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We
are a Christ-centered church, building a healthy congregation,
committed to reaching Kincardine,
Ontario,
and the World.
Our mission is to connect with people and lead them into an authentic
and growing
relationship with Jesus Christ, by creating environments where people
are
equipped and encouraged to point up, point in, and point out.
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ONCE SAVED
YOU SHOULD BE
SCRIPTURALLY BAPTIZED
The
Great
Commission -
You, as a believer are commanded to be baptized. Just before
he ascended into heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ gave his disciples what
we refer to as "the great commission." He commanded them:
Go
ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I
am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world. Amen.
Matthew
28:19-20
So, water baptism is commanded by the Lord Jesus, and the Lord said:
If
ye love me, keep my commandments.
John 14:15
Baptism should be one of your very first acts of obedience to the Lord.
The following believers were saved (received the Lord by faith), and
then were baptized in water, and serve as good examples for us who have
"believed through grace" (Acts
18:27); the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:37-38);
the apostle Paul (Acts
9:1-19); Cornelius (Acts
10:44-48); Lydia (Acts
16:14-15); the Philippian jailor (Acts 16:30-31);
and Crispus and many Corinthians (Acts 18:8).
Water baptism
is not for salvation -
Some churches today teach that the new birth comes by water baptism and
is the way the believer receives the new birth and is added to the
church, however, the Bible very clearly teaches that after we hear and
believe the gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ baptizes (immerses) the
believer into his body, the church, by the baptism of the Holy Ghost:
I
indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after
me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall
baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Matthew
3:11
For
the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge
and understanding.
He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler
to them that walk uprightly.
Proverbs 2:6-7
For
by one
Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or
Gentiles, whether we be bond or
free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1 Corinthians
12:13
Know
ye
not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were
baptized into his death?
Romans
6:3
For
as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Galatians
3:27
That
we
should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
In
whom ye
also trusted, after
that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom
also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of
promise,
Which
is
the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Ephesians
1:12-14
This is the "one baptism" of Ephesians 4:5. This is
the "baptism [which] doth also now save us" (1 Peter 3:20-21),
which
is pictured by Noah staying DRY in the ARK and not being immersed by
the flood!
Water baptism IS a "work of righteousness," however the
scripture says:
But
after
that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Not
by
works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy
he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy
Ghost;
Titus 3:4-5
1Samuel
15:22
Our sins
were not washed away by water, but by the Lord Jesus Christ who "washed
us from our sins in his own BLOOD" (Revelation 1:5)!
See also Colossians
1:14.
Water baptism, then, is an outward picture of what has
happened already to the believer. Going down into the water pictures
death and burial, and coming up out of the water pictures the
resurrection. Water baptism is normally a public act by which the
believer declares his faith in Christ and shows his obedience to the
Lord. God said, "to obey is better than sacrifice" (1 Samuel 15:22).
You Can
Trust It -
The Bible has sixty-six books, thirty-nine books in the Old Testament
and twenty-seven books in the New Testament. The Old Testament covers
the period of time from the creation of heaven and earth (Genesis 1:1)
until about four hundred years before Christ, B.C., while the New
Testament begins with the birth of Jesus Christ and projects into the
future: the new heaven and the new earth (Revelation 21-22).
. The Bible is God's book. God is the author, although God used men to
write down the words. We read in scripture:
For
the
prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God
spake as they
were
moved by the Holy Ghost.
2 Peter
1:21
All
scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness:
That
the
man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
2 Timothy
3:16-17
God has both preserved his word and kept it pure, so that you can be
assured that it is trustworthy without reservation (Psalm 12:6, 7).
If you have just been saved, and you were not raised in a good
Bible-believing church where you received some basic knowledge of the
Bible, then the following brief discussion will help you to get started
in God's wonderful Book and to understand what you are reading. Let's
begin by reviewing the following basic commandments from the word of
God:
Desire
The
Word -
Wherefore
laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies,
and all evil speakings,
As
newborn
babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
If
so be
ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
1 Peter 2: 1-3
Certainly, if you have been saved by God's grace, then you have "tasted
that the Lord is gracious," so there is no doubt that this verse is
referring to a "newborn babe" in Christ Jesus who has been:
...
born
again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of
God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
1 Peter 1:23
The commandment, then, is for YOU to "desire the sincere milk of the
word, that ye [YOU] may grow thereby." A natural baby must have milk or
he will get sick and die. A spiritual baby must also feed on the "milk
of the word" or he will get sick and die
(1 Corinthians 11:30).
The
Lord Jesus said, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth
nothing: the WORDS that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are
life" (John 6:63;
Romans
8:11).
The Lord said:
The
thief
cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come
that they might have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly.
John 10: 10
If you have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, then you have
everlasting life (this means that you will live eternally with the Lord
in a new and glorified body after he comes); but the Lord wants your
present life on this earth to be abundant.
For
we are
his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God
hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
God has something for you to do in THIS LIFE, and a successful man will
find out what God's will is for him and then do it. God commands:
That
ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is
corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
And
be
renewed in the spirit of your mind;
And
that
ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and
true holiness.
Ephesians
4:22-24
How do you get "renewed in the spirit of your mind?" By continuing in
God's word!
...
even
as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
That
he
might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
That
he
might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or
wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without
blemish.
Ephesians
5:25-27
Up to now you have been brainwashed by the traditions and philosophies
of man. What better thing could you do than to wash your mind with the
pure words of God's truth? The Lord promised the Jews that believed on
him:
Then
said
Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my
disciples indeed;
And
ye
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:31-32
Study
The Word -
Study
to
shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy
2:15
The Bible says that:
...
much
study is a
weariness of the flesh.
Ecclesiastes
12:12
It is tiring to study and meditate on God's word, but the wisdom to be
gained is
...
better
than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be
compared to it.
Proverbs 8:11
Men spend long hours studying for various reasons: to learn a trade, to
become a professional doctor, lawyer, scientist, or engineer; and there
is nothing wrong with that, however, God's wisdom is far above the
wisdom of this world, and should never be neglected and pushed aside to
be replaced with the wisdom of this world.
For
the
wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He
taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
1 Corinthians
3:19
Happy
is the man that findeth
wisdom, and the man that getteth
understanding.
Proverbs 3:13
This wisdom is from the Lord:
For
the
LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge
and understanding.
He
layeth
up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler
to them that walk uprightly.
Proverbs 2:6-7
This wisdom is
to be found nowhere else but in the Bible. The Bible is like a gold
mine of wisdom and understanding, and the child of God is instructed.
See also Proverbs 5:1;
8: 11;
10:21;
Ecclesiastes
7:12; 9:
18.
Rightly
Divide The Word -
The Bible has divisions. We have already mentioned the division between
the time before Christ (Old Testament) and the time after Christ (New
Testament). In a booklet of this size we can not go into great detail
on this subject, however, the diligent student of the word of God
should notice some things when studying the Bible:
1.
Who is
the speaker and who is he speaking to?
For instance, the book of Romans is written by the Apostle
Paul.
He is writing,
To
all
that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:
...
Romans 1:7
and he tells the saints that:
... for we shall all stand
before the judgment seat of Christ.
Romans 14:10
Because we
have been watchful we know that "we" is a reference to Paul himself and
the other "saints" of God. The verse clearly says that born again
believers "shall all STAND before the judgment seat of Christ," By
comparing this verse with Psalm
1:5 we know that ONLY born again
believers will STAND in THAT judgment, for we read:
Therefore
the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the
congregation of the righteous.
Psalm 1:5
Again,
by comparing these scriptures
with Revelation 20:12,
we find that the ungodly will "STAND" before the
"great white throne" judgment after the thousand year reign of Jesus
Christ on this earth:
And
I saw
the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened:
and another book was opened, which is the book of life:
and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the
books, according to their works.
Revelation
20:12
Now,
if we
had not taken note of where we were reading, we might have
misinterpreted Romans
14:10 and 2
Corinthians 5:10 to refer to all
people, however, as you have seen it clearly does not.
2. What time period is the
scripture referring to?
In the book of Acts we see the Lord working with the early church by
giving it additional revelations as it grew in grace and knowledge of
him. A good example is found in Acts chapter 2, where the apostle Peter
stood up on the day of Pentecost and preached to the Jews:
...
Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost.
Acts
2:38
Later on, after God had taught Peter that he should not call the
Gentiles common or unclean (Acts
10:9-16, 28), Peter went to Caesarea
to preach to Cornelius, a Gentile, and to his Gentile family and
friends. Peter preached a different message to them, and they got saved
BEFORE they were baptized in water! Peter preached about the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ, saying:
To
him
give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever
believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
While
Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which
heard the word.
Acts 10:43-44
There
are groups of people today who teach salvation by being
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ in order to receive the gift of
the Holy Ghost! They do not rightly divide the word of truth. In
addition, they ignore the abundance of scriptures which teach that
salvation is by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9;
2 Timothy
1:9; Romans
1:16; 10:9-13)!
Continue
In The Word -
The Lord Jesus Christ told the Jews which had believed on him:
...
If ye
continue in my word, then are ye my
disciples indeed;
And
ye
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:31-32
"If"
is
a big word which depends on your obedience and faithfulness to do what
God has commanded you to do. The Lord Jesus clearly laid down how your
live for him is measured when he said:
If
ye love
me, keep my commandments.
John 14:15
There
is only one way to keep his
commandments, and that is to know what his commandments are! This means
that you must "desire," "study," and "meditate" on God's word; and that
to be his disciple indeed, you must be a doer of the word and not a
hearer only (James
1:22).
His promise to you who will continue in his word is that you
will know the truth, and that the truth will make you free. The Lord
has abundantly kept this promise to me, in that he has made me free
from drugs, alcohol, lusts of the flesh, fear of man, false doctrines,
fear of death, and many other things. All the glory is to God, because
I was free of none of these things before the Lord saved me by his
grace and began setting me apart and cleansing me by his word
(Ephesians 5:25, 26)!
God's word is a great treasure: continue in it.
David wrote:
Therefore
I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to
be
right; and I hate
every false way.
Psalm 119:128
David wrote of the blessed man that:
...
his
delight is in the
law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Psalm 1:2
David
wrote:
My
hands
also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I
will meditate in thy statutes.
Psalm 119:48
The
apostle Paul, instructed Timothy
concerning the scriptures:
Meditate
upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may
appear to all.
1 Timothy
4:15
There
is no
doubt in my mind of the truth of these statements, for I have profited
greatly in spirit from the precious word of God. Finally, listen to
what the Lord told Joshua concerning his word:
This
book
of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate
therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all
that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous,
and then thou shalt have good success.
Joshua 1:8
JOIN
A
CHURCH
Final Authority For The Church -
Any church that you might consider joining
should be judged by
the same standard by which we, as Christians, are instructed to judge
"all things" (1
Corinthians 2:15): the Holy Bible. The Lord said:
God
is a Spirit:
and they that worship him must worship him in spirit
and in truth.
John 4:24
The
Bible is the word of God, the truth,
and should be the only authority recognized by your pastor. The Lord
Jesus, writing to the "church in Pergamos," said that he hated the
"doctrine of the Nicolaitanes" (Revelation
2:15). This is a doctrine of
men whereby a number of churches look to an appointed authority above
the pastor to govern the affairs of the church. The Bible speaks only
of the church as a local assembly of believers who are led in spiritual
matters by their pastor, who is also referred to as an elder or bishop
or overseer (Acts
20:28; Ephesians
4:11, 12;
1 Timothy
3:15; 5:17).
The only one above and over the pastor is the Lord Jesus Christ, the
"chief Shepherd" (1
Peter 5:1-4).
The primary purpose of the church should be to reach the lost
in
the world with the gospel. The Lord Jesus commanded his disciples:
... Go
ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mark
16:15
In
order to accomplish this commission, the church must train
men and women for "the work of the ministry" (Ephesians 4:12),
and then
send them out to preach and teach others. So first of all, the church
must be preaching the "gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24),
that
men are saved by the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ, and not by ANY work of righteousness that they can do
(Ephesians 2:8, 9;
Titus 3:47).
Any church which supports the preaching
of "another gospel"
(2
Corinthians 11:4) is "accursed" (Galatians
1:8). The local church supports the missionaries
that God calls, with prayers and finances.
The
pastor of the local church should be preaching the word of
God and not the philosophies or traditions of men (2 Timothy 4:2; Colossians 2:8; 1 Timothy 6:20).
Today, there are many churches filled
with people whose pastors who do not preach the true gospel, do not
baptize my immersion, do not teach that the blood of Christ is the only
thing that can wash away sins, and who stand behind their pulpits
continually correcting and attacking the word of God. Remember, they
that worship God must worship him in spirit and in TRUTH:
God
is a Spirit:
and they that worship him must worship him in spirit
and in truth.
John 4:24
This
means that the Bible must be obeyed in the church, and that the
church must operate and minister "according to the scriptures" (1
Corinthians 15:3-4). Therefore, let the Bible be your
guide in finding
a church.
The
Church Statement Of Faith -
You might ask
the pastor to give you the statement of faith of
his church. Among the many doctrines a true Bible believing church will
believe are:
1.
The salvation of lost sinners by the grace of God through faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians
2:8,9).
2. The
eternal security of the born again believer (John 5:24;6:47).
3.
That the primary purpose of the church is to glorify God through the
Lord Jesus Christ by fulfilling his commission to preach the "gospel of
the grace of God" (Acts
20:24) to "every creature" Mark 16:15).
4.
The baptism of
born again believers by immersion. (Matthew 3:16-17;
Mark 1:8;
)
5.
The literal, physical resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:9; Luke 24:36; John 20:19-20; Acts 1:11).
6.
The premillennial
return of the Lord Jesus Christ to take his church to heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18;
Acts 1:11).
7.
The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to rule on this earth for a
thousand years (Revelation
19:20).
If the church you are looking
at does not totally subscribe to
these basic and fundamental Bible doctrines, you need to find a church
that does. What all this amounts to is that you are not trying to find
a church of YOUR choice, but a church of the LORD'S choice. Only in the
right church will you be directed to find God's specific will and
purpose for your life.
The
Power
Of God -
If you are to have the power of God in
your Christian life to
the greatest extent, then you need to join a church where the gospel is
PREACHED:
For
the
preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us
which are saved it is the power of God.
1
Corinthians 1:18
Don't settle for a
church with teachers who "by good
words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple" (Romans
16:18). Paul warned us "that in the last days perilous
times shall
come" (2 Timothy 3:1),
and that:
For
the
time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after
their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching
ears;
And
they
shall turn away their ears from
the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
2 Timothy
4:3-4
The last days are upon us. We are
living in perilous times.
Seek the Lord's guidance as you search for a Bible believing, gospel
preaching church which preaches and teaches sound doctrine.
SAVED
PEOPLE NEED TO PRAY
The
Believer's Privilege -
The believer has the
great honour and privilege to come before
God in prayer. Speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ as our high priest, we
read:
For
we
have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without
sin.
Let
us
therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews
4:15-16
When
And
Where To Pray -
We can have fellowship with the
Lord continuously, and should
desire to do so. According to 1
Thessalonians 5:17, we are to "Pray
without ceasing."
David wrote:
Glory
ye
in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.
Seek
the
LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.
1 Chronicles
16:10-11
The
Lord
Jesus taught:
... that
men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
Luke
18:1
The disciples gave themselves
"continually to prayer, and to the
ministry of the word" (Acts
6:4).
We are to pray "everywhere" (1
Timothy 2:8).
We are not to wait
until we are in a specific place, but we are to pray every where and in
all situations. You don't have to be on your hands and knees to pray,
although that is a good position to take. You may pray when you are
asked a question, as Nehemiah did while standing before the king
(Nehemiah 2:4).
You are to pray in secret (Matthew
6:6). If you are the
husband, you are to pray as the head of your family (Ephesians 5:23).
You are to pray in church in public, as King Solomon did in 1 Kings
8:22-53; "And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD
in the
presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands
toward heaven." our will, as Christ always did. We also are coming to
God on the merits of his only begotten Son. We could not come to God in
our own name:
Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me.
John
14:6
Finally, when we pray in the name
of Jesus Christ we are praying
for that which will bring him glory. We are praying because we are
living for him and know that we cannot do anything without him:
I
am the
vine, ye are the
branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth
much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
John
15:5
Subjects
Of Prayer -
There are many things for which to
pray: the Second Coming,
God's will to be done in our lives, daily food, forgiveness for our
sins, guidance in all matters, victory over the world and the flesh and
the devil (Matthew
6:9-13); the sick (James
5:13-16); all men, kings,
those in authority, the salvation of sinners (1 Timothy 2:1-4);
the
safety of self and others (Daniel
6:18-23); wisdom and understanding (1
Kings 3:5-9; James
1:5-8); food, shelter, and clothing (Matthew
6:25-34); a prosperous journey (Romans 1: 10);
that all Christians be
made perfect in Christ (Colossians
1:28); your enemies (Matthew
5:38-48), and for church leaders (1 Timothy 5:17).
Conditions
Of Prayer -
If the believer wants to have an active and productive prayer
life, he must meet the conditions God has set forth in his word. We
will list them here briefly and suggest that you look up the verses and
read them for yourself. The essence of the following conditions is that
God will not listen to a hypocrite, so be cautious to meet the
following conditions:
1.
Ask
according to God's will (Romans
8:27; Matthew
26:39; 1
John 5:14-15).
2.
Make sure that you have forgiven others their trespasses against you (Mark 11:25-26).
3. Ask
in
faith [that is ask according to the principles found in God's word] (Mark 11:24; Hebrews 11:6).
4.
Make certain that
you are walking in obedience to God (1 John 3:22)
and in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ (John 15:7; 1 John 1:7).
5.
Pray in the Holy
Ghost (Jude 20).
6.
Pray in Jesus' name (John
16:24).
Hindrances
To Prayer -
The hindrances to prayer and the
conditions of prayer overlap,
because if you are meeting all the conditions you have done away with
most of the hindrances. We will list the following as hindrances to
prayer:
1. Unbelief
[lack of faith] (James
1:6-7).
2.
Unforgiving
spirit (Mark 11:25).
3.
Sin (Psalm 66:18;
Proverbs
28:9).
4.
Asking with the wrong motive (James
4:3).
Although you may have met all
of the conditions and know of
nothing that could be hindering your prayers, God may not answer your
prayer according to YOUR WILL. Our attitude in prayer should always be
like the Lord Jesus Christ when he prayed in the garden:
...
nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
Matthew 26:39
Remember:
And
this
is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing
according to his will, he heareth us:
And
if we
know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we desired of him.
1 John
5:14-15
Just
make sure that your request is "according to his
will." God's answer may come immediately; it may be delayed for years;
or the answer may be, "No!". Don't forget' that God is not your
servant,
but that you are his servant, and that he has said:
For
as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your
ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:9
Just
take your burdens to
the Lord and leave them there, and let God be God! |
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