The Crux Conviction

I Peter 3:15

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect”

Many people believe what they believe but they either: 

• can't back it up w/ Scripture or 
• can't say how it applies to their life 

It's always good to take some time & lay everything out, print it out, look it over & review exactly what you believe & why you believe it.

I was born on a Friday & in a church service 48 hours later; as of Autumn 2016 I will have been saved for 43 years. I grew up in the Assemblies of God & I believe in their tenets of faith/fundamental truths as follows:

• The Bible is Inspired by God and declares His design and plan for mankind.
• There is One True God - revealed in three persons...Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (commonly known as the Trinity).
• In the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ - As God's son Jesus was both human and divine.
• The Fall of Man ushered in evil and death, both physical and spiritual, into the world.
• The Salvation of Man - Man's only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God.
• The Ordinances of the Church - (1) Water Baptism by Immersion after repenting of one's sins and receiving Christ's gift of salvation, (2) Holy Communion (the Lord's Supper) as a symbolic remembrance of Christ's suffering and death for our salvation.
• The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is for everyone and empowers believers for witnessing and effective service, just as it did in New Testament times.
• The Initial Physical Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is 'Speaking in Tongues,' as experienced on the Day of Pentecost and referenced throughout Acts and the Epistles. 
• Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication unto God.
• The Church has a Mission to seek and save all who are lost in sin.
• Divine Healing of the sick is a privilege for Christians today.
• The Blessed Hope - When Jesus Raptures His church prior to His return to earth.
• The Millennial Reign of Christ - when Jesus returns with His saints to reign on earth for one thousand years.
• A Final Judgment Will Take Place for those who have rejected Christ.
• New Heavens and a New Earth - that Christ is preparing for all people, of all time, who have accepted Him.

These are things that I fundamentally believe, 

they are my very basic, core beliefs & they will not change.

My theology is sound; I do wrestle though w/ certain denominational practices & doctrines, the main one being the lone/senior pastor pyramid structure. I believe the Bible models [especially in Acts] plurality/elder oversight. I tried to articulate this several times but decided that perhaps someone else has done a better job of it so I found these two websites that explain it much better, please take the time to visit these two:

https://bible.org/article/who-should-run-church-case-plurality-elders

http://www.gty.org/resources/positions/GCCDD01/biblical-eldership

Though I believe & endorse elder oversight, this hasn't stopped me from faithfully serving in fellowships that have a senior pastor pyramid structure; I've worked well w/ both pastors and elders; wherever I'm called, I serve, period.

Prior to joining my last fellowship, I sat down w/ the pastor & we talked about theology, doctrine & church structure, the conversation went something like this:

Me: I feel that God is calling me here for a season but I have to tell you something: I have nothing against pastors but I believe the Bible models elder oversight.

Him: Oh I agree w/ you! The Bible does model that. You might be interested to know that we're already implementing a change in our bylaws & constitution that more closely resembles the Early Church, it places more responsibilities on the elders & less on me. If there's a need in the fellowship or from outside it, we send them to elders who investigate, pray about it & take action. The elders will handle about 80% of things, if they feel we need to change direction/format or implement something, I will listen to them & their counsel, we'll all pray about it together & make a move. The only reason I have “final say” is I started this fellowship & my name is on the paperwork! 

Me: Ha! Good one.

Him: I've known you for a long time, I know your heart... I respect your stance & I believe we can work together.

Me: That's good to hear, I too think we can work together.

You know what? I faithfully served in both the worship ministry & social media ministry there for two years & we got along great in that time. 

I prefer elder oversight but I don't actively oppose lone pastoral oversight; elder oversight reflects the Scripture “in the counsel of many there is wisdom”. Elder oversight tends to remove any possible personal bias that a pastor may have toward someone or something.

I prefer home church; I love the intimacy, structure & accountability found in that format but I don't actively oppose the institutional/traditional church. I'm all for Believers getting together on a regular basis & those Believers should have the freedom to meet in either format without judgments from either side concerning the others existence/validity. 

Note: there is valid concern that home church is not “church” as it has no pastoral oversight, that it's basically Bible Study 2.0; etc. Most home churches do have mature Believers/elders that lead, teach, disciple & oversee the gatherings. There is equal concern that the institutional church is not “church” as it has no elder oversight, does not meet in homes, etc; believe me, I've heard & researched arguments on each side of this but I'm going to blog more on this topic later in the year so stay tuned for that.

The tenets are my very basic/core beliefs.

My two preferences are simply my personal preferences.