"Ipaglaban mo nang puspusan ang pananampalataya. Panghawakan mong mabuti ang buhay na walang hanggan, dahil diyan ka tinawag ng Diyos nang ipahayag mo sa harap ng maraming saksi ang iyong pananalig kay Cristo." I Tim. 6:12
Showing posts with label Baptism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baptism. Show all posts

April 23, 2012

How to become a member in the church?



Are you interested in the Church of Christ?

If yes, you may attend worship services in the church, just ask an INC member whom you know and he/she will accompany you to the locale near in your area, worship services are scheduled every wednesday/thursday and saturday/sunday,


Are you really interested in the Church of Christ?
If yes, you may attend the Pamamahayag or Grand Evangelical Missions in the church, just ask an INC member whom you know and he/she will tell you when it is scheduled.


Are you really really interested in the Church of Christ?
If yes, and wanted to know more about doctrines in the church, you may attend the bible studies or Doktrina scheduled in every locale. Ask an INC member whom you know and he/she will accompany you in the said activity. The lessons that will be taught by the ministers were lessons taught for bible students, church doctrines will be tackled there and after the lesson, you can ask questions to the minister.


Are you really really really interested in the Church of Christ?
If yes, and you dont want to do above, ask an INC member and tell her/him youre really interested and you wanted to see a minister he/she will accompany you to the locale near in your area. You can raise questions and concerns about the church and the minister or the evangelical worker will answer all your inquiries.


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Are there any requirements?
There is no particular "requirement" that the church required to those who wanted to undergo bible doctrines, whoever you are, whatever your nationality is, even if your tall or small, fat or thin, rich or poor, influential or insignificant, white or dark it doesnt matter, as long as youre sincere to your reasons on your conversion. The thing that one should know about is that the church doesnt baptize infants/childrens.


In what age one can undergo bible doctrines?
As long as a person can understand church doctrines, 12 years old and up are allowed.


What are the process before receiving baptism?
You will be indoctrinated with 25 lessons, i think abroad there are 28 lessons, for knowing more about the history of the Church. Then, you will go on to the probationary period, you should complete attending worship services a number of times required in being a candidate for baptism, i think 6 straight months. In this period, you are expected on adjusting your lifestyles and applying what you have learned in the indoctrination period. It is also in this times, you may experience trials and persecution from your family, friends, co-workers and etc. that is why your faith will be tested in this times.


Is there anything i should know besides the information above?
Yes. After finishing indoctrination lessons, you will undergo "first screening" and after probationary period, the "final screening", those are oral exams, you will be asked all about the lessons taught to you so that they will know if you really understood and accepted the doctrines wholeheartedly. In the probationary period, you are required to attend weekly prayer meetings.


Is there any possibility that i cant pass the oral exams?
Dont think about it, what you need to do is to listen attentively about the bible lessons. But there are people who didnt passed the oral exams that is why they need to undergo AGAIN the indoctrination.


All in all, how long will it take before receiving my baptism?
Its up to you, if you will undergo bible doctrines without absent and complete attending worship services for 6months, it will be less than a year. There are people who spent more than a year or years because of personal reasons, for example they didnt completed indoctrination because they need to go to their province and so on. Me? I think i spent almost a year or more than a year before receiving my baptism, because on those times, i cant attend weekly meeting in my probationary period because i go home 9pm from school and the time of the meeting was every 7pm.


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Membership

People compare the membership of their church to us, like saying "If the membership in the INC truly increases, how many people baptized in the INC yearly?" just one of the many. If you like to compare, then let me tell you.

In the Catholic Church, when Catholic parents in the world baptize their innocent babies to the priests, it will be automatically registered in their churches as Catholic member, then the Catholic population grows. About conversion, they have their process, for those not baptized in the "trinitarian formula" they need less than a year, those who are not baptized, they need a year.

In the MCGI of Soriano, they needed only atleast 8 or 13 mass indoctrinations (they only need to do is to listen and watch Soriano preaching via satellite) then they will receive their baptisms.

In Born-Again Christians, i heard to my former classmate that if you are ready to take baptism youll receive baptism. I dont have any idea how many weeks or months they needed.

In the INC, ive already said above, those who wanted to receive baptism in the church, becoming officially INC member, if he/she is a born-INC member or a convert, he/she must undergo the process above.

February 20, 2011

Who Baptized Bro. Felix Manalo?

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IS BRO. FELIX MANALO BAPTIZED IN THE CHURCH?

If yes, WHO BAPTIZED HIM?

If not, SURELY HE WILL NOT ATTAIN SALVATION AS THE CHURCH BELIEVES AND IT IS WRITTEN IN THE BIBLE THAT ONE MUST BE BAPTIZED TO BE SAVED!


Well then, Is Bro. Felix Manalo, BAPTIZED OR NOT BAPTIZED?

From the Pasugo, it says:


It is true that Bro. Felix Manalo was not baptized into the Church of Christ because no one was there immediately preceding his work to baptize him. Remember that the Church of Christ fell in the way of apostasy and the emergence of the Church of Christ led by Bro. Felix Manalo is its restoration. Hence, who will have to baptize him?

The same is true with John the Baptist who was called and sent by God for a specific work and who was not baptized. Yet, John the Baptist is God’s messenger.

Our Lord Jesus Christ receive baptism through a messenger sent by God, one who preceded him and prepared his way—John the Baptist (Mt.3:3).

The baptism that our Lord Jesus Christ received is different from the kind of baptism he commanded to his apostles. The baptism performed by the apostles was for the forgiveness of sins, and for making disciples of those who received it (Acts 2:38, Mt. 28:19). Christ, who is sinless and was made lord (I Pt. 2:21-22, Acts 2:36) was baptized not for that purpose but to “fulfill all righteousness”. (Mt. 3:13-15).

On the other hand, it was God himself who cleansed Bro. Felix Manalo so that he would be made worthy to preach his message of salvation in these last days. The almighty declared:

“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake;and I will not remember your sins.” (Is. 43:25, New King James Version)

The point that Bro. Felix Manalo was not baptized into the Church of Christ does not in any way disqualify him from being a true messenger of God. His commissioning as a true preacher of the gospel in these last days has been attested by the various prophecies written in the Holy Scriptures, one of which is Revelation 7:2-3:

“Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” (New king james version)
There are many other prophecies in the bible that specifically pertain to the commissioning of Bro. Felix Manalo, such as Isaiah 41:9-10, 14:16, 43:5-6, 46:11 and Rev. 14:9-14. Hence, although no one baptized him into the Church of Christ, his commissioning is from God through the fulfillment of the prophecies recorded in the Holy Scriptures. He is a true messenger who was chosen to start God’s work of Salvation in these last days.

Source: Pasugo Novermber 2001

Yes, BRO. FELIX MANALO IS NOT BAPTIZED IN THE CHURCH OF CHRIST!

But Wait,

Dont panic,

And give comments right away...

The thing is, WHY DOES BRO. FELIX NOT BAPTIZED IN THE CHURCH?

It is like the article about "Who ordained Bro. Felix Manalo?"

But in this time, Bro. Felix was not baptized because:

"no one was there immediately preceding his work to baptize him,... who will have to baptize him?"

Saying that Bro. Felix Manalo is not a true messenger of God and not be saved, is also saying that JOHN THE BAPTIST (the one who baptized our Lord Jesus Christ) is not a true messenger and therefore not be saved!

Here is what thy word is truth.com says:

Question #86
Who baptized John the Baptist?

Can you tell me who baptized John the Baptist?

The Answer:


The short answer is “No.” The Bible does not say who baptized John and any other answer would be pure speculation. As a matter of fact, there is no record of John’s being baptized at all. John was the divinely appointed forerunner of Christ. Malachi 3:1; 4:5-6; Matthew 10:17-13. His baptism was from God. Matthew 21:24-26. There is no reason to believe that the divinely prophesied and appointed forerunner needed to receive the baptism that he was sent to administer.


See? Even John the baptist wasnt baptized, but then does not mean that he is not a true messenger of God and will not be saved. It is God who CLEANSED BRO. FELIX, i will again quote:

“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake;and I will not remember your sins.” (Is. 43:25, New King James Version)

Prophecies about Bro. Felix, the truth about what he preached and so his commissioning from
God to continue the work of salvation is enough for us to believe that he is indeed God's Last Messenger!

Bro. Felix is baptized or not, WE DONT CARE! And it doesnt mean that he is already a FAKE "god's messenger" only because he was not baptized, and even he was not ordained. The thing is, he preached the truth that was written in the bible, and the truth that YOU BECOME ONE OF THE DEVIL'S INSTRUMENT TO MAKE SUCH LIES SAYING THAT HE IS NOT A TRUE MESSENGER OF GOD!


CASE CLOSED!