Upon what do you base your faith

It is odd to me that so many different denominations have sprung up. I wonder how many people actually know why they are a Baptist, Methodist, Catholic etc. Is it because their parents were that denomination? Upon what do you base your faith? I base mine upon the Bible. I believe it to be the unerring Holy Word of God. Most people when surveyed say they believe in the Bible, yet I have not personally met very many who have taken the time to personally read it, much less study it. This means that they must rely upon others to tell them what is in it and what to believe. If you have not read the Bible and you hear something spoken from a pulpit you have no way of actually knowing whether or not the Bible actually states the position that the preacher/priest espouses. I don’t want to risk eternity on having someone else tell me what to believe; therefore I read the Bible for myself. I believe that is partially why we have so many different denominations. Of course when you read the Bible, some of it can be interpreted various ways. I try to find a preacher that preaches the Bible the way I understand it and that is why I attend the church that I do. The pastor there interprets the Bible as close to the way that I understand it, than others that I have heard.

Here is a practical example of how this logic can be applied. Some denominations suggest that we should be baptized by sprinkling; others say we should be emerged. What do you believe? My answer to that question is a question. What does the Bible say about it? The Bible states that we should be emerged, which when we are submerged and then emerge from the water, represents the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When I read the Bible, “emerge” means to go underwater; not be sprinkled. Jesus came up “out of the water” which indicates to me that He went ‘underwater’, which clearly negates the idea of sprinkling to me. Whether or not you have been sprinkled or immersed isn’t a showstopper in my mind, but other points such as accepting Jesus as your savior will effect you not only for the rest of your life on earth, but for ETERNITY.

The next time you make a statement about what you believe, think about WHY you believe it. Is it a hunch? Did your parents tell you to believe that? (Remember they told you about the tooth fairy and Santa Claus too.) Is it because you read it yourself in the Bible and you KNOW what it states?

A reader sent in the following humor concerning denominations:

How many choir members does it take to change a light bulb?

Charismatics: Only one. Hands already in the air.

Roman Catholics: None. They use candles.

Pentecostals: Ten. One to change the bulb, and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.

Presbyterians: None. God has predestined when the lights will be on and off.

Episcopalians: Eight. One to call the electrician, and seven to say how much they liked the old one better.

Mormons: Five. One man to change the bulb, and four wives to tell him how to do it.

Unitarians: “We choose not to make a statement either in favor of or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your own journey you have found that light bulbs work for you, that is fine. You are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your personal relationship with your light bulb, and present it next month at our annual light bulb Sunday service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions, including incandescent, fluorescent, three-way, long-life and tinted, all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.”

Baptists: At least 15. One to change the light bulb, and two or three committees to approve the change. Oh, and also one to provide a casserole.

Methodists: (see Baptists)

Lutherans: None. Lutherans don’t believe in change.

__________________________

Matt.3:16
When He had been baptized,
Jesus came up immediately from
the water; and behold, the heavens were
opened to Him, and He saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove
and alighting upon Him.
And suddenly a voice came from
heaven, saying “This is My
beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased”.