From Pastor Josh Laxton
"Good theology is to be applied theology."
"Sound theology is a well-ordered and put-together house."
"Our lives, marriages, families, relationships, cultures, communities, cities, and world are built upon words."
"When you follow God's revealed Word that points to His incarnate Word, Who through His death and resurrection deposits His indwelling Spirit that you might obey the Word, you inevitably will image the triune God and thus bring God the Father glory."
God reveals Himself in ways that are beyond our comprehension. So that we might know about God and who He is, God inspired men to write down His revelations in Scripture, which is inerrant. We are responsible for reading, hearing, studying, meditating, memorizing, and applying His Word.
In the Bible, God reveals Himself as a personal God. He wants humanity to know Him and love Him. In the Garden of Eden, God walked with Adam and Eve. Even when Adam and Eve disobeyed and sinned, God sought them out. While there were consequences to their disobedience, God loved and cared for them. God revealed Himself to the children of Israel when they left Egypt, leading them in a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. God revealed Himself to Moses in a burning bush. God revealed Himself through songs in the Psalms. Through the prophets, God called for repentance from sin and revealed future things. Throughout Scripture, time after time, we see God revealing more of Himself.
God reveals Himself in the Bible through Jesus. In Jesus, the Word became flesh. God came to us to be with us through the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. John 1:14 states, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
God also reveals Himself through the Trinity. As Christians, we believe in one God, the Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing as three "persons" who are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each of the persons of the Trinity have different unique attributes and roles, yet they are One. The Trinity is a mystery that our minds cannot begin to comprehend.
We are to respond to God's revelation acknowledging that He is the supreme power of the universe. He has ultimate authority in all things. We are to obey Him. God is our Father, and He loves us. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
This series, Theological Educational Discourses, outlines the primary major theological/doctrinal beliefs held by Northland Church.
Why this series?
-Remind Northlanders what we believe.
-Help those wanting to become a part of Northland discern if Northland Church is right for them.
-Invite others who might have another set of beliefs or don't know what they believe into considering these primary beliefs.
What is theology?
-What we believe about God and what He has revealed to us about Himself.
-Derives from "theos" (god) and "logos" (word) - the study of God.
-Good theology is to be applied theology.
-Sound theology is well-ordered and put together.
-Good doctrine is based on God's word.
What is doctrine?
-Latin for "doctrina" - teaching/instruction
-What the whole Bible teaches, believes, and confesses about a topic based on the word of God.
Triaging Doctrine
-Primary Doctrines: Scripture, God (Trinity), Humanity/Fall, Salvation, Church, Christian Discipleship, Marriage/Family, Gender/Sexuality, The Second Coming.
-Secondary Doctrines: Mode of Lord's Supper, Baptism, Church Structure/Governance, Church Offices, Spiritual Gifts.
-Tertiary Doctrines: Bible Translation, Church Music, Small Group Structure, Dress, Order of Service, Types of Ministries, Alcohol, Cultural Engagement.
Words Have Power
-Principle: Words build worlds.
-All words are weighted, and those that are authoritative carry the most weight in your life. They have the power to create who you are and what you are becoming.
-What kind of world are our words building?
The Bible
KEY BIBLE VERSES
Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalm 19:7-10, 119:11, 89, 105, 140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16, 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18, 22:29; Luke 21:33, 24:44-46; John 5:39, 16:13-15, 17:17; Acts 2:16, 17:11; Romans 15:4, 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2, 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21
We believe the Bible, consisting of both Old and New Testaments, is the inspired Word of God and is inerrant in the original writings, and is the Christian's ultimate and final authority in faith.
-Made up of 66 individual books with one overarching story.
-Written by 40 authors over a span of 1500 years.
-Consists of six major genres: Historical Narrative, Law, Poetry, Wisdom, Epistles (Letters), and Apocalyptic.
-Authoritative word which points toward salvation, shapes the institution and church, and provides the framework for personal life and godliness.
-Christians are under the authority of the Word by hearing, reading, studying, meditating, memorizing, and applying it.
-You will know you are under the authority of the Word as your life will have order and structure, peace and harmony, love and beauty, life and health, and functionality and flourishing.
God (Trinity)
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three "persons." God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
God the Father
KEY BIBLE VERSES
Genesis 1:1, 26; Exodus 3:14; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 19:1-3; Matthew 6:9; 1 Corinthians 8:6
We believe that everything exists to bring God the Father Glory.
-God the Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow and the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace.
-He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, and all-wise.
God the Son
KEY BIBLE VERSES
John 1:1-3; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-20; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 1:1-3
We believe by miracle of the virgin birth that the Lord Jesus Christ, eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God in order to reveal God and redeem man; that He died as the substitutionary sacrifice for our sins and arose bodily from the dead; and that He is now exalted at the right hand of God, Head of the Church and Lord/King of the individual believer. It is through Jesus' death and resurrection sinful humans are justified, sanctified and glorified.
God the Holy Spirit
KEY BIBLE VERSES
Psalm 51:11; John 14:16-17, 26; Acts 1:8; Galatians 4:6-7, 5:16; Ephesians 1:13-14
We believe the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, regenerates the believing sinner, and at conversion, baptizes him/her into the Church. We believe that He indwells, guides, instructs, and empowers the believer for godly living and service and that He seals and keeps them until the Lord comes. We believe that He bestows spiritual gifts upon each one so that they might exercise them for the strengthening and outreach of the Body of Christ.
The Bible is the inerrant, authoritative Word of God. It is sufficient for salvation, discipleship, everyday godly living, and for the faith and practice of the church.
To improve understanding of the Bible, studying God's word is necessary. Pick a Bible reading plan this week and commit to following it. Consider starting to read a chapter a day in the book of John, which will take 21 days. See the Additional Resources section below for various Bible reading plans or links to a Bible app with Bible reading plans.
Lord, thank You for revealing Yourself to me in so many wonderful ways and, most of all, for Your love for me. I am amazed. You know me personally and care about everything that happens in my life. I desire to be Your faithful child, to trust You, and to follow You obediently. Help me to become more like King Jesus. Give me a hunger to study the Bible, so I will learn more about You daily. May I share my time, talents, and treasures with neighbors and nations as I reflect Your glory. I pray that more people will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
-LIFE² Group - What is the Bible and Can it be Trusted? - starting September 12, with Pastor Derwin Anderson, Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m.
-Links:
-Reference Books for this series:
–Northland Bookstore for study Bibles and Bible study guides
– Bible Reading Plans or links to a Bible App with Bible Reading Plans or QR code.
» July 8-9
TED —THEOLOGICAL EDUCATIONAL DISCOURSES | Humanity & Sin // Salvation & Last Things (Revelation) |Senior Pastor Josh Laxton
» July 15-16
TED —THEOLOGICAL EDUCATIONAL DISCOURSES | Marriage & Family // Gender & Sexuality |Senior Pastor Josh Laxton
» July 8-9
TED —THEOLOGICAL EDUCATIONAL DISCOURSES | Humanity & Sin // Salvation & Last Things (Revelation) |Senior Pastor Josh Laxton
» July 15-16
TED —THEOLOGICAL EDUCATIONAL DISCOURSES | Marriage & Family // Gender & Sexuality |Senior Pastor Josh Laxton
July 10-14 at 6:00 p.m.
It's time for VBS! Launch kids on a cosmic quest where they'll have a blast shining Jesus' light to the world! Stellar rockets kids on an out-of-this-world adventure that's light years of faith-building fun. Stellar Adventure Camp is open for all entering 1st through 5th grade in the fall.
July 12 at 2 p.m.
If you love God, love holding babies and have a couple of extra hours in your week, come serve as a baby rocker at LifeHope Childcare! Ladies of all ages are invited to attend orientation and learn more about this towel-holder opportunity.
Chili. Lasagna. Pastor Josh's Sermons. Some things are even better the second time around! Each week we'll serve up Pastor Josh's latest sermon and share stories about the life change we see happening at Northland each and every day. You won't just be full but Fully Alive in King Jesus. Available now at Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
