JCMSOH Bible Studies

The Church And Her Members.
 

  The Bible both the Old and New Testament is basic for all of the 
Christian Beliefs and Doctrine.
    In understanding the Bible God's words certain rules are used. 
      The first use of the term or picture. Is it explain in this use?
       First use to last use Generally are the same. If not the Word
of God usually tells us so. The beauty of the Bible is that from the first verse of Genesis to the last verse of Revelation it carries the same theme redemption . 
    Second go to the original words in Hebrew, Arabic, Or Greek.
Look at their meaning at the time of the writings. Word meanings change over time.
    Third they wrote, men of old, God breathed;
  2 Peter 1:21; 2 Tim 3:16-17,
in some of the books like revelation . They were told to write down what they saw Rev 1:7. In their words.
    Fourth what was the manners and customs of the time.
    Fifth to whom were God having the authors write to and at what time in history.
   Sixth who is speaking . Example Gen 3:1 God is not always talking. 
 

I. The early members in the early church were know as:
          1. The elect Mark 13:27; Rom 8:33; Eph 1:4.
          2. As believers Acts 4:32.
          3. Saints Acts 9:13; 1 Cor 1:2; Rev 13:7.
          4. Their is to be equality in all believers.
               Matt. 23: 8 - 13.
          5. Christians. Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28.
II Requirement for membership in Christ's Church.
    1. Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be 
                    baptized every one of you in the name of 
                    Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, 
                    and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
              39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, 
                     and to all that are afar off, even as many as 
                     the Lord our God shall call. 
              40 And with many other words did he testify and 
                     exhort,  saying, Save yourselves from this 
                     untoward  generation. 
              41 Then they that gladly received his word were 
                    baptized: and the same day there were added unto 
                    them about three thousand souls.

              Baptism is a profession of the religion of Christ. This 
            would show that they had accept Jesus as their  Messiah.
              The baptism in the name of Jesus means to be baptized 
            for him and his service, To make Jesus Lord of your life.
              Similar uses of the phrase is found in 1 Cor 10:2; 
           "baptized unto Moses," means to take him as the leader and 
            guide.
           2. You must be Saved Acts 2:47; CP. John 3:3 - 7
                a. When you are Saved you are added unto the Lord.
                 Acts 5:14; Acts 11:24
            3. One must have faith in the Divine Redeemer. Jesus 
               Christ as the author and finisher of our Salvation. 
            4. As per Acts 2 And Acts 10 believers in Christ were 
               baptized by the Spirit at the moment of Salvation.
               1 Cor 12:13 ; Acts 10:47; 1 Cor 6:19; 2 Tim 2:14
III.  What about the Jews? How has The Age of Grace or the Church Affected the children of Israel and God's Promises to them as a nation.
           a. The God has spared the nation of Israel .
                    In a book by Clarence Larkin copyrighted in 1918 
                and revised in 1920 suggest the time was right for 
                the nation of Israel to be reborn. Two world wars 
                broke out. In the W.W.II Hitter tried to destroy the 
                Jews.
                  In the year of 1948 the U.N. recognized Israel as a 
                nation. The end of this age is closer than you think.
                         1 Thes. 5:2 .
                    The nation of Israel will according to prophecy, 
                will yet be the chosen, dominant, glorified people on 
                the earth in the coming kingdom age. Isa. 62:1 - 12 .
              b. The nation of Israel is said to be chosen,scattered, 
                 gather, and blessed. 
                  They are to be gather and blessed. There is mention 
                   of this ministry in Romans 9:4 - 5.
                    1. God made a wonderful promise to Abram and to 
                       the world. Gen 12:3. Without this the Gentile 
                         would not be getting its blessing. 
              c. God's eternal promises to his chosen earthly people 
                 cannot be changed. The following are God's promises: 
                      1. A land Gen 13:15
                      2. That they would become a nation. Jer. 31:36.
                      3. A throne 2 Sam 7:13
                      4. A Kingdom 2 Sam 7:16
                      5. A King Jer. 33:20 - 21
              There are three major divisions of the human family.
                        1 Cor 10:31 - 32 
              6. The Gentiles are everyone excluding the Israelites 
                 from Adam until the present. There is not mention in 
                 the Old Testament of any special relation or promises
                 to the Gentiles. The Gentiles have been told that
                 through Abraham seed All nation would be blessed.
                   Gen 12:1 - 3; Gen 18:18.
                   The Jew and Gentile partake alike in the joys of 
                   the Gospel.
              7. God's Church, The Church of God is made up of all of 
                  the redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ in this 
                  present age. 
                  a. You must be born again to enter the kingdom of 
                  God.John 3:5
                  b. Are Destined to be conformed to the image of 
                     Christ. Romans 8:29; 1 John 3:2.
                  c. We are a new creature no longer partaker of 
                     Adam's ruin. 2 Cor 5:17.
                  d. We are blessed with all spiritual blessings in
                       heavenly  places in Christ. Eph 1:3
                  e. We are complete in Christ. Col 2:10.
                  f. We are all in all in Christ neither Jew or 
                     Gentile. Col 3:9 - 11 
                  g. Now citizens of heaven. conversation is from the 
                     Greek word politeuma  which means (a community, 
                     abstractly) citizenship). Phil 3:20; Col 3:2 - 3
                  h. As saved believers, members of God' church,ever 
                     believers promises, possessions, and our position
                     are heavenly.2 Cor 5:17 - 18.
                       With every thing being heavenly or Spiritual 
                     they could from an earthly point be said to be 
                     invisible or true church.  With all of this being
                     true our Salvation has to be eternally secure.
                      Next this makes the believer a member of the 
                    body of Christ. This begin true to the bible if a
                    member the body of Christ and a member the Church 
                    of God, Plus secure in our Salvation ? The 
                    believer has to be in the Bride of  Christ. 
                      Baptized Christendom is one thing while Christ's
                    Church is another. Is your Name written in the 
                    Lamb's book of  life? 
             8. I feel I must briefly make a attempt to clear up a 
                meaning.
                  I have made ever attempt to not use the word 
                Universal. Universal as people on the streets 
                Understands the word to mean one size fits all, not 
                the real thing.
                  It is just a make do.
                     The definition from Websters' New School & Office
                  Dictionary first copyright 1943 and last copyright 
                1962,from the World Publishing Co, Gives this as an 
                definition:
                    adj. all-pervading; embracing or comprehending
                  the whole; 
                    general: n. in logic, a proposition which affirms 
                 the predicate to belong to the whole of the subject. 

                    The reason I bring this up is that there are so 
                many people in position of the rulers as in Christ's 
                day that are scared they will lost they job or 
                position. If they speak up when there are false 
                doctrine or their Religion has made a mistake. 
                    If a person is saved by the Grace of God. Meaning 
                the Jesus died to save their soul. They believed He 
                has the power to kept them saved then I believed one 
                could say they belong to the whole.
                    Yes we should strive to live a godly life. The 
               church is not to control our lives Christ should be 
               Lord and Master of your Life if you are saved. Remember
               this is a free country you can still be a Bible thumber
               in this country.
                    You will notice that in these studies I stressed
               PLEASE READ the Scripture.
               On the Menu page the rules of understanding. 
               So many Pastors, Preachers, Teachers read into verses 
               things that are not there.

         Here is an example.
         All preachers or most try to say the wine in the bible was
         just grape juice. All grape juice at that time was fermented.
          The heat would make it ferment from the sugars in the fruit 
         of the vine ( aka Grape juice.) There was nothing to Keep it 
         from becoming Alcohol.
           It was alcohol. How do I know? There were not any 
         refrigerators back then or old fashion Ice boxes.
         Gen 9:21  And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he 
         was uncovered within his tent.
          If wine in the Bible is just unfermented Grape Juice How 
        did Noah get drunk?
                          The next verse bares printing here.

          Mark 2:22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: 
          else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is 
          spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must 
          be put into new bottles.
             The wine is building up gases from fermenting the new 
          skin will expand.

          This was Jesus talking.

         Luke 1:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord,
               and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he 
               shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his 
                       mother's womb.

           Ever wonder why John the Baptist was not to drink wine or 
           strong drink. Lots of the leaders of that time tried to 
           say that people full of the Holy Ghost were just drunk.

      Luke 7:34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye 
               say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, 
               a friend of publicans and sinners!

 This was Jesus they were talking about.

   Romans 14:21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine,
                nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth,
                or is offended, or is made weak.
      Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; 
               but be filled with the Spirit;

          If it was just non -alcoholic Grape juice what harm would there have been in drinking it.

     I don't believe a Christian should be seen with a beer can in
       their hand.
     Romans 14:21 and Eph 5:18 is the key. 

    My point in talking about this is to please read and study for 
     yourself.
    Don't follow the traditions of men. 

   Grape Juice unfermented Was done by a process invented in
      1869 by Dr. Thomas Bramwell Welch, a physician and dentist by 
      profession, successfully pasteurizes Concord grape juice to 
      produce an "unfermented sacramental wine" for fellow 
      parishioners at his church in Vineland, N.J.,where he was
      communion steward. His achievement marks the beginning of the 
      processed fruit juice industry. 
     You may find more information at this web site.
            http://www.welchs.com/company/company_history.html 

9. The word universalism is difference word difference meaning.
   From the same Dictionary. noun. the doctrine that all mankind will 
   ultimately be saved, together with Satan and the fallen angels.

    A person must accept Jesus Christ as having paid their sin debt.
  Jesus has paid the price of the sin of Adam for you. It is a Gift 
  Free.

Just say the sinners prayer, Jesus save my soul. I know I can not work
my way to heaven. I know I am a sinner lost and bound for Fiery Hell.
I believe you paid that debt of sin for me. Next Lord Jesus use me put
me where I need to be to serve you. I want the Joy of My Salvation. 
Thank you Jesus For saving my soul. 
God Is GREAT. Amen 
 

Yes you can be saved and not be a member of a Local church, But you will be a member of God's Church automatically.
If a person is saved by Grace. Eph 2:8 - 9. Every one that is saved is
baptized of the Spirit into the body of Christ And indwelt by the Holy Ghost at the time of Salvation. 1 Cor 12:13

   Most earthly Churches want a believer to be Saved and Baptized
As a requirement for membership. 

   I firmly  believe in the Local Visible Independent Church. 
I believe each Church should be able to control It's own affairs Without outside interferences. 

PLEASE Bear with me their are so much in the Bible on God's Elect,
His Called out ones. 

The New Testament Church was a mystery to the Old Testament believers.
It was reveled to Paul. Romans 16:25; Eph 3:1 - 21.

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. 
             ~ Helen Keller
 

Please Pray for our work. 
JCMSOH James C Morgan