I remember the first time I was told about making my Profession of Faith. It was back when I was in the sixth grade, during Wednesday night youth group at American Reformed Church. My youth leader, Rosalyn De Koster, talked to us about how big of a step it is for kids to make their Profession of Faith in front of the church. She told us, “Your Profession of Faith is an important part in growing in your faith”. At the time, I was not at all ready to make this step, but it was good to learn about. Finally, two years later, I made the step in making my Profession of Faith to grow in my faith and more… I was baptized. Being raised in a Mennonite Church, I was never baptized. In the Mennonite faith, baptism is not performed when a newborn …show more content…
We usually tended to meet in his office and slowly worked through curriculum specifically for making your Profession of Faith and being baptized. Throughout the curriculum, we worked through the book of John in the Bible. It was a great experience hearing my pastors view on Jesus’ life and how we can live it out. Words truly did jump out of the pages of the Bible when reading through scripture and the book of John. I had never read through all of John so it helped me get a very detailed and fascinating view on Jesus Christ’s life. Throughout the reading and curriculum, I asked Pastor Mike many questions, challenged the readings, and truly learned a lot through the experience Overall, the curriculum helped change my way of thought and feelings towards scripture and the church. Finally, in May 15, 2016, I was ready to make my public Profession of Faith. Pastor Mike helped work me through and answer questions that further developed my faith, but now it was time to prove it in front of American Reformed Church’s congregation. First, I wrote my Statement of Faith. A few weeks later, I was baptized and made my profession in front of the church. #8 As I said my profession in front of my church congregation, I could feel the warmth of the Holy Spirt and love of Jesus Christ over me. I realized how much God cares for me and how important it is to live my life out as a good Christian. After my profession, my baptism occurred where water was poured over my head
In verse 15, Paul writes, "We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners" Paul seems to be telling his gentile reader that the Torah has no bearing on their salvation. I feel that he purposely or inadvertently gives the law merit more merit than intended by suggesting that Jews are not sinners because they received the law. He draws a distinction between himself and "the gentile sinners" yet he is telling his audience that the ways, some of which are still a part of his own way of life, are irrelevant. He seems to almost make a separation of culture and religion. He seems to be saying that the rectitude of the Jews dates from birth, because the Jewish religion is a part of their culture. Peter claims to
When I was seven years old, I begged for my parents’ allowance of my baptism. They didn't feel that I was quite old enough to comprehend the impact that it would have upon my life. Back then, I thought that it would be cool to get dunked into water for five seconds in the presence of a large audience;, it went without saying that I enjoyed trying new things, and best of all, I loved the attention I got when I tried them. “I believed I was pursuing success and the best was yet to come,” (Moorer 33). I was your typical precocious know-it-all.
Faith in Christ has given me a unique life filled with optimism and purpose. From a young age, I have been raised in a home where I was taught about the love of Christ. Not only at home did I learn about Christ, but at school and at church. Thus, my life has been filled with experiences that have amplified my faith. For example, when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, I found that my relationship with Christ grew. Through all of the difficult circumstances that I have faced, faith in Christ has given me the encouragement that I need to persevere through any situation. Additionally, faith has influenced my decision making, which is why I strive to make all my decisions and live my life according to faith-based principles. This means
The decision to become a doctor and study really hard for it took a while to get used to, but I finally did it. I decided that it was also time to draw a closer relationship with God. Baptized at the age of twelve, my vision on the world became clearer and that’s when I understood why things happened the way they did – why I came to America, why I met certain people, and why it happened at that time. All these questions were finally answered by God, who spoke through other people at school, church and even my home. I finally understood why the Indian people living in Greenwood helped us the way they did; they put themselves in our shoes and realized that they had gone through the same experience. From these experiences, God has helped me understand the importance of these small parts of life that I didn’t use to think about before. The big change finally made sense! It all happened for a reason – a reason that has impacted me for the rest of my life. The transition to my new life has changed the way I think about myself, act toward other people, and understand God’s will for my life. The decision to come to America was a decision that we will never regret making. - See more at:
The message of my work is to try and highlight the importance of showing how a person’s faith can have a positive and life-changing impact on their lives. I have done this by looking into the lives of two early Christian missionaries and portray how they would 've felt about their journeys, who they met and what they were teaching others. In doing so, I try to portray, to the best of my ability and knowledge, the apostle 's thoughts and just how strong their conviction and faith in God was.
Theme in “Defender of the Faith” can be interpreted in many varying ways, some of which are life-long lessons and others to the relation between faith and the individual.
Faith and reason can be viewed as opposites. Faith is an element of belief, something an individual does not necessarily require a reason for accepting without reason. For example, an individual’s reason for believing in God may not seem too rational when they are trying to explain them. They may not even stand up to criticism. On the other hand, reason is constructed as a formula. Faith is basically something we believe in, like something we learn in church. Reason is something we learn in school, such as a math formula.
Often held as a rite of passage and entrance into the Christian church, baptism is much more than just symbolic ritual. Baptism was commanded by Jesus Christ in the Great Commission recounted in the book of Matthew. Even though we are simplistically called to be obedient by being baptized the Christian church has long debated the aspects of this ordinance. Denominations are divided on the basic meaning, types and modes of baptism even two thousand years after the founding of the Christian church. Just as the other ordinance, the Lord’s Supper, congregations find themselves at odd with tradition, biblical interpretation and even individual understanding. However, the simple message of this awe inspiring act can be explained out of the
In a contemporary Christian environment one of the most prominent practices to have a significant contribution to Christianity as a living religious tradition is Baptism. Baptism is of utmost importance for most Christian denominations. It has profound significance for the individual who is baptised and is also important for the Christian community as a whole. As a sacrament of initiation, Baptism calls its adherents to become missionary Disciples of Christ. It is through baptism that one’s faith journey begins and Christians are called to follow and live their lives in the light of Christ.
Just what is theology? This question can have a wide variety of answers, from irrelevant facts about God thought up by men centuries ago, to complicated theories discussed by scholars. Typically, the average 21st century man does not consider theology as relevant. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. Theology by definition has the characteristics of both expounding the truth, and impacting the believer with that truth (Himes, 2011). Therefore, theology and the church are intricately combined, in that the church embodies the revelation of God, and is reality, not theory (Himes, 2011). A personal practical theology must begin with revelation, not the individual (Himes, 2011), and proclaim
The Epistle of James has an enduring message for the entirety of the Church and for each individual believer. James challenges its readers to live a life pleasing to God. The message of James 2 is vital for Christians to take root into one’s life. In James 2, there are two controversial topics addressed. James 2 addresses how to live out one’s faith by bringing forth action. The previous chapter addresses a phrase in James 1:22, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves”, which correlates with James Ch. 2:14-26. Being doers of the word and not hearers only is simply the only suitable response to the word of God. One would not be able to be a doer of the word if he does not fulfill the royal law of love (James
Wesley pictures baptism as essential for the Church and baptism is a holy observance for
Pope John Paul II once said, “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth – in a word, to know himself – so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.” (Fallible Blogma) Based on this significant and powerful quote, one can infer that faith and reason are directly associated and related. It can also be implied that the combination of faith and reason allows one to seek information and knowledge about truth and God; based on various class discussions and past academic teachings, it is understood that both faith and reason are the instruments that diverse parties
I am a Christian and I believe in the Holy trinity: God, the Son, the Holy Spirit.
What religion am I? In my life, I have been told many things about my religion. My mother is a Roman Catholic, while my father is Jewish. I have learned about both religions, and I have tried to practice both as best I could, but I am now faced with the decision; which one am I?