Stewart

Making impossibilities realities... I am also a Chrisitian, and there are a few critical beliefs that flow from that. These are the three organizing beliefs of my Church.1. Reality is More Important Than Anything We Believe.2. All Principles Must Be Consistently Applied.3. The Bible is the Undisputed Primary Source Material for Christianity.These are my Three Core Organizing Principles. They are Core because they are at the center of every issue we explore and every belief we have. They are Organizing because they help me organize every principle, every belief, every challenge to my thinking. They are Principles because they apply to all people at all times in all places.We believe that all people will accept these Core Organizing Principles as Self-Evident. While we might disagree over what is and is not Real, we all agree that Reality is what Reality is, no matter what an individual believes Reality is. While many people preach "principles" that they use only against others and do not apply to themselves, we all agree that if a Principle is really the Principle, then the Principle should apply consistently. Finally, while we may disagree over whether the Bible is the Word of God or what books belong in it, we all agree that, for Christians, the Bible is the one Primary (First) Source (Place to Go for Answers) Material (in this case, a Book) we agree ought to govern Christianity more than any other single source.Christian or not, we ask that all people to consider and accept those Core Organizing Beliefs. These Core Organizing Principles are different than what are considered Critical Beliefs for Christians. Critical Beliefs are those that draw a line between those who are Christian and those who are not Christian. Key Beliefs are those that define our particular flavor of Christianity, but Agathos accepts and understands that there are other reasonable points of view on some or all of these Beliefs and other Christian Churches will teach and maintain some of these points of view. We affirm the right of these churches to hold any reasonable belief. We affirm that Fundamentals should be allowed to be Fundamentals, that Charismatics should be allowed to be Charistmatic, and Evangelicals should be allowed to be Evangelical. Likewise, we expect others to respect us enough to affirm that Agathos should be allowed to be Agathos. For a member of Agathos, we ask the the Key Beliefs be accepted.I mentioned "Critical Beliefs." There are also "Key Beliefs" A critical belief is a belief that is core to Christianity. If someone denies one of the Critical Beliefs, then it can be easy to conclude that the person is not a Christian. You will note that there are only a few Critical Beliefs, and I'm sure that the vast majority of people who would identify themselves as Christians would agree with them.A "Key Belief" is a belief that defines Agathos. Some Christians will have differing views on some or all of our Key Beliefs, and we accept that and do not deny that they are Christians. The Key Beliefs define us as Agathos Ministries. We recognize the right of Baptists to be Baptist, of Catholics to be Catholic, and of any Christian to be any sort of Christian, provided the beliefs we feel are Critical are not denied.If you are unclear on what I mean or would like to see the Scripture to support any of my beliefs, feel free to ask....CRITICAL BELIEFS1. GOD. There is One God who is simultaneously Father, Son and Holy Spirit.2. JESUS CHRIST. Jesus Christ is The Son, who died for our sins, was bodily resurrected and ascended into Heaven.3. SALVATION. Salvation is by grace through faith, not by works, received by repentance and trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior.KEY BELIEFS1. BIBLE. The 66 books of the Bible are the Word of God, perfect in their original manuscript form and in their original languages. The interpretation of any part is to be taken in context of the whole, and considered in the context in which it was intended. The Bible will not contradict Reality nor will principles be inconsistent.2. CHRISTIANITY. The dividing line between a Christian and a nonChristian is faith in Jesus Christ, and many churches, denominations or movements may agree on the critical beliefs, but disagree on other beliefs, on practices, or on the style or culture of the group. We believe in the right of these groups to be who they are and do what they do, provided they do not deviate from the critical beliefs of One God, Jesus, and Salvation by grace through faith.3. GOD’S NATURE, CHARACTER AND AGENDA. God is Infinite in His Genius, Infinite in His Wisdom, Infinite in His Power and Perfect in His Love. To God, All Places are Here, All Times are Now. He is a loving Father who is interested in people walking in harmony with Him and His Creation, in the growth and maturity of His children, and in all of humanity growing in Good Character.4. GOOD WORKS. Good works do not in any way contribute to salvation, but good works naturally flow from saving faith, and a Christian will naturally wish to stop doing wrong things and do more right things, and a if there is no change of heart, a new Christian has reason to examine his profession of faith.5. APPLIED CREATIONISM. We believe God designed and engineered the Universe, and that it worked perfectly when originally made. We believe that Creation works on Principles that include physics, mathematics, and other verifiably true principles. We believe that we should walk in obedience to those Principles as well as obeying the moral and practical teaching in Scripture. We believe that faith in that design is faith in the Creator.6. DISCIPLESHIP. A Disciple of Christ is one who is devoted to spiritual growth and a deepening relationship with God. Spiritual growth will result in greater obedience to God, cooperation with God’s principles, and growth in character. Discipleship is accepting Jesus Christ as Lord. Three key methods of spiritual growth are the Bible (reading, study, consideration), Prayer (speaking to God), and Fellowship (spending time and investing in relationship with Christians).