Statement of Faith

John Wesley followed a time-tested approach: "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity." Wesley believed that the spirit of charity needs to take into consideration the limits of human understanding. He observed, "To be ignorant of many things and to be mistaken in some is the necessary condition of humanity" and therefore, "As to all opinions which do not strike at the root of Christianity, we think and let think." (Expanded article here.)


So what are the essentials?

For example, do they include a specific view of eschatology or hell? There are four biblically backed views of eschatology and four of hell and a lot of church splits have happened over these views. The church I was saved in had a church split over whether men should have beards or not! Is that really an essential? Is that really worth starting a new denomination over? How many people are being called heretics because they hold a different view of eschatology or hell or kingdom or gifts of the spirit than the accuser holds. This is NOT becoming of the church.

The essential doctrines – The Apostles’ Creed (See various versions)

The Apostles’ Creed deals primarily with beliefs about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

  1. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
  2. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated in the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
  3. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic [universal] Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Amazing how many doctrines we hold dear and fight over that are never mentioned in the Apostles’ Creed. Notice that it doesn’t cover any of the views of eschatology or any discussion concerning hell. The Nicene Creed initiated in 325 and expanded 381 AD affirms and expands slightly on the Apostles' creed.

The Bible teaches us that we are to live and walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:25)

God's original design was that mankind would live by the spirit (Gal. 5:25)

  1. Having God’s Spirit/breath allows us intimate daily communion with God. This was God’s original intent and has never changed (Gen. 2:7; 3:8; Jn. 20:22).
  2. We are created in God’s image and are to rule and reign with Him (Gen. 1:26-28).

Sin damaged God's original design

  1. Sin breaks our intimate communion with God, causing us to live under law (Gal. 5:18; Rom. 8)

Jesus, the second Adam restored humanity to God's original design

  1. Jesus modeled God’s original intent, living in intimacy with God, doing nothing of His own initiative, but only what He heard and saw His Father doing (Jn. 5:19,20,30; 8:26-38).
  2. Jesus’ death released many provisions  including becoming a “partaker of the divine nature” (2 Pet. 1:1-6), freedom from sin’s power (Rom. 8), new life in Christ (Gal. 2:20), restored intimacy with God (Jn. 10:27; Rom. 8:14), restored capacity to rule and reign (Eph. 2:6), and commission and power to overthrow the kingdom of darkness through healing and deliverance just as Jesus did (1 Jn. 3:8; Matt. 12:27; Lk. 11:20).
  3. We live by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; 2:1-4; Eph. 5:18) and manifest His fruit and power (Gal. 5:22-25; 1 Cor. 12:7-11). The Spirit anoints us to fulfill the Great Commission to disciple all nations (Matt. 28:19; Gal. 5:25).
  4. We speak things into existence – God spoke the worlds into existence (Gen. 1 & 2). We are made in His image and we also create as we speak (Heb. 11:3; Prov. 18:21; Job. 22:28; Mk. 11:23,24), with our goal being to speak the things God has spoken to us.

Errors we avoid so we don't falsely judge people as being heretics

Error 1 - To reject, condemn, attack and call people heretics when they disagree with us, on non-essentials.

We choose blessing rather than cursing (Jas. 3:10). We respect those who disagree without becoming disagreeable. By choosing this, we obey Christ’s command to show honor (1 Pet. 2:17; 3:9), and prove to the world we are His children, in that we love one another (Jn. 13:35). Maintaining honor and love are some of the weightier issues Jesus spoke of in Matthew 23:23 and Luke 11:42.

Error 2 - Believing you can’t learn from non-Christians. (e.g. “You can’t learn anything from a New Ager”)

God granted revelation to Pharaoh, an evil king (Gen. 41) as well as to Belshazzar (Dan. 5). God gave insight to Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, as to how to govern (Ex. 18). Everyone can receive God’s revelation. Therefore we can learn from all, including children (Lk. 18:17)

Error 3 - To live in reaction to error.

Some suggest we should live in reaction to the New Age, making sure we don’t do anything similar to what they do. The Bible never instructs us to live in reaction to error. We are to explore truth and live in the truth. We believe what the Bible and the Spirit instruct us to believe, period! We do not care if every cult group or no cult group believes things similar to what we believe. We do not poll cults to determine what we believe.

Error 4 - To believe that the Bible, coupled with man’s reason, is enough to discover truth.

We believe the Bible is the inerrant, authoritative, divinely-inspired Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16). Even as Jesus "opened the Scriptures" to the disciples on the Emmaus road (Lk. 24:32, 45), so today, we need the Holy Spirit to assist us by opening the Scriptures to our understanding (Prov. 3:5). We “reason together with God” (Isa. 1:18) rather than reasoning on our own. We ask God for wisdom and tune to the river of the Holy Spirit Who flows within. This results in insight, illumination and revelation.  

Discover more about CWG’s approach

  1. What is “Revelation-Based Learning?
  2. What makes CWG’s training different?
  3. What is the recommended sequence of training modules?
  4. Where can I find CWG’s training woven into college courses?
  5. Where can I access electronic training modules leading to diplomas?
  6. Where can I learn more about God’s gift of salvation?

Results

Results 231 - 240 of 490

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Through the Bible III - Divided Kingdom CDs

Through the Bible 3: Divided Kingdom Audio CDs

by Dr. Andrew Hardy | 3 Discs

Dr. Andrew Hardy guides you through 17 Old Testament books in 11 sessions. This is part three of our Through the Bible series, which provides an overview of the entire Bible.

Price: $24.95
Through the Bible IV: Poetry and Wisdom Literature - Audio CDs

Through the Bible 4: Poetry and Wisdom Literature Audio CDs

by Dr. Andrew Hardy | 3 Discs

Dr. Andrew Hardy guides you through the Poetry and Wisdom books of the Bible in 11 sessions. This is part four of our Through the Bible series, which provides an overview of the entire Bible.

Price: $24.95
Through the Bible V - Major Prophets - CDs

Through the Bible 5: Major Prophets Audio CDs

by Dr. Andrew Hardy | 3 Discs

Dr. Andrew Hardy guides you through the Major Prophets in 10 sessions. This is part five of our Through the Bible series, which provides an overview of the entire Bible.

Price: $24.95
Through the Bible 6: Life of Christ - Audio CDs

Through the Bible 6: Life of Christ Audio CDs

by Dr. Andrew Hardy | 5 Discs

Dr. Andrew Hardy takes you through the Gospels, the Life of Christ, in 10 sessions. This is part six of our Through The Bible series,  which provide you an in-depth overview of the entire Bible. You may choose to begin with the Life of Christ, and work your way through the entire New Testament, and then follow this up by going through the Old Testament.

Why are there four Gospels describing Jesus' life? How are the three synoptic Gospels different from John? What does God want to say to me through the life of Jesus? Can I really imitate Christ and be like him? Yes, Jesus came to model the lifestyle God has empowered us to live!

Price: $24.95

Through the Bible 7: Acts and Epistles Audio CDs

by Dr. Andrew Hardy | 4 Discs

Dr. Andrew Hardy takes you through Acts and the General Epistles in 10 sessions. This is part seven of our Through the Bible series, which provides you an in-depth overview of the entire Bible. You may choose to begin with the Life of Christ, and work your way through the entire New Testament, and then follow this up by going through the Old Testament.

In the book of Acts you discover the vibrancy of the early Church. The Holy Spirit descended upon them in Pentecost and filled them and the room in which they were seated. Empowered by the Holy Ghost, they immediatey won 3000 to the Lord. Miracles followed, many were healed, and the world was transformed by these anointed disciples. 

In the General Epistles we learn of the struggles the early Church faced, and the amazing teaching the Apostle Paul provided to keep them on track. You receive a glimpse into the heart of Paul as he passionately encourages his readers to know who they are in Christ and ascend into the heavenlies, where they are seated with Him in heavenly places, ruling and reigning. These books take you into the depths of Scriptural truth as revealed by the Holy Spirit. Pray for God to give you revelation knowledge in your heart and mind as you meditate on His Word (Eph. 1:17,18).

Price: $24.95

Through the Bible 8: Epistles and Revelation Audio CDs

by Dr. Andrew Hardy | 10 Sessions

Dr. Andrew Hardy takes you through the General Epistles and the book of Revelation in 10 sessions. This is part eight of our Through The Bible series,  which provide you an in-depth overview of the entire Bible. You may choose to begin with the Life of Christ, and work your way through the entire New Testament, and then follow this up by going through the Old Testament.

This eighth series in the collection covers the following New Testament books: I Thessalonians, II Thessalonians, I Timothy, II Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, I Peter, II Peter, I John, II John, III John, Jude and Revelation.

Price: $24.95

Unique Gifts Make Winning Teams CD Set

1 CD set

Can I succeed like others have? What do I need to do? How do I go about it? What if I don't have the gifts necessary to do something great? The wonderful truth revealed in Scripture is that God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary feats, especially when they say, "Yes, Lord" to the destiny He has prepared for them!

Price: $39.95

Your Extraordinary Life CDs

Mark Virkler | 16 CD Sessions on 6 Discs

Can you imagine starting new believers off with the Holy Spirit! What if the first thing you were taught as a newborn Christian was how to connect easily and daily with the Holy Spirit Who was living inside you, anointing you, empowering you and transforming you?

Price: $39.95

15 Ways Angels Minister to Us

By Charity Virkler Kayembe

“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14)

Do you know the 15 ways the Bible reveals that angels minister to you? We have listed these extraordinary Scriptures on beautiful 8” x 5” Ministry Cards. They are the perfect size to slide in your book or Bible as a bookmark and an anointed reminder of the many blessings Father has provided for you through your angelic bodyguards.

Price: $2.00
4 Keys to Hearing God's Voice - Group Leader Bonus Resources

4 Keys Group Leader Bonus Resources

11 Books, 1 CD, Only $40 (Retail Value $203)

Outstanding tools to promote your event! This package includes: 10 LEARN 4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice Notebooks; 50 “4 Keys” hand-out cards; 1 Teacher’s Guide, plus a CD-ROM packed with promotional items and a teaching PowerPoint with 200+ slides.

Price: $40.00

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