The Creed - I Believe In The Communion Of Saints

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I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen The Creed I BELIEVE in the COMMUNION OF SAINTS

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This presentation examines the question "what is the communion of the saints" and discusses how the body of Christ is supposed to function

Transcript of The Creed - I Believe In The Communion Of Saints

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I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker

of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only

Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose

again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the

right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy

catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins;

the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen

The CreedI BELIEVE in the

COMMUNION OF SAINTS

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I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker

of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only

Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose

again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the

right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy

catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins;

the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen

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Key Question…“What is the Communion of

Saints?”

The Creed – I Believe in the Communion of Saints

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“In this communion there is no loss of individuality, yet such an interdependence that the saints are

"members one of another" (Romans 12:5), not only sharing the same blessings (1 Corinthians 12:13)

and exchanging good offices (1 Corinthians 12:25) and prayers (Ephesians 6:18), but also partaking of

the same corporate life, for "the whole body . . . by what every joint supplieth . . . maketh increase . . . unto the edifying of itself in charity" (Ephesians

4:16).- Dr. James Dodds

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“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I

in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory

which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;"

(John 17:20-22)

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The Creed – I Believe in the Communion of Saints

So Why So Many Denominations…?

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"“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this

all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”"

(John 13:34-35)

" Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the

chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and

do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men‟s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them

with so much as a finger."(Matthew 23:1-4)

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“Everyone in my church gave me advice about how

to raise my son, but a lot of the time they seemed to be reminding me that I have no

husband – and besides, most of them were not

following their own advice. It made it hard to care what they said. They were not

practicing what they preached.”

- Victoria, age 24The Creed – I Believe in the Communion of Saints

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So What is Going On?

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Step 1 – To Experience the Communion of Saints,

One Must be a Saint

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Saint…“Hagios”

Lit. “Holy One”“to being dedicated or consecrated to the service of God”

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Usage of “Saint” in the Old Testament"As for the saints who are in the earth, They are the majestic ones

in whom is all my delight."(Psalm 16:3)

"O fear the Lord, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no want."

(Psalm 34:9)

"„But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.‟"

(Daniel 7:18)

The Creed – I Believe in the Communion of Saints

Qadosh: “holy; singled out; consecrated for”

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Usage of “Saint” in the Old Testament"“I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the

saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. “Thus he said: „The fourth beast will be a fourth

kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. „As for the ten horns, out

of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. „He will speak

out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into

his hand for a time, times, and half a time. „But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. „Then the

sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His

kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.‟"(Daniel 7:21-27)

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Many Uses in the Old Testament"But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this

man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem;"(Acts 9:13)

"Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? "(1 Corinthians 6:2)

"All the saints greet you."(2 Corinthians 13:13)

"Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus."

(Revelation 14:12)

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Christian/Believer = Saint

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Step 2 – To Experience the Communion of Saints, One

Must Have Union with Christ

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“The title of this book, unChristian, reflects

outsider‟s most common reaction to the faith: they think Christians no longer represent

what Jesus had in mind, that Christianity in our

society is not what it was meant to be.”

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Union with Christ

" “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every

branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear

fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who

abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."

(John 15:1-5)

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"One must face the fact that all the talk about His love for men, and His service being perfect freedom, is not (as one would gladly believe) mere propaganda, but an appalling truth, He really does

want to fill the universe with a lot of loathsome little replicas of Himself--creatures whose life, on its miniature scale, will be

qualitatively like His own, not because He has absorbed them but because their wills freely conform to His. We want cattle who can

finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons. We want to suck in, He wants to give out. We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over. Our war aim is a world in which Our Father Below has drawn all other beings into himself:

the Enemy wants a world full of beings united to Him but still distinct.”

- C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

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"For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of

His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He

predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He

justified, He also glorified."(Romans 8:29-30)

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" Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1)

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Step 3 – To Experience the Communion of Saints, One

Must Join a Local Body

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"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own

assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you

see the day drawing near."(Hebrews 10:23-25)

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What Should We Practice as a Body?

"They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles‟ teaching and to fellowship,

to the breaking of bread and to prayer."(Acts 2:42)

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The Creed – I Believe in the Communion of Saints

What Should We Practice as a Body?

Worship

Lit. “Worth-Ship”“to kiss the hand as a token of reverence”; “

“proskynéō “ – where we get our word for „prostrate‟

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Bible-Centered Teaching

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What Should We Practice as a Body?

"Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and

teaching."(1 Timothy 4:13)

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Since 1975, Willow Creek has avoided conventional church approaches, using its Sunday services to reach the unchurched through polished music, multimedia, and

sermons referencing popular culture and other familiar themes. The church's leadership believed the approach would attract people searching for answers, bring them into a relationship with Christ, and then capitalize on their contagious fervor to evangelize

others.But the analysis in Reveal, which surveyed congregants at Willow Creek and six other churches, suggested that evangelistic impact was greater from those who self-reported

as "close to Christ" or "Christ-centered" than from new church attendees. In addition, a quarter of the "close to Christ" and "Christcentered" crowd described themselves as spiritually "stalled" or "dissatisfied" with the role of the church in their spiritual growth.

Even more alarming to Willow Creek: About a quarter of the "stalled" segment and 63 percent of the "dissatisfied" segment contemplated leaving the church.

- “Willow Creek's 'Huge Shift„”, Christianity Today, 2008The Creed – I Believe in the Communion of Saints

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“Greg Pritchard, author of Willow Creek Seeker Services, told CT the church "sporadically has

recognized it was not teaching a robust enough biblical theology and needed to turn the ship around.””

- “Willow Creek's 'Huge Shift„”, Christianity Today, 2008

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The Creed – I Believe in the Communion of Saints

What Should We Practice as a Body?

Observance of the Lord‟s Supper

"On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he

prolonged his message until midnight."(Acts 20:7)

" For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had

given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you

drink it, in remembrance of Me.”"(1 Corinthians 11:23-25)

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Step 4 – To Experience the Communion of Saints, One

Must Serve Their Local Body

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"Bear one another‟s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ."

(Galatians 6:2)

"So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who

are of the household of the faith."(Galatians 6:10)

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" Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however

you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,”

except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one

is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge

according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of

miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of

tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills."

(1 Corinthians 12:1-11)

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Gift…“Charisma”

“that which is freely bestowed and graciously given; favor bestowed; gift”

"So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church."

(1 Corinthians 14:12)

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Service Among the Saints"“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”"(Mark 10:45)

"For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are

one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he

who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness."(Romans 12:4-8)

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Do You Believe All the Gifts of the Spirit

Spoken of in Scripture are Active Today?

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Final Things to Keep in Mind

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1. Become a Saint2. Experience Union with Christ3. Join a local body4. Serve the/with the Saints

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The Communion of Saints

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Unity vs. Uniformity

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“Unity of faith doesn't mean uniformity of expression"

– Ravi Zacharias

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The Most Important Thing

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" If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I

have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of

prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so

as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor,

and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it

profits me nothing."(1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

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I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker

of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only

Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose

again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the

right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy

catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins;

the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen

The CreedI BELIEVE in the

COMMUNION OF SAINTS