The importance of church. What is church? While most churches today have buildings, a church is more than just a building — it is the gathering together of true believers in Jesus Christ. In the first century, those who had accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior would gather together. Here is a description of the first Christians gathering together.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
Notice how many ways the early Christians met together. They met at the temple; they met in homes; they met to hear the apostles’ teaching. Today, in most parts of the world, you can gather with other Christians. Ask God to lead you to a good church if there is one near you, one where the Bible is preached as the Word of God and where the focus is on accepting Christ as your Savior. Perhaps in addition to church you can also gather with other Christians in a home or small group and receive teaching and encouragement to follow the Lord.
Remember, a church is more than just a building, it is true Christians gathered together. It is very important for your Christian growth that you seek to be part of a good church if at all possible.
So, this week, let us pray that
- God will lead you and other new Christians to great churches to be a part of
- God will help Christians all over the world to participate actively in their local churches
- God will encourage and fill with His Holy Spirit our staff and volunteers at Global Media Outreach
THANK YOU so much for your prayers. Prayer is talking with God. God hears your prayers when you pray in faith in Jesus’ name and He will answer your prayers. May God bless you as we pray together for the world to be reached for Jesus Christ.
Please pray for the people of Canada. Canada has 30 million people and is one of the largest countries on earth. There is a strong Christian heritage, but many people in Canada do not know Jesus Christ. Please pray that God’s love would be poured out in Canada and that many people would come to Christ.
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27
www.LooktoJesus.com
Jesus of Nazareth (c 4 BC/BCE – c 30 AD/CE)[1]—also known as Jesus Christ or occasionally Jesus the Christ—is the central figure of Christianity, and within most Christian denominations he is venerated as the Son of God and as God incarnate. Christians also view him as the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament; however, Judaism rejects these claims. Islam considers Jesus a prophet and also the Messiah[4] while several other religions revere him in some way.
The principal sources of information regarding Jesus' life and teachings are the four canonical gospels, especially the Synoptic Gospels,[5] [6] though some scholars argue that other texts (such as the Gospel of Thomas) are as relevant as the canonical gospels to the historical Jesus.[7] Most critical scholars in the fields of history and biblical studies believe that some parts of the New Testament are useful for reconstructing Jesus' life,[8] [9] [10] [11] agreeing that he was a Jew who was regarded as a teacher and healer. They also generally accept that he was baptized by John the Baptist, and was crucified in Jerusalem on the orders of the Roman Prefect of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, on the charge of sedition against the Roman Empire.[12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] Aside from these few conclusions, academic studies remain inconclusive about the chronology, the central message of Jesus' preaching, his social class, cultural environment, and religious orientation.[7] Scholars offer competing descriptions of Jesus as the awaited Messiah,[19] as a self-described Messiah, as the leader of an apocalyptic movement, as an itinerant sage, as a charismatic healer, and as the founder of an independent religious movement.
Christian views of Jesus (see also Christology) center on the belief that Jesus is divine, is the Messiah whose coming was prophesied in the Old Testament, and that he was resurrected after his crucifixion. Theologian and bishop Lesslie Newbigin says "the whole of Christian teaching would fall to the ground if it were the case that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus were not events in real history but stories told to illustrate truths which are valid apart from these happenings."[20] Christians do predominantly believe that Jesus is the "Son of God" (generally meaning that he is God the Son, the second person in the Trinity) who came to provide salvation and reconciliation with God by his death for their sins. Other Christian beliefs include Jesus' virgin birth, performance of miracles, ascension into Heaven, and a future Second Coming. While the doctrine of the Trinity is widely accepted by most Christians, a few groups reject as non-scriptural, wholly or partly, the doctrine of the Trinity.[21]
In Islam, Jesus (Arabic: عيسى, commonly transliterated as Isa) is considered one of God's important prophets,[22][23] a bringer of scripture, and a worker of miracles. Jesus is also called "Messiah", but Islam does not teach that he was divine. Islam teaches that Jesus ascended bodily to heaven without experiencing the crucifixion and resurrection,[24] rather than the traditional Christian belief of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth (c 4 BC/BCE – c 30 AD/CE)[1]—also known as Jesus Christ or occasionally Jesus the Christ—is the central figure of Christianity, and within most Christian denominations he is venerated as the Son of God and as God incarnate. Christians also view him as the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament; however, Judaism rejects these claims. Islam considers Jesus a prophet and also the Messiah[4] while several other religions revere him in some way.
The principal sources of information regarding Jesus' life and teachings are the four canonical gospels, especially the Synoptic Gospels,[5] [6] though some scholars argue that other texts (such as the Gospel of Thomas) are as relevant as the canonical gospels to the historical Jesus.[7] Most critical scholars in the fields of history and biblical studies believe that some parts of the New Testament are useful for reconstructing Jesus' life,[8] [9] [10] [11] agreeing that he was a Jew who was regarded as a teacher and healer. They also generally accept that he was baptized by John the Baptist, and was crucified in Jerusalem on the orders of the Roman Prefect of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, on the charge of sedition against the Roman Empire.[12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] Aside from these few conclusions, academic studies remain inconclusive about the chronology, the central message of Jesus' preaching, his social class, cultural environment, and religious orientation.[7] Scholars offer competing descriptions of Jesus as the awaited Messiah,[19] as a self-described Messiah, as the leader of an apocalyptic movement, as an itinerant sage, as a charismatic healer, and as the founder of an independent religious movement.
Christian views of Jesus (see also Christology) center on the belief that Jesus is divine, is the Messiah whose coming was prophesied in the Old Testament, and that he was resurrected after his crucifixion. Theologian and bishop Lesslie Newbigin says "the whole of Christian teaching would fall to the ground if it were the case that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus were not events in real history but stories told to illustrate truths which are valid apart from these happenings."[20] Christians do predominantly believe that Jesus is the "Son of God" (generally meaning that he is God the Son, the second person in the Trinity) who came to provide salvation and reconciliation with God by his death for their sins. Other Christian beliefs include Jesus' virgin birth, performance of miracles, ascension into Heaven, and a future Second Coming. While the doctrine of the Trinity is widely accepted by most Christians, a few groups reject as non-scriptural, wholly or partly, the doctrine of the Trinity.[21]
In Islam, Jesus (Arabic: عيسى, commonly transliterated as Isa) is considered one of God's important prophets,[22][23] a bringer of scripture, and a worker of miracles. Jesus is also called "Messiah", but Islam does not teach that he was divine. Islam teaches that Jesus ascended bodily to heaven without experiencing the crucifixion and resurrection,[24] rather than the traditional Christian belief of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus
Do U have joy of your Life, Do others have enjoyed the JOY of your joy...reply
No comments:
Post a Comment