|
Dear Web Site Visitor:
Thank you for your consideration and interest!
We hope to be able to promote Jesus Christ, the Lord willing. We will take it in little steps knowing that He will help us if we let Him. I believe the Lord has helped His church through the ages even though it has been a remnant. Today we see the church as a remnant but has been growing in numbers around the world. The United States was a leader in this growth through the 1960's but I'm afraid other countries have exceeded the US in growth of these Church of Christ/Christian Churches that believe in the Bible as the only rule of faith. Apathy has taken over the church doctrine and lead to an interpretation of the Bible that is basically subjective. This subjective thinking, in it's ultimate form, rationalizes the Bible into irrelevance. The only thing that matters, in this subjective thinking, is that we do what seems best in our own eyes. That seems to be a familiar statement for some reason. I wonder where I saw that written before? Could it have been in the Bible in the time of the Judges when the Israelites were constantly departing from the truth of the Law and had to be jolted back to obedience by God through the intervention of other countries? The Judges came to judge the Israelites and defeat their enemies. Their's was a cyclical turning away, then back to God. I hope that is what is happening here in this country also. Christians are disappointed by the cycle away from God but rejoice when the country is brought to a closer relationship with God and a desire to please Him. It is apparent that we need to find and keep in mind the truth of the word. The beloved Peter wrote that there is only one truth, that of the writer not the interpreter, II Peter 1:20-21. That means we have the responsibility to find out what that truth is and not interpret our own truth into the Bible. Since the Bible is the inspired word of God (God breathed) II Timothy 3:16, the Bible writers are all inspired therefore we need to rely on what they say and interpret the Bible by what it says not what other people say it says. The truth of the word is not up to the reader it is up to the writer that penned these truths. Our responsibility is to find out what that truth is and teach it to others.
The Church has always struggled with those who would take truth away from the pursuit of God. Paul warned the Ephesian elders, and us, in the 20th chapter of Acts to watch because men would arise from within the church (among themselves) to teach false doctrine. That happened almost immediately and has not ceased since then. Congregations come and go much the way the Laodicean church did. They rise with good intentions but through neglect of the truth of the word they quickly recede into oblivion or become mega-churches. With no real truth to base their belief, they are blowing in the wind, doctrinally. There is a saying in recent years; "If you don't believe in something you'll fall for anything." The trouble is what to believe in. We believe we have found the right book and the right Person to believe in. We believe in God the Father in heaven and we believe in His book, the Bible. We believe that a right interpretation (hermeneutics) of that book is the key to salvation, unity, peace, fellowship and all of life. We imperfectly follow this book the Bible with the hope that with our faith and obedience along with God's grace, we will be saved and see God in Heaven. We believe that the Bible tells of the saving blood of God's only son, Jesus Christ our savior and Lord. He came because of the love that God has for His creation and a desire to have fellowship with His creation, mankind. Jesus sent the Holy spirit to dwell in us who have believed, repented and been baptized into the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sin. In the next few pages we, imperfectly, tell of our belief through articles and statements that are meant to inform and encourage you to believe in God, His Son Jesus Christ and the Bible . Please read these articles with Bible in hand. Continue reading your Bible to gain that knowledge of God that is irreplaceable. Search for a church that believes in the Bible only in Roanoke, VA or around the world.
More From Art Irvine
Another one from Art Irvine
|
|