Believers Baptism?

A tough area of Contention!

Should a Born-Again believer be baptised or not?

Is it important to be baptised and do we have too be?

These and many more complex questions have been debated in Ekklesia over the last two-thousand years, and even today there is no clear understanding that is acceptable to all sides!

Many of the early Churches from three-hundred Ad to the time of the German Reformation of Martin Luther went with child baptism, since it was easier and pleased most? The Church from that time kept an exclusiveness on the Scriptures, through the clergy and the common man had to take the word or control as it was distributed with local superstitions and curses?

The most tremendous fact about baptism is that of the thief on the cross who entered heaven, without being baptised! This perhaps is the best clarification on the matter that are faith is on Jesus and focussed on how we are lead by Him and will follow Him doing, loving, caring and showing concern, while witnessing His truth to the dying world around us!

Luke 23:43. Romans 5:21, 1 Timothy 1:15, Hebrews 7:25, Revelation 2:7.

Remembering!

This year it has been treated with Respect?

In the last Century it is very difficult to comprehend how many people died in mechanised wars, that started with the Boers in 1904 in South-Africa, World War-I (1914-18), World War-II (1939-45), the Japanese conflict, which started in 1931-45!

Then we have all the wars from 1947 to 9/11 Iraq, Middle-East conflicts, Malay, Pakistan and many across the continent of Africa? Well over 100, 000,000 Million people died on our planet and despite the Promises of peace, or ‘Never Again, it has happened again?

Many Christians take the pacifist stance that it is not fit for us to go to war, since the Hebrew priests of the Old Testament did not! But this is not quite true, because in some cases they had no choice and when we come to Israel ancient and modern it has to defend itself from hostile enemies?

The ideas of the illegal occupation of Palestinian land does not corelate with Biblical doctrine, there has to be a Temple in Jerusalem for the Anti-Christ to operate from and for the Lord Jesus to return to at the end of the ages!

Genesis 9:16, Leviticus 25:38, Proverbs 17:9, Luke 21:10, Acts 20:35, 1 Corinthians 15:1, Galatians 2:10, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, Hebrews 13:3, 2 Peter 3:2, Revelation 12:17, 16:15, 19:11.

The watering down of the Truth!

Guy Fawkes now anti-Catholic?

Over the years things have been getting worse for Christians on the mainland -GB, with the watering down of the Gospel, witnessing at work and the introduction of denial doctrines to counter act the truth of the Bible!

Many Anglican Church leaders know refuse to acknowledge the reformation of 433 years ago and are sticking to their Roman Catholic or Celtic roots 4th Century foundation? The Protestant reformation is seen as anti-Catholic and yet they are the same to deny that under Queen Mary-1 over fifty-five thousand Christians were martyred in her short reign by the orders of the Papacy!

Another issue is the denial of historical facts and the many freedoms the media has with the press today, come from the Protestant Puritans fight? What we can say today, remains a issue in many Catholic nations as unspoken except in private!

One hope that the Guy, the English traitor is burned this November the 5th and that children are taught some historical facts that need to be reinforced in a right way in our Churches and schools today!

John 3:21, 4:24, Acts 10:34, Romans 2:2, 2 Corinthians 13:8, Galatians 4:16, 2 Timothy 2:25.

Halloween?

Showing that the Light of God always shines through the Darkness!

Many Christians today are quick to dismiss ‘Harry Potter and Halloween as evil and not of any value, yet the Anglican Church maintained this festival since the reformation to show that God is greater than the Devil!

Evil is a ever present reality just as sin is, but we all have choices in relation to our actions and people, children can have the fun, while learning to see the difference?

The means to evangelise over this all hallows, will be a great blessing to us and may change the hearts and minds of many young people in these perilous times of increased knife crime and other criminal activity, such as county lines and prostitution with all the other social media and cyber space related issues!

Genesis 6:5, Job 4:8, Psalm 7:14, 119:43, Proverbs 6:18, Ecclesiastes 2:13, Matthew 4:1, John 8:12, 9:5, 12:46, 16:3, Acts 13:10, 2 Corinthians 4:2, 11:14, Ephesians 6:11-12, James 3:15, 1 John 2:8.

Working with Children n Young People?

Laying Foundations!

Roman Catholicism believes that if you can win them young you have them for life, so the saying goes? But this is not actually true, because all children have to be confirmed into the Church at a certain age wither they profess a faith or not since this is a religious system that is based on traditions and ritualism!

We must not make excuses in our reaching out to children in Sunday school, youth clubs, house groups and other, believing that the new growth comes only this way? One has to wonder where the power of God is in such places, since these are the ideas of the human mind and not that of the inborn Holy Spirit!

The Apostles the Fathers of the Ekklesia did not preach exclusively to one age group and thus this is the way to progress and continue in under the grace of God! It is good to have a working for every-age within the life of the Church and nothing must be side-lines, even the dotty old dears may hear something and the dynamic power of the Spirit will bring them to salvation?

Matthew 3:1, Mark 1:4, Acts 6:2, 15:31, Romans 1:9, 15:4, 1 Corinthians 9:18, 14:3, Galatians 1:23, 1 Thessalonians 2:16, 1 Timothy 4:13, Philemon 1:7, Hebrews 13:22.

The HARVEST Festival?

Another opportunity to reach Out!

This time of the year is very traditional for many, especially in the country side, a time is made to give thanks to God for the fruits of hard labour and farming is a very unpredictable profession to be in with many a sad disappointment dependent on the weather and many other factors such as disease?

In the Holy Bible we find that Pentecost or Shavo’ut was also the harvest of the first fruits and the significance of it seems to many lost with the giving of the Holy Spirit to the early Ekklesia? This harvest signifies that believers empowered by the Holy Spirit will produce fruit in winning others to Jesus!

So which ever way we approach the thanksgiving or Pentecost, we have the opportunity to invite others to receive Jesus into their lives! Much can be done during the Harvest, than just flowers and food and their is the ability to think up new things to keep the valued introduction and much more going?

Genesis 8:22, Proverbs 10:5, Jeremiah 8:20, Matthew 9:37, 13:30, Revelation 14:15.

Effective Ministry?

Many groups and Meetings!

Some fellowships do very little and rely on the community, others act in a silly way bringing golf and the funfair to their buildings in the hope of raising the attendance numbers? While others are full of activity, from house groups to meetings and yet there is no essential results of attendance or growth?

Good leadership is needed from the Pastor to the elders or deacons or what ever way you make that call! Organisation and review is as important, while the prayer meeting is one of the focuses of the believers to pray weekly on the events, the direction of the Ekklesia, the sick, troubles and the surrounding community!

Preaching the Gospel with emphasis on the Cross, the need for personal salvation and that believers share their faith at work, home, school and other without the fear of humans is the key to success!

Leviticus 19:15, Psalm 91:5, Isaiah 8:12, Acts 8:25, 1 John 4:18, 5:9-11, Revelation 22:20.

Sunday evening Services! Two.

Ekklesia is not like the Kosmon?

What is being lost in not having an Sunday evening service is that of fellowship of believers ahead of the working week! The world is very hostile most of the time to believers, we are attacked for what disagrees with their standards and ours are dismissed as archaic?

A two hour slot of praise, prayer and preaching with an after fellowship of just meeting and talking with folk is the varied ways of helping and leading others to God! When you have worked prior to going into ministry, you are more likely to see the needs in particular loneliness and despair!

God came to save sinners and the Ekklesia is a place for believers to meet together and be built up, its not a club or some unneeded tradition of religious observance! We need to help those who are seeking God and keep our flocks well watered and fed?

Acts 2:42, Romans 16:8, Philippians 2:1, Philemon 1:6, 1 John 1:6.

Sunday Evening Services! One.

No longer Popular?

Many fellowships today only have Sunday morning services and have ended their evenings for the pleasures of the television and other?

They see no value in pressuring their congregations into attending Church twice on a Sunday! But one has to say I think this is wrong, the opportunity to share the Gospel is slowly being eradicated and we will have to give God an account for missed souls?

Many in ministry have it easy, compared to normal 9-5 work and so it seems another chip off the block can be sacrificed? Many people today work in the gig economy and would like to break bread before or after work, to be fed spiritually and have the opportunity to bring a friend?

Isaiah 40:11, 56:11, Ezekiel 34:2, Luke 2:20, 1 Peter 5:2.

HELL?

Who will be There?

The Holy Bible says all who have refused to believe and wicked cruel people! But that definition of sinners has changed today, because not all sin is sin, like loving children and same sex relationships?

Society and some elements of the Church have accepted sin on this one level, which does now justify the right to kill, steal, lie, be dishonest and disobey God! But this is not Gods way and we will have to give an account of our actions in this life!

Hope in God being fair is not good enough, because He has no favorites and what He says remains because we are believers we know that He does not change. There is a separation from God and it is well listed wither some leaders believe it or not in the Bible that not everyone is going to be in heaven!

Darkness, fires, unquenchable pain and all mentioned along with the bottomless pit and the torment of the Devil for Eternity! We cannot afford as leaders, evangelists and Pastors to ignore these facts and lead others in to a false sense of security when this is the reality of all who will be lost!

Deuteronomy 32:22, Psalm 55:15, Proverbs 27:20, Isaiah 28:15, Ezekiel 31:16, Matthew 23:33, Mark 9:43-48, Luke 16:22-23, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Ephesians 6:16, 2 Peter 2:4, Revelation 1:18, 21:8, 22:15.