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HISTORY and TIMES of THE KINGDOM |
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Doctrine: The Bible teaches us that we, as Christians, are to live our lives in such a way that the those people who are unfamiliar with the love of Christ will be drawn to Him through our "lights shining in the darkness". We believe that a Christian, once introduced to their Savior, finds it desirable and compelling to grow to be more like Him, and to leave the ways of the "old man" behind. The problem with any system of legalism within the Christian community, is that, by definition, it flies in the face of the liberating love of Christ. A Christian observes those behaviors and mores which bring glory, honor and praise to their Lord because they WANT to, not because they HAVE to. Paul wrote to the Corinthians we do these things because we are "new creatures in Christ" (II Corinthians 5:17-21). As soon as the focus is shifted from the New Covenant to the Old Covenant, from grace to the law, Christians then find themselves trying to regain or prove their worthiness in the eyes of the Father through their lifestyle and behavior patterns. The New Covenant, the Gospel, the "Good News", is just this! God's acceptance of us is obtained as a gift, available to all, ONLY by and through the sacrificial grace of Jesus Christ.
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