 
### Christianity 101

or

Know who you really are

by

### Maxwell R Watson

Copyright 2014 Maxwell R Watson

ISBN: 9781311869364

Published at Smashwords.com

max@maxwellrwatson.com

### Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Notes

Introduction

God

The Bible

Holy Trinity

Jesus

Questions and Answers

Conclusion

About the Author

Dedication

This book is dedicated to God's Church. I have been in love with the church for over 50 years now, even though it is full of both weird and wonderful people. I still am drawn to it as the best thing this side of heaven; for I truly believe that is just what the church is supposed to be.

I also add here a dedication to my wife Christine Watson. Chris has stood by my side as a true partner through every part (the beautiful and the extremely difficult) of life for over 33 years; she is an amazing woman of God a wonderful mother to our four, now adult, children and now an ideal loving and caring Grandmother. Whilst juggling these she also wears the cap as my Carer as I live with a disability.

Acknowledgements

I wish to acknowledge those who have had critical input into my life. Those who have been mentors in my life include: the late Mr Bob Weeding; Mr Frank Kimpton & the very much still with us Mr Kevin Craik, Dr Keith Farmer, Dr Lionel Berthelsen and Mr Dennis (professor) Nutt. These men saw something in me that was worth bringing out. For some, it was leadership, while for others, it was to excite or challenge my thinking. I am truly grateful to each of them; and yes those who have gone before me, I still miss. To my wonderful amazing wife of over 33 years, your uncanny ability to love me regardless of what life has thrown at us, and to challenge my thinking to rise to a higher level. To my Heavenly Father, who seems to be always waiting for me to catch-up, get the plan and to move me to act on that plan!

Notes

All Scripture references are from the NIV (New International Version) unless otherwise noted. All quotes whether they be Scripture or other authors are in italics so they stand out as a quote.

Introduction

I will use the occasional large, difficult to get your head around, word; however, I will also define and explain them. In my defence for these 'big' words, when we commit a meaning to our mind, then we cannot only use fewer words, but we can give deeper meaning to what we wish to say.

The second part of this book is in a Question and Answer format, which I feel could be helpful to a new Christian. So:

Question? Why would I spend so much of my time writing a book on basic beliefs for people who are already Christians?

The Answer is fairly Simple; far too many Christians I have encountered over the course of my lifetime as a part of God's church for some 57 years, have no real concept of what they have in grace and in authority, not to mention their crazy concepts of why people suffer, or does God really love me? Furthermore, my calling from God was very clear to be to His existing church. I love to see the church grow in size and in wisdom. I love teaching people, so they can take a step up to greater things. These days it seems to me that people are flitting from church to church from conference to conference, not to mention following this teacher or that one.

Pastors are constantly asking me for a single resource to help people in their struggles with what are basic questions.

I have some web links in this book, but for my sanity I have removed the actual working link as that function is a big issue in publishing eBooks, sorry you will have to type them yourself.

God

Attributes of God (see also: www.blueletterbible.org and/or www.josh.org/video-2/attributes-of-god/ )

**God is Eternal** : God had no beginning, and will have no end.

This is one of the foundational beliefs of Christianity. If God is not eternal, then eternal life is not His to give to anyone. Also if God had a beginning, He too would have to have a creator, at which point he is not the one true God. Without God being eternal, Christianity is futile. God's eternal Nature is very important to us because it ensures that God will always be there for us. Whenever we need Him, no matter when we are troubled, our eternal God will always be there for us. There are numerous references throughout scripture about God's eternal nature. In fact, the Bible never attempts to prove God's existence or His eternality, but simply begins with the statement "In the beginning God..." (Genesis 1:1), indicating that at the beginning of recorded time, God was already in existence. Here are some other references:

1 Kings 8:27

But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!

Psalm 90:2

Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God

Isaiah 40:28

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom

Isaiah 57:15

For this is what the high and exalted One says he who lives forever, whose name is holy:

" _I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite._

1 Timothy 1:17

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

God is Holy

Holiness is synonymous with God's total purity and separation from the rest of creation. Holiness is a moral purity, and different from Adam's holiness, God's is eternally incorruptible. This holiness so sets God apart from fallen man that in his natural state, no man may approach the incorruptible God (for man is blemished, dirty, and corrupt, and True holiness cannot bear such) — this is evidenced by the special commands to those who would approach God (cf. Exodus 3:4-6, Isaiah 6:1-6).

Exodus 3:4-6

_When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."_ 5 _"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."_ 6 _Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God._

Isaiah 6:1-6

_In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying._ 3 _And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."_ 4 _At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke._ 5 _"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."_ 6 _Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar._

God's holiness is one of the primary reasons why the advent of Christ is so incredible: it allows men who were once unable to come before God the ability to kneel before the throne of God and worship forever and ever (, 5:14). God is holy and he is separate from sin and incorruptible.

Revelation 4:9-11

_Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever,_ 10 _the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:_ 11 _"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."_

God does not change his mind

In God's immutability lies a great source of comfort for the believer. The fact that God does not change his mind, his characteristics, His plan, or anything else is a security better than any earthly insurance for it guarantees His quality of character and gives security to the believer that if He has saved one of us, that saved person WILL persevere to the end for God has chosen him and will not change His mind and let that man slip through His fingers into the breach of hell. No, God neither changes His plan, His covenants, His prophecies, nor His justice; this lends greatly to His dependability ("there is [in God] no variation or shadow of turning"). The immutability of God is being increasingly criticized by advocates of open theism, which argues that God is open to influence through the prayers, decisions, and actions of people. But like all opponents of true theology they come unstuck when faced with the reality of God immutable.

Malachi 3:6

" _I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed._

James 1:17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

1 Samuel 15:29

He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind."

Numbers 23:19

God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind.

Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

Hebrews 6:17–18

_Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath._ 18 _God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged._

God is Infinite

Not only will God exist undiminished everlastingly into the future, but He has existed identically throughout the infinite past. Not only has God himself existed eternally into the past, but so also has His plan for His creation. Before the foundations of the world, God ordained the Creation, the Fall, the Incarnation and Resurrection, and the Salvation of His people. This is a wondrous truth for the believer for it grants him confidence in the tenacity of his faith. Once a believer realizes that God has demanded his salvation and perseverance from this sin-stained world he can live without fear in the joy that God offers all of His children. Also of note is the fact that Christ is eternal in His sonship: He existed eternally before his incarnation as the First-Born over creation (though without human form) and will exist eternally post-resurrection as the glorified Son of God.

Isaiah 40:28

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

Exodus 3:14

God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"

Psalm 102:12

But you, LORD, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations.

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

God is Good

One of the most intrinsic attributes of God is His goodness. God is not good because it's attractive for Him to be so, nor does He follow after some sort of standard for goodness. God is actually so good that He is the source of all goodness; He alone is the rule and measure of what we truly know to be good. To the Christian, the goodness of the Lord is a security. The Christian knows well that he has been bathed in the death and resurrection of Christ and now stands wholly righteous before God; and this being so, he also recognizes all that God will work in his life will be for his own good — for a good God would never work circumstances to the peril of the righteous. Romans 8.28 tells that "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." This is the believer's rest and assurance. However, not so for the unbeliever: the goodness of God demands all circumstances to work together for the bad of those rebellious and hateful towards God. God's goodness will manifest itself in a wrathful justice against those who are defiled of holiness, for True goodness cannot abide evil.

Exodus 34:6-7

And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation."

Psalms 25:8

Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

James 1:17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

God is Love

We all have a basic understanding of what love is, but we are unable to comprehend the depths of True love. This is the love that God embodies. God is the genesis of love; He is its source; and it is by Him that we experience love. God's love is based in a supreme desire to glorify Himself, for He is the being most worthy of love. By seeking His own glory, God pours forth His love upon His creation that it might best give glory to Him. God loves His creation and better than His creation; God loves His people — those whom He will take with Himself into eternal glory! This is one of the greatest truths of Scripture: in spite of who we are and though God hates the workers of iniquity (Psalm 5:5), in spite of all this, God still loves us! It's amazing. D. A. Carson (in The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God) speaks of the "difficult doctrine of the love of God," since "when informed Christians talk about the love of God they mean something very different from what is meant in the surrounding culture."

Deuteronomy 7:7-8

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

John 14:31

but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

Romans 5:5-8

_And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us._ 6 _You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly._ 7 _Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die._ 8 _But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us._

Romans 8: 35-39

_Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?_ 36 _As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."_ 37 _No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us._ 38 _For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,_ 39 _neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord._

1 John 4:8 & 16

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

1 John 4:7-21

_Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God._ 8 _Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him._ 10 _This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins._ 11 _Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another._ 12 _No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us._ 13 _This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit._ 14 _And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world._ 15 _If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God._ 16 _And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them._ 17 _This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus._ 18 _There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love._ 19 _We love because he first loved us._ 20 _Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen._ 21 _And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister._

God is Omnipotent

This refers to God having all power. Hence we often see in Scripture words like Almighty.

C.S. Lewis wrote in his The Problem with Pain:

"His Omnipotence means power to do all that is intrinsically possible, not to do the intrinsically impossible. You may attribute miracles to him, but not nonsense. This is no limit to his power."

God is able to do anything that he chooses to do. God is able to do anything that is in accord with his own nature (thus, for instance, if it is a logical consequence of a God's nature that what it speaks is truth, then he is not able to lie). If that it is part of a God 's nature to be consistent, and that it would be inconsistent for God to go against his own laws, unless there was a particular reason to do so. God is able to do anything that corresponds with his omniscience and therefore, with his world plan. Every action performed in the world is 'actually' being performed by God, either due to omni-immanence, or because all actions must be 'supported' or 'permitted' by God.

Matthew 19:26

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

General things about God

This is a helpful resource http://www.everystudent.com/features/isthere.html

There is never any attempt to prove in the existence of God in the Bible. The Hebrew mindset is different to Greek (modern) thinking. In Greek thinking, which is the kind of thinking all western developed countries use; e.g. if someone says ' there is a God', then we also have to ask a whole bunch of questions to 'prove' what we have said; this is basically how science operates. So once again someone says 'there is a God'. Questions like: Where did he come from? How was he created? Where does he live? What does he look like? Does he have powers? Are the type of questions that people want to know? In Hebrew thinking, as in the Old Testament, simply accepts and never questions the premise, that 'there is a God'. So we have at the very beginning of Scripture, Genesis 1:1 we have those infamous words:

In the beginning God

In the beginning God, is never challenged. God is, was and always will be, was the phrase I was told when I was young, and it is a good thing to remember. This despite the fact I believe God is provable. The experience of missionaries worldwide is wherever they have gone; they find a race or culture which has in their belief system a god. It may not be the God, but they understand the concept and do not challenge it. However, here are some Scripture verses for you, and I encourage you to look them up and read them for yourself, perhaps underline them or highlight them – no it is not a sin to mark a Bible.

Isaiah 44:6-8

" _This is what the Lord says Israel's King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty:I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God._ 7 _Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come—yes, let them foretell what will come._ 8 _Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."_

Isaiah 43:10

" _You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen,_

so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.

John 17:3:

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

1 Corinthians 8:5-6

_For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"),_ 6 _yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live_

Galatians 4:8-9

_Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods._ 9 _But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?_

This is important for if we have a wrong concept of who God is, then we will not be capable of functioning as a powerful Christian, and we are most certainly meant to function in power, Matthew 28:18-20 says:

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

So if we believe that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Messiah, God's only son, that he paid the price of all sin for all time and that he had all the power of God, then we too have that power and authority at our disposal, we simply need to learn how to use it, like Jesus intended us to.

But God! How does, He exist? Well, God has always existed; this is captured in how I was taught as a boy: God is, was and always will be. OK but what does He look like? God does not have a body as we have a physical body, God exists as spirit. As it states on www.christianity.net.au

God is much 'bigger' than us in every sense. So we can never completely describe him or understand him. It would be like a slug trying to understand Einstein's theories to expect us to understand God. We do know something about God, but we are dependent on him revealing himself to us. He has done that through the Bible and through his Son, Jesus.

Furthermore, there are some facts/points to consider:

The size of the Earth is perfect. The Earth's size and corresponding gravity holds within it a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth's surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter. Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the correct mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life. Earth is located the precise distance from the sun. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30F degrees to +120F degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth's position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day.

Additionally, our moon is the perfect size and distance from the Earth for its gravitational pull. The moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet our massive oceans are restrained from spilling over across the continents.

Consider water! It is colorless, odorless and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. Plants, animals and human beings consist mostly of water (about two-thirds of the human body is water). You'll see why the characteristics of water are uniquely suited to life:

It has an unusually high boiling point and freezing point. Water allows us to live in an environment of fluctuating temperature changes, while keeping our bodies a steady 98.6 degrees. Water is a universal solvent. This property of water means that various chemicals, minerals and nutrients can be carried throughout our bodies and into the smallest of blood vessels. Water is also chemically neutral. Without affecting the makeup of the substances it carries, water enables food, medicines and minerals to be absorbed and used by the body.

Water has a unique surface tension. Water in plants can therefore flow upward against gravity, bringing life-giving water and nutrients to the top of even the tallest trees. Water freezes from the top-down and floats, so fish can live in the winter.

Ninety-seven percent of the Earth's water is in the oceans. Even so, on our Earth, there is a system designed, which removes salt from the water and then distributes that water throughout the globe. Evaporation takes the ocean waters, leaving the salt, and forms clouds, which are easily moved by the wind to disperse water over the land, for vegetation, animals and people. It is a system of purification and supply that sustains life on this planet, a system of recycled and reused water.

Consider the human brain! It simultaneously processes an amazing amount of information. Your brain takes in all the colors and objects you see the temperature around you, the pressure of your feet against the floor, the sounds around you, the dryness of your mouth, even the texture of whatever you're holding. Your brain holds and processes all your emotions, thoughts and memories. At the same time, your brain keeps track of the ongoing functions of your body like your breathing pattern, eyelid movement, hunger and movement of the muscles in your hands. The human brain processes more than a million messages a second. Your brain weighs the importance of all this data, filtering out the relatively unimportant. This screening function is what allows you to focus and operate effectively in your world. The brain functions differently than other organs. There is intelligence to it, the ability to reason, to produce feelings, to dream and plan, to take action, and relate to other people.

Consider the eye! The eye/s can distinguish between seven million colors. It has automatic focusing and handles an astounding 1.5 million messages simultaneously.

These things are far from random accidents, and all point to a carefully created order.

Evolution only focuses on mutations and changes from and within existing organisms. However, evolution alone does not fully explain the initial source of the eye or the brain the start of living organisms from nonliving matter. This sad and faulty theory has no answers for how such an amazing perfect system could possibly exist.

Consider DNA! All instructions, all teaching, all training comes with intent. Someone who writes an instruction manual does so with purpose. I have personally written many such manuals, and every one of them was to teach the reader to fulfil a task or job to the required standard. Did you know that in every cell of our bodies there exists a very detailed instruction code, much like a miniature computer program? As you may know, a computer program is made up of ones and zeroes, like this: 01100101010110010. The arrangement of these ones and zeroes tell the computer program what to do. The DNA code in each of our cells is very similar. It's made up of four chemicals that scientists abbreviate as A, T, G, and C. These are arranged in the human cell like this: CGTGTGACTCGCT and so on. There are three billion of these letters in every single human cell! Well, just like you can program your phone to beep for specific reasons, DNA instructs the cell how to function. DNA is a three-billion-lettered program telling the cell to act in a certain way. It is a full instruction manual.

Why is this so amazing? One has to ask how did this information program wind up in each human cell? These are not just chemicals. These are chemicals that instruct that code in a very detailed way exactly how the person's body should develop.

Natural, biological causes are completely lacking as an explanation when programmed information is involved. You cannot find instruction, precise information like this, without someone intentionally constructing it. Again, all these facts point to an elaborately designed system.

I could go on about this amazing created order, but this is not the place.

Some people say that everything in Christianity is about Jesus. While I would not wish to pull anyone down; I think everything in Christianity is about a direct relationship with Father (Papa) God, which is exactly what Jesus has supplied for us. Even so, before we look at Jesus, let's tackle the Bible.

The Bible

The Bible is the inerrant (without error) word of God. Meaning that the Bible is just what God wants us to have, and it is free from errors (in the original manuscripts); that when written, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, into the hearts of those who were inspired to so write. The Bible was written over a span of 1500 years, by 40 authors. Unlike other religious writings, the Bible reads as a factual news account of real events, places, people, and dialogue. Historians and archaeologists have repeatedly confirmed its authenticity, even after they set out to disprove it that cannot. Using the authors' own writing styles and personalities, God shows us who he is and what it's like to know him.

There is one central message consistently carried by all 40 authors of the Bible: God, who created us all, desires a relationship with us. He calls us to know him and trust him.

The Bible not only inspires us, it explains life and God to us. It does not answer all the questions we might have, but it answers enough of them. It shows us how to live with purpose and compassion; how we are to relate to others; it encourages us to rely on God for strength, direction, and enjoy his love for us. The Bible also tells us how we can have eternal life.

The Old Testament's accuracy was confirmed by an archaeological discovery in 1947, along today's West Bank in Israel. "The Dead Sea Scrolls" contained Old Testament scripture dating 1,000 years older than any manuscripts we had. When comparing the manuscripts at hand with these, from 1,000 years earlier, we find agreement 99.5% of the time. In that .5% difference the differences are minor spelling variances and sentence structure that doesn't change the meaning of the sentence.

Regarding the New Testament, it is humanity's most reliable ancient document. We have thousands of copies of the New Testament, all dated closely to the original writing. In fact, we are more certain the New Testament remains as it was originally written by its authors, than we are sure of writings we attribute to Plato, or Aristotle, or Homer's Iliad.

However, what about the gospel accounts of Jesus! Are they reliable?

Four of the authors of the New Testament each wrote their own biography on the life of Jesus. These are called the four gospels, the first four books of the New Testament. How can we be sure these biographies of Jesus are accurate?

When historians try to determine if a biography is reliable, they ask questions like. "How many other sources report the same details about this person?" Here's how this works. Imagine you are collecting biographies of President John F. Kennedy. You find many describing his family, his presidency, his handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and almost all the biographies report similar facts. But what if you found one biography reporting that he lived ten years as a priest in South Africa? The other biographies show he lived in the U.S. his entire life. A sensible historian would go with the accounts that agree with one another.

Regarding Jesus, do we find multiple biographies reporting similar facts about his life? Yes. Here is a sampling of facts about Jesus, and where you would find that fact reported in each of their biographies. I am not able to put these in a nice table to read as the software used to create this book will not allow tables.

Jesus was born of a virgin in Matthew 1:18-25 and in Luke1:27, 34  
He was born in Bethlehem in Matthew 2:1 and in Luke 2:4  
He lived in Nazareth in Matthew 2:23 in Mark 1:9, 24 in Luke 2:51, 4:16 and in John1:45, 46  
Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in Matthew 3:1-15 in Mark 1:4-9 and in Luke 3:1-22 He performed miracles of healing in Matthew 4:24, etc. in Mark 1:34, etc. in Luke 4:40, etc. and in John 9:7  
He walked on water in Matthew 14:25 in Mark 6:48 and in John 6:19  
He fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish in Matthew 14:7 in Mark 6:38 in Luke 9:13 and in John 6:9  
Jesus taught the common people in Matthew 5:1; in Mark 4:25, 7:28; in Luke 9:11; and in John 18:20  
He spent time with social outcasts in Matthew 9:10, 21:31; in Mark 2:15, 16; in Luke 5:29, 7:29; and in John 8:3  
He argued with the religious elite in Matthew 15:7; in Mark 7:6; in Luke 12:56; and in John 8:1-58  
The religious elite plotted to kill him in Matthew 12:14; in Mark 3:6; in Luke19:47; and in John 11:45-57  
They handed Jesus over to the Romans in Matthew 27:1 & 2; in Mark 15:1; in Luke 23:1; and in John 18:28  
Jesus was flogged in Matthew 27:26; in Mark 15:15; and in John 19:1  
He was crucified in Matthew 27:26-50; in Mark 15:22-37; in Luke 23:33-46; and in John 19:16-30  
He was buried in a tomb in Matthew 27:57-61; in Mark 15:43-47; in Luke 23:50-55; and in John 19:38-42  
Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to his followers in Matthew 28:1-20; in Mark 16:1-20; in Luke 24:1-53; and in John 20:1-31

Two of the gospel biographies were written by the apostles Matthew and John, men who knew Jesus personally and travelled with him for over three years. The other two books were written by Mark and Luke, close associates of the apostles. These writers had direct access to the facts they were recording; they had personally witnessed the miracles and took part in events. The early church accepted the four gospels because they agreed with what was already common knowledge about Jesus' life.

OK but do historians confirm what the Bible says about Jesus?

The Bible reports that Jesus of Nazareth performed many miracles, was executed by the Romans, and rose from the dead. Numerous ancient historians corroborate the Bible's account of the life of Jesus and his followers:

Cornelius Tacitus (A.D. 55-120), an historian of first-century Rome, is considered one of the most accurate historians of the ancient world. An excerpt from Tacitus tells us that the Roman emperor Nero "inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class...called Christians. Christus [Christ], from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus..."

Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian (A.D. 38-100), wrote about Jesus in his Jewish Antiquities. From Josephus, "we learn that Jesus was a wise man who did surprising feats, taught many, won over followers from among Jews and Greeks, was believed to be the Messiah, was accused by the Jewish leaders, was condemned to be crucified by Pilate, and was considered to be resurrected."

Suetonius, Pliny the Younger, and Thallus also wrote about Christian worship and persecution that is consistent with New Testament accounts.

Even the Jewish Talmud, certainly not biased toward Jesus, concurs about the major events of his life. From the Talmud, "we learn that Jesus was conceived out of wedlock, gathered disciples, made blasphemous claims about himself, and worked miracles, but these miracles are attributed to sorcery and not to God."

This is remarkable information considering that most ancient historians focused on political and military leaders, not on obscure rabbis from distant provinces of the Roman Empire. Yet ancient historians (Jews, Greeks and Romans) confirm the major events that are presented in the New Testament, even though they were not believers themselves.

OK, I get the point but, I've heard there are contradictions in the Bible?

While some claim that the Bible is full of contradictions, this simply is not true. The number of apparent contradictions is actually remarkably small for a book of the Bible's size and scope. Of the apparent discrepancies exist they are more curiosity than calamity. They do not touch on any major event or article of faith.

Here is an example of a so-called contradiction. Pilate ordered that a sign be posted on the cross where Jesus hung. Three of the Gospels record what was written on that sign:

In Matthew: "This is Jesus, the king of the Jews."

In Mark: "The king of the Jews."

In John: "Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews."

While the wording is recorded differently by each author some use this as an apparent contradiction. The remarkable thing, though, is that all three writers describe the same event in such detail Jesus was crucified. On this they all agree. They even record that a sign was posted on the cross, and the meaning of the sign is the same in all three accounts! What about the exact wording? In the original Greek of the Gospels, they didn't use a quotation symbol as we do today to indicate a direct quote. The Gospel authors were making an indirect quote, which would account for the subtle differences in the passages.

Here is another example of an apparent contradiction. Was Jesus two nights in the tomb or three nights in the tomb before His resurrection? Jesus said, prior to his crucifixion, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40). Mark records another statement that Jesus made, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise." (Mark 10:33, 34). Jesus was killed on Friday and the resurrection was discovered on Sunday. How can that be three days and nights in the tomb? It was a Jewish figure of speech in Jesus' time to count any part of a day or night as a full day and night. So Friday, Saturday, and Sunday would be called three days and three nights in Jesus' culture. We speak in similar ways today if a person were to say, "I spent all day shopping," we understand that the person didn't mean 24 hours.

This is typical of apparent contradictions in the New Testament. Most are resolved by a closer examination of the text itself or through studying the historical background. Hence when interpreting the Bible we do need to ask questions like:

Who wrote this?

Under what cultural and sociological conditions was it written?

To whom was this written?

As well as why was this written?

Asking these questions and researching your answers you usually come out with a decent orthodox answer.

Another necessary question is how were the books of the New Testament determined?

There are solid reasons for trusting in today's list of New Testament books. The church accepted the New Testament books almost as soon as they were written. Their authors were friends of Jesus or his immediate followers, men to whom Jesus had entrusted the leadership of the early church. The Gospel writers Matthew and John were some of Jesus' closest followers. Mark and Luke were companions of the apostles, having access to the apostles' account of Jesus' life. The other New Testament authors had immediate access to Jesus as well: James and Jude were half-brothers of Jesus who initially did not believe in him. Peter was one of the 12 apostles. Paul started out as a violent opponent of Christianity and a member of the religious ruling class, but he became an ardent follower of Jesus, convinced that Jesus rose from the dead. Following his Damascus road experience; read Acts 9.

The reports in the New Testament books lined up with what thousands of eyewitnesses had seen for themselves. When other books were written hundreds of years later, it wasn't difficult for the church to spot them as forgeries. For example, the Gospel of Judas was written by the Gnostic sect, around 130-170 A.D., long after Judas' death. The Gospel of Thomas, written around 140 A.D., is another example of a counterfeit writing erroneously bearing an apostles' name. These and other Gnostic gospels conflicted with the known teachings of Jesus and the Old Testament, and often contained numerous historical and geographical errors.

In A.D. 367, Athanasius formally listed the 27 New Testament books (the same list that we have today). Soon after, Jerome and Augustine circulated this same list. These lists, however, were not necessary for the majority of Christians. By and large the whole church had recognized and used the same list of books since the first century after Christ. As the church grew beyond the Greek-speaking lands and needed to translate the Scriptures, and as splinter sects continued to pop up with their own competing holy books, it became more important to have a definitive list.

The main reason the Gospel accounts were not written immediately after Jesus' death and resurrection is that there was no apparent need for any such writings. Initially the gospel spread by word of mouth in Jerusalem. There was no need to compose a written account of Jesus' life, because those in the Jerusalem region were witnesses of Jesus and well aware of his ministry. However, when the gospel spread beyond Jerusalem, and the eyewitnesses were no longer readily accessible, there was a need for written accounts to educate others about Jesus' life and ministry. Many scholars date the writing of the Gospels between 30 and 60 years after Jesus' death.

Luke, at the beginning of his gospel, tells us why he wrote it: In Luke 1:1-4 we read:

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

But does it matter if Jesus really did and said what is in the Gospels?

Yes it does. If our faith to really be of any value, it must be based on facts, on reality. Here is why. If you were taking a flight to London, you would probably have faith that the jet is fuelled and mechanically reliable, the pilot trained, and no terrorists on board. Your faith, however, is not what gets you to London. Your faith is useful in that it got you on the plane. But what actually gets you to London is the integrity of the plane, pilot, etc. You could rely on your positive experience of past flights. But your positive experience would not be enough to get that plane to London. What matters is the object of your faith; is it reliable?

Is the New Testament an accurate, reliable presentation of Jesus? Yes. We can trust the New Testament because there is enormous factual support for it. We have touched on the following points: historians concur, archaeology concurs, the four Gospel biographies are in agreement, the preservation of document copies is remarkable, and there is superior accuracy in the translations. All of this gives a solid foundation for believing that what we read today is what the original authors wrote and experienced in real life, in real places.

John, one of the authors sums it up well, in John 21:25 we read:

Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

The work of translation of the Scriptures into modern language is always an ongoing process. Simply because language is always changing; so the Bible needs to be retranslated every now and then; not to change any meaning, quite the opposite. To make it more easily understood. The Old Testament was originally written in Ancient Hebrew with a little Aramaic; while the New Testament was written in Classical Greek, again with a little Aramaic. Languages that today can only be fluently read by scholars of those particular languages.

A note is needed. There are people that hang on to a particular version of the Bible in some strange obsession that it was more inspired than others. I speak of course about the King James Version (KJV), sometimes referred to as the Authorized Version (AV). The name Authorized Version came about because it was Authorized by King James VI in 1604. I am in no way critical of those people who chose this as their preferred version to read. In the original Preface of the KJV the scholars mentioned that their work would need to be continued as they recognized that a modern language is never set in stone, so to speak, but is a living and growing thing, words change their meaning etc. Nevertheless, there are people that strangely think that it is more holy or correct; they are wrong on both counts. I once as a student Pastor had an old guy say to me "well if it was good enough for St Paul then its good enough for me." I had to tell him that in St Paul's day, there was no New Testament and the Old Testament was still on hand written scrolls in Hebrew.

Is the Bible trustworthy? Yes, the Bible is both reliable and trustworthy. The original writings of the Bible have been lost. However, before they were lost, they were meticulously and very precisely copied. These copies were incredibly accurate, the work carried out by trained copyists. These people who copied the scrolls were extremely dedicated to God and their copying tasks. They took great care when copying the original manuscripts. This copying method is so exact, and so precise, that the New Testament alone is considered to be 99.5% textually pure. This means that of the 6000 Greek copies (the New Testament was written in Greek), and the additional 21,000 copies in other languages, there is only one half of 1% variation. Of this very slight number, the great majority of the variants are easily corrected by comparing them to other copies that don't have the "typos" or by simply reading the context. You should know that copying mistakes occur in such ways as word repetition, spelling, or a single word omission due to the copyist missing something when moving his eyes from one line to another. The variants are very minor. Nothing affects doctrinal truth and the words and deeds of Christ are superbly and reliably transmitted to us.

The science of studying ancient literature and its accuracy of transmission, is called historicity. The Bible is so exceedingly accurate in its transmission from the originals to the present copies, that if you compare it to any other ancient writing, the Bible is light years ahead in terms of number of manuscripts and accuracy. If the Bible were to be discredited as being unreliable, then it would be necessary to discard the writings of Homer, Plato, and Aristotle as also unreliable since they are far less well preserved than the Bible.

The Bible was written by those who were inspired by God, 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

So it is accurate and true, and represents historical occurrences. When we look at the New Testament, we realize that it was written by those who either knew Jesus personally, or were under the direction of those who did. In other words, they wrote or dictated what they saw. They wrote about the life, ministry arrest and death of Christ as well as his resurrection. They carefully recorded His miracles and His sayings. It comes down to whether or not you believe what it says about Christ.

Now I could write pages and pages about why the Bible is accurate and why it is the word of God. However, whatever I say or what anyone else says; it all comes down to whether or not you can choose to accept it or you don't. It makes no difference to me or the millions of Christians around the world. It will affect you for the bottom line is, apart from all the evidence it takes faith.

The Holy Trinity

God is that mystical three in one God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, which certainly puts some people in a quandary. But, Scripture does not find it a problem:

Matthew 3:16-17

_As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him._ 17 _And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."_

John 14:16-17

_And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—_ 17 _the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you._

Acts 2:32-33

_God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it._ 33 _Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear._

1 Peter 1:2

who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Here are some more references for your perusal if indeed you need them: (Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14;; John 10:30; 17:11; John 17:21;)

Although the term "Trinity" itself is not found in the Bible, most Bible scholars agree that its meaning is clearly expressed. These are some of the verses expressing the concept of the Trinity - Matthew 3:16-17, Matthew 28:19, John 14:16-17, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Acts 2:32-33, John 10:30, John 17:11&21. For a more in-depth study of the Trinity there are easy to find recourses on the internet. The following comes via www.christianity.about.com

"The word "Trinity" comes from the Latin noun "trinitas" meaning "three are one." The Trinity expresses the belief that God is one Being made up of three distinct Persons who exist in co-equal essence and co-eternal communion as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The doctrine or concept of the Trinity is central to most Christian denominations and faith groups, although not all. Among churches that reject the doctrine of the Trinity are The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Scientists, Unitarians, the Unification Church, the Christadelphians, and Oneness Pentecostals, as well as others."

You and I live in a three-dimensional world. All physical objects have a certain height, width, and depth. One person can look like someone else, or behave like someone else, or even sound like someone else. But a person cannot actually be the same as another person. They are distinct individuals. God, however, lives without the limitations of a three-dimensional universe. He is spirit. And he is infinitely more complex than we are. That is why Jesus the Son can be different from the Father. And, yet they remain the same. The Bible clearly speaks of: God the Son, God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit. But strongly emphasizes that there is only ONE God. If we were to use math, it would not be, 1+1+1=3. It would be 1x1x1=1. God is a triune God.

Thus the term: "Tri" meaning three, and "Unity" meaning one, Tri+Unity = Trinity. It is a way of acknowledging what the Bible reveals to us about God, that God is yet three "Persons" who have the same essence of deity. Some have tried to give human illustrations for the Trinity, such as H2O being water, ice and steam (all different forms, but all are H2O). Another illustration is an egg having a shell, egg yolk and egg white, but this egg illustration shows that there would be "parts" to God, which isn't the case.

God the Son (Jesus) is fully, completely God. God the Father is fully, completely God. And God the Holy Spirit is fully, completely God. Yet there is only one God. In our world, with our limited human experience, it's tough to understand the Trinity. But from the beginning we see God this way in Scripture. Notice the plural pronouns "us" and "our" in Genesis 1:26:

Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

Though not a complete list, here is some other Scripture that shows God is one, in Trinity:

Deut. 6:4

Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!

Isaiah 45:5

I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me,

1Corinthians 8:4

There is no God but one.

Matt. 3:16-17

_As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him._ 17 _And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."_

Matt. 28:19

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

John 10:30

the Father are one.

John 14:9

Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

John 12:45

The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.

Romans 8:9

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.

Matthew 1:20

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Luke 1:35

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

Jesus speaking to His disciples John 14:16-17, 23

_And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever_ 17 _the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you._ 23 _Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them._

Lets tackle what is God like. This is important for if we have a wrong concept of who God is then we will not be capable of functioning as a powerful Christian and we are most certainly meant to function in power, Matthew 28:18-20 says:

_Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me._ 19 _Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,_ 20 _and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."_

So if we believe that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Messiah, God's only son, that he paid the price of all sin for all time and that he had all the power of God, then we too have that power and authority at our disposal, we simply need to learn how to use it, like Jesus intended us to.

But God? How does He exist? Well God has always existed; this is captured in how I was taught as a boy: God is, was and always will be. OK but what does He look like? God does not have a body as we have a physical body, God exists as spirit. As it states on www.christianity.net.au

God is much 'bigger' than us in every sense. So we can never completely describe him or understand him. It would be like a slug trying to understand Einstein's theories to expect us to understand God.

We do know something about God, but we are dependent on him revealing himself to us. He has done that through the Bible and through his Son, Jesus.

Therefore, if we are talking about Christianity most people say we had better start with God; we need to throw away all our preconceived ideas regarding what we think about God and find out for sure! What is God like?

God is many things but let's start with knowledge; God is omniscient or "knows all things"

Job 37:16

Do you know the balancing's of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge.

Isaiah 55:9

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Acts 15:18:

the Lord's work is known to him from long ago;

1 John 3:20 says:

If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

God is also omnipotent or "all powerful"

Psalm 115:3

Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.

Revelation 19:6

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

God is omnipresent or "present everywhere" (Psalm 139 is a must read).

Jeremiah 23:23, 24

" _Am I only a God nearby," declares the Lord, "and not a God far away? God is sovereign, meaning a supreme ruler, especially a monarch._

Zechariah 9:14

Then the Lord will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning.

The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the south,

1 Timothy 6:15-16

_which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,_ 16 _who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen._

God is holy. This is extremely important a there have been times when preachers have said flippant things like God is OK. On the other hand, people have the Crocodile Dundee attitude of God and me, we will be mates. No God is holy.

1 Peter 1:15

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;.

God is just or "righteous" (Psalm 19:9, 116:5, 145:17;

Jeremiah 12:1.

You are always righteous, Lord, when I bring a case before you.

Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper?

Why do all the faithless live at ease?

God is love

1 John 4:8

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

God is true Romans 3:4:

Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.

John 14:6

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

God is spirit John 4:24

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth."

God is the creator of everything that exists; Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heaven; and the earth.

Isaiah 44:24

" _This is what the Lord says your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself,_

God is immutable, i.e. unchangeable. He does not change.

Malachi 3:6

" _I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed._

Isaiah 46:9-10

Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other;

_I am God, and there is none like me._ 10 _I make known the end from the beginning,_

from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'

James 1:17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Jesus

OK, what about Jesus?

Jesus is an identifiable historical person. There is more written evidence concerning Jesus existence, his life, his death as explained in the Bible and His resurrection than there is regarding your, or my existence. I highly and strongly recommend you watch this video, this is an excellent presentation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYR9p4Ok4uk

Jesus is the only way to God the Father;

John 14:6

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Matthew 11:27

" _All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him._

Luke 10:22

" _All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."_

Man, when we say man it refers to mankind, was created by God in the image of God;

Genesis 1:26-27

Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

All people have sinned Romans 3:23

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 5:12

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—

Death came into the world through Adam's sin. Prior to that there was no death.

Romans 5:12-15

_Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned 13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was_ _given, but sin is not charged against anyone's account where there is no law._ 14 _Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come._ 15 _But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!_

Sin separates us, humanity, from God

Isaiah 59:2

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

Jesus died for the sins of every person in the world, ever.

1 John 2:2

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

2 Corinthians 5:14

For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.

1 Peter 2:24

" _He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed."_

Jesus' death was a substitutionary sacrifice. He died and paid the price for all sin, for all time, so that we might live. 1 Peter 2:24

" _He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed."_

Matthew 20:28

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Mark 10:45

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Jesus resurrected from the dead in physical form

John 2:19-21

_Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."_ 20 _They replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?"_ 21 _But the temple he had spoken of was his body._

Salvation is a free gift of God. Romans 4:5

However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 2:8-9

_For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God_ 9 _not by works, so that no one can boast._

1 John 1:8-10

_If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us._ 9 _If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness._ 10 _If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us._

The Bible is the "inspired" or "God-breathed," Word of God;

2 Timothy 3:16

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

2 Peter 1:21

For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Those who reject Jesus Christ, after they die, will not go to heaven, but rather will spend their eternity in hell;

Revelation 20:11-15

_Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them._ 12 _And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books._ 13 _The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done._ 14 _Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death._ 15 _Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire._

Revelation 21:8

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

Which begs the question – what is hell like?

The answer I personally like the best is: That hell is the place that has no presence of God at all. That, to me, is a truly frightening thought.

Hell in the Bible is a place of future punishment and the final destination for unbelievers. It is described in Scripture using various terms such as eternal fire, outer darkness, a place of weeping and torment, the lake of fire, the second death, and unquenchable fire. The most terrifying reality of hell is that it will be a place of complete, unending separation from God.

The Old Testament word for hell is Sheol and is found some 65 times:

Psalm 49:13–14

_This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings._ 14 _They are like sheep and are destined to die; death will be their shepherd (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning). Their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions._

Those who accept Jesus Christ, will after they die, live for eternity with Him

John 11:25, 26

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

2 Corinthians 5:6

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.

Hell is a place of punishment; Matthew 25:41

" _Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels._

Hell is eternal; Matthew 25:46

" _Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."_

Revelation 19:20

But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

There will be a rapture of the church. Matthew 24:30-36

" _Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory._ 31 _And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other._ 32 _"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near._ 33 _Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door._ 34 _Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened._ 35 _Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away._

Matthew 24:40-41

_Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left._ 41 _Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left._

John 14:1-3

_Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me._ 2 _My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?_ 3 _And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am._

1 Corinthians 15:51-52

_Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—_ 52 _in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed._

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

_For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first._ 17 _After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever._

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

_Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters,_ 2 _not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come._ 3 _Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction._ 4 _He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God._ 5 _Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?_ 6 _And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time._ 7 _For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way._ 8 _And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming._ 9 _The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie,_ 10 _and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved._ 11 _For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie_ 12 _and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness._

Jesus will return to the earth. Acts 1:11

" _Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."_

Christians will, when Jesus returns, be raised from the dead. 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17

_For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him._ 15 _According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep._ 16 _For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first._ 17 _After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever._

There will be a final judgment. Hebrews 9:27

Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,

2 Peter 3:7

By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:10

And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

God will create a new heaven and a new earth. 2 Peter 3:13

But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

Revelation 21:1

Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

The Holy Spirit is included in the Trinity, which is made up of 3 distinct persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The following verses give a beautiful picture of the Trinity in the Bible:

Matthew 3:16-17

As soon as Jesus (the Son) was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven (the Father) said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

Matthew 28:19

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

John 14:16-17

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

2 Corinthians 13:14

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Acts 2:32-33

God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

**Q.** If God loves us so much, why do so many people suffer?

**A.** The most straightforward answer is because we live in a world has been ruined by sin. Prior to sin entering the world it was perfect, but sin seen as darkness cannot coexist with light. Romans 8:22 says:

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

All of creation was dealt a savage blow when sin entered the world. The toil of man went from a pleasant garden job to sweat of his brow hard work and childbirth became far more difficult, read Genesis 1 & 2. Now please understand this. It was NOT Eve's fault that sin entered the world. Yes she took the forbidden fruit but Adam did not have to eat it. He knew what was going on yet he still took the fruit and ate it. Now since that moment, the entire world has been trying to keep going on as normal, but it is not normal, it's flawed now it's broken and marred by sin, which in plain speaking is not doing things God's way.

Questions & Answers

**Q.** If the world is so messed up why doesn't God do something?

**A.** He did, He sent Jesus to pay the price of all sin for all time.

**Q.** Is God, Jesus Christ & the Holy Spirit just the one being?

**A.** Yes and No. If you are still struggling with this I suggest you go back and read chapter 1 again. I understand that some people find it hard sometimes to realize God came to earth in a human form as Jesus and the Holy Spirit is him resurrected from.

**Q.** Why are so many "Christians" sour pusses?

**A.** They have never discovered the true joy of being a Christian. This is mainly due to poor teaching, but not always, they could be living under the power of a vow they made years earlier.

**Q.** Why do people raise their hands during the singing?

**A.** Hand raising as its roots back in the Old Testament. Quite early on the people were instructed to lift up holy hands; the early occurrences of Moses may well have been something the Lord had directed him to do; or come from an expression of Moses towards God.

Exodus 17:11

As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.

Deuteronomy 32:40

I lift my hand to heaven and solemnly swear: As surely as I live forever,

Lamentations 3:41

Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven, and say:

1 Kings 8:54

When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven.

2 Chronicles 6:12-13

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. 13 Now he had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high, and had placed it in the center of the outer court. He stood on the platform and then knelt down before the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.

Ezra 9:5

Then, at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the Lord my God

Nehemiah 8:6

Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

Psalm 28:2

Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.

Psalm 134:2

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.

Psalm 141:2

May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

Luke 24:50

When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them.

1 Timothy 2:8

Therefore, I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.

**Q.** Why do we sing at church?

**A.** Rather than just say "because it's something we have always done" I thought I would be good to do some research and here is an attempt to give some answers! (Collated from material by Vaughan Roberts, Paul Baloche and my own thoughts)

Firstly, it's Biblical: The Bible is full of music and song from the beginning right to the very end. We are told in Job 38: that the morning stars sang and Angels shouted for joy as the earth's foundations were laid. In Genesis 4 we are told that Jubal "was the father of all who play the harp and flute" (v.21). As we turn the pages, we find many who follow in Jubal's musical footsteps. Moses sang a song of praise after the Exodus; Deborah sang after the victory over Sisera; King David played the harp, and wrote many of the Psalms; the Lord Jesus sang a hymn with his disciples at the last supper; Paul and Silas sang a hymn of praise to God in jail; and the book of Revelation tells us that there are angels who sing none stop! Here are a few direct biblical calls to sing: Colossians 3.16

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Psalm. 95:1

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Psalm. 98:1

Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

Ephesians. 5:19

speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,

1 Chronicles 16:23

Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day.

The list goes on and on just type "sing" and "song" into Bible Gateway keyword search and see for yourself!

Secondly singing is effective. Songs are a great way to remember things! Just think about annoying jingles and songs that do your head in but you know all the words and can't help but sing along. Well God was on to this well before any music producer; we read in Deuteronomy 31 that before the Israelites entered the promised land God gave Moses a song to write down and teach it to them (v19) so that they and their descendants would remember God's commands when they turned away and worshipped foreign idols and gods. You can just imagine that song popping in their heads calling them to repent when they strayed! Think about today. I bet you can recite more songs than you could sermons. Singing is a great way to remind, encourage and challenge us through scripture. This again puts a great responsibility for those of us songwriters to use more direct scripture in our songs and not just "poetic licence"

Thirdly singing is emotive. Music is a powerful tool that stirs emotions like no other. I like the way that Bob Kauflin explains this. He says that "singing to music is a great way to balance doctrine and devotion". It's far more emotive and powerful to sing songs' like "Great in power" (praise him you heavens) than it is just to recite the words (which are from Psalm 148) 4) It's eternal Singing is a pattern and model of what is to come. We see in John's vision in Revelation 4 and 5 that the worship of heaven is Christ centred and heaven is filled nonstop with songs that glorify the lamb that was slain. Singing is going to be a part of our heritage for eternity.

**Q.** What is this Speaking in tongues?

**A.** "Speaking in Tongues" is one of the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit referred to in 1 Corinthians 12:4-10.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.

"Glossolalia" is the most commonly accepted term for "speaking in tongues." It comes from the Greek words meaning "tongues" or "languages," and "to speak." Although not exclusively, "speaking in tongues" is primarily practiced by Pentecostal Christians. Glossolalia is the "prayer language" of Pentecostal churches. Some Christians who speak in tongues believe they are speaking in an existing language. Most believe they are uttering a heavenly tongue. Some Pentecostal denominations teach that speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Although confusing even for some believers who practice speaking in tongues, many Pentecostal denominations teach three distinctions or types of "speaking in tongues:"

Tongues as a supernatural outpouring and sign to unbelievers Acts 2:11.

(both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"

Tongues for the strengthening of the church - requires an interpretation 1 Corinthians 14:27

If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret.

Tongues as a private prayer language (Romans 8:26).

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

The following verses in the Bible reference "speaking in tongues" I include them for your own reference: Mark 16:17; Acts 2:4; Acts 2:11; Acts 10:46; Acts 19:6; 1 Corinthians 12:10; 1 Corinthians 12:28; 1 Corinthians 12:30; 1 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Corinthians 13:8; 1 Corinthians 14:5-29.

Most Christians, charismatics included, don't understand the true benefits of speaking in tongues, nor why this gift is so valuable. Following are 10 reasons to prove why we need this wonderful gift.

**1.** The manifestation that came with the gift of the Holy Spirit was speaking in tongues. It wasn't the wind, fire, noise or feeling of God's presence that was evidence of the gift being received but a spirit language—believers began speaking languages of the Spirit they didn't understand. It was God's plan for the gift to function as a spirit language for His children (Acts 2:4, 11; 1 Cor. 14:2).

**2.** Jesus commanded us to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus commissioned the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the promise of the Father, He didn't say, "Do this if you feel led to do so, or if it fits in your doctrinal or denominational beliefs, or if you have the time, or if you are so inclined, or if you feel comfortable about it." No! Jesus commanded them to wait until they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Since Jesus put such importance on their receiving this gift, that's more than enough reason for every Christian to seek God until they receive it too (Acts 1:4; 5:32; John 14:16-17; Eph. 5:18).

**3.** The Scriptures exhort us to be filled with the Spirit and to pray in the new tongues of our spirit language. Our spirit language enables us to live in the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, be led of the Spirit, have the fruit of the Spirit, manifest the gifts of the Spirit and go from glory to glory until we are transformed into His same image (Gal. 5:22-25; Rom. 8:14; 1 Cor. 12:7-11; 14:15; Eph. 5:18; Acts 19:2; 2 Cor. 3:18).

**4.** A spirit language is the greatest gift the Holy Spirit can give a believer. Jesus is the greatest gift God could give for the redemption of the world, and the Holy Spirit is the greatest gift Jesus could give to His church. Of all the resources in heaven and the eternal universe, nothing is more valuable, beneficial or important for the Holy Spirit to give the individual child of God than her own spirit language (1 Cor. 12:31; 14:4).

**5.** Our spirit language enables us to have spirit-to-Spirit communication with God. Humans are spirit beings clothed with flesh-and-bone bodies. While man's sin deadened the spirit, Jesus brings the spirit back to life by imparting His everlasting life into us. The Holy Spirit gives us a spirit language so we can communicate directly with God (John 4:24; 1 Cor. 15:45; Gen. 2:7; Rom. 5:12; John 3:3-5, 16).

**6.** Praying in tongues builds and increases our faith. Faith is the medium of exchange for all heavenly things, just as money is the medium of exchange for all earthly things. A major way to increase our faith is to pray in the tongues of our spirit language (Rom. 12:6; Jude 1:20; Mark 9:23; Matt. 9:29).

**7.** Praying in tongues activates the fruit of the Spirit. It's vital and beneficial to have each of the spiritual attributes become active and mature in us. Praying in tongues helps us fulfill God's predestined purpose for us to be conformed to the image of His Son (Gal. 5:22-23; 2 Cor. 3:18; 1 Cor. 13:1-13; Rom. 8:29).

**8.** Praying in our spirit language is the main way we fulfill the scriptural admonition to "pray without ceasing." Christians can pray in tongues at any time. If we are in a place where it isn't convenient or wise to speak out loud in tongues, we can pray with our inner man without making an audible sound (Eph. 6:18; 1 Thess. 5:17; Matt. 26:41; Luke 18:1; 21:36; 1 Cor. 14:15).

**9.** The Holy Spirit directs our spirit language to pray in accordance with the will of God. Probably the only time we can be assured that we are praying 100 percent in the will of God is when we are praying in our spirit language. God always answers requests that are made in alignment with His will (Rom. 8:27; 1 John 5:14-15).

**10.** Praying in tongues quiets the mind. When Dr. Andrew Newberg, a neuroscientist, compared brain scans of Christians praying in tongues with Buddhist monks chanting and Catholic nuns praying, the study showed the frontal lobes—the brain's control centre—went quiet in the brains of Christians talking in tongues, proving that speaking in tongues isn't a function of the natural brain but an operation of the spirit (1 Cor. 14:2, 14).

**Q.** What is Baptism?

**A.** Christian denominations differ widely on their teachings about baptism. Some believe baptism accomplishes the washing away of sin. Others consider baptism a form of exorcism from evil spirits. Still others teach that baptism is an important step of obedience in the believer's life, yet only an acknowledgment of the salvation experience already accomplished baptism itself has no power to cleanse or save from sin. The following takes a look at the latter perspective called "Believer's Baptism:" The distinction is that Baptism is something for those who actually believe that Jesus is the Christ and proclaim him as their saviour.

A general definition for the word baptism is "a rite of washing with water as a sign of religious purification and consecration." This rite was practiced frequently in the Old Testament. It signified purity or cleansing from sin and devotion to God. Since baptism was first instituted in the Old Testament many have practiced it as a tradition yet have not fully understood its significance and meaning.

In the New Testament, the significance of baptism is seen more clearly. John the Baptist was sent by God to spread the news of the coming Messiah: Jesus Christ. John was directed by God (John 1:33) to baptize those who accepted his message. John's baptizing is called Mark 1:4 "a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." Those baptized by John acknowledged their sins and professed their faith that through the coming Messiah they would be forgiven. Baptism then is significant in that it represents the forgiveness and cleansing from sin that comes through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Purpose of Baptism:

Water Baptism identifies the believer with the Godhead; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Matthew 28:19 says

" _Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."_

Water Baptism identifies the believer with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.

Colossians 2:11-12

_In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ,_ 12 _having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead._

Romans 6:4

" _We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."_

Water Baptism is an act of obedience for the believer. It should be preceded by repentance, which simply means "change." It is turning from our sin and selfishness to serve the Lord. It means placing our pride, our past and all of our possessions before the Lord. It is giving the control of our lives over to Him.

Acts 2:38, 41

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Water Baptism is a public testimony - the outward confession of an inward experience. In baptism, we stand before witnesses confessing our identification with the Lord.

Water Baptism is a picture representing profound spiritual truth: Galatians 2:20

Death - "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Resurrection Romans 6:4-5

" _We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection."_

Romans 6:10-13

_The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God._ 11 _In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus._ 12 _Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires._ 13 _Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness_

Cleansing I Peter 3:21

" _And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also – not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."_

I Corinthians 6:11

" _But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."_

**Q.** What is Holy Communion?

**A.** Unlike Baptism, which is a onetime event, Communion is a practice that is meant to be observed over and over throughout the life of a Christian. It is a holy time of worship when we corporately come together as one body to remember and celebrate what Christ did for us.

**Q.** Why do we observe Communion?

**A.** We observe Communion because the Lord told us to. We are to obey His commands: 1 Corinthians 11:24

And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."

In observing Communion we are remembering Christ and all that He has done for us in his life, death and resurrection: 1 Corinthians 11:24

And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."

When observing Communion we take time to examine ourselves: 1 Corinthians 11:28

A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.

In observing Communion we are proclaiming His death until He comes. It is, then, a statement of faith: 1 Corinthians 11:26

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

When we observe Communion we show our participation in the body of Christ. His life becomes our life and we become members of each other: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf

Three main Christian views regarding the bread and the wine during the practice of Communion:

The bread and the wine become the actual body and blood of Christ. The Catholic term for this is Transubstantiation.

The bread and the wine are unchanged elements, but Christ's presence by faith is made spiritually real in and through them.

The bread and the wine are unchanged elements, used as symbols, representing Christ's body and blood, in remembrance of his enduring sacrifice.

Scriptures Associated with Communion:

Matthew 26:26-28

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

Mark 14:22-24

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many."

Luke 22:19-20

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."

1 Corinthians 10:16-17

Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

1 Corinthians 11:24-26

And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

John 6:53-54

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

**Q.** Why is there an offering? And how much should I give?

**A.** All Believers should pray concerning their giving. As Christians we should not let anyone dictate to us about how much, or how little, we should give, but as you will see, attitude is everything. Our giving to the Lord's work should be a joy for us. Churches don't run on good wishes and Pastors don't get paid by a smile and a handshake; mission work likewise requires funding. So for these basic needs an offering is collected, some churches just call it The Collection. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

In Mark 12:41-44 we find the passage headed The Widow's Offering

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."

I see at least three important things about giving in this story of the widow's offering:

**1.** God values our offerings differently than men do.

**2.** In God's eyes, the value of the offering is not determined by the amount of the offering. The text says that the wealthy gave large amounts, but the widow's offering was of much higher value because she gave all that she had. It was a costly sacrifice. Note that Jesus did not say she put in more than any of the others; he said she put in more than all the others.

**3.** Our attitude in giving is important to God.

We see this same principle in the story of Cain and Abel. God evaluated Cain and Abel's offerings. Abel's offering was pleasing in God's eyes, but he rejected Cain's. Rather than giving to God out of thankfulness and worship, Cain may have presented his offering with evil or selfish intent. Maybe he had hoped to receive special recognition. Regardless, Cain knew the right thing to do, but he didn't do it. God even gave Cain an opportunity to make things right, but he chose not to.

This illustrates again that God watches what and how we give. God not only cares about the quality of our gifts to him, but also the attitude in our hearts as we offer them. God doesn't want us to be overly concerned with how our offering is spent.

At the time Jesus observed this widow's offering, the temple treasury was managed by the corrupt religious leaders of that day. But Jesus did not mention anywhere in this story that the widow should not have given to the temple.

**Q.** Why so many different churches; and why is there seem to be so much bickering between churches?

**A.** It's never pleasant when Christians disagree. Jesus prayed that we would be united (John 17:21). The Apostle Paul wanted the Christians in Ephesus to live as one (Ephesians 4:3-6). However, the reality is, the people of God have always looked like they're divided. That's because one of Satan's tricks is to bring false teachers, deceitful prophets, that look like the real thing, talk like the real thing" But they're not the real thing. A note of warning here; if a church is setting themselves apart by claiming something like 'we are the one true church' or We are the only ones doing it right' Then I suggest you get out of there quick. There are those that lead people away from God, and towards death & destruction. Keep reading for a warning on cults. From early times, God warned his people to watch out for false prophets. Have a look at Deuteronomy 18:18-22. The Old Testament has records of the true prophets having to go against false ones; see, for example, Jeremiah chapter 28, or Ezekiel chapter 13. Jesus himself gave us this warning, in Mark 13:5-6, 21-23:

_Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you._ 6 _Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many;_ 21 _At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Messiah!' or, 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it._ 22 _For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect._ 23 _So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time._

Some denominations have started in an attempt to be more closely follow the teachings of the New Testament. As they have seen something missing in their existing church. E.g. The Pentecostal, Movement began to recapture the fullness of the Holy Spirit in church life.

**Q.** Will I be accepted?

**A.** Most people struggle a little with this as they often see themselves as being 'different' or perhaps too 'sinful'; but this is NOT the case. There is invariably a place for everyone in you can begin by simply being friendly towards people. I suggest you look for a way to help, i.e. if the church meets in a hall setting up and cleaning up are constantly tasks that need willing helpers. You might fit right in being a welcomer/greeter to simply make others feel welcome when they arrive. Alternatively, you could go to the Pastor and ask, "what can I do to help?" Most Pastors, particularly in smaller churches, have a good idea where help is needed. Keep in mind that you do not need to 'do' anything to be a Christian. There is nothing you can do that will make God love you any more than He already does.

**Q.** Will I be expected to do anything?

**A.** At first no, there shouldn't be; although attending a new Christian's class is a very good idea. It may be that while you are 'finding your feet' at church, it becomes obvious to you or others where you could best serve. Keeping in mind that service to God's church should be a joy to all Christians. If you are a musician, then offer to play in the church worship team; the same applies if you sing well. Be aware they very possible have standards; so don't get upset if you do not get accepted. Likewise if you are gifted in administration you could offer assistance in the church office.

**Q.** I've heard talk about cults, how do I identify a cult?

**A.** Concerted efforts at influence and control lie at the core of cultic groups, programs, and relationships. Many members, former members, and supporters of cults are not fully aware of the extent to which members may have been manipulated, exploited, even abused. The following list of social-structural, social-psychological, and interpersonal behavioural patterns commonly found in cultic environments may be helpful in assessing a particular group or relationship.

Compare these patterns to the situation you were in (or in which you, a family member, or friend is currently involved). This list may help you determine if there is a cause for concern. Bear in mind that this list is not meant to be a "cult scale" or a definitive checklist to determine if a specific group is a cult. This is not so much diagnostic instrument as it is an analytical tool.

‪The group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader and (whether he is alive or dead) regards his belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law. Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.

Mind-altering practices (such as meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, denunciation sessions, and debilitating work routines) are used in excess and serve to suppress doubts about the group and its leader(s).

The leadership dictates, sometimes in great detail, how members should think, act, and feel (for example, members must get permission to date, change jobs, marry or leaders prescribe what types of clothes to wear, where to live, whether or not to have children, how to discipline children, and so forth). The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s) and members (for example, the leader is considered the Messiah, a special being, an avatar—or the group and/or the leader is on a special mission to save humanity). The group has a polarized us-versus-them mentality, which may cause conflict with the wider society.

The leader/Leaders is not accountable to any authorities (unlike, for example, teachers, military commanders or ministers, priests, monks, and rabbis of mainstream religious denominations).

The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it deems necessary. This may result in members participating in behaviour or activities they would have considered reprehensible or unethical before joining the group (for example, lying to family or friends, or collecting money for bogus charities).

The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members.

The group is preoccupied with making money.

Members are expected to devote inordinate amounts of time to the group and group-related activities. Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members.

The most loyal members (the "true believers") feel there can be no life outside the context of the group. They believe there is no other way to be, and often fear reprisals to themselves or others if they leave (or even consider leaving) the group.

The leadership induces feelings of shame and/or guilt in order to influence and/or control members. Often, this is done through peer pressure and subtle forms of persuasion.

Subservience to the leader or group requires members to cut ties with family and friends, and radically alter the personal goals and activities they had before joining the group.

Conclusion

Being a Christian and a church member are meant to be joyous things. If you are having trouble in experiencing joy in your Christian life I recommend you read my book Living in Christian Joy which is available here (search on www.amazon.com) as a printed book; or here ( search on www.smashwords.com) as an eBook.

Sometimes church life may seem hard. But keep in mind that church is supposed to be the best thing this side of Heaven. Learn to relax and enjoy your journey. Don't let one anyone pull you down by their negative or judgemental spirit. Smile, hug people and encourage your Pastor/s their job is one of the hardest things to do.

Remember the best place to fit in is the area of your gifting or what you love to do. E.g. If you love little kids then the church crèche would welcome your help. Mothers of young children always need a break.

Finally do the hard work of finding out who you really are and why you act or react the way you do; exploring these things can be vital in finding you place in serving God's Church.

Lord, I pray now for the person reading this that your Holy Spirit will so fill them that they cannot help but be happy. I ask you to lead them in finding out just how you made them and how you wish to bless them. Pour forth your abundant blessings in every area of their life; and help them to realise that their best days are still to come.

Amen

About the Author

Max Watson has been through many transitions in life. He began work at the age of 13 stacking the shelves of a grocery store (this was before supermarkets). He also delivered Telegrams & sewed and laid carpet; all prior to becoming a tradesman electrician, a trade he hated. He grew sideways and went into the professional sound industry, where he became a manager; holding a middle management position. Seeing no future and with his heart on the things of God, he went to study at the Churches of Christ Theological College in New South Wales, Australia, where he eventually earned a Bachelor of Theology degree. After over ten years of both study and ministry, he went to work under the banner of The Foursquare Gospel Church of Australia as both Pastor and School Chaplin.

He married Christine, in 1980, and together they have 4 now adult children, two sons-in-law and two grandchildren.

Again, there was to be another transition; he resigned after 7 years at Mt Druitt, a tough area of Western Sydney, he left pastoral ministry and went to run the humanitarian project Operation Christmas Child for Samaritans Purse Australia; it was while he was on an assignment in Cambodia in May 2004, he suffered a massive stroke. Full recovery did not happen, and Max was left with Left-side Hemiplegia; meaning his left side is paralysed. He managed to gain a couple of part-time administration jobs; but has most recently concentrated his knowledge and talents to writing. In order to encourage and teach "the church" he loves.

His books include:

So You Had a Stroke (a free eBook)

Confronted by Poverty on a 1st Mission Trip

The Collected Short Stories and Verse

Lessons in Life from the Life of Abraham

Life is for Living ( a journey through Ecclesiastes)

Living in Christian Joy( a journey through Philippians)

Another look at Psalm23

The Minor Prophets
