Growing through discipleship point 5

Principle – Understanding the fundamental tenants of the faith 1^st Timothy 4:13-16

Application – Learn and bring all spiritual concepts under the doctrines of Christ. 2^nd Corinthians 10:5

These tenants are outlined in the scriptures as the doctrines of Christ and the faith’s ordinances. As a believer, you need to know and understand them if you desire to grow and anchor your faith in truth. Knowing and understanding them empowers you and provides truths that will lead you and establish your faith. We will look at them individually to provide you with a baseline understanding to give you a good start and foundation. But know that there is so much more to know on them. 

a working knowledge is having understanding of there relativity to your life and the faith. And when you don’t know them its easy to be led away with incorrect teachings, denominationalism, deceit or error.

This is why a main part of discipleship is reading and studying the word of God. You need to know the word of God for yourself. Although the apostle Paul instructed the Berean’s; they studied to know the word for themselves. Acts 17:10-11. You need to know these truth's and tenants of the faith for yourself.

If you are reading this teaching you have excess to something that everybody in the world does not have.

Yes, even today, there are a lot of people who don’t have excess or not allowed excess to the Holy Scriptures. Often they simply succumb to the prevailing teachings, religion or government rule presented. Knowing these truths, liberates, builds faith, renews our minds and causes growth. 

God never wanted the word locked away in monasteries or made available only to certain people. This is why its been translated in so many languages. It was God's idea to make His word available so we could know and understand the doctrinal tenants of our faith. So we would be liberated, transformed informed and empowered. 

This is an inward sincere regret over sin that causes you to stop and turn away from it. To repent means to reverse action based on a contrite heart of conviction. The dead works are the sinful behavior and actions. 

This is what occurred in Acts 3:12-19. Peter began to speak to them about the good news and their choices.

He eventually invited them to be saved. As their hearts were convicted, he instructed them according to this doctrine to repent from their dead works. This doctrine also speaks to the continual process of sanctification and conversion through the word and the leadings and convictions of the Holy Spirit that leads us to turn from sin, unto God. You are repenting from that sin or dead works and turning to God. Luke 15:11-32. He came to himself, or he had an inward conviction, and repented, or turned away from that sin. Then he determined to return home to his father and family. Who received him with open arms. As God does when we repent, ask for forgiveness and turn to Him. That's a point to be thankful for and shout about!

This doctrine establishes that our faith should be built and established in God as the only true and living God, the creator of all things and the author of our salvation. He is our primary resource, in whom we are to anchor our faith in. And that our faith should be principled and totally in Him. There is a lot out there to anchor your faith in; It will never be as faithful as God. Anchor your faith in Him, He is faithful. Lamentation 3:23

Water Baptism - Baptism is the submersion into. Once an individual repents and ask Jesus to be their savoir and accepts Him into their hearts, they become reborn of the Spirit of God. They experience a death to their old  sinful nature, its buried in an irretrievable place. They then are raised in newness of life.  The water baptism is an outward declaration of the death, burial and resurrection that you experienced when got saved. It comes after your confession of faith and born again experience. Notice the exchange between Philip and this guy from Ethiopia in Acts 8:. 26- 38. His confession of faith came before the water baptism. 

Baptism in the body of Christ - When we became born of the Spirit of God, we were placed in the family of God as citizens of the kingdom of God and placed in the body of Christ. This constitutes the body of Christ. 1st Corinthians 12;13. This baptism also included us being united with Christ when through His death, burial and resurrection. God imputed it all unto us. Therefore, all that Jesus has accomplished for us belongs to us. This is why we don't have to do all those religious rituals and formalities. Jesus completed it all. And we were baptized in Jesus. Thankfully, our salvation is not principled in us; But in Him. And we were baptized in Him Colossians 2:12.

Through baptism, God has imputed all that Jesus has done for us on the cross, in hell and in His resurrection. The doctrine of baptism units us in and with Christ. and establishes our faith's salvation in Him, not us. Thank you Lord!

Laying on of Hands is an act of faith in God, that He would heal the sick, sanctify the called, and perpetuate His will. It is a point of contact and release in regards to our faith. The act itself does not heal, but it's a point of release for our faith.

And we lay hands on individuals anointing them with oil as a sign of setting them apart for service. It is not to be done haphazardly, lightly or without biblical reasoning; but in accordance with the word of God, for the purposes of God.

Resurrection of the death addresses several things in our faith and lives. It starts with the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead Acts 2:27. 

And because we were baptized into His body, we were raised with Him in newness of life Romans 6:4. Therefore we should treat the old life as dead. You've been raised or liberated from your old sins and sin nature. And the resurrection of Jesus guarantees that upon His return, our bodies will be changed. And those that have gone on to be with the Lord already will be given new bodies as well. This is a resurrection of their new bodies.

1s Thessalonians 4:14-18. This is why we should live this life to live again; raised with Christ to be with Him forever.

Eternal judgment is the final judgment of humanity at the great white throne judgement. As much as some may think that there is no accountability in regards to their deeds, they are wrong. Everyone must give an account. It’s not going to be about religion or denomination, but the acts and behavior individuals committed on the earth in accordance to the laws of God. The word eternal used here mean forever. This means that it is a forever judgment; some to life, others to hell.

Some may ask the question "how can a loving God condemn people to hell" Well, God is holy and righteous. And His kingdom is holy and righteous. Therefore, those that live in it must be holy and righteous. He excepts nothing less from His children 1st Peter 1:15-17.  And because He has presented a plan to get people saved through Jesus Christ, there isn't any excuse. You can except Jesus as your Lord now, or face the lion of the tribe of Juda later. The later will not be as nice and the former. 

And those that do not choose to repent and come the way that God provided through Jesus Christ cannot enter the kingdom of God with those spiritually dead spirits John 3:3. Therefore, they are relegated to hell through a guilty judgment. Hell is not God's will; it is a consequence of ones choices Deuteronomy 30:19. God desire all to be saved. 2nd Peter 3:8-9 But those dead spirits cannot inherit the kingdom of God. That's why Jesus told them that they must be born again. John 3:1-6. Getting born again and staying save keeps us from the great white throne judgment. We would have already been judged by then. 2 Corinthians 5:8-11

We were with God during the great tribulation, we were being judged at that time in heaven before the Lord. Thankfully, upon our repenting and asking for the forgiveness of God our acts were forgiven and remitted by God. And as we live we remain in right standing with God and keep our salvation. But the great eternal judgment awaits the unrighteous.  

Salvation is exclusively and only through the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was born of a virgin, having eternal blood He presented Himself as the spotless lamb of God. He paid the full price and consequences for our sins. Through him and through Him alone is salvation presented to humanity. Not only did He bare our sins to be forgiven, He paid the ultimate price of being separated from God and going to hell for us Acts 2:22-27. 

He and He alone is the author of our salvation. Hebrews 5:9 Nothing or no one else could have done it. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Salvation is exclusively through Him. John 14:6

The doctrine of grace establishes that our salvation is extended to us because of the mercy and grace or unearned favor extended to by because of God's love and mercy towards us. We neither deserved it, nor could we have earned it. All of man’s works of righteousness are unaccepted to God Isaiah 64:6.

We of our abilities cannot come to God on our own merits, righteousness or holiness. Therefore any act to appease God or present yourself as such, He will reject because we are not pure before God according to His standards. But Jesus is. Therefore. our salvation is exclusively through Him, extended to us by the grace of God. Acts 15:7-11

Water baptism is the complete submersion into water as Jesus was in Matthew 3:13-17. Jesus baptism was about fulfilling all righteousness. As with the Lord, we are to enter the water, go down in the water and are brought back up out of the water. In our case it is an outward declaration of an inner the death, burial and resurrection that occurred in our spirit when we got saved. That death was to our old nature. The resurrection was our sprits being reborn and we were raised in newness of life.

It's also an outward declaration of our submerged union in and with Christ Romans 6:4. That's why it's a complete submersion into water. Yet, the water itself does not save you. Your faith in the work of Jesus; your repentance, asking for forgiveness and excepting Him as your Lord and savoir does. 1st Peter 3:21

Water baptism should be made available only to those who believe and are saved; otherwise, it’s declaring something outwardly that did not occur inwardly; there is no point in it. Notice the exchange between the eunuch and Philip in

Acts 8:26-39. He presented the water baptism when the man’s faith in the Lord was confirmed.  

The communion is holy, and should be taken after you present yourself before God asking for forgiveness of your sins. It is the partaking of what represents the blood of Jesus and His body. We use the bread and juice. We do it to gratefully praise God and to remind ourselves of all that Jesus has done and the covenant we have with God. The word testament used in Matthew 26:26-28 means covenant. He shed His blood to seal the covenant we have with God Luke 22:19-20. The word of God is that covenant. It does us well to know as much as we can about it through reading and studying it. 

Jesus suffered for us and His body was bruised for our sins Isaiah 53:5. His body and blood purchased our perfect salvation and paved the way for us to be forgiven, repositioned as the children of God in his kingdom. And to experience salvation and walk in that covenant. Ephesians 1:7 

Growing Through Discipleship – Matthew 28:18-20

Point 5 - We grow as disciples through the Doctrines and ordinances of Christ.

Test your knowledge of point 5 teaching

1.  In 1st Timothy 4:13 what are we to give our attention to?
   
   
2.  According to 2^nd Corinthians 10:5, what are we to bring into the obedience of Christ?
   
   
3.  According to 2^nd Timothy 3:16, who are the scriptures inspired by?
   
   
4.  In 2^nd Peter 1:21, who moved men to speak prophecy?
   
   
5.  According to Hebrews 11:6, how do we please God?
   
   
6.  What did Peter tell them to do in Acts 3:19?
   
   
7.  According to Luke 22:19-20, in communion, what does the bread and juice represent?
   
   
8.  Water baptism in an outward declaration of what?
   
   
9.  Name two reasons for us to lay hands on someone?
   
   
10.  Who will be at the great white judgment mentioned in Revelation 20:111-15?

 

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