Christian Baptism

What is Baptism? What does it mean and what does it do? Is it necessary? How important is it? Different church denominations teach different uses and meanings but what does scripture teach us about Baptism?

Rediscovering The Vastness of John 3:16

 Everyone has seen or heard John 3:16 on football face paint, billboards, bumper stickers, t-shirts, everywhere.  It has seem to become a mindless slogan in evangelical christian culture.  When digging into the meaning and the message, we find something so grand, so majestic, so powerful, that John 3:16 has the ultimate implications for all humanity; contained in these 25 words (NASB).  For some, rediscovering John 3:16 can mean new eternal life!

What did Qaudratus of Athens teach?

He is the first Christian apologist and is counted as one of the 70 Apostles in the Eastern Orthodox churches and was a friend of the Apostles according to Eusebius of Caesarea.  He would have known John and by style of writing he was directly influenced by John and Paul's writings. He wrote an apology (argument for) letter to Roman Emporer Hadrian when he came and visited Qaudratus' city.  Eusebius had an copy of his letter and stated he was very orthodox with the other Apostles.  Eusebius then quotes him:

God Does ALL The Work

It is ultimate satisfaction and relief to know and trust in God.  He does all the spiritual eternal work for us. The pressure and burdens of trying to love him, do good, and stay faithful to him all our life is on Him.  When we have faith in Jesus Christ, we experience the peace and joy from God doing all the work in our lives from beginning to end. From before the beginning of time, to us being lead and coming into faith, to us growing in faith, to our bodily death; God does all the work.  This is a deep and hard issue to accept.  It even turned away disciples of Jesus in his day.

What Did Clement of Rome Teach

Earliest Church leader and teacher outside of The Bible.

Appointed by Peter to lead the Christian community in Rome according to Tertullian.  He is mentioned by Paul in Philippians 4:3.  He knew the Apostles personally and would have access to a lot of eye witness testimony of Jesus and original writings himself.  A every early 2nd century extra-biblical writing called The Shepard of Hermas also mentions him.  In his letter, Clement names Fortunatus, as one of the people who carry his letter to Corinth.  He is named by Paul in 1 Corinthians 16:17 as well.

The only reliably known writing from him is known as 1st Clement to Corinth. A 2nd letter has his name attached but is clear it was not by him.

He was martyred around 98-100 AD.

What makes his writing and teaching so important?

By Christ's Work Alone

On what date did you make yourself come from spiritual death to life?  How did you give birth to your own spirit?  What steps and procedure did you do and work hard at to save yourself from death?  If you say anything besides "none" or "zip" or "nada"; you have mild case of thinking that you are god.  Because only God can bring people to spiritually life from spiritual death; we are not God.  That's right, God himself declares that we are spiritually dead from birth.  We are D.O.A. (Dead On Arrival).  So how do we become alive and  right before God?

The Gym of Jesus

So many people go to the gym to burn fat, build muscle, and shape their bodies to a highly efficient calorie burning machine resulting in a culturally desired physic.  At what point do our bodies become our focus of worship and the gym becomes our masters?  First we need to understand our bodies from God's point of view then we can see how to live a fit and healthy life that glorifies God.

Why "Good Friday" is so Good

The Friday before Resurrection Sunday (Easter), Christians remember the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross.  It is not explicitly said in scripture to remember this day annually as "Good Friday" but instead Christians are explicitly commanded to remember through The Lords Supper (1 Cor 11:24-26).  Either way the timing of the celebration and remembrance of the event is free to the individual believer (Romans 14:5). 

What Are is Good Friday Celebrating?

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Every year Christians gather for a 'special' Sunday service called Easter Sunday.  The roots of the chosen time of the year comes from a annual pagan celebration of fertility that the church wanted to "Christianize" and have their own in contrast.  It was very controversial in the church to celebrate the passion of Christ during that pagan holiday but the church remained unified and agreed on the season.  So now as culture and church blended we have Easter bunnies and colorful eggs in our Easter Sunday church services.  As society becomes more secular and the church blends more into the world the true meaning of the celebration of the passion of Christ is hidden behind the popularized pagan symbols. 

The church needs to refocus its attention away from fun loving cultural symbols and on the person and work of Jesus Christ during this season.  It needs to celebrate the meaning of the cross for all the world to see.  It is not Easter Sunday but Resurrection Sunday.  It is not about eggs symbolizing fertility but The Cross; Christ's death and resurrection.

This is what we celebrate in the week (Holy Week) leading up to and on Resurrection Sunday:

• Sunday before Resurrection day is the remembrance of Jesus Christ's entry into Jerusalem known as Palm Sunday.
• Thursday is remembrance of the Last Supper and the commission of Communion.
• Friday is the remembrance of Christ's crucifixion and death on the Cross known as Good Friday.
• Saturday is self reflection and rest and remembrance of Christ resting after finishing atonement.
• Sunday is the celebration of Christ's resurrection from the dead!

Statement of Faith: Things to Come

           The blessed hope and literal return of Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13), the personal and imminent coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to rapture His saints (1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:2). Will then forever be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:16-5:2).  The visible and bodily return of Christ to the earth with His saints to establish His promised millennial kingdom (Zechariah 14:4-11;1 Thessalonians 1:10;Revelation 3:10,19:11-16,20:1-6). We believe in the physical resurrection of all men—the saints to everlasting joy and bliss on the New Earth, and the wicked to eternal punishment in the lake of fire (Matthew 25:46;John 5:28-29;Revelation 20:5-6,12-13).

Statement of Faith: Jesus Christ

           The deity of the Lord Jesus Christ is essential.  He is God incarnate, God in human form, the expressed image of the Father, who, without ceasing to be God, became man in order that He might demonstrate who God is and provide the only way of salvation possible for all man (Matthew 1:21;John 1:18;Colossians 1:15).  He added human nature to His divine nature.  He is both human and divine;  therefore, He has two natures while remaining one person; not two. He is not part God and part man.  He is presently a man, one person, with two natures where one nature is wholly and fully God and the other wholly and fully man. (Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 2:9; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 1:5-13; John 1:1-3, 14).