Scripture
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to observe Your Righteous Ordinances. (Psalm 119: 105-106)
All Scripture is Inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in Righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3: 16-17)
God’s Word is our final Authority for matters of Faith and practice; however, Scripture and our experiences are interconnected. Scripture is used to interpret life while at the same time our lived experiences shape our interpretation of God’s Word. The Bible is the inspired Revelation of God to humanity. Through the Word we are able to understand the Will of God and why He acts in the way that He does. It consists of the 39 books of the Hebrew Scriptures and the 27 books of the New Covenant. The Bible taken as a whole is God’s Relationship with humanity and Restoration of Relationship with humanity. God’s Word testifies to Jesus as Lord and Messiah of creation.
The interpretation of Scripture is always changing. The words of Scripture themselves do not change, but the way in which we interpret them through our own lenses does. Context is key to our understanding of God’s Word. We need to understand the way in which Scripture was originally understood in order to realize how we are to understand the Scripture today. A good example of this is our English translations of Jesus telling His disciples to ‘turn the other cheek.’ Christians are called to interpret Scripture through the two commandments Jesus held in highest esteem (loving God and loving neighbor). The way in which I understand the Bible now is much different than the way in which I understood it as a teenager, and I’m sure that it will mean something even more different to me as I progress in age.
The changing of our interpretation of God’s Word does not mean that I do not believe what the Bible says; on the contrary, I have faith that the Bible is God’s Word. However, now that I understand that creation might have taken millions of years rather than just six days, I have come to realize that the Bible is God’s Word interpreted by humans. Like Paul says, we see through a glass dimly. As we become mature Christians, our understanding deepens and matures, helping us to interpret the Word more fully in line with God’s Will.
The Church
For when two or three are gathered in My Name, I am there among them. (Matthew 18: 20)
I therefore, the prisoner of the LORD, beg you to lead a life worthy of the Calling to which you have been Called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in Love, making every effort to maintain the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace. (Ephesians 4: 1-3)
The universal church is Jesus’ bride, consisting of all people who have believed in Jesus as their Lord and Savior and have been Justified freely by God’s Grace in Jesus. The church is the Body of Christ and Jesus is the Head of that Body. The Body of Christ furthers God’s Kingdom on Earth through the help of the Holy Spirit by reconciling this lost creation to Jesus. Within the universal church are many local congregations of believers which meet together for collective Worship to teach and preach the Word of God. During their gatherings, local churches are making disciples of all who come to realize their Relationship through Jesus. Churches are called to preach the Gospel, love one another, Worship and praise the Lord, and help all those in need. All is to be done to the Glory of the Lord and through the Name of Jesus. It is not so much that God has a mission for His Churches but rather that God has His Churches to fulfill His Mission of realized relationship with all of creation.
Each of us has been endowed with certain Gifts of the Spirit with which we use to build up the faithful and bring the Word to those who do not know Jesus personally; pastors are slaves for Jesus who are Called to a position of leadership. Pastors give their lives as servants and leaders of their flocks, but need to also remember to take care of themselves and their families. Pastors are also responsible for guiding the spiritual growth of their people, leading their flocks in seeking God’s Will for them. This is accomplished through teaching, preaching, Prayer, and the administration of the ordinances. Pastors also offer encouragement, support, and counseling to any who may seek his/her help in the congregation. The ordination of a pastor is merely an outward sign of what already has occurred in the pastor; God has already Anointed His pastors for His churches privately which the ordination makes public.
Faith will always be that which works itself out in Love, seeing none as other, but rather all as neighbor. The church should be mission-centered so the community is able to see the Gospel lived out in the peoples’ lives. Helping others in need is vital to the Growth we seek in the Messiah, both throughout the world as well as in our own communities. We should seek justice for all of creation because Jesus told us to Love our neighbors as ourselves. Each congregation is Called to work for social justice in its own ways, Discerning the Will of the Lord together to understand how best to use their Spiritual Gifts to further the Kingdom on Earth. The church should be relevant to the world in which it is a part, reinterpreting the ways in which we do church to meet the needs of those we are trying to bring the Gospel to. It is a joy to be able to bring others into Relationship with the Lord through Jesus the Messiah. Sharing the relationship we have with the Lord through Jesus is something so life changing, so powerful that the faithful truly want to share their Faith with others out of Love.
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and He was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from Heaven, “You are My Son, the Beloved; with You I am well pleased.” (Luke 3: 21-22)
While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it He broke it, gave it to His disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My Body.” Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My Blood of the Covenant, which is poured out for many for the Forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that Day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s Kingdom.” (Matthew 26: 26-29)
Jesus told the church to observe two ordinances in the Gospels that we follow out of obedience: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We realize that both have no power in themselves, but rather point to a Divine Power (the Holy Spirit taking the reins in our lives) that is already present. One ordinance is an initiation rite (baptism) and the other is the recognition of our relationship with God through Jesus (the Lord's Supper).
Water baptism in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is an ordinance of the Church, to be received by the faithful. It is an outward sign of a person’s confession of faith in Jesus the Messiah as the only means to salvation. Baptism signifies our death with Jesus, our Resurrection with Him, God’s Forgiveness of our sins, and the beginning of a New Life in Jesus as our personal Savior. Our baptism mirrors Jesus’ death and burial as well as His Resurrection into eternal life. Baptism is not necessary as a child because the baptism itself does nothing; it is the personal Conversion that Jesus seeks and that which the Baptism makes public. Baptizing when the person is able to decide for him/herself that following Jesus with his/her life is key to baptism itself. This is because the baptism does not have saving power—our conversions and personal relationship with Jesus have the saving power. Baptism at conversion rather than birth also emphasizes that no two people find God at the same time or at the same place—we each meet Jesus personally. Our Conversion is personal and therefore needs to be treated as such.
The Lord’s Supper is the second ordinance of the American Baptist faith tradition. The person consumes bread and juice in remembrance of Jesus’ Body broken for us and His Blood shed for us upon the cross. We renew our Covenantal Relationship and we re-member the Body of Christ by recommitting to do His Work to further the Kingdom in the world today. When Christians partake of the Lord’s Supper, we recall Jesus’ Sacrifice on the cross. His Sacrifice was accomplished in order to wash away our sins and restore our Relationship with God through Jesus. While we recall Jesus’ Sacrifice for us, we also remember Jesus’ table fellowship throughout the Gospels at which Jesus dined with the faithful and seekers alike.
Following in Jesus’ footsteps, I believe that the Lord’s Supper should be open to all, the faithful and seekers alike, because He never turned someone away that needed Him. Most of Jesus’ Ministry was done around a table, or involving food, so I believe this is pivotal to bringing others to know Him personally. The Lord’s Supper is our participation in the remembrance of Jesus’ Sacrifice for each of us. Christians’ recognition of that Sacrifice and the Relationship with God we have through Jesus is not downplayed by allowing seekers to join us in our table fellowship. While the seeker may not be aware they are in Relationship with God, God is always trying to make a connection with each of His beloved through His Son, Jesus. If we allow a person to eat at Jesus’ Table, I believe they will come to question later what it is he/she is doing, and why the church does it. This questioning may bring about the recognition of his/her relationship with the Lord through Jesus; it may be that the physical eating of the Lord’s Supper could awaken a need for spiritual feeding in the seeker.
American Baptist Churches, USA
Thus says the LORD who made the Earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it—the LORD is His Name: call to Me and I will Answer you, and will Tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. (Jeremiah 33: 2-3)
And Jesus came and said to them, “All Authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28: 18-20)
I am committed to the purpose and mission of the American Baptist Churches, USA. The Baptist distinctives (only Scripture, autonomous local churches, the associational interdependence of those churches, the priesthood of all believers, and individual soul liberty) were present in the New Testament church and should be present in our congregations today.
God’s Word shaping our experience and our experience shaping our interpretation of God’s Word is our final Authority for matters of Faith and practice. While canons, creeds, and the writings of the Church Fathers are important documents and should be studied diligently, they do not speak to the Church authoritatively. Local congregations are self-governing under the rule of Jesus. No organization above the local church dictates how a local congregation should be run. All Christians have access to God on the basis of Jesus’ Perfect Sacrifice. There is no hierarchy, person, or institution that stands between God and a Re-Created individual. Each believer can boldly approach the Throne of God.
I joyfully accept the ordinances set forth by Jesus (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper) solely because Jesus asked us to do so. I celebrate the diversity of our people, the willingness to embrace the Holy Spirit, and our fervent Prayer life. In keeping with Baptist principles, local church congregations should remain independent. However, it is valuable for the local church to associate itself with other congregations of like faith for the purposes of unity, fellowship, cooperative mission, and mutual accountability. It is also beneficial to extend cooperation, in a spirit of Christian unity, outside of one’s own association or denomination. Recognizing the universal nature of the Body of Christ, we cooperate through Worship and shared resources in Missions with other churches and traditions that believe in the Triune God.
~PK
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