By Scott Shifferd, Jr Paul told the Corinthian congregation to “be in subjection to such and to everyone who works together and labors” (1 Cor. 16:15-16). In 55-57 AD, the churches in Rome and Corinth do not appear to have elders yet. Their leadership appears to be a leadership, who served. This reveals what kind of leaders that Christians must seek in elders. Church leaders are also described as “those who spoke to you the Word of God” (Heb. 13:7). Christians are instructed to yield to that leadership (Heb. 13:17). For sincere Christians, leaders who lead by example and service are desired and not hard to follow. Jesus said to His disciples, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Nations lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45). Christian leaders are not to be an authority lording over the congregation by making demands and restrictions for others, but rather Christ’s servants lead by service, example, doctrine, admonition, and encouragement (Luke 22:24-30). Likewise, elders are to lead by example in their oversight shepherding the flock (1 Pet. 5:1-3, cf. 1 Tim. 3:4-5). Therefore, let us seek to be leaders, and seek and follow leaders who serve. With such leadership, there is no decision or offense that cannot be settled by individual Christians with example and service of Christian leaders (1 Cor. 6:2-4). Besides submitting to leaders, each Christian is to humbly subordinate to one another and to esteem one another greater than oneself that includes all leaders subordinating such as elders (Eph. 5:21, Phil. 2:3-4).
One of the claims of atheists and unbelievers is that the Messiah was a pagan myth. Some even claim that Jesus never existed and that He was made up. Thankfully, doubters can simply listen to one of the most outspoken agnostics to find that Jesus did exist and that the Bible’s Messianic prophecies are not pagan. That agnostic is Bart Erhman, who Kyle Butt will be debating on April 4, 2014. In Ehrman’s article, “Did Jesus Exist?” (2012), Ehrman stated, “Moreover, the claim that Jesus was simply made up falters on every ground. The alleged parallels between Jesus and the ‘pagan’ savior-gods in most instances reside in the modern imagination: We do not have accounts of others who were born to virgin mothers and who died as an atonement for sin and then were raised from the dead (despite what the sensationalists claim ad nauseum in their propagandized versions). […] One may well choose to resonate with the concerns of our modern and post-modern cultural despisers of established religion (or not). But surely the best way to promote any such agenda is not to deny what virtually every sane historian on the planet -- Christian, Jewish, Muslim, pagan, agnostic, atheist, what have you -- has come to conclude based on a range of compelling historical evidence. Whether we like it or not, Jesus certainly existed” (Huffington Post). See, these mythicists, who claim that the idea of the resurrected God was pagan, do not know the historical origin of pagan gods. In the 1st century BC, a Greek historian named Diodorus Siculus wrote the book “Universal History” in which he recounted that the Egyptians invented 2 first gods being in wonder of the sun and the moon. They called the masculine sun-god, Osisis, and the feminine moon-god, Isis. These myths originated more than 4,000 years ago. The Greeks accepted these gods as Dionysius and Demeter. These gods were also known as Baal and Asherah in the Bible. See prophecies of the Messiah existed from the beginning before Ham’s son, Egypt, established his nation (Gen. 10:6). In Genesis 3:14-19, the curse of death came upon mankind from Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and prophecy was given that the Seed of woman will bruise the head of Satan (cf. Heb. 2:14-15). Now, that the modern myths are seen. Note also that Diodorus recorded that the Egyptians had a myth that life came from non-living pustules in the swamps of theNile River. These living creatures supposedly grew into all kinds of animals and even men, who once lived like beasts hunting, gathering, discovering fire, and inventing languages from grunts. Apparently, the idea of evolution is a 4,000 year old pagan Egyptian myth.
By Scott Shifferd, Jr Many denominational preachers teach a Spirit baptism of being born again before a believer is baptized by water in Jesus' name, and some teach that a believer is saved by the baptism of the Spirit after being baptized in Jesus' name. Most denominations teach 2 or more baptisms. Yet, the Spirit teaches in Scripture that there is one baptism in Ephesians 4:5. By having more than one baptism, leaders are excluding the blessings of the Holy Spirit found in the one baptism. Such a perversion of the baptism that Jesus instituted is misleading many to never to have truly been baptized in Jesus' name and receive the blessings of salvation from God's Spirit (Gal. 1:6-12). As recognized by all Christians, Jesus Christ instituted and commanded one baptism when He was resurrected. When Jesus was resurrected, He commanded a baptism that had not been instructed before, and this baptism was in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19-20, Mark 16:16). This is the baptism in Jesus' name for the forgiveness of sins that the Apostle Peter taught with all of Christ's Apostles when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them in Acts 2. Baptism in Jesus' name is the one baptism by which believers receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). This baptism is in water, and separate from any baptism of the Spirit (Acts 10:47-48). Throughout Acts, the Apostles taught the one baptism that Jesus commanded (Acts 19:5-6). By this baptism, the believer is sanctified and justified by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:11). Baptism in Jesus' name is the one baptism by which the Spirit adds believers to the Church (1 Cor. 12:13, Acts 2:42, 47). See, it is by the water and the Spirit that believers are born again and so enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:5). Christians are saved through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5-6). Regeneration means to be born again, and thus believers are renewed. Christians have been born again through the resurrection by which “baptism now saves you” (1 Pet. 1:3, 3:21). Christians are saved by grace when they were raised with Christ into the newness of life from being buried with Him in baptism (Eph. 2:4-6, Col. 2:12-13). Thereby, the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in Christians giving life (Rom. 8:11). Being born again, Christians are the sons of God and heirs of God's promise for as many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Gal. 3:27). See, the Spirit is the Truth (1 John 5:6), He has revealed all the Truth to the Apostles (John16:13), and He transforms us by the Truth (2 Cor. 3:18). While baptism of the Spirit gave miraculous gifts of power to confirm God's Word, the baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit regenerates the believer through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism in Jesus' name is the baptism for which Jesus said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). If we love Christ, then we will keep His commands, or otherwise, we will be condemned to the greatest extent (John 14:23, 1 Cor. 16:22).
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Dean Road
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