Summary
1. The Bible
The foundation of our faith is the Full Scripture, the Bible (contains 66 books) – is the written form of God's word. The living God through the Holy Spirit revealed his eternal truths to his servants – to the men and assigned them to write them down.
2. God's person, the Trinity
God is spirit, invisible and eternal being, creator, maintainer and ruler of the entire universe. He revealed himself in three separate persons: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, these three are one.
1 John 5:7 : “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.”
The Father is perfect and God, he grants providence. The Father can be known only through Jesus Christ. The Son is God's only son, he was in the beginning and took form as Jesus of Nazareth, he was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit, was born in Bethlehem and became similar to the men in everything, except the sin. In his earthly life he acted the Father's will in everything, he was obedient way to the death on the cross, which was the fulfillment of the Redeeming work. God resurrected him in body, he showed himself to more than 500 people, was lifted to heaven and sits on God's right. The Father crowned him with dignity and gloriously passed the might to his son, Jesus Christ:
Matthew 28:18b : “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”
Jesus Christ is the only way to God:
John 14:6 : “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
He is the only mediator between God and man:
1 Timothy 2:5 : “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”
The Holy Spirit is God's third person, a real person who comes from the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is God in the Church, glorifies Jesus Christ and leads every believer to personal communion with Christ. Is the spirit of truth who teach us to know and worship God:
John 4:24 : “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
3. The Church
The Church is a community of people who were called by God, believers in Jesus Christ, who based on the Word's testimony accepted Jesus Christ's redeeming work – “who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” (Romans 4:25) – they have converted from their sins, confessed their faith and had reborn through baptism by water and Holy Spirit. The universal church, Christ's body, is not identical to any earthly organization, points beyond space and time. All those are part of the Church who have died in our Lord, who live – after they earned salvation through faith – and also those who will be called by our Lord in the future. The Church as Christ's body, is such a living organism, where the members connect to each other and the Body co-operates with the Head, our Jesus Christ.
Colossians 2:19 : “…and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.”
The local congregation is a community of disciples who live in a certain place at a given time, is part and the embodiment of Christ's universal Church, is independent and decides over it's functioning by the leading board of the presbyters.
4. Practicing our faith – Main moments
The Bible, God's word can be the only basis when we practice our faith, we don't accept communion with any religious exercise which has at the basis religious human tradition without biblical example or is in contradiction with the Bible's stated truths. Every human action which is intended to approach God must stem from personal faith, it has to flow from God's word, can't consist on human order or tradition.
4.1 Conversion
Due the falling into sin in the Garden of Eden, every man is born with depraved nature and has as a consequence a sinful way of life.
Romans 3:10 : “There is none righteous, no, not one.”
Romans 3:22-23 : “Even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
God calls every man to conversion:
Acts 17:30 : “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.”
Matthew 4:17 : “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The human depravation's power is so big, that man is not able to escape from it by its own strength. God's supernatural interference is needed, the Word becomes alive through the Holy Spirit and makes the sinful man able to break with his old way of life and live by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This turn means conversion. In the process of conversion, which is based on a conscious, free will decision, the person recognizes his sinful state, is sorrowful, humbles himself before God, repents and confess his sins with heart to Jesus Christ and God. Accepts Jesus Christ's redeeming and cleaning sacrifice regarding his personal life and calls Jesus' name:
Romans 10:13 : “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Following this he breaks with sinning and the sinful way of life. After conversion, God gives Jesus Christ's righteousness to the converted one so he is free from the final judgment, and believes that he has eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:24 : “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”
4.2 Rebirth
God's answer to conversion. God is touching the man's dead spirit, which was tore off from God as a consequence of falling into sin, and resurrects it through the Holy Spirit to a new life.
4.3 Baptism – Immersion
The baptism is the outer mark of that interior transformation which already happened in the Christian's life through the process. It's a symbolic act by which the believer man identifies himself with Jesus Christ's death and resurrection. He is prepared for the rest of his life to serve Jesus Christ after God's liking. He is following Jesus Christ's example who said, when he was baptized:
Matthew 3:15 : “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”
Somebody can be immersed only after he came to living faith in Jesus Christ and is his personal decision that he wants to follow Jesus Christ in baptism too.
Mark 16:16 : “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
And so, the infant baptism has no right, because a new born cannot fulfill the above stated biblical requirements: he cannot believe and be can't make decision from his own will. By baptism the Christian completely fulfills God's requirements to have the biblical insurance regarding his salvation.
4.4 Receiving the Holy Spirit
Is not simultaneous and similar with the rebirth. The baptism with the Holy Spirit represents such an event, when the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit completely fills and covers the believer's person (personality). Only Jesus Christ can baptize with the Holy Spirit, it comes with the High Priest service:
Luke 3:16 : “John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” – John the Baptist's words about Jesus Christ.
Acts 1:5 : “For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” These were Jesus' words after his resurrection and prior his ascension to Heaven. The baptism by the Holy Spirit can have many different manifestations, but as a sure sign is always present the ability of speaking tongues, the fact that the believer is starting to talk in an unknown language by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:4 : “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
The condition to receive the Holy Spirit is to believe in Jesus Christ. The power which comes with this is given for service: preaching the gospel, testimony, healing, exorcising demons, etc.
5. The fruits of the Holy Spirit
Galatians 5:22 : “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
Their presence in the Christian's life confirm the communion with Jesus Christ, the honesty of the conversion, because these fruits are Jesus Christ's characteristics. As one walks with God, their presence will become stronger, “the fruits will ripe in time.”
6. The gifts of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit manifests itself in a supernatural way even today in the Church through believers filled with it, to them God gives the gifts which come with the Holy Spirit according to 1 Corinthians 12:7-10 “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.”
7. The gifts of ministry
In the Church the highest dignity is Jesus Christ, he is the head of the Church, every ministry is submitted to Him.
Ephesians 4:11-12 : “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”
He gave the gifts of ministry to serve, not to reign.
Apostle: The follower of Jesus Christ, his task is the plantation and strengthening of the congregations.
Prophet: The preacher of God's message. He receives visions and statements from God to build up the Church.
Evangelist: The preacher of the gospel about salvation through Jesus Christ, he continues Christ's work, preaches God's kingdom, heals sick people, etc.
Pastor: He is the minister of the local congregation. He provides the flock with spiritual food.
Teacher: He helps the believers to know God. He teaches and explains God's word.
8. Sermons
With weekly regularity we hold sermons every Sunday. On these occasions the congregation members join together to express their honor, worship and gratitude towards God, in the name of Jesus Christ, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
The main parts of the sermon
Prayer: common prayer, approach toward God in prayer, mediation, mutual prayer, prayer for others regardless of the reason.
Worship: we present out appreciation, homage, adoration to God in a free form, could be dancing, singing, clapping or bowing in the presence of God.
Testimony: testimonies about God's actions and work in private lives.
Preach: important part of the sermon, when the Word of God is preached and taught, every truth of God.
Holy Communion: is a special sermon, when we take communion with Jesus Christ's body and blood through the bread and wine.
Donation: to cover up the congregation's expenses, the spread of the gospel, and the needs of the saints.
9. The goal of our faith
The final goal of our faith is the personal meeting with God. The real basis of our faith is Jesus Christ's resurrection.
1 Corinthians 6:14 : “And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.”
Following Jesus Christ's resurrection, every man will resurrect: the good ones for eternal life, the bad ones for eternal damnation. At resurrection a new body will take form, a new form same as it was, but another quality (without decay), the departed spirit will be summoned by God and the man's personality will come together. Those whose name is written in the book of life, will remain in the presence of his glory forever.
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