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stjamesadmin
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Posted:09/12/2005 4:07 PM |
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St James AMEZ--Rev T E Sweatt
10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. I Cor 1:10 NRSV
In Acts 17:20 our good friend, the apostle Paul stood up in front of the council and said: “People of Athens, I see that you are very religious.”
We, also, Americans of the 21st century are very religious. But what do we mean when we say that one is religious? Can one be religious and not be saved? Is my worship in vain?
1. What is Religion?
“Beliefs and practices related to a conviction that there is something higher than the individual human being.”
In our country today we have Religious liberty, the freedom to worship according to one’s convictions, and conscience without coercion and therein lies the root of the problems brought about by the worship of many deities in the same land.
2. What is a Denomination?
A group of believers or churches, united on the basis of a common set of beliefs and practices. There may be denominations of Christians as well as other religious groups.
3. What is a Sect?
Usually a group which has broken away from some larger religious group, or holds distinctive and unusual views. There is often a particular leader whose uniques teaching become the basis of the group.
4. What is a Cult? Groups, formed by men or groups of men, heretical in one of more significant respects and which frequently practice strong social control over their members. They sometimes engage in some forms of brainwashing to gain and retain converts.
I Cor 1:10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. 12 What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. (NRSV)
I Cor 1:10 My dear friends, as a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, I beg you to get along with each other. Don’t take sides. Always try to agree in what you think. 11 Several people from Chloe’s family have already reported to me that you keep arguing with each other. 12 They have said that some of you claim to follow me, while others claim to follow Apollos or Peter or Christ.
13 Has Christ been divided up? Was I nailed to a cross for you? Were you baptized in my name? 14 I thank God that I didn’t baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius. 15 Not one of you can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 I did baptize the family of Stephanas, but I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else. 17 Christ did not send me to baptize. He sent me to tell the good news without using big words that would make the cross of Christ lose its power.
Christ Is God’s Power and Wisdom
18 The message about the cross doesn’t make any sense to lost people. But for those of us who are being saved, it is God’s power at work. 19 As God says in the Scriptures,
“I will destroy the wisdom
of all who claim
to be wise.
I will confuse those
who think they know
so much.”(CEV)
As Christians we are to believe and confess the same things concerning the being and significance of our God, Lord Jesus and the Holy Ghost. The things that are passed to us through the Word of God (BIBLE) and His Spiritual revelation are to be passed on to the generations to come.
(1 Cor 1:23, 1 John 1:1-4)
What are Christians to believe and teach?
Who is the founder or one upon whom our religion is based? Jesus is the founder of this religion called Christianity. Those who follow him are called Christians.
Key Writings: Christians follow the teachings of Bible originally in the Hebrew & Aramaic (Old Testament) and the Greek (New Testament).
Who is God? There is but one Triune God (not gods) Father Son and Holy Ghost. The title God represents the first person, God the Father.
Who is Jesus? Jesus is God, the WORD of God made flesh, Immanuel (God with us), the God man usually identified as the second manifestation of God.
Who is the Holy Spirit? Usually referred to as the 3rd manifestation of God. Always referred unto in the masculine, He! He is a comforter, leader and guide indwelling the church since the day of Pentecost 50 days following the crucifixion of our Lord. (See John 14: 16, 26., Acts 1:8, Acts 2:4, 8:14-17).
How is one saved? Acts 16:31, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and ye shall be saved.” (John 1:12). Salvation is by the God’s grace, received by faith (Acts 15:11, Eph 2:8, 2 Tim 1:9. Salvation must be received by faith (Rom 10:9, 11, 17). Acceptance of the life, crucifixion, death, resurrection of Jesus the Christ by faith.
What happens after death? Believers go to be with the Lord Jesus. Saved and lost will be resurrected after death. The saved will spend eternity with their Lord. the unsaved will spend eternity separated from God (Hell).
Other facts, beliefs &/or practices> Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah promised to the Jews. Christians are people of light, open, have no secret rites. Aid those in need, living to serve their Lord through serving others.
ACTS 17:16 While Paul was waiting in Athens, he was upset to see all the idols in the city. 17 He went to the Jewish meeting place to speak to the Jews and to anyone who worshiped with them. Day after day he also spoke to everyone he met in the market. 18 Some of them were Epicureans and some were Stoics, and they started arguing with him.
People were asking, “What is this know-it-all trying to say?”
Some even said, “Paul must be preaching about foreign gods! That’s what he means when he talks about Jesus and about people rising from death.”
19 They brought Paul before a council called the Areopagus, and said, “Tell us what your new teaching is all about. 20 We have heard you say some strange things, and we want to know what you mean.”
21 More than anything else the people of Athens and the foreigners living there loved to hear and to talk about anything new. 22 So Paul stood up in front of the council and said:
People of Athens, I see that you are very religious. 23 As I was going through your city and looking at the things you worship, I found an altar with the words, “To an Unknown God.” You worship this God, but you don’t really know him. So I want to tell you about him. 24 This God made the world and everything in it. He is Lord of heaven and earth, and he doesn’t live in temples built by human hands. 25 He doesn’t need help from anyone. He gives life, breath, and everything else to all people. 26 From one person God made all nations who live on earth, and he decided when and where every nation would be(CEV).
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