Jaffar

Back-to-the-Bible Movement

During the later part of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century, a number of church congregations decided that creeds, regardless of whoever wrote them and whatever form they take, are divisive and not in accord with the teachings of the New Testament. They sought to end their denominational ties and become mere Christians with no separating labels.

Why should we base the church exclusively on the New Testament? Jesus chose from his disciples a special group of men called "apostles." He not only taught them personally, he even promised that after his death, the Holy Spirit would come upon them and "guide them into all truth." (John 16:13) From that we can conclude the scriptures are inspired.

What's the extent of their authority? Jesus: "I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven." (Matthew 18:18 NLT) That sounds authoritative, doesn't it? Evidently, the early church agreed, for "they continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching." (Acts 2:42 ASV)

Is there any real harm in adapting the church and its doctrine to fit in with the times? Paul thought so, "If anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:9 NKJV) Furthermore, the writer of Hebrews assures us: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) And Jesus himself told us: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Luke 21:33)

But what of church tradition? How much authority should we bequeath to the traditions of the church? They are, in fact, nothing more than the traditions of men. Jesus may well ask us one day, as he asked the Pharisees and teachers of the law, "Why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?" (Matthew 15:3)

We have heard it before in Isaiah: "The Lord says:

'These people come near to me with their mouth

and honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me.

Their worship of me

is made up only of rules taught by men.' " Isaiah 29:13

Members from various denominations: Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians reached the same conclusion at about the same time. They simply wanted to be members of the church Jesus Christ said he would build; and, like the first century church, continue steadfastly in the apostles' teachings. In the eighteenth century, as well as the twenty-first century, that meant following the inspired, authoritative, New Testament scriptures and nothing else. This back-to-the-Bible movement is called the Restoration.

In Great Britain congregations dedicated to New Testament Christianity were founded in Morrison's Court, Glasgow, Scotland in 1778; Leith Walk, Edinburgh, Scotland in 1798; in North Wales in 1779; Tubemore, Ireland in 1807; Manchester, England in 1810, and other locations.

In America, James O'Kelley, a Methodist minister who favored the Bible as the only authority in faith and practice, established a church of Christ in Mankintown, North Carolina in 1793. Abner Jones, a physician from Hartland, Vermont, a Baptist who became dissatisfied with human creeds, started a church of twenty-five members at Lyndon, Vermont. At the turn of the century, other churches were established at Bradford and Piermont, New Hampshire.

In Kentucky, Barton W. Stone (1772-1844), a Presbyterian preacher, begin to question the Westminster Confession. He found the Calvinistic belief in total depravity inconsistent with New Testament scriptures. Stone denounced all human creeds and appealed to the Bible as the only rule of faith and practice.

Other Presbyterian ministers, Thomas Campbell (1763-1854) and his son Alexander (1788-1866) settled in Washington County, Pennsylvania. They too raised doubts about their denomination. They became Baptists. Later, reading Acts 2:38 convinced them that baptism was necessary for the forgiveness of sins. Both father and son left the Baptist church to preach New Testament Christianity.

Another Presbyterian, Walter Scott (1796-1861), arrived in America in 1818. He too came to reject human standards in religion and infant baptism and to teach Christianity only. Scott, who wrote his :"Essays on Teaching Christianity", in the first volume of The Christian Baptist, became one of the most prolific writers of the Restoration.

Churches of Christ

This Restoration idea of returning to mere Christianity and the church we read about in the scriptures, secular historians call: "The Second Great Revival Period in American History." The churches established solely on New Testament teachings came to be known as churches of Christ. It was never meant as a denominational title. The term "church of Christ" shows possession; the church belongs to Christ. It's the church he built and paid for with his own blood.

Some detractors erroneously refer to these congregations as "Stone-Campbell churches." Barton W. Stone, Thomas, and Alexander Campbell are certainly appreciated for the work they accomplished. However, they neither originated nor founded the churches of Christ.

Jesus said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18 ASV) "No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:11 NKJV) These independent congregations are not denominations; they strive to be strictly Biblical in organization, doctrine, and worship--without human creeds or names by Stone or Campbell or anyone else.

"Is Christ Divided?"

How about you? Do you belong to the church Jesus died for?

To paraphrase a quote by the evangelist preacher, Mack Lyon: "Oh, but you say, 'I'm a member of the Lord's church all right, but I am a member of such-and-such a denomination of his church.' Oh, I see. Which one? Is it the one of Cephas? Or of Paul? Or of Apollos? As Paul asked the members of the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 1:1-13. Or is it the one of Luther? Or Calvin? Or Wesley? And let me ask you as the apostle did the Corinthians. 'Is Christ divided?' Did the man whose denomination you joined die for you? Were you baptized in his name?"

Christ Prayed for Unity

Christ prayed for unity among his followers. (John 17:11) Certainly, one thing around which Christians from all faiths can unite is -- the Bible. Scriptures tell us that Jesus built his church. His apostles contributed detailed accounts of the organization, doctrine, and worship in Christ's church. Today, many Christians are seeking to replicate that same church, the one Jesus built and his apostles describe, without denominational creeds or human traditions.

Peter, on the day of Pentecost in the first sermon preached, told those who believed his message: "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit . . . . Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them . . . . And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:38-47 NKJV)

That was the way you became a member of Christ's church in the first century, and the same is true today. It's your decision. No one can make it for you. Just remember, it was Jesus who said: "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord.' and do not do what I say." (Luke 6:46)

Quote of the Day: "It is my deepest conviction that New Testament Christianity -- I mean undenominationalized Christianity -- what you read in your New Testament -- unpolluted with centuries of human tradition, and untainted with the newest novelties and fads, is the best thing that ever happened to the human race, and that's our message." Mack Lyon (1922 -) American Evangelist

If you have a question or want to find a local congregation in your area, send me an email. I respect your privacy. No one is going to ask you for money, ask you to buy anything, or sell or give away your email address.

Note: All Scripture References are taken from the New International Version unless otherwise stated.
ASV - American Standard Version
NKJV - New King James Version
NLT - New Living Translation

The Zion Christian Church (or ZCC) is the largest African Initiated Church in southern Africa, with four million members [1]. The church's headquarters are at Zion City Moria in Limpopo Province, South Africa, and the two congregations that compose the church are led by Barnabas Lekganyane and Engenas Lekganyane, the grandsons of its founder.

Origin:

The ZCC was formed by Engenas Lekganyane, a former member of the Free Church of Scotland[disambiguation needed], Apostolic Faith Mission and Zion Apostolic Church. ZCC members trace the founding of the church to a revelation which Lekganyane is said to have received from God in 1910. The church was initially based in Lekganyane's home village of Thabakgone, near Polokwane in South Africa's Limpopo Province, and was officially registered as a church in 1942, by which time congregations had additionally been established in Botswana and Zimbabwe. The early church was strongly influenced by the doctrines of the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church of John Alexander Dowie, based in Zion, Illinois in the United States of America, and by the teachings of the Pentecostal missionary John G. Lake, who began work in Johannesburg in 1908.

Characteristics of the ZCC:

The ZCC is distinguished from traditional Christianity by characteristics which are typical of African Initiated Churches and which include:

The belief that the religious and administrative leader of the church (or bishop) is a mediator between the congregation and God; that, like Christ, he can perform supernatural acts and faith-healing

The belief that senior officials in the ZCC (known as prophets or moruti) can use the power of the Holy Spirit to perform healing and make the wishes of the ancestors known. [3]

The use of different mechanisms for faith-healing. These include the laying-on of hands; the use of holy water; drinking of blessed tea and coffee; the wearing of blessed cords or cloth and the burning of blessed papers called mogau.

ZCC Beliefs:

Members of the ZCC generally believe that:

* A person may contact God through direct prayer, or through intercession by Christ, bishops of the ZCC and the ancestor spirits

* Purification from sins may be obtained through prayer and other rituals

* The bishop of the ZCC to some degree replaces the figure of Christ as the Messiah

* The bishop of the ZCC preaches on peace and respect, humble of Jesus Christ

* Spirit possession may be the work of either the Holy Spirit or of ancestor spirits

A vision quest is a Native American ceremony that in the Lakota language is called hanblecha, which means, crying for a vision. It is a calling out to Spirit, to God, to Great Spirit with a request and questing for an answer. The vision quest is traditionally done for four days and four nights. The person on the quest sits isolated with no food or water connected through prayer to Spirit. Different cultures with similar intents conduct the quest with variations in time and practice. In all cases, the person on the vision quest places himself/herself in a precarious position and trusts and calls out to Spirit in a ceremonial way. Additionally, other participants remain in camp and offer support to the persons on the quest. These supporters check in on questers periodically and pray for them during their vision quest.

It took one year to prepare for my hanblecha. Traditionally, there is a year of preparation, the actual vision quest, and then a year of unfolding. I reference this story to underscore that God is continually teaching me about love. Unconditional love is the basis of the universe and spirituality. Too many humans have no experience of love without conditions. In our society, love often has strings attached. Punishments, judgments, overpowering demands, and competition are all marionette strings that control human behavior. If you have not experienced unconditional love, it is almost impossible to understand or to hold its wisdom. I hardly have words to explain the phenomenon in general terms, and it is even more difficult to describe it in the way that I experienced it.

I had many mystical experiences during my vision quest. I would like to focus on one in particular. I feel that this experience was not only meaningful for me but also contains a message for all beings. Let me preface the story with a ritual that I did the morning before I left my house. I have a little bag of terra cotta hearts that I often give as gifts to my clients after I do a soul retrieval. Each heart has a word inscribed on its face to impart some sort of inspiration or message. I usually meditate with the bag in my lap or in my hands, asking the spirits which divine message I should give. I then reach in with my hand and pull a heart. On the morning of my quest I did this for myself. The heart message that I drew was willingness. I took it to place on the altar I had created at my vision quest spot.

On the first night of my quest the August moon was full. Nature had provided me with wonderful weather conditions and surrounding beauty. The moon was big, beautiful, and in full glory as I viewed her from my sacred spot. I held a prayer stick that I had made for the event-a sacred stick with white leather prayer bundles containing tobacco hanging from it. Tobacco is often used as an offering to the spirits. If you place your prayer, through intention, into the tobacco, then wrap the tobacco up in a piece of cloth, it becomes a prayer bundle. I had chosen beautiful white leather for my bundles, and had treated the stick as a work of art for I had put much creativity and intention into creating this sacred item. In fact, my whole year of preparation had involved this level of intensity. I took the entire process extremely seriously and went the extra mile to insure that I prepared appropriately. I had no doubt in my mind that when I entered my sacred spot for my vision quest, Spirit knew I was serious. The spirits had asked me to do this sacred ceremony in a previous shamanic journey, so here I was.

Even though I had gone through all of this preparation, there was one thing for which I was not prepared. I was ill when I began the quest. I had developed a severe sore throat and cold days before the ceremony was to start. By the time I was to go to my spot, I was extremely ill. It took every bit of energy I could muster to go through with it. I also had no idea how uncomfortable I would be sitting on the ground with an aching body. My senses were dulled and whatever natural abilities I possessed were hampered by the oppressive aches and discomforts of the sickness. I felt very distant from Spirit. I found myself staring at the terra cotta heart willingness. Even though I felt completely disconnected and discouraged, I had the willingness to continue and to trust Spirit.

It was about 2:00 a.m. and I was sitting with my back against a tree. I had been sitting for hours taking in the solitude of the night. It was during this quiet time that I distinctly heard someone say Jan. I looked around, expecting to see that my support person had come to check on me. No one was there. I again heard my name, Jan. I looked around again. This time I stood up and turned. I heard it a third time and realized that the sound was coming from above. I looked to the moon. Could the moon be calling my name? I was seized by emotion. My legs started to tremble, my eyes filled with tears. Because of my weakened condition, I had no energy to doubt or to second-guess what was happening. I just followed the direction of my heart. I raised my prayer stick to the moon and held it up and out, as if offering it to this mighty sacred one of the sky. I began crying out my prayers of intention. I knew that the moon was hearing me and communicating directly with me on this sacred night.

The next thing I knew I was traveling through space. I traveled up and up with the speed of light, all the way to the moon. I magically became the moon. As I merged with it, I could see myself standing down on Earth: This little person, holding her prayer stick into the sky, crying, and trembling both with emotion and weakness. Her heart filled with love, dedication, willingness; asking to be heard and noticed. I was overwhelmed with compassion, with unconditional love, with emotions that no words can describe. I had become the moon. I had become Great Spirit, the universe. On an emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual level, I experienced a love that was greater than anything I had ever imagined or humanly experienced. My cells throbbed as they absorbed and responded to this experience. I had no bodily connection to this little person I was watching below, but I had an overwhelming heart connection. I loved her beyond what I had ever experienced in the human realm. I understood what it means when God says to love unconditionally, not only others but oneself as well.

I do not know how long I spent on this sky adventure. When my spirit reentered my body, it slammed me into the ground and I remember hitting my head hard. I also heard a thud, a sound like that of someone hitting you square on the chest with a flat hand. The experience was like none I had ever had. Even with all of the journeying I had done, I was not prepared for this encounter. The experience was not induced by drumming or intention. I physically and audibly heard my name called and I responded by making myself available. Spirit then took me on a journey to learn about love-the kind of love that Creator holds for us, and the love of which the universe is made. It awakened in me a deep understanding of what Spirit means when it refers to love. This love is of the magnitude contained in the light so often referred to in near-death experiences. It is the love on which enlightenment is based. It is beyond what many of us know, but it is within reach of all of us.

When unconditional love is revealed, it serves as an example of what life can be like here on earth. Spirit does not wave such promise in front of us and then say, Sorry you cannot have any. Spirit allows us such remarkable experiences so that we can have a tangible event stored in our cellular memory to call upon when the time is right. This memory compels us to keep sight of what we strive for-peace, unconditional love, and freedom from judgment of others and of self. Spirit works in miraculous ways if you just provide the willingness.

As a guy with a license to marry and bury, weddings, baptisms and baby dedications are among my favorite ministerial things to do.

I was once talking to a woman in the workplace who was excitedly telling me about a girl whom she had been discipling. Her enthusiasm disappeared when she added that she only wished she could be the one to baptize the girl. Of course, the woman was feeling bound by the belief that, because she wasn't a minister in her denomination - or worse - because she was "merely" a woman, the odds of that taking place were slim to none.

Au contraire, amigo! There's nothing more that I love as a licensed minister than to step back and allow all the non-licensed "priests and kings" to enjoy these opportunities to minister. I STRONGLY encouraged that woman to talk with the girl and see how she would feel about being baptized by her. I reminded her that, when Jesus told His disciples to go and make disciples, baptizing them as they went, he was talking to US, too, and wasn't excluding anybody. After all, Galatians 3;28 reminds us, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

I've baptized people in rivers, swimming pools, bathtubs and Jacuzzi's and in church baptismals. You can baptize, too. Jesus commissioned ALL of us to do that very thing. Before I was ever ordained, I baptized my own kids in the tub.

Guess what?

It counted!

WHAT DOES "BAPTISM" MEAN??

The word comes from the Greek "baptizo" which means to dip, to dye, to wet, to immerse. I see no biblical example of Jesus being baptized as an infant, nor do I see any examples of His disciples or apostles being baptized as babies either. Since Jesus said, "I came as an example," I'm going to take that to mean that, if He waited until adulthood and until He was 100% ready, we should do the same.

CAN WE BAPTIZE BABIES?

Considering there is not a single Biblical illustration or reference to a baby being baptized, I have decided against the practice. However, all things are permissible, as Paul said, even though they're not all beneficial (1 Cor 6:12). I have to ask...why would anyone do that to a child, especially if it's not benefiting them at all? Baptism does not save anybody (the blood of Jesus washes away our sins, according to 1 John 1:7, not chlorinated water). So, with that option eliminated, consider why on earth anyone would immerse an infant in water over its head for the sake of ritual. Who would DO such a thing? That's called attempted murder. Therefore, if baptism doesn't save, and it makes no sense to immerse a baby in water over its head, what's the point? If your denomination traditionally sprinkles water on a baby's head, and water doesn't save and sprinkling doesn't qualify as a biblically-defined baptism, why would anyone submit to or take part in a ritualistic "forehead washing" either? Has baptism been reduced to initiation into a religious sect? It's GOT to be more than some weird form of Christian hazing.

Let's not check our brains at the door, shall we?

DOES BAPTISM SAVE US?

No, I don't believe so. Neither does a Profession of Faith or a Sinner's Prayer, while were on the subject. Better theologians than I have been arguing the matter for years while thousands of perfectly dry people are going to Hell. Acts 16:30-31 and Romans 10:9-10 are pretty clear to me. I think all Christians will agree that we were all saved by the blood of Christ shed at the cross. Not by water. Not by good deeds. Not by religion. Not by church affiliation. It is interesting to note that Jesus - the One who said He came as an example, never baptized a soul. "The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but His disciples" (John 4:1-2). If water baptism were necessary for salvation, wouldn't Jesus have been busily about baptizing people rather than feeding them loaves and fishes or preaching sermons? Jesus presented Himself to the Jews as their Messiah with signs and wonders, but He did not baptize them.

The Apostle Paul, himself, only baptized a few. "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel -- not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power" (1 Corinthians 1:13-17).

Those who teach that baptism is necessary for salvation overlook this statement of Paul's. If water baptism were necessary for salvation, would not Paul have made water baptism a central theme of his ministry, too? Instead, he taught the "baptism of the Holy Spirit," which occurs when one is born again and it is a spiritual identification as the believer is placed IN Christ. "For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body -- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free" (1 Corinthians 12:13). The Holy Spirit baptizes us, or identifies us, as a child of God and then seals us and sets us apart to the "day of redemption" or the day when our redemption will be completed and we see Him "face to face." "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" (Ephesians 4:30).

So, is baptism necessary for salvation? If the question is concerning water baptism, the answer is no. We are not saved by ritual or works but by "grace through faith." "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" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Therefore, I don't believe water baptism ever saved anyone, despite the standard verses used by many to support that position. I baptized 16 kids from a gang called The Crypts one day, some of them glassy-eyed and smelling like marijuana. Saved by water baptism or merely publicly bathed while wearing white gowns? While discipling those kids, only a few ever bore any fruit and repented from that lifestyle.

On the other hand, the baptism of the Spirit is necessary for salvation and that has nothing whatever to do with water and it is not something we do for ourselves. His indwelling presence is God's free gift to us at the moment we put our faith in Jesus and are born again. "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God..." (Rom 8;16).

Great damage has been done throughout the Christian world by the traditions of various denominations in regard to this subject (Matthew 16:6), making the Word of God of no effect. Christians have so many convictions regarding what it means to "be saved" that it has led us to focus too much on HOW to be saved and has us trying to spread a divided, unbiblical "Gospel of Salvation" rather than the Gospel of the Kingdom, as Jesus and His disciples did. Our variois salvation techniques have done little more than to sow confusion in many people, Christians and non-Christians alike, over the generations.

SO, WHY BAPTIZE AT ALL?

For starters, King Jesus decreed that we should. He commissioned us to do so (Matthew 28:19).

Secondly, He was baptized and we are to follow His example (John 13:15).

That's good enough for me. There are over 30 references in the New Testament to some form of "following me" or "following Him" and, as followers of Christ, I contend that this actually means we are to follow Him.

Quite simple.

No matter how excited grandma was the day Uncle Joe got dunked, fact is, he probably did it just to shut her up. His devious plan probably worked, too. She immediately set her sights on cousin Billy Bob at that point. As the Scripture says, "Man looks at the outside, God looks at the heart," (1 Sam 16:7). Regardless of the religious hoops we jump through, God's not interested in our performance or adherence to manmade religious rituals.

He wants our hearts.

In baptism, the washing away of sin is implied, not merely as a clean of our slates but as a removal of the obstacle to peace and reconciliation with God. As a reenactment of both the Exodus of Israel and Resurrection of Jesus, it bears witness to the God who has rescued us and raises us to new life. It is nothing anyone can earn or merit, but is solely the rescuing work of God, motivated by His love. It is an act of obedience and serves as a public witness to anyone watching. Though they will eventually observe the transformation of a life submitted to Jesus, some will see baptism as an outward sign of something going on deep within the one being baptized and may experience the planting of the seed of conviction.

I have some basic "Baptism How-To's" pertaining to the baptismal procedure I've used for years. They're available to anyone who asks and come with a short teaching that can be shared with any baptismal candidate. Simply send me an eMail at team1min@our-town.com with the word "DUNK" in your Subject Bar.

Every blessing,