Vital Questions. Conversion and Call

Transcription

1 Vital Questions Conversion and Call 1. Describe your conversion experience. I grew up in church and knew Christ early on. I gave my heart to Jesus as most youngsters did, but then I wanted more. At the age of six, I demanded to be baptized. The church I grew up in did not normally baptize children, but I convinced the pastor. He would remark often to me that he saw a call on me that was different than the other kids. He began calling me Sarge because I was often leading all the kids in whatever activity we were doing. Later in my teen years, the same church had become extremely legalistic, and as soon as I turned eighteen I moved out of my parent s house and left the church. I fell headlong into a life filled with sin with the same gusto I had tried to use in church. Five days after I turned eighteen I married a girl who I had met at a party. Although she was not saved, we remained together although immediately it was clear she would not be faithful. Each affair brought guilt, repentance, forgiveness, a period of calm, followed by counseling that would end in a depression on her part, and then the cycle would repeat itself. After 18 years of marriage and two children, her final betrayal was with a very close friend of mine. She filed for divorce, and the state of Kansas was kind enough to give her everything I possessed including my house, my car, my finances, my business, and worst of all, custody of my two sons. I left the courtroom and went straight to the church I had begun attending, crying out to God, I was completely broken. I turned completely to God and God began restoring all aspects of my life including giving me an incredible Godly wife. I moved to Seattle to start over again, and with just the clothes on my back, began the process of rebuilding my life. We were attending a non-denominational church with Pentecostal roots when one evening at a mission class, the teacher asked if I wanted what God had for me. I responded, of course, and she said that God had revealed to her my brokenness, and my calling. The elders of the church laid hands on me, and being baptized in the Holy Spirit, the years of being a prodigal son were replaced by complete joy. I began serving the church in every area. As the chains of sin and shame were broken off, a new call on my life was evident in all of those around me. I was prompted to answer the

2 call to ministry and return to school to become equipped and prepared for a life of serving Jesus. I worked my way through online classes while working full time, serving as a youth pastor, running both summer and winter youth camps, being a full-time husband, and father to all my kids. I completed my B.S. in Pastoral Ministry in 2011, was accepted to a Master s program in Urban Ministry graduating with honors with an M.A. in Urban Ministry in 2013, and then the doors swung open wide as I was accepted for a Doctoral Program graduating in 2016 with a Doctorate in Transformational Leadership. Along the way, I have served the church as a missionary, a church planter, street minister, and musician. In 2017, the churches in Fairbury and Jansen called me to be their pastor. 2. Call to ministry answered above Theology 1. Give an understanding of the Trinity. The best example Biblically is found at the baptism of Jesus. Here we have the Father looking down with complete authority over His Son (fully man, fully God), and speaking to the Son gives His approval. The Holy Spirit, sent by the Father descends on the Son and the Trinity is realized. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. A statement of the Athanasian Creed with regard to this gives a perfect definition: The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God; and yet there are not three Gods but one God. The Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Ghost is Lord, and yet there are not three Lords but one Lord. For as we are compelled by Christian truth to acknowledge each Person by Himself to be God and Lord, so we are forbidden by the same truth to say that there are three Gods or three Lords. And in reality, you can never get beyond that. The scriptural truth, the Christian truth, insists upon our saying that there are three Persons, and yet we must not say that there are three Gods. This is a great and eternal mystery. 2. Who is the Father, and what do you understand to be His role in the Trinity? God is all knowing but incomprehensible, God (Jehovah) is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. God is eternal, immutable, unchangeable, perfect, and beyond wise. Then, finally, the Bible also tells us about the absolute blessedness of God. It speaks about His utter, absolute perfection. God is the sum total of all excellency. There is nothing higher

3 or greater or better than God. He is Holy! He is righteous. He is just, and merciful. He is faithful. Every conceivable perfection is in God in an absolute manner, and He is exalted above all shortcomings and all limitations. The Bible, therefore, speaks of the perfection of God and it also speaks of the blessedness of God. His role in the Trinity is to have a sovereign will and power that has been manifested most of all, and most clearly, in three ways: in creation, in salvation, and in Providence. The Fathers creates; the Father elects; the Father planned salvation. 3. Who is the Son, and what is His role in the Trinity? The first thing to know about Jesus Christ is that He is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies and promises. The Bible also exhorts us to consider Him, because He is the only one by whom we can be reconciled to God, and by whom we can know God. We read in Hebrews 12:24 that He is the mediator of the new covenant. He said Himself, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6). Neither is their salvation in any other: for there is none another name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). And there is the statement made by Paul in 1 Timothy 2:5: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. That, then, is the claim that is made for Him everywhere: that it is in Him, and in Him alone, that we know God and are reconciled to God, and in Him alone, therefore, can we be saved. The Son was sent by the Father to work out this salvation. All power has been given to Him in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18). He has all might and dominion and authority. In Revelation 5 we are told that He is the only one who can control and open the seals. There was no one strong enough to break the seals of the book of history except the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Lamb that once was slain. But He can do so, and He does so. In 1 Corinthians 15:25 we are told that He must reign till God has put all His enemies under His feet; again, in Ephesians 1:22 3 we are told specifically that God hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all. In regard to the role of Christ in the Trinity and the dual nature of Christ, I offer no better statement than that of the Council of Chalcedon: Our Lord is truly God and truly man, of a reasonable soul and body, consubstantial with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the manhood; in all things like unto us without

4 sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days for us and for our salvation born of the Virgin Mary, the mother of God according to the manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably, the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved and concurring in one person and one subsistence; not parted or divided into two persons but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God, the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. 4. See above 5. State your concept of the Atonement. For whom did Christ die? What difference does His death make? Why was it necessary? I believe in the Reformed View of the Biblical Doctrine of Atonement. This view holds that biblical teaching emphasizes the supremacy of the substitutionary element in the atonement. It asserts that the Lord Jesus Christ suffered the penalty of the broken law vicariously, as the substitute for His people. This view has two main characteristics. The first is the emphasis upon the fact that Jesus Christ has done something as our substitute, and the second is the penal aspect it states that the law pronounced a penalty which He, as our substitute, Christ has taken upon himself for us. The New Testament teaches that Christ saves us by His death, each of us, everyone. His death was necessary for the same fashion that the sacrifices of the Old Testament provided atonement for our sin. 1 Peter 1:18 19 (ESV) 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 6. Describe the nature of Christ s resurrection and importance of the resurrection. Our Lord by His work, and especially His work upon the cross, in addition to bearing the penalty and punishment of our sins as our substitute, was also destroying the works of the devil. He was delivering us from the bondage and the dominion of the devil and was also delivering us from the territory of death. We are no longer dead in trespasses and sins; we do not belong to the realm of death, we are alive unto God. And likewise, He has delivered us from the tyranny, and power of sin. He has satisfied all requirements with regard to the devil and sin and death. And if you agree with Luther that the law and the

5 wrath of God must be regarded as enemies against us, He has also dealt with them, and thus everything that stands between us and God has been dealt with and has been removed. 7. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation? Emphatically YES. What is the basis for this belief? The very Word of God says John 14:6 (ESV) 6 Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. What does it mean to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Mark 16:16 (ESV) 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. John 3:18 (ESV) 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 8. Give your understanding of the following; (1) human beings were created in the image of God, (2) human beings have a sinful nature and are eternally lost, (3) human beings may experience reconciliation through Jesus Christ. (1) Genesis 1.27, 5.2, Psalms all give us examples from the Word that man was created in the likeness of God. We were formed by God in His likeness should respond with praise and thanksgiving. (2) Genesis 6.5 speaks of the heart of man, and that it seeks to do evil continually; Jeremiah 17.9 says the heart is deceitful above all things, and Romans 3.23 says that all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Try as we may, we are failures and sinners who are inclined to chase after evil. (3) John For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. God has made a way for the lost to be redeemed, but they must seek His Son, Jesus Christ. 9. Who is the Holy Spirit, and what is His role in the Trinity? The Bible not only refers to the Holy Spirit as a He, but it also ascribes to Him all the distinctive of personality. Specifically, the Holy Spirit is described as having (1) knowledge, (2) will, and (3) emotion. The apostle Paul certainly believed the Holy Spirit was knowledgeable. He wrote, For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except for the spirit of the

6 man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God. 1 Corinthians 2:11 12 The Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God. And the Holy Spirit imparts knowledge to believers. The Holy Spirit, then, is not simply an impersonal force. He has the knowledge, and He has the power to impart knowledge. The Holy Spirit has a will as well. In his discussion of spiritual gifts, Paul referred to the Holy Spirit s responsibility of distributing gifts at will: But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. 1 Corinthians 12:11 The Holy Spirit makes decisions. He is not a power to be harnessed and manipulated. He has a mind and will of His own. To tap into the Holy Spirit is not to enhance one s ability to carry out one s will. On the contrary, the power of the Holy Spirit is available only to those whose intention is to carry out His will. In the great plan of salvation, we find that in this great plan the Holy Spirit is the applier of salvation. It is His work to bring to us, and to make actual in us, in an experiential manner, that great salvation which we have been considering together and which the Son of God came into the world in order to work out. In the Godhead, the Holy Spirit is the executive, the executor. 10. What is the role of the Holy Spirit today; (1) in the church, (2) in the individual, (3) in the world? (1) The gifts that we receive from the Holy Spirit are for us to use, manifest, or employ for the benefit of others. The gifts are intended to be used for the profit of all (1 Cor. 12:7). When one hurts in the body of Christ, all are hurt. When one is blessed, all are blessed. The gifts are intended to bring healing, wholeness, and benefit to a body of believers. The motivational gift you receive from the Holy Spirit is given to you, but it is for others. (See Rom. 12:4 7 prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy.) If you are given a role in the church, your ministry gift is for service to others. (See Eph. 4:11 apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher.) If you are given a spiritual gift, you are to manifest it and help others. (See 1 Cor. 12:7 10 word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healings, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues.) We, in turn, receive from

7 others the benefit from the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to them. In this way, we are formed into a body of believers and are built up as a community of faith. (2) First and foremost, the power of the Holy Spirit purifies us. The nature of the Holy Spirit is often identified with fire. The Holy Spirit s manifestation is described as divided tongues, as of fire (Acts 2:3). Fire or intense temperature is used to melt and purify metals. This image appears in the Old Testament as applying to God s people: God will thoroughly purge away your dross, and take away all your alloy (Isa. 1:25). This same imagery can be applied to God s purification of the sinner of all that makes you impure before the Father. The Holy Spirit literally burns sin out of you so that you won t burn in your sin. Fire and burning are not necessarily comfortable images to us. Fire sounds painful, and sometimes the fire of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives is painful. His chastisement and admonishment often go against what we desire in the fleshly, human nature. But the results of His purification process are glorious! As the Lord purifies us, we are made acceptable in His sight and are made ready for use in His kingdom. Purification is a necessary part of our being sanctified, which is to be cleansed and set aside as holy in God s eyes. A second aspect of the Holy Spirit s power in us is to impart strength to us. Paul prayed for the Ephesians that the Lord would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man (Eph. 3:16). (3) Ephesians 4:11 12 tells us that the gifts to the church the placing of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers within the church are for this purpose: equipping of the saints for the work of ministry. The purpose of a good sermon is to inspire the congregation to be obedient and faithful in their walk with the Lord. The purpose of a good Bible lesson is to help people grow in faith and in their understanding about how to apply the Bible to their lives. As the gifts of the Spirit are shared among believers, under the direction and orchestration of the Spirit, we can t help having an awareness that God counts each of us as highly valuable in His church. No matter what our social status, profession, or lot in life may be, we can be used by the Holy Spirit invaluable roles of ministry. Spiritual gifts are to be exercised or manifested for the edification of the church. Edification means the building up or the strengthening of the church. Paul wrote, Since you are zealous for spiritual

8 gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel (1 Cor. 14:12). All things are to be done so that the church body as a whole might be perfected. 11. Do you believe in scriptural inerrancy? YES. What do you mean by the use of that word? How does your conviction impact your teaching, and preaching? What do you understand the terms inspired and authoritative to mean as it relates to the Bible? Inerrant: incapable of being wrong. I hold very dearly to the truth that the Word of God was handed to the authors of the Bible by the Holy Spirit, and that as they wrote, they were illuminated by the very presence of God who is incapable of making mistakes. Further, as the Word reflects, the Holy Spirit directed the Gospel writers so that they would remember these things that Jesus taught. I use the Word as the very foundation of our beliefs, and use historical, archeological, scientific, and astrologic proofs that demonstrate the Word is truth, free of error and contradiction. The Bible is authoritative because it is divinely authorized; in its own terms, all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16, NIV). 12. How does the Bible serve as a guide to faith and life? When we say, The Bible is our only rule for faith and practice, we mean that we hold the Bible, God s Holy Word, to be our ultimate guide for what we believe ( faith ) and what we do ( practice ). We mean that the Bible trumps man s authority, church tradition, and our own opinions. We mean we will allow nothing that opposes God s Word to dictate our actions or control our thinking. We mean that we agree with the Reformers cry of sola scriptura. When the Bible clearly reveals a truth, we believe it with all our hearts. When the Bible clearly commands us to do something, we make sure we are doing it. For example, the Bible says that Jesus is coming back again (John 14:3; Revelation 19:11 16). Since the Bible is our only rule for faith, we have no choice but to believe that Jesus is returning some day. Also, the Bible says that we are to flee from sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18). Since the Bible is our final authority for practice, we are bound to abstain from immorality (as defined by the Bible). 13. What is the role of the Old Testament for the church today? The Old Testament is filled with hundreds of examples of God interacting with His people. For the church today that continues to be very important. For the church to move on toward the second coming, she will need to hear from God and to do that, her people will need to know what

9 that voice sounds like. How will we know God if we haven t experienced Him in the historical, poetical or prophecies? The Old Testament offers a glimpse of how our Father has operated and interacts with His people. 14. What is the role of Creeds and Catechisms in the life of the church today? The Creeds offer for us a compass that has been handed down through the centuries and offers a solid foundation by which we can hold our tenets high. The repeated use of them in the modern service holds only one drawback in my opinion, and that is that when we repeat such important statements, sometimes we fail to grasp the depth or the richness of their intent. As to the Catechisms, I believe that these offer a tool by which congregants of all ages can interact with the Word, the Creeds, and the statements of faith. I do not agree in memorizing them simply for the use as curriculum and feel that the depth of the Catechism should be explored when used as a tool for learning. Christian Life 1. What is your view on the sanctity of life at every stage? I believe that life is a gift from God and that our days are ordained by Him. Any attempt to alter that on the part of mankind only demonstrates our inadequacy to understand Him, His plan, and or His abilities. I believe that the people of the United States have been misled by propaganda that is pure evil, and that it is centered on desensitizing us to the fact that life is a gift. I believe that Satan is at work attempting to use our ideas of freedom as an excuse for immorality. 2. What is your view of human sexuality? Again, I believe that Satan has been successful in using our countries ideas of freedom, rights, and equality to perpetuate an incredible fraud that many will pay for with eternal damnation. I believe that God instituted marriage in Genesis, that Jesus reaffirmed in the Gospels to be a union between a man and a woman. I further believe that any attempt to alter this institution on the part of the government only proves the degree of evil that we as a nation have allowed ourselves to fall. The Church

10 1. What is the church? The word church in the Bible comes from the Greek word ecclesia, which means a called out company or assembly. Wherever it is used in the Bible it refers to people. It can be a mob (Acts 19:30-41), the children of Israel (Acts 7:38), and the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 5:25, 32). We see the word church used three different ways: First, as the body of Christ, the church is often defined as a local assembly or group of believers (1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:1-2). Second, it is defined as the body of individual living believers (1 Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13). Finally, it is defined as the universal group of all people who have trusted Christ through the ages (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 5:23-27). The Bible makes reference to the church being the bride of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-32). This also alluded to in John 14:1-3 when Jesus talked about making a place at His Father s house for us. This is a direct reference to when a man proposes to a woman and they are engaged. The man goes back to his father s house to build on an addition. When the addition is done and everything is ready, he comes to call for his bride, which symbolizes the resurrection (Matthew 25:1; Revelation 19:7-9). 2. According to the Bible, what is the purpose of the church? The local church or assembly of believers has different roles that God gave to specific believers for the purpose of perfecting or training the believers, doing the work of the ministry, and strengthening of the church body (Ephesians 4:11-14). The purpose of the church is twofold. The church comes together (assembles) for the purpose of worship and bringing each member to spiritual maturity (Ephesians 4:13). The church reaches out (scatters) to spread the love of Christ and the gospel message to unbelievers in the world (Matthew 28:18-20). This is the Great Commission, to go out into the world and make disciples. So, the purpose of the church is to minister to believers and unbelievers. The church, both in the universal and local sense, is important because it is the primary vehicle through which God carries out his purposes on earth. The church is the body of Christ his heart, his mouth, his hands, and feet reaching out to the world: 3. How is the church to function as a body of believers? The roles given in the Bible are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Deacons are also mentioned in Acts 6:1-7 and 1 Timothy 3:8-13 as servants to wait upon people with physical needs. The church body also serves as a local group to resolve conflicts (Matthew 18:15-20) and

11 serve as a court (1 Corinthians 6:1-8). In addition, baptisms and the Lord s Supper or communion are observed by the church body (Acts 2:37-40; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34). Depending on the size of the church body, other ministries are performed by the members of the church as God has gifted each person (Romans 12:3-13; Ephesians 4: What are the types of church government and which do you espouse? (1) Episcopal The Greek word for Bishop is episkopos, meaning overseer ; from the transliteration of this Greek word we obtain the word Episcopalian ; the central point is that authority is understood in terms of the single individual, the Bishop; it is understood that there are pragmatic variations in those groups who practice this form of government. The Episcopal form of Church government is the government of the Orthodox Church, the Roman Church, the Church of England and the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran Church, the Methodist Church, and smaller groups that have separated from these major groups. In an Episcopal system, the Bishop is supreme, with superiority and authority over Elders and Deacons in a specific geographical area, and over other layers of organization that may become established by the particular group; the authority of the Bishop is assumed to have been derived by apostolic succession from the original apostolate, and only the Bishop has the authority to ordain. (2) Presbyterian or Reformed The Greek word for Elder is presbuteros, meaning older or more mature ; from the transliteration of this Greek word we obtain the word Presbyterian ; authority is in terms of the group, the Elders; additionally, there is only one level of Elders no hierarchy as in Episcopacy. This form of government is true of the Presbyterians and other Reformed groups and was developed mainly by Calvin in his Institutes. In the Presbyterian structure, the Elder is supreme, after being elected by the people; Elders and Bishops are not separate individuals or offices, but the words are synonyms; Elders rule through the group of Elders for each Church; usually a distinction, however, is made between teaching Elders and Ruling Elders; the rule of Elders at the local church is called the Session or Consistory.

12 In addition to the Elders of the churches, groups of churches may be grouped into a Presbytery (ordination is at this level); a number of Presbyteries can form a Synod that exercises limited authority and review at times, depending on the circumstances an example would be the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15; finally, at the national level would be the General Assembly. (3) Congregational In the Congregational form of Church government the congregation rules and makes the final decision in matters of faith and practice; each individual church is autonomous and is subject to no higher authority or level of organization; authority is understood in terms of the congregation. The congregation does not enjoy an absolute independence but must be submissive to the leadership of Christ, who is the Head of the Church, and to the individual or individuals elected to govern the specific church. This form of government is true of Congregationalists, Baptist, Anabaptist, Quakers, Evangelical Free, and most independent churches and non-affiliated groups; numerous congregations have a single Elder. In some congregational models the local church, while subject to no higher level of authority or rule, may be ruled by a group of Elders, or even a single Elder, which is ultimately answerable to the congregation but to no higher authority outside or beyond the local congregation; the congregation elects or appoints its Elders who then rule or guide the congregation; ordination is at the local level; qualifications for voting members will vary from congregation to congregation. Any association or fellowship with other churches and/or groups is voluntary and is non-binding on the local congregation which retains its independent status. Support for this form is found in the headship of Christ (Col. 1:18) and in the priesthood of all believers (I Pet. 2:9) which is usually stressed more than the principle of democracy; ideally, decisions made by the local congregation arise from the Spirit s leading of the congregation; Scriptural support is found in the action of the group or congregation in Acts 1:15-26; 6:1-7; 13:1-3; 14:27; 15:2-3. I favor an Elder-led Congregational type of church government.

13 5. Concerning the mission of the church, what does it mean to bring every person into a life of faith, discipleship, and submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and what is the process to accomplish this? The mission of the church is to go and make disciples of all nations. It is up to the individual churches to decide where that nation lies. For some churches, it is in their DNA to reach to churches in the Southern Pacific, however; each church must identify their own calling, and respond accordingly. Making disciples could begin at home, right down the street, or it might be in a large city nearby. It could also mean planting a mission in the 10/40 window, but each requires a church that is actively seeking God s direction through prayer and fasting.