Answers Part 1

Heidi asked what my answers to my questions for a pastor would be? I will answer the first five here and the second five in a new post.

1. Where do you stand on the inerrancy of scripture?

I belive that all Biblical scripture is the inspired, inerrent Word of G-d. To deny this is to make the sacrifice of Jesus meaningless and without need.

"All Scripture is breathed out by God"
2 Timothy 3:16.
"And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant."
2 Samuel 7:28
"God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?"
Numbers 23:9
"The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times."
Psalm 12:6
"Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him."
Proverbs 30:5

2. What do you believe concerning the blood of Christ?

The Bible teaches that blood is required for the remission of sins. This was demonstrated through the “perfect” animal sacrifices the Hebrews were required to perform. The problem was that as innocent as these animals were they were not enough to cover all of our sin. G_d knew this from the beginning but used it as a symbol to teach what was required.
G_d knew that only one sacrifice would be perfect enough to justify us to His righteousness. He had to sacrifice Himself for us and did so with His death upon the cross. The blood shed in His death is perfect enough to cover our sin so that He will not see it, but see His own perfection in us.

3. Who or what is the bride of Christ?

The bride of Christ is the people who have accepted Him and the sacrifice he has made for us. The bride consists of those who have chosen to give their lives to G_d, taken up their cross and died unto themselves so that they can be made acceptable in His eyes. It is not a building, place, creed, or specific denomination.

4. What is your take on corporate family worship? Do you allow well-behaved children in the sanctuary during services?

This is something relatively new to me (within the past two years). It is of utmost importance to Birdie. Basically this will give me an idea of the importance of family in that congregation. We have been at a number of churches that have real problems (have even asked in the bulletins to not have children in the service) with children being allowed in the service. I think that a provision for unruly or upset children, but it should involve a parent taking the child to another room and viewing the service via CCTV, basically the old concept of a crying room. No nurseries, children’s church, or separate youth groups. Church should not be about excluding people, but including all people regardless of age.

5. What are the roles of the pastor and deacon within a local church body?

This is something I am still studying. My concepts could change as I study this, but I will answer to the best of my knowledge at this time. Initially the local congregations had a pastor or teacher or priest whatever you wish to call him. The problem was he was swamped with everyone wanting him to do something for them. This was causing problems with the pastor’s ability to teach the scriptures, as he had no time to devote to study of the scriptures. The solution was the creation of the office of deacon. The deacons were to be the servant leaders of the local church body freeing the pastor to study and serve the church by teaching.