Today we come to our final five statements of faith in our Foursquare Foundations.
If you want to download a printable version of these notes, click HERE.
To listen to a special audio podcast covering all 22 points in our statement of faith, click HERE.
18. Judgement: We believe that all shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ: the redeemed to be delivered unto everlasting life, and the unrepentant unto everlasting punishment (Rev. 20:11-12; 2 Cor. 5:10).
The Bible says, “For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done
in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Cor.
5:10). This is perhaps one of the most sobering Scriptures in the entire Bible.
It warns us that when this life on earth is over, there is coming a day when
every one of us will have to give an account of the lives that we have lived,
before the judgment seat of Christ. What we do with Jesus today, and whether or
not we embrace Him as our Lord and Saviour, will determine where we will spend
our eternity.
How does this truth impact our lives
today? I think we should be motivated to live every hour of every day in light
of eternity, and do whatever we can to help bring as many people to Heaven with
us!
19. Heaven: We believe that heaven is the glorious habitation of
the living God and the eternal home of born-again believers (John 14:2; Rev.
7:15-17).
There are a lot of misunderstandings
about what Heaven will be like. Contrary to the ideas popularized by Hollywood
movies and TV shows, we won’t be lying around on clouds, wearing dresses,
playing harps, and eating cream cheese. See how the Bible describes the bliss
of Heaven: “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and
night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They
shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them,
nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them
and lead them to living fountains of waters.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev. 7:15-17). Have
you made your peace with God, and are you ready for Heaven?
20. Hell: We believe that hell is a place of darkness, deepest
sorrow, and unquenchable fire, which was not prepared for man but for the devil
and his angels; yet it will become the place of eternal separation from God for
all who reject Christ as Savior (Matt. 13: 41-42; Rev. 20:10, 15).
I’ll be honest with you – I don’t like
the doctrine of hell. But whether I like it or not is beside the point. The
Bible teaches that just as surely as there is a Heaven that awaits those who have trusted Jesus to be their Lord
and Saviour, there is a hell that
awaits those who reject His free offer of salvation. Although God is good, He
is also holy and just, and as a just judge, He must punish sin. The Bible says,
“The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His
kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will
cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of
teeth.” (Matt. 13:41-42). How can you escape the punishment that awaits in
hell? By trusting in Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour, confessing your sins to
Him, and receiving His free gift of salvation!
21. Evangelism: We believe that soul winning is the “one big
business” of the Church on earth, and that every hindrance to worldwide
evangelism should be removed (James 5:20; Mark 16:15).
In light of the fact that there is
coming a day of judgment, and the fact that every soul who lives will spend
eternity in one of only two places (heaven or hell), how then should we live?
If we have found peace with God through a personal relationship with Jesus,
then we should be motivated to share the Gospel (Good News) with others, so
they too can be saved from their sins! Jesus has commanded all of His followers:
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15).
Let us pray that the Lord would give us boldness and wisdom to be able to share
His love with others, so that they too can experience the joy and peace of
salvation, amen?
22. Tithing and
Offerings: We believe that tithing
and offerings are ordained of God to sustain His ministry, spread the Gospel,
and release personal blessing (Malachi 3:10; 1 Cor. 16: 1-2).
In the Old Testament, the Lord gives a
challenging rebuke to His people: “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me!
But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. You are
cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.” (Malachi
3:8-9). He rebuked His people for neglecting to honour Him with their tithes –
the first 10% of their income. “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That
there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the Lord of
hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for
you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.” (Malachi
3:10). When we tithe to our local church, not only are we providing for there
to be ‘food’ in God’s house – sustaining His ministry and spreading the Gospel
– but God has also promised to bless us when we honour Him with our finances.
“Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your
increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow
with new wine.” (Prov. 3:9-10). If you haven’t made a commitment to tithe
faithfully – and give offerings over and above that first 10% of your income –
then why don’t you do so today? God said, “Test me in this – see if I won’t
bless you!” Our God is faithful.
As we come to the conclusion of our Statement
of Faith, I hope that you have been encouraged as you have meditated on these
great truths from God’s Word. “And remember, it is a
message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don't obey, you are only fooling
yourself. For if you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your
face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see
yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you keep looking
steadily into God's perfect law -- the law that sets you free -- and if you do
what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing
it.” (James 1:22-25). Pastor Chris Jordan
www.beausejourchurch.ca
0 comments:
Post a Comment