BACK TO BASICS

                                                             BACK TO BASICS!

                                                               Rhoderick D. Ice

        We do not expect God to speak to us directly.  But if He did, He might say something like this.  "Listen to MY voice.  Allow ME to direct your course in every area.  I will protect you from falling.  There are racial problems among MY people that are hindering My work to bring healing to your land.  MY love goes beyond cultural barriers.  MY love goes beyond the fear of meeting people of different races.  Go to the sick, the needy, the friendless.  And do so in the power of The Holy Spirit.  I am with you always!"  [Hebrews 13:5-6; Jude 24-25; Acts 11:17-18]

            The Church's foundation is unshakable and firm against the assaults of the raging sea. Waves lash at the Church but do not shatter it. Although the elements of this world constantly batter and crash against her, she offers the safest harbor of salvation for all in distress. —Ambrose (339–397)

            Heretics often provided a great service to the church. For example, Marcion rejected the Old Testament and the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John, thus forcing the church to define the New Testament canon. Arius, in denying the deity of Christ, made the church articulate the doctrine that became most crucial to Christianity.   Contributed by Tony Lane

        It is impossible for the devil to destroy Christ's One Body [Matt. 16:18].  But we, like the Israelites of old, need to be called back to Him from time to time.  Look to Him and go straight to the goal!  We have spent our time trying to build "The Church."  We should be lifting up Christ Jesus so that everyone will see Him, and proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. [compare Phil. 1:15-20]  HE will build the church!

        Let us get back to the basics of faith.  If we are to be the People God intended us to be, we must build our understanding of Jesus on the Eternal Verities of basic truth.  We see the experience of God's People in the New Testament portion of the Bible - triumphs and defeats, rights & wrongs, corrections, the good and the bad - as they struggled to give form to their faith. God has spoken through His Son [Hebrews 1:1-2].  JESUS is the final revelation of God to us!  We believe in God as we see Him in Jesus The Christ!

 

        1. FALL IN LOVE WITH JESUS AGAIN.  Paul said faith, hope, and love are the three most important virtues; but love has the highest priority of all.  If we are not in love with Jesus, we have no hope at all.  The Church at Ephesus had white-hot zeal, but had somehow misplaced the love they once had for Jesus [Rev. 2:4-5].  They were in danger of losing their "candlestick."

 

        2. A SOVEREIGN GOD.  God's power is awesome and His word is true!  The devil wants us to picture God as "a helpless old man, hopelessly confused by a world out of control."  Certainly God is in control.  God does know what is going on in this world.  God loves His creation.  God wants to save everyone who will claim His salvation [Isaiah 66:1-2; Acts 17:24-28; Rev. 22:17].

 

        3. AN UNLIMITED CHRIST.  HE has all authority and power.  By His life, death, burial, and resurrection He has been given the Name that is above all Names.  Note His description in Rev. 1:17-18; 5:5; Col. 1:15-23.  The universal declaration of the First Century Church was: JESUS IS LORD!

 

        4. THE INDWELLING HOLY SPIRIT.  HE - The Spirit - is Seal & Guarantee & Partner-in- Prayer - and Fountain of Living Water [John 7:37-39].  The Door of Pentecost could not open, nor the evangelization of the world take place - until HE came with power, as Jesus promised in Acts 1:3-8.  Jesus said: "And I will pray the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever" [John 14:16].  The glory of the Church is that The Holy Spirit is continually present, molding and forming Christians into the Image of Christ [2 Cor. 3:17-18; 4:13-15; Eph. 3:16-21].

 

        5. SALVATION BY FAITH.  Paul said the righteousness which is through faith in Christ is the righteousness which is from God by faith [Phil. 3:9-11].  Christ has already won the victory and overcome the world!  Note Romans 8:1-4.  Our righteousness is based upon the finished work of Christ Jesus.  Certainly our obedience is necessary, but it cannot add anything to the perfect work of Jesus.  We tell potential converts just what Peter and the others told people in the Book of Acts.

 

        6. AN INDESTRUCTIBLE CHURCH/KINGDOM.  Not even the "powers of hell" nor the "powers of death and Hades" have any ability to destroy the church.  There never will be a time when the church winks out of existence [the One Body].  The living Church will be caught up to meet Him in the air at the end of time [1 Thess. 4:17-18].  The cycle of the church will repeat again and again until Jesus Comes [Rev. 11:11-13].

 

        7. HEARTFELT RELIGION.  Living Faith inspires commitment, dedication and involvement.  The Church at Laodicea was in trouble because they were lukewarm.  We are to give our lives and our love to HIM [Romans 12:1-2].

 

        8. WATER-AND-SPIRIT BAPTISM.  As Jesus was Himself baptized, water & Spirit were joined together.  Note the questions Paul asked the converts at Ephesus [Acts 19:2-3].  What we term "Christian baptism" involves both water and The Holy Spirit [John 3:5; Titus 3:5; 1 Cor. 12:13].

 

        9. RECOVERY OF THE MIND OF CHRIST.  There is a pattern of life and action idealized in the New Testament Scriptures, especially in the Four Gospels.  Jesus did the Will of the Father as He was "tempted in every way we are."  We want to "do it like He did" and reproduce in our lives what we see in His life!

 

        10. UNITY RATHER THAN CONFORMITY.  Note that our Unity helps promote the Cause of Christ [John 17:21[.  Conversely, our disunity impacts the Cause of Christ in an unfavorable way.  We are brothers and sisters in the same Family.  We want to preserve the unity which The Spirit gives by means of the peace that binds us together [note Eph. 4:3].  We do not produce unity but we recognize the fact that we are ONE in Christ.

 

        11. THE RESURRECTION GOSPEL.  Listen to those first Christians!  Jesus is alive forevermore!!!  Paul said the Gospel stands or falls on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead [1 Cor. 15:3,4,12-14,17-20].  Those first Christians filled the world with the POWER of His Resurrection [Acts 4:2,9-12].

 

        12. IT IS THE "LAST HOUR."  Not the "End Time," of course, since no one can know when Jesus is coming again.  But John is teaching us to live each hour as though it were the last hour.  Many anti-Christs had appeared already in John's time [1 John 2:18].  We find in this Last Hour Situation a sense of urgency - and also calmness and security, WE ARE GOING HOME!!!  "And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.  And great grace was upon them all" [Acts 4:33].