Tag: God

Why We Are Reading The Apostles’ Creed Together On Sundays

On Sunday, I introduced to you the Apostles’ Creed, a statement of faith that I hope will strengthen our theological framework and deepen our affections for the Lord. I want to take a moment and give a brief overview of the Apostle’s Creed and why we will be reading it together when we gather as a church on Sundays. First, here is the Apostles’ Creed:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

A BRIEF OVERVIEW

A creed is a statement of what we believe and teach.

The Apostles’ Creed does not come from the apostles, but its doctrines or teachings are rooted in the doctrines and teaching of the apostles found in the Holy Scriptures. Written sometime around the 3rd century, local churches around the world have recited this confession of faith and have made it their own. 

The Apostles’ Creed gives a very clear and Biblical summary of the doctrines we hold dear to our hearts. It speaks to the Trinity, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, it speaks to the church, and it even speaks to what will happen in the end. It’s really a summary of God’s redemptive mission through the message of the Gospel.

In his Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin stated that the Creed “furnishes us with a full and every way complete summary of faith, containing nothing but what has been derived from the infallible word of God”

Church history shows us that Christians have used the Apostles’ Creed as a guard against heretical teachings. In fact, that is likely why it was written in the first place and one of the reasons why we will read it together as a church in the 21st century.

WHY WE ARE READING IT TOGETHER

When it comes to memorization, one of the most helpful tools we can implement is consistent repetition. The Apostles’ Creed was written in a way to be easily read, understood, and memorized. The more we repeat something, the more we will know it. This is the case with the Apostle’s Creed. The more we recite it, the more we will know it and the more we will be able to teach it. 

It’s also a great tool to read with during your family worship time. As you gather at home to read the Bible, sing to the Lord, and pray together, you can implement the reading of the Apostle’s Creed with your children and then teach them the different elements of the creed that come from God’s Word.

It’s important for us to be frequently reminded of what we believe about the God of the Bible. If we do not, then we will be tossed around by every wind of doctrine and likely give in to the demands of the culture. Knowing what we believe is not only a defense against heresy, but is solid ground in a wicked culture. Theological formation is one of the biggest needs within the church today. We need to know what we believe and by faith, believe it to be true!

As we read it together on Sundays, we will take the time to give a brief description from Scripture to explain the contents of the Apostle’s Creed. I pray that as we learn this confession of faith that has been read and recited numerous times throughout history by our brothers and sisters in Christ, our love for the Lord will be greatly enriched.

 

By His Grace,

Pastor Matt

 

Additional Resources:

 

The Apostles’ Creed: Discovering Authentic in an Age of Counterfeits by Albert Mohler Jr.

The Apostles’ Creed by R.C.Sproul

Prepare Him Room This Advent Season

Whether you’re ready for it or not, the Christmas season is upon us. At the MacNaughton house, we’ve got our Christmas tree up, lights hung around the house, and we’re about 37 Christmas movies into December. And we haven’t even made it to December yet!

While the Christmas season is underway, the Church calendar has designated the season leading up to Christmas Day as “Advent”. The word “Advent” simply means “awaited coming” and is mostly used during this particular time of year when we celebrate the coming of a Savior. But it also helps draw our hearts to the awaiting second coming of our Savior when He will bring His church to the home He has prepared for us.

Advent symbolizes the present situation of the church in these last days (Acts 2:17, Hebrews 1:2), as God’s people wait for the return of Christ in glory to consummate his eternal kingdom. The church is in a similar situation to Israel at the end of the Old Testament: in exile, waiting and hoping in prayerful expectation for the coming of the Messiah. Israel looked back to God’s past gracious actions on their behalf in leading them out of Egypt in the Exodus, and on this basis, they called for God once again to act for them. In the same way, the church, during Advent, looks back upon Christ’s coming in celebration while at the same time looking forward in eager anticipation to the coming of Christ’s kingdom when he returns for his people.

There are four themes seen throughout the Advent Season: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. For the next few weeks, we will take a few moments to look at these themes together on Sunday mornings and celebrate the Savior who came to this earth and is coming again. 

Advent both reminds us of the overflowing, extravagant nature of God the Father who, because he loved us so much He sent His Son Jesus (John 3:16), has given us hope (Hebrews 6:9-20), peace (Luke 2:8-21), and joy (Luke 2:1-20). Truly, the Christmas season is an incredible opportunity to reflect on all that Christ has done for us. Without His love, we cannot love Him (1 John 4:19). Without His peace, we are still His enemies (Ephesians 2:1-10). Without His hope, we are hopeless (Romans 8:24-25). Without his joy, we have no joy (Hebrews 12:1-2).

This coming Sunday, we will share with you on the Grace Life App our 2022 Advent devotional guide for you to sit down and do with your family. You’ll have daily Scripture readings centered around the themes of Advent and a few activities to help carry the truth of Christmas home for your family. While we celebrate the coming of our Savior, we wait patiently for the second coming of our King Jesus! 

Which makes the words of this familiar Christmas song by Isaac Watts even more wonderful when we sing it as it was intended: a song about the second coming of Jesus.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare Him room

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

 

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!

Let men their songs employ,

while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains, 

repeat the sounding joy,

repeat the sounding joy,

repeat , repeat the sounding joy.

 

He rules the world with truth and grace

and makes the nations prove 

the glories of his righteousness 

and wonders of his love, 

and wonders of his love, 

and wonder, wonders of his love.

 

So church, prepare your hearts. Make room for Jesus this Christmas. In fact, and better yet, make Him the central focus in all you do this Christmas. Without him, there would be no Christmas to celebrate. 

By His Grace,

Pastor Matt

We exist to make Jesus-Centered Disciples for God's glory.

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