Tag Archives: Church membershjp

Straight Talk About The Devil, The Bible, And The Church

Matthew 16:13-18 KJV When Jesus came into the coasts of CAESAREA PHILIPPI, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Location Is Important: When Jesus asked His question, He and the Apostles were at “CAESAREA PHILIPPI”. Location is important when you’re studying the Bible. In Caesarea Philippi – a Roman stronghold – the people worshiped many gods and goddesses. There was Pan, Zeus, Hermes, Nemesis, Tyche … lots of false gods and goddesses. As our Lord traveled the length of the Holy Land, He had healed many, and reached out to both Jews and Gentiles. So Jesus asks:

Whom do MEN say that I the Son of man am?

What does the general public consider Jesus to be? Here Jesus refers to Himself as “The Son of Man”. So what is Jesus asking?

In the Old Testament, the phrase “son of man” first referred to a descendant of Adam, a human. Humans are fallen creatures. The Scripture says:

Numbers 23:19 NKJV – GOD IS NOT A MAN, that He should lie, NOR A SON OF MAN, that He should repent. …… Continue reading →

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Bible Doctrine Matters

Here’s a question: You’re a Christian without a Church. What should you look for in a Church? The National Association of Evangelicals asked that question, and people said that the most important things were:

1. Friendliness (19 %)
2. Children’s Programs (19 %)
3. Worship Music (16 %)
4. Sermons (14 %)
5. Likability of the Pastor (12 %)

How does this match up with the Church that Jesus, through the Apostles, formed? Let’s look at the beginning, the Book of Acts. We read:

Acts 2:40-47 (ESV) … {Peter} bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The Apostle Peter’s message was separation, not union Continue reading →

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A Faith Which Works By Love

Galatians 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

The Church at Galatia was largely a Church composed of Gentiles who had received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Just like the Pharisees did with Jesus, the Pharisees came to Galatia and began to teach the people that they weren’t really saved if they didn’t keep the Law of Moses. A Gentile who was uncircumcised was certainly NOT a Christian, because true believers are supposed to be circumcised.

What is circumcision, and why did the Pharisees believe it was necessary for salvation? God established circumcision as a Law within Israel in Genesis 17. In that text God told Abram:

Genesis 17:4-8 As for Me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

God promised several things to Abram that day. God promised that Abram – renamed Abraham – would be “father of many nations”. But God also promised Abraham that he would father a specific nation that would inherit “all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession”. Abraham and his “seed”, his progeny, would be given title to Canaan in perpetuity. So in Abraham there was promised a specific nation that would be his… Continue reading →

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