Believers For Christ

In the Old Testament, the concept of a "bondslave" (or bondservant) originates from the Mosaic Law, which provided for Hebrew servants who could serve for six years and then go free in the seventh year (Exodus 21:2). However, if the servant loved his master and chose to remain in service voluntarily, he could commit to lifelong bondage. Exodus 21:5-6 describes this: "But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever." This act of ear-piercing symbolized an irrevocable, love-driven covenant of total devotion and obedience, where the bondslave surrendered all personal rights to his master's will, finding identity and purpose in that relationship.

In the New Testament, Jesus outlines the qualities and commitments required to be His disciple—not merely a casual follower, but someone who fully surrenders to Him as Lord and Savior. These qualifications emphasize total devotion, obedience, and transformation. Below, I'll describe key qualifications drawn directly from Scripture, grouped thematically for clarity, with explanations of how they apply.

A Prophetic Word of The Lord ... Delivered through His Servant Gilbert Stockton ...

... I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures ..." ~Paul the Apostle I Corinthians 15:1-4 NKJV

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. ~Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV ... Here is a list of links expounding upon the topic ... Every Believer a Minister - Home2World No Clergy or Laity: All Christians Are Ministers in the Body of Christ, Ephesians 4:11-13 EVERY BELIEVER IS CALLED TO THE MINISTRY Every Christian a Minister | The Cripplegate   Every Christian A Minister You, Yes You, Are a Minister! - Tim Challies Who, Me? Minister? | CBN.com Every Believer's Calling, The Ministry of Reconciliation What is Christian ministry? - Got Questions? All Christians Are Called To Full-Time Ministry - Jarrid Wilson Am I Called to Full-Time Ministry? - Word of Life Bible Institute God want everyone in full-time ministry? | Christ for all Nations You are a Full-Time Minister of God | G...

Suppose that we could speak with an embryo in his mother's womb and that you would tell him that the embryonic life is only a short one after which follows a real, long life. What would the embryo answer? He might say that the life in the mother's womb is the only one and that everything else is foolishness. But if the embryo could think, he might say to himself. "Here arms grow on me. I do not need them. I cannot even stretch them. Why do they grow? Perhaps they grow for a future stage of my existence, in which I will have to work with them. Legs grow, but I have to keep them bent toward my chest. Why do they grow? Maybe life in a large world follows, where I will have to walk. My eyes grow, although I am surrounded by perfect darkness and don't need them. Why do I have eyes? Maybe a world with light and colors will follow." So, if the embryo would reflect on his own development, he would have clues about life outside of his mother's womb, without...

In the book, "Service: A Navy SEAL at War," veteran Marcus Luttrell writes about "pink mist." Here is what he writes: "The explosion killed the two ... leading the way; the first man simply disappeared, evaporated by the blast, his scant remains drifting away in the air, a pink mist ..." It seems that the reality of what can become of a man, in an instant, is something that many of us want to ignore. The human mind says: "Let's not think about that," as we naturally proceed through the rest of our day. Instead of doing that again, let's try something different. Let's consider who and what we really are according to the word of God. To do this is a powerful exercise. The word of God can transform what seems to be a distantly isolated event into an ever-present personal reality. For example, let's see how we relate to "pink mist." "You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? You are a mist t...

What is the gospel?  Have you ever attempted to define it? Sure, Websters has their modern definition HERE . But compare and notice HERE how the Websters definition has changed over the past 190+ years. The word of God says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Yet, many today have their own personal definitions about what the gospel is and what the gospel is not. As with Websters, it is easy to see that the positions of men are as shifting sand ... unstable and ever-changing. In order to be sure, the foundation of faith must be built on the solid rock of Christ Jesus (ref. Matthew 7:24-27). So, without further delay, let us see together what the gospel is according to the word of God. The gospel of Jesus Christ is: "the power of God unto salvation" (according to Romans 1:16). From this key scripture, we can begin to see the truth about the gospel. First of all, it is "the gospel of Jesus Christ." Without Jesus Christ...

BEWARE: Perpetual theology is one of the places where unbelief goes in an attempt to justify itself ... saying ... "While I'm learning about God, I don't have to do what He says." "Ever learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth" is NOT a good thing. Constantly asking ... "Did God really say?" ... Is not a position of faith. It is the position of the serpent at the temptation of man (Ref. Genesis 3:1). WHERE DID I GET THIS WARNING? FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD AND FROM THE WORD OF GOD. REF. 2 Timothy 3:1-17 ... This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; HAVING A FORM OF GODLINESS, BUT DENYING ...

Jesus and the original twelve apostles are well known. However, it may be a surprise to learn that there are many others.  Here's a list. First and foremost is Jesus ... the author and finisher of our faith. 1. Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the only begotten Son of the Living God is named "Apostle and High Priest of our confession" according to Hebrews 3:1.  Secondly, there are the original twelve apostles chosen by Jesus according to Mark 3:14-19. Jesus plus the original twelve brings the total count of named apostles up to thirteen. 2. Simon (Peter) 3. James the son of Zebedee 4. John, Brother of James 5. Andrew 6. Philip 7. Bartholomew (Also known as Nathanael) 8. Matthew 9. Thomas 10. James, son of Alphaeus 11. Thaddaeus 12. Simon the Zealot 13. Judas Iscariot Thirdly, is the replacement for Judas Isca...

Let's cut through the confusion. First, notice that the question: "What is a Christian?" is quite different from the question: "What is a born again child of God?" In this text, we are only attempting to answer the question ... "What is a Christian?" According to the Bible, (Acts 11:19-26) it is recorded that the disciples of Jesus Christ were first called Christians in the community of Antioch. Acts 11:26 NKJV says that: "it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." The three key words here are "church, disciple, and Christian." Here are those definitions from the Greek lookup on BibleHub : church : an assembly, a (religious) congregation disciple : a learner, pupil Christian : a follower of Christ. The above definition of the word Christian in the context of Acts 11 should suffice as the answer. Howeve...

Is leg-lengthening fake or real? What is the significance of this practice according to scripture? Notice what the scripture says about the legs of the lame: "THE LEGS OF THE LAME ARE NOT EQUAL ..." (Proverbs 26:7 KJV) Remember that Jesus healed the lame ... and Jesus used the healing of the lame as one of His specific signs to declare who He was. For example, consider the following exchange between Jesus Christ and John the Baptist. "Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and THE LAME WALK, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me."   (Matthew 11:2-6 KJV)  Not everyone in the...

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them IN THE NAME of the FATHER and of the SON and of the HOLY SPIRIT," ~ Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 28:19 NKJV) THE FATHER (OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN - THE FATHER OF JESUS) "In this manner, therefore, pray: OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN, Hallowed be Your name." ~ Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 6:9 NKJV) THE SON (JESUS OF NAZARETH - OUR SAVIOR) "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." ~ Jesus of Nazereth (John 3:16-17 NKJV) THE PROMISE OF ANOTHER HELPER (THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH - THE HOLY SPIRIT - JESUS IN YOU) "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you ANOTHER HELPER, that He may abide with you forever—THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him n...

[Editor’s Note: The following is adapted from Gospel Fellowships - Principles for the Gathering of Believers , Pages 370-377 (282-291 printed version)] 1. The Bible We believe that all 66 Books of the Bible are God-breathed [2 Timothy 3:16]. They were inspired by God through the Holy Spirit to the prophets and Apostles who composed them [Hebrews 1:1, 1 Peter 1:10]. The Bible is complete and inerrant truth. It has the highest authority. Nobody is allowed to distort it in any way [Romans 3:4, Revelation 22:18-19]. The Bible clearly states God’s purpose of redemption of mankind [John 3:16, 2 Peter 3:9]. The Bible is the highest standard of our Christian life and ministry. We are against any denials of the Bible; we are against any teaching or theories that regard the Bible as out of date, or as erroneous; we are also against the practice of believing only in selected sections of the Scripture [Psalm 19:7–9, Acts 20:27]. We want to emphasize that the Scriptures must be interpreted ...