News Events from Harvest Pointe Christian Church

Pumkin Olympics

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 05:00:00 +0000

On Sunday October 25th at 4pm Harvest Pointe Christian Church will be holding its first Pumpkin Olympics and Trunk-or-Treat. The event will be held at the church. The Pumpkin Olympics is for grades 6 to 12th. We have created a great competiton where each event involves pumpkins. You don't want to miss out on this. It will not only be fun to be involved in the events but it will be hilarious to watch.

On this same date and time we will also be having a Trunk-or-Treat for children from birth to 5th grade. The parking lot will be lined with cars filled with candy. Come out in your favorite costume and get a ton of candy. This is a great way to let your kids get candy in a safe and encouraging environment.

***Weather Permitting***

Jenn Walden Baptism

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Jennifer Walden continued her obedience to Christ by being baptized on September 27th. Jennifer is a great addition to the Harvest Pointe Christian Church family!

Youth Fundraiser at Applebees

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Applebee’s Restaurant on Meijer Drive in Milford is having a fundraiser for the youth at Harvest Pointe Christian Church and Blanchester Church of Christ. All the funds will go to the fall retreat for the youth.

You are invited to come on Sunday August 30th, September 13th, October 4th and October 18th from 11:00am to Close, to Applebee’s at 5980 Meijer Drive, Milford, OH 45150 .

The Youth will receive 10% of all sales Applebee’s takes in during that time period. In House Dining, To Go, and Carside To Go orders will apply. Here is a link to an Applebee's Menu .

Applebee’s is the largest casual dining chain in the world, with locations throughout the U.S. and many countries worldwide. They offer a friendly, welcoming, neighborhood environment and delicious food for every occasion.

You must present an Applebee’s flyer to participate in the fundraiser. To download a copy of the flyer just Click Here.

Each guest check issued by the restaurant will require one flyer. That is, if the bill for a group of four people is to be paid by one person, you will need one flyer. If the bill will be divided by the four people, each person paying will need to present a flyer. You can print out as many copies of the flyer as you would and go on as many of the Sundays listed above as you want. Also, feel free to ask your family and friends to go also. Thank you for your support, our youth will gain a lot from the fall retreat and by helping you will impact their lives for years to come.

Welcome Lorine Crawford

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0000

We would like to WELCOME Lorine Crawford to the Harvest Pointe Family. It was great to see her come forward and renew her committment to Christ.

Life without Fear

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0000

On September 13th Harvest Pointe Christian Church will begin a new sermon series coupled with new Small Group lessons. In today's climate so many people are living in fear. Given that Harvest Pointe Christian Church will help you imagine and learn how to have a life without FEAR!

So many people are talking layoffs at work, slowdowns in the economy, flare-ups in the Middle East, turnovers at headquarters, downturns in the housing market, upswings in global warming. The plague of our day, terrorism, begins with the word terror. Fear, it seems, has taken up a hundred-year lease on the building next door and set up shop. Oversized and rude, fear herds us into a prison and slams the doors. Wouldn't it be great to walk out?

Imagine your life, wholly untouched by angst. What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats? If you could hover a fear magnet over your heart and extract every last shaving of dread, insecurity, and doubt, what would remain? Envision a day, just one day, when you could trust more and fear less. Can you imagine your life without fear?

John will begin the sermon series on September 13th with "Why are we Afraid?". Each week following we will learn about... "Fear of not Mattering"
"Fear of Disappointing God"
"Fear of Life's Final Moments"
Fear of Global Calamity"
Fear of God Getting out of my Box"

Click the links below to see some videos from Max Lucado about his new book "Fearless".

Small Group's weekend at the lake

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Check out some pictures of the small group that meets at the Beaumonts weekend retreat at the lake. The group decided to take off early on Friday and come back Monday for an extended weekend to fellowship at the lake. They had a great time just spending time with other.

2009 World Pulse Festival

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0000

On August 8th Harvest Pointe Christian Church went to the World Pulse Festival. It was an awesome time. The featured bands were Jeremy Camp, David Crowder Band, Hawk Nelson, Ayiesha Woods, and the Robbie Seay Band. They even had a Kids Zone were the younger kids could play all day for less than $10. We had a great time and brought back some pictures for you to see.
World Pulse Festival is a unique type of concert that takes the elements of a live, outdoor audience and mixes it with viewers and listeners from around the world. Started in 1987 as an appreciation concert for a local radio station, the festival has slowly evolved into something bigger. In 1998, it was decided to start broadcasting the day via the LeSEA Broadcasting network. In addition to a new world-wide audience, the local radio stationed had grown and was now called Pulse FM. Over the next few years, constant improvements and increased ticket distribution opportunities have resulted in exponential growth in attendance numbers, as well as, viewing audience numbers. Now, 50,000 people attend on average, and millions listen and watch from around the globe. It is a humbling experience to be in the middle of Indiana farmland,a and be able to reach the people around the globe with the message of Christ through music.

Savannah's Baptism

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0000

On August 9, 2009 Savannah accepted Christ as her personnel Lord and Savior and was baptised at Harvest Pointe Christian Church. I know her parents are extremely proud of her decision. Join us in helping her grow in her faith and relationship with Christ. You can check out some pictures from the baptism here. If you would like to hear the audio from Savannah's confession of faith and baptism use the player below.

CIY MOVE 2009 Pictures

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0000

We posted some pictures of the Harvest Pointe Christian Church youth at the 2009 Christ in Youth MOVE conference. The youth had a great time and many of them walked away changed for life! Click Here to see the pictures.

Faith Day at the Reds 2009 Pictures

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0000

60 people from Harvest Pointe Christian Church came out for Faith Day at the Great American Ball Park (GABP). We had a great time at the game even though our beloved Cincinnati Reds lost. After the game Steven Curtis Champman had a great concert. His two sons were on stage with him. One played the drums and the other played the bass and electric guitar. What a blessing. You can check out some of the pictures here .

Sarah's Baptism

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Congratulations Sarah on making the decision to make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior 07-19-09. We know that CIY was a great week for you and the rest of the youth group. We are extremely happy that you were Moved! Please Join the leadership at Harvest Pointe Christian Church in praying for Sarah. If you would like to hear the audio of Sarah's confession of faith and baptism use the player below. If you would like to see pictures, Click Here.

Best Float in Clermont County Fair Parade 2009

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0000

The 2009 Clermont County Fair Parade in Owensville Ohio was a GREAT event! The Clermont County Fair Parade had a huge turn out of floats and spectators. The Harvest Pointe Christian Church Band did a fantastic job of entertaining the crowds and the float was a big hit also. Everyone loved the Pirates and the Harvest Pointe Christian Church mugs that we handed out. We hope that everyone gets some good use out of the mugs and thinks of Harvest Pointe when someone in Clermont County needs some help! A big thankyou goes out to the Stonelick Township Firefighters Association for organizing the Parade. Click to see pictures of the Clermont County Fair 2009 Parade. Below is an article about the Clermont County Fair in the Community Press.

Parade Kicks Off Clermont County Fair
"It was a great day. There were a lot of entries in the parade and it was a good start to the week," said Bill Scharber, Clermont County Agricultural Society president.

Scharber said he was surprised at the number of vendors and visitors the fair had for a Sunday.

"Usually the grounds are pretty empty by 6:30 or 7 p.m., but we had people on the grounds until about 10 p.m. or so," Scharber said. "A lot of our vendors aren't even open on Sunday and I would say about 70 percent of them were ... It was a great start."

The fair will be open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day through Saturday, Aug. 1. Admission is $10, but parking and grandstand events are free.

Between the parade and the opening ceremony for the fair, awards were presented.

The Clermont County Fair Parade awards were as follows:

Floats:

First place: Harvest Point Christian Church
Second place: Monterey Baptist Church
Third Place: Cub Scout Pack 241

Drum and Baton, all divisions:
First place: Star Strutters
Second place: Americana
4-Hers: Prime Producers

Best band:
Clermont Northeastern High School

Jake and Trevor Baptism Pictures

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Check out Pictures of Jake and Trevor's Baptism by Clicking Here.

6 Reasons not to go to Church Youth Video

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 05:00:00 +0000

A video showing 6 reasons not to go to Church by Bryan Edwards the Youth Minister at Harvest Pointe Christian Church and some of the youth. This was is hilarious and shows just how much fun our youth are having with each other. Some of the reasons (aka excuses) why not to go to Church include: parties, work too cool, ultimate fighter (UFC), don't understand, school, and etc. Check it out TODAY.

Jake and Trevor Baptism

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Congratulations Jake and Trevor on making the decision to make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior 07-05-09. We know you have thought long and hard about this decision and your parents/family are extremely PROUD! Please Join the leadership at Harvest Pointe Christian Church in praying for Jake and Trevor. Also join us in helping them grow in their life with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you would like to hear the audio of Jake and Trevor's confession of faith and baptism use the player below.

We own the Building!

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:00:00 +0000

On July 3rd we signed for the Church loan!!! This means we can know do some of the improvements that will allow us to reach the community better. It will also allow us to help individuals/families already in the church to grow more. The Leadership has been working hard to get a loan with the terms that we felt would allow us to be good stewards with the Lords blessings. We want to thank all of you for being patient with us and give a big THANK YOU to First Financial Bank for providing us with GREAT service and helping us get to place we wanted to be. First Financial Bank went above and beyond the call of duty in all areas.

New Youth Minister!

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Harvest Pointe Christian Church made a GREAT annoucement on June 28, 2009. The Leadership waited until we had the opportunity to tell the youth group we found a new Youth Minister. The Leadership and Youth volunteers waited a long time to find the RIGHT guy for the job. We are confident that God has opened the door for Bryan Edwards to join the staff at Harvest Pointe Christian Church. The Leadership and Youth volunteers were empressed by Bryan's ability to quickly connect with youth and most importantly his committment to making a difference in their lives. God has big things in store for Bryan at Harvest Pointe Christian Church and big things in store for the youth in the Greater Cincinnati area. Harvest Pointe Christian Church is committed to given Bryan whatever he needs to reach the youth community. Join us in helping make this a great place for Bryan to serve his Savior Jesus Christ! Bryan is one of the last pieces to the puzzle that will allow us (you) to Make A Difference in World, the Community, Your Home and You.

Jerry Brandhorst Baptism

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Congratulations Jerry on the exciting decision you made on 06-28-09. Jerry Brandhorst came forward to be baptized. Please Join the leadership at Harvest Pointe Christian Church in praying for Jerry and helping him grow in his life with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you would like to hear the audio of Jerry's confession of faith and baptism use the player below.

Have you ever wondered about

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Harvest Pointe Christian Church will start a new sermon series on June 28th. The series is entitiled "Have you ever wondered?". We will look at God, Our Country, the Church, Money, Family, Suffering, and the Bible. Come out and learn about some things you have probably wondered about before.

Here is a schedule of dates for each sermon:

Have You Ever Wondered?
6/28/09        About God

7/5/09            About Our Country

7/12/09        About Church

7/19/09        About Money

7/26/09        About Family

8/16/09        About Suffering

8/23/09        About the Bible

Youth Car Wash Fundraiser

Sun, 10 May 2009 05:00:00 +0000

As most of you know the Youth are going to Christ in Youth (Move) in July of this year. Advance Auto Parts have been nice enough to let the Youth of Harvest Pointe Christian Church hold a car wash at their Milford location. All donations will go towards sending the youth to the Move 2009 Conference. Come out and support the youth of Harvest Pointe Christian Church and at the same time ride around in a shinny ride!

Billy and Brandon accept Christ

Sat, 09 May 2009 05:00:00 +0000

God is the MAN!!! Billy and Brandon came forward during our Children's worship time last Sunday to accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Praise God! Billy and Brandon were baptized this Sunday, April 26, 2009. In case you missed the baptism you can see Picture Here .

CJ's and Ami's Farewell Lunch

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:00:00 +0000

As most of you already know, from the various annoucements the last couple of months, CJ is required to do an Internship under a seasoned Worship Minister prior to graduating from Cincinnati Christian University. That internship begins at the end of May 2009. CJ and Ami have become a great part of the Harvest Pointe Christian Church family. We had a farewell lunch for CJ And Ami on April 26th and wanted to share some pictures with everyone. Click Here to see some of the Photos.

Tammy Palmar and Ashley Bolin join HPCC

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 08:00:00 +0000

What a Awesome blessing to have two families join the Harvest Pointe Christian Church Family on one Sunday. Tammy Palmar and Ashley Bolin made it official and joined the Harvest Pointe Christian Church family on Sunday, April 19, 2009. Ashley is one of the many people that are graciously going to Haiti in March of 2010 to serve the Haitian's and hel Harvest Pointe build them a Home. Please join the leadership in praying for Christ to bless this family and for Harvest Pointe Christian Church to help them grow and build even a deeper relationship with Him.

Rodney and Donna Scott Join the Family

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 07:00:00 +0000

What a GREAT blessing to the Harvest Pointe Christian Church Family. Rodney and Donna Scott have been attending and volunteering at Harvest Pointe for some time now. Last Sunday, April 19, 2009, they made their membership with the church official. While they have always felt like family we are so happy they made this step. Please join the leadership in praying for Christ to bless this family and for Harvest Pointe Christian Church to help them grow and build even a deeper relationship with Him.

Good Friday Service

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 05:00:00 +0000

This year Harvest Pointe Christian Church has put together a special Good Friday service. The service will be from 5:30 to 7pm. It will be a unique and interesting time for us to celebrate communion and Christ's sacrifice for us. If you would like more information feel free to contact John Robinson.

CIY MOVE 2009

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 05:00:00 +0000

God is leading….are you following?

The Harvest Pointe Christian Church Youth are heading to MOVE. Christ in Youth has been such a blessing to the members of our youth. It has changed lives. MOVE is a 5-day high school only event designed to amplify the call of Christ on student lives to become Kingdom workers for the sake of the Gospel. The kids and youth sponsors will focus on the importance of Community, Worship, Truth, and moving your students beyond the event. MOVE is a place where students are called to be the church in their corner of the world and get involved in God’s plan for the entire globe. MOVE calls teenager to reach the persecuted in Asia, the sick in Africa, and the hurting in Algebra. We want student to act locally and globally. We MOVE because we are part of a kingdom that is driven by action. We MOVE because we want to see one million new Kingdom workers called in the next ten years. We MOVe because we want the mission of Christ to matter here.
Are you interested in helping one of Harvest Pointe Christian Church’s youth to make it to MOVE? There are many ways to help them get there just ask Tish or JP for more information. Check out more great information about MOVE at www.ciy.com/move

Chili Cook-Off Pictures

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 06:00:00 +0000

On February 4th we had a great time at our first Chili Cook-Off and Superbowl Party in our new building. We took a few pictures so you could see some of the fun we had. Just Click Here to see the pictures . We had a great time hanging out, enjoying some great fellowship, eating, and watching the game on the big screen. The next time you see Tany Beaumont congratulate her for winning the coveted Harvest Pointe Christian Church Best Chili Trophy. I'm sure she will display it proudly on the mantle at her house. As her to see it if you go over for dinner some time this year.

Harvest Pointe's Facebook Group

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Yes!!!! Harvest Pointe Christian Church has created a Facebook group and we would love for you to join our online community. We put this together so our members can stay in touch and communicate easier. After you join the group you can post questions and start discussions with other members of the church. We hope you will use this tool to connect with each other as a church family and possiblly make some new friends.

If you already have a Facebook account it is real easy to join the Harvest Pointe Christian Church group. Just click here and join our group. If you don't have a Facebook account just click on the green "Sign Up" button at this link.

Haiti 2010 Mission Trip Team Meeting

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 06:00:00 +0000

The first information meeting for the Haiti 2010 Mission Trip was a big success. A Big thanks goes out to everyone who came out to learn more about going on the trip and for those who came out to find out how they can help here in the states.

The next meeting will be on March 22nd @1pm at Harvest Pointe Christian Church in Goshen Ohio. This meeting will be the entire team and supporters for the Haiti 2010 Mission Trip. If you have any questions feel free to contact Rosa Miller or Shelby Baxter by clicking on their names.

Currently the team is made up of Harvest Pointe Christian Church, Eastside ChristianChurch, Loveland Christian Church members and youth from Clermont Northeastern High School.

If you just ran across this on the web and you are interested in going or supporting the team just contact Rosa Miller or Shelby Baxter to find out how you can get involved.

Valentine Dinner CIY Fund Raiser

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:00:00 +0000

The Youth of Harvest Pointe Christian Church are getting an early start on raising money for their 2009 Trip to Christ in Youth (CIY). On Saturday, February 14th 6pm at Harvest Pointe Christian Church the youth will be hosting a Valentine's Dinner. The youth of Harvest Pointe will serve salad, lasagna, bread sticks and dessert. They will also provide child care. Every couple will receive a photo to remember your romantic evening on Valentine's Day 2009. Bring your special someone and enjoy a night out! Don't fight all the crowds at your local restaurant and make your special someone wait to eat. Come to Harvest Pointe, get a GREAT meal, child care, a photo, and more for just $25 per couple. All proceeds go towards CIY

Chili Cook-Off Party

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:00:00 +0000

On Febuary 1st at 5:30pm Harvest Pointe Christian Church will be having their annual Chili Cook-Off and football party. Everyone who wants to be in the cook-off needs to bring their best Chili. As you know we have a big screen in the gym and we have flat screens in the brown room, nursery, and lobby. We will have various gaming systems (Wii, Xbox, and PlayStation) set up on all of TVs for the kids and the adults who still want to be kids. Everyone at the party will have an opportunity to sample the chili during the first half of the ball game. During half time we will vote on the best Chili. The winner will take home the trophy that everyone desires and hopes to obtain: The Harvest Pointe Christian Church Chili Cook-Off Trophy

Haiti 2010 Informational Meeting

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:06:49 +0000

As Rosa annouced on Sunday her and Shelby are leading the way for a Mission Trip to Haiti in 2010. There are a number of Harvest Pointe Christian Youth that are going on this trip. The first informational meeting for the Haiti 2010 Mission Trip is scheduled for Sunday, January 25th, at 1:00pm. The meeting will be held at Harvest Pointe Christian Church, 5968 State Route 132, Goshen OH. Lunchmeats & fruit trays will be provided, so feel welcome to arrive early and enjoy lunch with us (or just grab a plate when you arrive).

Rosa Miller or Shelby Baxter will be co-leading this team and the meetings will be held at Harvest Pointe Christian Church. The Mission trip dates are March 18, 2010 thru March 27, 2010. The mission team will travel to Lifeline Christian Mission’s facility located in Grand Goave, Haiti. Lifeline is a well-established organization that has been active in ministering in Haiti for almost 30 years and they will be our host in the field. To learn more about mission trips hosted by Lifeline Christian Mission , check out their website: www.lifeline.org

If you’ve traveled with us in the past, attendance for this meeting is not critical (although we’d love to have you join us). If you know someone that would like to join the team, please bring them to the meeting so they’ll have an opportunity to learn firsthand about what to expect and ask questions. Adults and students (age 12 and older) are welcome to join us on the trip, however all students must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

One of the highlights of this trip is to build a home for Manuchecha Pierre, Rosa Miller’s sponsor child. Many of you assisted in raising funds to build Manuchecha’s home (including offerings from the summer VBS program at Loveland Christian Church, Blessings for Haiti Scrapbooking Event, and through personal donations). It would be awesome if you could join us in building the home you helped to finance!

Feel free to tell anyone that is interested in traveling with us. Please contact Rosa Miller or Shelby Baxter if you have questions or need directions. Shelby is scheduled to be in Haiti Jan 8th through the 16th, so Rosa will be the primary contact during that time.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars now! If you would, please let Rosa Miller or Shelby Baxter know if you are interested in joining the team and whether or not you plan to attend the meeting (so they can plan the food).

Dessert and Ornament Exchange

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:00:00 +0000

Pointer Sisters Dessert & Ornament Exchange
Saturday, December 13th, 6:00 - 7:30pm
For Girls & Ladies of all Ages!

Bring your favorite Christmas cookies or dessert and an ornament. Enjoy this special time of year together and satisfy your sweet tooth! Take home new memories and a variety plate of cookies and sweets, along with a new ornament! Ornaments will be available to decorate - for teens, pre-teens or post-teens! Plus, this is a great time to support those in need. Please bring any of the following to be given to Milford Miami Ministries (MMM):

Spaghetti, Toothpaste, Spaghetti sauce, Shampoo, Cereal, Toothbrushes, Oatmeal, Diapers (size 4 or pull ups), Fruit drinks for school lunches, Laundry and dish detergent.

Checks or money orders are also accepted (payable to MMM) - specify "food" on donation.

HPCC Christmas Party/Service

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 06:00:00 +0000

Harvest Pointe Christian Church's Christmas program will be exciting this year. It will be on December 19th at 7p.m. This will be a great time to get together as a church and celebrate Christmas. There will be dinner, door prizes, and a program. Feel free to invite your friends and family to celebrate with you. For more information contact C.J. Stephens by Clicking Here.

Dig Deeper - Bible Study

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 06:00:00 +0000

This Bible study is open to anyone that is interested in "digging deeper". Have you ever wondered what the heck Jesus was talking about sometimes? For a look at what those tough sayings of the Bible are and how they relate to our lives, join Ken Spurlock at Harvest Pointe Christian Church on Sunday evenings at 6pm. If you would like to contact Ken Click Here .

Chistmas Stocking for Teen Challenge

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:00:00 +0000

We are putting together Christmas stockings for the young men at Teen Challenge again this year. This is an exciting way to help these men as they continue their life journey in Christ. If you would like to help please sign-up at Harvest Pointe Christian church. We are hoping to have enough stockings for 30 young men. We are collecting items such as: shaving creme, disposable razors, socks, soap, deodorant and much more.

You can help make a difference in these young men's lives!

New Small Group Material

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 05:00:00 +0000

Harvest Pointe's new Small Groups will be kicking off the first week in October and we have some great lessons planned out. The first four lessons are focused on the new Vision for Harvest Pointe. Following that we are focusing on building a life together as a church body. A detailed list of the material can be found below:

Harvest Pointe: Making a Difference

2008

October +8 In You and Me

15 In Our Homes

22 In Our Community

29 In the World

Doing Life Together

Book: Beginning Life Together [Six sessions on God's purposes for your life]

2008

November 5 Session 1: The Goal of Life

12 Session 2: Connecting with God's Family

19 Session 3: Growing to Be Like Christ

December 3 Session 4: Developing Your SHAPE to Serve Others

10 Session 5: Sharing Your Life Mission Every Day

17 Session 6: Surrendering Your Life for God's Pleasure

Book: Connecting With God's Family [Six sessions on fellowship]

2009

January 7 Session 1: Connecting with Jesus

14 Session 2: Compelled by God's Love

21 Session 3: Connecting in Community

28 Session 4: Strengthened by Honesty

February 4 Session 5: Iron Sharpens Iron

11 Session 6: Remembering Christ in Community

Book: Growing to Be Like Christ [Six sessions on discipleship]

February 25 Session 1: Session Growing Deeper in Christ

March 4 Session 2: The Power for Living

11 Session 3: Personal Time with God

18 Session 4: Entering God's Presence

25 Session 5: A Taste for God's Word

April 1 Session 6: The Unlikely Route to Joy

Book: Developing Your Shape to Serve Others [Six sessions on ministry]

April 15 Session 1: You Are God's Masterpiece

22 Session 2: A Servant's Heart

29 Session 3: Discovering Your Gifts

May 6 Session 4: Your Unique Personality

13 Session 5: Serving from Experience

20 Session 6: Serving with Your Whole Heart

Joey's Baptism

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 05:00:00 +0000

On Sunday August 31, 2008 Joey accepted Christ as her personal Lord and Savior and was baptized. Caitlin and Jenna were honored to perform the baptism. We will all be praying for her to grow in her relationship with Christ. PRAISE GOD!!!

Check out some pictures of the baptism here.

Lilly's Baptism

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0000

What GREAT NEWS!! Lilly came forward on Sunday Auguest 24th 2008 to give her life to Christ. We could see how proud Lilly's family was of her and the decision that she made. She was baptized by Tyler Murphy at Vic and Rosa's pool. Check back soon for pictures of the baptism. PRAISE GOD!!!!!

Check out some pictures of the baptism here.

Welcome Gina Sievers

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0000

Harvest Pointe Christian Church welcomes Gina Sievers to the Harvest Pointe Family. Gina came forward with Judy Spurlock on August 17, 2008 to join our family. What an exciting time as we grow not only together but we grow with new friends and family. Please pray for Gina and her family as we help her grow closer to Christ and the family of Harvest Pointe.

New Church Vision

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0000

The church Leadership has been working hard over the past several months. As God has moved Harvest Pointe forward we have identified the need to develop a new flight plan. Part of this flight plan is God's Vision for His church at Harvest Pointe Christian Church. The Leadership has prayfully considered why God has put us in Clermont County and in the World. As you will see from Harvest Pointe's new Vision Statement we are entering an exciting new Era. We are setting goals that will stretch each and everyone of us and as a result can only be achieved with God's blessing. Below you find the top tier of the new Vision Statement:

Harvest Pointe is making a difference...

making a difference in the World

making a difference in the Community

making a difference in your Home

making a difference in YOU and ME

The Leadership at Harvest Pointe is committed to providing you with the opportunities to make a difference. In the near future we will share with you specific goals for each area above. The leadership and ministry leaders are setting some exciting 1year, 3year and 5 year goals for each area. We are confident that this vision and these goals are aligned with what God has in store for Harvest Pointe. We can't wait to see how YOU will make a difference in the World, YOUR Community, YOUR Home, and in YOU and ME.

As always 1..2..3.. GO GOD!!!!

Youth Day at the Cincinnati Reds

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0000

The Harvest Pointe Christian Church youth were fortunate enough to be given tickets to the Cincinnati Reds game against the Milwaukee Brewers. They had a lot of fun and enjoyed hanging out with each other. The only thing that could of made it better was the Reds winning. Oh well there is always next year. Check out some of the pictures from the game by clicking here. While the Cincinnati Reds lost the youth enjoyed the night out.

We're Going to two Services

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0000

You might have already heard but Harvest Pointe Christian Church in Goshen Ohio is going to two services! God is moving in a big way at Harvest Pointe Christian Church. Since moving into our building the church has been blessed with dedicated people stepping up and doing whatever it takes. Most importantly God has blessed us by bringing in people to connect with our current church family. This growth has caused us to start planning for two services. On October 5th the two services will begin. Both worship services will be identical.

1st Service: 9:30a.m.

Nursery: birth to 4years old

2nd Service: 11:00a.m.

Nursery: birth to 4yrs old

Children's programming: K to 5th Grade

Note: The two services are still in the planning stages so please bear with us as we work out all the details. Check back regularly as the service times may change.

Exciting Things

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0000

Wow!! God has blessed Harvest Pointe Christian Church tremendously over the years. This year is no exception. As most of you know we are in the new building and a lot of work is happening. The Leadership made some exciting new annoucements last week. We will be celebrating our 6th birthday and hold our Grand Opening on October 5th. We will also have an Open House for the ccommunity on October 4th from 11am to 2pm. The facility will be open to everyone in the community and there will be FREE food and drinks. The grills will be fired up and ready to serve. We will also have a giant slide and a inflatable obstacle course for the kids.

Many of you have already seen Harvest Pointe's sermons on the Cable access channels. During the next couple of months you will begin to see commercials for HPCC on various cable television channels. Use this time to tell your friends and family about Harvest Pointe Christian Church. We will be providing you with many ways to invite them to our Open House and Grand Opening on Oct 4th and 5th.

To support our recent and future growth, beginning Oct 5th we will have two services. The 1st and 2nd services will provide a nursery while the 2nd service will have full children's programming. Our new children's programming is exciting. Not only are we providing your children with innovative Biblically based learning on Sunday, we are providing each family with material (multimedia, refrigerator cards, and etc) to allow the parents to reienforce what they are learning Sunday morning throughtout the week. We are excited to partner with the parents and build up children that will honor our Savior into their adult life.

Our A.C.T. (Action! Community Team) will leap into action real soon. If you are interested in serving people in the community let someone on the leadership know.

Lastly, on October 5th our new small group ministry will also be launched. This will be a great opportunity for people to connect and dig deeper.

Stay tuned for more exciting NEWS!

Rachael's Baptism

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0000

What a great way to celebrate the start of our new Children's program. Rachael came forward and accepted Christ as her personal Lord and Savior on Sunday August 3, 2008. Congratulations Rachael. We know your family is extremely proud.

Click Here to see some photos of the Baptism.

CJ and Ami's Wedding

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 05:00:00 +0000

CJ and Ami were married on July 26th in Springfield Illinois. It was a very beautiful wedding and you could tell how happy CJ and Ami were to finally be united. Check out some pictures of the wedding here.

Audrey's Baptism

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:00:00 +0000

Check out pictures from Audrey's Baptism on Sunday July 6, 2008. Audrey decided to rededicate her life to Christ while at the Christ in Youth 2008 Move Conference. Audrey has grown tremendously at Harvest Pointe Christian Church and we can't wait to see her grow into a great Christian women. Congratulations Audrey! Check out the Pictures by clicking here .

Youth Pool Party

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:00:00 +0000

Check out some great pictures of the youth pool party on Sunday July 6th. The youth decided to have a celebration for Kat and Audrey for making life changing decisions. We had a great time swimming, eating, and playing around. Thank you Vic and Rosa for letting us use your pool!

Christ in Youth Move 2008 Pictures

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 05:00:00 +0000

The youth of Harvest Pointe Christian Church have returned from this year's Christ in Youth MOVE conference. Our group was challenged to MOVE in our walk with Christ. We will tap into the power of the Holy Spirit, build community within our youth group and church, and to be bold in our message to the world of the resurrected Christ Jesus! Here are few links to some of the pictures that we took while at Hope College in Holland, Michigan:

Pictures at the Christ in Youth Conference

Pictures at Lake Michigan

Pictures of Kat's Baptism in Lake Michigan

Price Hill Speechess Tour 2008

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 05:00:00 +0000

Price Hill is coming to Harvest Pointe Christian Church with their Speechless tour on July 26th. The doors will open at 6:30pm and music will begin at 7:00pm.

Price Hill is a six-piece band with members ages ranging from 19 to 28. Many of the members have played together in past bands and have lead worship together since 2001. Their diverse musical backgrounds combine to create a unique style of contemporary/ praise music with catchy melodies and lyrics written from the heart. In July of 2007, the band completed their self-booked "For Real" tour that took them all over the state of Texas. During this time they felt that God was calling them to His ministry and they have been steadily playing churches, camps and events ever since. Price Hill formed in 2007 with the goal of spreading the Word of God and the love of Jesus Christ by building relationships with people and other ministries. It is their desire to worship God with our music and our lives. Each member of Price Hill looks to strengthen his relationship with God every day. It is their hope that you can relate to at least one of their songs and that it gives you encouragement or even just an opportunity to praise God. The name Price Hill is a reminder of the enormous price that was paid by Jesus Christ on Calvary Hill to pardon our sins and allow us to have a personal relationship with God.

If you want to find out more about the band visit their webiste www.pricehillmusic.com or their MySpace (www.myspace.com/pricehillmusic )

Youth Concert Photos

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 05:00:00 +0000

Check out some of the pictures taken during our first Youth Concert featuring Joey Hendrickson. We had a lot of fun and plan on having more concerts in the future. We would love to have you at the next one. Come out and enjoy all the fun. If you want to see the pictures of all the fun we had just Click Here .

Youth Concert

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:00:00 +0000

Do you need to have some FUN on a Friday night? Harvest Pointe Christian Church is hosting a Youth Concert featuring Joey Hendrickson. Everyone is welcome to come see Joey Hendrickson in concert at Harvest Pointe Christian Church on June 20th. The doors will open at 6:30pm and the music begins at 7:00pm. There will be drinks and snacks available. If you have any questions feel free to call 513.625.1877 or email Tyler Murphy by Clicking Here. Check out our Flyer Here . You can print out a copy to invite a friend if you want.

CIY 2008 Commercial 6 - Youth Interviews

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 03:46:49 +0000

This commercial has some of the kids that are going to Christ in Youth (CIY) being interviewed. They tell you what they hope to get out of it. Our youth minister is promising our Treasurer that he will get her the money this year. The youth group of Harvest Pointe Christian Church in Milford Ohio put together a series of commercials to raise support for their trip to Christi in Youth (CIY) in 2008. These commercials are not only informative but are really FUNNY. There are six in the series so make sure you check out each one.

CIY 2008 Commercial 5 - Who is this Jesus Dude

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:46:49 +0000

This commercial is about a girl who didn't go to Christ in Youth (CIY) and is trying to figure out who this Jesus dude is by looking in an old dusty bible. Our youth group put together a series of commercials to raise support for their trip to Christi in Youth (CIY) in 2008. These commercials are not only informative but are really FUNNY. There are six in the series so make sure you check out each one.

CIY 2008 Commercial 4 - A ladies Man

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:00:00 +0000

This commercial is about a boy who is a ladies man and needs Christ in Youth (CIY) to help him become a Godly young man. Our youth group put together a series of commercials to raise support for their trip to Christi in Youth (CIY) in 2008. These commercials are not only informative but are really FUNNY. There are six in the series so make sure you check out each one.

CIY 2008 Commercial 3 - A bully among us

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 06:00:00 +0000

This commercial is about a church youth group that has a boy who did not go to Christ in Youth (CIY) and is a bully. The guy coming out of the bathroom first just had his head put in the toilet. Our youth group put together a series of commercials to raise support for their trip to Christi in Youth (CIY) in 2008. These commercials are not only informative but are really FUNNY. There are six in the series so make sure you check out each one.

CIY 2008 Commercial 2 - dis-functional vs perfect family

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 05:00:00 +0000

Youth (CIY) compared to a family where the kids did go to CIY. It is a funny comparison of a dis-functional to the so called perfect family. Our youth group put together a series of commercials to raise support for their trip to Christi in Youth (CIY) in 2008. These commercials are not only informative but are really FUNNY. There are six in the series so make sure you check out each one.

CIY 2008 Commercial 1 - Youth left behind

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 05:00:00 +0000

This commercial is about a girl in a youth group that couldn't go to Christi in Youth (CIY) because she didn't have the money and we didn't have enough room in cars. She was left behind. Our youth group put together a series of commercials to raise support for their trip to Christi in Youth (CIY) in 2008. These commercials are not only informative but are really FUNNY. There are six in the series so make sure you check out each one.

Pictures of Tyler and Caitlin's Wedding

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 05:00:00 +0000

Our favorite youth minister, Tyler Murphy, and Caitlin Casey were married on Saturday May 31, 2008. Check out some of the photos from the wedding by clicking here . The wedding was beautiful and God blessed them with a wonderful day. What a great couple!! The entire wedding was filled with given all the glory and honor to Jesus Christ.

Welcome the Wichmann Family

Sun, 25 May 2008 05:00:00 +0000

While many of us were in Texas getting ready for Tyler and Caitlin's wedding the Wichmann family came forward on Sunday May 25, 2008 to join the Harvest Pointe Christian Church family. Rich, Shelley and the girls have done so much since attending Harvest Pointe. It is exciting to have them share their desire to be apart of our family with everyone. Please pray for their family as they continue to grow in Christ.

Yard Sale to Support Haiti

Mon, 19 May 2008 05:00:00 +0000

As most of you already know the Blessings for Haiti missionary team has already raised enough money to build one home in Haiti this year. On Saturday May 24th the Blessings for Haiti team will be holding a yard sale at Harvest Pointe Christian Church's new building. The money will be used for a second home in Haiti. We hope to see you all at the yard sale on Saturday. Lets see how many homes we can build in Haiti duirng the first year of this mission!

If you are interested in going to Haiti this summer with the Blessings for Haiti missionary team contact Rosa Miller.

Help make our new home... Home

Tue, 13 May 2008 01:05:50 +0000

We know that all of you want to help make our new home... HOME! We have a long list of items that need to be done in and outside the new building. As we announced on Sunday, there is a 2foot by 4foot banner in the back of the church with each item listed and divided into categories. We need everyone to sign up for an area they are interested in. We also need individuals to sign up for a leadership role in these areas and help organize the volunteers. If you have any items that you would like to add to the list just add them to the banner. As we complete task feel free to highlight them so we know they are done. THANKS!

First Sunday in our new building pictures

Tue, 13 May 2008 01:00:05 +0000

Click Here to see pictures of our first Sunday in our new Building on State Route 132. We had a wonderful service. The most exciting part was Mark and Francie joinging the church and Mark being our first Baptism in the new Building. Praise God for all that He has done.

Moving Day Pictures

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:53:20 +0000

Thanks to Don we have a lot of great pictures of Harvest Pointe Christian Church moving into our new building on State Route 132. God is trully blessing our congregation. Continue to pray He will open the right doors and close the wrong doors. Click Here to see the Pictures.

Welcome Mark and Francie

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:11:48 +0000

Praise God! Mark and Francie joined the Harvest Pointe Christian Church family today (May 4, 2008) and Mark was baptized. What a GREAT way to launch our first day in the new building. We know God will bless Mark and Francie. We pray that Harvest Pointe Christian Church can be a place that helps them grow closer to Christ and build an even stronger family.

2008 Ladies Retreat

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:04:13 +0000

Save the Date!

The Woodland Lakes Ladies Retreat will be on September 19-20, 2008.

The Keynote Speaker will be Kay Moll. Kay Moll is a graduate of Johnson Bible College and the University of Tennessee. Her first husband, Edward Watts, was killed in an automoble accident shortly after their marriage in 1969. In 1991, Kay married Tom Moll, who is the senior minister of Christ's Church at Mason in Mason, Ohio. Kay serves as the director women's ministries and missions.

We will have more information in the near future.

Our New Location

Sun, 04 May 2008 23:52:12 +0000

Yes you heard right! We are in a new building as of May 4th 2008. We have moved into a building less than a 1/2 mile away from our target location of Williams Corner (SR132 and SR131). Our new address is 5968 State Route 132 Goshen Ohio. Click Here for directions. We are extremely thankful for Teen Challenge over the years. They have been such a blessing to us and the community. God has opened door after door for Harvest Pointe Christian Church over the years and we are grateful that he has provided us with a place to serve the community even more.

We are making a lot of changes so don't hesitate to come out and visit!!!!

Wedding Shower for Ami and Caitlin

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:01:03 +0000

On Saturday May 3rd at 2pm Susan is hosting a wedding shower for Ami and Caitlin.

Click Here for Directions from google maps or see directions from Susan below:

From Teen Challenge -turn left onto Rt. 50 and follow through Owensville and into Monterey. Before you leave Monterey, you will pass a white frame church on the Rt. Soon after the church you will see Rt. 133. Turn left on 133 and follow to the four-way stop and turn right on 131. Follow for 4.3 miles and turn left into Lake Lorelei. Stop at the guard shack and tell them you are coming to my home. Take the first street you come to and turn Rt. on Keil Drive. Take the next street on the right(Lorelei Drive) and follow it across the bridge. Stay on Lorelei Drive until you come to Strauss Cove (TT will be under the name on the sign). Turn left and follow to the gray house (1647) at the end of the street. If you can't park in the driveway, park on the steet but please don't block anyone's driveway. If it is nice out, I will have the shower on the deck. If you have a lawn chair, please bring it. I have some chairs. It is 1.7 miles from the entrance to my driveway. Hope to see you there.

Help Us Clean the Church

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:55:45 +0000

On Friday, May 2 at 7:00 P.M. we will meet at our new location (Lighthouse Baptist Church) to clean up. We could use all the help we can get to clean up our new place of Worship. Bring vacuum cleaners and supplies and a cheerful spirit!

Click Here for directions. The address is 5968 State Route 132 Goshen Ohio.

Call Rosa if you have any questions:
Phone #: 513-831-6459
Cell #: 513-543-7716

We are Moving!

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:43:41 +0000

Can you believe it!!! Harvest Pointe Christian Church is finally moving into a new building on May 3rd. This means our first service will be on May 4th. On Saturday May 3rd at 10:00am we could use your help.

Fund raising Crop for Blessings for Haiti

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:02:42 +0000

Blessings for Haiti, a missiion of Harvest Pointe Christian Church, is holding a fundraising crop to build homes for children in Haiti. Our first home will be for Marie Michel Joseph. Her home was partially destroyed in a recent hurricane

All Sunday Services Cancelled

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 19:40:53 +0000

Due to the current and expected road conditions Harvest Pointe Christian Church has decided to cancel all Services for Sunday March 08, 2008. We hope that you and your family can spend time together on Sunday morning and reflect on everything our great and awesome Savior has given to us.

John Robinson has put together a Sunday morning devotional for you and your family. Click here to see the devotional. Use the "print friendly" icon at the top right of the devotional so you can print it out and read over it on Sunday Morning. Can't wait to see you all again next Sunday!!

You can see some of the road condition reports at the following links:

Dangerous Road Conditions in the Tri-State by Channel 12 News

Blizzard Warning in Effect by Channel 9 News

Latest Updates on the Storm from Channel 5 News

Devotional for Snow day on March 8th

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 17:00:13 +0000

For some reason I was thinking about snow today! Whenever I think of snow I think of a man named Benaiah. Benaiah lived about 3,000 years ago in Israel. He was one of King David's mighty men. Rambo had nothing on him.

Jr. High Believe 2008 Pictures

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 14:13:03 +0000

Check out some Pictures from Believe 2008 (Get Connected)

The Jr. High of Harvest Pointe Christian Church had a great time at Believe. You can check out some of the pictures by Clicking Here. A big thank you goes out to the Christ in Youth organization that organizes these events all over the country. They do a great job and most importantly our kids get connected with Christ.

New Building for HPCC!

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:18:56 +0000

God is good and He is good all the time!
Things are moving forward very fast with Harvest Pointe Christian Church purchasing Lighthouse Baptist's building. We have signed a contract with Lighthouse Baptist with two conditions. Harvest Pointe Christian Church has approximately a month to secure financing and have the building inspected. KEEP PRAYING! The people of Harvest Pointe came through and we will also keep our 10.3acres on SR132. Thank you for all your prayers and commitment to building God's Kingdom. We ask that you continue to pray that God will continue to open and close doors. We are currently working on the financing and will be lining up an inspection of the building. CONTINUE TO PRAY!

Super Bowl 2008 Pictures

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:06:45 +0000

We had a GREAT time at Harvest Pointe Christian Church's Super Bowl Party. Click Here to check out some of the pictures. A big thankyou goes out to Vic and Rosa for opening up there house to everyone.

New website for Harvest Pointe

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:30:57 +0000

Parden the mess

We have just launched our new website and we are still working out some of the details. For the most part all the functions are working. If you find any problems or see something you don't like just let the webmaster know by Clicking Here .

Super Bowl Party 2008

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:20:15 +0000

"Are you ready for some Football?"

As most of you may remember one of the established traditions that we have at Harvest Pointe Christian Church Ohio is a Super Bowl Party and chili cookoff. We know that Super Bowl Sunday is something that has not been celebrated on a personal basis in the Cincinnati area recently, but it is a great excuse for fellowship. So, on February 3rd at 5:30 we will be gathering at the Miller's home with our favorite chili recipes and side dishes in what is always a great time for fellowship and feasting. We ask that if your last name begins with A through K you bring a side dish that goes along with chili and L through Z bring a drink to wash down some of the recipes that need a fire extinguisher. The winner of the chili cookoff will receive the traditional Bengals helmet that has been handed down over the years and the esteem of being the reigning champion. We'll see you there.

Evidence Against Evolution

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:46:51 +0000

{play}short_lessons_audio/evolution.mp3{/play}

*Audio is missing the first part of the lesson, you can read it below.

Today there are struggles in the educational realm. One is whether or not to include the mounting evidence against evolution in the studies.

With a blind faith, a disregard for truth, and an unashamed intolerance, the believers in evolution are fighting to continue to force their religion on the rest of us, robbing us of our right to choose. So I would like to share an evidence against evolution.

One of the issues is the billions of years evolution requires. Mount St. Helens in Washington State erupted on May 18, 1980. In May of 2000 Ken Ham wrote:

The events associated with the volcano’s explosion accomplished in seconds, hours, or just a few days, geologic work that normally would be interpreted as having taken hundreds or even millions of years. One particular canyon was formed, which has since been named the ‘Little Grand Canyon.’ About 100 feet deep and somewhat wider, it is about 1/40th the scale of the mighty Grand Canyon. This canyon was formed in one day from a mudflow. A newly formed river then flowed through the Canyon formed by the mudflow.

Now I remember being taught in school that when you saw a canyon with a river running through it, you assumed that the river took a long time to erode the canyon. My teachers—not having known what happened at Mount St. Helens—would have concluded the same thing about the small river cutting through the Little Grand Canyon.

The erosion of this canyon enables scientists to see some of the layers that were laid down. What astonished them were features such as the 25-feet-thick deposit that consisted of thousands of thin layers. In school, I was taught that you assume layers like this were laid down at the rate of perhaps one or two a year. Then you could estimate how long it took for such a deposit to form, perhaps even millions of years. However, this 25-feet-thick series of layers was formed in less than one day—perhaps even just three hours.

People around the world are indoctrinated by evolutionists who believe that layers like those we see at the Grand Canyon took millions of years to be laid down. That belief of ‘billions of years’ is foundational to evolutionary thinking. What happened at Mount St. Helens is a powerful challenge to this belief.

Attack of the Clones

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:34:39 +0000

{play}short_lessons_audio/cloning.mp3{/play}

Last week we looked a stem cell research.

We saw that stem cells are found in both adults and embryos. Remember, an embryo is really a baby! And the same stem cells found in embryos are also found in umbilical cords. So, why the emphasis on embryonic stem cell research? Because the next step is cloning.

The logic is that by cloning, two problems are solved.

1. It produces the embryos to experiment on.

2. Young, healthy stem cells can be created from a person that will not be rejected by his/her body.

Cloning is a ghastly concept. They say its purpose is to grow replacement parts. The idea is simple. If they make a clone, an exact copy of you, then there will be no danger of your body rejecting the organ. Sounds great, doesn't it!

Some years ago I caught my son, Tim, watching a science fiction series called, Sliders. Now, parents need to know what their kids are watching, so I began watching Sliders with him; only as a parent to protect Tim. The main characters slid from one dimension into another. One slide brought them to a community of people missing body parts: eyes, limbs, organs. Then they discovered why. They were the clones!! They had been grown for body parts. When the original person's eyes grew week or injured, no problem. Take them from the clone. Lose an arm, get one from the clone. Need a kidney, Take one from the clone.

The promoters of embryonic research make it sound like if you need a new heart they will grow one by cloning. The reality is they will make another you. It will be your child. Then they would take the body part from your child. People thought Hitler was a monster for trying to breed a super-race. What would the nation think if the full impact of cloning were emphasized by the media?

Another view on Stem Cell research

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:06:30 +0000

{play}short_lessons_audio/stem_cells.mp3{/play}

Stem cell research is a hot topic now. I Googled stem cells and found, “…Stem cells … are considered the building blocks of blood and immune systems in the body. Stem cells can … be found in the bone marrow and blood that circulates within the body. … If a person's blood stem cells become damaged due to diseases, cancer, or leukemia, the only hope for a cure is a blood stem cell transplant. This replaces the patient's diseased cells with healthy new stem cells. The cells that will be transplanted in must match the patient's cells to reduce the risk of Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GVHD).”

Stem cells can be found in both embryos and adults. Embryos are really unborn babies. Place an embryo in a womb and nine months later, you have a bouncing bundle of joy.

The media seems to make it appear that anyone who is against embryonic stem cell research is against science and miracle cures. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Adult stem cell research is making some great medical gains in many areas. Big companies are funneling major dollars into adult stem cell research because it is not only promising, but already getting results.

On the other hand, long ago the companies stopped financing embryonic stem cell research because it shows absolutely no promise of curing anything. So, the whole issue would die if it weren’t for the possibility of government funding. That’s right, our tax dollars again.

If you notice, there is no evidence ever given that embryonic stem cell research will do anything. They give a lot of emotional appeals. Who could ever forget Christopher Reeve (Superman) in a wheelchair? The plea is that if just turned loose, embryonic stem cells could possibly cure about anything!

It is reminiscent of past fads like seaweed. People were researching how to make it taste good. Seaweed was going to end world hunger! They were seeing if it would cure everything from cancer to the cold.

The point is, you can say that anything is a possible cure for anything. For instance, you could petition the government to pay you to research if ice cream might contain a cure for aides. You could put pictures on television of pitiable people with the disease and say, “Ice Cream is their only hope! If only you would give us money to research ice cream!!” But, it doesn’t mean there is any hope that ice cream will cure anything.

Now, also consider that the same stem cells found in embryos are found in umbilical cords. Lots and lots of babies are born every day that could easily provide more than they need.

So, why all the effort to use and thus kill embryos? Why not just use umbilical cords? One reason is obviously millions of tax dollars. But there is another very important reason. If they get the money for embryonic stem cell research, they will need embryos, so they will petition for our tax dollars to clone more embryos to destroy as they remove the stem cells. Next week we will think about cloning.

Should the Koran be Flushed?

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:48:52 +0000

Danieltown Baptist Church in Forest City, NC displayed this sign in front of their church, causing an outrage in popular media. Read or listen below to hear what the minister of Harvest Pointe has to say.

{play}short_lessons_audio/koran.mp3{/play}

It seems that every week our nation faces a great spiritual struggle. Christians do and say things that are not wise. Non-Christians show the depths to which they, too, can sink. The media, for the most part, is very post-modern, and thus, amoral. So, I would like to spend a few moments each week touching on a hot topic, and hopefully share a little spiritual wisdom with you.

Since post-modernism says there is no absolute truth, more and more we are seeing a reporter lie to get the big headline. A reporter broke a big story saying that during an interrogation a copy of the Koran had been flushed down the toilet. After many lives were lost, and more are still being lost, the lie was admitted. But a well-meaning preacher in a very small church put up a sign that read, “The Koran needs to be flushed.” After being swamped with calls, emails, and letters, he finally took down the sign and publicly apologized.

Before we go on I should probably state that I know where the preacher was going with the sign. The Koran is not from God, or I would be a Muslim. But what bothered me the most was that the real reason the sign was not a wise thing to do was never mentioned.

The minister goofed with the sign because he was not sharing the love of Christ with the world. He has given more ammunition to those who put down and discredit the Church.

Many people know the Golden Rule. In Matthew 7:12 Jesus said, “Do to others what you would have them do to you.” Would any of us like to see a Muslim flush a copy of the Bible? In John 4 Jesus modeled this principle when he reached out to the woman at the well. He did not take pot shots at her pagan beliefs. Jesus became her friend and shared truth and love with her. We reach people, not by condemning what they believe, but as we become their friend.

In Romans 14:15 Paul was writing about doing things that are not wrong in themselves, but cause distress to others. The principle is, “If your brother is distressed because of what you [do], you are no longer acting in love.” In spite of good intensions, the sign was not very loving. It caused distress, not only to Muslims in the area, but also to fellow Christians and those without Christ. Romans 14:16 says, “Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil.” With that sign, the world was able to take another shot at all conservative churches.

That minister needs to view Muslims, not as the enemy, but as precious souls for whom Christ died. Rather than condemning them, he should strive to reach the Muslims for Christ by first touching their hearts, not by irritating them. Paul modeled this approach. In Acts 17, while in Athens, he made a public speech. He began by noting that they were very religious (something they were proud of). Then he pointed out an altar to an “Unknown God.” (The Athenians didn’t want to leave any gods out!) Then Paul proclaimed the God they did not know and led some people to Christ. Rather than irritating the people, Paul treated them with respect and love and more precious souls are joining us in Heaven.

One last illustration. In Acts 18 Aquila and Priscilla heard Apollos, a great orator of the day, preaching. The only problem was he only knew about the baptism of John the Baptist, which was preparing the way for Jesus. He didn’t know about salvation through the death/resurrection of Jesus being made known through the Church. Instead of publicly condemning him, Acts 18:26 says, “When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.” Sitting around the dinner table, they turned Apollos into a powerful force in the early Church.

Negative signs do not reach a person’s heart. There’s an old saying that “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Maybe the Church needs to relearn that old saying!

Study on the Greek word "eis"

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:35:21 +0000

A note from John Robinson, minister of Harvest Pointe Christian Church:
As you read this article, please concentrate on the excellent information, and not on the names mentioned. Harvest Pointe Christian Church is part of the Restoration Movement. It’s purpose is not to reform any church group, as was the Reformation Movement, but rather to restore the New Testament doctrine and practice. One of the early slogans was, "Christians only, but not the only Christians." There is a world of difference between saying "You are mistaken," and "You are going to Hell." We are not fighting against any other Church groups or individuals. Satan is the enemy. Another slogan is, "In matters of faith, unity. In matters of opinion, liberty. But in all things, love. Our purpose is to bring people into a relationship with Jesus in which He becomes their Savior and Lord.

Don’t Slip on the eis

On the Day of Pentecost, after Peter’s great gospel message on salvation through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, the people cried out, "What shall we do?" (to be saved is understood). Peter replied plainly, without equivocation, "Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Yet faith-only preachers deny baptism is necessary, saying it is only a sign you are saved and for church membership.

Their favorite argument is that the preposition "for" (eis- pronounced like "ice") can mean "because" and say this indicates, "be baptized because your sins have been forgiven." Since, "baptized" is joined with "repent" by "and" this would mean "repentance" also was after salvation, yet the need for repentance is proclaimed many places in the New Testament (Acts 3:19; 17:30; Romans 2:4) - Jesus Himself said, "Except you repent, you shall likewise perish" (Luke 13:3).

Eis occurs 1,773 times in the New Testament and never means "because." It is used by Jesus in Matthew 26:28, "For this is my blood, which is shed for many for (eis) the remission of sins" He certainly didn’t mean sins were remitted before His blood was shed.

Dr. Henry B. Dewing, president of Athens College, Athens, Greece, said, "I should translate, ‘Let everyone of you be baptized for the (attainment of) forgiveness of sins. ‘...The meaning ‘because of’ is .. utterly out of the question." Baptist scholar Edgar Goodspeed, who translated a popular version of the New Testament admitted, "It (eis) never means "because of." He used "in order to." However, he said he disagreed with Peter’s theology in that regard, thus rejecting the infallible inspiration of the Scriptures.

One radio preacher in an attempt to prove this fallacy said, "Suppose I said to you, ‘Thank you for the gift.’ I would mean ‘because of the gift,’ not to get it." There is an example of his illustration in the New Testament. 2 Corinthians 9:15 reads, "Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift." If eis is used here as "for" he has proven his point. However, it is not eis but epi, which can be rendered "because of." Not only does this not prove his point but disproves that eis can mean "because" in Acts 2:38, as Peter would have used epi if that was his point there.

The popular Baptist preacher Charles Swindoll evidently concedes that eis means "for" but has another deceptive device to wrest this Scripture. In a quarterly publication he wrote that "repent" is plural but be baptized is singular so the verse should read. "Repent for the forgiveness of your sins; be baptized and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." No version ever translates it thus and this is not the significance of the plural and singular. In fact the singular of "be baptized" enforces the need. Suppose I said to a class, "You (pl) study and each of you (sing) pass the test and you (pl) will be promoted." I am not minimizing passing the test but emphasizing it.

Then Swindoll makes another ridiculous claim that vs. 41 states that those who repented were baptized following their conversion, not preceding it. Any child could see this is not true. It simply says that the ones who accepted Peter’s statement obeyed it by being baptized. To add to the confusion, he cites nine scriptures which he claims state that "one is saved by faith alone" in James 2:17 , which says such faith is invalid. What about Hebrews 5:9 that says Christ saves those who "obey Him"?

One writer asked why quarrel over this minute point about the function of baptism. A teenage girl in a Christian Church youth group rejected baptism, saying she was saved by just trusting in Jesus. She showed her minister Swindoll’s article and indicated she was trusting him rather than the Word of God.

All information in this article has been provided by The Christian Restoration Association and is copy righted by them.

What do you mean, Restoration Movement?

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:33:21 +0000

Within the United States, as well as around the world, there is a growing number of people who have come to be known as "Christians" only. Their congregations are simply called Christian Churches or Churches of Christ.

The uniqueness of this group lies in its desire to restore the church of the New Testament, not in its form of dress, mode of transportation, or in the language spoken or read, but in its doctrines, ordinances, and faith. Because of this position, this purpose to restore, we have come to look upon ourselves as the "RESTORATION MOVEMENT."

This movement is not "just another denomination," since we have not chosen a denominational or "man-made" name, creed, or book of doctrine. Our name, as individual members, is Christian and as congregations, Churches of Christ or Christian Churches. As these terms are scriptural and based upon the Word of God, we can honestly claim to be "Christians only." We are not the only Christians; we are Christians only!

As to our creed (from the Latin "credo," meaning "I believe") we believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God, as Lord and as Savior. Our book of doctrine, or list of beliefs, is simply the Word of God. Thus as one man has expressed it, "We have no creed but Christ, no book but the Bible, no name but the name Christian."

Not only are we non-denominational, but in reality we are not even Protestants. The word "Protestant" is derived from the protesting of the followers of Martin Luther against the decision of the Diet of Speier in 1529 which denied liberty of worship to the reformers. Later other groups in turn broke with the Lutheran, Presbyterian, or other denominations, protesting some part of their doctrine. As a result, these "protesters" went on to form still other denominations.

As a "Restoration Movement" we have not broken with any particular group in an attempt to protest or "reform." The early participants in this movement consisted, instead, of those who broke from a variety of denominations and religious groups. They did this, not in an attempt to reform any particular denomination, but rather in an effort to restore the "original" church of the New Testament.

With the passing of time there have arisen those who would have us believe that such a restoration is no longer possible-that the New 'Testament church and primitive Christianity cannot be restored. The facts reveal, however, that a restoration is not only possible but also practical and scriptural. Equally important, it is BEING DONE!

THERE IS A NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH TO RESTORE

In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said, "Upon this rock I will build my church." This "rock" upon which the Lord promised to construct His church was His own deity, or the FACT that He (Jesus) was the Christ, the son of God. Upon this firm foundation Jesus promised to erect a spiritual Kingdom with Himself as the "chief cornerstone. "

Actually, however, it wasn't until about a year later, on the Day of Pentecost in the year 30 A.D., that this "construction" was begun and the church brought into being. On this day the

Apostle Peter stood up before several thousand of the Jews in Jerusalem and presented to them the fact that they had murdered their Messiah. In response to this accusation, the Scripture records:

"Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the Apostles, `Friends, what are we to do?' `Repent,' said Peter, `repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit' " (Acts 2:37-38).

Later in this 2nd chapter of Acts, Luke records that "day by day the Lord added to their number those whom He was saving" (Acts 2:47). This was the church.

As to the doctrines or beliefs of the early church, they included such things as the deity of Christ, the necessity for living the Christian life, and the promise of eternal life for the faithful believer.

Its ordinances were two in number, immersion (baptism) of the penitent believer in water for the remission of sins, and the weekly observance of the Lord's Supper.

According to the Scriptures, there were several names given to this body of believers both as individuals and collectively, but prominent among these were two. In the latter part of Acts 11:26, it is recorded that "It was in Antioch that the disciples first got the name of Christians" And in Romans 16:16 we read, "All the churches of Christ greet you" (N.A.S.V.). The term "Christian church" is also often used because it can readily apply as a collective name for the entire body of believers.

This, then, is the New 'Testament Church-pure and simple. It was organized at the command of Christ and under the direction of His Spirit-directed Apostles. Its teachings, doctrines, and ordinances, free from all pomp and ritual, were plainly revealed within the pages of God's Word.

HOW CAN THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH BE RESTORED?

Webster defines the word "restore" as "to bring back to its original condition."

Suppose you owned an old, run-down, dilapidated house. Say it was nearly 100 years old. Somehow you wanted to restore this old house to its original condition and beauty. Although you never saw it in its original state, from what is left you can visualize that it must have been very beautiful at one time.

If this were the case, how would you go about restoring this old house? Would you face it with limestone so that its weather-beaten wood shingles couldn't be seen? Would you add several new rooms and possibly enlarge and redecorate the existing basement? If you did all this, you might possibly have a very beautiful house, but it would not be a RESTORATION of the original!

Suppose, however, you found in the attic of this old building the original blueprints, as well as some old photographs of the house as it was when it was first built. Then suppose you set about to rebuild that old house according to these plans and pictures of the original. If you followed the plans in every detail and then finished the house as shown in the photographs, what would you have as the result? You would have a RESTORATION of the house as it was 100 years before.

Surely the application here can be readily seen. If we take the church as we find it today, after nearly 2000 years of wear and tear, abuse and disuse, and try to reform it, we will never bring it back to its original simplicity and purity. Our efforts might result in a beautiful ritual and ceremony -that which the average individual thinks he wants in a church-but you would not have the original New Testament church!

On the other hand we can take this plan-book or "blueprint," this verbal picture of the early church, and "restore" it to its original doctrines, ordinances, and faith. The desires and doctrines of men would be ignored; the Bible alone would furnish all the necessary details. If this were done, what would be the result? We would find ourselves face to face with the 1st century church alive and functioning within a 20th century society!

RESTORING THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH, IN PRACTICE

Admittedly, all of this sounds very fine, but can it be done? In actual practice is it possible to take this "blueprint" (the Bible) and restore the original New Testament church? Yes, it is! To prove this, let us examine several historical instances of where it happened.

1. "RESTORATION MOVEMENT" IN AMERICA

During the period from 1794 through 1835, six separate groups were organized without any knowledge whatsoever of another's existence. in all six cases, the purpose for organization by the groups was that they might restore the New Testament Church as it is found in the pages of God's Word, the Bible. In every case they settled upon the name "Christian" for their members and "Christian Church" or "Church of Christ" for their congregations. Their baptism was by immersion for the remission of sins, and the Lord's Supper was observed the first day of every week. All of this, let us reemphasize, came about without their knowledge of one another's existence.

How was this possible? They had one factor in common-they all took the Bible as God's divinely inspired Word and attempted to live and worship thereby! The result was they all restored Christ's Church in the same way for they all had the same set of "blueprints," the Bible. Just as six building contractors could build six identical houses if they all had the same identical blueprints, likewise these six groups were able to restore the original church in its faith and practice because they all had the same guidebook.

a. James O'Kelly Movement

The first effort toward a Restoration of Christ's Church began in 1794 under the leadership of James O'Kelly a Methodist minister from Virginia. Under his direction, several Methodist churches in that state took upon themselves the name of "Christian" only.

b. Abner Jones Movement

In 1801 Abner Jones, a Baptist from Vermont and New Hampshire, broke with the Baptist church and began an independent movement for the purpose of returning to the "old paths."

c. Elias Smith Movement

In Connecticut in 1807, Elias Smith, another Baptist, led his congregation into the New Testament position. Later, in 1812, he and Abner Jones joined their efforts and went on to establish congregations each calling themselves simply "Christians"

d. Barton W. Stone Movement

While these events were taking place in the East, out in the hills of Kentucky a Presbyterian minister named Barton W. Stone was leaving the Cumberland Presbytery with his entire congregation. In doing so, this group formed what became the Cane Ridge Christian Church. In the book Attitudes and Consequences, Homer Hailey writes: "These people were calling themselves `Christians,' rejecting human creeds and party names, appealing only to the Bible for their guidance in faith and conduct."

e. Alexander and Thomas Campbell Movement

About this time, Alexander and Thomas Campbell- a father and son-both Presbyterian ministers from Pennsylvania, broke from their denominational background and began organizing Christian Churches throughout that state. By 1832 the Campbell group, which by that time far outnumbered that of Stone, united with Stone's Kentucky churches to form the largest and fastest growing religious organization of that time. Again, let it be noted that their union was based upon their identical belief in the need and possibility of restoring the New Testament Church.

f. Scotch Baptist Movement
The sixth group to enter this growing stream was that of the Scotch Baptists of New York. Although not as large as the others, this group also left denominational ties and sought out others holding the same New 'Testament position.

Here then are groups from Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and New York. Their leaders came from Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Scotch Baptist backgrounds Yet all of them could unite, though completely independent of each other in their origin and development, because they agreed upon the need for a restoration of the New Testament church.

2. "RESTORATION MOVEMENT" IN RUSSIA

About 1860, a sizeable group of Russian Orthodox from the area of Northern Russia broke with that church and set out to restore the primitive New Testament church. They called themselves "Evangelical Christian-." For over 60 years they grew until they numbered over two million believers in Russia, Poland, and other Slavic nations

In the year 1918 they chanced upon a copy of the Christian Standard. Surprised to find it advocating the same position as theirs, they subscribed to the publication for over a year. By that time they were convinced that the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ in America were identical to themselves. Thus, in 1920, they sent a delegation to America and after a series of discussions were happy to join forces for a common goal.

Here then were more than two million New Testament Christians arriving at an identical position, though separated by thousands of miles from any one else believing the same things How was this possible? They had one thing in common-a desire to restore the New Testament church using the Bible alone as their source of faith and practice.

3. "RESTORATION MOVEMENT" IN GHANA

A third incident of an indigenous Restoration Movement occurred in more recent years in the form of the "Universal Christian Church" of Ghana, on the continent of Africa.

Early in December of 1961 some Christians in Wichita, Kansas, received a letter from a young man in Shama, Ghana, asking for a copy of the Bible. The Bible was sent and soon they were flooded with such requests Learning of this, the Ark Valley Christian Church of Wichita took upon itself to furnish these Bibles as a missionary project.

In May of 1963 one of those who had received a Bible wrote the Ark Valley congregation to inform them that he had begun preaching the simple New Testament gospel and that many were ready to be baptized. In August of that year Max Ward Randall, missionary to Zambia, and Cyril Simkins, professor at Johnson Bible College, went to Ghana and to their surprise were met by hundreds of Christians. While in Ghana, these two men held a number of preaching services and baptized several.

In February of 1964 Max Ward Randall, with his wife Gladys, preached in seven cites of Ghana. Thousands heard them. Over one hundred more were obedient to the faith.

How did all of this come about? How were these people taught? They had available the

Word of God and they were prayerfully searching and studying its pages. They read, believed, and so far as they could understand, did as they were commanded of the Lord.

4. "RESTORATION MOVEMENT" IN CHILE

The "Bible only" makes "Christians only." This is true not only in the formation of large groups but also as related to isolated individuals or separate congregations. Several such instances have been found in the South American country of Chile.

In 1962 a congregation calling itself the Christian Church was found in the northern desert town of Vallenar. Without fanfare or publicity it had been quietly practicing the local autonomy of New Testament Christianity for several years under the leadership of a retired employee of the National Airlines of Chile.

In 1963 a group of three churches and several preaching points in southern Chile were providentially brought into contact with Bertrand Smith, a missionary who had labored for fourteen years in Chile. This group of congregations, calling themselves the Evangelical Church of Christ, had withdrawn from a Chilean Pentecostal denomination in an effort to return to the practices and precepts found in the New Testament. Though retaining much of the heartfelt emotional expression of their Pentecostal background, they had turned back toward the New Testament ideal in ordinances and congregational practice well before contact with any missionaries from the United States

In 1966 another group of three churches was found in the islands off the southern coast of Chile. This area of few roads is nearly inaccessible, and most of the people are illiterate. These congregations had been established by a farmer of German ancestry, Ivar Fohman. They simply considered themselves "the church" and had never seen a need to take an identifying name. They practiced the ordinances as described in the New Testament and were very conscious of their local self-government. After functioning many years under Brother Fohman's leadership, because of his failing health they set out to contact someone who shared their beliefs to assist them. They rejected several denominational offers either because of differences in doctrines or for fear of losing their self-government. Finally they were providentially guided to Bertrand Smith, and other missionaries in the country, who shared their essential concepts of New Testament doctrine and practice.

These isolated examples further serve to il-lustrate that wherever men accept only the teachings of the Bible, it can only make them Christians! God alone knows how many more individuals and congregations will someday be found following the same, simple, New Testament pattern.

Yes, Christ's Church, as it is found in the New Testament, CAN and IS being restored even in our own day! Why? Because there is a New Testament church to be restored. How? Through a return to the Bible as the only source of faith and practice. A return to the historic position: "WHERE THE BIBLE SPEAKS, WE SPEAK; WHERE THE BIBLE IS SILENT, WE ARE SILENT."

What about you?...

WHAT YOU MUST DO TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN

1. You must believe

    Not just a "head faith" but a "heart faith" that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Read: Romans 5:1, Hebrews 11:6, Ephesians 2:8, Romans 10:13, John 3:16.

2. You must repent of sin.

    Repentance is a "turning from sin" and involves both a sorrow for sin and a true desire to live nearer to Christ in the future. Read: Acts17:30-31, II Peter 3:9.

3. You must confess Christ.

    This is a public witnessing to the fact that you do believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Read: Matthew 10:32-33, Romans 10:10, Matthew 16:13-17.

4. You must be baptized into Christ for the remission of sins.

Baptism is not just a religious ceremony but is an act of saving faith whereby the believing repentant, confessing sinner comes into contact with the blood of Christ. Read: Acts 2:38,1 Peter 3:21, Galatians 3:27, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-5.

What you Must do to remain a Christian

The Christian life involves many things.

    -Prayer: Matthew 26:41, Luke 18:1.

    -Bible Study: John 5:39, 20:30-31, Acts- 17:11, Romans 15:4, 2 Timothy 2:15.

    -Worship: Matthew 18:20, 26:26-29, Acts 20:6,7, 1 Corinthians 16:2, Hebrews 10:25-27.

    -Faithfulness: Matthew 28:10-20, 1 Corinthians 15:58, Revelation 2:10.

All information in this article has been provided by The Christian Restoration Association and is copy righted by them.

New Testament Teaching on Baptism

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:30:21 +0000

I. The Importance of Baptism

In the life of Christ. Jesus came to the Jordan to be baptized by John the Baptist to fulfill all righteousness. This marks the beginning of His public ministry. The importance of this event is seen as the voice of God acknowledges His Son, the Holy Spirit descends upon Him, and all the Gospel writers describe the scene (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21,22; John 1:29-34).

In the commands of Christ. The last words of a loved one are always held in highest importance. When Jesus left this earth, He delivered to the disciples the Great Commission. Despite the extreme brevity of the instruction, combined with an explicit statement of His full authority, Jesus commanded baptism (Matthew 28:19,20; Mark 16:15,16).

In the record of conversions. The Book of Acts tells of the founding and spread of the early church. One should note that each of the conversions explicitly described includes baptism (Acts 2:38,41-Pentecost; 8:32-38-Philip and the eunuch; 9:18,22:12-16 -Saul; 10:45-48-Cornelius; 16:14,15 -Lydia; 16:33,34 -Philippian jailor).

In the summary of apostolic teaching. It is to be remembered that the epistles are written to persons already Christians. Despite this fact the subject of baptism arises frequently because of its importance in the teaching of the apostles; for example, -one Lord, one faith, one baptism- (Ephesians 4:5); -For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body- (1 Corinthians 12:13); -The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us... by the resurrection of Jesus Christ- (1 Peter 3:21).

II. The Meaning of Baptism

An act of submission-in obedience to Christ. Since man is unable to earn salvation, it is necessary that he receive God’s gift on God’s terms. Christ has commanded baptism of His followers, and when man complies with this expressed will of God, he indicates a submission of his own will to God (-What shall we do? Repent, and be baptized...--Acts 2:37,38; -Then they that gladly received his word were baptized- -Acts 2:41).

A burial-in the likeness of Christ’s death. God has not arbitrarily chosen that man submit to baptism. There is a deeper meaning in the act itself. As Christ fulfilled the will of God, the most important events in His life were the death, burial, and resurrection. In similar fashion, before a person becomes a Christian, he must die to sin and be buried in the water in likeness of Christ’s death (-Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ buried with him by baptism into death...--Romans 6:3, 4a. -Buried with him in baptism...- Colossians 2:12).

A washing-for the remission of sins. The association of water and cleansing is universal. It is entirely appropriate that God should have chosen an act which includes water as significant to the cleansing of our souls. Although no magical quality is attributed to the water itself, God has associated the forgiveness of sins with the blood of Christ and the waters of baptism (-Repent, and be baptized.. for the remission of sins.- -Acts 2:38; -Arise, and be baptized, and was away thy sins.--Acts 22:16).

A union-with the person of Christ. Although baptism is not the only requirement in becoming a Christian, it appears at the threshold marking the entrance. At baptism, one puts on Jesus Christ (-For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.- -Galatians 3:27); in turn he is added to the body of Christ. (-Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.- -Acts 2:41; -For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.- -1 Corinthians 12:13a).

A new birth-associated with the gift to the Spirit. Even as the life of Christ did not end with His burial but led to His final victory over sin and death, so baptism for the Christian becomes the moment of new birth, a raising to the new ness of life and the reception of the gift of the Holy Spirit (-that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.- - Romans 6:4b; -Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.- -John 3:5).

III. The Action of Baptism

The language demands immersion. In each case that baptism is commanded the word baptidzo or one of its derivatives is used. The meaning of this Greek word is given as follows; -dip, plunge...- (H. B. Liddell and R. Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th Printing, 1953); -dip, immerse....- (W.F. Amdt and F.W. Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Literature, 1957); see also J.H. Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 1889.

The Greek language has other specific words for -sprinkle- (rantidzo) or -pour- (cheo). When the generic meaning--wash- is used of baptidzo, it necessarily carries with it the specific meaning -by immersion- (see Campbell-Rice Debate, p.99)

The circumstances describe immersion. It is noteworthy that all of the attending details of New Testament baptism fit immersion. Not only water, but much water was necessary (-And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there.- -John 3:23). Not only is the presence of water made clear, but in each case, which is made explicit, they came to the water, the water was not brought to them (-and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.- -Acts 8:38).

The figures picture immersion. Only immersion answers the demand made by the various figures drawn from baptism. It is a burial, a planting, a washing (buried with Christ-Romans 6:4; planted with Christ-Romans 6:5,(KJV); wash away thy sins -Acts 22:16; completely encompassed by sea and cloud -1 Corinthians 10:2).

History sustains immersion. Although other practices have been introduced as substitutes, history sustains that these are changes from the original of pouring occurred in about A.D. 250. This was administered because of Novation’s illness and was later called in question (Eusebius, Hist. ecel. 6, 43, 14, 15). Earlier references to practices other than immersion either give preference to immersion or do not deny the originality of immersion (The Didache, written in the second century, maintained that pouring was acceptable, but only in cases where sufficient water for immersion was not available, The Didache 7). The Roman Catholic Church is the earliest source of authority for a change from immersion. Clement V formally recognized sprinkling (but water must flow) as valid baptism in 1305.

IV. Those eligible for baptism

A believer. Although a person will never reach complete knowledge of Jesus Christ in this world, it is necessary that initial belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God precede the action of baptism. Thus a person too young to believe is too young to be baptized in accordance with New Testament example. Irenaeus, A.D. 180, provides the earliest reference to possible infant baptism (Against Heresises 2, 22, 4); but this is contrary to New Testament language, - He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.--(Mark 16:16).

A repentant believer. Intellectual assent to believe what the Scripture teaches must be accompanied with a heartfelt change of life (-Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.--Acts 2:38).

All information in this article has been provided by The Christian Restoration Association and is copy righted by them.

The Good Confession

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:26:13 +0000

Mistaken Ideas about the Good Confession
Would you be amazed to discover that it is not the confession of one’s sins in the ear of a priest? A search of the New Testament does not reveal one command or example of such a practice. It originated with man is not of divine origin.
Perhaps you have thought it was the admission of one’s sins before the church. The Bible does not teach this as a requirement for salvation.
What this good confession is, how and when and by whom it should be made, and its place in God’s plan for your salvation are questions that can be answered only by examining the Word of God, the Bible.
Where the Expression Is Used
The apostle Paul wrote Timothy: -...lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate,- (1 Timothy 6:12,13).

The Divine Origin
God spoke from heaven, after Jesus’ baptism when He came up out of the waters of the Jordan River, saying: -This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.- (Matthew 3:17). On the mount of transfiguration God spoke again: -This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!- (Matthew 17:5).
Jesus affirmed the divine origin of the good confession. He asked His disciples, -But who do you say that I am?- When Peter answered, -You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,- Jesus answered him, -Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.- (Matthew 16:15-17).
It is authorized by Jesus. -Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.- (Matthew 10:32). This confession is not only to be made with the lips but by committal of life: not only at the time of one’s baptism but all throughout life.

The Significance and Scope
Everything from the dawn of creation pointed forward to the Christ; everything since His coming points back to Him. He is the center of Christianity.
Confessing Jesus as the Christ is to acknowledge Him as -the anointed one- which is what the term -Christ- means. Three classes of rulers were anointed in Old Testament times: prophets, priests, and kings. When you confess Jesus as the Christ you own Him as your Prophet-teacher, Priest-intercessor, and King-ruler and authority.
As the Son you acknowledge Him not as -a son- as we all are sons, but the -only begotten Son,- the divine Savior of the world.
Confessing Him to be the Son of the living God you differentiate between lifeless idolatry, invented by men, and the true Maker and Creator of all things, -the living God.-

How Is the Good Confession Made?
With the mouth. -That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation- (Romans 10:9,10).
Before witnesses. There are the examples of our Lord before Pontius Pilate (1 Timothy 6:13); Peter (Matthew 16:216); Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:37); Timothy (1 Timothy 6:12).

When and by Whom is the Confession Made?
It comes after faith or it would be a false confession. With the mouth you confess what your heart believes about Jesus (Romans 10:9,10).
It comes before baptism, Jesus said, -He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned- (Mark 16:16). Acts 8:37,38 indicates the early practice of the church in asking for confession of faith preliminary to baptism. It is a test of the fitness of the candidate for baptism.

Its Importance.
Jesus assures Peter that on this grand unshakeable truth His church is to be built (Matthew 16:18; see also 1 Corinthians 3:11).
This fact attested by God and confessed by Peter and all who became Christians is the truth to be believed in order to overcome the world (1 John 4:15,5:5).
There is the same connection between continual confession and salvation that there is between faith and righteousness (Romans 10:10).
This confession served to distinguish followers of Jesus from His enemies (Matthew 10:32,33; John 9:22).
In the grand proposition of the good confession rests the salvation of the world and in it are centered all hopes which mortals can have that reach beyond the grave. It underlies the whole scheme of man’s redemption, for if He be not the Son of God. He was an imposter, the Bible is a fable, and no man was, is, or ever will be under obligations to believe in or obey Him. On the contrary if this is tru, His pretensions were real. His claims are just, and every man who professes to believe it puts himself under obligations to accept the terms He imposes.

Mistakes of Men
Men have thought this too simple. Gradually they added human creedal statements; required of candidates a period of catechism; examined candidates with a demand for a -saving experience-; required agonizing prayer at the altar or -mourner’s bench-; substituted the raising of the hand or the placing of the hand on the Bible or radio.
Men do not have the right to change this divine instruction. This is the only confession demanded. We depend upon the Bible as our guide. The Word of God is perfect. Let us come to it and be satisfied with in, (see 2 Timothy 3:16,17).

Summary
The Bible says that the good confession is the statement of the fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. It is of divine origin. It is made by man after faith, with his mouth, before witnesses, prior to and a condition of his baptism into Christ thus precedent to his salvation and coming into the fellowship of the church of Christ.
It is the all-embracing fact of Christianity and the foundation upon which Jesus built His church.
The good confession should be made for one’s own good. One is strengthened in his determination by the public announcement of his convictions and intentions. Consider its influence upon others. There is no secret discipleship. One must encourage and win others. It honors Christ.

Questions
Have you made this confession with your mouth before witnesses unto your salvation? If you do not, it will someday be made to your eternal condemnation (See Philippians 2:10,11; Romans 14:11).
Believe on Christ, repent of your sins, confess Him, be baptized into Him and be saved by Him today.

All information in this article has been provided by The Christian Restoration Association and is copy righted by them.

The Road Back - (Repentance)

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:17:28 +0000

All men have sinned! This is fact that is made clear in God’s Word (1 Kings 8:46; Psalms 14:1-3; Romans 3:23). Sin is that which separates man from God. If one remains separated from God in this life, then he must be separated from Him Forever. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, died on a cross nearly two thousand years ago in order that He might make atonement for our sins and that we, through His blood, might have forgiveness. When our sins are forgiven, we are at one with God again.

God’s grace is conditioned. The death of Christ was for all men, but the forgiveness that He made possible is conditioned. Let us not be mistaken on this point! God did for us what he could not do for ourselves, but He requires that we could not do for ourselves, but He requires that we do certain things in order to receive His pardon. I n the New Testament it is made plain that those who would be -cleansed by His blood- must believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; Repent of their sins; Confess before men their faith in Christ; Be immersed in water, as true baptism; and go from the grave of water to -walk in newness of life- (Romans 6:1-6).

Ye must repent. It is our purpose here to look into the matter of Repentance. We like to think of it as the -road back- to God. In our pursuit of sin we have all strayed far away from God. Spiritually speaking, we are destitute-dead in our sins. Like the prodigal son of Luke 15, we are powerless to help ourselves as long as we remain in our present condition; that is, as long as we continue to sin willfully. Our only hope of salvation lies in returning to -our Father’s house.- Said Jesus of the prodigal in His parable: -But when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants- (Luke 15:17-19, ASV).

What is repentance? Here is as perfect a picture of true repentance as it is possible to be given in words. This wayward young man first -came to himself.- That is, he opened his eyes and took a good look at his true condition. What he saw caused him deep sorrow. So low had he fallen that he was ready to get down in the mire and eat with the hogs. He saw that death was a distinct possibility, yes, inevitable, if he did not do something soon.

Realization of sin. What a picture of the plight of every sinner. Men begin by committing sins of the so-called -respectable- variety. Their consciences may become harder and harder, until at last they lose all sense of morality. Before anyone can get out of such a condition he must first realize what the condition is.

Admission of guilt. Like the prodigal he must come to himself. He must admit that he has been a failure and that he must find a way back to God. Such an admission of guilt and dependence is always attended with a great deal of sorrow.

Sorrow for sin. Godly sorrow is the beginning of repentance. When a sinner becomes genuinely sorry for the way he has done, he will do something about it. It is not enough to be sorry that one has been caught in the act of sin. He must be sorry that he committed the sin.

Return to God. There was a time in the life of the prodigal that he was a good son of his father. He had brought much joy to his parents as they watched him grow from infancy to manhood. No doubt he had been willing errand boy in his youth. His downfall began when he decided to leave his father’s house, and became entangled in the sin of the world. It was necessary, in order to make things right, to return to his starting place where he could receive help. For that reason he took the road back.

Again, this is a perfect illustration of the sinner’s plight. Once we were pure, but by and by we -sinned and came short of the glory of God.- At some point in life we broke the law of God. Now the breaking of the law of the land is crime and the breaking of God’s law is sin. When Adam and Eve sinned in Eden they were driven from the presence of God. When we sin, we raise a barrier between ourselves and God and we must leave the Father’s house. No matter how long or short our journey down the road of sin, if we want to return we must take the road back. That road is repentance.

In the light of Bible examples, we can see that this road is a hard one to travel. For the prodigal it was a road of remorse and swallowed pride. It took real courage for this young man to admit that he had brought shame and disgrace on himself and his family. It was a blow to his pride to realize and confess that after all he needed his father’s help and counsel. He was, however, intelligent enough to realize that it was a matter of life and death, and he preferred life. Besides, he believed in his father’s goodness. He believed that his father could and would help him, even though he was not worthy of being helped. Hence, his decision to leave the swine and his poverty and destitution and return to his father’s house of love and plenty.

God is the father and man is the prodigal. With you, as with the son, it is life or death-eternal life, or eternal death. Why would you die in the -pig pen- of sin when the road back to God is just across the fence? At the other end of that road, longing for your return, is a Father whose goodness knows no measure. Will you not come to yourself and return to the Father’s house?

Examples of repentance. You will not be the first to take this journey. Simon Peter walked this road one day. For him it was a road stained with bitter tears (Luke 22:62). Saul of Tarsas found the road back to God after a realization of his error and regrets for his wrongs. It took faith, courage, and determination for these men to repent; but they were equal to the challenge, and the example of their lives has been a blessing and inspiration to unnumbered thousands of souls.

All men need repentance. As you compare yourself with other men, you may not feel that you are so very far from God. In the Bible, however, we find that such sin as jealousy and envy are placed alongside of drunkenness and adultery as being capable of keeping us out of the kingdom of heaven (Galatians 5:19-21). The need of ALL men to repent is emphasized in the truth that, in God’s sight, guilt is attached to all sins. James puts it this way: -For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is become guilty of all- (James 2:10, ASV). That is why Paul could tell the men of Athens, -...but now (God) commandeth all men everywhere to repent- ( Acts 17:30).

Down in the deepest reaches of your heart you know what sins are separating you for God. In your finer moments you long to be reconciled to your Maker. This reconciliation can never be realized as long as you choose to remain in your sinful condition. God can save you from your sins, but He can never save you in your sins. Today you are -dead in trespasses and sins.- You can never be made -alive unto God- until you become -dead unto sin- (Read Ephesians 2:1-5; Colossians 2:13; and Romans 6:2).

The decision is yours to make. The road back to God is open to all who have the courage and the character to walk in it. Remember the words of Jesus: -Except ye repent, ye shall all...perish- (Luke 13:3, 5). Repentance is but one of the conditions upon which we can receive the salvation of God. It is no more nor less important than the others; but this much is certain: NO MAN CAN BE SAVED WHO WILL NOT REPENT.

All information in this article has been provided by The Christian Restoration Association and is copy righted by them.

The History of Baptism Part I

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:11:51 +0000

The History of Baptism from Paul to Luther
"Fifty million Frenchmen can't be wrong." Some may use this adage seriously, but to others it is a sarcastic way of saying that truth cannot be decided by majority vote—a point driven home by Paul in Romans 3:4, "Let God be found true, though every man be found a liar."

Historically, those associated with the conservative branches of the Restoration Movement have enthusiastically accepted Paul's admonition, being content to hold on to certain theological convictions, even if they perceived themselves to be in the minority. This is no doubt still true for many. However, many among us recently seem to have adopted a very different attitude with respect to baptism: "Fifty million evangelicals can't be wrong."

The thinking is that, if practically the entire evangelical world thinks God bestows saving grace as soon as the sinner believes and repents, then there must be some truth there. If evangelicals agree that baptism is simply the new Christian's obedient expression of or witness to his new status as a member of the body of Christ, then there must be something wrong with the "minority" view that baptism is the point of time when God gives salvation. Surely, 50 million evangelicals can 't be wrong!

Yes, they can; and I believe they are. Long ago I decided to accept the Bible alone as my only norm for faith and practice. And long ago I became convinced that everything the New Testament says about the meaning of baptism can be summed up thus: water baptism is the God-appointed time when he first gives saving grace to the believing, repentant sinner.

Should we then just ignore the standard evangelical approach to baptism? Not at all. We need to understand what evangelicals are saying, and why they are saying it. All our doctrinal convictions, while grounded ultimately upon the Bible alone, should be developed in full view of past and present Christian thinking. A knowledge of the historical development of any doctrine is extremely valuable; it can enrich our understanding as well as help us avoid serious doctrinal errors.

This is especially true of baptism. Too often, our historical perspective on this doctrine is much too limited. We tend to see ourselves within the context of the last 200 years. We know that the early Restorationists rejected the prevailing denominational (e.g., Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist) views of baptism, and came to see baptism as having a key role in the reception of salvation. Now, two centuries later, some are wondering if they went too far. After all, was it not a bit presumptuous of the Campbells, Walter Scott, John Smith, et al., to reject the traditional consensus view of baptism and come up with a new and opposite view? Why should we stick with these innovators, rather than just blend in with the "50 million evangelicals" who are continuing the traditional view?

The New View
What I will say now may surprise some, but the truth is this: the modern evangelical view of baptism is actually the new view, an interpretation of baptism that was invented only in the early 1520s.It was created by the Swiss reformer Huldreich Zwingli (1484-1531), developed further by John Calvin, and accepted throughout most of the Protestant world. Until Zwingli, the entire Christian world for the first 1,500 ears of its history was in agreement: water baptism is the God-appointed time when he first gives saving grace to sinners. Exceptions to this belief were extremely rare, limited mostly to medieval dualist sects that rejected all physical forms of worship.

My plea here is that in developing our own convictions concerning baptism today, we will not limit our historical perspective to contemporary evangelicalism, or even to the last 200 ears. Rather, let us be aware of the entire scope of Christian history. Let us understand what the original and true consensus view was, and who the real innovators are.

In the rest of this article I will survey the history of the meaning of baptism up to and including Martin Luther—a 1,500-year biblical consensus. In the next article I will explain how Zwingli changed everything.

Early Writers
The pre-Augustinian writers were practically unanimous in their teaching that baptism is the point of time when salvation is given. Justin Martyr (A.D. 110-165) said that new converts "are brought to us where there is water, and are regenerated ... For ... they then receive the washing with water," as in John 3:5. "We have learned from the apostles this reason "for baptism: "in order that we ... may obtain in the water the remission of sins" (First Apology, 61). Tertullian (A.D. 145-220) said, "Happy is our sacrament of water, in that, by washing away the sins of our early blindness, we are set free and admitted into eternal life" (On Baptism, iii). Also, "The act of baptism ... is carnal, in that we are plunged in water, but the effect is spiritual, in that we are freed from sins" (Ibid., vii). Cyril of Jerusalem (A.D. 315-386) said, "When going down ... into the water, think not of the bare element, but look for salvation in the power of the Holy Ghost" (Catechetical lectures, III:4). Many more examples could be cited.

Augustine and Thomas Aquinas
Augustine (354-430) introduced a lot of new ideas into Christian thinking, but the saving significance of baptism was not one of them. Here he was simply continuing to teach what those before him had taught. Baptism, he said, is nothing else than salvation itself (A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, I:34); it "brings salvation" ((Letter 98, To Boniface, 1)). We are "saved by baptism"; "the salvation of man is effected in baptism" (Against Two Letters of the Pelagians, III:5). We are "joined to Christ by baptism"; indeed, a person "is baptized for the express purpose of being with Christ" (A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, I:55). The "apostolic tradition" teaches the "inherent principle, that without baptism ... it is impossible for any man to attain to salvation and everlasting life." (Ibid., I:34)

Thomas Aquinas represents medieval Catholic thinking. He declared that "no one can obtain salvation but through Christ ... But for this end is baptism conferred on a man, that being regenerated thereby, he may be incorporated in Christ ... Consequently it is manifest that all are bound to be baptized: and that without Baptism there is no salvation for men." (Summa Theologica, 68:1)

Martin Luther
Many have assumed that because Martin Luther opposed the Catholic doctrine of the sacraments and championed the Protestant doctrine of justification by faith, he must have been the one who rejected baptism as a salvation event. Nothing could be further from the truth. Luther's view of the meaning of baptism stands in direct continuity with the New Testament, the early church fathers, and the Catholic scholars who preceded him. He regarded baptism as a mighty work of God in which the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit pour out the full blessings of salvation upon penitent believers.

Specifically, Luther asserted that forgiveness of sins is initially bestowed in baptism. In his Small Catechism (IV:6), in answer to the question "What gifts or benefits does baptism bestow?", he says first of all, "It effects forgiveness of sins. This is part of the work of baptism; in it "the forgiveness takes place through God's covenant." (The Holy and Blessed Sacrament of Baptism) Forgiveness takes place in baptism because that is where the blood of Christ is applied to the sinner: "Through Baptism he is bathed in the blood of Christ and is cleansed from sins." (E.Plass, editor, What Luther Says, I:46)

According to Luther baptism brings not only forgiveness of sins but also a new birth, a change in the inner man that actually eradicates sin. For "it is one thing to forgive sins, and another thing to put them away or drive them out ... But both the forgiveness and the driving out of sins are the work of baptism." (The Holy and Blessed Sacrament of Baptism, 15). Thus it is appropriate to speak of baptism as the time when "a person is born again and made new." (Ibid., 3)

In short, Luther clearly proclaimed that baptism is for salvation: "Through baptism man is saved." (Ibid.,6) In answer to the question of the purpose of baptism, i.e., "what benefits, gifts and effects it brings," he gave this answer: "To put it most simply ,the power, effect, benefit, fruit, and purpose of Baptism is to save." (The Large Catechism, IV:23,24) One is baptized so that he "may receive in the water the promised salvation." (Ibid., IV:36)

I refer to the view of baptism described here as the "biblical consensus." It is the view that baptism is principally the time when God himself is bestowing upon the penitent, believing sinner the benefits of the redeeming work of Christ. This is the New Testament's own doctrine of baptism, and it was affirmed to be such by 15 centuries of Christian writers.

"The History of Baptism," Christian Standard (June 20/27, 2004): pages 7-9. Reprinted with permission.

Foot Notes:
1All the quotations given here—and more—can be found and documented in chapters 1 and 2 of Baptism and the Remission of Sins, edited by David Fletcher (Joplin: College Press, 1990).

The History of Baptism Part 2

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:07:10 +0000

For Christendom’s first 1,500 years there was a virtual consensus that baptism is the point of time when God bestows the "double cure" of saving grace (forgiveness and regeneration) upon sinners. (See last week’s article.) Why, then, do most Protestants hold a different view, one that passionately separates salvation from baptism? The answer lies in the revolutionary theology of one man, Huldreich Zwingli (1484-1531).

Zwingli was Martin Luther’s Swiss counterpart in the European Reformation. Both began their reforming activity around 1520. Though they had the same general goals for changing the existing church, they parted company over the "sacraments" in general and over baptism in particular. While Luther continued to teach the historic view that baptism is a saving work of God, Zwingli rejected this altogether and made it entirely a work of man. Zwingli was quite aware of the innovative nature of his view, declaring that "in this matter of baptism, all the [teachers] have been in error from the time of the apostles" (40).

The Rejection of the Original view
Zwingli developed his new doctrine of baptism in two stages. First, beginning as early as 1523, he deliberately and decisively rejected any connection between baptism and salvation. "Christ himself did not connect salvation with baptism," he said. "The two are not to be connected and used together." "Water-baptism cannot contribute in any way to the washing away of sin" (41). He denied that the water itself has any power to remove the effects of sin from the soul [a view which few had ever held in the first place]; he also denied that God cleanses the soul during baptism, an idea he calls a "vain invention." The general rule is that salvation precedes the baptism that symbolizes it (41,42).

What were Zwingli’s reasons for separating salvation from the act of baptism? The main reason was his conviction that the baptism-for-salvation view contradicts salvation by grace alone through the blood of Christ. Washing away the filth of sin "is the function of the blood of Christ alone" (43). Another reason baptism cannot be for salvation, he said, is that such a view would violate God’s sovereignty, i.e., his sovereign freedom to act when and where he chooses (44). Closely connected with this is his idea that the real cause of any individual’s salvation is God’s sovereign, eternal, unconditional election (predestination) of that person. It is election that saves, not baptism, and not even faith (45).

In my judgment one of Zwingli’s strongest reasons for rejecting the historic view of baptism was his incipient philosophical dualism, i.e., his sense of a strong antithesis between matter and spirit, between body and soul. He saw spirit and matter as openly hostile to each other. "Divinity, spirit, the superior nature" stands in direct opposition to dull, dark, inactive, rebellious earth (65). This carries over into the dual nature of man. While the soul can be regarded as "flowing forth from the Godhead itself" and as possessing a nearly divine essence, the body is just a "dull mass," a "lump of muddy earth" (65, 66). How, the, can water baptism have anything to do with the salvation of the soul? A physical substance (water) simply cannot have any connection with a spiritual effect: "Material water cannot contribute in any way to the cleansing of the soul" (43).

The conclusion is that baptism is not necessary for salvation, neither as its cause nor as its occasion. Zwingli clearly affirms that faith alone is necessary for salvation: "Christ himself did not connect salvation with baptism: it is always by faith alone." "The one necessary thing which saves those of us who hear the Gospel is faith." "Faith is the only thing through which we are blessed." "We are saved by faith only." If we say baptism takes away sins, that is just a figure of speech; for it is not baptism that takes them away, but faith (45).

What does Zwingli do with all the New Testament texts that seem to clearly connect baptism with salvation? He dismisses them entirely by two devices. One, many are mere figures of speech, such as metonymy, in which the name of the sign is transferred to the thing signified. He applies this to texts such as Ephesians 5:26; Romans 6:3,4; Galatians 3:27; and Titus 3:5. Two, some texts refer to water baptism, but others refer to Holy Spirit baptism, which is sovereignly administered by God whenever he chooses. Only the later is necessary for salvation (46,47).

The second stage of the development of Zwingli’s new doctrine of baptism was his careful construction of a completely new purpose or meaning for the act. This was accomplished mainly between 1523 and 1525. In this period his most pressing need was to provide a rationale for infant baptism. Since the third century, infants had been baptized for the removal of original sin. But if baptism has no connection with the taking away of sin, there is no longer any reason to baptize infants. But for certain reasons Zwingli decided that infant baptism must be maintained; thus he had to come up with a new purpose for it.

Creating Covenant Theology
The results of Zwingli’s quest were truly revolutionary. In order to justify anew infant baptism, he laid the foundation for a whole new hermeneutical approach to the Bible, usually known as covenant theology. In summary, he rejected the traditional distinction between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, and introduced that ever since (at least) Abraham there has been just one covenant of grace. What we call the "new" covenant is actually the same covenant God made with Abraham. The Mosaic covenant was merely a secondary, temporary expedient; when it was set aside the Abrahamic covenant continued on and still continues on today. The church today is under the covenant God made with Abraham. This is the concept of covenant unity (50,51).

If there has been just one covenant since the days of Abraham, then there has also been just one covenant people since that time. The Israelites of old and the Christians of today are all part of the same body, the same church (51).

Most significantly, if there is just one covenant and one covenant people, then there is also just one covenant sign. Based on this reasoning, Zwingli totally equated the meaning of baptism in the New Testament with the meaning of Old Testament circumcision’ each is simply a sign of membership in the one covenant people (51, 52).

Here, then, is Zwingli’s trilogy: one covenant, one covenant people, and one covenant sign. This new set of ideas is the basis for the usual Protestant doctrine of baptism. It is the reason many Protestant churches "baptize" infants, and it is the foundation of the commonly accepted Protestant faith-only approach to the baptism of adults.

Baptism Reexamined
According to this Zwinglian view, exactly what is the function of baptism in the experience of a Christian covert? Exactly what is happening during the moment of baptism? Two things. First, baptism is the baptized person’s pledge of allegiance to the Christian community, an outward sign of his inward commitment to live the Christian life. Zwingli actually drew this aspect of baptism’s meaning not from Old Testament circumcision but from the meaning of the Latin word sacramentum, meaning "a pledge, an oath." Herein arose the whole idea of baptism as a public testimony or witness. Everything baptism signifies has already happened; baptism is the means by which one makes it known to other Christians. It is thus done not for the sake of the one baptized, but for those in the audience (57-59).

Second, baptism is the baptized person’s sign of belonging to the covenant people. Thus it performs the exact same function as circumcision in the Old Testament era. This assumed Old Testament connection is the reason baptism is called a " covenant sign" or " the sign of the covenant." (These terms make sense only on Zwinglian presuppositions.) Just as circumcision signified that one was already a member of the covenant people (by birth), so does baptism signify that one has already been saved and is already a member of the church (60,61).

This view was taken over by John Calvin, and most Protestants have adopted it in one form or another.

The Big Picture
In conclusion, regarding the meaning of baptism, the contrast between the first 1,500 years of Christian history and the history of Protestantism since Zwingli could not be more severe. In its original form baptism was clearly seen as a work of God, as the time when God himself was bestowing salvation. But since Zwingli, baptism has been seen almost exclusively as a work of man; in baptism one gives testimony, bears witness to his faith, expresses his faith, commits or pledges himself to live as a Christian, lets the world know he is a Christian. These are all acts of me, not acts of God.

What is most significant is that Zwingli formulated his new doctrine of baptism by ignoring the New Testament’s own teaching and by drawing his new view from two non-New Testament sources: the meaning of Latin word (sacramentum) and the meaning of Old Testament circumcision. I challenge anyone to find anywhere in the New Testament itself any justification whatsoever for this new Zwinglian view. I cannot understand why so many or our preachers and people want to abandon the original view of baptism and align themselves with the innovator Zwingli and his modern followers. "Let God be found true, though every man be found a liar" (Romans 3:4, New American Standard Bible).

End Notes:

1 All page numbers in this article are references to my essay, “Baptism According to the Reformed Tradition,” in Baptism and the Remission of Sins: An Historical Perspective, edited by David Fletcher (Joplin: College Press, 1990), 39-81. There one may find all the original documentation and bibliographical information for quotations from Zwingli’s writings.

2 See my book, Baptism: A Biblical Study (Joplin: College Press, 1989), 153-163, for a refutation of the idea that eperotema in 1 Peter 3:21 means “pledge,” contra to the New International Version.

New Testament Teaching on Faith

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:00:56 +0000

The FAITH That Will Save You

Everyone has some faith.
You may not have thought of it before, but everyone has some kind of faith. One must have faith in something or faith in someone. Hence, no one is a stranger to faith. There is a faith which is basic in family life. Destroy mutual trust between husband and wife, parents and children, and the home is ruined. The faith children have in their parents often presents to the world a sublime example. They do what their parents ask because they believe in them.

A well ordered society could not be sustained without faith. There is faith in our government when we buy bonds. There is faith in our bank when we open a savings or checking account. There is an element of faith in the salesman when we buy a product hoping it will do all that is claimed for it. One goes to a certain doctor because he has faith in him. All of these acts of faith and many more are present in our modern society.

The Bible requires faith.
The Bible teaches that we must have faith in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ, to be saved from our sins. The necessity of faith is clearly seen in the words of our Lord and Savior: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15,16). In these words, belief is made a condition of salvation; disbelief is the ground for condemnation. The urgency of faith is seen in the golden text of the Bible: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews declares: “… without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). The language of this Scripture could not be plainer. Faith is essential for any person who would please God. To be baptized and to meet around the Lord’s table, one must have faith.

Where is the object of this faith?
First, note a Bible definition of faith: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, NAS). Someone has defined faith as “the title-deed of things hoped for.” Faith is accepting without doubt every promise of God! It is taking God at His Word! It is a conviction about things not seen with our own eyes. We have not seen Jesus, yet we believe upon Him! We have not seen heaven, yet we believe it exists.

Secondly, note that the New Testament makes it clear that we are to believe Jesus Christ “who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25). The object of our faith is both the person of Chris and the Biblical facts concerning Him. The Philippian jailor cried out to Paul and Silas: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Paul told him, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:30,31). The object of the jailor’s faith was Christ. The account of this conversion continues as they spake the word of the Lord unto him, and to all that were in his house. “And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway” (Acts 16:33).

Salvation comes through Jesus Christ and what He accomplished. This is the object of our faith. As we are told in Romans 10:9, man must confess Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead.

How is this faith acquired?
The mission of our Lord was not only to offer Him-self as a sacrifice for sin upon the cross for mankind, but also to provide adequate evidence that would prove that He is the Son of God and Savior!

The Bible is the “file-record” of evidence which convinces man that Jesus is the divine Son of God, and has power to save.

The apostle John writes: “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:30,31). The apostle Paul tells us that our “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14). Faith does not come to the mind or heart in some mysterious sudden fashion or through some emotional experience which cannot be rationally explained. Faith comes when we listen to the facts about the coming of Jesus Christ, and we are so persuaded of our personal need of Him that we say with Thomas: “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28).

How does a man act upon this faith?
A few examples from the Bible will give the answer to this question. “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice was a result of his faith.

Noah was a man of faith. God commanded Noah to build an ark, and told him exactly how to build it. The historian says that “according to all that God commanded him, so did he” (Genesis 6:22). All of this was simply faith in action, for we read that “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith” (Hebrews 11:7).

Abraham was called the father of the faithful (Romans 4:11). He set a sterling example of faith. “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed’ and he went out, not knowing whither he went” (Hebrews 11:8).

All of these men believed God, and did what He commanded, and were rewarded for their faith! Obedience is an expression of genuine faith! Salvation by faith (genuine Christian faith as defined and illustrated in the Scriptures) includes the necessity of obedience to any of Christ’s commands, such as Christian baptism! The faith that saves is never put in opposition to the works of faith. It rather stands in contrast to meritorious works. When Paul writes in Galatians 2 that “a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ” he is talking about the impossibility of justifying oneself through the keeping of the law of Moses. Contrary to the popular doctrine of “faith only,” in this same book of Galatians the apostle clearly shows the relationship of faith and baptism: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26,27). James was not contradicting Paul when he wrote in his epistle: “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (James 2:24). When one believes, he seeks to honor the authority of Christ by obeying His commandments. Obedience to the gospel plan of salvation is proof that one has faith. The preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ produces faith in our heart, and we are led to repent of our sins, and to bury the old sinful life in the watery grave of baptism, and to arise to walk in the newness of life (Acts 2:37: Romans 6:3,4).

Faith is essential, for without faith it is impossible to please God. True faith expresses itself in obedience to the gospel commands of our Lord. Having this faith, accept the Lordship of Jesus, obey His commands, and let Christ be your Savior.

All information in this article has been provided by The Christian Restoration Association and is copy righted by them.

Purchasing Lighthouse Baptist

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 22:26:03 +0000

This video was played during church to annouce the offer from Lighthouse Baptist for Harvest Pointe Chrisitan Church to purchase their building and property.