Confirming Faith Week 7 The Creeds

Confirming Faith Week 7: The Creeds.

A creed (from Latin: credo = I believe) is simply a summary of what one believes. There is nothing mysterious or peculiar about that idea. If you say, “I believe the world is round.” or “I believe in fair play” you have just stated a creed.

Some Christians don’t like to use creeds because they believe worship should always be spontaneous, or because they think that having a creed somehow puts human authority above the Bible. When they say “I believe no creed but the Bible” they have just contradicted themselves because that statement is itself a creed. It is a false dichotomy to pit scripture and creed against each other, provided that the creed is derived from the clear teaching of Scripture. It is right that Christians should study and understand the Bible for themselves; however the Bible itself teaches that scripture is not a matter for private interpretation. (2 Peter 1:20). Many false cults say that they believe the Bible but what they believe about its teaching is wrong. It is for the whole church to determine what the Bible teaches, and that includes taking into consideration what Christians have believed throughout the centuries. Some churches like to re-write the creeds because they don’t want to be bound by what Christians have always believed.

Why creeds are useful:

1. they provide a simple summary of what we believe that is easy to memorize.


2. people can immediately tell what a particular church believes and so they can know whether they should join or avoid that church.


3. they provide a standard by which new or wrong teaching can be measured, otherwise someone can always claim that their interpretation of scripture is the right one. (eg 1John 4:2). They provide a means of accountability.


4. they serve as a focus of unity for Christians on essential matters while allowing for disagreement on less important matters.

Limitations of creeds: the creeds cannot answer every possible question, settle every possible dispute nor do they exhaust everything that Christians believe. A creed is simply a “table of contents” to the most important things we believe. They were written to address issues which were in dispute at a particular time in history, not to settle issues which had not even been thought of at the time. Just as doing good deeds is not enough to save yourself, so too believing a set of doctrines is not good enough by itself. Faith and trust in Christ and obedience to him go together.

Creeds contained in the Bible: (believe it or not, the Bible itself contains a number of creeds),
In Deuteronomy 6:4 (the shema) is a creed still used by Jewish people today: “Hear O Israel! The Lord is our God; the Lord is one.” Similarly in 1 Kings 18:39 we read that the people of Israel together said: “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”
Succinct statements of Christian belief can be found in Matt 16:16, John 1:49, John 6:68-69, John 20:28, Acts 8:36-37, Acts 16:31, 1Cor 12:3, 1 Cor 8:6.
Longer creeds are found in: 1 Cor 15:3-7, Phil 2:6-11, 1 Tim3:16.  Hebrew 6:1-2 gives a list of things the early church taught.

Public confession of faith is commanded in the Bible: Romans 10:9.



The Creeds themselves: many denominations or mission organizations have statements of faith or “confessions” or Catechisms which they expect their members to adhere to. The oldest ecumenical creeds are the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Creed of St Athanasius. All major denominations accept these creeds even if they don’t recite them regularly.



Nicene Creed (ecumenical version)
I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God,
Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being* with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and was made man.For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the
Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the
world to come. Amen.
*(or substance or essence)



The Apostles’ Creed                          
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.



The Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds have the same structure: 3 sections dealing with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit respectively. The Nicene Creed is longer and more detailed, addressing more fully that Jesus is both God and Man as well as clarifying the personhood and deity of the Holy Spirit. At the end of each are brief statements about the church, baptism/forgiveness, and the resurrection of the dead.


The Creed of St Athanasius is much longer than the other two and quite repetitious so it is rarely used.


The Apostles’ Creed has its origins in the second century but was only finalized several centuries later. It is used in a question and answer format at baptism.  The Nicene Creed dates from 325 AD (amended in 380) and was written to address the issue of whether Jesus was both fully divine and fully human or whether he was a created being instead of eternal.


Questions:

Using the two creeds printed, what would you say to someone who said:

1. the world was created by a bad deity who was not the Father of our Lord Jesus.


2. that there are three Gods, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.


3. that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are just three different ways of looking at the same person.


4. that Jesus was the first created angel.


5. that Jesus was divine, he only appeared to be human.


6. that we are all divine; Jesus was just more fully aware of his “god within” than most people are.


7. that the Mother Goddess gave birth to the world and that the whole universe is part of her.


8. that Jesus had a natural father.


9. that Jesus’ body is still in the grave; his resurrection was a story made up by his followers who somehow felt his presence with them when they shared bread and wine together.


10. that the Holy Spirit is a force sent by God but is not God.


11. that Jesus only became the Christ at his baptism.


12. that Mary carried the human Jesus in her womb but not  God.


13. that we don’t need to be forgiven, we just need to be better educated.


14. that Jesus did not actually die, Judas was crucified in his place.


15. that Jesus is not coming back.


16. that we can believe in God but not bother with the church.


17. that death is final.


18. that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, yet fully human, who died, rose again, ascended into heaven and will return as judge and king.

Which of the above statements is consistent with the Christian faith?

Remember: being a Christian is much more than saying you believe a list of things ABOUT God. It involves a living relationship WITH God. However, it is important to know what we believe.

Confirming Faith Week Six: The Church

This week we are looking at what is meant by “church”. Jannice will be leading the discussion and so the questions may not relate directly to this article, which provides some background information for reference.

The word “church” in English (similar to Scottish Kirk or German kirche) comes from the Greek kuriakos meaning belonging to the Lord (kyrios). The church, therefore, consists of those who belong to the Lord. French and Spanish words for church come from the Greek ekklesia meaning an assembly (ek=out and kaleo meaning called). Ekklesia was used for any assembly, not only Christian ones. It is similar to the word synagogue which is used to describe a Jewish gathering for worship and teaching.
In the New Testament, “church” never means a building, the clergy, or a denomination, but rather, it referred to the people of God (a) meeting in someone’s house, (b) in a city or region, or (c) all Christians throughout the world. It was also sometime used for a secular gathering or for God’s people Israel.
In the first chapters of Acts we read about Christ’s followers meeting in homes and also in the Jerusalem temple court. The earliest Christians were nearly all Jewish and therefore attended worship in the temple and the synagogue as well as breaking bread (celebrating communion) in each other’s homes. Around 70 AD Messianic Jews were finally evicted from the synagogues and the tragic break with Judaism occurred. Christians continued to meet in homes until the fourth century when purpose-built church buildings patterned on the Roman basilicas first began to be used.
Additional terms used for the church in the Bible:
· body of Christ: we are all different parts of the one body (1Cor 12) with Christ as the head (Eph 5:23).
· bride of Christ. Marriage as a picture of Christ and his church. (Ephesians 5)
· family or household of God. (Eph 2:19) He is our father; we are joint-heirs with Christ. (Eph 3:6)
· people of God (Heb 4:9)
· temple of the living God (2 Cor 6:16), a building made of living stones (1 Peter 2:5), with Christ as the cornerstone(Eph 2:20).
· pillar and ground of truth. (1 Tim 3:15)
It is God who adds to his church (Acts 2:47) and Jesus who will build it (Matt 16:18). The gates of Hell will not prevail against it.
The Kingdom of God (everywhere His rule is exercised) and the church are not the same thing but both have Christ as their centre. Christ is King. The church is the assembly of those who have accepted the good news of the Kingdom and are its ambassadors. Christians have dual-citizenship: in their country and in Christ’s Kingdom. Their first allegiance is to Christ.
Jesus said that wherever two or three are gathered in his name he is there with them. Wherever his disciples gather there is the church.
The Kingdom of God.
The Church
Christ
The Nicene Creed refers to the Church as
· One: meaning that all who belong to Christ belong to the church. Separate denominations are not what Christ intended.
· Holy: meaning set-apart for God.
· Catholic: a botanical term meaning “to be in accord with the whole”. It was used, for example, to describe a true oak tree as opposed to one which looked like an oak tree but was another species.
· Apostolic: meaning continuing to believe and practice what the apostles taught.
We become part of the church through faith in Christ and being baptised. The word laos (from which we get the word “laity”) refers to all Christians: the whole people of God. All Christians are given spiritual gifts to serve the whole church. Some Christians are called to serve as deacons; some deacons become presbyters (pastors) and some presbyters give oversight to others as bishops (shepherds). Different denominations use different terms for their leaders.
The early church recognized the functions of (a) apostles (pioneering church-planters) who traveled around starting new churches and giving oversight to multiple local churches, (b) prophets, who had an authoritative role in proclaiming God’s message, (c) evangelists, who were effective in leading others to Christ, (d) pastor-teachers, who looked after and taught the local congregations. There were also deacons who looked after the poor and widows or visited the sick. Elders (presbyters/bishops) could have any of these functions but chiefly the role of pastor-teacher. By the time the last of the original Apostles died, the term “bishop” came to mean the senior pastor who oversaw other pastors and served as a point of unity between different local congregations.
Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox each claim to be the one true church (they cannot both be right!). Some sects or cults make similar claims about themselves. Protestants tend to distinguish between the “invisible “church, which is all Christians everywhere and the “visible” church (the denomination or congregational organization ) recognizing that the visible church will always have belonging to it some people who are not true believers. Anglicans make no claim to be the one true church, but rather, to be only a part of the one church and are thus committed to ecumenical co-operation.
Hands: service in the world
Feet: shod with the gospel: evangelism
Feet: shod with the gospel: evangelism
Hands: service in the world.
Christ is the head . His disciples form the body..
Fellowship in the church, with Worship as the heart of the Church
(The picture model would not post on this blog) Above is a model of the local church as a body with limbs reaching out into the community.
The five purposes of the local church are: worship, fellowship, service, evangelism, and discipleship. These are summed up in a different order in COOL’s Mission Statement:

To serve the people of the Comox Valley, introducing them to Jesus Christ, welcoming them into His family, equipping them to follow Christ's example, and loving Him with all that we are.

Sunday at Five, October 23, 2005

Discussion and Holy Communion at five pm this Sunday, followed by potluck supper, at 2087 Beaton Ave, Comox, BC.

Confirming Faith Week 5 The Holy Spirit

Confirming Faith Week Five. The Holy Spirit.

Who is the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a Person, not a thing or an impersonal force. He is the third Person of the Godhead (the Trinity) and proceeds from the Father through the Son (or, at the Son’s request). He does not draw attention to Himself. He draws us into a relationship with the Father and glorifies the Son. He is present in scripture from the second verse of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation.

What was His role in the Old Testament?
He was present at Creation and at various times rested upon or filled individuals so that they could be empowered for God-directed action or to speak God’s message. He inspired the prophets and the authors of the books of the Bible.  In the OT it was only special people who had the HS and then only for specific purposes.

What was His role in the New Testament?
Before Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was active in people such as Mary, Elizabeth, Zecharias, John the Baptizer, and in Jesus. He came upon Jesus at his baptism and led him out into the wilderness. John the Baptist predicted that Jesus would baptize people with the Holy Spirit. Jesus told his disciples to receive the Holy Spirit and to wait in Jerusalem until the Spirit came. We are told that it was the Holy Spirit’s power that raised Jesus from the dead, thereby proving that the Father had accepted His sacrifice.

At Pentecost (Acts 2) all the gathered followers of Jesus were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in languages they did not understand but which were understood by people of various nationalities who overheard them. Peter preached to the crowds that they too would receive the HS if the repented, believed in Jesus and were baptized. Subsequently, the HS was received by a number of individuals and groups including Samaritans, Gentiles and others.

What does He do today?
He does what he has done ever since He was given to the church at Pentecost.

1. Before we become Christians He convinces us of our need for God. He convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8). Nobody can truthfully confess Jesus as Lord without having the Spirit (Romans 8:9 and 1Cor 12:3).


2. When we become Christians we are “born again” or “born from above” (John 3:3-8 and 1John 5:8) and receive the Spirit of adoption by which we are assured that God is our Father (Romans 8:15). The Holy Spirit comes to live within us (1Cor 3:16).


3. He incorporates us into the Body of Christ which is the church. (1 Cor 12:13). Water baptism and baptism in/with/by the Spirit are two sides of the same coin but are not the same thing and may or may not occur at the same time.


4. He transforms our character by producing the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23).


5. He gives us gifts to be used for the benefit of the whole church. There are numerous lists of these: 1 Corinthians chapters 12 (three lists), 1 Peter 4, Romans 12, 1 Cor 7:2, Ephesians 4.


6. He helps us to understand the truth of scripture which He inspired. He is the Spirit of truth (John 14:17). See also: 1 Cor 2:10-13.

How to receive or be filled with the Spirit.
Becoming a Christian has four parts to it: repentance, faith in Jesus, baptism in water, and receiving the Spirit (Acts 2:38).  These may occur together or at different times and not always in that order.

If you are not sure whether or not you are a Christian, then the first thing to do is to do make sure you are. Pray a “sorry, thank you, please” prayer: confess your sinfulness, asking God to forgive you, thank Him for Jesus’ death for you, and ask him to give you His Spirit.

If you are already a Christian, confess to God any known sin that would interfere with the HS working in your life and to reveal to you anything which needs to be made right with Him. Then ask Jesus to fill you with his Spirit and to give you any gifts you need to serve Him. Praise Him and thank for doing so. Focus on God rather than on your feelings – the Giver is more important than the gift. Use your own language as well as any other language which comes to mind as you pray. You will probably find yourself praising Him in a language you have never learned. It’s that simple.

Conversion and baptism are unrepeatable, but repentance, faith and walking in/by the Spirit are a way of life. Remember, being filled with the Spirit is not a once only event. You need to be continually filled with the Spirit. At different times you may need or experience a special infilling, gift for a particular purpose.

What does it mean to be Baptized in the Holy Spirit?
This expression only occurs 7 times in the Bible, 5 times predicting that Jesus would baptize in the Holy Spirit in contrast to John baptizing in water. This came true for Jewish believers at Pentecost and for Gentiles when Cornelius (Acts 10) and his family were baptized in the Spirit. After Cornelius’s conversion Peter refers to those predictions to explain what had just occurred (Acts 11:16-18). The final time is the reference in 1Cor 12:13 which indicates that all Christians have been baptized by one Spirit into the one body of Christ. So some Christians understand the term to refer to being born again at which time one receives the Spirit.

Some Christians refer to a special experience, after conversion, of being filled with the Spirit in a very powerful way, usually accompanied by speaking in tongues, as being “Baptized in the Spirit.” Other Christians, while having a similar experience, prefer not to call it by that name because of the confusion which arises from the terminology.

Nowhere in the New Testament are Christians after Pentecost commanded to seek an experience called the Baptism in the Spirit. We are, however, commanded to go on being filled with the Spirit, to walk by the Spirit, to earnestly desire spiritual gifts, not to quench or grieve the Spirit. Not everyone has an identical experience but we are all expected to receive the Spirit and the gifts He wishes us to have. Nobody should be proud of their experiences or consider others less for not having the same experience. Nevertheless, Jesus intends for us to be filled with his Spirit and to have His power at work in our lives. We should not be afraid of asking the Father for this, as Jesus promised the Father will give the Spirit to anyone who asks (Luke 11:13).

Discussion:

1. What is the evidence that the Spirit is active in one’s life?


2. What are the gifts of the Spirit?


3. Should all Christians have the same gifts?


4. Why might people be afraid to ask God to fill them with His Spirit?


5. What metaphors for the Holy Spirit are there in the Bible?

At a subsequent time we shall discuss the connection between the Holy Spirit and water baptism and with public profession of faith (eg church membership or Confirmation).
As before, some of the material for this backgrounder was taken from Faith Confirmed by Peter Jackson and Chris Wright (published by SPCK). However most of it was drawn from other authors such as Nicky Gumbel, Michael Green and David Pawson.

New Dawn in East Africa: the East African revival - Christian History & Biography - ChristianityTodayLibrary.com

New Dawn in East Africa: the East African revival - Christian History & Biography - ChristianityTodayLibrary.com

Might the East Africa Revival have something to teach us in Canada?

Rick's Rwanda Road Map - Christianity Today Magazine

read these articles on how the Anglican church in Rwanda is helping heal the effects of Genocide.

Province of Rwanda

Confirming Faith Week 4 Jesus Death and Resurrection

Confirming Faith - Week 4.                Jesus’ Death and Resurrection

(A) HIS DEATH
Why Jesus Had to Die: There are several ways of looking at what Jesus achieved by his death and resurrection. All of these are true. Some Christians emphasize one over the others.

1. Atonement: this means to “make one” (at-one-ment). God made us for a relationship with him.  We are estranged from God through our rebellion against him. (sin). Christ came to restore that relationship. Only someone who was both fully man and fully God, and who was himself without sin, could bridge that gap between us and God.

Read Eph 3:16-19. The cross is a picture of the lengths to which God was willing to go to reach out to us and of the depth and breadth of his love. The vertical part of the cross represents restoration between us and God; the horizontal beam represents the ministry of reconciliation he has given us (Romans 5:6-11, 2 Cor 5:18-20).

2. Substitution: This means that Jesus took our place. He received the punishment we deserve so that we could go free. We are justified (declared righteous and not guilty) because he has taken our sin on himself. (2 Cor 5:21).  We exchange our sinfulness for his righteousness. The righteous wrath of God against evil was borne by him. Jesus experienced separation from God the Father so that we might be re-united with him and become his children. Essentially, he traded places with us. That is why he cried out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” All the sacrifices of the Old Testament are pictures of the one final sacrifice of Jesus.

3. Victory over Death and Evil:
Man was created immortal. Death entered human experience after man rebelled. Jesus experienced death for us. His resurrection overcame the power of death.

4. Ransom: This metaphor is that of paying a ransom price to set free a kidnapped victim or a slave (man is enslaved by sin and under Satan’s influence). Jesus purchased our liberation with his own blood. We therefore now belong to him. (Matt 20:28, 1Tim 2:6)

5. Rescue: Christ’s incarnation, death and resurrection represent God’s rescue mission to planet Earth. He rescued us from Satan’s dominion and transferred us to God’s dominion, from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. (Col 1:13).

6. Example to follow: Jesus’ death was an example (1Peter 2:21) of self-less love and devotion, of willingness to lay down one’s life for others and of loving one’s enemies. We are called to follow in his footsteps. His death, however, was not simply one of a revolutionary dying for a good cause.

Think of different examples from history, your own experience or the news which illustrate these different ways of looking at the cross, eg. someone risking his/her life for someone else.

Through his conception, birth, life and death, Jesus identified fully with all that it means to be human. He assumed our nature so that we could become by adoption and grace, what he is by nature, namely sons of God and joint-heirs with Christ.

(B) HIS RESURRECTION
1 Cor 15:1-20 and 50-58) Christians believe, as we say in some liturgies, that: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

• Jesus died; he did not merely swoon or appear dead.


• He was buried in a known and guarded tomb


• The tomb was empty on the first Easter morning.


• Jesus appeared to numerous people during the forty days before his ascension. They saw, touched and talked with him. He ate with them.

The significance of the resurrection:

• His predictions came true.


• His claims were vindicated by God. i.e. his resurrection proved him to be who he claimed to be.


• He has power over death.


• We can have confidence that we too shall rise.


• The same power which raised Christ from the dead is alive in us through his Spirit.


• We can experience the risen Christ.


• If he kept his promise to rise from the dead, we can rely on his promise to come back again.

Easter is thus the central feast of the Christian year. Each Sunday is a mini-Easter as we gather around the Lord’s Table to remember and receive him in the bread and wine.

What should our response to this be?

One of the paradoxes of the Christian faith is this: when we think we are free to do whatever we want by rebelling against the God who made us, we are actually enslaved by sin. When we voluntarily submit to the Lordship of Christ we are truly free to be all we were meant to be.

Acknowledgement: As with the other sessions in this series, this topic is based substantially on Faith Confirmed by Peter Jackson and Chris Wright (published by SPCK), supplemented with other material.

Sunday at five Oct 16th

Hi everyone.
Last week Jannice presented an excellent discussion on the life and ministry of Jesus.
This coming Sunday, October 9th (Thanksgiving Sunday) there will be no gathering. We next meet for communion, discussion and supper at 2087 Beaton Ave in Comox at 5pm October 16th.
See you there.

Sunday at Five October 2, 2005

Communion, discussion and supper will be at 2087 Beaton Ave, Comox, at 5pm on Sunday, October 2nd, 2005. Notes will be posted later.

Sunday at Five: 25th September, 2005

Confirming Faith – Week 2: Human Nature and Sin.

This week we are looking at human nature from the perspective of what the Bible teaches.

Christianity has a very high view of Man as God originally intended humankind to be. Read Genesis 1:26-31, Genesis 2: 15-26, Psalm 8:4-8, and Colossians 1:15. Man is a mammal but more than an animal.

• What does it mean to say that we were created in God’s image?


• In what ways is Christ similar to us and in what ways is he different?


• In what ways are angels similar to us and in what ways are they different?


• What kind of relationship did our first parents (Adam and Eve) have with God before they sinned?


• Why were we made?


• In what ways are we different from the rest of the animal kingdom?

Christianity has a realistic view of Man as humankind became through rebellion against God. Read Genesis 3. Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 1:18-23 and Romans 3:23. As a result of their rebellion, every human born since has inherited mortality and a bias towards sin. We call this “original sin”.

• What is sIn?


• What is the difference between sins and sin?


• Is anyone entirely evil?


• Is anyone entirely good?


• Can we be good without God?


• Can we ever achieve perfection in this life?


• What was the result of Adam and Eve’s sin (a) for their relationship with God, (b) how they saw themselves and each other and (c) for generations since then?

Christianity provides a unique way for people to be restored to relationship with God. We shall look at this in more depth in the discussions on Jesus’ life and death over the next two weeks


Christianity has a high view of what Man and the universe will be like when Christ returns. We shall look at this at the end of this series. We shall be like him and shall reign with him. There will be a new heaven and earth. All of creation will be renewed





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yucv.com :: Youth Unlimited - A Community

Here is the Youth Unlimited, UNDERGROUND website. The YFC team in the Comox Valley provides an awesome inter-denominational program for teens. Check it out.

Sunday at Five (September 25th, 2005)

Next Sunday, September 25th, we meet at five at Brian and Susan Hamp's house at 4736 Headquarters Rd Courtenay. ( look for the Youth Unlimited sign on the right across the road from Riverbend, past Casa Loma and before Vanier.)

We shall have music and discussion followed by the Lord's Supper and a potluck meal together.

Going Deeper Confir

Going Deeper – Confirming our Faith. Week 1

How do we know God? He is greater than we can imagine or describe but we know him by faith.

He reveals himself:

• Through the Bible  2:Tim 3:16, 2 Peter 1:19-21


• Through the Church


• Through Nature Psalm 19:1-4, Romans 1:20


• Through Experiences


• Through Prayer.

What is God like? Think of words used to describe God.  Think of some metaphors and similes for God. Eg Psalm 18:2, 1John 1:5. Psalm 23:1.

What Christians believe about God:

God is:

• Creator.


• Everywhere


• All-powerful


• Knows everything


• Eternal


• Holy


• Unchanging


• Just


• Merciful


• Love

Look up:

God is active in history: Isaiah 41:1-4
God reveals himself supremely in Jesus:  Hebrews 1:1, John 14:9, Col 1:15
God makes covenants with people: with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses. Jesus introduced the New Covenant.

God is our Father. Luke 1:2. Deuteronomy 32:6.   He is also like a mother. (Isaiah 49:15.)

God is One (Deut 6:4) and Three: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (2 Cor 13:14 and Matt 28:19)

Thoughts to ponder:
How is God related to Creation/Nature?
How do we believe in God when we see suffering?
What does the cross tell us about God?

Going Deeper Confirm

Going Deeper: Confirming our Faith

Introduction
Over the past couple of years at house church we have covered the basics of the Christian faith through the Alpha course, Christianity Explored, The Purpose-Drive Life and an overview of the Bible in The Bible for Blockheads. This Fall we propose to go a bit deeper into the faith by having a series of discussions drawn from the book “Faith Confirmed” by Peter Jackson and Chris Wright (published by SPCK), supplemented by other materials. We may not agree on all their perspectives but the book provides a useful resource. We shall continue to meet on Sundays at five pm combining the study with worship and following it with potluck supper. Bring your friends.

We shall prepare the material ahead of time but the discussions will be informal and interactive. Rather than everyone having a book to study from, there will be questions to use as a basis for discussion.

Most of what we cover will be common to Christians as a whole. On some topics we shall present a range of opinions, attempting to be fair to the different view-points of, say, Roman Catholics and Protestants, while discussing why Anglican Christians arrived at conclusions which recognize the best of both. Initial topics are a revision exercise of what we have already covered in other discussions. We’ll get the most out of it if we try to participate every week. Depending on numbers we shall do an overview of the topic together ad then divide into groups for discussion eg teens/kids and one or more adult group. As always, feel free to ask any question.

Outline:
1 God
2. Human Nature and Sin
3. Jesus: Life and Ministry
4. Jesus: Death and Resurrection
5. The Holy Spirit
6. The Church
7. The Creeds
8 The Bible
9. Living as a Christian
10. Prayer & Worship
11. The Sacraments
12. Baptism
13. Confirmation
14. The Eucharist (ie Communion)
15. Marriage
16. Confession
17. Ordination
18. Anointing the sick (ie. Prayer for healing)
19. Life after Death

Sunday September 18th, 2005

COOL meets at 5pm on this Sunday at 2087 Beaton Ave, Comox, BC for Communion followed by pot-luck supper.
We shall begin a new series on "Faith Confirmed" .

See you there.

Kairos Journal Award Honors Four Anglican Archbishops

On Thursday, September 8, 2005, the Kairos Journal honored four leading Anglican archbishops with the Kairos Journal Award in recognition of their bold and consistent stand for historic orthodoxy in light of theological decline in the Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church of Canada. The 2005 award recipients were: The Most Rev. Peter Jasper Akinola, Archbishop of All Nigeria; the Most Rev. Henry Luke Orombi, Archbishop of the Province of Uganda; the Most Rev. Gregory James Venables, Archbishop of the Southern Cone of South America; and the Most Rev. Datuk Yong Ping Chung, Archbishop of the Province of South East Asia. The Journal, an on-line resource with subscribers in over eighty countries, seeks to equip and support pastors and church leaders as they strive to transform the moral conscience of the culture and restore the prophetic voice of the Church.


“The Kairos Journal Award is given to individuals who demonstrate exemplary fidelity to the authority of Scripture and exceptional pastoral courage in their efforts to restore the prophetic voice of the Church,” said publisher Emmanuel A. Kampouris. “I am delighted to present these outstanding individuals with the 2005 award.”


Honorees are further chosen based upon their discernment of, and response to, what the Journal calls the “kairos moment”—a moment of cultural crisis demanding timely action from the Church.


Archbishops Akinola, Orombi, Venables and Yong, part of the Global South, have been at the forefront of the crisis within the Anglican Communion precipitated by actions of the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA) and the Anglican Church of Canada. The American and Canadian provinces have embraced theology and practice which is contrary to Scripture, Anglican teaching and historic Christianity. Archbishops Akinola, Orombi, Venables and Yong and their provinces have declared broken or impaired communion with the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada and urged the two churches to repent. The Global South makes up the vast majority of Anglicans world-wide and is the fastest growing segment of the Anglican Communion.


“What affects one part of the Christian Church affects us all,” said Mr. Kampouris. “We hope this award will offer encouragement and support not only of our four honorees and others within the Anglican Communion fighting for orthodoxy but also for clergy across denominational lines who are responding to the ‘kairos moment’.”

Sunday 11th September

COOL Community meets at 1930 Pridy Rd Comox this Sunday . Holy Communion and discussion at 5pm followed by potluck supper. See you there!

On Tuesday 13th we meet at 7pm at Comox Community Baptist Church on Anderton Rd in Comox.

Hurrican Katrina Relief

Hurricane Katrina Strikes Gulf Coast--
Urgent Response is Needed

Hundreds of thousands have been impacted by the recent hurricane in the Gulf Coast, what is emerging as the worst natural disaster to hit the United States. Many are in the affected areas of Louisiana and Mississippi, and countless more have fled to higher ground. Relief agencies are responding, but are overwhelmed, and churches and Christian organizations are seeking to provide help, support and ministry.

The Anglican Mission offices have fielded many calls and emails about the role of the AMiA as this disaster continues to unfold, and about the situation of our churches. Our congregations along Mobile Bay (Christ Anglican Church—Mobile and Grace Anglican Church—Fairhope) witnessed flooding and related property damage. It appears from our communication with them they were on the periphery of this storm, although they are still evaluating the situations of their various families. Power is down in many areas, but the situation there is better than anticipated. Holy Trinity Anglican is in Jackson, Mississippi, and Rector Tim Smith reports that it was rain, wind and some property damage there, as well. They also lost power for a couple of days, but are getting back to normal.

The Anglican Mission does not have congregations in the hardest hit areas of Mississippi and Louisiana, but will be evaluating, through those closest to the situation, the best ways to be involved in response. Hundreds of thousands of storm victims have fled to other areas, including Houston, which has become a major refugee city. Two AMiA congregations there are directly involved in ministering to these people. All Saints Church and Church of the Holy Spirit (the Woodlands) are partnering with other churches and ministries to serve the growing number of refugees in various regions (not just the Astrodome) and those who are coming to Houston to look for relatives.

Some Anglican Mission churches, such as Holy Trinity in Hudson, Ohio, have already responded by sending a team of people to the region, with trucks loaded with supplies. Rector "Doc" Loomis said that his congregation thought the direct approach would be best, and they decided to personally go to the area. Others are collecting suppplies and monies for distribution, and yet others are organizing response teams this week.

You Can Help
Prayer is urgently needed, of course, and there are various ways to provide assistance to the victims. The Anglican Mission in America has established a relief fund, and contributions can be made by sending checks to:

AMiA Katrina Relief
PO Box 3427
Pawleys Island, SC 29585
You can make credit card donations over the phone by calling our National Mission Resource Center at 843-237-0318.

The two churches in Houston have suggested providing gift cards that they can use in reaching out to the storm refugees, and they are needed immediately. These would be gift cards from companies such as WalMart, Sam's Club, Target, etc; phone cards for long distance calling (for those trying to reach loved ones) and gasoline cards. Such gift cards can be sent by individuals or churches to:

The Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit
c/o Loranne Johnson
719 Sawdust Road Suite 103
Spring, TX 77380

These cards will be shared by the outreach ministries of All Saints Church (Fr. Augustine Ogbunugwu, Rector) and Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit (The Rev. Clark Lowenfield, Lead Pastor).












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COOL Celebration

We are having a service of thanksgiving and communion at Comox Community Baptist Church, 1250 Anderton Road Comox, and we would love to have you join us.

Date: Tuesday 13 September, 2005
Time: 7 pm
Guest speaker: Paul Carter
Celebrant: David Bowler

Rev Paul Carter, after distinguished service as a British Paratroop chaplain, moved with his family to Canada to work as a priest in Vancouver. He is now the Network Co-ordinator of the Anglican Communion in Canada, a missionary outreach of the Anglican Provinces of Central Africa, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda and South East Asia. He pastors a new church plant, Immanuel Westside, at UBC campus and co-pastors St Timothy's on the North Shore (North Vancouver) with Rev Ken Bell.

St. Timothy's Anglican Church - David and Ken's Ordination

Ordination Sunday

COOL will not be holding its usual Sunday evening supper and service this week, 28th August, 2005. Instead everyone is cordially invited to attend the ordination service at 2:30 pm hosted by St Timothy's on the North Shore at Lynn Valley Recreation Centre, 3590 Mountain Highway, North Vancouver. Bishop "TJ" will be officiating.

+TJ will aslo be conducting an ACiC Strategy Session at Sutherland Church in North Vancouver on Saturday 27th August (630 19th Street EastNorth Vancouver, BC V7L 3A1) 10am to 3pm.

Sunday at Five will resume on September 4th at 1930 Pridy Rd, Comox. Tel 339-4359.

Overview of the Bible

Over the Summer we shall be doing a rapid overview of the Bible which can then provide the foundaton for more detailed studies subsequently.


Overview of the Bible

Welcome to this overview of the Bible. We shall use the Bible for Blockheads (by Douglas Connelly) as our reference book. Feel free to consult other books as well. Our look at the Bible should be as interactive and participatory as possible. It will necessarily not be in-depth but should give a basic understanding of what the different parts of the Bible are about.

The Bible is really a library of books written by over 40 human authors over a period of 16 centuries. Christians study it because we believe it to be God’s Word in human words: God has ensured that what he wanted to say to us has been preserved for us in the inspired writings of human authors, each having their own perspectives and backgrounds which influenced the way their specific books were written.

The Bible includes a number of different types of literature (genres): history, poetry, proverbs, allegory, prediction, didactic teaching, love stories etc. The different genres within the Bible are interpreted or used in different ways. For example, one approaches a poem in a different manner to a piece of historical narrative.

One theme: the one over-arching theme in the Bible is God’s desire to reconcile humanity to himself. The love of God for mankind could be described as a romance of divine initiative and human response.
God’s initiative. 1. In creation: the whole universe reflecting his glory and man in his image. 2. In election: God chose one man (Abram), one family, one nation (Israel) to be the conduit of salvation. 3. In incarnation: God became human in Jesus of Nazareth. 4. In redemption: Christ died as a ransom to free us from the power of sin and death. 5. In restoration: the whole of creation will be renewed.
Human response: 1. rebellion: eg. Adam and Eve, Israel’s disobedience. 2. obedience: various people of faith (such as Noah, Abraham, etc), Mary who said “yes” to the angel and became mother of our Lord, and, supremely, Jesus’ obedience even to the extent of being crucified for us.

The first part of the Bible is the Hebrew Scriptures (the “Old Testament”). The New Testament consists of the four Gospels (about the life of Jesus), the story of the early church (Acts) and the letters (epistles) written to various individuals and local churches by leaders within the early church.

Languages: The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, apart from portions of Daniel and Ezra which are were written in Aramaic, a closely related Semitic language. The New Testament was written in Greek which was the language of commerce in the Middle East at the time of Christ.

Number of books (“the Canon” or list): The Hebrew Scriptures consist of 39 books, the New Testament consists of 27, for a total of 66. During the 400 years between the last of the OT books to be written (Malachi) and the New Testament, a number of other books and additions were written, known as the Apocrypha or Deutero-Canonical (=second list) books. These were included in a Greek translation (the Septuagint) of the OT, collated in Alexandria during the same period, but excluded by the Rabbis from the Hebrew bible. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox bibles include the Apocrypha. Most Protestant ones do not. Anglicans regard the Apocrypha as useful to read but not as God’s word. For the purposes of this course we shall consider the Bible to consist of 66 books. We can have a look at the Apocrypha at a later date.

So far we have had a whirlwind tour of Genesis through to the Gospels.

August 28 Ordination 2:30 pm in North Vancouver

September 4 Part 8 History: Acts

September 11 Part 9 Letters: Romans to Revelation.

We may choose to spread these out more. OR we can return to a book or a story in more
depth later, for example, there is a good study of the themes of Romans called “How to
be a Christian Without Being Religious”, by Ridenour. Or we could do study on
Philippians by Nicky Gumble.

I suggest that we pick one or two characters or themes from each section to concentrate
on rather than attempt to cover books in depth.

Overview of the Old Testament

Overview of the Old Testament

The OT can be divided into books of history (17), poetry (5), and prophecy (17). These can be further sub-divided. The terms “major” and “minor” refer to the length of the books, not the importance of the prophets. The prophets are therefore not listed entirely in chronological order.

History17 Poetry 5 Prophecy17
5 books of Moses 5 books of poetry 5 major prophets

Genesis Job Isaiah
Exodus Psalms Jeremiah
Leviticus Proverbs Lamentations
Numbers Ecclesiastes Ezekiel
Deuteronomy Song of Solomon Daniel
(or song of Songs)

12 other history books 12 minor prophets

Joshua Hosea
Judges Joel
Ruth Amos
1 Samuel Obadiah
2 Samuel Jonah
1 Kings Micah
2 Kings Nahum
1 Chronicles Habakkuk
2 Chronicles Zephaniah
Ezra Haggai
Nehemiah Zechariah
Esther Malachi

There is an overlap between some of these books: The story of Job is set in the era of the Patriarchs (=early Genesis), 1Chronicles covers the same time-period as 2 Samuel. 2Chronicles overlaps with 1 and 2 Kings. The story of Ruth is set in the time of the Judges. Jonah’s story comes before the Exile of Israel into Assyria. Esther’s story is set in Persia at the same time as Ezra was writing in Jerusalem after the Exile.

Genesis tells about the creation, man’s rebellion, the promise of a saviour and the early heroes of faith. God selected one man, Abram (later called Abraham), to be the pro-genitor of his chosen people through whom the rest of humanity would be blessed. It includes the stories of Isaac, Jacob, Esau, Joseph and his twelve brothers, and their move to Egypt.
Exodus: tells the story of Moses and the liberation of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. Leviticus describes the laws, feasts and rituals of the Israelite people.
Deuteronomy is a long speech by Moses before his death and the entrance of the Israelites into Canaan.
Joshua is Moses’ successor. The book is about the conquest of Canaan by the tribes of Israel.
Judges ruled Israel before the establishment of the monarchy.
Ruth is a love story. She was a young Moabite widow who embraced the faith and nation of her mother-in-law, Naomi, rather than her own pagan people. She became an ancestor of King David and, hence, of Jesus.
Samuel was a prophet and judge. During his life the monarchy was established. (1Samuel and 1Kings). Saul was first king, followed by David and his son Solomon (2 Samuel and 1Chronicles). After Solomon’s death the Kingdom split into two. (2 Kings). The ten northern tribes formed the kingdom of Israel with Samaria as the capital. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin formed the southern kingdom of Judah with Jerusalem as the capital. In general, the Northern Kingdom rebelled against God. Not one of her Kings was faithful to God. Israel was invades by the cruel Assyrians and its people were killed or relocated to other parts of the Assyrian empire, never to be heard of again. Over a century later Judah is invaded by the Babylonians and some of her people were exile to Babylon. (2 Chronicles)
Ezra and Nehemiah tell of the return of various groups of Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem and the re-building of the Temple and the walls of the city.
Esther was the Jewish queen of Persia whose courage and wisdom result in the thwarting of a plot to exterminate the Jews. It is the only book in the Bible that does not mention God.
Job is a classic on suffering and the sovereignty of God.
Psalms is a collection of 150 poems or hymns. Some are set as early as the time of David; others date to as late as the Exile. They cover every type of experience or emotion and are a wonderful resource for comfort and prayer. They demonstrate that there is no human emotion which we cannot express to God.
Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings, largely attributed to King Solomon.
Ecclesiastes, is an existential exploration of the emptiness of life without God.
Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs) is a love story full of romance and poetry.

The books of prophecy date to the divided kingdom (pre-exilic), the exile, and post-exilic periods.

Pre-exile Exile Post-exile
All the rest Ezekiel and Daniel Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

The most important of the pre-exilic prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos and Hosea.

Overview of the New Testament

Overview of the New Testament

The 27 books, of the NT, written by at least 9 authors over about 50 years, consist of:
4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John)
1 church history book: Acts tells of the birth and growth of the New Testament church.
4 letters by Paul to individuals: 1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus and Philemon.
9 letters by Paul to churches: Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians.
9 general letters: Hebrews, James, 1st and 2nd Peter, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, John, Jude and Revelation.

A separate overview of the Gospels has been written.

Acts begins with the risen Jesus, before his ascension, instructing his followers to wait in Jerusalem for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit who would empower them to spread the Good News to an increasing circle of influence: Jerusalem (chapters 1-7), Judea and Samaria (chapters 8-12) and to the rest of the world (chapters 13-28). Acts is the story of how the church expands in that order, how Christianity, which began as a branch of Judaism became a church which included Gentiles. Peter preaches the Gospel to Jews in Jerusalem, Phillip teaches an Ethiopian ruler and preaches to Samaritans, Paul (long with various companions) became a missionary to the Gentiles, ending up in prison in Rome.

The letters (“epistles”) are not listed in the order in which they were written. Paul’s letters were written from various locations during the course of events described in the book of Acts.

(A)Paul’s letters
Romans (about AD 58), the most “theological” letter, was written to the church in Rome outlining the doctrine that salvation is by faith, not by fulfilling the external rituals of the Jewish law.
1 and 2 Thessalonians (about AD 51 or 52) were written to the church in Thessalonica to encourage Christians there to remain faithful until Christ’s return and to continue with their secular work while doing so.
1 and 2 Corinthians (written about AD 56 and 57 from Ephesus during his third missionary journey) are the remnants of, possibly, 4 letters written to a very unruly congregation in Corinth to try to correct breaches in order and morals there and to defend Paul’s authority.
Galatians was written around AD 49 from Antioch to the churches Galatia within Asia Minor to counter a teaching by Jewish Christians which had tried to force Gentile converts to first become Jewish before they could become Christians.
Ephesians AD 61 was written from prison in Rome to the church in Ephesus.
Philippians: AD 61 from Roman prison to the people at Philippi. Describes the joy Christ gives which is not dependant on external circumstances. Describes Christ giving up his heavenly glory to become a servant and to die. Eventually every knee shall bow to Christ.
Colossians A.D 61 also from prison in Rome about the supremacy of Christ and transformed lives and relationships in him.
1 and 2 Timothy and Titus were written to two young pastors to instruct them in Christian leadership and conduct. The best descriptions of criteria for bishops and deacons are found here.
Philemon was a believer in Colosse whose slave, Onesimus, had run away to Rome and been converted to the Christian faith there. Paul writes to Philemon asking him to forgive Onesimus and to accept him back as a brother. The penalty for running away was crucifixion. Paul holds up the revolutionary principle of Christian brotherhood.

(B) Hebrews
Written around 70 AD by an unknown author shortly before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Compares the unique priesthood and sacrifice of Christ with the ineffective and repeated sacrifices of the Temple worship. Through Christ we have direct access to God without the need for any other mediator.

(C) James
Written by the half-brother of Jesus about AD 45 to dispersed Jewish Christians to instruct them in the need for their faith to be evidenced by their actions, to give practical instruction about prejudice, controlling one’s temper and tongue, not being judgmental and warning the rich against exploiting the poor. Also instructs sick members ot call for the elders to pray for healing.

(D) 1st (AD63) and 2nd Peter (Ad 67)
Written by Peter the impulsive fisherman, shortly before his execution, to scattered Christians to encourage them in the face of pending persecution and suffering for Christ’s sake.

(E) John’s letters around (AD 90)
First letter reiterates belief in both the divinity and humanity of Christ, encourages Christians to have faith, to love each other, advises transparency, confession of sin, and honesty. Reassures them about God’s forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. Warns about false teachers. Second letter reiterates teaching on love and truth and warns church to resist false teachers. Third letter is a personal note of encouragement to a man named Gaius who was known for hospitality.

(F) Jude
Written about AD 65 by another half-brother of Jesus to Christians encouraging them to remain faithful to the teaching they had received and to resist false teachers.

(G) Revelation
Written by John about AD 95 from exile on the island of Patmos to various churches to correct and encourage them at a time of persecution. Describes in symbolic language events which precede Christ’s return.

Bernard Mizeki

Bernard Mizeki

Uganda Martyrs

Uganda Martyrs

Trinity Sunday: listen to Dr Edith Humphrey

Scroll down to the MP3 section of the articles on the Augustine College website for the most lucid and articulate description of the Orthodox doctrine of the Holy TrinityI have ever heard. It is a talk by Dr Edith Humphrey given at the Essentials conference in Langley, BC, in 2001. Well worth listening to.

More News from South East Asia

Exclusives : SABAH: Thousands Pack Churches. Many languages, many cultures - one gospel
Posted by David Virtue on 2005/4/17 9:00:00 (68 reads)
SABAH: THOUSANDS PACK CHURCHES. MANY LANGUAGES, MANY CULTURES - ONE GOSPELBy David W. VirtueTAWAU, SABAH (4/17/2005)--I am woken by the sad wail of an imam at a nearby mosque. I look at my watch. It is 4.45am on a hot, humid Saturday, and the first of five calls to prayer that I will hear that day, though mercifully I will be out of town visiting Anglican parishes in the area when some of the calls are sounded.A tall single spire with speakers at the top of it is clearly visible for miles around and the gold shaped crescent at the top of a green-colored dome has a loud speaker placed in it that increases the volume all over the city, so I am told by a Christian worker at St. Patrick's Anglican Church, whose compound I am staying in. The church and the Mosque are within a stone's throw of each other.Archdeacon Albert Vun, Tawau's leading Anglican cleric and one of four possible successors to Archbishop Yong Ping Chung when he retires, has placed me in a flat (apartment) in St. Patrick's compound. It is on the second floor and commands a view of the nearby city. He himself is in Thailand working on establishing an Anglican presence there.The Christians here have grown used to the sounds from the Mosque. They are undeterred. On Sunday morning when I awake the Mosque and the wail is silent. It is the Christians turn.From my second floor flat I can hear songs of praise fill the morning air as more than a thousand young Chinese men and women lift their voices in praise and prayer at the House of Prayer for All Nations - a huge auditorium like structure that is separate from the Church and can seat as many as 2,500 for special conferences. The compound which stretches over several acres is rich in palms, trees and flowers, the buildings are kept in immaculate condition.There will be six services today conducted in Hakka, a Chinese dialect, later a bilingual service in St. Patrick's church, an English service, a Bahasa Malay service, a language which is also used in neighboring Indonesia, a Mandarin service and a Bahasa Malay stand alone service. I will attend them all.The Hakka service is underway as I step into the cavernous auditorium. The place is packed with some 1,500 souls. The Hakka dialect is close to Mandarin so I am told and the service is a joyful, alive occasion to both observe and celebrate. As I pass into the auditorium I am escorted like some sort of celebrity up to the front where I shake hands with two senior priests and the young Rev. David Wong who is multi-lingual, Western trained and clearly in charge. The 1,500 people are being led by a woman pastor in joyful praise with a 20-piece band in attendance. (Note. Women pastors are not ordained to the priesthood. They perform all functions within the church except Eucharistically.)A choir of 50 is on stage as the woman leads worship and some 20 demurely dressed dancers in long white dresses with red sashes sway and move to the rhythms of the music. It is colorful and alive. The people sing and spontaneous fervent prayer breaks out across the large congregation which by now has reached overflow proportions. This goes on for at least an hour before the preaching begins. We stand the whole time. We only sit for the preaching.The text is Gen 3:1-24 followed by Heb.11: 5-6 and it is about faith built on revelation and understanding revelation rightly. Faith we are told is built on intimacy and the life of Enoch is evoked. We are told to walk regularly (daily) with God. The preaching is straight biblical, strong and powerful. No words are nuanced or minced. We are called to repent, have faith, act, live out our faith and if God calls you to do something for Him, do it without question and without hesitation, even it means laying down one's life.When it is over I am introduced and asked to say a few words. I thank them for their hospitality, explain that I am here in SE Asia at the request of their archbishop, explain briefly what is going on globally and share briefly the crisis in the Episcopal Church. They are shocked about the whole homosexual piece. It is totally off their radar screen. I don't dwell on it, but they are smart and get the picture very quickly. I talk about my website and they are all smiles. Most of them are Internet savvy. I know I will have a few thousand more readers before the day is out.There is no communion today. This is a Morning Prayer service. The place is packed.I attend the bilingual service at St. Patrick's where another 500 show up and then it is back to the House of Prayer auditorium where more than 1,500 Bahasa Malays are hearing the same service and sermon in their language. They are mostly from Indonesian descent.Nearly 4,000 Asian Christians including upwards of 500 children passed through the compound of St. Patrick's today and they heard an uncompromising message of salvation.When I asked what the secret of their church growth was they told me that they had initiated the "cell group" concept in 1992 from Singapore and the Faith Community Baptist Church and the Rev. Lawrence Kong. "We moved from program-based ministries and integrated them into cell groups. Today we have nearly 250. All the church's ministries center on cell groups; adult, youth, children and senior citizen's," said Philip Lo, the church's Missions Director. "The Cell church concept is very much a lay ministry while the senior pastor and other pastors concentrate on teaching, training and the "equipping of the saints". As a result we have seen a great increase in the number of highly trained, capable lay leaders come up in the church. Evangelism, nurture, visitation and pastoral care are mobilized through the cell groups, with the cell leaders being the actual pastors of the groups."Here leaders are raised up to lead a dozen or so persons. Sunday worship services are celebration gatherings of the whole church, with the main teaching carried out in the preaching services. Other ministries include the Student Touch Center, visitation, counseling, healing Old Folks' ministries, St. Patrick's Playschool and Daycare center, Taman Semarak Touch Center and the resource Center.Over the last three years, numerous new congregations have been planted, in both Bahasa Malay and Chinese. I was privileged to be taken into the interior and visit two of the congregations; St. Augustine at Merotai and Good Tidings Church at Taman Semarak. The church's mission drive is awesome. They have planted churches in Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia, and working on a mission to Thailand, while not neglecting their Jerusalem.The previous day I was driven out of Kota Kinabalu to Keningau by the Rev. James Lee to his parish in the interior in a somewhat harrowing 3-hour drive over a winding mountain arriving in time for a Bible study group in a private home, conducted by a lady who had been a Christian leader for more than 21 years. A local taxi took me back to Kota Kinabalu the next day and a short flight took me to the eastern shore of Malaysia and the city of Tawau.The evangelistic zeal of the largely Chinese driven church cannot be underestimated. There is real spiritual power here. Spiritual warfare is taken seriously as many Indonesians and Chinese come from demonic backgrounds where spiritual bondage has held these people in sway for centuries. They are riddled with family gods and a history of spiritual practices that needs to be brought to the light and exorcized. They believe the gospel has enormous power to change peoples' lives and to free them from spiritual darkness. I saw it in their faces, many of whom had been liberated from years of spiritual despair.The commitment of the church's members is staggering in its proportions. Every member is committed to tithing ten percent of their pre tax income; commit to praying for one hour a day; commit to reading through the Bible in a year, commit to Sunday worship, and attend a cell group weekly.Education plays a big part in the life of the Christian community here. St. Patrick's Church has a kindergarten, primary school, secondary school, a play school, a nursery and a day care. They have also started a private Christian school as their former schools were taken over by the Government.Later some of the senior Chinese leaders take me out to lunch. They want to know more about why the Western Episcopal/Anglican Church has tossed in the towel over the gospel. They find it incomprehensible and wonder what sort of gospel we do have. I try to explain, but "inclusion" is lost on them. "We don't include sin, murmured one, we expel it." Now they ask me why anyone would want to stay in The Episcopal Church if it is has no Good News to offer people. I try to explain but I run out of steam trying to defend an institution where one of its bishops this past week inhibited and deposed six godly priests in the Diocese of Connecticut. For the first time I find myself at a loss for words.I do tell them that the Nigerian Primate, Peter Akinola is sending priests and a possible bishop to the U.S. to rescue Nigerian Anglicans who cannot worship in a morally and spiritually bankrupt Episcopal Church, and that perhaps the Anglican Church in Southeast Asia ought to think about doing the same. They smile their inscrutable smiles and nod their heads. I have hit a home run.END

Anglican Missionary News from South East Asia, as provided by David Virtue.

SIGNS AND WONDERS IN INDONESIABy David W. VirtueON THE INDONESIAN BORDER. Pastor Choo, (not her real name) has seen miraculous occurrences take place before her very eyes.On the Island of Tarakan off the coast of Indonesia a woman gives birth and suddenly is crippled, her hands and feet cease to function, she becomes mentally disturbed and she can no longer speak. Over the next two months she sells off all her jewelry to pay doctors, hospitals, numerous witch doctors, invoking family gods looking for a cure. She is a Buddhist. Nothing happens. She can no longer take care of the baby. The doctors finally say they cannot help her. She and her family lose hope. She lives in a Kampong (village) some distance from Tarakan. Then she hears about some Anglican missionaries who have come from Malaysia that are meeting in a house. Perhaps they can help her. She is brought to the house where members of the church begin to pray over her. After prayer and counseling over many days she begins to improve. On the 5th day she is taught to call on the name of Jesus. She is still not a believer, but she does what she is told. Within hours she is completely healed. She confesses Christ. Her baby is restored to her.A man in the village cannot sleep; the pain in his shoulders will not go away. He goes to Singapore to see the best doctors, but the pain continues. He returns to Tarakan and contemplates suicide. He hears about some missionaries from Malaysia in his Kampong. Pastor Choo: "We went to sing carols in his house. He invites us in. He tells us about the terrible pains he is having; we lay hands on him and pray for him. He is suddenly healed and confesses Christ."These stories could be multiplied over and over.For Pastor Choo a diminutive Chinese lady with a brilliant, radiant smile, this is normal. It is First Century Christianity in operation. She is a missionary who heeded the call from the Anglican Church in Sabah to reach out beyond the borders of Malaysia to the Chinese community dotted throughout Indonesia and its myriad islands, in the most densely populated Islamic nation on earth."I prayed. I asked God if it was me He wanted to serve Him. I was living in Tawau, Sabah serving the Lord in the Chinese community there. It was safe and comfortable, but the call went out from our Archdeacon Albert Vun to reach out beyond our borders. I felt God was saying to me go.""Tarakan is an island in Indonesia, you can get there from Tawau in Malaysia by ferry in three hours, but it is a different world," she told VirtueOnline.Though not ordained she is recognized as a pastor by the Anglican Diocese of Sabah. The Anglican Church (CMS) is recognized by the Indonesian government and has a 100-year history mostly for ex-pats but it has not been doing evangelism. The church is kept artificially alive but there is no gospel being preached, said Pastor Choo."I was in charge of the Chinese zone in Tawau, but we were given a vision in the year 2,000 to reach out to Indonesia. A vision was born. When the archdeacon issued the challenge I prayed and after getting peace I decided to go."Pastor Choo made two missionary trips to spy out the land and to see if there was a specific place God was calling them too."On a secondary missionary trip a businessman joined us and we met a Taiwanese missionary in Tarakan who had been working there for 10 years and he confirmed that a Chinese speaking church was possible and necessary in Tarakan.""We immediately scouted out for a building to establish a house church. God led us to a brand new house that was big enough to worship and praise Him in and as a place for us to live.""We needed another miracle. We needed money. Many times I pray for money. We needed 20,000 Ringgit (Malaysian dollars) about $5,000 (US) but we did not have it. A businessman who exports prawns to the US and Japan came through with the money after learning that his containers were being rejected and the government wanted to destroy them all. He asked that we pray that the containers not be destroyed but returned to him. He said he would give us a donation if the containers were returned in one piece. We all prayed they would be returned to him. They were. He then gave us the 20,000 Ringgit for one year's rental.""I returned to Tawau with the good news that we had made a start. I then lead a team of four back to Tarakan in August 2000. One of the men on the team was a businessman and he paid the rent for two more years. All the signs were telling us that God wanted us to start the work immediately."We had a vision and only one friend on Tarakan, now we had to find a way to introduce ourselves to the Chinese people, said Pastor Choo."In the Chinese calendar it was Moon Cake, but these were not available in Tarakan so we brought 200 boxes of Moon Cake to Tarakan to the Chinese speaking people and we went from house to house and give them the moon cake and invited them to our first Sunday service. On August 15, 2000 we held our first service and two elderly Chinese men in their 70s came. They were not Christians. On the first Sunday they received Jesus."Pastor Choo said they kept on doing evangelism, going from house to house on the island of Tarakan with its population of 150,000. "We knew that about 10 percent were Chinese. Slowly we made new converts. We had a team of four and after several months of evangelism two women stayed and two left.""We concentrated on evangelism using ALPHA and nurturing every new believer. Prayer was our priority. When people got converted, and if they could read, we gave them a copy of the whole bible in the Indonesian language."From two men at the first service the church started to grow. "By the end of 2004 we had a weekly attendance of 200." They have called their house church, The Church of Christ, Cornerstone. The first Anglican Church in Eastern Indonesia was open for business."We have had Pentecost experiences here. Sometimes the Holy Spirit fills the whole person and people are set free from spiritual bondages and receive the gift of speaking in tongues. God is using ordinary people to fulfill his purposes," she said.Choo said that because of the new immigration laws in Malaysia some of the Indonesian workers who live in Sabah have been compelled to return to Indonesia when their visas run out. Many have become Christians in Sabah and so they bring the gospel back with them. That is helping the Church to grow in Indonesia, she said.God has continued to give her a vision for how to move forward. "We start small cell groups; we mobilize the church with intense Bible studies. We have started a school so we can get a visa for a year. We can come in as English teachers."But Choo attributes the greatest growth of the church to prayer. "We encourage people to pray, pray, pray, to build up their lives with prayer and devotion to God. We emphasize speaking and teaching the truth without compromise."Chinese culture, she says, is steeped in traditional bondage. "We are not allowed to conduct funeral services. We have learned that as we honor God, God honors us. We will never compromise with syncretism. It is Jesus or nothing."Choo has developed a group of Chinese businessman, 40-plus in ages who want to move aggressively to spread the gospel throughout Indonesia. "The Chinese people do not convert easily to Christ." She describes how her treasurer first accepted the Moon Cake but would not accept Jesus. "We kept on praying for him. He read through the Bible six times in less than four years. He finally got converted," she said with a smile. "We prayed and God answered our prayers in His timing."Pastor Choo said Cornerstone will be a sending church. "There is no full time Chinese pastor at the present time. The first Chinese vicar passed away. We hope to have a full time Chinese pastor by 2006."Other churches were not keen to do evangelism, but after we started our church it awakened other churches in Tarakan, said Choo."We took a leap of faith, other churches looked the other way at the way we worshipped, but then they began to imitate us even in simple things like the ethical way we did our banking. Some of the bank managers were impressed and came to our church. We had strict accountability.""Our purpose now is to contribute to the education of young people and we have started an English play school. We are also planning to have youth workers and send them to Bible school. My heart's desire it to produce our first pastor. The harvest is ready from the crops. God is raising up leaders and we have two youth workers and we will recruit another one in June to send to Bible school."Choo says the most important thing is to get a godly vision then you know your direction and you can work out your vision. "You always need a vision, and we have one for the Chinese people of Indonesia."We are sending out missionary teams two by two. We are beginning to conduct revival meetings in homes, not churches. In one day we saw three receive Jesus and five reaffirm their faith. We see miracles taking place and people are delivered from evil spirits and spiritual bondage."For myself I am very thankful to God for my four years in Tarakan. I have gained so much experience that I would never have gained if I had not stepped out in faith."Choo is still based in Tarakan where she can only stay for 30 days and then must return to Tawau. "It is a privilege to enter the mission field. Tarakan is a mission field. I have never seen so many miracles happen in the last five years. God is doing a new thing; people are being converted and filled with the Holy Spirit. We are hoping for revival and a great harvest of souls for Indonesia."FOOTNOTE: Owing to the delicate political situation in Indonesia Pastor Choo must remain anonymous.END

What do Christians Believe

What do Christians Believe?

Summary:
God created humanity in his image to have a relationship with him, giving humanity free will to choose whether or not to obey him. Humanity rebelled, incurring physical mortality and spiritual separation from God. Sinful humanity is incapable of restoring this relationship. Only someone who was both God and sinless man could bridge the gap between God and humanity. God, who is holy and just, cannot tolerate evil. Being also loving and merciful, he sent his son, Jesus Christ, to be born as a human baby, and to die on the cross as our substitute. Taking on the punishment we deserve, he died and rose again, conquering both sin and death. By repentance and faith in him we can be reconciled to God and receive his Spirit to live within us, enabling us to grow more like Christ. At the end of human history Christ will return to judge the living and the dead. Those who have accepted him will live with him for eternity; those who reject him will be separated from God forever. (This is also summarized in the creeds in the Appendix.)

The above summary is all one really needs to know in order to respond to the good news about Jesus. What follows is a more detailed description of the Christian faith.

God
There is one God, without beginning or end, who exists as three Persons in one Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each equally divine and eternal, sharing one substance (or essence) and purpose, but distinct in role. This concept of God as Three-in-One and One-in-Three is known as the Trinity, a word which is not present in the Bible but can be demonstrated from Scripture. There are not three gods, nor one god with three different modes, but one God in three Persons.

God is present everywhere, knows everything, and is all-powerful. He is holy, just, merciful and loving. He is sovereign; nothing occurs without his permission and foreknowledge.
(a) God the Father. He is the initiator in Creation and Redemption but did not act without the Spirit and the Son. It is from the Father that everything originates. Most (but not all) Christian prayer is directed to the Father, through the Son (which is why we say, “In Jesus’ name” or “Through Christ our Lord” before saying “Amen” at the end of our prayers), by the Spirit who enables us to pray.
(b) God the Son is related (is “generated” or “begotten”) to the Father eternally. He is uncreated; there is no time when he did not exist. He is the “Word” (“logos” or reason) of the Father, through whom the Father spoke the universe into being. At a moment in time, in obedience to the Father and by the action of the Holy Spirit, the Son became human by being conceived by Mary, a Jewish virgin engaged to Joseph. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Palestine, and lived as a human, taught about the kingdom of God, performed miracles as signs of the kingdom, and predicted his own death as a sacrifice for sin. He was condemned to death by the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, at the instigation of the religious authorities, and was crucified, died, and was buried in a borrowed grave. On the third day he rose bodily from the dead, appeared on numerous occasions to his followers and then after forty days ascended into heaven where he now intercedes for us. Before he died he commanded his followers to remember his death as a new covenant in bread and wine (known as Communion or the Lord’s Supper). Before he ascended he commanded his followers to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all he had taught. At the end of history he will return visibly and bodily to judge all humanity. Jesus is both fully human and fully divine. He has two natures (human and divine) but one will in one Person.
(c) God the Holy Spirit is the third Person. He proceeds eternally from the Father and is sent temporally (in time) at the Son’s request. He is the giver and sustainer of life, was present at Creation, spoke through the Hebrew prophets, inspired the Hebrew and Christian scriptures and caused Mary to conceive Jesus while she remained a virgin. At Jesus’ baptism the Spirit empowered him for his earthly ministry. The Father raised Jesus from the dead by the power of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent to the early church at Pentecost (50 days after the Christ’s resurrection). The Holy Spirit exalts Jesus as Lord, convicts us of sin and God’s righteousness and the need to be reconciled to God. When one becomes a Christian one receives the Holy Spirit who assures us that God is our Father. He empowers believers, grants them gifts for the service of others, and gradually transforms our characters as we learn to yield to him.


The Material Universe
God created the material universe out of nothing and sustains it. It is therefore good and reflects his glory as a masterpiece reflects the skill and character of the artist. Without him the universe would cease to exist. God is present within the material universe (imminent) but distinct from it (transcendent). God is neither part of Nature, nor Nature part of God, although God is present everywhere in it, and we live and move and exist in God. Matter is neither despised as evil nor worshipped as divine. In the incarnation of Christ, God took on material form as a human. Christ rose bodily from the grave and ascended with his resurrected body to the right hand of the Father. When Christ returns the faithful dead will be raised. Those who believed in him will have resurrected bodies like his; those alive at his return will have their bodies transformed like his. Eternity will not be a bodiless existence. After the judgment at the end of history there will be a new heaven and a new earth. The whole of creation awaits Christ’s return. Christ has provided material sacraments as means of grace to be appropriated by faith, namely water in baptism, wine and bread in the Lord’s Supper. Because God is distinct from created matter Christians may not worship images, but, because the Son took on a physical body, the incarnate Son may be depicted in art.

The Spiritual Realm
God created spiritual beings, called angels, to serve him. Angels are not deities, nor are they mortal. They are creatures of spirit who can, on occasion, appear visibly to humans. At various times God has sent his angels to bring messages to humans, or has occasionally permitted people to catch a glimpse of the spiritual realm.

Lucifer, one of the greatest of the angels, coveted equality with God and rebelled against him, being cast out of God’s presence along with one third of the angels, now called demons. Lucifer is now called the devil, Beelzebub, Satan, the Accuser, the Prince of the Power of the Air and the god of this world. The struggle between good and evil experienced by humans is paralleled in the spiritual realm. There are no neutral spirits; all angels either serve God or the Evil one. Satan tempted our first parents to sin and continues to tempt us. God has granted us the means to resist temptation and the example of Jesus’ resistance to temptation. Satan was defeated at the cross. What we now experience as spiritual warfare is just the “mopping-up operations” before Satan’s final downfall after Christ’s return. Furthermore, God is sovereign; the battle is not an equal one or one in which the final outcome is in doubt. Satan, though powerful and evil is on a long leash and can do nothing more than God permits.

C.S. Lewis, in his book “Screwtape Letters” warns of two opposite and equally dangerous approaches to the spiritual realm: one is to be blissfully unaware of it and therefore have no discernment about the existence of evil, the other is to be unhealthily preoccupied with it. Christians are not to dabble in the occult, or to participate in inter-faith worship which involves the invocation of gods or spirits other than the God who has revealed himself to us as recorded in the Bible.


Man
God created man in his own image, having personhood and the capacity to reason, love and communicate. Originally innocent, man rebelled against God, having been warned of the consequence, and became subject to physical mortality and spiritual alienation from God. The image of God within was thus tarnished but not eliminated. All humans subsequently inherit a predilection for evil, and although capable of choosing to commit specific sins or not, are incapable of restoring the relationship with God thus lost, without his intervention. Every human being, from the moment of conception, is infinitely precious to the God who created us. Every human (other than Christ), no matter how good, is in the same predicament.

Revelation
God has revealed himself in nature and in the history of Israel and her prophets. The Scriptures reveal to us the nature of God, his moral standards, his love, and his call to repentance. He has definitively revealed himself in the person of his Son, Jesus who in turn entrusted the gospel to his apostles and promised that the Holy Spirit would guide the church into all truth.

Sin and Salvation
Sins (plural) are individual acts of commission or omission which are contrary to the will of God. Sin (singular) is a state of existence in which we find ourselves, now that we are alienated from God through the rebellion of the first representative humans whom the Bible calls Adam and Eve. Salvation is the process of restoration of physical, spiritual and mental wholeness made possible by Christ. It begins when we turn to Christ but is not finished in this life. Salvation has past, present and future components. Past: in that Christ has completed through his one unrepeatable sacrifice all that is required to deal with the power and penalty of sin. Present: in that we have to receive the gift of salvation now and cooperate with the Holy Spirit as he works in our lives. Future: in that the work of transforming us into Christ’s likeness, or of becoming partakers of his nature, will not be completed until we reach heaven.

By way of analogy: suppose that a man chooses to jump into an enormous pit of sinking sand. Blinded by dirt in his eyes and deafened by mud in his ears, weakened by his efforts to save himself, he is unable to reach solid ground. His struggling only causes him to sink deeper. God’s arm is long enough to reach out and pull him to solid ground. All the mired man has to do to be saved is grasp the hand offered to him. All too often he strikes out and pushes away the proffered assistance. God is the one who wipes away the mud and dirt, gives the strength to grasp his hand and the faith to trust him to save us. There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation; it is a gift to be received. God is not willing that anyone should perish. He calls everyone to repent and turn to him but he does not force us to respond.

A proper appreciation of the sovereign grace of God leads us to conclude that if anyone is saved it is solely through God’s initiative. If anyone perishes it is by that person’s own responsibility in not receiving the salvation offered.

When we repent of our sin, believe in Christ and put our faith in him, we become God’s children by adoption and new birth, receive his Holy Spirit, are washed by the water of baptism and experience his forgiveness and the power to live a life pleasing to God.

The Church
All faithful Christians who have come to faith in Christ as expressed in Christian baptism are members of the body of Christ, the church. Wherever two or three people gather together in Christ’s name, Christ is with them by his Spirit. Wherever Christ is, there is the church. The church is not a building, an organization or an institution. The church consists of people. One becomes part of the church by becoming a Christian. A local congregation, no matter how small or large, is not “part” of the church; it is the church, just as a drop of water and an ocean are both H2O. Its fullest expression is seen when Christians gather to hear and study God’s Word, and to receive the Sacraments. The early church used the term “church” in two senses only: (a) the local gathering of believers in a given location and (b) all Christians throughout the world (including those who have died) who are connected to each other by a shared trust in Christ. One (of several) metaphors for the church is the family of God. In this new extended family we receive encouragement, support, instruction and accountability. The support helps us to grow and persevere.

Conclusion
The above outline of the Christian faith is intended to represent the core doctrines shared by all the major historic denominations - Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant. Individual denominations would emphasis some or other of these points to a greater or lesser degree or add to them. I have attempted to avoid denominational buzz-words, points of major disagreement and the discussion of the more esoteric aspects of some issues such as eschatology or the best mode, timing or method of baptism or whether there are more than two sacraments. A such, this brief article is a description of what is sometimes called “the Great Tradition”, “ecumenical orthodoxy” or “Mere Christianity” and trust that it will be accepted in that spirit. No attempt has been made to accommodate “Progressive” Christianity which will be discussed in a separate article.

Appendix

The Apostles Creed (a Western statement of faith used at baptisms)

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again;he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father,and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.





Ecumenical Version of the Nicene Creed:

We believe in one God,the Father, the Almighty,maker of heaven and earth,of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,the only Son of God,eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light,true God from true God,begotten, not made,of one Being with the Father;through him all things were made.For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Maryand was made man.For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;he suffered death and was buried.On the third day he rose againin accordance with the Scriptures;he ascended into heavenand is seated at the right hand of the Father.He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,the Lord, the giver of life,who proceeds from the Father,who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.We look for the resurrection of the dead,and the life of the world to come. Amen.

How Can I become a Christian?

How Can I Become a Christian?

I’m glad you asked that. God’s eternal purpose for you from before the universe began was for you to have a personal relationship with Him. That is why you were born. No matter how wonderful your life is, or whatever else you achieve, if you fail to discover what it means to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, then you have missed the reason for your existence. Jesus called coming to faith him being “born anew” or “born from above” (John chapter 3). We join his family when we come to know God as our heavenly Father.

Peter, the impulsive fisherman who was one of Jesus’ closest followers, tells us how:
38Peter replied, "Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 (New Living Translation.)
In John chapter three Jesus also talks of the necessity of being born again by water and the Spirit, and that if we believe in him we have eternal life. From these passages we see that there are four parts to becoming a Christian: repent, believe in Jesus, be baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit.
1. Turn 180 degrees from sin, to God. Asking for his forgiveness for our rebellion against him, when it is accompanied by a willingness to change, is called repentance. He even provides the help we need to change.
2 Believe in Jesus: that he is who he claimed to be, that he died in your place and rose again to break the power of sin and death. Paul tells us more about this in Romans 10:9-10 (New Living Translation)
9For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
3. Be baptized if you haven’t already done so. Baptism is a public identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. It represents the washing away of sin. It is the outward and visible sign of the inward reality of what happens when we become a Christian.
4. Receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is active in our lives before we become Christians, drawing us towards God and making us aware of our need for him. When we ask God for forgiveness and turn our lives over to him, his Holy Spirit comes to live within us. He then helps transform our characters to become more like Christ and gives us various gifts so that we can be effective in serving him and others within the church family. The evidence that he is in our lives is the changed character which we gradually begin to exhibit as his influence bears fruit.
These four aspects rightly belong together. This is most obvious when someone from a completely non-Christian background responds in repentance and faith to the good news about Jesus, is baptized and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit is immediately evident in his/her life.These four aspects may be experienced at different times and not necessarily in that order. Some Christians come to faith but never get around to obeying the command to be baptized. That is like becoming engaged but never actually holding the wedding ceremony. Often those baptized as infants never “own” or appropriate what was promised to them in baptism, thus missing out on a close relationship with God that they could have had. That is like getting married but never moving in together as husband and wife, or like receiving a cheque and never cashing it.
Perhaps you’ve never had the opportunity to put your trust in Jesus, or, perhaps you’ve always thought you were a Christian but now you are not sure. There is a way you can be sure. Simply pray a prayer like this one, or even better, pray one in your own words:
“Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me and sending your Son Jesus, to earth to die in my place and to rise again. I am sorry for my sin. Please forgive me and fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I can live effectively for you. In Jesus name. Amen.”
What happens next? Thank God for what he has done. Tell your friends and family. Become part of a local church that is faithful to the Scriptures and where you can be nurtured and mentored in the Christian faith. Ask the pastor or leaders in the church to help you discover or receive the gifts God wishes to give you so you can be an effective part his church. Begin to read the Bible and to pray daily. Be part of a small group or fellowship with whom you can learn to practice the Christian way of life and within which there is mutual support and accountability. We were never meant to follow Christ by ourselves. He has given us his Word, his people and his Spirit to assist us.

Alleon: Why you should plant a church.

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