FOUNDATIONAL CHRISTIAN TEACHINGS
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PREFACE
It is very important to lay the foundations of the Christian faith in a simple and direct way. Too often, when someone becomes a Christian, they are left on their own. They do not get a compete and thorough understanding of the basic Christian doctrines. They have to gather their understanding of the faith by pieces, through sermons, friends and studies here and there. And, so often, if there is a basic study, it will usually be only on one subject and then it is very lengthy. This study gives the most important doctrines in a simple and direct way. The purpose of this study is to give an over all skeletal understanding of the whole Christian teachings, to supply the young Christian with a good foundation upon which he can start building.
I wish someone could have laid these things out for me, simply and clearly, early in my Christian beginnings. That is why this study is such a blessing. Many of the doctrines and understandings included in this booklet took me years to hear, learn and experience. These studies give you the cream of the issues, simply and quickly. This study will help give you quick, whole growth and understanding.
Therefore, the format of this study seeks to be easy and straightforward. Each lesson
contains, first, an explanation sheet that states the idea clearly, followed by a
fill-
God bless you as you grow and become a disciple of Jesus Christ. "We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ" Colossians 1:28.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 The Old Life And The New Life In Christ 8
4 Old Testament Law And New Testament Law 10
7 Baptism In The Holy Spirit 16
13 Deception, Contending For The Faith,
And Making The Gospel
Known
2) Contending for the faith 32
How do we understand what salvation is about? Jesus often told Parables, which are simple stories to explain a point. Here is such a parable:
A PARABLE: There were two brothers who always argued about which one had the fastest car. So, one day they decided to settle the argument by having a drag race on the street. But after they started, they saw a red blinking light behind them. They were arrested and brought into court.
The judge heard the case, then, gave the verdict. Guilty. $100 or 10 days in jail. The boys were in trouble. They had spent all they had on their cars.
But, the judge got up from behind the bench; came down around in front with the boys
and said, "Sons, (You see they happened to be his own sons) you broke the law. But,
I am an honest and just judge and I cannot overlook the wrong; You are guilty. But,
because I love you-
Now the one son was arrogant toward His father and said, "I don't need you or your help, leave me alone, Dad I want nothing to do with you." So, the bailiff came and took him to jail. But, the other son said, "Gee thanks Dad! You are amazing; you are fair and just and even with all the trouble I've cause you, you still love me and want to help me. Thanks Dad." So, he accepted the payment His father offered, paid the court and went home with His Dad a free and happy young man.
IT IS A TRAGEDY
God greatly loves us and has created everything that we enjoy and wants us to have an abundant and fulfilling life; yet mankind has turned away from God, denying His love and support and sought wicked devises for himself. Yet, God must judge wickedness.
God did not want puppets, so he gave man a free will. God does not impose on us, but allows us our own will and devises; yet, we will have to give an account for all we do, for God is a just and righteous judge. If wrongs were not condemned, that would be a travesty of justice.
BUT GOD HAS HELPED US
God loves you in spite of any wrongs you have done, and indeed the Bible shows us
none of us are without sin (Romans 3:10-
GOD'S ASSURANCE TO US
So now God says to us that everyone who accepts what I have done through Jesus Christ
on the cross and entrusts their lives to me-
"For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
It is good to know that God has not left us without a clear revelation and instruction of Himself and His will for our lives. He has done this through the historical writings of men in the book we call the Bible.
The Bible is like no other book. It claims divine inspiration and carries a consistent theme. This is particularly amazing as we realize it is actually a compilation of writings written by people of God over a period of over 1500 years. It is written in four languages and it comes out of man's history. It did not mysteriously appear, nor is it just a philosophy of men. It is a historically accurate and trustworthy account of God's will for mankind.
The intellectual and academic reasons to trust its authority are overwhelming. Events, times and places that were unknown for centuries (and thus used to be doubted by many) have now (with our increased scientific and archeological knowledge) been shown to be surprisingly true. We cannot take the time here to fully discuss all this, but would refer you to such books, as written by Josh McDowell, such as Evidence That Demands A Verdict.
Jesus said of His words-
It's words are for us as food for our souls. Jesus said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God'" Matt 4:4.
We do not need to argue it's validity. It has a power in and of itself as we hear
it or as others hear it. It is self-
It is also like no other book in its prophecy. No other religious book can point to any valid prophecies given in it that came true. The Bible, on the other hand, has hundreds of remarkable prophecies, which have been specifically fulfilled. This gives us faith that the many other prophecies given will also happen.
God declares in many places in scripture that His word does have power and it will have its effect: "Is not My word like fire? declares the Lord, and like a hammer which shatters a rock?" We just need to use it and we will see God's power at work in our lives and in the lives of others!
THE OLD LIFE AND THE NEW LIFE IN CHRIST
When a person receives Jesus Christ into one’s life, he becomes born again (John
3:3-
Yet, many young Christians are confused after they become Christians. They perhaps
expected everything would be different-
A person is spirit, soul and body (I Thess. 5:23). The spirit is that life-
When a person becomes a Christian, one is united (reborn) in spirit to God in Jesus,
but the physical body will not be changed until the resurrection. What happens now
is that Christ is in our spirit in our inner being, (our heart); but yet our brains
are the same, our thought patterns still are as they have been, our natural desires
we had before being a Christian have not left us. So now, we constantly have the
choice in our souls to follow the spirit or the desires of the flesh (Romans 12:1-
So now, as we learn to follow Jesus, conforming our lives to Him, He becomes more
manifest in our lives. As we turn to the Lord, and follow Him in faith, we are "obtaining,
as the outcome of our faith, the salvation of our souls." (I Peter 1:1-
Yes, Christians might fall into sin, but our salvation is based upon our trust in Him, Not our deeds. You cannot be a Christian by just being good. We do not base our being Christian on our trying to be good, but on our faith in the one who has entered into our lives and made a new person of us in the inner man.
As a friend of mine once said, "Being a Christian is like being pregnant; you either are or you aren't. It's just that it shows more on some than on others."
THE OLD TESTAMENT LAW AND THE NEW TESTAMENT LAW
The great joy we have as Christians is the freedom we have from legalities. In the Old Testament God showed mankind the law, but now as John says, "The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (John 1:17)
Many who study the New Testament come to an understanding that we are no longer bound to the Old Testament law. We have "died to that by which we were bound." (Romans 7:6) But the question then naturally follows: Is there no Law for the Christian? Are we lawless? Some have used that as an excuse to live freely in sin. What about the Ten Commandments and the other laws? How do we view them now then?
After some time of questioning and prayer, God opened my eyes to the answer. Romans 8:2 says, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death." Is there another law now for the Christian? Yes! For "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" has set us free from the law of sin and death. So we now live our lives under the law of the Spirit of Jesus Christ in our lives. It is not a law we are forced to obey or that is written with pen and ink, but a new law of conscience within us as we gladly, willingly obey the Spirit of Jesus Christ in our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26).
What do we do now then with the Old Testament law? What is its purpose? God gave the Old Testament law to teach us right and wrong, good and bad, justice and injustice, and give us a picture of himself and life in His presence. As we see the law we begin to understand sin and it's consequences and the need of righteousness. The law also helped us to keep our lives in order. It became our Tutor (Gal. 3:24) as Paul says, to teach us and to keep us until God's plan became fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
The O.T. law of Moses is like a written description of what God is like. God does
not steal; God does not kill; God does not covet; etc. However, when Jesus came
and then shared His Spirit with our lives, it is as while we were writing a description
of Jesus on the wall when Jesus himself suddenly appears and stands by us. Then
we say, "This written description is only a description, but here He is Himself,
follow Him now instead." That is why, when Jesus came He said things like: "You
have heard it said, "do not commit murder" but I say to you do not even hate your
brother" (Matt 5:21-
Is the O.T. of any use to us now? Most certainly! It is still an outward explanation
of God, His ways, and His laws, and we learn much from it because it is a shadow
of the true law and spiritual realities. (Heb. 10-
A Parable: There were two men who each ran a red light. One was ticketed: one was not. One man drove through and the police arrested him and he had to pay the penalty. The other man, as he drove through the red light had an accident and was killed, but the police did not give him a ticket or arrest him. Why?
There is one event which Jesus asks his followers to participate in which clearly
identifies those who are His -
In many cultures individuals are allowed to listen to Christians, fellowship with them, even study with them, but when they become baptized they are then ostracized from their culture because everyone recognizes when they are baptized they have become a Christian. So, too, in our culture many may talk the talk of being Christian but baptism marks the commitment.
What is baptism? The Bible gives baptism a working definition. It says in I Peter
3:21 "Baptism now saves you-
Secondly then, baptism is an action in which we, by faith, unite ourselves with Jesus
Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. See Romans 6:3-
Third, we can say it is a witness to everyone that we have become a Christian. It is a witness to the world. It is also a witness to ourselves that we have become Christian. One may not remember exactly when we had the first thought of turning to Christ, but one can remember the physical act, of Baptism which is our action by choice to follow Christ. It becomes a witness to us also in our memories.
The mode (method) of baptism is sometimes debated. The inward faith is the vital point, we nevertheless desire to follow the New Testament method. The Greek word (the New Testament was written in Greek) for baptism is "baptismos". It means literally to immerse, dip, wash. And the context of passages talking about baptism usually talks about "much water," "coming up out of the water", etc. which all seem to indicate the people went down into the water and were put under it and brought back up. Also, we see it best pictures the Biblical explanation that baptism is our death, burial and resurrection with Christ.
One of the exciting discoveries in a new Christian's life is that of prayer. At
first for many, prayer can seem difficult and confusing since one has never prayed
before and perhaps has only heard formalized church prayer. But, the great discovery
is that in prayer we can simply talk to God as we would to any friend. Simply speak
and He hears us (Psalm 116:1-
Prayer does not even need to be vocalized for God to hear. He hears our inward thoughts
and prayers (Ps. 139:2-
Nor do we need to be in a certain place or a certain physical stance. He will hear
us wherever we are and in whatever position we are in (I Kings 8:54; Matt. 6:6; Acts
1:24; II Kings 20:1-
We cannot come to God on our own merit for all have sinned (Is. 64:6-
In the following study we will look at important attitudes, we must have in prayer. Study them closely, learn to pray.
But, why pray? Isn’t God doing everything the way He wants anyway? NO! Men have
sinned and separated themselves from God and thus the world is in a fallen condition
because of the alienation of sin. (Eph. 2:1-
The Christian is now a representative of the Kingdom of Heaven on the earth (Matt. 5:14; John 17:18). We are to intercede for the earth's people and their situations. We are to be ministers of God carrying out His will. In prayer, we ask for His will, His help and His presence in a world suffering from the effects of sin.
John, the Baptist, came baptizing in water to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. John was preparing the people for a greater event; "I baptize you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." All four Gospels record this initial statement. (Matt. 3:11, Mk. 1:8, Lk. 3:16, John 1:33)
What is it? The word, “baptize” means to immerse. Thus, to be baptized in the Holy Spirit is to be immersed in the Spirit. One may have the Spirit of God in his inner spirit, but it is not until the Spirit has the man totally, spirit, soul, and body, that the Spirit can work in power through that person's life. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the initial filling of the Holy Spirit in which the person is totally yielded and moving under the Spirit's influence.
Is it a distinct event apart from salvation? This is a question that is controversial and very important. I believe the scriptural example clearly demonstrates that it is a distinct event not to be confused with salvation (being born again).
Acts 8, for instance, shows that although the people had believed and been baptized, had seen miracles, and had much joy, yet the apostles later prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit. Another example is in Acts 19. Paul, after witnessing to and baptizing some men in Ephesus then lays his hands on them to receive the Spirit. The terms: "receive the Spirit," "came on", "poured out", "fell on". "filled with", "baptized with", are all used interchangeably for the same experience.
But, doesn't one have the Holy Spirit working in his life when he becomes a Christian? Certainly, you can not be a Christian without having Christ's Spirit join with your spirit making you a new person (being born again). Jesus is our example in all things, including this. Wasn't He born by the Spirit; and didn't He have the Spirit of God working in Him before He received the Spirit? Yes. But, nevertheless, He received the Holy Spirit after His baptism and thus, was led into ministry.
What is the purpose of the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Power!! Even though the Apostles had seen Jesus resurrected from the dead and were trained by Jesus for three years, yet Jesus insisted they not do anything until they received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1). He said, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." The baptism in the Holy Spirit gives a Christian boldness to witness and sensitizes him to the spiritual life. There is a new dimension of life that opens up, it is an exciting powerful Spirit led life.
Will I speak in tongues or prophesy when I experience the baptism in the Holy Spirit?
While we cannot be dogmatic about that, it, nevertheless, seems to be a common experience
in the scriptures. When individuals received the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
or New Testament, it often refers to their prophesying or speaking in tongues (speaking
in tongues is prophesy in another language). Num. 11:25; 1 Sam. 10:10; Lk. 1:41-
Do I have to have the baptism in the Holy Spirit? This would be similar to asking, "If I become a Christian, do I have to pray?" The answer is yes, if you desire the Lord's will in your life.
The spiritual gifts are of great importance to the Christian and the Church. For through the spiritual gifts the Lord works in and through his people. The question has been asked, "If the Lord removed His Spirit, would your church continue to function as it always has? "The meaning behind this question is that the Church is to be led and function only by the Spirit and His gifts. If it is run only by natural, human talents and wisdom, it is not functioning as a church should.
The Spiritual gifts are not talents (natural abilities). A non-
Are we to desire the gifts? I Cor. 14:1 says "earnestly desire the Spiritual gifts." The word used for “desire” is the strongest Greek word that can be used. It means "covet". Some will say you desire the gifts, I'll have Love, but that shows an improper understanding. Out of Love we pray for the gifts that are needed. If someone needs healing we, out of Love, pray for the Gift of Healing. We desire the gift because the gifts are "The manifestation of the Spirit" of Jesus ministering in our midst.
The Spiritual Gifts can be categorized in two ways:
A. Gifts of Ministries to the body of Christ. (Eph. 4:7-
Romans 12:4-
B. Individual manifestations (gifts) of the Holy Spirit. (I Cor. 12:7-
These are not opposed to each other but very much the same. While an individual
can be lead by the Spirit in anyway the Spirit wants to lead, yet he may not have
a particular ministry along these lines. This clarifies the confusion as to why
Paul says things like "I wish that you all...would prophesy" (I Cor. 14:5) and "you
can all prophesy one by one" (I Cor. 14-
We do not need to seek and know what our gift is; we need to seek the Lord and be obedient to the Spirit's leading. Then the Spirit will begin working through us. And if the Lord develops a consistent use of a gift in one area, it will be recognized as a ministering gift.
The blessed hope of the Christian is that all is not in vain, but that our lives
are safe with Jesus, that He will resurrect us for eternal life, and He will come
again to reign over the earth. The Bible teaches that just as Jesus physically,
visibly left the earth, just so in the SAME WAY He will return again. (Acts 1:9-
The Bible teaches that the creation will go through pains as in childbirth. The situation will get worse and worse on earth until the Lord comes. Before He comes there will be a great time of tribulation "such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall". (Matt. 24:21) Then Christ will come at the last minute for the sake of His elect people to save them and to save the world from destruction. (Matt. 24:22)
During that Great Tribulation Satan, through the means of a great deceitful world leader of his own possession called the Antichrist, and a great false prophet, will lead the world into a great war at Armageddon and will be rallied against God and the coming of Jesus Christ. But Jesus will come in majesty and power, slaying the Antichrist and false prophet; He will throw the Devil into a prison abyss. Christ will establish a peaceful reign of blessing on the earth for a millennium. After that Satan will be released for a short time. He will again cause a rebellion but he will be overcome. And then will come the great judgment and the new heaven and new earth (Rev. 20).
As Christ returns visibly in the clouds with the army of heaven and all His saints
(Christians) who had previously died, all the nations of earth will witness His return.
(Matt. 24:30) Christ will give resurrected bodies to those who have died. Those
Christians who are still alive at Christ's return will be transformed instantly into
new immortal bodies and will be caught up (raptured) together with all Christians
into the clouds to be with Christ. (I Thess. 4:13-
Christ will then rule over the earth assigning Christians to rule in delegated authority with Christ over the earth. It will be a heavenly, righteous, reign of Christ on the earth. (Rev. 20:4; Is. 11,12)
A currently popular teaching is that Christ will come to "rapture" and "resurrect"
Christians before the tribulation. The scriptures speak, however, of the coming
of the Lord as a single event in which the rapture and resurrection come AFTER the
other events (Matt. 24) and is not split in two events. Also, the scriptures clearly
teach that Christians will confront the Antichrist (Dan. 7:19-
Much has been said about the return of Christ and people want to know some signs to tell of the time of His coming. There are many, but the one of major concern for us personally, that is often overlooked, is the great persecution and falling away (apostasy) of the Christians. Notice as you read the Scriptures there is the constant warning about falling away, being alert and perseverant. One sign of His approach then will be "you will be hated by all nations on account of my name". (Matt. 24:9)
Matt. 24 seems to be the scripture that best gives an overall, chronological view of these events.
The subject of "Hell" has been confused due to inaccurate translations. In the Old
Testament, the word Sheol is very often mentioned. Often, however, it has been translated
as hell, death, the grave, the nether world, etc. The newer translations are better
to consistently use the word Sheol or footnote it. As we simply use the word "sheol"
in every reference, a clear picture is presented. We see that "sheol" is the place
of all the dead, good and bad. (Gen. 37:35; Ps. 31:17; Is. 38:10; Ez. 31:15-
Some people have picked up on this inconsistency some translations have had, to say there is no hell because, where it talks about sinners, it's translated,"Hell", and where it talks of the Godly, it's translated, the grave. They build an argument saying, "Hell is a later, medieval idea, not true to God and His Bible.
The New Testament also picks up on the same idea of Sheol using the Greek word for Sheol which is Hades. The New Testament further explains the status of the dead before the redemption of Christ and on into the future.
Jesus speaks much on the fiery punishment of the ungodly, what is commonly thought
of as hell. This concept is clearly developed by Jesus and the New Testament. We
see then that, in Hades, the wicked dead are kept under punishment while the godly
dead are in rest and comfort. (Luke 16:19-
One other Greek word used often in the New Testament is "Gehenna", which is the Hebrew Valley of Hinnom, which was the chief garbage dump of Israel where fires were constantly burning and all manner of refuse, including animal's and criminal's bodies, were burnt. Gehenna is often translated, Hell. It is the New Testament picture of the final residing place of the unrepentant ungodly.
Jesus and the New Testament writers often warn of the fiery punishment awaiting the wicked. Jesus, very often in His parables, pictures the sorting out of the good and bad with the wicked being thrown into the fire. (Matt. 13:30; John 15:6)
It is believed that Jesus brought out of Sheol, at His resurrection, the godly, who
were trusting and waiting for their redemption, and took them to heaven. (Matt.
27:52; Eph. 4:9-
A time of judgment is coming when God will judge all the living and the dead. Then
Hades itself and all the unrepentant wicked will be thrown into a vast lake of fire
to remain there for eternity. (Rev. 20:12-
After our lives here on earth, we will still have forever to live. Eternity is a long time and thus it is of primary importance that we be sure of our eternal home. Heaven is home for the Christian.
Heaven is the home of God. God created not only the earth but also Heaven (Gen. 14:19). In the Scriptures God rules everything from heaven and all those who are aligned with God are part of the Kingdom of Heaven. Scriptures speak of God's throne and the temple He dwells in in heaven. (Ps. 11:4)
In only three places in the Bible is the word Paradise used. This seems to be used interchangeably with Heaven (II Cor. 12:2,4). Heaven is a broad place of existence in another dimension apart from the physical universe. It is a place of blessing, rest, beauty, praise, worship, and of inconceivable awe and interest.
When a Christian dies, he goes immediately into the presence of the Lord (Phil. 1:23). Although the body is not resurrected until the Resurrection, the spiritual state is so real the body is not missed (II Cor. 12:2). We will not lose our identity but will know one another. When Jesus argued the realty of the Resurrection He quoted Scripture saying that God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob still. He is the God of the living and the dead. Paul assures us Christ will bring with Him our loved ones who have died before us when He returns. We are to comfort one another with these words. We will come to be in a like state as Jesus now is. (I John 3:2)
Heaven is a place for rest and rewards (Rev. 14:13). Those things done at a loss on earth for God's sake will be stored up in heaven. (Mk. 10:21).
There will be a new heaven. Christ hints at this in Mark 13:31 and tells us He is
going to prepare a place for us (John 14:1-
After Christ comes, after the Resurrection and Judgment, the old earth and heaven will fly away and a new state will exist which will be like all one big heaven. Read Rev. 21 and 22 for this description.
There is a spiritual warfare going on. The Bible shows there are spiritual forces
affecting the lives of people. While unseen, they are never-
Satan is the leader of the wicked spiritual beings. He apparently was a chief angel.
He had great beauty and splendor but decided he wanted to be like God and rule as
he wanted to (Is. 14:12-
Some think this is an even warfare against two equals. It is not. God is God, the great Creator who is over all and Satan and his hosts are merely fallen created angels.
Why does God allow the wickedness of Satan and his hosts? He both does and does not. He does, in that He has allowed all His angels and all men free will. Thus, in order to fully demonstrate free will, there must be free exercise of that will. God is allowing all angels and all men to live out their true desires. But, on the other hand God does not allow wickedness in that He will contain it and come to a point in time in which He will judge all men and angels and will remove wickedness.
God created creation as beautiful and wonderful. People often ask the age old question, "If God is good why is there suffering"? It does not come from God but it comes from sin which is wicked violation of God's good will. Thus some angels have sinned and enticed mankind in sin, also.
God cannot bless wickedness and He will curse it and stand against it even if it is found in His beloved children. He will not give us strength and blessing so we can live like the devil.
So, now there is a warfare for the allegiance of all men. All men have sinned but God has made atonement (payment) for all men's sins through Jesus' death on the cross. All God wants is our hearts, then He can bless us and help us even if we fall in sin.
Contrary to the popular phrase, "The devil made me do it!" The devil cannot make us do anything unless we yield over our lives in some way to Him, then indeed he can put a bondage over us. An example of how he overcomes people is seen in Adam and Eve and the apple. He did not make them eat it but enticed them to eat, even though they knew it would violate God's will. Although God loved them, He had to fulfill His law and remove them from the Garden of Eden. They suffered a curse and a separation from God. Satan didn't do it, he enticed it. But man still bears the responsibility. This warfare is deadly real, destroying lives and putting people in bondage.
This warfare is not fought with physical weapons but neither is it fought with potions
and rituals. The warfare is fought with character and faith in Jesus Christ. The
character comes from living a life with Christ and involves such things as truth,
righteousness, sharing the Gospel, having faith, having salvation, and using the
word of God. (Eph. 6:13-
People may become frightened when we talk about Satan and his fallen angels (demons), but for the Christian, Christ does not want us to be fearful but to be assured and to have authority over them.
Christ came preaching the Gospel and healing the sick, but also, He came casting
out demons. He has absolute authority over them. Christ has given this authority
to His followers as well, telling us, "Behold, I have given you authority to tread
upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall
injure you". (Luke 10:19) He tells us to cast out demons. (Matt. 10:7-
As we walk in the Spirit of the Lord we walk in His authority, Christ has been raised
up now to the right hand of God and sits over all authority. We have been raised
up with Him and live in the assurance and power of His authority. (Eph. 2:1-
DECEPTION, CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH AND MAKING THE GOSPEL KNOWN
"I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith
which was once for all delivered to the saints." Jude 1:3
(The following lesson is a combination of three related lessons. They all have to do with relating the Gospel to the lives of people Including our own. The Bible teaches much on these subjects:)
There is the idea that it really doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are sincere. This is a deadly mistaken idea. Everyone's actions are determined by what they believe. If you hold to false ideas you will participate in wrong actions and suffer tragic results from them. Deception can happen. It is always at hand in some way. How can you keep from being deceived?
1. Know the word of God thoroughly. Make it your constant study. (Psalm 1;
and 119:9-
2. Know clearly the biblical teaching about Christ. Since He is the pivotal point of
Christianity, most false teaching centers on wrong teachings about Christ.
3. Commit your life totally into the Lord's hands and desire His will. Desire His truth
and He will show it to you. (John 7:17 and 14:26; Jeremiah 29:13)
4. Know there is usually a lot of truth mixed with false teachings. Things may seem
right, but the conclusion steers away from the will of God. Example: Satan didn't
use evil to tempt Jesus, but quoted scripture. Matt. 4:6 (II Cor. 11:13-
5. Know the deceivers may be able to hold the false appearance at first, but their
character cannot remain hidden. Read Matt. 7:15-
I used to think it was wrong to argue for the Gospel until I saw in the Bible Jesus, the Apostles, and others constantly presenting the Christian message even in the midst of opposition. The Bible tells us to "contend" for the faith. Yet, it always tells us how (with gentleness, love, patience. and reasonableness) we can argue for the faith without being argumentative! Here's how:
1. Know your own faith and be growing in it!
2. Don't be afraid of questions, but store them, ponder and pray over them, using
them as rungs to higher understanding. if someone presents a question
you
don't have an answer to be honest and say, "I don't know. I'll have
to pray
about that.
3. Use the Scriptures and be bold in them. Don't say, "Well, I think..."
-
Bible says..." Remember the Word has power. Jeremiah 23:29
4. Argue in the Christian way. Read II Timothy 2:24-
5. Know its in God's hands. Read II Timothy 2:24-
6. Love! Remember the object of the discussion is not to win an argument
and
lose a person, rather to win the person.
7. Continue to grow in your faith in every way. I've come to believe my faith is as
academically sound as it is spiritually sound. There is so very, very
much
reason to believe. A book like EVIDENCE THAT DEMANDS A VERDICT
by
Josh McDowell is one good reference book to get for academic support
that
would help you begin along this line.
The nicest and most important thing anyone can do for another person is to tell them the Gospel. It is a great privilege and responsibility.
IT IS OUR LORD'S COMMAND! Matt. 28:18-
Sometimes people are afraid to share the Gospel. Here are some helpful things to know:
l. Remember you were glad someone told you, and many are receptive and
many are wanting to hear and accept what you have to share.
2. Remember our job is not to save or convict, that is God's job. Our job
is to tell
the story. Just tell it and prayerfully leave the results
to God.
3. A tool can be helpful, like a tract. Learn it and share it. Just by asking, "Could I
take a few minutes to share something with you that's meant a lot to me?" has
opened many chances to share the Gospel in a natural, honest, forthright way.
4. Relate your own everyday situations as you are sharing. For instance as you are
visiting with a friend or neighbor you may share something like, "I know what you
mean. I had a situation that was hard for me and I found that the Lord became
more real in my life through that experience."
5. Don't be a Lone Ranger. We all need each other to keep our faith alive and real.
We need a fellowship in which we can bring people who come to Christ.
A log
in a campfire burns bright and hot but if you move it away from
the other logs out
in the cold dark, it dwindles to smoldering coals and
will go out.
Have you ever enjoyed sitting around the warmth of a campfire? Have you noticed that if you remove one burning log from the fire and place it out in the cold dark by itself its flame dies out? This is a good analogy to our lives and our Christian fellowship. If we fellowship and serve the Lord together regularly, we become enthused, growing in our faith; but, if we neglect our Lord's command for us to be together with other Christians, our faith and the expression of it gets cold, dies out and has no life.
Be sure to be involved in a good church that is alive and growing spiritually. It should be one that believes in the truth of the Bible. Individual members should have a personal faith they understand and can relay to others. It should be a church that allows for personal involvement and fellowship. The church should be seeking a vibrant relationship with the living Lord.
Churches sometimes become lethargic. They put a lot of importance on their name
and history, but gradually lose sight of their true purpose, which is to be a fellowship
of believers who are following the Spirit of the Lord as He is revealing His will.
The natural nature of men is to put trust in form rather than maintaining a relationship
with God. God has repeatedly had to remove good things men have idolized and trusted
in order to show that what is important to Him is not form, but an obedient, alive,
joyful, daily relationship to Him. (Jeremiah 7:3-
What is a church? Nowhere in the Bible is the word "church" used for a building;
rather, a church is the people of God. The church is viewed in the scriptures not
as an institution, but as a living organism called the Body of Christ in which every
member is an important, functioning part. The entire body is directed by the nerve
system of the Holy Spirit, with Jesus being the head. When the church functions
as it should it becomes the visible embodiment of Jesus, Himself, in our world -