On Sunday January 4th we started 2015 at Deer Creek Campers’ Church with the celebrating of the Holy Sacraments of the Lord’s Supper

The Lord’s Supper is sometimes referred to as Communion.

Jesus Christ has entrusted the observance and remembrance of this ordinance to His Church.  Communion is representative of the relationship believers have with Him, and are to be observed until His return.  The Lord’s Supper is a proclamation of the communion provided for the believer by the death of Christ.

1 Corinthians 11: 23-26   The Lord’s Supper

23. 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;

24. 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.”

25. 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.”

26. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

Pastor Horner took the entire service to celebrate
“The Word and The Table”.

Over the next few weeks . . .

We will be studying the most recognizable creed in the Christian Church “The Apostles’ Creed”.

It is beneficial to recite the creeds and prayers of the church to connect with the ancient roots of our faith.

The Apostles’ Creed is basically a summary of Christian beliefs. What does it say?

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 Spirit,

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 sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit;

the holy catholic church *;

the communion of the saints;

the forgiveness of sins;

the resurrection of the body;

and life everlasting.

* that is, the true Christian church of all times and all places

Are you able to define your Christianity?   Do you know what you believe?  What are the essentials of faith?  Can you given an answer for the hope that is in you?  The Creed offers a foundation of faith.

The truths of the Bible are summed up in the Apostles’ Creed, one of the oldest declarations of faith know to the church.

Dr. Horner over the next few weeks will walk you through the Creed, offering simple explanations in each segment.

I Believe . . .

Scripture Text for Sunday, January 11th  ~ Mark 8:14-29

 

 

 Personal Faith . . .

From its first word, the Apostles’ Creed is personal.  It is a declaration of individual faith.  Though all Christians share common beliefs, the faith we confirm in the Creed is to be our own.  We speak for ourselves, and not for anyone else.

As a child of God, we have the privilege to stand and say “I believe.”  We do not stand entirely along, though.  We are a part of the “communion of the saints” mentioned later in the Creed.  Though we speak for ourselves, we speak in concert – in unison – with all the church.

Two Sides of Faith . . .

Faith has two parts – Assent and Trust!

The difference is sometimes described as the difference between saying, “I believe that . . . ” (which is an assertion) and “I believe in . . . ” (which is trust).

Faith can be called both a rational commitment and an act of confidence – both a knowing and a doing.

Assent

Assent is the intellectual portion of our faith.  It deals with what we believe – the content of our faith.  Believers do not abandon their senses in order to take a leap of faith.  Despite what skeptics might say, Christians are not pinning their hopes on empty wishes or flights or fancy.  The Christian faith is neither ignorant nor unreasonable.

Christianity has its very foundations in reason and truth.  Our belief is supported by the hard facts of history.  Peter urges Christians to be able to give a reason for their hope (1 Peter 3:15).  Paul’s way of saything this was to assert that he knew the One in whom he had trusted, and because he did, he was convinced that his future was secure (1 Timothy 1:12)

Trust

Trust is the second element of faith which deals with our relationship with God.  Faith is not just understanding the facts.  Anyone can memorize a list of beliefs.  What counts is using your faith.  In fact, if you do not act upon your faith, your faith should be called into question.  Claiming to have faith without commitment is not sincere.  It is hypocritical.  Christian faith is not only knowing; it is doing.  James says that faith that isn’t backed up by action is dead (James 2:17).  A living faith is even willing to suffer hardship for the sake of the truth.

So, while sound reason and commitment to fact constitute the intellectual side of faith and serve to protect the believer from being led astray, the trust or commitment side of faith is that which give it life.  Trust prevents belief from being merely a mental exercise.

Source of Faith

The Creed declares the faith of a person in a Person.

Christian faith is nothing in and of itself.  Faith is first of all a work of God.  It depends upon God as its source.  Our faith arises in response to God’s revelation, in response to God’s offer.  The faith that ends in commitment to God beings witht the will and grace of God.  Faith is the echo that God’s call creates in the hearts of those who believe.