Doctrine.

"Indifferentism about doctrine makes no heroes of the faith."
-J. Gresham Machen

Don't waist your Holliday.

For unto us a child is born, and a Son is given...

Did you ever wonder why? Why a baby, why a manger, why then. Why did God become flesh and dwell among us?

Many voices this time of year, at least with the "Church", say it was because of love. For God so loved the world Christ was born. yet Christmas is deeper then that. Christ was born for the glory of God, to show forth his eternal greatness, which played its self out in mercy, and love, and the cross. This season is about God and his glory, it's about us only in light of this fact.

We are a wicked people, God hatters, fallen, broken, and rebellious lot. Its for this reason Christ was born. He was born to show the greatness of God in loving and redeeming a people for himself. In one sense He came because he loved us, yet in another he came because were so wicked. Jesus was born so that he would die, and in dieing would take out our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh. He would absorb the wrath of the Father for our sins. An eternal punishment swallowed up by an eternal God.

This season, let us glorify God, and his greatness. May we be lost in him, and not the temporary gifts, food and family. And may we be humbled, that this season wasn't about us. It's about the glory of God. Jesus came to glorify his Father, and by this one act we received mercy upon mercy.

I think my wifes a Calvinist...

Oneness vs. Trinity

One could bring you to the baptism of Jesus were you would see Jesus being baptized, the Father Speaking, and the Holy Spirit descending, but for know, I'll steer away from the Gospels.

Instead lets go to Acts. I know a lot of Oneness people like using the book of Acts since it's "historical", and a practical way of walking out the gospel truths.

In Acts 7 we read about the first martyr of the Church. What we know of Stephen is little. He was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, He was of a good repute, and was willing to serve in the daily distributions of the church as was needed.

We also know from Acts 6 the he was full of grace and power, doing great wonders and signs among the people. We also know that his opponents could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

Luke gives Stephen a lot of space in Acts, he gives Stephen a chapter and then some. Stephen also gives the longest ‘sermon’ in the book.

Summary: Stephen was a man of God who was able by the Holy Spirit to do great miracles and preach/refute those who apposed the Gospel of Christ.

Now we come to the end of this godly mans life, he just finished a historical overview of Israel history, and then rebukes the Jews, which in a way, sentenced him to death. It is here we pick up.

Acts 7:54-60
54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Remember this is a Historical account. Stephen is full of the HOLY SPIRIT, he looks up into heaven and sees the glory of God. JESUS is standing at the right hand of GOD, and then Stephen repeats this SON of MAN standing at the right hand of GOD.

There is three different ‘persons’: The Holy Spirit is in Stephen, Jesus/Son of Man (a term Jesus applied to himself in the Gospels) is Standing. Were is he standing? In heaven next to and at the right hand of God.

Remember this his a historical account of the Gospel being walked out in every day life within the early church. Stephen sees both the Son, and the Father in heaven, and is at the same time filled with the Spirit.

We see all three of the God head. The Father, Son & Holy Spirit. Notice All three are present at the first martyrs death. Stephen doesn’t see just God, or just see Jesus, he sees both.

Also notice the singular usage of the word God “Glory of God” and then the other Nouns used. Either this is a picture of God, filled with the Spirit, Jesus, God the Father, or you left to believe that the Spirit is just a force, Jesus isn’t really God since he only stands next to him in heaven.

Yes I agree that the word Trinity is not used in the bible, but what it represents is. Sometimes one needs to use extra biblical words to help frame a correct meaning of a biblical concept because words can be slippery things. For example: if I asked a Mormon, Catholic, Pentecostal, or a Jehovah witness are you a Christian the all would say yes. It’s only till they say Mormon, Pentecostal, or catholic that I now were their coming from and if they really are “in” the faith.

It's hip is cool and is the new FAD

Stand.

Faith story: short

I grew up in the Church, and like so many who do I can’t remember when I was saved. But I remember different points in my walk that I grew in my spiritual life in Christ.

Here is a few monuments in my faith journey:

At a young age I can remember wanting to know Jesus more, and desiring to worship him. When I was 10 (1987) there was a message given at our summer family camp that was titled ‘crossing the blood line.’ I remember the sermon, and also the call to fallow Christ and that night Christ became more real then before. I had a desire to know Christ in a deeper more personal way.

Later on in life I attended Christ for the Nations bible school. I went there for mainly music, since they had a good music program. It was at that school that I received more of a hunger to know him and to started walking towards ministry. I was at a music conference when I felt a call to missions and ministry.

After I was married, my wife and I attended a bible school that taught the Inductive Method on how to study the bible. We used the Inductive Method and made our way through the sixty six books of the Bible. The result was amazing. It was the first time I realized who I was in Christ, and what he’s done for me. Up to that point I felt all I was ever given was baby food, and all of a sudden I found myself in a buffet of grandeur.

I realized what it really meant to be saved by grace, and what my sins really did, and the price Christ paid for me on the cross. I was a sinner, who if given justice would be in hell. God would be an unrighteous judge to just forgive me of my trespass against him. Yet he made a way to forgive me and still be just. Not because I was worthy of his love and mercy but because out of his abounding love he had mercy on me. He sentenced his Son to the cross for my sin, Isaiah tells us, “We esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” again Isaiah tells us, “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him”. Christ became the propitiation for my sins. Luther called it the great exchange, I received Christ righteousness and he received the penalty for my sins. Christ boar the wrath of God on the cross that should have been mine!

I John 4:10
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Faith alone, through grace alone, because of Christ alone.