or two others at most. Call me! 704 245-3755 Also if you know a friend or family member struggling with substance abuse or relationship problems like codependency tell them about our Celebrate Recovery small group on tues. 7 pm at the church. All are welcome whether they attend church or not. pastor Bill
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Basic Theology
Last week we discussed the distinction the Church (Body of Christ) and Israel (The Nation). God gave the Law of Moses to Israel but grace and truth come through Jesus Christ.John 1:17 The Covenant of the Law was conditional upon Israel keeping those laws. But the New Covenant is unconditional! Unconditional promises depend not on our ability but on God's faithfulness.Hebrews 6:13-20 So the Law ended at the cross! Jesus mentioned the New Covenant before He died on the cross. Matt.26:26-28 And He promised to send the Holy Spirit who would be our Teacher under the New Covenant. Acts 1:8 The New Covenant is also called "the Law of Christ" Galatians 6:2. But what about the Ten Commandments? Good question! Jesus included 9 of them in the New Covenant by re-stating them in the epistles. The Sabbath was not re-commanded for a good reason. All believers are the "temple of the Holy Spirit" I Cor.6:19 and therefore we continually offer worship in our heart 24/7. So the "New" Covenant does include some things from the "Old" Covenant but only what is clearly stated in the epistles of the New Testament. We are taught not to judge a weaker brother who does not understand our freedom in Christ. Romans 14 But we are commanded to obey the Spirit so that we produce the fruit of the Spirit which is superior to the Law! Galatians 5:16-25 Be free in Him! Gal.5:1 yet serve one another and thus fulfill the Law of Christ.Gal.6:2 pastor Bill
Friday, September 26, 2008
Basic Theology
The Holy Spirit baptizes every new believer into the Body of Christ. I Cor.12:13 So now let us examine the doctrine of the Church as the Body of Christ. Did the Church exist before Pentecost? No, it did not! Jesus said, "I will build My Church" in Matt.16:18. The Church could not exist before Jesus came into the world since He is the Head of the Body. Ephesians 1:22 Also, until Christ ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost there would be no functioning spiritual gifts in the Body. Ephesians 4:7-12 The Church is distinct from Israel in that now both Jews and Gentiles who trust the Messiah, Jesus Christ, are a "NEW MAN" Eph.2:13-15 and unsaved Jews are still related to Israel which God has temporarily "HARDENED" until He is finished building His Church. Romans 11:25 Presently, individual Jewish people may trust Messiah and be saved the same way we are. Romans 10 What other evidence of this distinction do we have? Paul makes this distinction in his letter to the Corinthians. "Give no offense either to the Jews, or to the Gentiles, or to the church of God." I Cor.10:32 Why is this so important? Because the Church is under a new set of commands than believers were in the Old Testament! We are under the New Covenant, also called the Law of Christ (Gal. 6:2) while Israel was under the Law of Moses.When did Moses end? At the cross! Galatians 3, Romans 10:4 More about what this means next time. pastor Bill
Friday, September 19, 2008
Basic Theology
The doctrine of the Holy Spirit is vital to sound doctrine. The Holy Spirit is God, one of the divine persons, along with the Father and the Son. See Acts 5:3-4 Jesus said that He would send the Spirit at Pentecost and He would teach us and be with us forever. John 14:16-17; John 16:13-15 All believers since Pentecost are permanently indwelt by the Spirit. We are baptized by the Spirit into the Body of Christ at salvation. I Cor.12:13 There is no "second blessing" that we are to expect. All believers have been given at least one spiritual gift but not all have the same one. I Cor.12:30 We are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 This means the same thing as being "controlled" by the Spirit, "walking" in the Spirit, or simply "obeying" the Spirit. See Galatians 5:16-25 There are some gifts that were given during the days of the Apostles that are no longer operational today. Ephesians 2:20 tells us that the apostles and prophets were the "foundation" of the church. The purpose of these gifts were to authenticate the Gospel message before the N.T. scriptures were written. Now that the Gospel has been established and we have a complete Bible these gifts are no longer needed just as a builder does not need to lay a foundation on the 21 st floor of a building. We have all the spiritual gifts Christ desires us to have to build each other up. Appreciate your gift but remember to evaluate your spiritual growth by the "FRUIT" of the Spirit and not by giftedness! See Galatians 5:22-23 pastor Bill
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Basic Theology
We have discussed two of the three important doctrines which do not conform to human logic: The Trinity and the Dual Nature of Christ (that He has both a human and a Divine nature). We called these "paradoxes" because they seem to be contradictory yet the Bible teaches them. The third is the doctrine of Election and Human Free Will. Divine Election teaches that God has chosen certain individuals to salvation and predestined them to be conformed to the character of His Son Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:4-5; Romans 8:29-30 However, we are also responsible to receive the gift of salvation by faith. Romans 10:9-10 We must accept both as true and live with the tension since as I said before, this is illogical. We must not assume that because God elected some to be saved that He elected the rest to be lost. God has not "elected" anyone to be lost! They choose that fate on their own and they are responsible before God because He provided for everyone! John 3:16 The other error is to say that we play no role at all. Faith may be a gift but it does not precede regeneration by the Holy Spirit. If you played no role in Salvation then Ephesians 2:8-9 would read: "By election are you saved through doing nothing" but it says: "By grace are you saved through faith" and we must come by faith before we can even know about election. Both are true! Live with it! pastor Bill
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