Creed of Faith

 

    The Apostles Creed was created to be recited or sung.  If there is a rhythm, it is typically easier to remember.  It is the summary statement of faith to be used in churches and personal lives to hold ourselves accountable to God.  The Apostles Creed unites Christians through service.

    Christians look to Jesus to know how to submit and understand sacrifice.  We follow his example and we work to make ourselves humble servants to each other.  We do this because Jesus chose to limit himself to be a confined human to serve our deepest need.  He was God before there was a world or humans.  He is in his full power again.  However, for about 33 years he bound his power to live a human life.  He died and resurrected again to provide a way to God for everyone.

    Jesus is the form of God.  We were made in God's likeness.  That means that Jesus being human does not take anything away from who him being God too.  Jesus came into this world knowing what was his purpose.  He denied himself the full compacity of his powers.  He limited himself for our benefit.

    Jesus was entitled to do anything and everything he wanted to do.  However, he chose to be a humble servant and the last sacrifice out of love for God and us.  He kept God's word to the final promise.  He will keep the promises that have been made that have not been fulfilled.  Christians make a creed of faith because we believe that truth and want to live in obedience too.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Romans 10:5-13, 1 Corinthians 15:3-9, & Philippians 2:3-8

Jesus' Return Part 4

 

        The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are the most well known books in the New Testament, but possibly the Bible.  They give you a lot of details to what to expect when Jesus returns.  They help you understand Revelations.  

    We know that Jesus will return in his body.  It will be visible and he will be in a sense recognized.  We also know that his return will happen when it is unexpected.  That means if anyone predicts a date, then it is pretty much guaranteed that it will not happen on that date.

    When Jesus returns it will be in his full glory and power.  He will be accompanied by angels and the arch angels will have their predestined messages.  This is when followers of Jesus, that have died while waiting, will resurrect to find what was promised to them.  The unbelievers will resurrect to discover what they denied was actually true and face judgment along with the fallen angels.

    The rapture is believed to happen in two parts.  First comes Jesus with the saints.  The secret truth is known only to his church, but the rapture is imminent.  Second comes the saints with the glorious triumph.  This is an universally recognized event.  This is when it is believed that the millennial will begin for Satan.  The states are separated by the great tribulation.

    One thing we know for sure is that when Jesus returns that it will be to unify his people.  Now if there are two or only one singular event for Jesus' return, then it will be discovered in the right time.  We know that we will resurrect.  We need to know that we resurrect to go to heaven instead of hell.

Matthew 16:24-28, 24:23-30, 25:31-46, Mark 13:32-37, John 5:25-30, Acts 1:9-11, Romans 8:9-11, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, & 2 Timothy 4:1-2

Jesus' Return Part 3

 

    John was told to write the letter that became Revelations to the sever churches of Asia Minor.  Each church represented something good and some things that needed to change before Jesus came.  Every Christians falls into one of these churches because we are not perfect.  We all have things that we need to work on before Jesus returns.

    Jesus is power, strength, and royal.  When He comes back it will not be as a humble servant this time.  It will be in his full glory.  He will no longer hold back his strength or power.  It takes turning to the Holy Spirit to have wisdom to read revelations because the truth is piercing.  God's Word (aka Jesus) is a double edge sword that cuts away the evil from the holy.  It pierces the heart with the truth for a person to decide which way they will go.

    God knows your thoughts and intentions. Jesus understands your hurt and what has been healed.  The Holy Spirit opens your eyes to blessings and curses.  God's voice is powerful.  The Holy Spirit's voice is just as powerful, but comes to people in a manner that they can hear and accept what He is saying.  He makes God's message less overwhelming.

    Jesus is always described in the same way.  God's character never changes, so that means that Jesus never changes either.  In Revelations, John is able to hear God's voice in a dream state.  He describes God's voice as powerful as a trumpet and loud as water rumbling.  It sounds like God's voice shakes you to the core.  

    In heaven, Jesus is always connected with God.  Where the trumpet sounds, Jesus is.  Jesus is always connected to God's presence.  It was such an intense encounter that even though John was in spirit, he still collapsed.  Jesus had to remind John that he had already defeated death, so do not fear. 

    Jesus went on to explain that the seven lampstands represented the seven churches.  God's churches are to be His light in the world, so the imagery of lampstands makes sense.  The seven stars are seven angels.  The number seven is significant.  It is a holy number that represents perfection.  We are not perfect now, but we do represent the perfection of Jesus.  We have the hope of perfection when we go home.

Daniel 7:9-10, Acts 1:9-11, Hebrew 4:12-13, & Revelations 1:9-20

Jesus' Return Part 2

 

    There are many questions about Jesus' return.  We need to focus on what we do know, so that we do not get lost in the unknown.  We do not know when, but we do know that he will return one day when we least expect it.  We believe that his return will happen in two stages.  The first stage will the when the church is raptured.  The second stage will be when Jesus returns with his saints.

    It is thought that the great tribulation is when it becomes clear who are Jesus' people.  They are separated from the rest of the world.  Another option is that this is when God's people are unified with the dead to go to Heaven together.

    There are many observations and thoughts about Revelations.  John was in a dream state seeing a far off future.  He say and experienced things that he had no way to describe.  He did the best he could, but it left a lot of mystery.  Plus, he only recorded what he was told to record.  That means he probably left out portions.

    Your faith is your testimony.  It comes after something that pushed you toward Jesus.  For some people the testimony comes after persecution.  John was in a prison colony in Pathos when he experienced and wrote Revelations.  His focus was on meeting Jesus face to face.  That is where his hope stayed.  It makes the book attention grabbing because it is personal and true.  

    John was not prepared for what he encountered, but he embraced it.  Are you prepared?  One day, dead or alive, you will face the rapture.  You will experience some part of revelations.  Are you ready?  What church do you fall into out of the seven churches listed?  You have to make yourself knowledgeable to be able to answer these questions honestly.  You will have a role in the end, but what will that be?

    John was ordered to record what he saw, felt, and experienced in that dream.  He wrote it in a letter, but it did become the book of Revelations in time.  It is prophetic and the true apocalyptic book.  John was moved by the Holy Spirit in how he wrote the last book of God's Word.  It may be mysterious, but it is true.  It all has meaning.

Matthew 24:29-31, John 14:1-4, Acts 1:9-11, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, & Revelations 1:9-20

Jesus' Return Part 1

 

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    The time of when Jesus will return is a mystery.  There are keys to understanding what to expect.  There is theology concepts to help you navigate the book of Revelations to ready it to the best of your ability.  There are terms that need to learned to not misunderstand what is actually being said.

    The book of Revelations is a doctrine deduced from Biblical terms to be understood.  These are words that are not in the Bible, but describe aspects.  Eschatology is the study of the end of times or last days.  Millennium means 1,000.  It describes Christ reign with his saints.  It is also used to describe a possible time frame.  

    Tribulation is a period of evil where Christians are severely persecuted.  Armageddon is possibly the final battle location between Jesus and evil.  It is in northern Israel at the mount at Megiddo.  The rapture is the bodily resurrection of Christians who are still alive when Jesus returns.  At the same time it is believed that the dead Christians will be resurrected. In that case, all Christians will be raptured together.

    The rapture of Christ will be a surprise.  We have signs to look for, but the day will still come unexpectedly.  The birth pains for this day remain a mystery to how long.  It could last centuries, decades, or days.  

    What we do know is that the day Jesus returns it will be in the powerful glory of God.  We do not have to doubt that.  It has been promised by God.  He will come with an army of angels.  Arch angels will be following his commands.  We know of two archangels: Michael and Gabriel.

    When Jesus comes there is death and resurrection for all people.  When we go before him to face judgment, we will be split and sent in the direction of our eternal home.  This ending will be drastically different between believers and unbelievers.  Believers will go home to a place where Jesus had prepared for them.  Unbelievers will go to eternal torment.

Matthew 24:30-31, John 14:1-4, Titus 2:11-14, & Revelations 1:9-20, 20:1-4

God is Lord

 

    When you accept that God is Lord over your life, your perspective of life changes.  You see the need and have the desire to show people who Jesus is.  Jesus is the only son of the living God.  He is not a demigod.  He is not pagan, a lie, myth, angel, prophet, or superman.  He is God's son that lowered himself to be human to connect with us in obedience to his father.

    Jesus is eternally faithful.  He was given to people that did not acknowledge, appreciate, or care who he was, but he never gave up on us.  He died so that we have the opportunity to live in hope.  He fulfilled the truth about God's Word in the Old Testament.  He is proof that God cannot lie.

    When you are a true Christian, you keep God's works in your heart.  Jesus opens your eyes to see the truth.  Seeing and understanding who Jesus is has impact.  He helped God connect to His creations through salvation.  He blinded the minds of the people of the world, so they do not understand the truth until they come to him in faith.  They will be judged for not having faith because the light of truth has been provided.

    Faith changes everything.  The perspective of creator and creation holds meaning.  Your soul changes from being dead to living.  Your faith is the foundation to connect with other Christians to build God's church together.  Satan will never have victory over God's Church because God is the Lord of the church.  

Matthew 16:13-20, John 3:16-21, 6:43-46, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, & Colossians 1:15-20

God's Gift

 

    God's gift to people was Jesus.  Jesus was a common name, but God's son was special.  The name was revered.  It is heavy with significance now because of the Messiah.  In Greek, Jesus is Joshua. It means God saves or salvation of God.  

    Jesus gave new meaning to life and being touched by God.  He changed the perception of human conception, life, death, resurrection, and ascension by giving it meaning.  Jesus experienced all of these as a human, but he never stopped being God.  

    Bar-Joseph means son of Joseph.  Jesus was a gift to Joseph by being his "son" in life.  Joseph never took advantage of the reality.  He loved Jesus as his own son, but he never pretended that he was the real father.  Jesus was always the Messiah.  Joseph was the care giver and protector of the Messiah until Jesus grew up.

    Jesus is the one person that everyone needs.  People had been waiting on him for centuries. We are still waiting on him to return.  Waiting on Jesus' perfect timing is part of being a Christian.  It is not easy, but the wait is worth it.  He brings salvation, hope, and redemption.  He is the good news that brings great joy.

    Christ is a title, but Jesus is Christ.  He is Messiah.  He is savior.  He is the ultimate accomplishment by being the atoner, root of hope, and rescuer.  Jesus is the only one that is God and man.  He is the only way to true freedom.  Do you claim God's gift or are you going to let it go?  Will you become a masterpiece (prized possession of God) or remain living in your sin?

Matthew 16:13-20, Luke 2:21-35, Romans 6:20-23, Ephesians 2:8-10, & James 1:16-18