Statements of Faith - I Am Born Again

 

JOHN 3:5-7 

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and The Spirit.

That having been born of the flesh is flesh, and that having been born of The Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said to you, 'You must be born again'. 

John 1:12, 13

But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God— children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God. 

1 Peter 1:23

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

    When we are born of our parents, we are born in flesh, which has a corruptible nature already because of the initial sin which Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. Our bodies and our minds are prone to live sinful lives: disobedient, willful, self-satisfying, self-glorification, self-serving lives. In and of ourselves we cannot save ourselves: we need a Savior from God to save us from the inevitable punishment of our sinful selves. So God sent His only begotten Son JESUS to save us. 

    Think of ourselves as houses: our house is built on a faulty foundation. We base our ways of thinking on the perceptions of mankind. We believe certain tenets of wisdom to be truth and fact. For example, the theory of evolution is just a theory. But the truth of creation is factual and evident. We follow leaders expecting them to lead us into better lives, when in fact their lives are ineffectual for their hearts are not filled with the Love and Light and Wisdom of God. We study to know everything in our fields when we should be studying to know The God of Everything. 

    When we believe on The Name of The Son of God, JESUS, we begin the process of becoming born again. Salvation first; Holiness second. To be born again is to be born into the family of God by God's plan of salvation. As Paul writes to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:23-25), "Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and The Wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength."

    Salvation through Jesus Christ is foolishness to those who seek a different way. But the Scriptures also tell us that those who refuse to hear God's Word and receive it will find other teachers to listen to and follow their paths. They have set themselves on the road to condemnation from God by refusing to listen to  God.

     Just as we are subject to the laws in our countries and must adhere to them or be found guilty of breaking such laws and face the courts for our errors of judgment, so, too, will those who break God's laws be in His courts to face Him for judgment. Unless the blood of JESUS is upon the once errant soul---said blood having washed away their sins---a person cannot see God and live. For in and of ourselves we are not holy and "without holiness no man can see God". Hebrews 12:14. 

    It is The Spirit of God Who places The Word of God in us and Who writes The Word of God on our hearts. It is The Spirit of God who draws us to God through the cross of Christ, where we see The One Who Saves bearing our sins and taking our punishment, that we might be in His family forever and ever. We are made clean by the washing of The Word on our souls: washing away the stain of sin and the blemish of iniquity and the blot of transgression. 

    It is The Word of God that demands our new faith be made public. Though Nicodemus came to Jesus secretly, hoping for a permanent place in Christ's kingdom, Jesus rebuked him for it. For anyone who comes to Jesus must come to Him openly and unafraid of what others may think about their actions in doing so. Anyone who chooses to follow Christ will seek Him out knowing their actions could cause them at the least to be scorned and mocked by their peers and families; at the worst to be jailed and killed. 

    Immersive water baptism is a wonderful thing to experience. Especially when you are surrounded by not only those who understand what you are doing, but also when people who  do not know see what you are doing. It is very public and a very powerful statement on what we believe. We are baptized in The Name of The Father, and The Son and The Holy Spirit. We are baptized into His Name. Matthew 28:18, 19. 

    To be born again is to choose the foolishness of God's Wisdom over the foolishness of this world. It is to seek after the things which are found in His Kingdom. It is to live a life which pleases God and not ourselves. It is to start over, to begin anew, a life in Christ which honors and glorifies God. It is to live in peace with they whom we interact with. It is to live a life faith and trust in God and His Christ through the power of God's Holy Spirit. 

STILL - Hillsong United

    

Statements of Faith - Absolute Surrender

 

GALATiANS 2:20

I have been crucified with CHRIST; it is no longer I who live but CHRIST lives in me; and the life which I now live I live faith in THE SON OF GOD who loved me and gave Himself for me. 

Romans 3:22
And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction. 

Romans 6:6

We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

Song of Solomon 6:3

I am my Beloved’s, And my Beloved is mine. He feeds his flock among the lilies. 

Psalm 100:3

Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 

MATTHEW 6:10

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Matthew 4:17

From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Matthew 7:21

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Matthew 6:33

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. 

Matthew 4:19

Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 

    To be absolutely surrendered to God is to choose to obey His Word and walk in His Way of Holiness. It is to choose to be molded into the person He desires us to be. We surrender our will for His willingly and with great expectation to see what God will do and is doing in us. 

    To be absolutely surrendered to God is to be content in all things, as Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to live humbly, and I know how to abound. I am accustomed to any and every situation—to being filled and being hungry, to having plenty and having need." (Philippians 4:11, 12). 

    To be absolutely surrendered to God is to give Him my life, my time, my finances: all of which He has given me. For I did not create myself nor did I save myself. God is the God of all my days. He blesses His people when they choose to be obedient to His Word. I want the blessings of God that I might bless Him and bless others with the blessings He gives me. 

    To be absolutely surrendered to God is to know "joy unspeakable" and have "the peace that passes understanding" even in hard times, sorrowful times,  wearying times. (1 Peter 1:8; Philippians 4:7). It is to have absolute faith in the knowledge that God is in control and knows what He is doing; to trust God at all times. 

    To be absolutely surrendered to God is to listen for His voice and Hear Him speak when I search out His presence to spend time with Him in prayer. Prayer is how the surrendered heart communicates with its God. 

    Today is the day to be absolutely surrendered to God. While there is still time. 

WITHHOLDING NOTHING Medley - William McDowell

Statements of Faith - Sanctified and Set Apart

 

Ephesians 5:25-27

Husband, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of The Word,That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

SANCTIFIED

    When Jesus prayed for you and I in the garden on the night of His arrest (John 17:17), He prayed for God to sanctify us with His Truth, with His Word. It is only with God's Word that we can be saved, sanctified and set apart for Himself. 

    To ignore or disregard The Word of God is to bring condemnation on one's self. To remove any part of The written Word from The Scriptures or to add anything to The written Word is to bring judgment and destruction upon one's self (Revelation 22:19).

    God's Word is powerful:  Hebrews 4:12. It burns:  Jeremiah 23:29; Psalm 97:5 & Nahum 1:5; Malachi 3:1-3; 4:1. God's Word increases and spreads: Acts 12:24. The Word of God is Alive and lives in every believer: 1 John 2:14. 

    The Word of God sanctifies ( purifies, makes holy) the hearts of every believer who has The Word living in him or her. The Word is holy and demands a holy dwellingplace. He cannot live where sin dwells: only in a righteous man or righteous woman or righteous child. The Word of God cannot reside in anyone who declares themselves to be other than what God has made them to be. Be warned: God will not be mocked. 

    You who think you can live any lifestyle you want to and still make it to heaven are only fooling yourselves. The day will come when they who live in sin will be judged by God for their self-centered lifestyles. Everything that is not of God will be burned up by His holy fire. Now is the day of repentance. Now is the time to answer God's call on your lives to turn from sin and turn to God. 

    Today is the day of salvation for someone reading this. Today is the day of reckoning and getting our hearts right with The Word of God. Tomorrow is not promised. We can pray anywhere, so whenever you make your way to the cross where Christ died for our sins, that is the right time to confess our sins and receive forgiveness from God. No man or woman can forgive us. absolve us,  for the sins we have committed against The Word: only God can forgive those who sin against Him. 

SET APART

    Every believer of The Word of God is not only sanctified by The Word but we are set apart by The Word. We are different from the world (John 17:14). We are strange and peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9). We are called by God to listen to Him and to Love like him: (1 John 4:6) and (John 13:34). 

    In this Love of God expresses through God's Word we are able to love like God. We show compassion and mercy and lovingkindness to everyone we meet, even if they don't love us back. We love anyway. We are bold in The Spirit for The Spirit of God is with us. We are fearless for our God is always with us. We are Christians, faithful followers of Christ Jesus, and we serve a risen Savior and coming King. 

    While we pray, Come, Lord Jesus, come, we also pray for the salvation of souls who need Jesus. We pray for the salvation of Israel (Romans 9:33 - 10:1) and the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). We are praying people because we have a God Who hears us and answers our prayers. Especially the prayer that brings us into His kingdom. 

    So we beg you, Come to Jesus. Come today. 

    ANCIENT WORDS

IN CHRIST ALONE

ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER . 

Statements of Faith - Redeemed

 I AM REDEEMED 

1 Peter 1:18, 19

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or spot. 

Isaiah 44:22
I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.
1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit,

     God calls everyone to salvation. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the whole world. We just need to believe that God's Word is Faithful and True. What God says comes to pass (Faithful) and that there is no error in His Word (True). 
     I answered this call to believe on The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for my salvation. By faith I came to the cross and saw my God dying for me, with the weight of my sins lashed across His body. By faith I stepped into the shadow of the cross, where the blood soaked into the ground and into my heart. By faith I am redeemed: I have been bought back from the prince of this world, whose chains of sin I was bound in. 

    Why do we need a Redeemer? Everyone is a sinner. Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." I don't know about you but I don't want to fall short of the glory of God after I die. i want to be in His glorious presence forever and ever!  He loved me enough to die for me! How can I not embrace His redemptive grace? I am a sinner and I need the blood of Jesus Christ applied to my heart. So do you. You just need to believe that Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son and that He died for you. It's a simple faith. 

    A faith that is built on The Word of God, The Rock of our Salvation. A faith that is lived under the blood and in Christ, The Lamb of God Who Takes Away Sins (John 1:29). A faith that does not retreat but stands fast on the solid ground upon which it is built up. A faith that chooses to live a righteous life in Christ. 

     A faith that recognizes and acknowledges that God's Word is Alive and Living and calling out to all who will hear, "Come, come to the cross. Come, come and see Jesus, Who told me all about myself and then revealed that that which I was searching for is Him. Come, come and walk by faith, walk in The Spirit, with me." 

     I needed saving so God sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to save me, to save us. That's something to SHOUT about! 

WALKING FREE  - Micah Tyler

REDEEMED - Big Daddy Weave 

CHAINBREAKER - Zach Williams 

GOD OF ALL MY DAYS - Casting Crowns 

Statements of Faith - Washed In The Blood

 

1 Corinthians 6:11

And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ and by The Spirit of our God. 

Hebrews 9:13-14

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean,  how much more will the blood of Christ, who through The eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!

THE REPENTANT HEART

Psalm 51:1-3

For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.

Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

    The commandments of God revealed the impossibleness of being saved through the law and that a Savior from God was needed to bring us into a right relationship with God. This Savior from God came to this earth and showed us the Way back into God's grace and mercy. His Name is Jesus Christ and He is God's only begotten Son (John 3:16). 

    God took His Word and wrapped it in the fragility of flesh (John 1:14) and through the power of His Holy Spirit, God placed His Word in Mary's womb (Luke 1:35). His Name, Jesus, means "He shall save His people" (Matthew 1:21, Luke 1:31). 

    Not, however, through the conquering Kingship God's people were expecting. God's plan of salvation was to send His perfect Lamb to be the atoning sacrifice which would be the "once and for all" salvation of God's people. No longer would animal sacrifices be necessary. For when God's Lamb died, the veils to the holy of holies was ripped open wide and now all had access to God through Christ; but only through Christ Jesus. For "There is no other Name under heaven by which men must be saved." (Acts 4:12). 

    My sins have been washed in the blood of The Lamb of God and I am forgiven! Come to the cross and see The Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world! 

ARE YOU WASHED IN THE BLOOD? 

NO OTHER NAME BUT JESUS  

AT THE CROSS  

Statements of Faith - Saved By Grace

 

 

Paul writing to the church in Ephesus to encourage them in the faith. The Word of God is alive and ever calling, ever reaching out to whosoever will.

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you are saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

Romans 3:22-24
And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
 John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 

 I am a whosoever who believes. Therefore I am saved by grace.