We Believe
We at the Church Readiness Ministries believe the Bible is the inspired word of God. We believe in heaven and hell and that the teachings in the Bible are the only way for a person to obtain salvation.
The Apostle's Doctrine
"Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high" Luke 24:46-49. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers Acts 2:42
The Day of Pentecost
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence Acts 1:4&5. "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" Acts 1:8.
Except Ye Repent
"Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish". Repentance is a turning away from all sin. Repentance involves turning to God, in believing prayer, for forgiveness and cleansing from all sin. The repentant person confesses to God that he is a sinner and asks for forgiveness. He can rest assured that God will forgive, for His Word promises, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins" 1 John 1:9.
The Gift of the Holy Spirit
“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” Acts 2:1-4.
The baptism of the Holy Ghost is the birth of the Spirit (John 3:5). This spiritual baptism is necessary to put someone into the kingdom of God and is evidenced by speaking in other tongues (other languages) as the Spirit of God give utterance. It was prophesied by Joel (Joel 2:28-29) and Isaiah (Isaiah 28:11), foretold by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:11), purchased by the blood of Jesus, and promised by Him to His disciples (John 14:26; 15:16).
We believe that God has given us power through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We believe that God has blessed all Saints with gifts and it is imperative that the Saints of God are taught this truth based on scriptures. Mark 16:17-18 and I Corinthians Chapter 12
The Baptism in Jesus' Name
According to Christian based churches, there are some that baptize by repeating the phrase "in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," while others execute the command and baptize in the name of Jesus. Which of the two is correct according to the scriptures? In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus tells his disciples “go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the world, Amen.” In this scripture, Jesus is telling the disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Ghost.
On the other hand in Acts 2:38 Peter says, “repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Peter is telling everyone to baptize in the name of Jesus. In Acts 8:12 & 16 we find that Philip also baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women....For as yet he (the Holy Ghost) was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Did Peter and Philip disobey God? Did the Apostle Paul disobey God in the 19th chapter of Acts when he re-baptized the 12 men at Ephesus in the name of Jesus who had been baptized according to John’s baptism?
It is easy to see how so many people can be confused and led astray concerning the name in which to be baptized. Is it important? And does it even matter? One scripture says one thing and another scripture says something else. Or does it? Keep in mind that Jesus often spoke in parables, and the scriptures are spiritually discerned. “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” I Corinthians 2:19. It takes the Spirit of God to open our understanding to the scriptures.
In Matthew 28:19, Jesus told the disciples to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. This is a commandment that Jesus gave the disciples, and in order to execute his commandment, they would have to understand what he meant. The Bible says in Luke 24:45-49 “then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, and he said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” As we study the scriptures, we find that Jesus was tasked to declare the name of the Father. The Father made a glorious name for Himself. Jesus came in the name of the Father; moreover, the Holy Ghost was sent in the name of Jesus. It is imperative that we all come to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. For when this is realized, the Saints of God will understand that the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is JESUS.
The Church Readiness Ministries
