Children do not need to be baptized until they are accountable (eight years old). Ordinances and covenants are required for salvation and are available for both the living and the dead. The two apostles gave further instructions to the people, and then, on their way back to Jerusalem, preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans (verse 25). Not be left [given] to other people (Daniel 2:44). This prophet is also the President of the Church. Though persecuted, it continued to survive. A building is lost to the flames . The Church That Jesus Built The Church of God International Why was the restoration of the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods necessary? About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He guided the Israelites on their escape from Egypt by giving them a pillar of fire to light their way across the dark wilderness (Exod. When Jesus said, I will build my church, and promised that His church would not be destroyed (Matthew 16:18), was He thinking of an ecclesiastical institution, such as the Roman Catholic Church? Mighty nations have fallen since the church began, but the Lord's people continue to grow. Soon, many Gentiles would enter the church, as the gospel continued to penetrate new areas, reach more people. Therefore, a clear and precise scriptural teaching on this subject is not necessary: It has been preserved by the living teaching authority of the Catholic Church. In restoring the gospel, God again gave the priesthood to men. And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. (See Daniel 2:3133. Later the First Presidency was organized, and he was sustained as President. This was perhaps due to their fierce competitiveness with the Jewsthey claimed that Mount Gerizim was superior to Jerusalem as a place of worship and that their copy of the Torah was of origin more ancient than the Jews Torahand due to the influence of certain Jews who had taken refuge among them. At the center of the painting is a young boy (age 14) kneeling. What important truths have been brought back with the Restoration of the Church? And there was great joy in the city.But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women (Acts 8:1,4-8,12). Bible never. Be faithful, my friends. But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. ), What did the different parts of the image represent? Evidently, the Samaritans in the time of Jesus were aware of the prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah. What did Daniel prophesy concerning the Church in the latter days? And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. How is the restored Church of Jesus Christ like a stone cut out without hands? Amazingly, tens of thousands of Christians have never heard of Gods holy days, have never been taught of the tremendously deep, spiritual, Christian significance of these festivals. Later, after Peter had returned to Jerusalem, several of the Jewish converts contended with him because he had violated Jewish tradition by going into a Gentiles home and eating with uncircumcised men (Acts 11). He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. Also he said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. In this case, the law James was speaking of included the sacrificial rites and ceremonies associated with worship at the Temple. Many assume that the first-century church abandoned the weekly and annual sabbaths and adopted Sunday observance as the Lords Day. They argue that Sunday (the first day of the week) was singled out as a special day for the earliest Christians because Christs resurrection appearances and the beginning of the New Testament church took place on that day. Amen. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. Direct class members attention to the chart you have drawn on a poster or on the chalkboard: What do you think these numbers represent? I am speaking the truth in ChristI am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. How have these truths influenced you and others? Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. It is about providing more ministries! Do not write the names of the individual kingdoms until you discuss the diagram in class. When the New Testament speaks of those who fear God, it is usually speaking of those Gentiles who worshiped the true God and were frequently seen in the synagogues on the Sabbath day. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. Many see the church and Israel as two entirely separate and completely unrelated entities. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. Sergius Paulus, the Roman proconsul of Cyprus, is said to have believed, apparently meaning he converted to Christianity (Acts 13:7-12). Indeed, the Day of Pentecost carries far more meaning for the New Testament church than it ever did for ancient Israel. Many members of The Satanic Temple use pseudonyms because of threats and hate mail. In spite of widespread apostasyabandonment of the Sabbath and holy days, incorporation of pagan holidays and customs into Christianity, acceptance of Platonic philosophythe true Church of God, made up of those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus, existed through the second, third, and fourth centuries, and continues to exist today. Peter was appointed head of the apostles, Catholics claim, and his office has been preserved through the succession of popes, who have presided over the successors of the apostles, said to be the bishops of the church. The word apostle comes from the Greek apostolos, which means one sent forth. Anyone sent forth by another is an apostle. In this sense, the ministers of Gods church today are apostles, for they have been sent forth to minister. Jesus had said that His disciples would be witnesses of Him in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). New Living Translation Once established in the land, the new Samaritans continued their idolatrous practice, resulting in God punishing them by sending lions in their midst (verses 25). O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! Offers. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. Later, after James recommendations had been adopted and recorded, messengers were sent to the Gentile converts to report the conclusions of the conference: For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you [Gentile converts] no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith. If you do these things, show yourself to the world. For not even his brothers believed in him. But God had no intentions of excluding the Gentiles from His church, so Jewish attitudes about Gentiles would have to change. The stake has 12 high councilors who help do the Lords work in the stake. But now they are hidden from your eyes. Even if we assume apostolic succession to be the key to finding the true church, we are still faced with a huge problem: The Roman Catholic Church is not the only church that claims apostolic succession! Blog, A Such an idea was foreign to the minds of those first-century disciples who zealously proclaimed the gospel to an unaccommodating world. In what ways is the Restoration of the fulness of the gospel a marvellous work? According to W.E. What did the stone cut out without hands represent? Cite this page: Editor: Stephen Smith. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lotthey were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. Soon, the gospel would expand into new regions, bringing about many new conversions and the planting of new churches. Daniel prays with his friends, and God reveals to him the dream and its interpretation ( 2:14-23 ). The people of God, the body of Christ, lives on. Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand. Chapter 7: The Creation - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints It is governed and moves by the power of the priesthood. Some have cited the example of Matthias replacement of Judas as evidence of apostolic succession. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.. He tested his advisers by telling them that he had forgotten it and commanding them to reveal it and its interpretation (Daniel 2:25; see footnote 5a). For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick [office, or charge] let another take. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. It is extremely unlikely, then, that they made up a hierarchy of ruling bishops or higher-up board of prelates. Pauls example shows that God is fully capable of raising up a ministry without the use of succession. It also shows that the apostles at Jerusalem accepted his apostleship on the basis of the fruits of his ministry, not on whether he fit within a line of successive ordinations by the hands of men. None whatsoever! The apostolic churchthe church that Jesus builtwas a Sabbathkeeping church! Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? And Jesus answered them, See that no one leads you astray. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. On April 6, 1830, the Savior again directed the organizing of His Church on the earth (see D&C 20:1). But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. There are members in nearly every country in the world. Once Peter and his fellow-workers had witnessed the conversion of Cornelius, and once the Jewish Christians understood that they were to abandon their bias against the Gentiles and no longer call any man common or unclean, it was now time for the gospel to go unto the uttermost parts of the earth.. The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Did He authorize apostolic succession to insure that His church would forever be able to trace its origins directly to the apostles? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they (verses 6-11). Q BREAKING GENERATIONAL CURSES | 2ND SERVICE | 16, JULY 2023| LFC DURUMI ABUJA Welcome to Winners Chapel Durumi, Abuja Website:. Confidence in the Eternal Church. There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished? And Jesus began to say to them, See that no one leads you astray. John the Baptist came in 1829 to confer the Aaronic Priesthood on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (see D&C 13; 27:8). They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. In time, envoys from the mother church would carry the message of repentance and remission of sins to Samaria, to Asia Minor, to far-off Rome, to the uttermost parts of the earth. Thousands would be converted. His teaching persuaded them that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world (verse 42). Catholic theologians may retort by saying that the Word of God consists not of Scripture alone, but of Scripture and Tradition, or oral teaching. The Bible, they say, reflects the churchs teaching, but is not the complete rule of faith. After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as He did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Some believe the historical continuity of the Roman Catholic Church, with her line of bishops extending in unbroken succession from the early centuries of Christian history to the present, is proof that the Roman Church is the one universal church, the church that Jesus built. How is Daniels prophecy that the Church will fill the whole earth and never be destroyed being fulfilled today? Publication date: Jun 5, 2023. For this reason, witness of the resurrection was one of the qualifications of the apostolic office. Revelation 11:15. We will be punished for our own sins and not for Adams transgression. We existed in premortal life as spirit children of God. They knew that God had promised to make a New Covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah (Jeremiah 31:31), and saw themselves as the recipients of Gods covenantal promise to put [His] law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts (verse 33). This is the first resurrection. But in 1 Corinthians, Paul is talking about Christ shepherding ancient Israel, not the Church, and in Matthew 16, petros and petras both refer to Peter. Notice how persecution against the church led to the expansion of the church: And Saul was consenting to his [Stephens] death. God revealed to Peter that he should go with them because He had sent them (verses 17-20). As it has grown, the Lord has revealed additional units of organization within the Church. Prior to His ascension, He told them to remain in Jerusalem and await the arrival of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8). My guess is that most evangelicals today would respond, "Of course!" In fact, I suspect a "No" answer would seem close to heresy. President Gordon B. Hinckley testified: "This Church is true. Will religion ever disappear? - BBC Future Although a church was destroyed, he said, "the Church church with a capital C will never be destroyed. That's why we've lost so much ground in the Christian Church in America. 19 Bible Verses about Christ Reigning Forever. How can we show him our gratitude? For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. Nothing is ever won by only ever playing defense. They saw the New Covenant significance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, recognizing the necessity of putting sin (typified by leaven) out of their lives. A Kingdom that Shall Never Be Destroyed - Fairview Park church of Christ Christ has a kingdom that will not be destroyed - DesireJesus.com Daniel describes and interprets Nebuchadnezzars dream. The breast and arms of silver represented Cyrus and his kingdom of Media and Persia. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. Or would they be shocked to find customs and beliefs, now labeled Christian, that were completely unknown to the first-century church? Does 2 Peter 3:10 teach that heaven will be burned up and destroyed? King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream and commands his advisers to describe and interpret it ( 2:1-13 ). This is all important, for the resurrection of Christ was, and is, central to the gospel. R What questionable sources do people today turn to when they need help answering difficult questions or making decisions? And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. Archbishop mourns loss of historic church in Alberta, Canada, destroyed It carries the name of Him who stands as its head, even the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. To strengthen class members testimonies of the restored Church of Jesus Christ and encourage them to help build the kingdom of God on earth. For teachers: Bearing testimony invites the Spirit. (Confer Mt. By simply reading the many New Testament references to the final tribulation period, the Day of the Lord, the Second Coming, the resurrection of the saints, and the establishment of Gods Kingdom on this earth, one can see clearly that James, Peter, John, Jude, and Paul lived and labored in expectation of the imminence of Christs coming.