Saturday, August 30, 2008

Articles of Faith: Of Missions

(Note: Review quizzes and activities for Articles of Faith now available)

The command to give the gospel to the world is clear and unmistakable and this Great Commission was given to the churches.

Matthew 28:18-20

18. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Mark 16:15
15. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
John 20:21
21. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
Acts 1:8
8. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Romans 10:13-15
13. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15. And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Articles of Faith: Of the Grace of Giving

(Note: Review quizzes and activities for Articles of Faith now available)

Scriptural giving is one of the fundamentals of the Faith. We are commanded to bring our gifts into the storehouse (common treasury of the church) upon the first day of the week. Under grace we give, and do not pay, the tithe. We are commanded to bring the tithe into the common treasury of the church.

1 Corinthians 16:2

2. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
2 Corinthians 9:7
7. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Leviticus 27:30
30. And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord.
Malachi 3:10
10. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Acts 4:34-35, 37
34. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35. And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
37. Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Biblical counseling resources

Counseling Solutions (worldwide non-profit organization helping people who are in situational difficulties, accomplished by using Christian principles to train leaders to competently counsel as well as by providing practical and compassionate counseling to individuals in need; core values). Sample articles are:

Concerned or Responsible: How to think about those you serve: Do you generally feel more concerned or responsible for those you serve? There is a “sphere of responsibility” and a “sphere of concern” and the two are very different. Learn the differences and immediately apply the teaching from The Counseling Solutions Group to those you are discipling.



Does every Timothy need a Paul? This short video seminar will cover two common contexts that we see today in our local churches. The first one is more traditional, over the past 30 years, while the second one has not been completely embraced by our local churches. This second model is tied more into the full-body ministry that we see in the New Testament.



Body to Body Ministry: How do we care for an individual? What is the best context to care for an individual? Who is responsible for the care of an individual? These questions and more are answered in this short seminar from The Counseling Solutions Group, Inc.



Materials from David Powlison (counselor and faculty member at Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation; editor of the Journal of Biblical Counseling; and adjunct professor at Westminster Theological Seminary)
David Powlison resources from 9 Marks
Counseling in the Church, free PDF from 9 Marks (47 pages, 354 kbytes)

Five Advantages of Church-Based Counseling; Counseling and Discipleship; Twenty Ways to Cultivate a Culture of Counseling in Your Church; Looking at the Past and Present of Counseling; Cultivating a Culture of Counseling and Discipleship; Sorting Out the Spiritual and the Physical in Counseling

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Online and interactive review quizzes for Articles of Faith

Notes / Instructions:
 

(1) Fill in the blank (cloze) exercises with time limit and automatic scoring are also available online.

(2) For the exercises below, set your browser to allow pop-up windows. Do not click the links below; as you mouse over the word “Answer,” the pop-up window will open automatically. Close each pop-up window before proceeding to the next question. (Alternatively, you can keep the pop-up window open; as you mouse over the next “Answer” the window will remain open, but the text will change.) You can drag the pop-up window to any place on the screen, You can also resize the pop-up windows by dragging the corner handles.

The hyperlinked Scripture references are powered by RefTagger; simply mouse over the verses and the pop-up window will automatically appear. On mouseout, the window will also automatically disappear.

How to set your browser to allow pop up windows: For Firefox, go to Tools/Options/Content and then uncheck the “Block pop-up windows” box. For IE, go to Tools, Pop-up blocker, and then check either “Temporarily allow pop-up” or “Always allow pop-ups for this site”.

(3) To practice your English, read the questions and recite your answers at your full speaking volume.

(4) For the activities on the assigned verses, try to recite the verse from memory. If you need help or want to know if your answer is correct, simply mouse over the verse and the RefTagger pop-up window from bible.logos.com will automatically appear. The window will automatically close when you move your mouse. If the complete verses are not shown in the pop-up window, click "More" at the lower left hand portion of the window.

(5) You can set your own time limit for answering the quizzes and activities. As you begin to master the materials, you can shorten the time limit.

Articles of Faith: Of the Scriptures

1. How was the Holy Bible written? Answer
2. What kind of truth does the Bible have? Answer
3. What do we mean by the “Bible”? Answer
4. What is meant by “inspiration”? Answer
5. Recite Psalms 19:7-11.
6. Recite John 17:17.
7. Recite Romans 15:4.
8. Recite 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
9. Recite 1 Peter 1:23.
10. Recite 2 Peter 1:19-21.

Articles of Faith: Of the True God

1. Who is the only one, living and true God? Answer
2. Who are the three persons of the Godhead? Answer
3. Describe the three persons of the Godhead. Answer
4. Recite Exodus 20:2-3.
5. Recite Psalm 90:2.
6. Recite Jeremiah 10:10.
7. Recite Matthew 28:19.
8. Recite Mark 12:30.
9. Recite John 4:24.
10. Recite John 10:30.
11. Recite John 15:26.
12. Recite John 17:5.
13. Recite 1 Corinthians 8:6.
14. Recite 1 Corinthians 12:4-6.
15. Recite 2 Corinthians 13:14.
16. Recite Ephesians 2:18.
17. Recite Ephesians 4:6.
18. Recite Philippians 2:5-6.
19. Recite 1Timothy 1:17.
20. Recite Revelation 4:11.

Articles of Faith: Of the Holy Spirit

1. Who is the Holy Spirit? Answer
2. In His relation to the unbelieving world, what are the five things that the Holy Spirit does? Answer
3. How does the Holy Spirit bear witness to the truth of the Gospel? Answer
4. What are the things that the Holy Spirit does for the believer? Answer
5. Recite Genesis 1: 1-3.
6. Recite Matthew 3:11.
7. Recite Matthew 28:19.
8. Recite Luke 3:16.
9. Recite John 3:5-6.
10. Recite John 14: 16-17, 26.
11. Recite John 15:26-27.
12. Recite John 16:8-11, 13.
13. Recite Romans 8:14, 16, 26-27.
14. Recite Ephesians 1:13-14.
15. Recite Hebrews 9:14.
16. Recite 1 Peter 1:2.

Articles of Faith: Of the Creation

1. How should we accept or interpret the Genesis account of creation? Answer
2. How was man created? Answer
3. How was animal and vegetable life created? Answer
4. Describe the only legitimate marriage. Answer
5. What are the sinful perversions of God's gift of sex? Answer
6. Recite Genesis 1:1, 11, 24, 26-27.
7. Recite Exodus 20:11.
8. Recite Nehemiah 9:6.
9. Recite Jeremiah 10:12.
10. Recite John 1:3.
11. Recite Romans 1:20.
12. Recite Colossians 1:16-17.
13. Recite Hebrews 11:3.

Articles of Faith: Of the Devil or Satan
1. Why did Satan fall from his heavenly honors? Answer
2. What is Satan now after his fall? Answer
3. Give seven descriptions of Satan. Answer
4. Recite Isaiah 14:12-15.
5. Recite Matthew 25:41.
6. Recite Ephesians 2:2.
7. Recite 2 Corinthians 11:13-15.
8. Recite 2 Thessalonians 2:8-11.
9. Recite 1 Peter 5:8.
10. Recite 2 Peter 2:4.
11. Recite I John 3:8.
12. Recite Jude 6.
13. Recite Revelation 12:7-10.
14. Recite Revelation 19:11, 16, 20.
15. Recite Revelation 20:1-3, 10.

Articles of Faith: Of the Fall of Man

1. How was man created? Answer
2. How did man fall from his sinless and happy state? Answer
3. What are the consequences of man’s fall into sin? Answer
4. Recite Romans 1:18, 20, 28, 32.
5. Recite Romans 3:10-19.
6. Recite Romans 5:12, 19.
7. Recite Galatians 3:22.
8. Recite Ephesians 2:1, 3.

Articles of Faith: Of the Virgin Birth

1. How was Jesus Christ begotten of the Holy Ghost? Answer
2. Who is Christ? Answer
3. Recite Genesis 3:15.
4. Recite Isaiah 7:14.
5. Recite Matthew 1:18-25.
6. Recite Luke 1:35.
7. Recite John 1:14.
8. Recite Galatians 4:4.
9. Recite 1 John 5:20.

Articles of Faith: Of the Atonement for Sin
1. Is salvation by grace or by works, or partially grace, partially works? Answer
2. How was atonement for sin accomplished? Answer
3. What does atonement consist of? Answer
4. What is the result of atonement? Answer
5. Recite Isaiah 53:4-7, 11-12.
6. Recite Matthew 18:11.
7. Recite John 3:16.
8. Recite Romans 3:24-25.
9. Recite Galatians 1:4.
10. Recite Ephesians 2:8.
11. Recite Philippians 2:7-8.
12. Recite Hebrews 2:14.
13. Recite Hebrews 7:25.
14. Recite Hebrews 9:12-15.
15. Recite Hebrews 12:2.

Articles of Faith: Of Grace in the New Creation

1. How can a person be saved? Answer
2. What is the new birth? Answer
3. Is the new birth a process? Answer
4. In the new birth, what happens to one dead in trespasses and sins? Answer
5. How is the new creation brought about? Answer
6. What is the proper evidence of the new creation? Answer
7. Recite John 1:12-13.
8. Recite John 3:3, 6-7.
9. Recite Romans 6:23.
10. Recite 2 Corinthians 5:17, 19.
11. Recite Galatians 5:22-23.
12. Recite Ephesians 2:1.
13. Recite Colossians 2:13.
14. Recite 1 John 5:1.

Articles of Faith: Of the Freeness of Salvation

1. Are the blessing of salvation made for only a few? Answer
2. What is the immediate duty of all persons with regards God’s blessings of salvation? Answer
3. What can prevent the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth? Answer
4. What is the result of rejecting the Gospel? Answer
5. Recite Isaiah 55:1.
6. Recite Matthew 11:28.
7. Recite John 3:15-18, 36.
8. Recite John 6:37.
9. Recite Acts 2:38.
10. Recite Romans 8:29-30.
11. Recite 1 Corinthians 15:10.
12. Recite Ephesians 2:4-5.
13. Recite Colossians 3:12.
14. Recite 1 Thessalonians 1:4.
15. Recite 1 Timothy 1:15.
16. Recite 1 Peter 1:2.
17. Recite Revelation 22:17.

Articles of Faith: Of Justification

1. What is Justification? Answer
2. What does Justification include? Answer
3. How is Justification bestowed? Answer
4. Recite Isaiah 53:11.
5. Recite Acts 13:39.
6. Recite Romans 1:17.
7. Recite Romans 5:1-9.
8. Recite Romans 8:1.
9. Recite Galatians 3:11.
10. Recite Titus 3:5-7.
11. Recite Hebrews 10:38.

Articles of Faith: Of Repentance and Faith

1. Describe Repentance and Faith. Answer
2. How are Repentance and Faith wrought in our souls?
Answer
3. What happens after the Spirit of God quickens us? Answer
4. Recite Psalm 51:1-4, 7.
5. Recite Isaiah 55:6-7.
6. Recite Mark 1:15.
7. Recite Luke 12:8.
8. Recite Luke 18:13.
9. Recite Acts 2:37.
10. Recite Acts 20:21.

Articles of Faith: Of the Church

1. What is a Baptist church? Answer
2. Who are the officers of ordination of the church? Answer
3. What is men and women’s position before God? Answer
4. Who are qualified as pastors and deacons of the church? Answer
5. What is the true mission of the church? Answer
6. Who is the one and only superintendent of the church? Answer
7. Can the local church decide by itself on matters affecting it? Answer
8. Recite Malachi 3:10.
9. Recite Matthew 28:19-20.
10. Recite Acts 2:41-42.
11. Recite Acts 20:17-28.
12. Recite 1 Corinthians 5:11-13.
13. Recite 1 Corinthians 6:1-3.
14. Recite 1 Corinthians 11:2.
15. Recite 1 Corinthians 12:4, 8-11.
16. Recite 1 Corinthians 16:1-2.
17. Recite Ephesians 1:22-23.
18. Recite Ephesians 4:11.
19. Recite Ephesians 5:23-24.
20. Recite Colossians 1:18.
21. Recite 1 Timothy 3:1-13.

Articles of Faith: Of Baptism and the Lord's Supper

1. What is Christian baptism? Answer
2. What is the purpose of baptism? Answer
3. What is the Lord’s supper? Answer
4. Recite Matthew 3:6, 16.
5. Recite Matthew 28:19-20.
6. Recite Acts 2:41-42.
7. Recite Acts 8:36-39.
8. Recite Romans 6:3-5.
9. Recite 1 Corinthians 11:23-28.
10. Recite Colossians 2:12.

Articles of Faith: Of the Perseverance of the Saints

1. Who are the only real believers? Answer
2. What distinguishes real believers from superficial professors? Answer
3. How are real believers kept safe and secure? Answer
4. Recite Matthew 6:20.
5. Recite John 8:31-32.
6. Recite John 10:28-29.
7. Recite Romans 8:28, 35-39.
8. Recite Philippians 1:6.
9. Recite Colossians 1:21-23.
10. Recite Hebrews 1:14.
11. Recite 1 Peter 1:5.

Articles of Faith: Of the Righteous and the Wicked

1. Who are considered as truly righteous in God’s esteem? Answer
2. Who are the wicked? Answer
3. How long will the distinction between the righteous and the wicked be? Answer
4. Recite Proverbs 14:32.
5. Recite Malachi 3:18.
6. Recite Matthew 7:13-14.
7. Recite Matthew 25:34.
8. Recite Luke 9:26.
9. Recite John 12:25.
10. Recite Romans 6:16-18, 23.
11. Recite Galatians 3:10.
12. Recite 1 Peter 4:18.
13. Recite 1 John 2:7, 29.
14. Recite 1 John 5:19.

Articles of Faith: Of Civil Government

1. Why was civil government divinely appointed? Answer
2. What should we do for magistrates or political rulers?
Answer
3. Are there exceptions to the honor and obedience we must give to magistrates? Answer
4. Recite 2 Samuel 23:3.
5. Recite Psalm 72:11.
6. Recite Matthew 10:28.
7. Recite Matthew 22:21.
8. Recite Acts 4:19-20.
9. Recite Romans 13:7.
10. Recite Philippians 2:10-11.
11. Recite Titus 3:1.
12. Recite 1 Peter 2:13-14, 17.

Articles of Faith: Of the Resurrection and Return of Christ and Related Events

1. What are the eight things we believe about the Resurrection? Answer
2. Recite Matthew 24:27, 42.
3. Recite Matthew 28:6-7.
4. Recite Luke 1:32.
5. Recite John 14:3.
6. Recite John 20:27.
7. Recite 1 Corinthians 15:4.
8. Recite 1 Thessalonians 4:16.
9. Recite 1 Timothy 2:5.
10. Recite Hebrews 2:17.
11. Recite Hebrews 5:9.
12. Recite Hebrews 8:1.
13. Recite Hebrews 9:28.
14. Recite Hebrews 12:2.

Articles of Faith: Of Missions

1. To whom was the Great Commission given? Answer
2. Recite Matthew 28:18-20.
3. Recite John 20:21.
4. Recite Acts 1:8.
5. Recite Romans 10:13-15.

Articles of Faith: Of the Grace of Giving

1. Do we pay or give the tithe? Answer
2. Where do we bring the tithe? Answer
3. Recite 1 Corinthians 16:2.
4. Recite 2 Corinthians 9:7.
5. Recite Leviticus 27:30.
6. Recite Malachi 3:10.
7. Recite Acts 4:34-35, 37.