An Apostolic Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell. On the third day he rose again. He was seen by over 500 people as he continued to teach his disciples about the mysteries of God. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to earth to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy, universal church, 
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting

                          ...amen
                                ..

Why live a Holy life?

1 John 2:6 " Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did."


Poem

It was a sheep -- not a lamb, that strayed away,   In the parable Jesus told:   A grown-up sheep that had gone astray   From the ninety and nine in the fold.

   Out in the meadows, out in the cold,  Twas a sheep the good Shepherd sought.   Back to the flock and into the fold,  'Twas a sheep the good Shepherd brought.

   And why for the sheep, should we earnestly long,   And so earnestly hope and pray?   Because there is danger, if they go wrong,   They will lead the young lambs away.   For the lambs follow the sheep, you know,   Wherever the sheep may stray;  If the sheep go wrong, it will not be long   Till the lambs are as wrong as they.

   So with the sheep we earnestly plead,   For the sake of the lambs today.   If the lambs are lost, what a terrible cost,   Some sheep may have to pay!

Matthew 18:6

" But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea."

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Note: Rick Lawrence is not linked to any church building or procurement of furnishings, etc., but does occasionally recommend credible sources.

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Church building
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"Of all the churches
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 because they thought  they needed to build,  I estimate that 9 out of 10 had a better, less costly alternative."

--Ray Bowman, founder of
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retired church architect and
 consultant, coauthor of
 WHEN NOT TO BUILD: An
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  www.living-stones.com

or purchase in, or through your local bookstore.

Rick Lawrence Ministries     (Click here)  for RKL2.org home page
       nondenominational - multiethnic- Bible-believing: A Christian worldview with a conservative emphasis
 
Adapted spiritual commentary --   
  Jesus Christ is the Word (Logos) of God. The Word was with God in the beginning, which states His pre-existence as one with God. "By Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth" (Colossians 1:16 ), therefore making Jesus the Creator. Jesus Christ is the Purpose of God found in all of creation. He is the Father's delight and desire, and the Father is looking for the reflection of His Son in all created things. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. In the beginning, it was the ultimate purpose of God for all things to be summed up in Christ.  ©

    Jesus Christ, Who pre-existed with God in the form of God, emptied Himself to become fully a man that He might be the sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Through His sacrifice made on the cross, all who believe in Him and His sacrifice and receive Him into their hearts and life have their sins remitted, are spiritually born again and given eternal life. John 5:24. Jesus was born of a virgin, by a miracle of the Holy Spirit. His virgin birth is a testimony that only the Spirit can beget that which is Spirit. Those of the new creation are not solely of human origin, but are born from above by the Holy Spirit.                                                      

We believe the Bible teaches that all people are worthy of hearing the good news about Jesus Christ, the eternal and only begotten Son of God who became man without ceasing to be God. We believe the Bible teaches that Christ died on the Cross, was buried and rose again on the third day, in order to reveal God and redeem sinful human beings. 
 
We believe it is the inalienable right of all people to experience basic human rights: We  believe in religious freedom and that all people should have freedom to select or convert to the religious belief system of their choice. 

The Scriptures - We believe the biblical Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the inspired Word of God. We believe they are infallible, and inerrant in the original writing and are adequately preserved for modern use in the NKJV, NIV  and other comparable versions.

Bible Interpretation - We believe that every declaration should be taken in its primary, and most obvious meaning, unless, otherwise indicated by definite facts of context and the well-defined laws of language. 

God the Father- We believe in one God, Jehovah [Yahweh]  creator and sustainer of all things in the universe. We believe He has been revealed to us as infinitely perfect, all-knowing, all-seeing, with total wisdom and that he is present everywhere.  We believe he eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe God is "Fatherly" toward all people and desires all people to come to him through Jesus Christ, his Son. 

God the Son - We believe Jesus Christ, the eternal and only begotten Son of God became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order to reveal God and redeem sinful human beings. 

• We believe the Lord Jesus Christ provided our redemption through his death on the cross as a vicarious, sacrifice, and accomplished our justification by his literal, physical resurrection from the dead.
• We believe that the redemptive work of Christ on the cross provides healing of the human body in answer to believing prayer. We believe Jesus was wounded for our sins and that he bore our sickness and disease in his body on the cross. 1 Pet.2:24 says, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds [stripes, or scourging lashes] you have been healed."
  
• We believe the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where as our High Priest, he fulfills the ministry of representative, intercessor, and advocate. 
• We believe that Jesus will return to earth to judge the living and the dead.
• We believe that eternal life for all believers is obtained only through Jesus. The Bible teaches: Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6;  Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved; Acts 4:12; For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16.

Fall of Man - We believe human beings are created in the image and likeness of God, and that in Adam’s sin, fell, inherited a sinful nature, and are of themselves utterly unable to remedy their lost condition. 

The Way of Salvation - We believe the shed blood of Jesus Christ and his resurrection provide the only ground for the justification and salvation for all who believe, and that only those who receive Jesus Christ by faith are born of the Holy Spirit and thus become the children of God. We believe the Bible teaches that every individual has freedom of choice to accept Christ as personal Savior and Lord, and receive the promise of eternal life in Heaven, or reject him and experience eternal judgment and separation apart from God. We believe the first step toward eternal life and salvation through Jesus Christ is a person's sorrow for his or her sins and repentance, which is the vow or promise to God that the individual will turn from sin or a sinful lifestyle. 1 Peter 3:9 says, "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."  He wants people to repent, that is, to change their heart and mind, ask his forgiveness and open the door of their heart to him.(Rev.3:20) One must believe in the birth, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as he lived on planet earth. One must not only believe, but the Bible says one must also receive Jesus into their heart and life as Savior and Lord.  John 1:12. 

• We believe that the gift of eternal salvation with God the Father can only be received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ - not of any works that we could do - no matter how holy and pure those works may be - for the Bible tells us that we have all sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. Spiritual rebirth guaranteeing eternal life through Christ, is dependent on being sorry for your sins and turning away from sin  Repenting, -- this original Bible Greek word is metanoya, which translates: "change your heart and mind toward your sinfulness with willingness to change your lifestyle." Accepting Christ as one's personal Savior  has nothing to do with working our way to heaven. Eph.2:8,9 says, " For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast. This tells us that eternal life is a free gift of God through Jesus Christ. Read John 1:12. 

God the Holy Spirit - We believe the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Jesus Christ and during this age of grace to convict people of sin, regenerate the believing sinner and to baptize all believers into the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit regenerates, indwells and seals believers unto the day of redemption. 

• We believe He is the divine teacher who guides the believer into all truth and empowers believers to reach the world for Christ. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. John 14:16 -17

• We believe all who accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior are baptized into the body of Christ upon regeneration.  

• Empowered believers --Subsequently, believers may receive by faith the infilling or baptism in [of or with] the Holy Spirit which sanctifies and endues the believer with power for service. Jesus Christ is the baptizer. We believe the infilling or baptism in the Holy Spirit is available to all spiritually born again believers and is evidenced by the impartation of a supernatural  glossolalia or speaking in an unknown [heavenly] language or tongue, which the Bible says is a personal prayer language imparted to the believer, meant for the believer's prayer closet and personal edification. This prayer language is different than the public speaking in tongues and the interpretation, thereof -- mentioned as two of the nine gifts of the Spirit. 1 Cor 12:10.  Note below --

• A careful research of all Christian, spiritual revivals and awakenings, e.g., the Northern Europe and  subsequent  awakenings have had huge numbers of spiritually born again believers within those revivals, experience the early church  dynamic of the infilling or baptism in the Holy Spirit. Additional study on the infilling experience can be found at www.RKL2.org  see -- new believer's Bible study (about 1./2 way down the home page; note: this is a follow up study for new believers, but keep clicking on the pages and you will find an excellent study of the "infilling or Baptism in the Holy Spirit by Don Basham.

•  We believe that holiness is required of spiritually born again believers and is a sanctification [cleansing] experience in the life of the believer. We believe The Holy Spirit moves upon many believers by way of the filling of the Spirit. The infilling or baptism in the Holy Spirit is the miracle side of the Holy Spirit's enabling power for spiritually born again believers in witness and lifestyle.  More and greater Miracles of healing, etc. seem to accompany those with the infilling. 

• Be careful however, Who is to say the anointing of the Spirit in the witness and ministry of many believers is not just as effective, perhaps even more so than it is in those who have received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the accompanying supernatural manifestations. There is much to be said of the degree and level of factors such as sanctification, humility, surrender, obedience, et. al, and experiential faith and practice of spiritually born again believers. In other words, receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit is not an end in itself. A born again believer must be careful to practice prayer, reading of God's Word, the Bible, obeying His commands and doing what pleases Him. A spirit-filled believer can backslide and become ineffective as can any spiritually born again believer who does not stay close to the Lord following in his footsteps.  
  1 John 2:6 " Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did." 

• The Holy Spirit distributes operation in the 9 spiritual gifts to the believer according to His will. A believer who is drawn to witness or ministry wherein one or more of the 9 gifts of the Spirit will possibly be manifested should seek the Infilling of the Holy Spirit. 

• Regarding ministry gifts for service (not the same as the 9 gifts of the Spirit) among believers in the church and in the community. We recognize that God has endowed some individuals more than others with ministry gifts of service, but that every believer has a gift and these ministries are meant to be a normal function in the lives of God’s people. We believe the church should help believers identify their ministry gifts and potentials for service to one another and the community in which they live. This effort leads to more harmony and fulfillment as well as growth in the local church.

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        Personal note from Rick: I sought and received the infilling of the Holy Spirit many years ago. I am close to the Lord Jesus. As I preach sermons in worship services, and/or teach on biblical topics in teaching meetings, the Holy Spirit may move among the people present and perform healings and deliverance freely, apart from me or any other ministry present. Jesus still heals people today. Jesus still sets people free from addictions and other mental, physical and spiritual bondages. He does this through the Holy Spirit just as he did when he was on earth."  The Bible says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) The logical inference is that he is still doing today what he did during his ministry on earth which he passed on to the early church and to believers today.  Jesus loves you. He wants to help all who come to Him. If you, your loved ones or friends are hurting, draw near to Jesus."

        Rick has ministered in a deliverance ministry for many years. Rick says,  "I have become a bond slave to the lord Jesus Christ. I have learned my relationship to God, Christ and the Holy Spirit must absolutely be the supreme focal point of my life. When I stay close to the Lord, surrendered and abandoned into His hands, abiding in his will for me, He is unhindered and confirms His ministry through me with signs following. My calling is to be separated unto the Lord with surrender and sanctification and to proclaim the glorious redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result, all other things follow as I lift up Jesus."

         Rick says, "I am available to minister to groups, churches, etc., who embrace the doctrine of the Baptism in [with or of] the Holy Spirit as a subsequent work of grace that may be experienced following salvation. I am also available to minister to groups, churches, etc. who do not embrace the doctrine of the Baptism in [with or of] the Holy Spirit as a subsequent work of grace that may be experienced following salvation. I stand ready to witness with love and gentleness to the experience of the Infilling of the Holy Spirit, but do not include it from the pulpit, unless the congregation includes it in their Statement of Faith, or invites me to expound the scriptures related to it. And so it is with certain doctrines such as pre-tribulation rapture, which I believe is biblical, but, which are open to interpretation among some believers."

         As for salvation, I preach all elements of the redemptive Gospel of Jesus Christ, however, I base Christian fellowship on the shed blood of Jesus Christ not on doctrine that is not believed or participated in by all of my fellow believers." 

Life of the Believer – We believe it is the privilege of the believer to rejoice in his or her salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to sin. "The Lord knows those who are his," and "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness." 2Tim.2:19  

• The Church - We believe the Church is the spiritual body of which Christ is the Head and the visible church is composed of believers associated together in worship and fellowship. The Church which the Lord Jesus Christ has established on planet earth is for the gathering and perfecting of the saints; it is His visible, divinely-ordered kingdom of grace; it is a biblical pattern that has remained the same through all ages. The members of this visible, local Church are all the persons in every nation who are spiritually born again through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, and promise to submit and live according to His laws, and do what pleases Him. 

• We believe the officers of the Church, according to the Scriptures, are, the preaching, teaching and ruling elders, and the deacons. Ephesians 4:11-14; Acts 14:23; Phil 1:1. Through the ruling elders or board, the powers and administrative efforts of the Church are implemented.

• We believe Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water. …It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.

• We believe Holy Communion is a faithful, continuing memorial of the Lord's supper and the partaking of the bread and cup are a symbolic and spiritual celebration, 

•  We believe the biblical scriptures illustrate that the Church will be divided into many individual churches of professing Christians; but whether denominational or nondenominational, all local churches which adhere with honesty and integrity in faith and practice to the Bible, the literal Word of God,  are to be recognized as branches of the Church of Jesus Christ. 

• God has instructed His people to assemble together regularly for worship, prayer and fellowship and for participation in his ordinances. Through preaching, teaching and study of the biblical  Scriptures  people  gain knowledge of the Bible, God's Word. This is essential  to understanding the Word, obeying God's commands and obtaining the benefits of his promises. Church attendance, programs and gatherings also provide mutual encouragement for people involved. Summation: Attend a Bible-believing church, when possible. (Heb.10:25)
• We believe the ordinances of the church to be two in number: Baptism of the believer in water as a testimony of an individual's salvation and obedience to Christ, and the Lord’s Supper, a memorial to the atoning death of Christ until He returns to earth. 
• We believe tithing is a biblical precept and giving determines the amount of our increase. We believe that tithing is a free choice of individuals as they apply the word of God to their lives and that new believers or those who wish to attend a group or church are under no obligation to practice tithing. We believe the Bible teaches, for those who choose to tithe, that tithes are to be brought into the storehouse  "that there may be food in my house." Mal 3:10.  We believe tithing was  always associated with the Tabernacle in the wilderness, Temple in Jerusalem representative of God's House and applies not to any individual's or organization's ministry, but rather the local group or Church, the representative "house" of God in any geographical location, globally.
• We believe the establishment and continuance of the local church is taught and defined in the Scriptures and that the early church revealed a divinely ordered pattern in the church and relationships of the believers. (1 Pet.3),
• We believe the Bible reveals a divinely ordered pattern for man, woman and families.1 Cor. 11:3 3 "Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." See: RKL2.org/secret3.htm  (last portion of the teaching).
• We believe the expression of love and forgiveness towards believers and unbelievers  are major characteristics of obedient Christians seeking to follow in the footsteps of Christ.
• We believe an attitude of respect and reverence should be practiced as believers meet together to worship the Lord. 
• We believe the Bible, God's Word, teaches that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. 
• God loves sinful human beings and desires all to come to repentance. Christians should reach out to homosexual and lesbian persons with the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Bible accounts of Jesus, as described in Matthew, Mark Luke and John, time after time it shows that he was the friend of drunkards, prostitutes thieves and other marginalized outsiders. He reached out and touched the lost, hurting, and suffering persons on the fringes of society.
  
  Q. What about homosexuality ? A. We believe the Bible accounts and commands of God's condemnation and  judgment of  the  sinful  acts  of Homosexuality and lesbian behavior. It is our understanding that gay thoughts are not considered biblical sin, but become sin against God and His Word when they become behavioral acts. We believe the Bible commands  marriage to be the union of one man and one woman; same sex marriage is thus forbidden. We  reject violence of any kind toward the gay and lesbian or any other communities that are in opposition to the biblical  verses opposing homosexual and lesbian practices described in the Bible, God's Word and Will of Yahweh (Jehovah) God.  

         Although there are  disagreements between Catholics and protestants  regarding some major biblical interpretation, we respect the lifting up of Jesus Christ by the Catholic church and are grateful for it's impact to the nations over the centuries. We align ourselves with the message of Pope Benedict V! In His 2012 comments regarding catholic beliefs about homosexuality , etc. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/09/pope-benedict-xvi-gay-marriage_n_1194515.html

We believe these lifestyles, including fornication and/or adultery are forbidden in the Bible. and according to biblical Scripture, are not to be condoned in the body of Christ -- especially in regard to spiritually born again believers. We exhort people to show love, compassion, kindness and mercy toward people even if we do not believe in their lifestyles, or system of beliefs.. The Bible says God loves the sinner, but hates the sin. Jesus loves you, however, the Bible says, "The Lord knows those who are his," and "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness." 2Tim.2:19  Freedom from sins and sinful lifestyles is possible through Jesus Christ.  

Telling the World - We believe the Lord Jesus Christ has commanded every regenerated believer to witness by word of mouth and righteous living to the truths of the Holy Scriptures, and to help proclaim the Good News to all people at home and unto the uttermost parts of the world. It is the opinion of Rick Lawrence that believers would have far greater results in witness and ministry if they could understand and actualize a particular biblical precept. The precept encourages believers to witness and minister not with the idea that God is allowed in as our associate, while we depend mostly on our education, skills or experience to witness or minister.  Rather, we as servants of God, our Father, should recognize His ways and thoughts are higher; we need to submit to God, through the Lord Jesus Christ and believe the Father to perform His Will and supernormal acts of power in His witness and ministry through us. Summation - pray for His leading and keep in step with the Holy Spirit. Zech.4:6.

God instructs Christian believers to be patient and kind, showing love even to those who oppose Christianity. In my opinion, we also need to involve our social conscience and do what we can to help relieve the suffering of people of all races, faiths and life-circumstances anywhere in the world. As I have stated, we must minister to the whole person. What I'm saying is telling hurting people about Christ is excellent, but we should try to help relieve their starvation or sickness. This is a good rule to follow; of course, there are exceptions. Rick's thoughts are focused on ministering to the "whole person; it speaks to showing love by helping others, meeting their needs, and presenting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. 

Let us see to the needs of people.  In my opinion, that will do much to show the love of Christ and our own  love. After all, it's hard for anyone to focus on talk when they are suffering from physical problems. If possible, help their situation first and thereafter,  we may be able to share the way of eternal life through Christ. Love makes a difference however, love manifests itself through our actions.  Likewise, if we say we love God, we will show it by obeying his commands and doing what pleases him.  

Creation - Although God has not chosen to reveal his scientific processes of creation, we, nevertheless, believe the Scriptural account of creation which teaches all things found their origin in God as expressed by the literal process of creation in the Book of Genesis. The Apostle Paul reminds us that human beings can clearly see God’s hand in creation by all that is made visible to us in the world and the universe. Thus, human beings are without excuse regarding the existence of God and his orderly, creative processes. Rom.1:20

Return of Christ - We believe in the personal, imminent, pre-tribulation, pre-millennial return of the Lord Jesus Christ to Rapture his redeemed ones. We believe in his subsequent return with his heavenly armies to defeat his foes at the final clash of the end time war at the location of Armageddon and to establish his Millennial Kingdom on earth.  

• We believe that Jesus Christ will return a second time to our earth as a reigning Messiah to set up a 1000-year Millennium Kingdom where He will rule this earth from the city of Jerusalem.
   
• After the 1000 year millennium rule of Jesus from the city of Jerusalem, we then believe that God the Father will create a New Heaven and a New Earth - where He Himself will literally come down from heaven to rule with His Son Jesus Christ from a New Jerusalem - where we will all live with God and Jesus for the rest of eternity.

Satan - We believe Satan, the devil, is a created spiritual being, the author of sin, sickness and death and the instigator of the fall of human beings; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and redeemed people; that as the prince of this world, he has been judged; that it is the duty of every child of God to resist him, and that he and his evil forces will receive final and eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire as described in the Scriptures. Rev.20:9-15