I believe in…the holy Christian church, the communion of saints. What is the church? And why does it matter? This line in the Creed begins the shift from vertical beliefs (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) to horizontal beliefs (how we live in light of the vertical). The bottom line is this: the church isn’t an afterthought in the Christian life, the church is central to the Christian life. The Christian who desires to thrive spiritually will unite themselves to the community of Jesus–the only institution Jesus promised would defeat the very gates of hell. As dysfunctional as she can be at times, the bride of Jesus is the hope of the world!

Apostles’ Creed: I Believe In The Holy Spirit - Joe Dillon, 09 25 22 by New Life of Asheville

Christians can be funny when it comes to the return of Jesus. People can either go a little overboard with charts, graphs and date predictions or they fail to see any practical significance of the return of Jesus to their everyday lives. The truth is, how you understand the return of Jesus has colossal implications for how you think and live as a modern-day person in the 21st century. Our core passages this week are clear about a couple of things: one, Jesus IS coming back & two, Jesus is both a loving and just judge. Because these things are true, we should live in a state of readiness for His return. We should engage the mission Jesus has given us. We should encourage one another as we see the day drawing near. Our King is coming for His people and that is great news!

“He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty” is one of the most fascinating lines in the Creed and yet one of the most neglected teachings in the modern church. Where did Jesus go after the resurrection? And what is He doing now? How you answer that question has huge implications for how you live your life now. The ascension & heavenly coronation of Jesus teaches us that: Jesus is reigning from heaven, He is interceding for His people, and Jesus is empowering us for His mission through the Holy Spirit. What a marvelous foundation to build our spiritual lives on!

Where was Jesus between His death on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter morning? Did Jesus really go to hell? The writers of the Creed clearly do not mean that Jesus went to the eternal place of torment we call hell to suffer for 3 days. Jesus descended into death to pay for our sins, but He didn’t stay in that tomb, on the third day He rose. The resurrection of Jesus marks the death of death. As believers in Christ, we are now children of the resurrection. We are mile markers & outposts of the new creation. Because He lives, we can truly have life without fear of sin, death or hell!

Apostles Creed: Suffered, Crucified, Died & Buried_8_28_22 by New Life of Asheville

One of the most ridiculed Christian beliefs outside the church has to do with the conception and birth of Jesus. For the writers of the Apostles’ Creed to use a portion of the very limited space in this creed on the virgin birth, this doctrine must be incredibly important to our faith. Why does it matter so much? Well, if Jesus was not conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, it makes Mary a liar, Jesus deceptive for never correcting her account, and the Bible totally unreliable. As you can see, this doctrine is massively important! This line in the creed teaches us once more that nothing is impossible for our God. Supernatural events, miracles, virgin births, resurrections–all in His wheelhouse! It also teaches us that when we had no way to get to God, He came to us! Because Jesus was miraculously conceived by the Spirit & born to a virgin, hope is alive, forgiveness is available, and freedom is possible!

Who is Jesus? This is perhaps the most important question in human history. In the 2nd line of the creed, we’re introduced to the 2nd person of the Trinity–Jesus Christ, God’s only Son–King and Lord of all. In this brief credal phrase, we’re introduced to 4 key facets of the Messiah. We see him as Jesus, reflecting His humanity by taking on a human name along with human form. We learn to see Jesus as the Christ–a title meaning “anointed one” or “messiah”. He was the long awaited Savior the ancient prophets had spoken of for many generations in the Old Testament. We then see Him as Son, showing his relation to the Father and His divinity within the Trinity. And finally, we are introduced to Jesus as Lord. This term denotes ultimate authority. Through Jesus Christ, God’s Son and our Lord we can experience forgiveness of sins and real freedom now and forever. What a Savior we have in Jesus!

We Believe: God The Father Almighty - Chris Dillon, Lead Pastor 08 07 22 by New Life of Asheville

So much of our thinking is built around the idea that we want other people to think well of us. We want to look good. We want to be right. We want to make a positive impression. Jesus speaks to this mindset here in Matthew 5 and he gives us a radically different way to live. Jesus tells us to live consumed by what others think, not about you, but about God. Live so that others see your life, hear your word, and observe your works and they don’t say anything about you. They give glory to God. The way to follow Jesus is to magnify God, not ourselves.