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We believe…

We believe…. Truth is…and it matters. The Bible is…. Inspired, authoritative, authentic Word of God Acts 3:21 “…until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.”

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We believe…

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  1. We believe… Truth is…and it matters

  2. The Bible is… Inspired, authoritative, authentic Word of God Acts 3:21 “…until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” 2 Tim 3:16 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God for reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness…” 2500x “Thus saith the Lord,” “the Word of God” or “the Word of the Lord”

  3. Emergent church… “The Bible is not an encyclopedia of timeless moral truths…there are many different authorities (for our lives) including our mind, spiritual experiences, & the knowledge from our culture & sciences.” Brian McLaren (Podcast Interview) “The Bible is not information about God. It is merely a collection of stories & experiences, many if not most of which are not understandable and have no real meaning.” Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis

  4. God made it all • Gen 1:1 “In the beginning, God made….” • HbElohim – Creator God • Neither the universe, as we understand it, nor mankind, is a cosmic accident. • Creation is always subject to its Creator • Mankind is made in the image of its Creator, not the other way around

  5. God’s purpose as Creator • 1.To reveal His glory, character & nature • Rom. 11:36 “For from Him & through Him & to Him are all things…To Him be the glory forever, Amen.” • Ps 145:9 “The Lord is good to all & His mercies are over all His works; all Your works will praise you, O Lord, and Your saints shall bless You & speak of the glory of Your kingdom & talk of your great power.”

  6. EC on God’s nature • “…a god who mandates an intentional supernatural disaster (the flood) leading to unparalleled genocide is hardly worthy of belief, much less worship. How can you ask your children, or non-church colleagues & neighbors, to honor a deity so uncreative, over-reactive & utterly capricious regarding life?...Genocide, it turns out, doesn’t really solve anything in Genesis, even if a character named ‘God’ does it.” (McLaren, A New Kind of Christianity, p109)

  7. God’s purpose… 2. To express & show His love: -1Jn 4:8, 10 “..for God is love…In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent us His Son…” -Jn 3:16 “For God so loved the world…” Aramaic word for world: the entire cosmos – all that is created and believed to exist in the universe as we know the universe and beyond that.

  8. EC’s take on God’s love • “Some people may find it compelling that some Great Cosmic Transaction took place 1,980 yrs ago, that God’s wrath burned against his son instead of against me. I find that version of atonement theory neither intellectually compelling, spiritually compelling nor in keeping with the biblical narrative.” (Tony Jones, pastor of Solomon’s Porch, “Why Jesus Died” blog, 2009)

  9. God’s purpose… 3. To form a family for Himself: 1Jn 3:1 ”See how great a love the Father has for us that we should be called children of God” Jn 1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God” Gal 4:4-6 “…God sent forth His Son…in order that He might redeem those under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons….our hearts cry Abba Father!”

  10. EC on God’s family… • “For most critics of “open” Christianity, the problem w/inclusiveness is that it allows for truth to be found in other religions. To emerging Christians, that problem is sweet… • Moreover, if non-Christians can know our God, then we want to benefit from their contribution to our faith.” Dr SamirSeimanovic, The Sweet Problem of Inclusiveness, p 190-192, edited by Tony Jones & Doug Pagitt)

  11. The challenge… • Do I really know what I believe? • Am I not only a student of the Word, but a disciple of the Word? • Do I know what I believe well enough that I can speak to the lies that are being disseminated in our culture today with the truth of God’s Word? • If not, why not?

  12. The encouragement… • 1 Tim 6: 20-21 “…guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge” which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.”

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