Our Foundational Teachings
Ask most Christians what happened when they were saved, and they will probably tell you their sins were forgiven and that they will go to heaven when they die. Well they’re right — and if that was all there was to it, it would be wonderful. But Jesus died to give us much, much more, and we are really missing out if we only receive what is, in effect, a small part of the total package. We are going to look at salvation — why we need it, how God provided it, what is included, and how we can receive it.
Righteousness is important! There are far more verses in the Bible about righteousness than about faith, yet many people are very confused about what it is and how to obtain it. So, let’s start with a brief definition.
Righteousness simply means right standing with God and to be righteous is to be in right relationship with God.
Just before Jesus completed His earthly ministry, He commanded His disciples, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.” (Mk 16:15)
...Immediately before He ascended into heaven, He gave them one final command, “Don’t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father which you have hear of Me.” (Acts 1:4)
Most people don’t want to be sick. Everyone of us has a God-given aversion to sickness, disease, and dying, and when we are sick, we want to be well again. It isn’t God’s will for any of us to be sick. He doesn't inflict sickness on anyone, and although that wasn’t always the case, it certainly is now. Let’s look at this:
Jesus could have designated any number of things as the distinguishing characteristic of His True followers, but He said it would be our love for each other. (Jn. 13:35) It is not our morals, our holiness, our separateness, our fancy buildings, or our condemnation of sin that identifies us as Christians. It is our love for each other that will cause the world to take notice that we are Christians...
I have been around long enough to know that once a pastor announces that he is going to be talking about “finances” everyone’s heart has an opinion and reaction on the subject. I also realize that for many well-meaning people this can be a very sensitive topic. Many hearts have been offended by various abuses that have caused them to fear and avoid the topic.
