In this December blog I’ll continue with the discussion of who we are as fellowship of believers united in Jesus Christ. I’ll address one of the cornerstones of our church structure, “In Essentials, Unity.” But before I begin that discussion, we’ll take a look at a little more background.
As I ended the last article, I told you that the movement has grown over the years to approximately 2 million members. However, during the twentieth century, division occurred within the ranks of the Restoration Movement. This division has had many causes. In some instances, matters of personal preference have been elevated to a test of faith. The silences of Scripture have been used to break fellowship among believers. Others have cast aside the validity of the New Testament as the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice for the church. Denominational respectability has been considered more important than the ancient gospel. In nearly all such cases, sectarian pride has replaced the plea for unity of the church according to the doctrine of God’s Word.
While the Restoration Movement has been hindered by such factors, the Movement has not died. The reason for its persistence may be that it is not, and never has been, a structured organization; it is a free fellowship. Wherever individuals and congregations sincerely follow the New Testament as their only rule of faith and order and practice the principle “in essentials, unity, in matters of opinion freedom, and in all things love,” the Movement continues to thrive, and congregations are growing!
Today we’ll explore the cornerstone of “In Essentials, Unity.” The Fatherhood of God, the Messiahship of Jesus, the facts of the gospel (His death, burial, and resurrection), the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, the inspiration and authority of the Scriptures, the importance of biblical names, the divine ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and the autonomy of the church are some of the New Testament concepts that keep us united in Christ.
The fundamental truth of Christianity is the Messiahship of Jesus. Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord underlies our entire relationship to God. It is the basis for every response in conversion. Its no wonder that when Christ commanded His apostles in Mark 16:15, 16 to “go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation,” he affirmed that, “whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned“. Faith in Christ as Lord underlies all else. Without it, there is only condemnation.
From this perspective of justification by faith it is easier to understand and explain with greater clarity the conversion accounts in the book of Acts. To the Philippian jailer of Acts 16, who probably had never heard of Christ, but who asked what he must do to be saved, Paul responded, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your household” (v. 31). Responding in faith, the jailer and his household were baptized the same hour of the night. Years earlier the Ethiopian eunuch had responded to the same message by Philip, the evangelist. Convicted under Philip’s preaching on the Messiahship of Jesus from Isaiah 53, the eunuch asked what prevented his being baptized. He and Philip both then went into the water, and the eunuch was baptized.
Every active response in conversion rests on faith in Christ as the Messiah of God. Acts of obedience are not, as Paul writes in Titus 3:5, “Righteous things we had done,” but expressions of faith by which we are justified in Christ and receive God’s grace. Faith is as necessary to repentance as a change of heart, as vital to confession as the movement of the mouth, and as essential to baptism as water. In fact, without it repentance is only an emotional fling, confession mere empty words, and baptism just a simple bath! When we come to God in genuine faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, however, repenting, confessing, and submitting ourselves to Him in baptism, through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit we experience the marvelous transformation called the new birth (born again). Paul beautifully describes one facet of this experience when he writes to the Romans “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (10:10).
Faith is not left back at the first “step” in the plan of salvation; nor is it left in the water when one comes out from the grave of baptism. The apostasy or falling away against which the author of Hebrews so sternly warns his Christian readers throughout his letter is not less than casting aside faith in Christ. Maintaining trust in Him, on the other hand, continues to bring us everything of eternal value. May we treat it preciously, guard it carefully, and keep it faithfully.
In January’s newsletter, we’ll explore the cornerstone of “In Matters of Opinion, Freedom.”
My prayer for you and your loves ones is a very blessed and Merry Christmas. May Jesus Christ be glorified!
Pastor Pat
If you have a private prayer request, even if that request is to know Jesus as your savior, e-mail us at torsogong@ yahoo.com. We will forward it immediately to the appropriate ministry, whether it be the pastor and elders and/or our Prayer Warriors. Please title the subject of your e-mail "Prayer Request".
God bless you.
As I ended the last article, I told you that the movement has grown over the years to approximately 2 million members. However, during the twentieth century, division occurred within the ranks of the Restoration Movement. This division has had many causes. In some instances, matters of personal preference have been elevated to a test of faith. The silences of Scripture have been used to break fellowship among believers. Others have cast aside the validity of the New Testament as the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice for the church. Denominational respectability has been considered more important than the ancient gospel. In nearly all such cases, sectarian pride has replaced the plea for unity of the church according to the doctrine of God’s Word.
While the Restoration Movement has been hindered by such factors, the Movement has not died. The reason for its persistence may be that it is not, and never has been, a structured organization; it is a free fellowship. Wherever individuals and congregations sincerely follow the New Testament as their only rule of faith and order and practice the principle “in essentials, unity, in matters of opinion freedom, and in all things love,” the Movement continues to thrive, and congregations are growing!
Today we’ll explore the cornerstone of “In Essentials, Unity.” The Fatherhood of God, the Messiahship of Jesus, the facts of the gospel (His death, burial, and resurrection), the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, the inspiration and authority of the Scriptures, the importance of biblical names, the divine ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and the autonomy of the church are some of the New Testament concepts that keep us united in Christ.
The fundamental truth of Christianity is the Messiahship of Jesus. Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord underlies our entire relationship to God. It is the basis for every response in conversion. Its no wonder that when Christ commanded His apostles in Mark 16:15, 16 to “go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation,” he affirmed that, “whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned“. Faith in Christ as Lord underlies all else. Without it, there is only condemnation.
From this perspective of justification by faith it is easier to understand and explain with greater clarity the conversion accounts in the book of Acts. To the Philippian jailer of Acts 16, who probably had never heard of Christ, but who asked what he must do to be saved, Paul responded, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your household” (v. 31). Responding in faith, the jailer and his household were baptized the same hour of the night. Years earlier the Ethiopian eunuch had responded to the same message by Philip, the evangelist. Convicted under Philip’s preaching on the Messiahship of Jesus from Isaiah 53, the eunuch asked what prevented his being baptized. He and Philip both then went into the water, and the eunuch was baptized.
Every active response in conversion rests on faith in Christ as the Messiah of God. Acts of obedience are not, as Paul writes in Titus 3:5, “Righteous things we had done,” but expressions of faith by which we are justified in Christ and receive God’s grace. Faith is as necessary to repentance as a change of heart, as vital to confession as the movement of the mouth, and as essential to baptism as water. In fact, without it repentance is only an emotional fling, confession mere empty words, and baptism just a simple bath! When we come to God in genuine faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, however, repenting, confessing, and submitting ourselves to Him in baptism, through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit we experience the marvelous transformation called the new birth (born again). Paul beautifully describes one facet of this experience when he writes to the Romans “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (10:10).
Faith is not left back at the first “step” in the plan of salvation; nor is it left in the water when one comes out from the grave of baptism. The apostasy or falling away against which the author of Hebrews so sternly warns his Christian readers throughout his letter is not less than casting aside faith in Christ. Maintaining trust in Him, on the other hand, continues to bring us everything of eternal value. May we treat it preciously, guard it carefully, and keep it faithfully.
In January’s newsletter, we’ll explore the cornerstone of “In Matters of Opinion, Freedom.”
My prayer for you and your loves ones is a very blessed and Merry Christmas. May Jesus Christ be glorified!
Pastor Pat
If you have a private prayer request, even if that request is to know Jesus as your savior, e-mail us at torsogong@ yahoo.com. We will forward it immediately to the appropriate ministry, whether it be the pastor and elders and/or our Prayer Warriors. Please title the subject of your e-mail "Prayer Request".
God bless you.
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