There are two things which should govern the life and daily walk
of all Christian believers.
First is the realization that we, as Christians, are representing our Lord Jesus Christ to the world. We are told that in 2 Corinthians 5:20, "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."
Second is the Great Commission. Jesus Christ gave this Commission, i.e., this command, to all Christian believers that we should "Go, Make disciples, Baptize them (although I believe that should be done within their new Christian fellowship family), Teach them. . . Be My witnesses in all the world" (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15).
To be an effective "ambassador" for Christ, to be an effective "witness" for Christ - we must work toward attaining maturity in our knowledge of His Word, His Bible. One way to measure our Biblical maturity is to make an effort to put in writing our own personal Statement of Faith. It is good that every Christian should write his/her personal Statement of Faith. For if you cannot, then are you really sure what you believe is correct?
That does not mean that we should wait until we are mature in His Word, before we begin witnessing. One of the best ways to learn - is to share. I will never forget the first time I was asked, no, commanded, to teach a class.
I was a 20 years old Air Force Radar/Electronic Weapons Fire Control technician stationed at Bergstrom AFB in Texas. In our Fighter-Bomber Wing there were about 100 technicians. When we took our annual career field test, only 7 of us passed. Since we 7 passed with high scores, the Commanding Officer issued an order. There will be special training classes - and we have 7 volunteer instructors.
In the group I had to teach, I was the youngest - and most in the class were close to getting out of the Air Force and not all that interested in learning. Besides that handicap, every night I had to study hard just to be one day ahead of the class. That taught me a lesson. The best way to learn a subject is to teach it.
In the same way, when we share the Gospel with non-believers many will not really be interested in hearing it. It is our job to have enough Biblical knowledge that we can give them a reason to be interested. Not all will believe, but keep in mind - when just one new believer is spiritually reborn - the angels in heaven rejoice!
Luke 15:10, "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
"So, Bill, what is your point in all of this?"
Glad you asked. Today I was writing a blog and in my google search I found a ministry which is new to me. I liked what they had to say - but, just to be sure we are on the same page - I wanted to read their Statement of Faith. Search as I might, I could not find it on their web site. So, I sent an e-mail asking about it and why I could not find it on their site.
The response I received was: "No, we don't have a statement of faith for 'name deleted.com.' We're non-denominational Christians. . ."
Whoa! Big red flag! Every Christian ministry, actually every Christian, should have a written Statement of Faith which they can share. I don't care what kind of Christian you call yourself - anyone who is a Christians should have a firm Statement of Faith which guides his/her daily life and his/her daily witness.
The following is the dialogue I had with this ministry. As you can see, I have changed the person's name and the ministry web site name to protect their privacy:
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
My Friends, as Christian believers can YOU put your Statement of Faith in writing? If you have not done this yet, do yourself a favor and do it today. Write down your personal Statement of Faith - and the Scripture verses which support each element. You will find this interesting and rewarding.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
First is the realization that we, as Christians, are representing our Lord Jesus Christ to the world. We are told that in 2 Corinthians 5:20, "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."
Second is the Great Commission. Jesus Christ gave this Commission, i.e., this command, to all Christian believers that we should "Go, Make disciples, Baptize them (although I believe that should be done within their new Christian fellowship family), Teach them. . . Be My witnesses in all the world" (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15).
To be an effective "ambassador" for Christ, to be an effective "witness" for Christ - we must work toward attaining maturity in our knowledge of His Word, His Bible. One way to measure our Biblical maturity is to make an effort to put in writing our own personal Statement of Faith. It is good that every Christian should write his/her personal Statement of Faith. For if you cannot, then are you really sure what you believe is correct?
That does not mean that we should wait until we are mature in His Word, before we begin witnessing. One of the best ways to learn - is to share. I will never forget the first time I was asked, no, commanded, to teach a class.
I was a 20 years old Air Force Radar/Electronic Weapons Fire Control technician stationed at Bergstrom AFB in Texas. In our Fighter-Bomber Wing there were about 100 technicians. When we took our annual career field test, only 7 of us passed. Since we 7 passed with high scores, the Commanding Officer issued an order. There will be special training classes - and we have 7 volunteer instructors.
In the group I had to teach, I was the youngest - and most in the class were close to getting out of the Air Force and not all that interested in learning. Besides that handicap, every night I had to study hard just to be one day ahead of the class. That taught me a lesson. The best way to learn a subject is to teach it.
In the same way, when we share the Gospel with non-believers many will not really be interested in hearing it. It is our job to have enough Biblical knowledge that we can give them a reason to be interested. Not all will believe, but keep in mind - when just one new believer is spiritually reborn - the angels in heaven rejoice!
Luke 15:10, "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
"So, Bill, what is your point in all of this?"
Glad you asked. Today I was writing a blog and in my google search I found a ministry which is new to me. I liked what they had to say - but, just to be sure we are on the same page - I wanted to read their Statement of Faith. Search as I might, I could not find it on their web site. So, I sent an e-mail asking about it and why I could not find it on their site.
The response I received was: "No, we don't have a statement of faith for 'name deleted.com.' We're non-denominational Christians. . ."
Whoa! Big red flag! Every Christian ministry, actually every Christian, should have a written Statement of Faith which they can share. I don't care what kind of Christian you call yourself - anyone who is a Christians should have a firm Statement of Faith which guides his/her daily life and his/her daily witness.
The following is the dialogue I had with this ministry. As you can see, I have changed the person's name and the ministry web site name to protect their privacy:
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hi Bob,
I found your web site when I googled for Bible translation info. And I want to quote excerpts from your site. But, I have one problem. I have searched your site and cannot find the most important info about your site and your ministry - your Statement of Faith or Statement of Beliefs. Those tell me what you believe and what you teach. Why can I not find that info on your web site?
As I said, I want to quote your site on my Christian blog (http://billdory-christian-ministries.blogspot.com/) - and, so far, all your info looks solid. But I always hesitate to quote from a ministry site if I cannot first read their Statement of Faith and know that we are on the same page. I do not want to recommend a site to my Friends unless I am certain it is okay.
How do I find your Statement of Faith on your site?
Thank you and God bless,
Bill Gray
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hi Bill,
Thank you for taking the time to inquire and for your encouraging words about the articles you've found helpful. I'm very glad to hear that. May God bless you in your writing and use it to accomplish His will.
No, we don't have a statement of faith for "name deleted.com." We're non-denominational Christians and for the most part I think I can speak for the others who have contributed to "name deleted.com" when I say we are pretty compatible with general evangelical thought and beliefs about the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture, the deity of Christ, etc. I can tell you what we're NOT if that's helpful: we're not Roman Catholic, Mormons, Jehovah's Witness, Christian Scientist, Seventh-Day Adventist...
If the lack of a statement of faith remains a hindrance, I might suggest that we wouldn't be offended if your citations need to include a footnote with a disclaimer that by quoting from this source, you are not necessarily endorsing everything else that is or could be written there.
Blessings,
Bob
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hi Bob,
I am sorry to hear that you do not post your Statement of Faith. And you reason for not posting: "We're non-denominational Christians. . ." does not fly. Just the fact that you are a Christian, and a Christian ministry, should mean that you have a Statement of Faith, both for yourself personally and for your ministry.
Many years ago, when I was first starting my Christian writing ministry - a young pastor Friend advised me, "Bill, whenever you find a Christian ministry which is not familiar to you - ALWAYS look at their Statement of Faith first - before you look at anything else they produce. That tells you what they believe and what they teach." And I have found those words from Pastor Freddy to be sound advise.
Personally, I believe every Christian believer should be able to put in writing his/her personal Statement of Faith. If they cannot do that - how are they sure that what they believe is accurate, is Biblical?
About ten years ago, I found the web site of a Christian church in the Midwest and, like your site, I could not find their Statement of Faith. I sent them an e-mail just as I have you, asking about it. Their response was, "We do not post our Statement of Faith - for we do not want to offend anyone."
My response to them was, "Well, you most certainly have offended me. And I have little doubt that you have offended God when you will not post what you believe about Him and about your Christian faith - for fear you will offend someone."
If the Gospel you share does not offend the non-believer - are you sure you are sharing a Biblical Gospel?
If you look at my Christian blog (http://billdory-christian-ministries.blogspot.com/), you will immediately see my Statement of Faith, what We Believe. That was the first thing I wrote on my blog. And, then I began to share other writings as God put them on my heart.
Bob, I am not trying to tell you how to run your ministry. But, I can say that I will not be visiting your site in the future.
Thank you for your response and God bless,
Bill Gray
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
My Friends, as Christian believers can YOU put your Statement of Faith in writing? If you have not done this yet, do yourself a favor and do it today. Write down your personal Statement of Faith - and the Scripture verses which support each element. You will find this interesting and rewarding.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
No comments:
Post a Comment