CHURCH HISTORY

Just before Jesus went up in a cloud in the presence of His disciples, He told them that they should wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them. (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8,9)

On the day of Pentecost, fifty days after Easter, the Holy Spirit (God Himself) descended upon the believers gathered in the upper room. He entered their hearts to live in them, and to work through their lives from then on.

The main characteristic of every member of the true church from that day to his has been the presence of the Holy Spirit (Jesus Himself) living in the heart and life. Thus if a person does not have God, the Holy Spirit, living in him or her, that person is not truly a Christian or a member of the true church of Jesus Christ.

These who opened their hearts to Christ and were allowing the Holy Spirit to live in them met together to sing, and pray, and talk together about Christ and His will. There was very little organization because everyone knew why they were together and took an active part.

We can see why the early church grew so rapidly - each member knew Christ in a personal way and was anxious above everything else to tell others of Christ and help them to find Him as their Savior and Lord. In other words, each one was a missionary.

People who did not know Christ as their Savior could not understand the Christians. Since they could not understand why they met together, many of the rulers thought they were plotting against the government. Especially did they think this when the Christians said that Jesus was their King. They did not understand that this meant that Jesus was the ruler in the Christian's heart and not in an earthly sense. Another thing, they thought that the Christians were against religion because everybody, except the Christians, worshipped statues and idols. They did not realize that Christians worship God in their hearts and not in a physical sense.

Because the Christians were so different from other people, they were often persecuted in many ways. They were put in prison, torn to pieces by wild animals, burned to death and killed with the sword. We sing the song, "Faith of our fathers living still in spite of dungeon, fire, and sword."

But all of these sufferings did not kill the church. It increased even more. Because as people saw the Christians die for their faith, they knew for sure that there was something real about knowing Christ and living for Him.

In 313 AD a ruler came to power in the Roman Empire named Constantine who understood the Christians better. He made a rule that no more Christians were to be persecuted. In a way this was a good thing, as we can see. But in another way it was not so good. For since a person did not have to suffer to be a Christian now, many called themselves Christians who had not really surrendered their hearts to Christ. They did not have the Holy Spirit living in them.

In other words, the church was now losing its inner spiritual meaning and was becoming an external physical organization. The church was becoming a man-made thing instead of what God made it to be.

As time goes on , we can see man's way taking over more and more. Each group of Christians had a leader. These leaders got together and had a leader of the leaders.

Around 500 AD one of these leaders of the leaders, the one at Rome, declared that he was the one ruler over all the church and the world. He took the title "Pope" (from "papa" - father) and said that everyone must do what he said to be part of what was claimed to be the one true church. This was called the Roman Catholic (universal) church.

The Roman Catholic Church is still like it was in the early days. They have statues in their churches, they pray to the Virgin Mary and other important people in the church who have died which they call saints, they believe that Jesus actually dies again in every church service which they call the Mass, and they believe that a person must confess his or her sins to the priest instead of directly to Christ as we believe.

There are many Christians who objected to what was going on. They said that Jesus is the only ruler of the church and that people are to worship Him in their hearts. They said it was not right to make statues because God is a spirit and we must worship Him in a spiritual sense. They said that we cannot put Jesus to death again and again in the Mass because He died once for all. What we need to do now is to receive His death for our sins by giving up and giving Him permission to come into our hearts and put the big "I" in us to death on His cross. Then we should continue to confess our sin to Him so that He can enter in continually to kill the big "I" in us and live His own life in us in each moment of our life. We have the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper to remind us that we should continually open our hearts and allow Him to enter in to cleanse us from sin and be our strength to live a righteous life.

This is the beginning of what is called the Reformation. This was an attempt to form again the true church of the New Testament. Because of these protests against the evils in church, these people were called "protest-ants" or Protestants. The Roman Catholic church felt that those who wanted to follow just what the Bible - God's Word - teaches, were wrong. They said that a person must also do what the Roman Catholic church says to be a Christian. They tried to force them to do what the pope said. When they refused, they were persecuted and put to death in many terrible ways.

In Germany in 1520 AD Martin Luther, who had been a Roman Catholic teacher, was put out of the Roman Catholic church because of his protests. He said first that the Bible, not the pope, is to be the only authority in the church. Secondly, he said that the Bible teaches that a person is made right with God by surrendering his or her heart to Jesus Christ and not by belonging to a certain church organization or doing certain good things. And third, Luther believed that each person must go to Christ for him or herself and not through any pope or man-made organization. The Roman Catholic church wanted to kill Luther but so many saw that Luther was telling the truth that they could not. Although all Protestants believe Martin Luther was right some have taken his name and are called Lutherans.

About the same time in Switzerland a man named John Calvin said the same things Luther had said. Those who agreed with Calvin became what is called the Reformed Church.

Soon after this a group of people in England separated from the Roman Catholic church and became the Episcopal church or the Church of England.

A man named John Knox in Scotland saw that John Calvin and Martin Luther were right. After suffering much for his faith in Christ, he started the Presbyterian church in about 1559 AD It is called Presbyterian because it is led by "presbyters" which means "elders" who are elected by the congregation.

In 1620 AD the Pilgrims who came to America broke away from the Episcopal Church of England and formed the Congregational church.

In about 1623 AD there arose a group in Switzerland who believed baptism was to be performed by immersion (put the person under water). These people are called Baptists because of their emphasis on baptism.

In 1739 AD John and Charles Welsey decided that the Episcopal Church of England needed to come closer to what the Bible teaches. Because of their regularity in Bible study and prayer, the Wesleys and their followers are called Methodists.

In about 1647 AD a man in America named George Fox said that all external forms were wrong and that worship is only in the heart. Due to this emphasis by his followers on the moving of the Holy Spirit in the heart, they are called Quakers.

The Christian church began in 1804 AD in the southern United States. The Christian church has no formal statement of beliefs but says that baptism is to be done by immersion only.

The Roman Catholic church today remains basically the same as it was when it was founded in about 500 AD as described earlier in this writing.

From the time of Jesus Christ until today we can see a stream running through all history made up of all those who have surrendered their hearts to Christ and allowed Him to live in them.

Sometimes this stream has been like a big river when many knew Christ. Sometimes it has been very narrow with only a few true believers alive. At times these faithful followers of Christ have made up the churches of the day. And then there have been times when the true church has not been recognized by the organizations which call themselves the churches.

However, God's truth still stands - that the person who opens the door of his or her heart to allow the living Lord Jesus Christ to enter and live within is a Christian. Such a person is part of Christ's body - the true church no matter what nation, race, or denomination he or she may belong. But, apart from such a living relationship with Christ, no one is a Christian no matter to what church organization he or she may belong.

The Protestant church is not a new thing, as the Roman Catholics claim, but is an attempt to rediscover the true meaning of the church as Jesus established it in the New Testament. We must be very careful so that we as Protestants do not lose the real inner heart meaning of what it is to know Christ and be a part of those who belong to Him - His church.

May each of us bow our hearts before God and ask Him again to make us a real member of the body of heart-believers in Christ - the true church.

THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

An understanding of this simple outline will make the Christian Faith interesting and meaningful.

The Christian Faith is the truth about God and His will for man and woman as understood by those who have surrendered their hearts and minds to Jesus Christ.

All who really have Christ in their hearts will agree with each other on those basic things which God makes clear in His Word, the Bible.

However, those who are one in heart in Christ may still have different ideas about the less important things which God does not make so clear in His Word. This is perhaps the main reason why we have the various denominations such as the Methodist, Lutherans, Presbyterians and others.

The word "denomination" means "to name under." The denominations are simply groups under the Christian Faith. As branches of Christianity, they are supposed to believe the same thing about the basic important truths of the Bible while still having different ideas about the less important matters.

The trouble today is that too many have either never heard or have forgotten about the basic important truths of the Christian Faith on which their own denomination started. Much trouble comes when people make something important which God has not made so clear in His Word or when people think something is not important which God says is very important.

If the denominations would get down to the basic important truths of Christianity instead of emphasizing the less important things, the church would again be one in Christ as in the early days. The various denominations could then join together in Christ to fight against Satan and his power in the hearts of men and women all over the world. Only when everyone's hearts are controlled by God shall the world be one in peace and harmony.

In this study we shall try to explain the basic foundational things which the Bible shows are important. We shall also try to learn something about what the various denominations, particularly the Presbyterians, think about some of the less important things. This should help us to make sure we understand the Christian Faith and also help us understand why others are as they are.

First, all true Christians believe that there is only one true and living God. He is a real person or spirit but does not have a body or any limitations such as we have. He is all powerful, He is everywhere, He knows everything, He is perfect, He loves everyone, He is most just, He condemns all evil, He is merciful, He is eternal which means "no beginning and no end", He is the creator of all things, He is the source of all life, and He rules the world according to His plan and purpose.

You will no doubt realize that we with our small minds cannot understand such a great one as God. God Himself knew this. So He came down to earth in a human form in Jesus Christ. As we come to Jesus and surrender our hearts to Him, we come to know God personally. We can then hear Him speak to us through His Word. And then we can really talk to Him in prayer. But until a person comes to God through Christ, God seems so far away, or does not seem to exist at all.

You will notice that we have said three main things about God - He is a real person, that Jesus was God, and that we must let God speak to us today. Here we begin to see what is meant by the Trinity. The word "Trinity" comes from the Latin words - Tri - "three" and unity - "one". So the tri-unity or trinity (Trinity) means three in one.

This means that the Christian believes that there is only one God but He is made up of three "persons" - God, the Father; God, the Son (Jesus); God, the Holy Spirit (God present in the world). This may sound very confusing, and yet when we say "an egg", we are speaking of three things (shell, yolk, and white) which make up one egg. The three corners of a triangle are all part of one triangle. A triangle in Christian art is the symbol of the Trinity.

In the Baptism of Jesus we see the Trinity clearly revealed. God, the Father, speaks in a voice from heaven. God, the Son (Jesus) stands in the water, while God, the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, comes down upon Him. The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit in Christian art (see Matthew 3:12-17).

Now if you still cannot understand this matter of the Trinity, do not be discouraged because no one has ever understood it. But, since the Bible clearly indicates that God is made up of three, we can believe it even if we cannot understand it. We do not understand electricity, but we use it just the same. We must be careful to remember that our little humans can trust in the one true God of the universe.

We can see God's power in nature. But we can only find out what God is really like through coming to know Jesus. Since we were not alive when Jesus was on earth in the flesh, we must find out what He was like through reading about Him in the Bible, God's message to us. If we open our hearts as we study His Word, the Holy Spirit (God Himself) will come into our hearts and explain the meaning to us.

The Holy Spirit can do this because He is the One Who guided those who wrote the Bible to write what they did. So, we can see that the Bible is really God's Word and not man's. This is why true Christians believe that the Bible is the only place where we can find the truth from God.

The Bible says that God made man (Adam and Eve) and placed him in control of the Garden of Eden. At first God was in control of man's heart so that whatever man did it was really God doing it through man. Satan, who is an angel who rebelled against God, came to man and suggested that man take control himself instead of letting God control.

So man looked at the fruit of the tree which God said they were not to eat of - if they did, they would die. It looked good to man so he followed Satan's suggestion and took of the fruit. What really happened was that man decided to take control of himself instead of letting God control his heart and life. Sin is really self control in the heart. The sins of a sinful life are the results of sin in the heart.

God had said that if they ate of the forbidden fruit, the penalty would be death. When man decided to take control of himself, he really shut God out of his life. Man cut himself off from God, Who is the Source of all life. To be cut off from life means death. Man died inside. If you cut the wire between the power plant and the light bulb, the light bulb goes dead. Man's heart became dark and insensitive to God and His plan for man's life. Man is lost in sin.

Physical death is just the result of the inner death in man's soul. If the core inside an apple is rotten, the outside will eventually rot too. The fact that all men die physically shows that death is in the natural hearts of all men.

Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." This means that when Satan (appearing as the serpent in Genesis 3:1) stung Adam and Eve with the poison of rebellion against God, he gave the whole human race blood-poisoning. We are all born so that we just naturally go our own way instead of letting God control.

The most important thing for each of us is to realize that we are running our own lives and, from the bottom of our hearts, tell God that we are willing for Him to take control and do His will through us. This is what it really means to become a Christian.

When we are willing to have God change our hearts, we come to understand why Jesus Christ came into the world. His name "Christ" means "the one appointed". He was the one appointed to pay the penalty (death) for man's sin by His death on the cross. In Mark 10:45 Jesus says, "The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and give His life a ransom for many." (see also Romans 5:6,8)

So, if Christ came to die in our place, all we need to do is to let His death become our death. This happens when we give God permission to kill the self in the center of our hearts - when we give up trying to run our own lives. Then instead, Christ Himself, Who was raised from the dead and is alive today, actually comes into live in our hearts and do His will through us. When we give up our own way and let Christ come into our hearts, it is no longer us living but Christ living in our lives. This is what the Apostle Paul says in Galatians 2:20 - "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me."

This is what is meant by salvation. After we give up control (die) inside and let Christ come in to live in us, His death pays the penalty for our sin and we are saved from the wrath of God's judgment on us for having run our own lives. We are saved from being apart from God forever.

With Christ living in our hearts instead of the old self, we will find an entirely new way of life. In II Corintians 5:17 we read, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

We have read how Paul says in Galatians 2:20, "Christ liveth in me." To give up control of our hearts and let Christ come in is just the beginning of this new kind of life - the Christian life.

In Colossians 2:6 we read, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him." We receive Him by giving up ourselves and letting Him come into our hearts. We live a Christian life by continually giving up and letting Jesus take control in every part of life.

We should continue to let Christ live in us by surrendering to Him every moment in each new experience in life. We should let Him take control of our hearts and solve each problem that arises. We should surrender our hearts to Him afresh and thank Him for each joy that comes to us.

John the Baptist says in John 3:30, "He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease." We should keep on giving up to Jesus so that He can keep on living in us. ( Colossians 3:1-3) If Christ really lives in our hearts, people should be able to see Him living in our lives at home, at school, at church, at work, and at play. ( Matthew 5:16, Galatians 2:20, I Corinthians 10:31)

Now, if you have let Jesus come into your heart (as Savior) and into your life (as Lord, which means "Master" or "ruler" ), you have the same kind of a heart and life as all those who have actually let Jesus come to live in them. All those who have let Jesus take control are members of His body called the church.

The word "church" comes from a Greek word which means "the called out ones". Those who have responded to God's invitation and have come out from man's natural way of self control to let Christ control their hearts are one body - the church.

The church has two sacraments - Baptism and the Lord's Supper. A sacrament is a sacred act established by Christ Himself and performed in the early church.

To show that the sin of those who let Christ come into their hearts is cleansed ("paid for") by Christ's death and that he or she is a member of Christ's body, the person is either sprinkled with water or dipped in it "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" as Jesus said in Matthew 28:19. Since the Bible does not clearly say whether baptism is to be by sprinkling or dipping the person under the water, we believe that baptism is important but that the way it is done is one of the less important things.

The Presbyterian Church is among those who believe that children of parents who have let Christ come into their hearts are to be baptized as babies. This does not mean that those who are baptizes as babies are automatically saved from sin. It does mean that such a child is part of the Christian believers in Christ, and if the parents and the church do their part in teaching the child the truth of Christ, the child will let Christ into his or her own heart.

We must be very careful so that we personally let Christ come into our hearts. Otherwise, our baptism does not mean a thing. We are not saved by baptism, but by personally letting Jesus come into our hearts.

The sacraments of the Lord's Supper was established by Christ on the night He was betrayed by Judas. It was on the occasion of the feast of the Passover. (See Exodus 12:1-14)

The Passover was the time when God said death would fall on all the homes in Egypt. Those who wanted God to take control of their hearts were to put a lamb to death to pay for their sin. Death "passed over" those who took death of the lamb in place of their own. I Corinthians 5:7 says, "Christ our passover (lamb) is sacrificed for us."

As Jesus and his disciples sat at the Passover meal, Jesus took bread and said, This is my body which is broken for you." Then He took grape juice and said, "This is my blood which is shed for you. Do this in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till He come."

We believe that Christ was saying that the bread and the grape juice used in the Lord's Supper would represent or show His death for our sin. As we open our mouths to let the bread and grape juice go down into our bodies, so we should open our hearts and let Christ come into cleanse us from sin by His death. And as we gain physical strength from the bread and grape juice, just so must we let Christ live in us to be the strength to live for Him. We should afresh receive His death for our sins and let Him again take control of our lives each time we take part in the Lord's Supper.

The Lord's Supper is also called "Communion" from the two words "common" and "union" because it represents the inner joining of Christ with our hearts, and also our common heart tie with all in the past, present , or future who have Christ in their hearts.

Those who have Christ living in their hearts may have different types of organization. This is one of the less important matters about which Christian people have different ideas.

The Presbyterian Church has what is called a representative type of government. The name "Presbyterian" comes from the fact that "presbyters" which is the Greek word for "elders" are elected by the people to represent them in deciding matters. The elders in a local church are the officers which make up the ruling body called the Session. These officers, together with the ministers, meet in Presbytery which is the meeting with representatives from other Presbyterian churches in a certain area. Then representatives from the Presbyteries meet together in a larger meeting called the Synod with people from churches all over a State. Once a year representatives from the Presbyteries go to the largest meeting of all which is called the General Assembly. The General Assembly elects a minister or layman to be the Moderator (or chairman) of its meeting. The United States has a representative form of government.

Again we must realize that this is one of the less important matters. We must be careful not to get so much man-made government that we think we are saved by being a member of an organization called a church, instead of by letting Christ come into our hearts.

The last important subject we shall think about is the future. The Bible clearly teaches that Christ will come again in a physical sense (see Acts 1:9-11). He came to earth the first time as a humble man. In His Second Coming He will come in a great power as the King and Ruler of the universe.

He will judge all men's hearts as to whether they have opened their heart to Him or not. Those who have not surrendered their hearts to Him will be sent away from God forever to share the doom of Satan - which is really hell. Those who have let Him control and live in their hearts and lives will share in the blessings of God for eternity which is heaven.

This world will come to an end someday and a new earth will be formed (see Mark 13:31, II Peter 3:9-14, Revelation 21:1-4). Those who have let Christ take control of their hearts will live in the new heaven and earth (see Matthew 5:3, 5, 8, 10; John 14:1-4).

The Bible tells us that those who have Christ living in their hearts, even with their physical bodies dead, shall have a new body in the resurrection (means "life again"). You will remember that we said earlier that the main reason for physical death is death inside the heart with man controlling his own life. Now, if we surrender our hearts and let Christ come in and bring our souls to life in God again, we can be sure that Christ will someday give us a new body that will never die ( John 11:25,26).

The Bible also teaches us that those who have let Jesus come into their hearts will be rewarded as to how much they have let Jesus live in their lives. ( I Corinthians 3:11-15). May we surrender our abilities, our time, our money, and all we are to Him. May it truly be Jesus living in us and not us living in ourselves.

There are many things the Bible does not make clear about the future. But we can be sure that God knows all about the future and , if we surrender our hearts and lives completely and continuously to Him, He will guide us along the way and give us the very best He has in the future.

We should be busy letting Him live in us and work through us to help others let Jesus into their hearts and lives in order that His "Kingdom may come on earth as it is in heaven."

WHAT ABOUT BAPTISM?

In the face of such widespread misunderstanding among God's people in regard to baptism, a simple statement on the subject might prove helpful.

In the first place it must be clearly understood that there is a basic difference as to the underlying principle involved in Baptism as held by those who insist on immersion (of adults only) and those who practice sprinkling (including infants).

The immersionist maintains that baptism is the sign and seal of salvation. Baptism is to be administered only to those who have consciously sensed their sinfulness and put their faith in Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. Immersion is insisted upon as necessary to symbolize the death , burial, and resurrection of the believer with Christ. And thus, since a child before it reaches the age of discretion is unable to intelligently believe in Christ, children are not to be baptized.

On the other hand, those who do not insist upon immersion maintain that baptism is the New Testament sign of God's covenant with His people as circumcision was in the Old Testament.

The Jewish child, as illustrated in the life of Christ, was presented in the temple for circumcision on the eighth day - as an infant. (see Luke 2:21) Thus the baptism of infants of believing parents is an acknowledgment of the inclusion of their children in God's covenant - "For the promise is unto you and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." ( Acts 2:39)

The Jewish converts to Christianity would not think of leaving their children in Judaism while they came to Christ. So the infants of believing parents are considered children of the covenant - infant members of the household of the faith in Christ.

This does not mean that these infants are saved any more than every circumcised Jew was actually one of God's own in his heart. The individual must personally surrender themselves to Christ in each stage of his development throughout his life if he is truly a child of God. Unless a child thus allows Christ to live in him or her as their personal Savior and Lord, he or she forfeits their birthright - the inheritance laid up for him or her by his or her faithful parents.

Adults who surrender their hearts and lives to Christ are likewise to be baptized as a sign of their becoming children of God. However, it must be clearly understood that the true sign of belonging to Christ is not baptism but the evidence of Christ living in and through the life.

Thus the symbolism claimed for immersion - death, burial, and resurrection with Christ - is deepened to include the whole life in Christ as revealed in other Biblical illustrations such as the solidity of the house built upon the rock, the filthy rags of man's righteousness exchanged for the spotless garments of Christ's righteousness, the flow of the life of the vine into the branches, and the well of water within springing up into everlasting life. The life of Christ cannot be limited by any one symbol - even to such an excellent one as the burial and resurrection idea.

The immersionist claims that baptism is to be administered only to those who are old enough to intelligently accept certain facts - that man is a sinner, that Christ died on the cross for sin, and that the person is convinced of his need of Christ as his personal Savior and Lord.

As true as this may seem, does not the Bible reveal clearly that salvation is not a matter of man's mind approving certain facts but rather a person is saved by surrendering his heart to God in a simple child-like faith? Jesus said, "Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven." ( Matthew 18:3) Thus baptism is to be administered only on the basis of evidence of this child-like surrender to Christ.

Jesus also said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the kingdom of heaven." ( Luke 18:16) Ought we not then to acknowledge the little children as partakers of the heavenly kingdom and instruct and encourage them to mature into adult believers in Christ through whom the Holy Spirit may work out God's precious will?

In conclusion let it be established that baptism is simply the sign of Salvation in Christ. Let none over-emphasize the symbol of baptism that the importance of the salvation of the soul be lost.

As you read this - bear in mind that you may have been sprinkled as a child or immersed as an adult but unless your heart is utterly yielded to Jesus Christ at this very moment, you are still a lost soul.

Whoever you are, won't you stop right now and tell the living Savior that you are willing for Him to take control in your heart and have His own way in every detail of your life?

THE LOGIC OF SALVATION

1. God created mankind - physically and spiritually - real life is having God, who is life, living in the center of the heart.	Genesis 2:7 "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
2. God told mankind not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good an evil - if they ate, they would die - God, who is life, would be shut out of the center of their hearts - they would be dead inside.	Genesis 2:16, 17 "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree in the garden thou mayest eat: but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat of of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die."
3. Adam and Eve (and all mankind in them) did eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (of supreme authority) - which put self at the center of their hearts instead of God - which is sin.	Genesis 3:6 "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."
4. We are all born with self at the center - under the penalty of sin which is death (spiritual, physical, and eternal separation from God, who is life).	Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."
5. Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for sin.	Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
6. Each person must accept Christ's death as the payment of the penalty fo his sin to be saved - experience a change in the center of his heart - to have God (who is life), instead of self, living inside.	Acts 16:31 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."
7. Those who accept Christ's death as the payment of the penalty for their sin are saved - they have God (eternal life) living inside of them - when their physical body dies, the person (spirit, soul) with eternal life (God) inside lives on with God forever - everlasting life - heaven.	John 11:25,26 "Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."
8. Those who do not accept Christ's death as the payment of the penalty for their sin are lost - they do not have God (eternal life) living inside of them - when their physical body dies, they go into eternity without God (eternal life) forever - which is everlasting death - hell.	John 3:36 "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."

THE CHAPEL IN THE SOUL

John 4:24 "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

Many people today are asking questions about worship: "Just what is worship?', "How can a person really worship?", "Is it possible to worhip in many so-called worship services today?"

In analyzing this vital problem, it seems that an outstanding difficulty is the idea that worship is a matter of time and place; that is, many feel that worship is only possible in a particular place - in a certain building, or in a room where certain form or order of procedure is followed.

This misconception on the part of the Samaritan woman in her conversation with Jesus at the well formed the basis for a very clear explanation as to the nature of worship by our Lord. The woman said to him, "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." Jesus said unto her, "Woman, believe in me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father is spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

Thus we see worship is not merely a matter of time and space - it is an activity which must take place in the realm of the spirit to be genuine. God is a Spirit. He is the supreme Being in the realm of the non-physical, the spiritual, the eternal which is above, behind, and within all things which are physical and temporal.

This realm becomes more meaningful to us when we recognize that man is primarily a spiritual being; that is , what really makes man man is that part of him which is non-physical and non-material. The spirit is the very essence of man - it is the man himself who is manifest in the physical body which moves according to the impulse of the spirit within. The spirit of man is his point of contact with God who is the Supreme Spirit and the God of the universe.

We can learn a great deal about worship by thinking of the spirit of man - that part of man in which he can meet God - as being a little chapel down in the soul. The apostle Paul asks the Corinthians, "What? Know ye not that the your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" Our spirit is like a little chapel where we can go to meet God and truely worship Him in spirit and in truth.

In this little chapel in the soul we might well imagine there being a little pulpit. It is from this pulpit in the heart that Christ, in the form of His Holy Spirit, speaks with the individual concerning the things of God; that is, in a Christian, Christ is the pastor in the chapel of the soul. He is the only one that can become the pastor of the heart of man, and he only becomes so as he is given a unanimous call by the individual, who is the congregation in the little chapel. David said, "The Lord is my shepherd." The term "pastor" means "shepherd". David was saying, "The Lord is my pastor." Is the Lord Jesus Christ the pastor of the chapel in your soul? If He is not, the pulpit in your chapel is vacant. There are many vacant pulpits in the hearts of men today. And it is certainly not because Christ is not ready to accept the pastoral call. It is our duty as ministers of the Gospel to help people to make Christ the full-time pastor of their souls. Even as we become pastors of congregations, let us remember that we can never become the pastor in the chapel in the souls of men. We can only be instruments to be used by the only pastor of the souls of men - Jesus Christ. There are too many today who think in terms of some man, a minister, as their pastor - rather than Christ. The result is that when the minister leaves, everything leaves with him, including a so-called faith in God and an interest in worshipping Him. We must help men to make Christ the pastor in the chapel in their souls.

Some attempt to substitute the echo of their own reason for the voice of God in the chapel of their souls. They think that nothing can daunt them as long as they can withdraw and talk things over with themselves. All goes well until something really tragic happens and the echo becomes dead and cold. Then they realize they need someone more than themselves in the chapel of the soul.

With Christ as the pastor in the chapel, let us turn to the pew. Ther eis one little seat down in the chapelof your soul where you alone can go and sit and commune with and worship God. To truly worship you must go down within - into your spirit, your soul - and take your place in the chapel in your soul. You can go to this little pew anytime and in any place. When we are troubled and perplexed, we can receive comfort and guidance - if Christ is the pastor there - if He abides in us and we abide in Him.

But further, this chapel in the soul requires care. The dirt and trash of sin so clutter up the place. This makes it difficult to worship and many times impossible. In some cases the soul is so filled with trash that it is more like a store-room for junk than a chapel. The pulpit has either been removed or it is buried under piles of stuff so that there is no room for Christ. And the little pew can become so covered with lesser things that we can't possibly take our places to worship God. These little things pile up so and are so distracting as we try to worship in spirit and in truth.

We must clean up constantly in the chapel in the soul. We must continually sweep the sin up to the front and turning it over to Christ who will see that it is washed away in His precious blood. We read that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In other words, you must be the janitor in the chapel in your soul if it is to be a place where you can worship God in spirit and in truth.

But we might well ask, "How does all this fit in with a period of worship?" In the first place, you can only truly worship when you take your place in the little pew in the chapel in your soul - only when you are there ready to hear God speak to you. It is not enough simply to go into church, a room, or a chapel such as this and sit down then go through the ritual ceremony.

The ritual, the ceremony, or the order of service is merely an instrument to help us carry on worship in the chapel of the soul in spirit and truth. As we read the Bible together, it will only mean something to you as you allow the Holy Spirit to interpret it to you personally from the pulpit in the chapel in your soul. As we pray, you really pray only as you yourself speak to God from your place in the little pew in the chapel in your soul. As we sing together, you only truly praise Him as you sing in the chapel in your soul. The melody must be ringing in your heart. As I speak to you now, you will only receive help from this message as you allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you within. A minister is only an instrument of God to lead the individual as he worshipsin spirit and in truth in the chapel in his soul.

Thus we see that worship is a matter of the inner man. We can commune with and worship God anytime and anywhere. The door of the chapel in your soul is open to you at all times.

"Take time to be holy, speak often with thy Lord; abide in Him always, and feed on His Word. Take time to be holy, the world rushes on; spend much time in secret with Jesus alone."

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