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| Spiritual Values | |
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The information below is presented in a purely historical sense. This may make some of my friends and associates uncomfortable, but I have tried to boil down what I know and what I believe to very definitive and specific concepts. This way, people who don't know can understand, and those who already know can see where we can be in agreement. |
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What I know: Using the Legal-Historical method, it can be proven as well as any event in literate antiquity that Yeshua ben Yosef from Natzeret the Christos a Jewish man born around 5 or 6 BC: 1. Claimed he was God 2. Accomplished miracles of an outstanding caliber 3. Claimed to be the Jewish Messiah and prophesied his own death and resurrection 4. Died on a Roman cross 5. Resurrected to life and was seen by many people 6. His resurrection was so unexpected and resonated so much with the people of the Roman world, he was universally accepted as the Messiah of the World 7. The details of his life, death, and resurrection, and the rise of the Jewish sect "The Way" also called Christians that followed his death and resurrection can be read in the Greek historical works of the New Testament Documents sometimes referred to collectively as the Bible |
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What I believe: The facts above speak for themselves. The facts are true whether you believe them or not. The problem is not what or whether you believe those facts, the problem is what you do with them. I believe the above facts demonstrate that Yeshua ben Yosef from Natzeret was indeed the Christos (Messiah). What does this mean: 1. He was the Messiah or savior of the world. 2. He handled the problem of sin and separation from God and the spiritual reality of the creation. 3. You can be reconciled to God through the Messiah. 4. Reconciliation requires acceptance of Yeshua for who He says He is (that is God), repentance (confession of sin and the desire to change), and trust in the promises Yeshua made concerning those who accept Him and repent. 5. Trust further requires demonstration of your new relationship with Yeshua before people. 6. You show your trust by being immersed (baptized) in the name of God the Father (Yahveh), God the Son (Yeshua), God the Holy Spirit (Rauch HaQuodesh), eating of the Passover (Pesach) meal as prescribed by the Messiah, and living your life in continuation of the trust shown you by the Messiah. |
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If you want to know more about these truths and ideas: |
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or check out my Educator page. I am usually teaching a class that relates to the subjects above. |
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Full disclosure: I was raised as a Baptist. I accepted Christ and was baptized in a Baptist Church. I was ordained a Deacon in the Baptist Church. I taught adults and children and taught teachers in a Baptist Church. I found myself an Evangelical on the Canterbury Trail. The liturgical practice of the Anglican Church appealed to me for its beauty, historical basis, and link to the early church. The intellectual freedom and study also attracted me. Anglicans focus on Scripture, Tradition, and Reason. I was confirmed into the Episcopal Church USA. The Episcopal Church USA cut itself off from obedience to scripture, tradition, and reason and is obviously out of communion with the other branches of the Anglican Communion. I joined with the Anglican's United a group that draws together other disenfranchised Anglicans in the United States and went to a Reformed Episcopal Church. I moved to Wichita, Kansas where I could not find an Anglican church in conformity with the original tenants of the 39 articles (the Anglican statement of belief). I found the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod matched very similarly the liturgy and structure of doctrine and theology of the Anglican Church. I was accepted into the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod based on a statement of faith and communion. |
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