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Changing the Gospel Message

The good news of The Christ is a gospel of grace and faith, yet, there are those who seek to change this gospel into a different message, which is not good news at all (Galatians 1:6, 7). They take the very basic truths concerning our salvation and lives as saints belong to God and twist them to manipulate people into following them.

The Gospel of The Christ includes the good news about salvation. Scripture is very clear that we are saved by grace through faith, Ephesians 2:8,9. It is His (God’s) attitude by which He gives us a benefit without consideration of merit that provides us with an opportunity to take God at His word concerning salvation. He says that we are to believe that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures to be saved, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Yet, there are many false teachers today who change this message into one of works, rather than of faith. They say to be saved you must accept Jesus into your heart, have a relationship with Jesus, make him Lord of your life, ask him to forgive you of your sins. None of these take God at His word, therefore, they are not out from Faith.

The good news does not stop at salvation, that is only the beginning. As part of our salvation, we have been taken out of Adam – no longer seen before God as condemned along with all of unsaved mankind – and placed into The Christ – a new creation in which the old things (who we were in Adam) have passed away and all things are new (who we are in Christ). 2 […]

Changing the Gospel Message2023-12-14T12:32:49-08:00

The Church

The Church (The Assembly belonging to God)

The Church

The Church is made up of those who are in the body of Christ1. The Church began on the Day of Pentecost2. The Church is only for those who are of the Dispensation of Grace3. Christ is the Head and the saints are the Body4. Through the Church, God shows to the principalities and powers His manifold wisdom5.

The Purpose of the Local Church

A quality of the body of Christ is represented in the gathering together of the saints. The purpose of the assembling of the saints in a local church is to teach, and edify the saints6. Each local church body is autonomous in its daily affairs7.

Membership in the Local Church

Only those who base their salvation on Christ’s death for their sins and resurrection from the dead three days later and have been baptized (immersed) in water are eligible to become members of a local church

Leadership Positions in the Local Church:

Bishop

The Bishop or Pastor is a male who has been given the Spiritual gift of pastor even teacher gift and qualifies according to Scripture for the office8. This position is to guide, feed and guard the local assembly. The leadership of the Bishop is solely in the realm of teaching and therefore has no right to govern over the local church

The Church2020-06-07T06:04:53-07:00

Pleasing (ἀρέσκω)

Pleasing (ἀρέσκω) expresses the concept of acting in a fawning manner to win favor or to act in a way that is pleasing. Therefore, it has a negative, flattery, and a positive, pleasing, side to its meaning.

On Herod’s birthday, Herodias’ daughter danced before Herod and his guests to please him, instigating a response from him that resulted in a promise of a reward. This allowed Herodias to have John the Baptist put to death for calling out Herod’s unlawful act of being with her (his brother’s wife), for she had already instructed her daughter to ask for his head when the King offered her whatever she wanted because she pleased him, Matthew 14:6.

At the beginning of the Church, before the complete revelation concerning the Church was given, the first assembly in Jerusalem faced an issue with the care of the widows among the Hellenistic Jews. This issue required substantial attention and would impact the disciples’ ability to minister to the saints. To address this, the disciples called the multitude together to discuss selecting men who would handle the day-to-day affairs of the assembly, including ensuring that all widows were adequately cared for. This solution would allow the disciples to focus on ministering the Word instead of serving tables. The proposed resolution pleased the multitude, creating the position of Deacon, Acts 6:5.

The desires and works of the flesh cannot please God, for they are carnal in nature and, therefore, hostile to God, Romans 8:8. Because God imputes Christ’s death and resurrection to us, we are able to walk in newness of life, free from slavery to the sin nature, Romans 6:5-6. However, when we try to live the Christian life through law, the result […]

Pleasing (ἀρέσκω)2024-09-05T05:52:16-07:00

Idle (ἀργός)

Idle (ἀργός) describes someone who has nothing to do or is unwilling to work and, therefore, lazy.

Words are important. Men will give account for every idle utterance that comes out of the mouth, Matthew 12:36. This is because the mouth speaks out from the abundance of the heart, Matthew 12:34. A good man will store up good treasure in his heart, where a malignantly evil one will bring forth malignantly evil things from the treasury of his heart.

Socialism is not a standard for the Church. As with secular socialism, when people are taken care of and allowed to be idle rather than work, they become lazy. However, within the assembly, the sharing of possessions can and should be done out of love. We are a community that cares for each other. Sharing is not to encourage laziness, for one who does not work is not to be permitted to eat, 2 Thessalonians 3:10. When a woman within the assembly becomes a widow, who is truly destitute having no living relatives, the local assembly is to care for her needs. This type of caring demonstrates our unity and love for the saints. However, if she is young or has other family members who can care for her, she is not to be financially provided for by the Church because of the danger of her becoming idle; instead, she is to marry, bear children, and manage the household, 1 Timothy 5:13.

The standards for a Pastor are essential for the assembly to know and to hold him accountable to. Paul left Titus in Crete to put things in order and appoint elders (pastors) in each of the cities, abiding by the guidance that Paul gave him, […]

Idle (ἀργός)2024-07-25T05:49:45-07:00

Prostration (προσκυνέω)

Prostration (προσκυνέω), the act of lying stretched out on the ground with the face downward, is a profound expression of reverence and compliance. It symbolizes complete dependence and submission to a higher authority, conveying an attitude of deep humility.

During His earthly ministry, Jesus restored a man’s sight on the Sabbath, which caused quite a stir with the ruling religious party. After accusing the man of not being blind, which was refuted by his parents, they again questioned him concerning the healing, especially regarding who performed this act upon him. At that time, the man who was blind did not know who had given him sight; however, even he could see that such a one would be from God. The Pharisees disagreed and cast him out of the synagogue because he was healed on the Sabbath. After hearing what had happened, Jesus found the man and asked him if he believed in the Son of God. Inquiring who the Son of God is, the previously blind man prostrated before Jesus when he became aware He was the one who healed him, John 9:38.

Within our English bibles the word “worship” is predominantly used to translate the word “prostration”; however, “worship” in English does not adequately express the concept of lying stretched out in reverence and compliance because another word in Greek conveys the meaning of giving proper credit for who a person is, which is what worship means. When Paul instructs the saint in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing, he uses a word that better communicates the concept of worship instead of to prostrate. Worship (προσευχή) is derived from the concept of speaking out or uttering out loud a wish (εὔχομαι); […]

Prostration (προσκυνέω)2024-07-18T06:09:16-07:00
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