Apostles Chapel is a cyber chapel run by the folks at http://christianclipartreview.blogspot.com/
We
will post all kinds of inspirational sermons and music here by
churches, congregations, and choirs that upload content to YouTube. This
does not mean that they have necessarily given consent to us personally
to do so. This means that they have agreed to share their resources
under the content share buttons at YouTube.
We
hope to also have guest pastors and authors contribute materials here
in the future as well. And when they do, we will post a web link to
their ministries.
Below are the beliefs that all volunteers at Apostles Chapel share in.
Volunteers at Peace Chapel share the most important common beliefs stated within the context of the Apostles Creed.
We interpret the statement made to the affect of "He, meaning Christ,
descended into hell," to mean that, Jesus suffered for our
transgressions because He was perfect and had no sin of his own to pay
for. We believe that his death on the cross was punishment enough for
the sin of all mankind, we don't really know "what" he did while he was
in the grave. Don't write to argue with us about something we don't
have a clue about. Everyone will know what Christ did for this brief
time after we get to Heaven. For those of you who must know this in
order to share a common brotherhood with us, we believe you may be
suffering from a bit of egotism. God gives the information to his
children that is the most essentially needed for their survival. We can
hardly expect him to reveal more than this, given the fact that we do
not remember the fundamentals nor practice these truths nearly enough.
He is bigger than us. He knows more than we do. Keep on, livin' on.
We believe in sharing our gifts with many Christian followers
peacefully and with confident faith that God will use these gifts in
His ministry across a greater variety of denominations and different
Christian peoples universally. How and why do we believe this? There
have been many followers who have struggled to bring the Bible to a
world that uses it for understanding God's mind and heart. And yet, at
the very same time, there are many folks who abuse the scriptures just
as radically. We give for the benefit of those who will use the
resources to spread the Gospel. We cannot realistically expect that
there won't be those who misuse these privileges. We believe in taking
chances for God rather than worrying over these possibilities. Just as
God believes in taking chances for the redemption of His new
creations, rather than primarily focusing on those who refuse Jesus'
free gift of Grace. Below are the basic beliefs and ideas that our
volunteer staff share in common with one another in love, peace and
joy.
We believe in The Holy Trinitarian God, and that He is the only God, who is maker of Heaven and Earth.
We believe that Christ was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity
and the very Messiah promised to those who believe in Him on the basis
of faith. We believe these are the true children of Abraham, the
spiritual children that live forever and are as numerous as the stars
above.
We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells all receptive Christian peoples.
We believe in a universal catholic church. This church is made up of
those who depend on Salvation By Grace Alone. This Grace is not
predetermined by your church affiliation, but by God, Himself. God will
use you wherever you have been "planted." This means that He may very
well intend for you to be serving right where you are for the benefit
of Jesus' Gospel. We do not exist in order to persuade you to leave
your church, we believe God can use ordinary folks, like yourself, to
spread the Good News of Jesus Christ no matter which church you attend.
This does not mean, however, that we do not have our own preferences.
It just means that we are aware of many believers who are sincere and
dedicated to Christ from many walks of life.
We also believe that if you are indeed saved by Grace that the Holy
Spirit will cause you to suffer under conviction for your sins while
you still remain in a sinful world, in an imperfect body. He does this
in order to change you, grow you up, make you a blessing for fellow
sufferers, etc... He has many reasons.
We also believe that redeemed people do not work for their salvation,
but because of their salvation. When a person's heart is touched by
God, that person actively repents and changes in behavior and attitude,
sometimes on a daily basis. (At least, we hope so.)
We believe Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried and then He rose again on the third day after His death on the cross.
We believe that people's sins are forgiven by Christ's atonement on
the cross and that no man or anything else can separate believer's from
the destiny God has mapped out for their lives, if they except this
Grace. This grace is all sufficient for any human being's ultimate
salvation.
We believe in the power of prayer. In fact, we'd love for you to pray for us right now. Man, do we need it.
We believe that The Bible is the completed collection of God's Holy
Word for mankind. Not every Tom, Dick, or Harry is qualified to
interpret it. But, if you study the Bible within the context it was
written, a believer will be able to discern God's instruction for his
or her daily living and God's revealed Gospel of Grace throughout
Biblical history. We believe that although God used men to write down
His words, and although they had their very own cultural practices,
these men where still mere "instruments" of God's own choosing, not
dictators of their own beliefs. Indeed we believe that the word of God
is most offensive to those who live contrary to God's purposes, by the
desires of their own flesh and that this is the true reason for their
arguments against the Bible. It is not that the God of scripture is
unfair or untrustworthy. In fact, He is steadfast and loving to the
bitter end. It is man who is disloyal, weak minded, and lacking in
compassion for others. It is man who shapes the politics of war and
hatred, not Jesus. We believe the Holy Scriptures are very consistent
about God's revelations and about His heart because He oversaw it's
transcription.
We
believe that all souls live, or die spiritually, forever. Not all souls
live in the Glory of God. We believe that there are some souls that
live under the anger of God because they never choose to follow after
Christ and live by His Grace. We believe that only God knows the
difference between redeemed saint and a willful, lost sinner. Believers
are required to walk humbly, speak tenderly, and love (respect) their
fellow creatures. Only God, Himself can be trusted to judge our fellow
man fairly and accurately at all times, under all circumstances. If you
treat all peoples with respect and gentleness and renew your trust in
The Lord daily, you will be made agreeable to the direction of the Holy
Spirit living inside of you. He will enable you to do The Father's
will.
We believe
that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father and that He
will return to earth again, someday, to judge the living and the dead.
We believe this return will be in His Heavenly Glory. He will not
return again as a baby through the womb of a woman and no man can
discern the exact date in time that this will take place, Christ has
spoken. We also believe that fighting among Christians over the "how" of
Revelations is a waste of time. Revelations is inevitable. But, we do
not know exactly how it will take place. We do know the end of it,
however, God wins, Amen.
On behalf of our fellow men, we would also like to express that we
believe that Jesus loves and grows others in Grace, in His own time,
according to their needs and dispositions. Sometimes this does not
"look" like what others expect. God is perfect, He does not change. His
people do need change, however, and this takes time. Salvation is
applied to a believer on the basis of a faith transfered to him by
Christ alone. This does not mean that a believer won't take time to
grow up. It means that if a believer in Christ should die in his flesh
at any given moment, Grace will suffice for his salvation from a state
of being/place most commonly referred to as Hell.(living under God's
wrath) However, Christians are redeemed "sinners." This means they
start out bad and end up looking more and more like the goodness we see
in Jesus. God remakes Christians in the image of His beloved Son. They
can not ever replace Jesus but, they can reflect the heart of Jesus to
a fallen world. This love influences many people for God's purposes
and brings many to redemption through Christ.
So let us encourage you, lift you up in prayer, all who venture into our web pages and give you the peace of God. Please take and use these online resources for the greater good of Christ, Jesus. Amen.
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