What We Believe
THOMPSON MINISTRIES
THE CHURCH OF GRACE
What We Believe
- We believe the scriptures are inspired by God.
- We believe there is only One True God – revealed in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- We believe in the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ…
- We believe though originally good, man willingly fell to sin, ushering evil and death (physical and spiritual) into the world.
- We believe every person can have restored fellowship with God through Salvation…
- We believe and practice two ordinances: [1] Water Baptism by immersion, [2] Holy Communion…
- We believe the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a Special Experience following salvation that empowers believers
- We believe the initial physical evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is ‘Speaking in Tongues”
- We believe Sanctification initially occurs at Salvation.
- We believe the church has a Mission to seek and save all who are lost.
- We believe a Divinely called and scripturally Ordained Leadership Ministry serves the Church.
- We believe Divine healing of the sick is a privilege for Christians today…
- We believe in The Blessed Hope – when Jesus Raptures His Church prior to His return to earth [the second coming].
- We believe in The Millennial Reign of Christ when Jesus returns with His saints at his second coming.
- We believe a Final Judgment will take place for those who have rejected Christ.
- We believe in the perfect New Heaven and a New Earth that Christ is preparing for all who have accepted him.
The Purpose of the Church
The Church’s Purpose:
- To Make Disciples
- To Change Lives
- To Keep His Word
Great Commission: Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
This Commission Needs to be delivered via The Great Commandment The Great Commandment Mark 12:29-31 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
How do we begin? With a solid foundation Matthew 7:24-27 (The Message) “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. “But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a thoughtless carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”
My Responsibility
- Meeting together:
- Hebrews 10:25 “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the day approaching.” (NIV)
- Proverbs 27:17- 17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend
- Hebrews 10:25 “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the day approaching.” (NIV)
- Growing in Grace and Knowledge:
- 2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” (NIV)
- The example has been set – 2 Corinthians 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
- 2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” (NIV)
- Be Filled with the Spirit:
- Ephesians 5:16-18 “Making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil…Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery (wickedness). Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”
- (NIV) Evidence of being filled = The Fruit of the Spirit- Galatians 5:22, 23
- Giving Tithes and Offering:
- Malachi 3:8-10: “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. But you ask, How do we rob you? In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse, the whole nation of you because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, “says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” (NIV)
- 2 Corinthians 9:7, 8: “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (NIV)
- Malachi 3:8-10: “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. But you ask, How do we rob you? In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse, the whole nation of you because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, “says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” (NIV)
- Praying Earnestly:
- Acts 12:5: “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” (NIV)
- Ephesians 6:18: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (NIV)
- Be not ashamed of the Gospel by acknowledging God before men and preaching the Gospel
- Matthew 10:32-33: “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.”
- Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of earth.”
- Acts 8:4: “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.” (NIV)
- Roman 1:16: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” (NIV)
- Proclaim it fearlessly – Ephesians 6:19-20
- Matthew 10:32-33: “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.”
- Acts 12:5: “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” (NIV)
The ACTS Prayer Model
The ACTS prayer model will be helpful to you as you learn how to pray. ACTS stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.
Adoration means worship. Begin your time of prayer by adoring and praising God. Praise Him for who He is and for all that He has done for you. God delights in your praises! Example: Father God you are a loving, caring, forgiving, compassionate, merciful Shepherd.
CONFESSION means agreeing with God about the things you have done wrong (Sin). It’s a time to express sorrow about anything that is not pleasing to Him. Ask God to forgive you, and then believe that He does so freely. When you confess your sins, you receive God’s cleansing. Example: Father, forgive me for not having the faith to trust you; this has led to me worrying.
Thanksgiving means being thankful to God. Thank Him for His love, protection, and provision. Example: Father, thank you for your peace, your love, and your protection.
Supplication means praying for your needs and for the needs of others, such as friends, family, your pastor, missionaries, government leaders, and persecuted Christians around the world. You may also want to pray for such things as God’s guidance, wisdom, and opportunities to serve. Example: Father, give me a double portion of your wisdom to use on the job, raising my children, and speaking to my spouse. I pray for Pastor Hannah. Cover and protect him, his family and our New Life Church family.
ACTS prayer model serves as a guide to help you, not a rigid formula to follow. Just talk from your heart. Set aside a specific time to pray each day. Pick a quiet place where you can be alone with God. Begin your time by reading the Bible. Spend some time thinking about it deeply. Reflect on what God is impressing on your heart to you through the passage. Ask God to help you apply what you are learning.
The Bible
The Bible is God’s operation manual for human life. The Word of God is spiritual food for every Christian believer. Jesus corroborated this when he declared, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). When we read scripture, we are committing to a spiritual life with a proper diet.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.- 2 Timothy 2:15
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. – Psalm 119:105
BOOKS IN THE BIBLE
Old Testament – Consists of 39 books:
5 BOOKS of Law
12 BOOKS of History
5 BOOKS of Wisdom and Poetry
17 BOOKS on Prophecy
New Testament – Consists of 27 books:
4 Gospels
1 History
14 Pauline Epistles
7 General Epistles
1 Prophetic
Who Wrote the Bible?
Over a span of 1,500 years, God inspired over 40 different men to record His divine revelation. The entire Bible is “God-breathed” or divinely inspired (2 Timothy 3:16).
Why Read it?
Because the Word of God is the spiritual food by which the believer should live.
How Do I Read It?
Select an understandable translation. Different versions of the Bible are simply different translations of the Bible.
Find a place to start. This can be very difficult and confusing if it is your first time. The Gospels and Wisdom literature are always a good place to start.
Set a consistent time and place. It is important that you consistently make time and space to read and study the scriptures. Joshua 1:8
Set a sustainable pace. You should set a daily reading regiment that you can sustain over time.
WORSHIP
To worship means to express worth. It is the act by which one expresses God’s worth in their lives. Worship is so important to God that it was prioritized as the first of the Ten Commandments: thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Why should we worship?
We worship because we were created to do it. Worship is where we thrive. The same way fish thrive in water and birds thrive in air, so too do we thrive in his presence. Worship ushers us into the presence of the Lord.
Psalm 16:11-“In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
In his presence, God speaks to us. When we worship, yokes are destroyed, habits are broken, and the supernatural is experienced.
How do we worship?
John 4 helps us with the how to question. Jesus proclaims, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
It is impossible to worship in the Spirit if you are not aware of the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in our growth and development as Christians. God desires that we have an intimate relationship with Him, and He’s given us His Spirit to dwell in us to grow closer to Him.
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you… And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel 36:26, 27 [NAS]
What is the Role of the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit enables us to know God’s:
Comfort – “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter.” John 14:16
Word – “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” John 6:63
Conviction – “And He, when he comes will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” John 16:7, 8
Character – “But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22, 23
Power – “greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
Spiritual direction – “But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what he hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come; He will glorify me because it is from me.” John 16:13-14
God never intended for us to go through life alone. Throughout the Bible, we see the importance of being in community. In fact, authentic life-change happens in the context of relationships.
Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another.” Hebrews 10:25 (GN)
At Thompson Ministries, we believe our church must grow LARGER and SMALLER at the same time.
“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:46-47
Our Goal
Isaiah 43:7- Everyone who is called by My name, Whom
I have created for My glory; I have formed him. Yes, I have made him.”
Romans 8:28 – And we know that all things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his
purpose.
Our Reflection
Genesis 1:27 – So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Our Mandate
Genesis 1:28 – And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Our Commission
Matthew 28:19-20 – Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
