God's Word, God's World, God's Church

Colossians 2, 2 Corinthians 11:3

We know these doctrines to be true, but we don’t hear of them much or let them drive our lives. These 3 doctrines can lead the christian to live a life of love for God and people as offered in the conviction and fortitude of the Word and Spirit inside each believer.

The Doctrine of Creation

The Lordship of Christ

The Authority and Sufficiency of the Word for life and godliness

Categories of sin and righteousness are not thought of as frequently as we think of worldly things.

What I mean by this is not a legalistic looking at other’s lives but analyzing our own lives with the lens that God provides us in His word. That lens is “to love righteousness and to hate wickedness” “to put off and to put on” “to die to the old self and live to the new self”

There needs to be a revival of teaching on this.

5. I’m convinced that many people could not make a loving, biblical defense for the faith. If I spend my time listening to Al Mohler or Jon Harris, I can make a solid defense. I need a local body and the men that God has placed in office as overseers to be the main channel through which that instruction comes because at it comes through someone who is not nameless or faceless, I will see pride oftentimes be removed or diminished and it will encourage biblical love and truth. Look around and you will see hardened people holding tightly to viewpoints. If we want change, we must remember what God says about the authority and place of the church, personal humility, and also - the coming together of the saints and standing for the common faith and learning togehter.

6. A biblical church is not friends with the world because a believer is not friends with the world. That means every church should have clearly defined doctrinal parameters on what they stand for and what they won’t. The Chapel elders need to draft a statement on where the church stands on issues such as sexuality, racism, abortion, abuse. But also theological doctrines such as creation, the lordship of Christ, regeneration, church membership. and I would further submit that the elders need to find a way to teach their congreation and leave them with no excuse not to be able to make a defense for the faith in love and gentleness.

A. Wednesday night teaching series at the chapel for the entire congreation. Are small groups working? How many people are attending? Is it a satisfactory way to teach our members and to disciple men and women?

B. Entire chapel Sunday school or Sunday night training.

C. What about Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Will God be pleased with our attitude of “people won’t go - let’s keep everything how it is”?

Don’t rely on resources and online pastors and podcasts to teach our people. We have to make a biblical, local stand. There should be 400 equipped followers of Christ. We have the men to teach - let them. Say no to things that are good but not as useful, and say yes to the preaching and teaching of God’s Word - I mean that in a ministry event

I submit that this statment is long overdue and that a teaching series that is robust and theological and practical is needed and can lead to the correction that the Chapel needs and the conviction that will prove useful in the next 1-10 years.

There is no question about our common standing in faith and our life in the Lord Jesus.