About One:16 Fellowship
ONE:16 BIBLE CHURCH FELLOWSHIP is a new fellowship with a two thousand year old foundation. The name flows from the dogmatic declaration of Romans 1:16. This verse contains both the mission statement and the driving conviction of our fellowship. It’s the same mission statement and driving conviction found in the Gospels, on every page of the earliest recorded history of Christ’s Church (see the book of Acts), and in all the N.T. epistles that follow. In brief, our fellowship’s goal is to plant churches, revive churches, reform churches, unite churches, equip churches, and send churches to obey Christ’s Great Commission command in the power of the Spirit, with the same theology and methodology of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostles, the early church, and the robust evangelistic, Calvinistic pastors, evangelists, and missionaries of old (e.g. C.H. Spurgeon, George Whitefield, John G. Patton, etc.).
ONE:16 BIBLE CHURCH FELLOWSHIP’S MISSION STATEMENT is to be actively unashamed of the soul saving, life transforming, culture changing Gospel of Jesus Christ for the love and glory of God and the love and salvation of sinners, through faithfully and boldly preaching the Law of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the pulpit and in the open air (Acts 1:8, 4:27-29, 5:27-32, 4:31, 6:7, 11:19-21, 12:24, 19:20). Our mission is to put the “GO” back in “go therefore” (Matt. 28:18-20)! Our mission is to take the Word of God to the highways and byways, wherever perishing sinners are found, confident in the certain knowledge that all those whom the Lord is calling will be granted repentance of sin and faith in Christ (Luke 14:23; 1 Cor. 1:18-25; Acts 11:18, Acts 13:47, 26:18, 28:28; Rom. 10:14-17). Our mission is to love and glorify God through planting and reviving Biblical Great Commission churches with pastors, congregants, evangelists, and missionaries who love God and neighbor by doing the work of an evangelist (2 Tim. 4:5), by dying to self and taking up the cross (Mark 8:34-38), by filling their cities with the doctrine of Christ (Acts 5:28), and by turning the world upside down (Acts 17:6) through the preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ everywhere to everyone!
ONE:16 BIBLE CHURCH FELLOWSHIP’S DRIVING CONVICTION is that the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ is the power of God to salvation! The power of God to salvation is not found in the wisdom, gimmicks, or machinations of man, it’s in the preaching of the Gospel. Jesus Christ was a preacher, He trained and sent forth preachers, and His last and standing command is for His preachers to boldly go forth to the whole world preaching repentance of sin, preaching His Law, preaching His Gospel, turning His world upside-down for His glory through the certain salvation of all those for whom He died (Luke 24:44; Gal. 3:24; Phil. 1:27-30; John 16:8; Acts 17:6; John 6:36-45).
ONE:16 BIBLE CHURCH FELLOWSHIP’S COVENANT COMMITMENT is to declare, define, and defend the Gospel for the glory of God and the salvation of sinners in the pulpit, on the street, outside of abortion clinics, on college campuses, and wherever else Providence leads. We covenant together to unashamedly love and serve our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, through the proclamation of His Law and His Gospel everywhere—filling our cities with the soul saving , life transforming, culture changing Word of God! We stand joyfully united for the furtherance of the Gospel, for mutual encouragement, and for moral and doctrinal accountability, with every local church laboring in Christ’s GREAT COMMISSION work that actively holds to this MISSON STATEMENT, this DRIVING CONVICTION, and the ONE:16 Bible Church Fellowship’s Great Commission infused DOCTRINAL STATEMENT.
“Only let your conduct be worthy of the Gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.” –Philippians 1:27-30
THE ONE:16 BIBLE CHURCH FELLOWSHIP BELIEVES the Great Commission is every Christian’s mission. It’s not the work of the elite Christian, but the work of every Gospel believing, blood bought, Holy Spirit regenerated and indwelt Christian. It’s not the other Christian’s job to talk to people about the sinfulness of sin, the narrow and difficult path that leads to the glory of Heaven, and the broad and easy path of dead religion (or no religion at all) that leads inevitably to the eternal horror of Hell. The Lord Jesus Christ exhorts and warns every Christian:
“Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” –Mark 8:34-38
THE ONE:16 BIBLE CHURCH FELLOWSHIP BELIEVES the Great Commission is every pastor’s mission. It’s not the work of some pastors, elite pastors, or evangelistically minded pastors, but the work of every pastor whom Christ has enlisted as His under-shepherd soldiers to train the church and lead them into spiritual warfare, wielding the Sword of the Spirit for the rescuing of sinners, saying to the church follow me as I follow Christ. It’s not the other pastor’s job or those rare individuals who claim to have the gift of evangelism. The Lord Jesus Christ commands every pastor, in every age, in every culture to “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5).
THE ONE:16 BIBLE CHURCH FELLOWSHIP BELIEVES the Great Commission is every evangelist and missionary’s mission. That might seem like an oddly obvious statement. Tragically, in today’s (Christ-less, Gospel-less, Law-less, Bible-less) hang out at the local donut shop, pizza joint, video game chat room, or local pub and just be cool for Jesus era of evangelism—it’s an essential statement. Sadly, in today’s vacationary era of missions—it’s an essential statement. Much of the church is unashamedly engaged in non-evangelistic evangelism and non-Gospel-proclaiming missions that will never fill a city with the doctrine of Christ or turn the world upside down with the Gospel. The ONE:16 Bible Church Fellowship is committed to unashamedly equipping and sending evangelists and missionaries who preach Christ publicly and house to house (Acts 20:20-27).
THE ONE:16 BIBLE CHURCH FELLOWSHIP BELIEVES the Great Commission is every church’s mission. It’s not the work of some churches, the historic apostolic church, missionary churches oversees, or local churches that have a particular vision to reach their city or region. It’s the work of every church, in every city, in every region, everywhere. It’s Christ’s final, authoritative, and standing Great Commission command to His universal Church:
“Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” –Matthew 28:18-20
“Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations.” –Luke 24:23
“You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” –Acts 1:8
ONE:16 BIBLE CHURCHES are committed to building a fellowship of healthy churches that are unashamed of the gospel, committed to gospel preaching in our churches and evangelistically, and faithful in doctrine and practice. We encourage you to get involved with One:16 Bible Churches through:
Prayer, Joining the fellowship, Financial Support
ONE:16 BIBLE CHURCH CONFESSION/DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
We believe it is our responsibility as a church to hold fast the word of God in sound doctrine. As we are committed to the Word of God, we’ve outlined what we believe to be born out of the scriptures.
● We Believe In a High View of God. God is absolutely sovereign in all things. The church is established and exists for His glory alone. God is directing and working all things after the counsel of His own will. (Psalm 22:28, Psalm 33:6-9, Psalm 115:3, Daniel 4:34-35, Isaiah 40:17-18; Romans 9:13-29; Revelation 4:11).
● We Believe In a High View of Scripture. Because the Bible is the Inspired, Infallible, Inerrant, and Sufficient Word of God in the original languages passed down to us without change, it is the absolute and final authority on all matters (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:3, 19-21).
● We Believe In the Preaching of Sound Doctrine. Maintaining a high view of God and a high view of Scripture necessitates the preaching, teaching, and practicing of sound doctrine. Doctrine always precedes duty (2 Timothy 4:1-5).
● We Believe In Personal Holiness. Though we are in the world, we are not of the world. We are accountable to God and to each other for what we do and how we live, for we have been bought and are not our own. We belong to Christ (Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Peter 1:18; Ephesians 5:3-12).
● We Believe In Spiritual Authority. God Himself has established order in every area of our lives, and the church is no exception. God, in Scripture, has clearly given us the structure of authority for the church. Christ is the Head of the church, and He mediates His rule through the shepherding of godly elders (pastors) (Colossians 1:18; 1 Peter 5:1-4). These elders (pastors), having a high view of God and Scripture, being devoted to the preaching, teaching and practicing of sound doctrine, and being examples of personal holiness before the congregation, are responsible to lead the church. The Bible teaches that the congregation is accountable to the elders (pastors) and that the elders (pastors) are accountable to God. Therefore, all decision-making authority is vested in the elders (pastors), who shepherd the church, however, without neglecting the wisdom of the congregation. (Acts 15:6-21 Hebrews 13:17; 1 Timothy 5:17).
GOD THE FATHER
The Father is one God,₁ the Maker, Preserver and Ruler of all things, having in and of Himself all perfections, and being infinite in them all; and to Him all men owe the highest love, reverence and obedience.₂ He is holy, in a category of His own,₃ righteous, never doing wrong₄ & punishing every sin,₅ & sovereignly ordaining and working all things,₆ both good & evil,₇ to fulfill His good purpose according to the council of His will.₈ (₁1 Corinthians 8:4, ₂Acts 17:24-30, ₃1 Samuel 2:2, ₄Psalm 92:15, ₅Exodus 34:7, ₆Romans 8:28, ₇Genesis 50:20, ₈Ephesians 1:11)
GOD THE SON (JESUS CHRIST)
Jesus Christ is God’s appointed heir of all things, the vehicle of all creation,₁ God of very God, upholding all things by His word, the One who purged our sins, the King seated at the right hand of God,₂ & has a name superior to all other heavenly creatures.₃ In order to restore man to his original place of rule₄ He was made like us that He might taste death for us,₅ that He might identify with us,₆ that He might release us from bondage to the fear of death,₇ that He might be our High Priest,₈ & that He might help us in temptation.₉ He was taken from among us & appointed for us to offer a sacrifice for our sin,₁₀ & was called by God, perfected through suffering to be the Author of eternal salvation.₁₀ (₁Hebrews 1:2, ₂Hebrews 1:3, ₃Hebrews 1:4, ₄Hebrews 2:5-8, ₅Hebrews 2:9, ₆Hebrews 2:10-13, ₇Hebrews 2:14-16, ₈Hebrews 2:17, ₉Hebrews 2:18, ₁₀Hebrews 5:4-9)
THE GREAT HIGH PRIEST (JESUS CHRIST)
Jesus Christ was called according to the order of Melchizedek in office₁, eternality₂, & personhood₃; superior to the Levitical priesthood, coming in power₄ & accomplishing perfection₅ with great surety,₆ unchangeable,₇ & therefore the always living & saving perfected Son;₈ superior to their ministry in divine pattern,₉ covenant promises,₁₀ heavenly location,₁₁ & services performed (services which include eternal redemption,₁₂ cleansing of conscience,₁₃ eternal consequences,₁₄ a better purification,₁₅ a once for all time offering,₁₆ & a perfect sanctification).₁₇ (₁Hebrews 7:1-2, ₂Hebrews7:3, ₃Hebrews 7:4-9, ₄Hebrews 7:10-16, ₅Hebrews 7:17-19, ₆Hebrews 7:20-22, ₇Hebrews 7:23, ₈Hebrews 7:24-28, ₉Hebrews 8:1-5, ₁₀Hebrews 8:6-13, ₁₁Hebrews 9:1-11, ₁₂Hebrews 9:12, ₁₃Hebrews 9:13-14, ₁₄Hebrews 9:15, ₁₅Hebrews 9:16-23, ₁₆Hebrews 9:24-28, ₁₇Hebrews 10:1-18)
THE MEDIATOR (JESUS CHRIST)
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, the only begotten God in the bosom of the Father₁ & is the only divinely appointed Mediator between God and man.₂ Having taken upon Himself human nature,₃ yet without sin,₄ He was born of a virgin under the law & perfectly fulfilled the law,₅ suffered and died upon the cross for the salvation of sinners.₆ He was buried, rose again on the third day,₇ and ascended to His Father,₈ at whose right hand He lives forever to make intercession (prayer) for His people.₁₀ He is the only Mediator, the Prophet, Priest, and King of the church, and Sovereign of the Universe. (₁John 1:18, ₂1 Timothy 2:5, ₃John 1:14, ₄Hebrews 4:15, ₅Galatians 4:4, ₆Philippians 2:8, ₇1 Corinthians 15:4, ₈Hebrews 10:12, ₉Hebrews 7:25.)
THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST
The death of the Lord Jesus Christ did not simply provide an opportunity for people to be saved, but actually saves a people, being effective in its purpose.₁ He laid down His life for His sheep,₂ them being those given to Him before the foundation of the world.₃ Jesus by no means shed one drop of blood in vain, but will look upon the labor of His soul & be satisfied because He bore their iniquities.₄ (₁Matthew 1:21, ₂John 10:11,15, ₃John 17:2,6,9,11,12, ₄Isaiah 53:11)
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is God of very God,₁ co-creator with the Father & the Son,₂ & proceeds from the Father and the Son.₃ He is a person who can be grieved,₄ sovereignly gives life to whom He wills,₅ & seals God’s people for the day of redemption.₆ He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, & judgement₇ & the One who guided the writing of the scriptures.₈ (₁Acts 5:4, ₂Psalm 104:30, ₃John 14:26, John 15:26, & John16:7, ₄Ephesians 4:30, ₅John 3:8, ₆Ephesians 1:14, ₇John 16:8-11, ₈John 16:13-14)
THE HOLY TRINITY
The Holy Trinity is the triune God, three in one, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This Trinitarian Godhead is made up of God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son who is the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father,₁ and the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son.₂ They are not three separate entities, but they are three Persons in one Divine Essence. (₁John 1:18, ₂John 14:26, John 15:26, & John 16:7)
THE SCRIPTURES
The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, breathed out by Him, and are the only sufficient, certain, and authoritative rule of all saving knowledge, faith, sanctification (spiritual growth), and obedience.₁ They did not come in any way by the will of man, nor does any scripture have a private interpretation, but they were given by the Holy Spirit with a meaning that can & must be understood & obeyed.₂ (₁2 Timothy 3:15-16, ₂2 Peter 1:20-21)
CREATION
The world was created in six 24-hour days, with the seventh day being the day God rested & set apart as holy. All things were created by the word of God. While God created all things ex-nihilo (out of nothing), God created man & woman from the dust, distinct sexes for all time, being of one sex from birth till death, never to be crossed or confused, to rule the earth, & unless one has the grace of singleness, they are to be joined in marriage of one man and one woman, the two becoming one flesh. All creatures are given the mandate to be fruitful and multiply, which they only produce according to their kind, without any evolutionary process, both for now &for all time. All things were created perfect until man was disobedient & therefore both mankind & the world has fallen₁ under a curse of futility until the time of redemption.₂ (₁Genesis chapters 1-3, ₂Romans 8:19-21)
SOVEREIGNTY/PROVIDENCE
God, from eternity, decrees all things that come to pass,₁ and perpetually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and all events;₂ yet not in any way as to be the author, or give approval of sin,₃ & though completely sovereign over man, does not destroy the choice and responsibility of intelligent creatures.₄ (₁Isaiah 46:10, ₂Psalm 135:6, ₃James 1:13, ₄Matthew 11:25-29)
FREE WILL
God is the only being who truly possesses free will, doing what He wills, when He wills, how He wills, & to whomever & whatever He wills, for He does whatever He pleases₁ & no one can restrain His hand or question Him.₂ Man may have a so-called “free will” to choose, but it is by no means an autonomous will, being free of any influence. All men are born dead in their sins, walking according to this world, Satan, & their flesh, and are by nature children of the wrath of God.₃ Therefore because of the nature that all men are born with, they are morally incapable of choosing to seek God.₄ The only way that man comes to God is for God to sovereignly draw them₅ & grant them to come to Christ.₆ (₁Psalm 115:1, ₂Daniel 4:35, ₃Ephesians 2:1-3, ₄Romans 3:11, ₅John 6:44, ₆John 6:65)
ELECTION
Election is God’s eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life₁– not because of foreseen merit in them, but of his mere mercy in Christ₂– in consequence of which choice they are called, justified and glorified.₃ (₁Ephesians 1:4, ₂Titus 3:5, ₃Romans 8:29)
THE FALL OF MAN
God originally created man in His own image, and free from sin;₁ but, through the temptation of Satan, man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original holiness and righteousness;₂ whereby his posterity [i.e. descendants] inherit a nature corrupt and wholly opposed to God and His law, & are subject to death,₃ & under condemnation,₄ & with none exempted, as soon as they are capable of moral action, become actual transgressors,₅ carrying out the evil that is already in them. (₁Genesis 1:26, ₂Genesis 3, ₃Romans 5:12, ₄John 3:18-19, ₅Psalm 58:3)
REGENERATION
Regeneration is a change of heart, removing the unresponsive heart of stone & replacing it with a heart of flesh that can respond to God rightly, wrought by the Holy Spirit,₁ who makes alive those who are dead in trespasses and sins,₂ enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the Word of God, and renewing their whole nature,₄ so that they love and practice holiness.₅ It is a work of God’s free and special grace alone.₆ (₁Ezekiel 36:25-27, ₂Ephesians 2:1-7, ₃Acts 16:14, ₄2 Corinthians 5:17, ₅Romans 6:17-22, ₆Ephesians 2:8-10)
REPENTANCE
Repentance is a grace (a gift granted by God) without which none will have saving life,₁ wherein the Holy Spirit makes a person aware of the manifold evil of his sin,₂ so that he humbles himself with godly sorrow, detesting sin,₃ and abhorring [i.e., hating] self,₄ with a purpose and endeavor to walk before God so as to please Him in all things.⁵ (₁Acts 11:18, ₂John 16:8-11, ₃2 Corinthians 7:10-11, ₄Luke 14:26, ₅2 Corinthians 5:9)
FAITH
Saving faith is the belief, on God’s authority, of whatsoever is revealed in His Word, particularly concerning Christ;₁ accepting and resting upon Him alone for justification and eternal life.₂ It is wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit birthing it in the hearts of whom He sovereignly wills,₃ and is accompanied by all other saving graces, and leads to a life of holiness. Faith is essentially believing the promises and warnings of God concerning Christ and living accordingly.(₁Romans 10:17, ₂Romans 5:18, ₃John 3:8, ₄James 2:14-24)
JUSTIFICATION
Justification includes God’s gracious and full forgiveness of sinners who believe in Christ from all sin, through the death of Jesus Christ, as all those who believe in Him have died with Him to sin.₁ However, to stop there would be to fall short of the biblical definition of justification. For one to be forgiven all sin doesn’t make him righteous, but simply innocent. Justification is God clothing us in the righteousness of His Son, so that when He looks upon one who has been justified, He sees one who is not only innocent from sin, but perfectly righteous as though they have perfectly obeyed Him, and sin will never again be imputed to that person or put on their account.₂ This is a gift given, not for anything wrought in them or done by them,₃ but on account of the obedience of Christ, receiving His righteousness by faith.₄(₁Romans 6:6-7, ₂Romans 4:6-7, ₃Romans 3:24, ₄Romans 5:19)
SANCTIFICATION
Those who have been regenerated are also sanctified (the process of being made holy) by God’s Word and Spirit dwelling in them.₁ This sanctification is progressive through the supply of Divine strength, which all saints seek to obtain, pressing after a heavenly life in willing obedience to all Christ’s commands.₂ (₁Romans 8:29, ₂Romans 6:15-22)
SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER
Those whom God has accepted in the Beloved,₁ and sanctified by His Spirit,₂ will never totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly be confirmed to the end₄ as God will complete His work in them₅ never allowing them to be snatched from His hand;₅ and though they may fall, through neglect and temptation, into sin, whereby they grieve the Spirit,₆ impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the name of God, Christ, and the Church, and bring temporal judgments on themselves,₇ yet they shall be renewed again unto repentance, and be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.₈ (₁Ephesians 1:6, ₂1 Corinthians 1:2, ₃1 Corinthians 1:8, ₄Philippians 1:6, ₅John 10:27-29, ₆Ephesians 4:30, ₇1 Corinthians 11:30-32, ₈1 Peter 1:5)
THE CHURCH
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, which is composed of all His true disciples, and in Him is invested supremely all authority & power for its government.₁ According to His commandment, Christians are to associate themselves into particular churches;₂ and to each of these churches He has given needful authority for administering the order,₃ discipline,₄ and worship₅ which He has appointed. (₁Ephesians 1:22-32, ₂Hebrews 10:24-25, ₃1 Corinthians 14:26-40, ₄Matthew 18:17, ₅Ephesians 6:19-20)
CHURCH LEADERSHIP/OFFICES
The two church offices are that of the Elder & the Deacon.₁ Elders are to be men qualified₂ to shepherd & oversee the church of God according to His directives.₃ Elders are to be strictly male.₄ Deacons are to be (strictly) men qualified₅ to be assistants to the Elders and help with church’s temporal needs so that the Elders can give themself to prayer & the ministry of the word.₆ (₁Philippians 1:1, ₂1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, ₃1 Peter 5:1-4, ₄1 Timothy 2:12, ₅1 Timothy 3:8-13, ₆Acts 6:3-4)
QUALIFIED ELDERS
A man is qualified to be an Elder in the church of God according to the qualifications found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Other than the teaching qualification, all of the other qualifications are moral in nature. Therefore, we do not believe that a man’s status, like being married/divorced or having children; nor the faith of all of his children; nor a child or wife who one day rebels, or any other thing outside of his own sin disqualifies him for the Eldership. While all these things should be considered carefully and prayerfully, a man is ultimately qualified or disqualified solely on the basis of his own personal godliness and holiness alone.
WOMEN IN THE CHURCH
Women, though not allowed to teach or have authority over a man, are permitted to both pray & speak forth the word under the proper headship.₁ Women are allowed to teach one another₂ & the children.₃ (₁1 Corinthians 11:5, ₂Titus 2:4, ₃1 Timothy 2:15)
BAPTISM
Baptism is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus, to be administered to believers/disciples only, by emersion(dipping of the person) in water which pictures the believers union with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ,₁ and of his giving himself up to God, to live and walk in newness of life.₂ (₁Matt 28:19, Acts 8:34-38, Acts 8:12, Matt 3:16, John 3:23 ₂Romans 6:1-4)
THE LORD’S SUPPER
The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of Jesus Christ, to be administered with bread and wine, and to be observed by His churches till the end of the world. It is in no sense a sacrifice, but is designed to commemorate His death, to confirm the faith of Christians, and to be a bond, pledge, and renewal of their communion with Him, and of their church fellowship.₁ (₁Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:17-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
DAY OF WORSHIP
The New Testament Church gives the example of assembling on the first day of the week (i.e. Sunday) for the reading and teaching of the Word of God, worship, prayer, and mutual encouragement, stimulating one another to love and good deeds.₁ It is fitting to view Sunday as a celebration of Christ’s resurrection and the redemption of His people, for the first day of the week is the day He rose from the dead, & the day He made His post-resurrection appearances.₂ (₁Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2, ₂Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1,19,26)
WORSHIP
The true and acceptable worship of the Living God must arise out of an obedient heart,₁ and is not tied to a location nor externals₂ but rather, according to the knowledge of God, who is Spirit,₃ and the Lord Jesus Christ; true worship is a spiritual sacrifice to God.₄ Jesus Christ is head of the church, and all worship must be conducted under His rule and authority and though the leadership must be strictly male, women are not forbidden to pray or to speak forth the word, however not in teaching and preaching over men. They must do so in submission to their head, the male authority, in light of the created order- the male being created first-, the angels who observe our worship, nature, and the biblical custom of the churches of God.₅ Worship is by Holy Spirit-filled believers having freedom to choose between and to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs both to each other and to the Lord, rather using instruments or not, and giving thanks to God in the name of Jesus Christ, and submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.₆ (₁Matthew 15:3-9, Mark 7:6-13, ₂John 4:20-21, ₃John 4:22,24, ₄Hebrews 13:15, 1 Peter 2:5, ₅1 Corinthians 11:2-16, ₆ Ephesians 5:18-21)
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
One day, when the Father chooses,1 Jesus Christ is coming back physically to this earth as King, Lord, and Judge.2 The Lord is patient, waiting on sinners to repent before Christ’s return, which will bring the end,3 the resurrection and final judgement.4 (1Matthew 24:36, 22 Thessalonians 1:7-10, 32 Peter 3:8-10, 4Daniel 12:2)
THE RESURRECTION
The bodies of men after death return to dust, but their spirits return immediately to God₁– the righteous to rest with Him; the wicked, to be reserved under darkness to judgment, a foretaste of hell.₂ At the last day, the bodies of all the dead, both just and unjust, will be raised.₃ (₁2 Corinthians 5:6-8, ₂Luke 16:22-26, ₃John 5:28-29)
THE JUDGMENT
God has appointed a day, wherein He will judge the world by Jesus Christ,₁ when everyone shall receive according to his deeds:₂ the wicked shall go into everlasting punishment; the righteous, into everlasting life.₃ (₁Acts 17:31, ₂Romans 2:5-10, ₃Matthew 25:46)
One: 16 Bible Church OKC 