What is the Apostles: Creed? Was it Written by the Apostles?

 

Most of us have heard of the Apostles' Creed. Some church congregations even repeat it in their services. What is it and is it Christian? Let's begin with what it is according to gotquestions.org:

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.

So then was it written by the Apostles?

The Apostles’ Creed is not found in the Bible. The Apostles’ Creed was not written by the apostles. Rather, it was written at least 150 years after the apostles had all died. It is called the Apostles’ Creed because it is supposed to be a record of what the apostles taught

The Apostles' Creed is a good summary of Christian doctrine. However, there are two primary concerns with the Apostles' Creed. First, in regards to the phrase "He descended into hell" – please see our article on "Did Jesus go to hell between His death and resurrection?" Second, in regards to "the holy catholic church," this does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church as we know it today. The word catholic means “universal.” The true "catholic" church is all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Please see our article on the universal church.

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My own beliefs about the Apostles' Creed are as follows: 

While I think that it is basically a good statement of faith, in this version it does identify with the Catholic Church. 

Please stick with me here.

I know there may be some that will disagree with me on the Catholic Church. And that is certainly your right to do so.

However, the Catholic Churches teachings that I know of, identify with much more than just this Creed.

I did find it disturbing that gotquestions.org identifies it in this statement. However, if you go to their website and ask if it is a false religion, they go into the contradictions with in its teaching. And that, my friends is something for another teaching at some point.

I would not pray this prayer in or out of church. I do believe in mostly what it says. However, I would leave out the part about believing in the Catholic Church. 

Just to make clear of what denomination that I identify with, I can honestly say that I do not identify with any.

I grew up in the Baptist Church and believe most closely to their doctrine. I am a born-again believer, and in fact the Church that I follow is Baptist. 

I have over the course of many years have been a part of many different denominations and find it quite amazing that although I do not identify as a Baptist, I have come back to my roots in their theology. 

I am sorry if this sounds confusing to you.

But the reason is that I found of all the denominations that I have been a part of, they are closer to the truth, the most humble and they love people. Those things are so important to me because I have found so little of them in other places.

Not to say all churches are none of those things or very little of them, but I just did not find them in the churches that I went to with one exception. And that was a Friends Church that we went to years ago. They were derived from the Quaker's.

At any rate, I really did not mean to get into all of that. I had just wanted to give you a bit of information about the Apostle's Creed and for the most part I do take it as a statement of my faith. And that I got off into why I do not identity with the Catholic Church, I think that it is good for those of you that read my content every day, to know what I do believe. 

Also, if you want more information on this, please do not hesitate to go to gotquestions.org. They do explain the differences on some of the teachings of the Catholic Church and while I do find that aspect distressing in part of believing in it, I do intend to look at them further. And even perhaps ask them some questions. In all the time I have used their site, this is the first time that I have disagreed with something.

Anyway, I will end with that for today. And maybe get into the studies on the Catholic Church next year. For now with the holidays fast approaching, I want to use this time in presenting you with content having to do with them. Biblical with maybe a bit of humor and even some holiday miracles thrown in. 

Oh and please, if you ever have a comment you would like to post, please do. I would like to hear what you have to say.

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

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The Apostles Creed? Post update

 Hello Friends. I wanted to let you know that I will not be posting a content today. But I plan to be here tomorrow to do a post on The Apostles Creed.

What is it? Did the Apostles write it? Why do Christians go along with it? And is in the Bible? 

These questions will be what I can hopefully answer in this post. 

So I hope you will come back for that.

Please continue to pray for the thing going on in the government.  It does not look good that it will be opened again and there may be trouble when people do not get what they want or need if it remains closed. 

Until tomorrow, God bless!

Here is Hoping...

 

In yesterday's post, I left you a sobering message. Maybe it wasn't as much for you as it was for an unsaved person that you are close to. One or more people that you are concerned may not make it into the Kingdom of God.

The fact is that as Christians, we do have the hope of eternal life. And for those unsaved persons we can have hope but ultimately it is up to them as to whether or not that they will have that same home.

I used to worry a lot about that. What if my children or grandchildren do not come to Jesus? I can't force them to follow Christ. And so, if I die, will I ever get to see them again. 

That makes me want to go on here and spend as much time with them as I am now. 

It's been a daunting worry on me as I get older.

However, something my Pastor said in his sermon a couple of weeks ago, helped me with that. 

He said that God is in control of the future. No amount of worry is going to help our loved ones, and it is not our jobs to constantly worry about something that we have no control over pertaining to whether or not they will go to heaven.

Those words aren't an exact quote but that is basically what he was saying.

And that really has freed me from a lot of the worry I had. Because instead of worrying, I should be enjoying my life now with them. While I can. And also, I try to live a life that God would want me to, in front of them as well.  So I am trying to do that.

Oh, I still consider them and the salvation of those that are unsaved. But it is not a constant worry like before, And the fact it, I still pray for their salvation every day because I want them in heaven with me.

But at the same time, God has through my pastors' words in that sermon, given me peace about them.

I pray that He will finish in them, what He started. Back in their Sunday School and Bible School days. The things we taught them about God. Those spiritual things as well as the non-spiritual things that we tried to instill in them while they were growing up.

 In the mean time, I look to what the Bible says about hope.

For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth. Palms 71:5

 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12

 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 

These are just a few of the passages in scripture that uses the word hope. There are over 100 and so there is no reason to not be thankful for the hope that God has placed in those that love Him.

So, if you worry about dying and never seeing those loved ones again, remember that it is out of your control but that you do have hope to cling to. 

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Have a blessed and peaceful and hopeful day!

Has the Gavel Came Down for You?

 

If you have repented of your sins and asked Jesus to live within you Judge King Jesus has proclaimed you innocent of all charges. You  have been found not guilty due to His Blood that was shed for us.

If you haven' done this, the verdict is still out And will continue to stay out until you pass from this life, to the next one if you put off or reject His salvation. 

The rich young ruler asked Jesus what he should do to go to heaven. Jesus said to go sell his possessions and give them to the poor. And then follow Him. (Mathew19:21-22)

Do you know what this man did then. He sold all his possessions and gave them to the poor and then he followed Jesus. 

No. He went away sad because Jesus had just asked too much more of him then he was willing to give.

That my Friends, this was not a request that Jesus gave him.  It was a command. One that we all have to decide for ourselves before we leave this earth.

God may not ask you to give up your possessions to follow Him. He may just ask you to follow Him. Which means we need to repent of our sins first. And then to serve Him however He leads you for the rest of your llife.

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38

And when we have done that, the gavel will come down, Jesus will proclaim in heaven, "Not guilty!" and we will be in His presence the second we pass from this life. 

But if those that have not asked for His forgiveness of sin, Jesus will proclaim "Guilty" and it will be too late. They will be cast into outer darkness. 

What about you, Friends? Which will you be? Guilty or Not Guilty?  If you have not decided, don't waste any more time. Life can end in a second. We are not guaranteed another year, another day, another second.  

But every second we breath, is God's gift to make sure we are ready. Are you ready?

For He says: “In the time of favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation! (2 Corinthians 6:2)

Thank you for coming by today, Friends. I know this message may be sobering. But it is too important to not give it. 

God bless you, and all those that are around you. 

Guilty as Charged?

What a Good God Wants You to Know about Guilt

Guilt. You’ve got it.

You know, that thing the enemy uses to label you a failure . . . to hold you back and defeat you.

Everyone has something maybe even several somethings. I thought about making a list of examples but that would only be a distraction. All that matters is what’s on your list.

I know what’s on mine.

My worst guilt has been over something that for years I didn’t even think of as a sin and when I was convicted by the truth, it flattened me. And you know what?

The enemy immediately started whispering words to defeat me.

I hate that, don’t you?

The enemy tempts us, entices us to sin and then labels us the very thing to which we acquiesced.

Liar. Thief. Murderer. Adulterer. Fool. Or something else.

And we wear it. We hate it, but we wear it.

Guilt!

But through God’s goodness there is a way to be free of guilt.

What a Good God Wants You to Know about Guilt

Your guilt…

Stop for a minute and picture yourself in the Garden of Eden. (Not watching but participating.)

See the snake taunting you and telling you, “God is holding out on you. If He really loved you, He would…” (You get the idea.) You know you should walk away, but this time, you don’t. You stand there and you listen.

He knows exactly what to say . . . the words you want to hear. A nudge to take charge, do it your way, and go after what you want even though you know God said “no” or at least “not now.”

You look at the fruit. It looks awesome and you go for it.

At first, it seems good. You got what you wanted. It’s sweet and it tastes great.

After a while, not so much. It starts to sour and you start to feel bad. Exposed. Vulnerable. And the enemy is calling you names.

You try to hide, but God finds you and shows you the truth. He’s right. You should have trusted Him.

You deserve punishment. You deserve banishment.

God tells you to leave the Garden.

Picture yourself being walked out . . . removed. Guilty!

But stay with me because in a moment . . . in a heartbeat, God changes the scene.

You are no longer in the Garden of Eden.

You’re at Calvary, falling at the foot of the cross. Crying out to Jesus.

All is forgiven.

The enemy’s attempt to defeat you no longer holds any power over you.

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I ran across the above post from the site biblelovenotes.com this morning. I can sure identify as I think you can too. I am going to let this subject sit in our minds today to meditate on. And then tomorrow, I will have some things to say about it. But while you are thinking about it, remember what is there at the last....

All is forgiven.

And if it isn't for you, 

dare I say...

It can be. 

And that is the Good News of the Gospel Of Jesus Christ.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends.

May God bless you

and keep you in perfect peace,

for those whose minds

stay upon Him.

Crisis in the Land

 

I know everyone is aware of what is going on in our U.S, government. Because of it being shut down, many groups of people are not being paid their wages and or have been laid off their jobs. 

This is not the time for this to happen. The economy was just starting to come back and now people cannot afford to put money back into it because they can't afford to buy groceries or other needed items. 

President Trump and his team have been trying to work with the Dems to get it opened up again, and they will not cooperate yet.

And all for what? Not us, the taxpayers. 

The left wants billions of dollars to give to illegal aliens for their healthcare. And we wonder why that is.

Because if they stay here in America, they will vote for those that are doing this. They say they have not committed any crimes by being here. And yet millions poured in crossing our illegal boundaries until President Trump was able to close them.

In the meantime, they have killed our citizens, and all of this should stop!

The left also wants more than just that. But I know that if you have been watching conservative news reports, you already have the information as to what is going on.

More than ever this country needs the prayers of people like us for God to heal this land and get it back on the right track. 

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

We in America are blessed. And what has happened is appalling, and dangerous. But God can save us. If we ask Him. 

So please keep praying. He does hear us. And he does love us.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Have a blessed day!

False Teahers, Pastors and Prohets

 

I have talked about this subject before. However, I ran across something that is on the Bible Love Notes site that is a bit different and bares being out there to you all, I think. I am going to copy and paste it here for you. Please read on

I wonder if those who preach the modern prosperity gospel have read the Bible. If they had, they'd know these things:

✔ Jesus said: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:15

✔ Jesus also spoke about the foolishness of storing up earthly treasures instead of being rich toward God (Luke 12:16-21).

✔ Hebrews 13:5 explains that those who know the Lord will keep their lives free from the love of money, being content with what they have.

✔ 1 Timothy 6:10-11 teaches that "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil," and it causes some people to give up their faith. That's why we must flee from worldly values and "pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness." 

I sometimes find myself thinking I "deserve" certain things in life. When that happens, I try to remind myself of Paul's secret, a secret prosperity preachers never learn:

"I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Paul, Philippians 4:12-13

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I encourage you to check out the Wisdom for Life Devotional. It contains 100 one-minute devotions to challenge, encourage, instruct, and inspire your love for God's Word. Read the story behind Wisdom for Life HERE. And find out about the two free Bible studies with purchase HERE.

Click "Look Inside" to read the first four devotions on Lifeway.

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Friends, if you know this or not, false teachers and prophets are not just a thing that in cults. In fact, they are infiltrating mainstream churches. That means Charismatic, Pentecostal and yes, they could be in the local Baptist Church down the street. 

Mostly these kinds of teachers are in it to sell their books, CDs, and other materials that bare their names and or ministries. And all of this is for them to get rich from. They give false massages of healing, health, and prosperity to get vulnerable people to fill their offering plates. And they will take every last dime from a sick person, one that has a disease, one whose child is dying to promise something that God himself did not promise.

They say the more you give, the more God will bless you. One popular fake pastor said that the reason Jesus has not come back is because people have not given enough to his church. He teaches that God needs our money. Friends, God doesn't need our money. He can do His work without it. That is pure blasphemy and something that is not in God's Word.

Friends, we cannot afford to follow these kinds of people in these last days before Christ returns. I urge you, if you belong to a church that teaches these things Please Read Your Bibles!!!

Don't take anyone's teaching (including mine) at face value without checking what is being said with scripture. And if you find you are in a church that teaches this kind of garbage, do not give them on more penny but Don't walk, Run as far away from it as possible. 

There are many good churches that teach the truth, but Friends, please do your homework before you do anything. And the best place to start is with God's Word. Because He has much to say about these kinds of people.

Thanks for coming by today. Have a blessed day! God be with you

Past, Present and Future

 

I look back in my life and today am so thankful. For the times I was young and didn't know better. (Thank God I had a praying father and more importantly a Heavenly Father!) I really could have gotten into some trouble back then. But through my earthly fathers' prayers, I was safe in my Heavenly Father's hands until the day I got serious in the Lord, and then going forth.

  Now I look towards the future with all of its wickedness and more that is sure to come and know that I can continue to trust In God to take care of me. For you see, He holds me in His hands.

And if you are a believer, He holds you as well. How do we know that? 

16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palm of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. Isaiah 49:16

Our God has mighty big hands. If you want a handout from Him, He is there to provide it which is much better than any handout we have here on earth. For I believe that His handouts are more like hand-ups.

Don't get me wrong, we sometimes need those handouts from various places to live here on earth. And thank the Lord when people need them, they can be had. But one day, the Lord will reach down from heaven and take us by the hand and lead us up where life is what we long for today and as long as we live on this earth.

So, while the future looks pretty bleak to many people, we as believers know that our end is sure because it is built on the solid Rock of Jesus Christ. Which never ends.

And for that we can rejoice and be thankful!

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Have a glorious and blessed day in Jesus!

Why Pray if God Already Knows Our Needs? (Part 4)

 

That is a good question. So, what is the answer? The following is from the Billy Graham Evangelic Association:

Prayer is one of the privileges of the child of God, made possible because Jesus Christ has opened up the way to our Father. This brings His people into fellowship with Him.

God loves us and does not want us to be anxious about anything, but faithfully pray about everything with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6). The Bible also says to persist in prayer and to pray about everything. God does not always answer the way we think He should, or when we think He should. We should be grateful for this—He knows far better than we do what is best! But, the Bible tells us to always keep on praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17), not for wishes, but to thank Him for His constant care and for providing for our needs.

Jesus told a parable about a persistent widow who constantly begged a judge to act on her case, which he eventually did (Luke 18:1-8). One reason Jesus told this parable was to encourage us to pray frequently.

We cannot change God’s mind about something which He has already answered. In other words, God will answer a prayer sometimes with a “no” rather than a “yes”, and sometimes with a “wait”. Are we willing to accept His will? Always pray according to God’s will.

Heaven is full of answers to prayer for which no one ever bothered to ask. Prayers have no boundaries. They can leap miles and continents and be translated instantly into any language. Learn to enter into this wonderful relationship with Jesus Christ by first submitting to Him and receiving His salvation.

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I believe this answer to be right on. God does want a relationship with us. What better way to have one. with Him? It's up to us then to seek Him. 

Friends, you know about all the stuff going on in the government. We need for the government to open up so that those that are paid by it will be paid. The left is doing this to try to protect their own offices. They could care less that it is affecting many people who depends upon it.  They are not putting America first. I know that many people are praying for God to move on this situation. Please keep storming heaven's doors to ask God to work a miracle on the behalf of so many people that need their money.

And also pray for ICE and the many people that are being killed every day for the cause of keeping us safe. They need our prayers to stop being terrorized by the dangerous people that are working evil in our great land.

Thanks for coming by today and may God richly
bless you!

The Lord's Prayer (part 3)

 

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.  Mathew 6:9-13

I spend prayer time outside on my patio right after I get out of bed in the morning. When life is peaceful. Now and then though, when I get  up after a night that I haven't slept well, it is hard to start praying. My thoughts are jumbled and my brain a bit foggy. 

That is no reason to not pray though. And it is these kinds of times when I pray the Lord's prayer. It helps get me centered on God.  Amazingly because I have it memorized, this prayer gets through my cloudy mind and it is a good prayer to go to at times like this or when I just do not know what to pray.  Or am still trying to get my mind awake and ready for the day.

Jesus said in verse 8 of that same passage this:  

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them (the heathen): for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Jesus already knows what we are going to ask. So, do I really need to ask or tell Him what I need? 

And if so, why then does he want us to tell Him? 

Maybe you already know the answer to those questions. But if not or even if you need a refresher in that area, plan to come back tomorrow. I will answer them then. 

Until then, have a blessing filled day. Thank you for stopping by

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