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What is an Idol?

Many people (at least in Russia) considering themselves
Christians believe that Christ is something like
Jesus’ last name. Thus, these two words (Jesus and Christ)
become closely related in their minds.
But the fact is that Christ is not a last name but rather
a title or a post. Christos is a Greek word; its Hebrew
equivalent is Moshiach, or Messiah in modern spelling.
By these words they call the One who comes to the Earth
from God-the-Father — as a Part of Him — to give help
of the highest Divine level to incarnate people.
In order to understand this phenomenon correctly,
one has to comprehend well all that was said in the previous
chapters: that God-the-Father is One Consciousness
and, at the same time, He is a totality of former human
Consciousnesses merged into Him. These Consciousnesses
were individualized in the past, but aft er att aining
full spiritual self-realization and merging into the Father,
They dwell in His Abode in the state of mutual mergence,
forming a single Whole. This idea is expressed in the
Gospel of John (1:4): “In Him (in the Father) was life; and
the life was the Light of men”. There is a statement about
the same in the Gospel of Philip (87): “The Children of
the Bridal Chamber (the Abode of the Creator, where one
merges with Him in Love) have one name (i.e. all They
are God-the-Father now)”. But They — former human
beings who became coessential with the Father — are
capable of individualizing Themselves again for a time
in the form of the Holy Spirit if it is necessary for the purpose
of fulfi lling a certain task of the Father.
Therefore, it is correct to say that Jesus Christ is a
Part of God-the-Father and that it was not always like
this — Jesus also has a human past. When was it? — in
this or one of the previous Manvantaras? — it does not
matt er. It is only important that upon att aining full Perfection
and merging with God-the-Father, He came to
people from the Abode of the Father as a Part of Him
with a Mission of helping them.
There were several Christs on the Earth during the
history of mankind. They came to the Earth at diff erent
times and to diff erent nations, creating every time a hearth
of spiritual culture, giving knowledge about God, about
the meaning of human life on the Earth and the Path to
the ultimate Goal. Jesus Christ was One of Them.
From the description of Jesus’ childhood, we know
that even at the age of 12 He astonished teachers of Jerusalem
with His wisdom in a religious conversation
(Luke 2:42-52).
The further period of Jesus’ life is described in two
sources: The Life of Saint Issa3, Best of the Sons of Men
and in the Tibetan Gospel. This is what is writt en in the
former:

“When Issa had att ained the age of thirteen years,
the epoch when an Israelite should take a wife, the house
where His parents earned their living by carrying on a
modest trade began to be a place of meeting for rich and
noble people, desirous of having for a son-in-law young
Issa, already famous for His edifying discourses in the
name of the Almighty. Then it was that Issa left the parental
house in secret, departed from Jerusalem, and
with merchants set out toward Sind…” (4:10-12).
In every land that Jesus visited during these years
— India, Tibet, Persia — He healed the sick, raised people
from the dead, opposed paganism, and preached
about Universal God-the-Father and about the Path to
Him. His favorite audience was people of lower social
ranks; later it was the same in Judaea.
In the homilies in India, in particular, He taught:
“Worship not the idols, for they hear you not. Listen
not to the (four) Vedas, for their truth is counterfeit.
Never put yourself in the fi rst place and never humiliate
your neighbor.
“Help the poor, support the weak, do ill to no one,
and covet not that which you have not and which you
see belonged to another.” (5:26-27).
In Persia, answering questions of the highest priest
of the Zoroastrian faith, He said the following:
“… Even as a babe discovers in the darkness its mother’s
breast, so even your people, who have been led into
error by your erroneous doctrine and your religious ceremonies,
have recognized … their father in the Father of
Whom I am the prophet.
“The Eternal Being has said to your people through
the medium of My mouth: ‘You shall not worship the Sun
(as God), for it is but a part of the world which I created
for man.
‘The sun rises in order to warm you during your
work; it sets to allow you the repose which I Myself have
appointed.
‘It is to Me, and to Me alone, that you owe all that
you possess, all that is to be found about you, above you,
and below you.’”.
“But,” said the priests, “how could people live according
to the rules of justice if it had no preceptors?”
Then Jesus answered, “So long as the people had
no priests, the natural law governed them, and they preserved
the candor of the souls.
“The souls were with God, and to commune with
the Father they had recourse to the medium of no idol or
animal, nor to the fi re, as is practiced here.
“… The Sun is acting not spontaneously, but according
to the Will of the invisible Creator, Who gave
it birth.
“… The Eternal Spirit is the Soul of all that is animate.
You commit a great sin by dividing It into a ‘Spirit
of Evil’ and a ‘Spirit of Good’, for He is only God of
Good, Who, like the father of a family, does but good to
His children, forgiving all their faults if they repent
them.
“The ‘Spirit of Evil’ dwells on the Earth in the hearts
of those men who turn aside the children of God from
the right Path.
“Therefore I say unto you, beware of the day of judgment,
for God will infl ict a terrible chastisement upon
all those who shall have led His children astray from the
right Path and have fi lled them with superstitions and
prejudices!…” (8:8-20).
Also there is an account of some words that Jesus
said to Tibetans:
“I came to demonstrate the human potential. What
I do (let) everyone will be doing. What I am (let) everyone will be.
 These boons are for every nation, (they are)
the water and bread of life.” (Tibetan Gospel).
Jesus “returned to the land of Israel” only at the age
of 29 (The Life of Saint Issa, 9:1). It is that which He did
and said there that became well known to the future generations.
Upon returning to the native land, Jesus with several
disciples-assistants began to travel visiting many towns
and villages. He worked wonders such as healing sick
people and raising people from the dead, preached in synagogues,
in houses, in the open air about what the Heavenly
Father wants people to be.
Thousands of people listened to Jesus, witnessed
miracles and got healed of their diseases. Some of them
gave up their earthly occupations and joined Jesus in
order to travel with Him and to learn from Him.
He taught them by explaining the Path to Perfection
and by demonstrating the methods of spiritual healing
and meditative techniques.
No doubt, He wanted to fi nd them as people to
whom He could give all the highest knowledge about the
Father. He wanted them to enter the Abode of the Father
together with Him. “Father! I want those you have given
Me to be with Me where I am!…” (John 17:24)
But when He said something that exceeded their
ability to comprehend, they surprised Him with their
lack of understanding; many left Him doubting the adequacy
of His words and even His sanity… (John 10:19-
20; 13:36-38; 14:5-7; 16:17-18; Luke 9:54-56, etc.)
Even His mother and brothers once came to the place
where He was preaching to take Him home, for they decided
that He was insane if He is saying things like that…
(Mark 3:21,31-35)
At the end — aft er three years of teaching, giving
discourses, working wonders — He was with only 12
male disciples (one of them was Judas Iscariot who betrayed
Him later) and Mary Magdalene.
And where were the crowds of thousands of excited
commoners who listened to His sermons, ate the food that
He materialized for them, and got healed of various diseases?…
It turned out that these crowds did not need the
Teachings about the eff orts that one has to make in order
to enter the Kingdom of God. They wanted Jesus only to
heal, to pay att ention to them… (Luke 9:11)
Jesus saw this and began to avoid the crowds. “…
Crowds of people came to hear Him and to be healed of
their sicknesses. But Jesus oft en withdrew to lonely places…”
(Luke 5:15-16).
Yes, He healed some of them, but it could not continue
like this forever. He wanted people to learn the true
faith, to make personal eff orts on becoming bett er. Then
the diseases would go away by the Will of the Father…
“You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer
must I be with you, bear with you?!” He cried once
because of hopelessness of this situation (Luke 9:41).
And the crowd, being stirred up against Him by the
priests, got angry… “… You look for an opportunity to
kill Me, (only) because there is no place in you for My
word!…” He said once trying to bring them to reason…
(John 8:37)
But it was too late: the crowd of resentful wanting
primitive people got more and more angry because they
could receive more but were given too litt le…
Soon, the same people yelled to Pilate: “Crucify, crucify
Him!”… (Luke 23:21).
“And they having taken the Lord pushed Him as
they ran, and said: ‘Let us hale the Son of God, now that
we have gott en authority over Him!’ And they put on Him
a purple robe and made Him sit upon the seat of judgment,
saying: ‘Give righteous judgment, you King of
Israel!’ And one of them brought a crown of thorns and
set it upon the Lord’s head; and others stood and did
spit in His eyes, and others buff eted His cheeks; and others
did prick Him with a reed, and some of them scourged
Him, saying: ‘With this honor let us honor the Son of
God!’” (The Gospel of Peter, 3:6-9)
… Why did the clergy not accept Him? There were
no formal diff erences between them and Jesus as to the
faith’s basis: they spoke about the same God-the-Father,
they referred to the same Jewish Bible…
But in reality there were very important diff erences
between them: Jesus preached Living God, Whom He
knew very well personally; while the priests only believed
in God without knowing Him. With the help of
religion, they secured a good social rank and material
well-being for themselves and therefore wanted to protect
the foundations of their confession.
What did these foundations consist of? They consisted
of a number of detailed religious ceremonials,
rules of everyday life and repressive measures against
their transgressors4.
If there is such a confessional structure with temples,
impressive shows in the form of worship services,
an ideology pervading the whole society, and fear of God’s
retribution inculcated in the minds of people, then the
priests of this confession become very exasperated if
someone disturbs this way of life: if this person says
that it is wrong and that the priests are hypocrites who
do not know God but deceive people…
It is always the case with “mass” confessions, which
put the emphasis on ritualism and rules of conduct and
inevitably forget Living God…
In Judaea at that time, the one who opposed religious
hypocrisy was Jesus Christ — a Messenger of Godthe-
Father.
… Jesus knew from the Father that the end of His
earthly life was coming. He knew also what kind of death
He was going to die.
Could He avoid it? — Of course, He could! He could
simply leave Judaea together with His disciples, and all
would have been satisfi ed; people would have sett led
down and forgott en about Him.
But He did not leave. Why?
Because if He had done it, no one would have remembered
about Him aft er a few years, there would have
been no Christian Churches, no New Testament…
This is why the plan was diff erent.
The plan was, fi rst, to fulfi ll all the prophecies about
the earthly life of the Christ-Savior to come — to the extent
that “not one of His bones will be broken” and “they
will look at the One they have pierced”. That is, when
the soldiers broke the legs of the two criminals crucifi ed
together with Jesus to make them die before the night,
Jesus had left the body already, and the soldiers just
pierced His side with a spear… (John 19:31-37)
Second, His death and the days that followed were
marked by many miracles: darkness fell too soon, the curtain
of the Jerusalem temple got torn in two ‘by itself’
(Luke 23:44-45), Jesus’ body disappeared from where it
was placed, Jesus several times appeared to His disciples
materializing a body, He had conversation with them, edifi
ed them.
But people were astonished most of all by the evident
“Resurrection of Jesus from the dead”. Though these
people were religious, they did not understand that aft er
parting with the body every man arises in the other world
with self-awareness in the non-corporeal form (Matt 22:30).
Jesus proved this and did actually much more: with His
Divine Power He dematerialized His body taken down
from the cross and then several times materialized it again
for some time.
His disciples, Paul, and then many others devoted
their lives to preaching about the Son of God Who came to
the Earth, was crucifi ed, and then arose, Who taught about
the Heavenly Father and about how to enter His Abode.
                       by Mikhail Nikolenko

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 Theology at Midnight




"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them" (Acts 16:25).
You discover your theology at midnight.
Until then, it's all theoretical. When midnight comes, you discover the difference between theory and reality. I used to think that I learned my theology during the four years I spent at seminary. But that's not quite true. For one thing, I already knew what I believed before I went to seminary. Those four years of systematic theology, Greek, Hebrew, Bible exposition, church history and world missions gave me depth and breadth and perspective. I suppose looking back, I would say that in seminary I learned how much I didn't know, and I was given the tools to learn more when I was out on my own.
When I graduated from seminary I felt like most graduates do - that I could answer any question that came my way. Back then I had very definite opinions about everything, including many areas where my knowledge was actually quite shallow. I say that with a smile because it's good for young people to think they can conquer the world. Where would we be without some young bucks to challenge the status quo, to make us feel uncomfortable, and to push the envelope? I like it when I meet young folks with big dreams about what they want to do for God. In this fragile, unpredictable world, we need the fire of optimism that cries out, "Let's take that city for God!" So God bless the young men and women who believe that all things-yes, all things!-are possible, and who have no time or patience for those who ask questions or say, "Perhaps we should think about that for awhile."
Not an Easy Road
Paul seems to have been that sort of man. Perhaps it was inevitable that a man who had been zealous against Christ before his conversion would be equally zealous for Christ afterward. Armed with nothing more than the gospel of Jesus, he spearheaded the Christian movement through Turkey into Greece and on to Rome, the capital of the Empire and the greatest city in the world. He was, it seems, a force of nature. A man possessed by one great idea ("this one thing I do"), he proceeded to preach Christ wherever his name had not been preached so that those who had never heard might come to saving faith.
But it wasn't an easy road. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 he enumerates some of his hardships:
I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.
When he mentions being in prison frequently, he perhaps did so with a bit of a wry smile because it was while he and Silas were in prison in Philippi that God worked a wonderful miracle on his behalf. The story as told in Acts 16 goes like this. After casting an evil spirit out of a slave girl, Paul and Silas were thrown into prison for what we today would probably call disrupting the peace. The two men were beaten, thrown in jail, put under close guard, and placed in the inner cell with their feet bound in stocks.
It was not a pleasant situation.
So what do you do when you have been arrested, beaten, imprisoned, placed under guard, with your feet bound in stocks, for nothing more than preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ?
If you are Paul and Silas and it's midnight, you start praying and singing hymns of praise to God. Acts 16:25 says that the other prisoners were listening to them. No doubt these two strangers looked like a mess after being severely beaten. The fact that they were in stocks and under close guard told the other prisoners that Paul and Silas were not ordinary criminals. So I ask again, what do you do at midnight?
The answer is, it all depends on your theology, which you generally don't discover until midnight. At that point you can't walk over to your library to pull out some book on theology, and you can't rifle through that big stack of notes from your Greek class to see what it says to do when you've been arrested. You don't have access to a computer so you can't send an email or update Facebook or Twitter your friends.
In that lonely moment, you discover your theology. You find out what's real and what's purely theoretical.
Recently I read a short story about Major Ian Thomas, founder of Torchbearers International, that mentioned a saying that was fundamental to his understanding of the Christian life:
Go where you're sent,
Stay where you're put,
Give what you've got.
The wisdom of that advice struck me, and as I meditated upon it, I began to consider what great biblical principles it represents. It throws light on the darkness of that prison cell in Philippi where Paul and Silas were singing and praying at midnight.


I. Go Where You're Sent.
If you consider that statement by itself, it may seem to have mainly a geographic component. Abraham was called by God to go to a land that he would later receive as an inheritance (Genesis 12:1-3). So he went out from Ur of the Chaldees by faith, not knowing where he was going (Hebrews 11:8). For him the "where" was definitely a location, one particular place. He was always on the way to the Promised Land. If we examine Paul's case, we can see that God definitely called him from Turkey to Greece (Acts 16:9-10), and when he crossed the Aegean Sea, he ended up at Philippi and began to preach the gospel, winning men and women to Christ, and proceeding to establish a church in that city. Paul's one great calling was to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. The "where" depended wholly on the Lord. That's why he wasn't thrown for a loop when he ended up in jail, notwithstanding the very great physical ordeal of enduring a beating by the authorities. While we don't need to sensationalize that, we shouldn't downplay it either. When Paul years later told Timothy to "endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:3), he knew what he was talking about.
There was nothing easy about being accused of disturbing the peace, being publicly disgraced, derided, maligned and vilified. Nor was it pleasant to be beaten or thrown in prison alongside men who were truly criminals. Certainly having your legs in stocks not only meant you could hardly move, it also meant you would have great difficulty lying down. So what do you do in that situation?
It all depends on your theology. If you don't believe in the sovereignty of God, then you'll probably be bitter and angry and very discouraged. If you don't believe in a God who numbers the hairs on your head (Matthew 10:30), then you may think that something terrible has happened to you. But if you believe in the sovereignty of God, then you know that nothing can happen to you by accident. In that case, your reaction is likely to be quite different.
You pray and sing hymns at midnight.
We find the key to the phrase "Go where you are sent" in the word sent. It means that in every situation of life, Higher Hands are at work, leading you on from where you are at this moment to where you are supposed to be next. Many times those Higher Hands will seem to lead you in ways that make no sense, and you may not see any purpose in the things happening to you.
Several weeks ago I received an email from my friend Andy McQuitty, senior pastor of Irving Bible Church in Irving, Texas. When I call Andy my friend, that doesn't quite do justice to the situation. Back in the 80s, he we served together at Northeast Bible Church in Garland, Texas. Often I would go back to his office and we would kibbutz together, dreaming about new ideas for the church. Because we lived in the same subdivision and had young children, we became very close. I can still remember when he came into my office and said he felt called to move to the other side of Dallas and take the pastorate of a small church that had fallen on hard times. That was in the fall of 1987. In the years since then, under the good hand of God, Andy has led Irving Bible Church through many building programs, a major relocation, and in the process it has become a mighty powerhouse for the Lord, attracting thousands of people every Sunday.
I say that simply to mention that Andy and his wife Alice are dear friends of ours. The email came out of the blue with some bad news. Following a routine physical exam Andy was diagnosed with colon cancer. That led to surgery which led to a pathology report revealing that the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes, which means it might be elsewhere in his body. Not good news at any time, but especially when you are only 53 years old.
So what do you say to that? How does the godly man respond to such a turn of events? The answer is, it all depends on your theology. Remember, you don't learn your theology at midnight. You discover it. You find out what you really believe. Here are some quotes from two emails he sent to his congregation after the news broke.
After discussing his medical situation, he put it in this context:
I'm not looking forward to all this and truly wish it wasn't on my plate, but it is what the Lord has teed up for me and I'm at peace with that. After all these years shepherding other people through these situations, it's my turn now! Alice and my family are confident and trusting and a huge bulwark of strength for me, and I think the Lord has much to teach me in these days. So we go forward.
My doctors are very hopeful that we will have a very good outcome to this surgery and that the procedure itself will be curative. Ah, but that's where the Great Physician comes in. We're just putting it all in His hands.
The Lord is my Shepherd, and yours too. . . we shall not want!
And certainly he is praying for healing and trusting that that is what the Lord has in mind. But there is always a deeper reality when you face something like colon cancer:
God truly is the strength of my heart. I kind of look at this fight with cancer in the same way I look at riding motorcycles. If God is finished with me, nothing can save me. If He's not finished with me, nothing can touch me. Just so you know, I've given Him all kinds of reasons not to be finished with me and I think I made an adequate case. We'll see.
Next

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 According to the Hebrew Bible, New Testament and Qur'an as well as their
respective interpretive literatures, Abraham is the first human to realize and act out
the divine will. Although foundational figures appear in literatures such as the
Gilgamesh Epic that are more ancient than the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), these
have been forgotten to history and only rediscovered through archaeology and the
deciphering of dead languages. Abraham first appears in the book of Genesis and
serves as the original human to affirm monotheism and to act on that affirmation. The
symbolic meaning and significance of Abraham differs among the three great
monotheistic religious systems. 


Abraham's symbolic importance is first established in Genesis, where in
biblical religion he epitomizes obedience to the divine will. He obeys God's command
to leave his ancestral home for a foreign land (Genesis 12), to circumcise himself and
his male offspring as part of God's covenant (Gen. 17), exile his eldest son Ishmael
(Gen. 21) and finally, in his greatest act of obedience, raise up Isaac, his only
remaining child, as a burnt offering (Gen. 22). In return for his obedience, God
promises through the divine covenant to provide Abraham with a multitude of
offspring and a land in which his progeny will live. 
In the Christian Bible (New Testament), Abraham's significance lies in his
unwavering faith. In Romans 4, Abraham's merit is associated less with obedience to
the divine will than in his faith in God's ultimate grace. It is his faith that provides him
the merit for God's having chosen him for the covenant in the first place, and the
covenant becomes one of faith rather than obedience. Members of the divine covenant
are, therefore, only those who demonstrate faith in the saving power of Christ
(Galatians 4:21-5:1). 


In the Qur'an, Abraham signifies human submission (the meaning of the word,
Islam), to God (2:127-128, 37:103). Abraham rebels against idolatry (37: 83-99),
fulfills God's commands (2:124), raises up and purifies the foundations of God's
"House" in Mecca (2:125-132), and establishes his offspring there (13:37). Although
the ancient Israelites and Christians and Jews predate the emergence of Islamic
monotheism, they did not remain true to the divine covenants (5:12-14) because they
refused to submit themselves fully to God's absolute unity (9:30).  Therefore,
"Abraham was not a Jew nor a Christian, but was an early monotheist (hanif), one
who submits to God's will (muslim), not an idolater" (3:67). Abraham's importance is
so firmly established in the foundation narrative of the Hebrew Bible that he cannot
be ignored in subsequent scriptures. Each scripture, however, imbues a special quality
to the person of Abraham and the meaning of his character.  


The nature of Abraham's leadership is also depicted with some variety among
the three Scriptures. The Abraham of the Hebrew Bible is a literary character with
foibles and weaknesses who struggles to realize his role of lonely monotheist in an
uncertain and overwhelmingly idolatrous world. When he fears for his own life, he is
willing to risk the well-being of Sarah (12:12-13, 20:1-11), and he seems on occasion
even to question God's promise (17:15-18). By the time of the New Testament,
however, religious figures have taken on a more consistently righteous character:
"When hope seemed hopeless, his faith was such that he became 'father of many
nations,' in agreement with the words which had been spoken to him: 'Thus shall your
 descendants be'....And that is why Abraham's faith was 'counted to him for
righteousness.'  Those words were written, not for Abraham's sake alone, but for our
sake too: it is to be 'counted' in the same way to us who have faith in the God who
raised Jesus our Lord from the dead..." (Romans 4:18-24). And by the period of the
Qur'anic revelation, the biblical prophets (among whom was counted Abraham) were
considered free from error. Thus Abraham, as well as David and Solomon and a host
of other characters are free of all doubt and epitomize a somewhat different prophetic
image in the Qur'an. The strength of Abraham's intellect proves the true unity of God
(Q.6:74-79) and Abraham never doubts the divine will nor God's goodness (Q.37:83-
113).

 While Abraham's role in world history is, therefore, mythic founder of
monotheism, he symbolizes three different and often conflicting narratives. The
competing and polemical narratives transcend the person of Abraham and bring in the
other members of his family, including Sarah, Hagar, Isaac and Ishmael as well as
other scriptural characters and institutions. Not only does each narrative serve to
justify a theological position, it also serves as a polemic to argue against the
theological and institutional positions of the others. This, in turn has served to justify
and fuel ongoing intellectual, economic, political and military competition and
conflict between the three monotheistic religious systems in history.  




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The Holman Bible Dictionary, in its article "Church," explains the background of the word church (emphasis added throughout):
"Church is the English translation of the Greek word ekklesia. The use of the Greek term prior to the emergence of the Christian church is important as two streams of meaning flow from the history of its usage into the New Testament understanding of church.
"First, the Greek term which basically means 'called out' was commonly used to indicate an assembly of citizens of a Greek city and is so used in Acts 19:32, 39. The citizens who were quite conscious of their privileged status over against slaves and noncitizens were called to the assembly by a herald and dealt . . . with matters of common concern. When the early Christians understood themselves as constituting a church, no doubt exists that they perceived themselves as called out by God in Jesus Christ for a special purpose and that their status was a privileged one in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:19).
"Second, the Greek term was used more than one hundred times in the Greek translation of the Old Testament in common use in the time of Jesus. The Hebrew term (qahal) meant simply 'assembly' and could be used in a variety of ways, referring for example to an assembling of prophets (1 Sam. 19:20), soldiers (Num. 22:4), or the people of God (Deut. 9:10). The use of the term in the Old Testament in referring to the people of God is important for understanding the term 'church' in the New Testament.
"The first Christians were [mostly] Jews who used the Greek translation of the Old Testament. For them to use a self-designation that was common in the Old Testament for the people of God reveals their understanding of the continuity that links the Old and New Testaments. The early Christians understood themselves as the people of the God who had revealed Himself in the Old Testament (Heb. 1:1-2), as the true children of Israel (Rom. 2:28-29) with Abraham as their father (Rom. 4:1-25), and as the people of the New Covenant prophesied in the Old Testament (Heb. 8:1-13).
"As a consequence of this broad background of meaning in the Greek and Old Testament worlds, the term 'church' is used in the New Testament of a local congregation of called-out Christians, such as the 'church of God which is at Corinth' (1 Cor. 1:2), and also of the entire people of God, such as in the affirmation that Christ is 'the head over all things to the church, which is his body' (Eph. 1:22-23)."

After Jesus' resurrection He instructed and encouraged His disciples over the course of 40 days (Acts 1:3). He told them to remain in Jerusalem so they could receive God's miraculous power. On Pentecost the disciples were assembled in Jerusalem when God gave them His Spirit, validated by signs and wonders (Acts 2:1-4). The apostle Peter then spoke to the people who were gathered from many nations to keep that feast (verses 5-14). On that day 3,000 people believed Peter's inspired words, repented of their past way of life and were baptized (verse 41).
When the apostle Paul visited gentiles in cities like Rome, Ephesus and Corinth, many kinds of people were added to God's Church. Age, race or sex made no difference. They all became "fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19). This is an important point: God makes people from all races and ages and from both sexes as one body of believers. We fellowship as the family of God.
But how does this godly fellowship begin?
Our fellowship begins with God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3). It is God who calls us, and it is Christ who works with us and will resurrect us (John 6:44). Christ's disciples come into fellowship with each other after they have responded to God's fellowship from above. The disciples of Christ begin their fellowship with God through God's calling (verse 44). Then, led by God's Spirit and His human servants, they begin to meet and fellowship with one another (1 Corinthians 2:9-10; Hebrews 10:24-25).
Wonderful Christian fellowship with one another will grow in direct proportion to our respect and reverence for God. "Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who meditate on [esteem] His name. 'They shall be Mine,' says the LORD of hosts, 'on the day that I make them My jewels [literally "special treasure"]. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him'" (Malachi 3:16-17).
Christ's disciples look to God first, then to others who also first looked to God. God calls us to His fellowship: "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:9). He invites us to participate in that fellowship through becoming members of His Church. Eventually all people will enjoy the same uplifting and encouraging fellowship when Christ returns to earth.
God's fellowship is reserved for those who strive to obey God and have faith in Him and His promises. God and members of His Church want you to share in His loving fellowship.
We who are a part of God's Church are much like you. We desire and pray for God's Kingdom to come to earth (Matthew 6:10). But, while we wait for that to take place, we are about our Father's business (Luke 2:49; Matthew 24:14; 28:19-20). We are united in a great mission, seeking to please Him by serving Him and mankind.
The United Church of God prays eagerly for new people to become part of the divine fellowship that exists between God and His Church. Those who respond to God's invitation will enjoy His uniting fellowship through God's Spirit. "Therefore if there is any consolation [encouragement] in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind" (Philippians 2:1-2).
The United Church of God extends a warm welcome to all those who honor God and His living principles of life

The Bible uses several analogies to teach us about God's Church—how it is organized, how it works and how we should relate to the Church and each other. One of these compares the Church with something close at hand—our amazing human body.

What does the Bible reveal about the way the Church is organized?

"For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ ... But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, wherewould the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body ... Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues" (1 Corinthians 12:12, 18-20, 27-28).
To do the work God has given it to do, the Church is organized to function as a unit. In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul compared it to a human body made of many different parts with different functions, each being necessary for the smooth functioning of the whole. Paul even calls the Church Christ's Body (Colossians 1:24). Members of the Body should all "speak the same thing" (1 Corinthians 1:10) and do things decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40).

Who is the head of the Church?

"And He [Christ] is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence" (Colossians 1:18).
"And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:22-23).
Paul explained Christ's leadership role in the Church, not only as the head of a body, but as a husband who "loved the church and gave Himself for her" (Ephesians 5:25).
Christ nourishes and cherishes the Church; He made the ultimate sacrifice for it. The Church, in thankfulness and appreciation of His sacrifice, serves Him.

What are some of the serving responsibilities that were established in the Church?

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-13).
These serving responsibilities were given for the benefit of the whole Church, to help equip, edify and unify the Body. A person ordained to such responsibilities is generally called a "minister," a word that means servant. In the Scriptures they are also referred to as elders.

How are the elders to handle their responsibilities?

"The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder ...: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock" (1 Peter 5:1-3).
Following Christ's example of service would prevent the misuses of power that occur naturally in human governments (Matthew 20:24-28; Luke 22:24-26). Leaders in God's service are commanded to work for the benefit of those they serve in an atmosphere of mutual love and respect.

What part do all members play in the effective working of the Body of Christ?

"But, speaking the truth in love, [we] may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love" (Ephesians 4:15-16).
"But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it" (1 Corinthians 12:24-26).
God calls and places each member individually in the Body where he or she can best grow and serve for the benefit of the entire Body.

What other analogies show how God supports and nurtures members through the Church?

"... The Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all" (Galatians 4:26).
"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit ... Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples" (John 15:1-8).
God, through His Church, cares for each of His children. Paul referred to the Church as "the mother of us all." As a mother feeds, clothes, teaches and comforts her children, the Church is to give the spiritual care that each member needs (see "God's Church Is Like a Loving Mother").
Jesus also compared this relationship with a grapevine. Each member attached to the vine draws nourishment and support from the vine and so can produce good fruit. But if that close-knit relationship is severed the branch will wither. Whether the comparison is to a body or a vine, the message is the same: Members of the Church must be connected to Jesus Christ and one another to grow and thrive. The Church is one of the greatest blessings God has given His children!

Are members to be active participants in the work and functioning of the Church?

"For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,' is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,' is it therefore not of the body? ... And the eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you'; nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you'" (1 Corinthians 12:13-16, 21).
When God gives us His Spirit, we become members of Christ's Body, His Church. He expects us, since we are members of His spiritual Body, to serve Him, to participate in its example to the world and its work of spreading the gospel. He also expects us to know, love and serve one another. He tells us, "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).
We can do this only if we are active participants in His work and service. The Scriptures admonish: "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24-25). Christ expects the members of His Body to be actively working together, cooperating to accomplish the mission He gave His Church.

Our word "baptize" is translated from the original Greek word "baptizo", which means to immerse.  All Greek Bible dictionaries define the word "baptizo" only as immerse, dip or plunge.  "Baptizo" does not mean sprinkle or pour.  If our Lord had wanted people to be sprinkled, he would have inspired the New Testament writers to use the Greek word "rhantizo".  If our Lord wanted people to be poured He would have inspired New Testament writers to use the Greek word "katacheo".  But he didn’t, so "baptizo" was used, which can only mean to immerse.
     Let’s look in the Bible to see how people were baptized.  In John 3:23 we read, "Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there."  Why was John baptizing near Salim?  "Because there was much water there."  Scriptural baptism, which is immersion, according to the Bible requires much water.
     In Mark 1:5 we read, "Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to Him, and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River."  Why was John baptizing in the Jordan River?  Could it be "because there was much water there" in a river?
     In Mark 1:9-10, we continue to read, "And it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately, coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove."  When Jesus was baptized, he was baptized in the Jordan River.  Why?  Again, because there is much water in a river which is required for scriptural baptism, which is immersion.  Also notice after Jesus was baptized, he came "up out of the water."  So scriptural baptism not only requires much water, but it also requires "coming up out of the water."  This cannot be said of sprinkling or pouring.
     Next we turn to Acts 8:36-39.  The evangelist, Philip, had been teaching the gospel or good news of Christ to an Ethiopian eunuch while they were riding along in a chariot.  Then in verses 36-39 we read: "Now as they went down the road, they came to some water.  And the eunuch said, See here is water, what hinders me from being baptized?  And Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, you may.  And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  So he commanded the chariot to stand still.  And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.  And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing."  Here we see the baptism God has authorized in the Bible requires the "coming to some water", "going down into the water," and after a person is immersed it requires "coming up out of the water."  How much clearer could the Bible be on the mode of baptism?  Also notice after the eunuch was baptized, "he went on his way rejoicing."  Why?  Because he was now saved and all of his sins had been taken away.  This is certainly something for one to rejoice.
     Romans 6:4 says, "Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death."  Here we see that baptism is a burial, which is what is done when one is immersed.  Sprinkling is not a burial; it is only sprinkling.  Neither is pouring a burial.  Both are unlawful substitutions made by man which will cause many people to be lost. 
     Colossians 2:12 says we are "buried with him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him."  Here again God requires the one being baptized, to be buried and raised when he is baptized.  When we bury a dead person in the cemetery, we do not lay him out on the grass and sprinkle a little dirt on him.  No, that would be absurd, and it is just as absurd in trying to substitute sprinkling for baptism.  Sprinkling for baptism is foreign to the scriptures.  God did not authorize it.  There is not one instance anywhere in the Bible where anyone was sprinkled for baptism.
     But we then ask the question, from where then did sprinkling or pouring come?  The first recorded case in all of early church history was that of Novatian in 251 AD, who lay sick on his bed and water was poured on him.  Who made this first exception, man or God?  Man did without the authorization of God.  God has not approved of it.  Sprinkling is just as vain as if it had never been done.  This man made exception over the centuries became the man made accepted practice until at the Council of Ravenna in 1311 AD, man legalized sprinkling for baptism, but without God’s authority.
     The person who insists on following this man made teaching of sprinkling or pouring has refused to obey God.  Sprinkling is without God’s authority.  There is no baptism in the absence of immersion.  If you were sprinkled or poured, then you have not been scripturally baptized.  You still have every sin that you have ever committed and are still lost.  If you refuse to admit that your sprinkling is wrong, you will go to your grave refusing to do God's will.  On the Day of Judgment you will be eternally condemned to the fires of Hell.  Such a tragedy.