When it comes to religion, we tend to think that the Catholics were the first Christians and that Henry VIII of England started his own version so that he could legally divorce his barren wife. If you're a Christian and you are not a Catholic, then you are some branch of protestant, be it Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Nazarene, Episcopalian, et cetera. What may surprise most people is that the fundamental Christian church, and not Rome, was actually the first to follow the teachings of Jesus.
The origin of the Catholic Church was in the second century AD. The Christian fundamentalist church, the original Christian church, was composed of the apostles and the Jews and Gentiles that followed Christ before and after the Ascension. The Book of Acts, written by the apostle Luke in around 80 AD, documents the formation of the Christian church and the spread of its message to Rome.
Luke defines the precise moment that Christianity was born, at the first Feast of Pentecost that took place following the Resurrection. Pentecost is a Jewish holiday in remembrance of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. On this occasion, Jesus' followers felt a mighty, rushing wind that filled the building. This wind was the Holy Spirit.
This moment became known as the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and it happens to everyone who gets baptized in water as a Christian. The rite of baptism signifies publicly that the subject has turned their back on sin, that they believe that Jesus was the Son of God and that he died for our sins. It is not enough to believe; demons believe. If you want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, you have to be born again through water.
The acknowledgement of the Holy Spirit is what separates fundamentalists from other Christians. Some people go their entire lives thinking that the Holy Ghost referred to Jesus after the Resurrection and that he left the planet when he ascended into heaven.
This is a mistaken view. In the Book of John (Chapter 14, verses 15 to 18). Here, Jesus says that the Father will send down a helper, who will abide with us forever. That inexplicable, overwhelming sadness that you feel when you visit a church and you have not been baptized, that is the Holy Spirit, gently reminding you that you are a sinner and not right with God.
That feeling of electricity when you're on your feet with your fellow worshippers, praising your Creator with the same enthusiasm as you do at a concert or a football game, that's the Holy Spirit, too. When your pastor blesses you and channels God's power so strongy that you fall into a faint, that is also the work of the Holy Spirit. When you come to, it's like waking up from the most refreshing sleep ever.
We are not alone. God did send the helper that Jesus promised. When two or more people gather in the name of the Lord, he is there.
The origin of the Catholic Church was in the second century AD. The Christian fundamentalist church, the original Christian church, was composed of the apostles and the Jews and Gentiles that followed Christ before and after the Ascension. The Book of Acts, written by the apostle Luke in around 80 AD, documents the formation of the Christian church and the spread of its message to Rome.
Luke defines the precise moment that Christianity was born, at the first Feast of Pentecost that took place following the Resurrection. Pentecost is a Jewish holiday in remembrance of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. On this occasion, Jesus' followers felt a mighty, rushing wind that filled the building. This wind was the Holy Spirit.
This moment became known as the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and it happens to everyone who gets baptized in water as a Christian. The rite of baptism signifies publicly that the subject has turned their back on sin, that they believe that Jesus was the Son of God and that he died for our sins. It is not enough to believe; demons believe. If you want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, you have to be born again through water.
The acknowledgement of the Holy Spirit is what separates fundamentalists from other Christians. Some people go their entire lives thinking that the Holy Ghost referred to Jesus after the Resurrection and that he left the planet when he ascended into heaven.
This is a mistaken view. In the Book of John (Chapter 14, verses 15 to 18). Here, Jesus says that the Father will send down a helper, who will abide with us forever. That inexplicable, overwhelming sadness that you feel when you visit a church and you have not been baptized, that is the Holy Spirit, gently reminding you that you are a sinner and not right with God.
That feeling of electricity when you're on your feet with your fellow worshippers, praising your Creator with the same enthusiasm as you do at a concert or a football game, that's the Holy Spirit, too. When your pastor blesses you and channels God's power so strongy that you fall into a faint, that is also the work of the Holy Spirit. When you come to, it's like waking up from the most refreshing sleep ever.
We are not alone. God did send the helper that Jesus promised. When two or more people gather in the name of the Lord, he is there.
About the Author:
You can find a brief summary of the benefits you get when you attend a fundamental Christian church at http://richeyville.org right now.
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