Basic Apostolic Faith
Faith Note
We believe in one true God who is the creator of this universe. (Deut 6:4, Mark 12:29)
Nobody has seen God, and God can not be seen by anyone in his true form. So God has a word form to reveal himself to his creations and in the word form he is called the Lord. (John 1:1)
"Word (Logos)" means God's mode of communication to his creations. (John 1:18)
God came in flesh, seen by angels and proclaimed to Gentiles. (1 Tim 3:16)
God gave many names for himself at different periods of time. Out of all those names, the name "JESUS" is the highest name. (Phil 2:11)
Various prophets saw visions of God (Isaiah 6; Ezekiel 1:26-28; 8:1-4; Daniel 7:2, 9; Amos 9:1).
We don't believe in Trinity misconceptions where 3 Gods (Father God, Son God and Spirit God) works together for Salvation which is against the biblical one true God who works in 3 positions Father, Son and Holy spirit.
Tithe is strictly not part of the new covenant. Only offerings can be collected that too to feed the poor, widows, fatherless and to support full time Evangelists.
The command of the Great Commission is to preach the gospel to the world and baptize all nations in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy spirit(Mat 28:19) which is the name "JESUS".
All disciples should have fellowship and celebrate the Lord’s Supper regularly with the body of Christ in every Church gathering(Acts 20:7). This will serve as a way of remembering his identity with Christ and with Christ’s body, the Church, until Christ’s return.
Secret Rapture is a myth and there is no biblical evidence for that. Secret rapture is purely based on a second chance. Second chance encourages mankind to sin as far as they can and a second chance will be given for salvation which is not biblical.
The glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ for His Church is coming soon. He will judge and reward, the living and the dead and will establish His kingdom forever. Until Jesus comes again the Church is called to be in the world, yet not of the world; submit to all authority that God has placed; be prayerful and watchful and be the salt and light to the world.
Theophanies
Various Theophanies of one true God as follows
God appeared to Abraham in a vision, as a smoking furnace and burning lamp, and as a man (Genesis 15:1, 17; 18:1-33).
God and two angels appeared in the form of three men (18:2) and ate food provided by Abraham. The two angels left to go to Sodom while God remained to talk to Abraham (Genesis 18:22; 19:1).
God appeared to Jacob in a dream and as a man (Genesis 28:12-16; 32:24-32).
Jacob wrestled with the man and proclaimed, “I have seen God face to face.” The Bible also describes this appearance as “the angel” (Hosea 12:4).
God appeared to Moses in a cloud of glory and in fire on Mount Sinai, spoke to him face to face in the Tabernacle, and revealed to him His back (partial glory) but not His face (all His glory) (Exodus 24:12- 18; 33:9-11, 18-23).
God manifested Himself in the sight of all Israel through thunder, lightnings, a cloud, a voice of a trumpet, smoke, fire, and earthquakes (Exodus 19:11-19; Deuteronomy 5:4-5, 22-27). He also showed His glory and sent fire from His presence in the sight of all Israel (Leviticus 9:23-24; 10:1-2).
Job saw God in a whirlwind (Job 38:1; 42:5).
Various prophets saw visions of God (Isaiah 6; Ezekiel 1:26-28; 8:1-4; Daniel 7:2, 9; Amos 9:1). To Ezekiel He appeared in the form of a man, enveloped in fire. To Daniel He appeared in a night vision as the Ancient of Days.
Many other verses of Scripture tell us that God appeared to someone but do not describe in what manner He did so. For example, God appeared to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Samuel (Genesis 12:7; 17:1; 26:2, 24; 35:9-15; I Samuel 3:21).
God descended on Mount Sinai and stood with Moses; revealed Himself to seventy-four leaders of Israel; came down in a pillar of cloud and stood in front of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam; came at night to Balaam; and met Balaam on two other occasions (Exodus 34:5; 24:9-11; Numbers 12:4-9; 23:3-10, 16-24).
In Joshua 5:13-15, a man with a sword appeared to Joshua and identified himself as the “captain of the host of the LORD.” This title and the fact that he did not rebuke Joshua for worshiping him (unlike Revelation 19:9-10; 22:8-10) suggest that this was really a manifestation of God.
Angel of the Lord, Melchizedek, The Fourth Man in the Fire
Angel of the Lord
Some of the numerous appearance of “the angel of the LORD” seem to be theophanies. The angel of the LORD appeared to Hagar, spoke as though he were God, and was called God by her (Genesis 16:7-13). The Bible says the angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in the burning bush but then says God talked to Moses on that occasion (Exodus 3; Acts 7:30-38). Exodus 13:21 says the LORD went before Israel in a pillar of cloud, while Exodus 14:19 says the angel of God was with the pillar of cloud. The angel of the LORD appeared to Israel in Judges 2:1-5 and spoke as God. Judges 6:11-24 describes the appearance of the angel of the LORD to Gideon and then says the LORD looked on Gideon. Again, the angel of the LORD appeared to Manoah and his wife, and they believed they had seen God (Judges 13:2-23).
Melchizedek
Many regard Melchizedek as a theophany (Genesis 14:18). Hebrews 7:3 says he was without father, mother, and descent. This could mean that he was God in human form, or it could mean simply that his genealogical origin was not recorded. Hebrews 7:4 does call him a man. Regardless of whether one considers him to be an ordinary man or a theophany of God in the form of a man, he was a type or foreshadowing of Christ (Hebrews 7:1-17).
The Fourth Man in the Fire
One supposed theophany is the fourth man who appeared in the fire when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were cast into the furnace (Daniel 3:24-25). The heathen king Nebuchadnezzar said, “Lo, I see four men loose . . . and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God” (Daniel 3:25). However, in the original language (Aramaic) there is no definite article before Son; that is, there is no the before Son in this passage. The NIV and TAB render this phrase as “a son of the gods.” The king was using heathen terminology and had no knowledge of the future arrival of the only begotten Son of God. Most likely the king saw an angel, for he described this manifestation as an “angel” (Daniel 3:28). It appears that the phrase “sons of God” can refer to angelic beings (Job 38:7). At the most, what Nebuchadnezzar saw could only be a temporary theophany of God. Certainly, this was not a view of the Son of God described in the New Testament, for the Son had not been born and the Sonship had not begun. (See chapter 5.) a