“Those who fear the LORD are secure; he will be a place of refuge for their children. The fear of the LORD is a life-giving fountain; it offers a bridge out of the snares of death.”
Prov 14:26-27 (Paraphrase)
The Bridge makes the world a better place because…
People can crossover to live in authentic worship devoted to God and his Kingdom.
The Bridge improves the quality of life because…
People can encounter Jesus who gives their life eternal purpose.
The Bridge rights a terrible wrong because…
When the Bridge is crossed Satan’s hold on people is released.
The Bridge is a reproducing life force because…
People will be equipped to live out their calling and destiny in brotherhood & family.
God
Jesus Christ
The Holy Spirit
Human Destiny
Salvation
The Bible
The Bridge
Faith & Practice
Selecting Servants Who Lead
Corporate Prayer
Water Baptism
Communion/Lord’s Supper
Child Dedication
Bridge Kids
Divorce
God & Money
God
We believe there is one true, holy God, eternally existing in three Persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – each of whom possess equally all the attributes of Deity and the characteristics of personality. In the beginning, God created out of nothing the world and all the things therein, thus manifesting the glory of His power, wisdom and goodness. He continues to sustain His creation through His sovereign power. By His providence, He operates throughout history to fulfill His redemptive purposes.
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Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the eternal second Person of the Trinity who was united forever with a true human nature by a miraculous conception and virgin birth. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of all by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone. He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died. He ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father where He, the only Mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for His own. He will come again to earth, personally and visibly, to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.
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The Holy Spirit
The essential accompaniment of a genuine saving relationship with Jesus Christ is a life of holiness and obedience, attained by believers as they submit to the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity. He was sent into the world by the Father and Son to apply to mankind the saving work of Christ. He enlightens the minds of sinners, awakens in them recognition of their need of a Savior and regenerates them. At the point of salvation, He permanently resides in every believer, becoming their source of assurance, strength and wisdom. He also uniquely endows each believer with gifts for the building up of the body. The Holy Sprit guides believers in understanding and applying the Scripture. His power and control are appropriated by faith, making it possible for the believer to lead a life of Christ-like character and to bear fruit to the glory of the Father. We believe in this work and experience along with all the biblical evidences.
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Human Destiny
Death sealed the eternal destiny of each person. For all mankind, there will be a resurrection of the body into the spiritual world, and a judgment that will determine the fate of each individual. Unbelievers will be separated from God into condemnation. God’s judgment will reveal His justice by condemning them to eternal existence in an environment void of any Godly quality. Believers will be received into eternal communion with God and be rewarded for works done in this life.
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Salvation
The central purpose of God’s revelation in Scripture is to invite all people into fellowship with Himself. Originally created to have fellowship with God, man instead defied God, choosing to go his independent way. This now corrupt nature left him alienated from God. The fall took place at the beginning of human history, and all individuals since have suffered these consequences and are thus in need of the saving grace of God.
The salvation of mankind is wholly a work of God’s free grace, not the result in whole or in part of human works or goodness. It may be applied to one’s life only through repentance and faith. When God begins a saving work in the heart of any person, He gives assurance in His Word that He will continue performing it until the day of its full consummation.
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The Bible
The Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is the sole basis of our belief. We believe that Scripture originated in its entirety with God, and that it was given through the instrumentality of chosen men. Thus, Scripture at one and the same time speaks with the authority of God while reflecting the backgrounds, styles and vocabularies of each human author. We hold that the Scriptures are infallible and inerrant in the original manuscripts. They are the unique, full and final authority on all matters of faith and practice. There are no other writings similarly inspired by God.
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The Bridge
When one receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, he/she becomes a member of His Body. There is one true, universal church of believers, composed of all those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. The Scripture commands believers to gather together to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of baptism and communion as the sacramentarian ordinances established by Jesus Christ, fellowship, service to the Body through the development and use of talents and gifts, and outreach to the world. The Bridge is interdependent on the whole body of Christ and we celebrate the uniqueness of expressions found through out the kingdom of God. It is our desire to truly model genuine love and cooperation to all who love and follow Jesus Christ.
Wherever God’s people meet regularly in obedience to this command, there is the local expression of the church. Under the watchful care of pastors and other supportive leadership, its members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the one ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ.
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Faith & Practice
Scripture is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. The Bridge recognizes that it cannot and will not bind the conscience of individual members in areas where Scripture is silent. Rather, each believer is to be led in those areas by the Lord, to whom he or she is ultimately responsible. We do not hold to teachings that we believe to be scripturally in error, and as such, outside the boundaries of our Biblical beliefs. Though we still fellowship with those who subscribe to these views, we would not place them in a leadership and or teaching position. “How can two walk together unless they agree?” (Amos 3:3).
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WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit inspired the human authors of Holy Scripture so that the Bible is without error in the original manuscripts. We receive the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments as our final, absolute authority, the only infallible rule of faith and practice.
WE BELIEVE that God is the Eternal King. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory.
WE BELIEVE that God’s kingdom is everlasting. From His throne, through his Son, His eternal Word, God created, upholds and governs all that exists: the heavenly places, the angelic hosts, the universe, the earth, every living thing and mankind. God created all things very good.
WE BELIEVE that Satan, originally a great, good angel, rebelled against God, taking a host of angels with him. He was cast out of God’s presence and, as a usurper of God’s rule, established a counter-kingdom of darkness and evil on the earth.
WE BELIEVE that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God’s judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God’s good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam’s original sin. Human beings are born in sin, subject to God’s judgment of death and captive to Satan’s kingdom of darkness.
WE BELIEVE that God did not abandon His rule over the earth which He continues to uphold by His providence. In order to bring redemption, God established covenants which revealed His grace to sinful people. In the covenant with Abraham, God bound himself to His people Israel, promising to deliver them from bondage to sin and Satan and to bless all the nations through them.
WE BELIEVE that as King, God later redeemed His people by his mighty acts from bondage in Egypt and established His covenant through Moses, revealing His perfect will and our obligation to fulfill it. The law’s purpose is to order our fallen race and to make us conscious of our moral responsibility. By the work of God’s Spirit, it convicts us of our sin and God’s righteous judgment against us and brings us to Christ alone for salvation.
WE BELIEVE that when Israel rejected God’s rule over her as King, God established the monarchy in Israel and made an unconditional covenant with David, promising that his heir would restore God’s kingdom reign over His people as Messiah forever.
WE BELIEVE that in the fullness of time, God honored His covenants with Israel and His prophetic promises of salvation by sending His only Son, Jesus, into the world. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, as fully God and fully man in one person, He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God’s Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, inaugurating God’s kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Gathering His disciples, He reconstituted God’s people as His Church to be the instrument of His kingdom. After dying for the sins of the world, Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day, fulfilling the covenant of blessing given to Abraham. In His sinless, perfect life Jesus met the demands of the law and in His atoning death on the cross He took God’s judgment for sin which we deserve as lawbreakers. By His death on the cross He also disarmed the demonic powers. The covenant with David was fulfilled in Jesus’ birth from David’s house, His Messianic ministry, His glorious resurrection from the dead, His ascent into heaven and His present rule at the right hand of the Father. As God’s Son and David’s heir, He is the eternal Messiah-King, advancing God’s reign throughout every generation and throughout the whole earth today.
WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church at Pentecost in power, baptizing believers into the Body of Christ and releasing the gifts of the Spirit to them. The Spirit brings the permanent indwelling presence of God to us for spiritual worship, personal sanctification, building up the Church, gifting us for ministry, and driving back the kingdom of Satan by the evangelization of the world through proclaiming the word of Jesus and doing the works of Jesus.
WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is our abiding Helper, Teacher, and Guide. We believe in the filling or empowering of the Holy Spirit, often a conscious experience, for ministry today. We believe in the present ministry of the Spirit and in the exercise of all of the biblical gifts of the Spirit. We practice the laying on of hands for the empowering of those whom God has ordained to lead and serve the Church.
WE BELIEVE that the whole world is under the domination of Satan and that all people are sinners by nature and choice. All people therefore are under God’s just judgment. Through the preaching of the Good News of Jesus and the Kingdom of God and the work of the Holy Spirit, God regenerates, justifies, adopts and sanctifies through Jesus by the Spirit all who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. By this they are released from Satan’s domain and enter into God’s kingdom reign.
WE BELIEVE in the one, holy, universal Church. All who repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and form the living Body of Christ, of which He is the head and of which we are all members.
WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ committed two ordinances to the Church: water baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Both are available to all believers.
WE BELIEVE In God’s kingdom. We believe the kingdom has come in the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, that it continues to come in the ministry of the Spirit through the Church, and that it will be consummated in the soon glorious, personal return for His Church. He will bring about the final defeat of Satan and all of his minions and works, the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment and the eternal blessing of the righteous and eternal conscious punishment of the wicked. Finally, God will be all in all and His kingdom, His rule and reign, will be fulfilled in the new heavens and the new earth, recreated by His mighty power, in which righteousness dwells and in which He will forever be worshiped.
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Selecting Servants Who Lead
Church government should be a simplistic relational system, rather than a complex bureaucracy. We depend on the leading of the Holy Spirit, over a brotherhood of servant pastors, rather than on fleshly promotion, positions and elitism. We practice the laying on of hands for the empowering of those whom God has ordained to lead and serve the Church.
What is a Leader? It has been defined by some as “a person who has followers”. This is a very shallow definition from a biblical point of view. The Bible tells us there is much more involved in Christian leadership than simply having a following. Christian leadership is all about the privilege of serving humbly, faithfully with excellence and full of contagious joy. We should also be aware of the difference between ’servant leading’ and ‘ministry involvement’. Those who serve by directing a specific ministry at The Bridge are classified as servant leaders, while others are servants working alongside in ministry. The definition of servant leader is one who serves further, works harder, and lays down rights and privileges first. We believe in four main criteria through which potential servant leaders (of a specific ministry) are identified.
Character
Spiritual Maturity
Spiritual Giftedness
Team Fit
Character
Most important in the selection of spiritual leaders is character. Society places a greater emphasis upon style than substance. In contrast, the Bible emphasizes first and foremost a person’s character as foundational in the selection of leaders. Why? Because, most spiritual battles are fought on the battlefield of character.
There are hundreds of verses which refer to character. However, two passages are particularly helpful for this discussion. While their immediate context is to those who oversee in church positions, most of the qualifications listed can be applied on a broader level to anyone who serves in the church. Paul, the writer of much of the New Testament, lists numerous traits for those in leadership. Leaders must be “blameless, temperate, sober minded (serious), of good behavior, hospitable, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous… not a novice (new Christian). He must have a good reputation among outsiders…” (1 Timothy 3:1-7). Paul repeats many of these traits in Titus 1:6-9, adding that one should “hold fast to the faithful word as he has been taught.”
Spiritual Maturity
Spiritual maturity takes time. Therefore, the Bible teaches that spiritual leaders cannot be “new converts” (1 Timothy 3:6). However, the length of time someone has been a Christian does not necessarily equate spiritual maturity. To be spiritually mature means that one has become seasoned and tempered by yielding, trusting and surrendering to God. Confirmation of one’s maturity is most clearly indicated by one’s capacity to love and serve others (John 13:34-35: Matthew 20:25-28). Unfortunately, there are many who have been Christians for many years but have never matured.
A person who is spiritually mature has developed many of the disciplines, which lead to the kind of character development previously listed. Although we expect all believers to regularly pray, read the Bible, tithe, share their faith and attend church, there are additional commitments we require of our leaders. They must also:
• Have attended The Bridge long enough to be known and affirmed as trustworthy.
• Attend Sunday services regularly.
• Participate in Big Thursday on a regular basis.
• Tithe a full 10% of their income to the storehouse we call “The Bridge”.
• Serve in some aspect of ministry at “The Bridge”.
• Be committed to the purpose and philosophy of “The Bridge”.
Spiritual Giftedness
Wanting to be in leadership does not automatically mean someone is gifted to lead, nor does having an attractive personality or special skills. A person must display leadership gifts, which are recognizable to others already in leadership (1 Timothy 3:10).
The Bible teaches that our power and ability to serve effectively in the church is based upon the spiritual gifts (enablements), which God has given to us all (1 Corinthians 12). At the same time, we are told that not all Christians have leadership gifts (Romans 12:4-8).
Team Fit
It is possible for a person to be gifted and called as a servant leader, yet not fit into a particular ministry. Differences of opinion over how the ministry should function are often the result of a servant leader working in the wrong ministry (Acts 15:36-41).
This doesn’t always mean that one way is right and the other wrong. Rather, various parts of Christ’s Body are called to function differently as pleases the Lord (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). At the same time, people cannot work together unless there is an agreement as to how that work is to be done (Amos 3:3).
We believe that every Christian is called to serve on a ministry team somewhere in the world. You will find the best “team fit”, realize the most fulfillment, and achieve the greatest effectiveness in a team which shares your primary concerns in ministry. We encourage you to begin serving as the Lord lays ministry on your heart.
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Corporate Prayer
There is no action on the part of Christian people more frequently stressed than that of prayer. We promote a clear vision and excitement about the potential and power that comes through corporate prayer. We believe and hold a high value on corporate prayer especially for those seeking to serve among us.
There are two sacraments (holy rituals) in the Bible which Christians are instructed to practice and observe, Water Baptism and the Lord’s Supper or Communion.
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Water Baptism
The purpose of each is to signify through outward symbolism what Christ has accomplished in a believer’s life through faith in Christ. As true believers, we are instructed and commanded to submit to each as expressions of our faith in Christ.
In what has become known as the “Great Commission”, Jesus gave the following command: “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, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded You” (Matthew 28:19-20).
The word “baptize”, taken from the Greek word BAPTIZO, has a fourfold meaning:
• To immerse or submerge
• To overflow or cover with water
• To wet thoroughly or moisten; and
• To pour upon or drench
Three methods of baptism have developed over the centuries because of the wide scope of this definition and differing views on the word’s usage in the New Testament.
• Immersion, wherein a person is completely lowered under the water;
• Pouring, where water is ladled or poured over the person’s head and body; and
• Sprinkling, in which the person is lightly sprinkled.
Unfortunately, these differences have often led to a great deal of controversy among God’s people over the years. Each has value in testifying to differing benefits from a relationship with Christ.
Immersion portrays the atoning death of Christ and gives witness to the reality of His bodily resurrection (Romans 6:3-5). Pouring signifies the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the believer’s life when he/she commits their life to Christ (Acts 2:17-18). Sprinkling tells us that we are washed from our sins only by the shed blood of Christ (Hebrews 10:19-22).
Although The Bridge practices full immersion as general practice there are times due to sickness or other issues where the other forms may be used. We do not practice infant baptism as we believe that baptism is a decision that must come from those who have decided for themselves to follow Christ.
Why you need to be baptized
Act of Obedience
Throughout the New Testament, water baptism following conversion is a direct response to Jesus’ command that Christians everywhere are to “preach”, and then “baptize” those who believe. Therefore, everyone who becomes a Christian needs to be baptized in obedience to God. Matt 28:18-20
Statement of Faith
As mentioned earlier, water baptism is an outward statement of one’s belief in Christ’s atonement for our sins, the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit to guide and influence our lives, and the only means for gaining a clear, guilt free conscience toward God. Baptism is a means of making a public statement of faith.
Public Testimony
Baptism was practised publicly in the New Testament as a powerful and meaningful fulfillment of Jesus’ promise. “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:32). Those who are publicly baptized “acknowledge before men” their life’s commitment to Him as the Saviour and Lord.
What Baptism Cannot Do
Baptism Cannot Save
Salvation comes through faith alone, not works (Ephesians 2:8). Therefore, the act of baptism cannot save us. Rather, it gives evidence through public action that a person has already been saved.
Baptism Cannot Cleanse from Sin
Forgiveness of sins takes place when we believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again from the dead, and ask Him to become our Saviour and cleanse us from our sins (1 John 1:9). Baptism may be symbolic of our cleansing, but the water itself is powerless to cleanse from sin.
Baptism Cannot Magically Free Us from Sinful Habits
Self control, moral purity, holiness and other such marks of a changed life are all benefits of receiving Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to influence and change us. Baptism should reflect a statement on our part to live a life free from these things, although it indicates to others a willingness to submit to the process of spiritual growth and change through the power of the Holy Spirit.
If you are a born again Christian who has never been baptized, please let a Pastor know.
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Communion/Lord’s Supper
The ritualistic practice, usually during a worship service, in which Christians partake of bread and wine (or grape juice) with the purpose of remembering Christ, receiving strength from Him, and rededicating themselves to His cause. It is one of two sacraments or ordinances instituted by Christ to be observed by His church until He returns.
The term the Lord’s Supper is used only in 1 Cor 11:20. The practice is also known as Communion (from 1 Cor 10:16), the Lord’s Table (from 1 Cor 10:21), and the Eucharist (from the Greek word for “giving thanks”; Luke 22:17,19; 1 Cor 11:24). The expression breaking of bread (Acts 2:42,46; 20:7,11) probably refers to receiving the Lord’s Supper with a common meal known as the LOVE FEAST (2 Peter 2:13; Jude 12).
The institution of the Lord’s Supper (Matt 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:1-23; 1 Cor 11:23-25) took place on the night before Jesus died, at a meal commonly known as the Last Supper. Although there is considerable debate over the issue, the Last Supper probably was the Jewish PASSOVER meal, first instituted by God in the days of Moses (Ex 12:1-14; Num 9:1-5).
Many of Jesus’ actions and words at the Last Supper, such as the breaking and distributing of the bread, were part of the prescribed Passover ritual. But when Jesus said, “This is My body” and “This is My blood” while distributing the bread and the cup, He did something totally new. These words now intended for our blessing refer to the fact that the requirements of God through the law are now all fulfilled in him. We are called to remember his sacrifice and his work of salvation in our lives till he comes again.
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Child Dedication
The ceremony dedicating and committing a child to the Lord is a meaningful celebration. While beautiful and full of heartfelt sentiment, the presentation also signifies a serious vow on the part of the parents to raise this child unto the Lord with His help, to the best of their ability. It is important to recognize the longevity of such a vow; the parents promise as active Christian parents to sustain that child over time. This includes:
• Praying constantly for our children (Job 1:5);
• Living Christ-like lives as authentic examples to our children (Proverbs 20:7);
• Instructing our children in the way of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6); and
• Disciplining our children with love, even as the Lord disciples us (Proverbs 13:24; 29:15; Colossians 3:21).
Each time a child is dedicated we believe there are three parts to the dedication: the parents are dedicating themselves to be Godly examples for their children to follow by living an authentic Christian life; secondly, we are presenting the child to the Lord for His blessing; and thirdly the body of believers present are rededicating their lives to be a community where that child can discover authentic models that will nurture their walk and journey with Jesus.
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Bridge Kids
We believe the doctrine and application of the Bible are not limited to adults alone, and therefore place great emphasis on teaching the Bible to children. Our goal is to provide an environment that allows adults to receive from the Lord without distraction from the unique mannerisms of young children, innocent as they may be! Likewise, we see tremendous value in offering children the opportunity of learning to worship the Lord and being taught at their own respective levels.
We thus provide classes for children. The children meet together for a time of singing and worship, after which they are divided into smaller groups according to age.
We have the utmost confidence in the abilities and dedication of our Children’s’ Ministry Team. They love children and are committed to providing an experience for children that is fun, age appropriate and spiritually fruitful. Strong emphasis is placed on teaching of the Bible.
Society offers no apologies for imposing its Godless values upon children, and it is imperative that our children are taught Christian morals and values through both word and lifestyle, primarily within the family context. As a church, however, we are privileged to be given the opportunity to invest further in the lives of children. It is through this combination of training both in the home and in the church that they will best receive Biblical instruction and have the opportunity to imitate examples of consistent, Godly lifestyles. Proverbs 22:6 instructs us to: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it”.
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Marriage is the first model of the relationship between God and His people, and has been established by Him as an indissoluble union. It is therefore to be kept inviolate. However, due to the fallenness of human nature, the Scriptures permit divorce in the following cases as concession to human frailty for the protection of the innocent party:
• Divorce for the cause of immorality – with the understanding that the obligation to maintain or reinstate the marriage may not be imposed upon the innocent spouse.
• Divorce for desertion – desertion being defined as behavior equivalent to the abandonment of the marriage relationship.
In such cases, the offending party becomes subject to church discipline in order to bring about repentance and reconciliation. Should efforts to achieve restoration fail, the innocent spouse is not bound. He or she is free to remarry in the Lord.
The remarriage of believers may not be approved when:
• Divorce is being used as a vehicle to seek a different mate, since such pre-intent makes the divorce adulterous.
• There is no evidence of repentance and brokenness over the circumstances, which caused the divorce.
• Restoration of the original marriage remains a viable option.
Each case of divorce or remarriage must be dealt with on an individual basis from the perspective of God’s inexhaustible capacity to forgive human sin and restore broken lives.
For further personal study, read the following Bible passages on this topic: Matthew 5:31-32, Luke 16:18, Matthew 19:1-12, Mark 10:1-12 (cross reference Deuteronomy 24:1-4), Romans 7:1-3, and 1 Corinthians 7.
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God & Money
Most people are surprised to discover that money is one of the most talked about subjects not only in the teachings of Jesus, but throughout the entire Bible. The way we earn it, spend it, and how much we give to God were issues of great concern to Jesus and the writers of the Bible.
Why? Because there is no other aspect of our behavior, which reveals more about our goals and values in life than how we acquire, use and manage our money (Matthew 6:19-21). It’s easy to say that God is Lord of our lives, but for many, that never becomes completely true until they allow Him to be Lord of their finances.
There are three terms found in the Bible which summarize the Bible’s teachings on money: Stewardship, Tithes and Offering.
What is Stewardship?
A “steward” is one who manages the property or financial affairs of another. Stewardship refers to the responsibility we have to manage our resources in a manner that is consistent with God’s will and purposes.
The Bible teaches that each of us is viewed by God as a “steward” over the resources with which He has entrusted us. This applies to our time, energy, money and other material assets. None of our possessions actually belong to us, but rather to God (Psalm 24:1; 1 Chronicles 29:10-13). As stewards, we are responsible to use and invest our resources wisely, for the sake of His kingdom (Luke 16:1-3).
What is a Tithe?
The tithe is a specific way in which man can acknowledge God’s ownership of all things. It is a Biblical concept first introduced in Genesis, the first Book of the Bible. In its earliest usage, it literally meant “the top of the heap”. It refers to giving God the best that we have, right off the top of the pile, rather than what is left over after we meet all our other obligations (Genesis 14:20; Hebrews 7:5-9).
Commerce and culture became more sophisticated over time, and the tithe was identified as being a certain percentage of one’s income. Ten percent was to be regularly set aside and given to the priests for the service and maintenance of the Temple and the Priesthood. Under the Old Testament Mosaic Law, the tithe was given as a matter of necessity; it was the Law (Ezekiel 44:30; Malachi 3:8-10). In the New Testament, giving is generally viewed as an act of our free will, motivated by a desire to honour God and invest in the furtherance of His kingdom’s work in the world (Matthew 6:19-20).
Today, the tithe is given to the storehouse or the local church. Christians at the Bridge give 10% of their monthly income as a starting point as they seek to honour and worship God with their finances. Many end up so financially blessed that they move on to give much more than ten percent, proving over and over it is absolutely impossible to out-bless God. This type of heart toward finances and God brings a divine favor in all areas of provision that can only be understood by experience. They take to heart the challenges presented in the Bible to believe God’s promises to reward and abundantly bless those who give in faith (Malachi 3:10; Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7). Such persons are the ones who primarily support churches and other outreaches.
What is an Offering?
An “offering” represents a special financial gift, above and beyond the tithe. It is usually given in response to a special need or request. It is an expression of concern, grace and love for others and God’s work.
Who Pays the Bills?
Few have any idea of how churches are funded. Some believe that churches receive money from the government or some giant institution. In fact, churches in Canada are funded solely through the financial gifts of those who make that church their home. Consequently, a church’s facilities, staff and ministries are all directly linked to this financial support. It is a direct expression of our faith in God, and our desire to see His message of salvation extended to others.
We thank each of you who support the ministry God has raised up, and we pray God’s blessing on your faithful service to Him.
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