John The Baptist

Luke 3:1-8

John the Baptist Preaches
¹Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,

Verse 2-
²in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the Word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.

John the Baptist was born six months before Christ and was a son of a priest. John was also Jesus's cousin. 

He was called to preach Gods message for the preparation of Christ ministry. In the next few weeks we are talking about Christ's ministry in our Sunday services. (See our website for more information on how to attend our studies www.independenthouseofGod.com.)

Verse 3-

³And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; 


The message he taught was a sermon of the need for man to have repentance for the forgiveness of our sins. Sin separates us from God and must be forgiven by God in order to receive Salvation through Christ. We have to realize we are sinful and ask for forgiveness. 


Repentance is more than just saying a half-hearted prayer of, "Sorry God." You must have a change of heart, mind and soul. You must truly want to turn over a new leaf and grow a stronger relationship with God. 


The baptism did not save those he preached to. I was only a sign of the change that was happening in the peoples lives. He immersed them water showing them entering the water as a sinner and coming out washed and clean from any imperfections. 
  
Verse 7-
⁷He came as a witness, to testify about the Light(Christ, the opposite of Darkness), so that all might believe through him. ⁸He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.


As a witness you share what you have seen or experienced personally with others. John himself realized his own sins and repented and then shared his own testimony. He told of one who will be known as the Light, Jesus Christ. Christ was also called the “Sun of righteousness.” Light brings the end of darkness.

Find out more about John the Baptist and how his helped pave the way for Christ's ministry this Sunday at 10:00 - http://www.missionsmall.org/IHOGCalendar.html

God Bless

Welcome To The Independent Bulletin of The Independent House of God

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Our Mission is the Great Commission! Our Goals Are Simple-

We believe that we are only a small part of God's Church, with a strong calling to make a huge impact in our community for Christ. God's Church is made up of all who believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as the
One True God. We celebrate being a part of the Bride of Christ Jesus the Son of God.

We teach scripture and hold to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and rely on His guidance, both in the Word and by the Spirit. We do not teach Religious Politics and will not be bound by the traditions of man. We realize that the
Head of the Church can only be Christ.

Sunday Services begin at 10:0 am. We have Children's Church every Sunday by laymen that have been called to take on this special ministry.

Corporate Worship Services are relaxed with the intent of evangelizing to the lost in our community while equipping the Believers. The music services are mixed with both contemporary and gospel styles. Pastor
Robert has a unique approach by using an interactive teaching format instead of a one way monologue. Members of the congregation are encouraged to respond during services if they feel comfortable doing so.

1.In Reach- We believe that every Christian must have a personal 
relationship with God that is constantly evolving. We believe that one of the 
greatest failures of congregations today is the lack of Discipling the 
Believers. Our services are designed to educate the congregation and 
encourage them to have some personal time for studying the Word on their 
own. To aid their Spiritual growth we mentor and support each other as a 
family should.

2. Out Reach- The love of God was not meant to keep for ourselves.  Believers may no 
longer be bound by sin, however, we are now enslaved to God. What is the purpose of 
Equipping the Saints if they do not use their faith and knowledge of the Word to further the Kingdom of God? Remember our creed, "Our Mission is the Great Commission!" 
First the Father gave the authority to Christ, and then the Messiah gave the authority to us 
with the command to use it. Go share the Great News!