Southwest Jurisdiction Seminar
This is the foundation of our doctrine: Jesus is the Son of God.
There are major denominations who also say they believe that Jesus is the Son of God but they explain it another way. Some say God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are three personalities in one person. Some say God the Father and Jesus are one person. Before I explain to you what we believe, I put a lot of time into listening to other people to make sure that I’m not wrong. Other people or ministries don’t mind telling you something wrong. In fact, successful cult leaders can convince the people that what they tell them is true even if it’s false.
A bishop, district superintendent, pastor or minister should pray and ask God to give them the wisdom to lead His people. I tell the Lord often, I don’t want to tell anyone anything wrong. This has been my saving grace. Today, I want to tell you the same thing I told the saints at the last place I visited, but I know it will be different. Although it’s the same truth, it never comes out the same. This is because the needs of the people are not the same. I’m going to talk about Jesus, the Son of God.
I’m going to explain to you why we baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. You need to be able to defend your position. We have new bishops who need to have this so I’m zeroing in on them. These new bishops have been successful in CLGI adding to the net worth and growth. Being successful in CLGI should be very valuable to us. This along with our faith is more precious than silver and gold. We need to belong to a church.
According to Paul, you probably should belong to a church.
Do you have to belong to a church? According to the word of God, you probably should. Do you have to be on the membership roll? Well, Heaven has a roll too. You have church vagabonds. These are people who drift from church to church. Then you have church kooks. Not to be offensive but this is best name I can think of to describe them.
Church kooks are led by demonic spirits and they come into your church to disrupt the service. Jude called them spots in your feasts. They seem to never have a scriptural understanding. Now if it’s a mental illness, have compassion on them and thank God you have a sound mind.
Matt 16:13, during the three (3) years of Jesus ministry, he wasn’t hopping from city to city like we do. We can be in San Antonio this weekend and Philadelphia the next. Jesus and his disciples walked from place to place. When I was a child, we walked to town and it was about 5 miles. Time moved a lot slower in those days. Remember, there were no passenger plans and only trains and buses. I can remember when the military first got jet planes. There was no haste to do anything. A minute is a minute in 2017 and 1900. A lot of things change, but some things remain the same. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Heb 13:8
In Matthew 16:13, Jesus asked the disciples ‘whom do men say that I am?’
Some said he was John the Baptist. Herod thought Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead (Matt 14:1-2). Most of the Jews didn’t think Jesus was John the Baptist. It wasn’t until about 3-4 months into Jesus ministry that John was moved off the scene. The Jews weren’t too big on the doctrine of reincarnation.
[Admonishment to young men] The young men have a hard time thinking straight because they smoke marijuana. Remember, when you come into the service, the Holy Spirit is in that church or service. As long as you’re not in a leadership role over the service, you may be ok. But when you come in and play the instruments and beat that drum {after getting high}, that’s not good. Things will happen to you because you are eating and drinking unworthily (1 Cor 11). Paul said some of the saints became weak, sickly, and some even died.
You should not get on those drums after you’ve been out all night. You come out and dance before the Lord and you do not have the Spirit. You are dancing damnation to your soul. You’re playing church and you’re not sincere. You open yourself and pollute the service. I can have my eyes closed, but I can tell you when they’re playing insincerely.
Now what I do is give them plenty of rope and let them hang themselves. Play but be sincere. We will come out to praise the Lord in the Spirit. When you eat and drink unworthily, you bring damnation to your soul. Things will happen to you that should happen to sinners.
The Jews didn’t think Jesus was John the Baptist.
Herod was not a Jew but a puppet leader set up by the Romans. John was held in high esteem as a prophet but he did no miracles. (John 10:41) The Jews who believed Jesus was John the Baptist were called Herodians. Some thought he was Elijah or Elisha. The Jews didn’t believe in reincarnation but due to trade with countries like India for spices, they were exposed to these foreign religions and beliefs. Jesus did come in the spirit of Elijah but he was not Elijah.
At best, the Jews believed Jesus was another prophet. Some thought he was the Christ though not publicly for fear of the Jews. Their lives were built around the synagogue.
My life is built around what I believe. It governs my behavior and lifestyle. It determines what concert I got to and which ones I don’t. Woe unto the pastor who tell me to fashion my lifestyle around this gospel and then go home and his own kids don’t abide by his calling. When a child won’t abide by your calling, then it’s time for them to go. I had brothers who were not saved, but they had to do what momma and daddy said to do.
The Jews had all these different opinions and people knew his family. We’re separating now who we think Jesus Christ is. People knew Mary and Joseph. When Jesus was born, Joseph was probably 20-25. When Jesus started his ministry, Joseph was not an old man. I notice that the writers never mention Joseph so as not to confuse who Jesus father was. Matt 13:55, the people mention his brothers, sisters, and Mary but not Joseph.
Jesus grew up in a little town called Nazareth.
He lived at home until he was 30 but he was subject to his mother and father (Luke 2:51). If your children are young adults and not married but still doing well and working, don’t kick them out. When they start making $60K, make them pay rent. We seem to leave out Jesus’ life between the ages of 12-30. When he performs his first miracle at the wedding of Cana, his mother told them Jesus would know what to do. He honored his mother. Honor your mother and father that your days may be long. Don’t allow your children to respond to you any kind of way.
Luke 4:16-32, in the synagogue, the Jews allowed people to read and expound on the scriptures. They allowed Jesus to speak and he told them the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. They became very angry and wanted push him off the cliff. He had to move to Capernaum until things cooled off. He found many of his disciples in Capernaum because they were fishermen.
John 6:41-42, they knew Jesus family, but only three people knew he was the Son of God. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were the only ones who knew he was the Son of God. The Catholics still believe Mary is a virgin. Mary had at least six other children after Jesus. Four of his brothers are named in Matthew 13:55-57 and it refers to his sisters so there must have been more than one. The Catholics pray to two of his brothers: St. James and St. Jude.
Jesus had friends as he was growing up, but he lived holy.
He told them in one account, “Satan has nothing in me.” A sin you have not committed will not hold sway over you. Paul said to flee fornication because it holds sway over all of us. I’m not saying there are big sins and little sins, but one may influence you more. You must stay away from that sin. I didn’t’ come out of the bar, but I have to be long-suffering with those who did. You must stay away from somethings that bit you. Sin is like a poisonous adder (snake).
Those who come up in this way have an edge. Keep your children away from sin and they won’t be influenced by it. Run from that snake. ‘He’ may be a snake. ‘She’ may be a snake. Raise up a child in the way he should go. Make your children feel more special than other children who are not in a saved home. I was not brought up to go to the prom. Tell your children what they are going to be: pastor, district superintendent, or a bishop.
Jesus friends came around and probably asked him at some point, when will you get married? You don’t have to get married before a certain age. He knew what his purpose was (Mark 3:21, 3:31). Jesus asked them, whom do men say that I am? Who do people say Jesus is in 2017? They believe he is half God, half man. Some say he’s three personalities in one. Some believe God and Jesus are the same person. Mary carried Jesus nine (9) full months. Jesus is God’s only begotten son.
We should be able to hold our ground. Stop running from people about bible discussions. I look for the Jehovah’s Witness to come to my door.
Jesus asked the disciples, I know what they think, but who do you say that I am? Peter spoke up. He was usually the first to speak up. Sometimes he put his foot in his mouth, but he got it right this time. Peter said thou are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus told Peter, flesh and blood hath not revealed this to you. This meant that no person could have told you because only Joseph, Mary, and Jesus knew.
Where are you in your opinion about Jesus?
We have to go from seminar to seminar. We have many scriptures to back up what we believe. If you have one scripture on a particular topic like “God is a Spirit,” you must interpret this one scripture in the light of ten other scriptures that say He has a body. You must interpret the one in the light of the many other scriptures.
There are many denominations that say God is a Spirit. When the scripture states this, it means He is a Spirit being with a body. If we believe God is a Spirit means an invisible spirit, then Heaven must be invisible and not real. Then the gates to the Holy City, New Jerusalem, must be invisible or imaginary.
Peter knew Jesus’ mother, step father, brothers, and sisters, but he makes up his mind: Jesus is God’s Son. What can we say about Judas? Judas must have been one who didn’t believe Jesus really was the Son of God. Judas never believed he was the Christ, the Son of God. Some hear us preach against going to the bar, but they really don’t see anything wrong with it. There is only so much line on the reel of the fishing pole and after a while, that line will run out. (Parable that means what you don’t believe will catch up with you after a while) Judas had some doubts. You must make up your mind!
When you’re getting baptized, we’re baptizing you because you believe in the Son, the Father, and the Holy Ghost.
When John baptized, he didn’t baptize in any name, but only unto repentance. You are baptized unto what you believe. In Acts 2, Peter baptized in the name of Jesus because the Jews already had God and believed in the Holy Ghost, but they didn’t accept Jesus.
Some of us doubt our tongues. We need more light (understanding). When tongues (baptism of the Holy Ghost) came, we found out for ourselves who God was. They came upon you because you didn’t have God. Now you have him. As Gentiles, we were without hope, no promise, without Christ and without God in the world. (Eph 2) Now we have God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost, so we baptize you according to Matt 28, in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.