Expounder Ministries Statement of Faith and Legal Notice
Let me explain first that there are many different versions of a Church’s or a Ministry’s Statement of Faith out there on their various websites. And yet they are all very similar in makeup and content. Instead of starting from scratch, I perused the various versions and samplings of the Statements of Faith, and chose one particular Church’s Statement of Faith, which I enhanced, altered the wording, corrected the doctrine and brought in line with how I believe the Bible teaches. I have no intention or desire to insult anyone’s Statement of Faith, so with that being said, the following Statement of Faith is as close as I can get to my own, without writing a book on the subject.
The Holy Bible; the Scriptures
The Holy Bible, identified by the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament, as the written Word of God. The Holy Bible is the only essential and infallible record of God’s revealing to mankind. It can lead a soul to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, who is the “only” “begotten” Son of the Father. Inspired by the Holy Spirit and being penned by men of God, the Holy Scriptures are both fully and verbally given to Mankind by God, therefore, as originally given, the Bible is free of error in all it teaches. Each book is to be interpreted according to its context and purpose and in reverent obedience to the Lord who speaks through it in living power. All believers are exhorted to study the Scriptures and diligently apply them to their lives. The Scriptures are the authoritative and common rule or guideline for all Christian life, practice, and doctrine. They are totally sufficient and must not be added to, superseded, or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical revelation, or worldly wisdom. Every doctrinal formulation, whether of creed, confession, or theology must be put to the test of the full counsel of God in Holy Scripture. As far as what version or translation one should use, I leave that up to you and God. I prefer the King James Version or any version prior to the KJV. I am not opposed to other versions or translations unless they have been proven to have altered or deleted texts.
God is triune
There is one God: infinite, eternal, almighty, and perfect in holiness, truth, and love. In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, The Father, The Word, known as Yahshua-Yahushua, Yeshua or by His Greek Name Jesus the “Christ” which “Christ” means the anointed one. He is the only begotten Son of God who was and is the 2nd member of the Godhead in eternity past, and became the only Begotten Son, when He had to take on His New Body, His New office as the God Man for the redemption of Mankind; and the Holy Spirit, who is co-existent, co-equal and co-eternal. The Father is not the Son and the Son is not the Holy Spirit, yet each is truly Deity. One God-The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit—is the foundation of Christian faith and life. In the Scriptures, the Living Word of God Yahshua or Jesus proceeded forth out of the Father (John 8:42 and John 16:27-28), as well as the Holy Spirit Who Proceeded forth out of the Father (John 15:26).
God the Father
God the Father is the Creator of heaven and earth, who created all things by his Living Word (Known later as Jesus the Christ) and for his glory, he freely and supernaturally created the world from nothing. Through the same Word he daily sustains all his creatures through His Living Word Yahshua. He rules overall and is the only God or Deity that ever was, is or shall be, who is also sovereign over all. The Father’s Living Word “Jesus” and His Holy Spirit, who both proceeded forth and came out from the Father, are One-sharing in the Deity/divinity of the Father which are all One in essence. The Father’s predetermined WILL cannot be thwarted. He is faithful to His promises, He works all things together for good to those who love him, and in his enabling grace He gives us His Son, Jesus Christ, for the redemption of the entire “Human” race. But let me make one thing perfectly clear, while the Son of God has given all men the opportunity to be saved, or redeemed or delivered from the sure fires of Hell, it is only for the Human Race that salvation is offered. “Only the Human race”, no hybrids, no demons, no devils, no Anakims; no Zamzummims;. which also were accounted giants, nor the Anakims; nor the Emims, nor the giants, nor the sons of Anak, nor the Nephilim.
The Father created all things, including Mankind for His own Pleasure (Revelation 4:11) and intended that all creation should live to the praise of his glory.
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, was the eternal Word made flesh, supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. He was perfect in nature, teaching, and obedience. He is fully God and fully man. He was always with God and is God. Through him all things came into being and were created. He was before all things and in him all things hold together by the word of his power. He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation, and in him dwells the fullness of the godhead bodily. He is the only Savior for the sins of the world, having shed his blood and died a vicarious death on Calvary’s cross. By his death in our place, he revealed the divine love and upheld divine justice, removing our guilt and reconciling us to God. Having redeemed us from sin, the third day he rose bodily from the grave, victorious over death and the powers of darkness. And for a period of 40 days, He appeared to more than 500 witnesses, performing many convincing proofs of his resurrection. He ascended into heaven where He is seated at God’s right hand, interceding for his people and ruling as Lord over all. He is the Head of his body, the Church, and should be adored, loved, served, worshipped and obeyed by all.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of life, convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Through the proclamation of the gospel he persuades men to repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord. By the same Spirit a person is led to trust in divine mercy. The Holy Spirit unites believers to Jesus Christ in faith, brings about the new birth, and dwells within the regenerate soul, literally inside the body of each Human Being who is Born Again. The Holy Spirit has come to glorify the Son, who in turn came to glorify the Father. He will lead the Church into a right understanding and rich application of the truth of God’s Word (The Holy Bible-and only the Holy Bible). The Holy Spirit is to be respected, honored, and worshiped as God the Third Person of the Trinity.
Man
God made man—male and female—in his own image, as the crown of creation, that man might have fellowship with God. But the first created Man and Woman, named Adam and Eve, were tempted by Satan, and disobeyed God’s commandment, thereby rebelling against the Living Word of God (this is the main reason why Jesus is our Savior. By rejecting the Word of God in the Garden of Eden, death came to mankind. And by accepting the Word of God Jesus-and His atoning work, we are redeemed back to God). So thereby being estranged from our Maker in the Garden of Eden, yet we-Mankind is responsible to God. Mankind became subject to divine wrath, inwardly depraved and apart from a special work of grace, utterly incapable of redeeming our selves apart from God’s Savior. This depravity is radical and pervasive. It extends to his mind, will, and affections. Unregenerate man lives under the dominion of sin, the flesh and Satan’s wickedness. He is at enmity with God, hostile toward God, and hateful of God. Fallen, sinful people, whatever their character or attainments, are lost and without hope apart from salvation in Christ.
The Gospel
The meaning of the word “gospel” means good news, and Jesus Christ is the gospel. The good news is revealed in his birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Christ’s crucifixion, his resurrection and his ascension is the heart, power and glory of the gospel. Christ’s death is a substitutionary and propitiatory sacrifice to God for our sins. It satisfies the demands of God’s holy justice and appeases his holy wrath. It also demonstrates his astonishing love and reveals his amazing grace. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man. There is no other name under Heaven by which men must be saved. At the heart of all sound doctrine is the cross of Jesus Christ and the infinite privilege that redeemed sinners have of glorifying God because of what he has accomplished. Therefore, we want all that takes place in our hearts, churches, and ministries to proceed from and be related to Christ’ deity, His redemption, His shed Blood, His sinless life, His obedience to the Law of Moses and His obedience to the Father, which all culminated at the cross.
Man’s response to the Gospel
Man’s response to the gospel is rooted and grounded in the “free will” that God gave mankind, but also is intertwined with the divine sovereignty, election and will of God. The message of the gospel is effectual to all men, particularly to those who genuinely repent of their sins and, by God’s grace, put their saving faith in Christ. This gospel of grace is to be sincerely preached to all men in all nations. Biblical repentance is characterized by a changed life, a born again spirit, a regenerate spirit, and saving faith is evidenced by love, a changed life, and kingdom service or works. While neither repentance nor good works (standing alone) can save a soul from hell, (for it is by grace through faith in Jesus and His finished work-being born again that you are saved) but unless a person is willing to deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow Christ, he cannot become his disciple.
Man’s inheritance through faith in Jesus Christ
Salvation, being the free gift of God, is provided by grace alone, through faith alone, wrought by Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. Anyone turning from sin in repentance and looking to Christ and his substitutionary death and resurrection, who is truly converted by being born again, receives the gift of eternal life and is declared righteous by God as a free gift. The righteousness of Christ is imputed to him. He is justified and fully accepted by God. Through Christ’s atonement for sin, an individual is reconciled to God the Father and becomes his child. The believer is forgiven the debt of his sin and, via the miracle of regeneration, liberated from the law of sin and death into the freedom of God’s Spirit.
Sanctification
The Holy Spirit actively works in our sanctification and seeks to produce fruit in our minds and hearts, as we are renewed and conformed to the image of Christ. Though our indwelling sin nature which is in our flesh and minds, remains a reality, we are led by the Holy Spirit as we grow in the knowledge of the Lord, freely keeping his commandments. All believers are exhorted to persevere in the Christian faith, knowing they will have to give an account to God for their every thought, word, and deed. The spiritual disciplines, especially Bible study, prayer, worship and confession are a vital part of our daily walk, including the believer’s ultimate endeavor to persevere in that saving faith, firm unto the end of our lives.
Note: there is a difference between the imputed Righteousness that is granted you at salvation and Holiness, which is a process of sanctification. Be ye Holy for I am Holy saith the Lord. Holiness is the nature and character of God, which is clean, pure, truth, without sin or defilement and glorious. Christians who are Righteous or made in Right Standing with God because of their faith in Jesus, is different from the ongoing process of holiness which is the purification from sin, worldliness and gratifying of the sinful flesh nature.
Empowered by the Spirit
In addition to effecting regeneration and sanctification, the Holy Spirit also empowers believers for Christian witness and service. While all genuine believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit at conversion, the New Testament indicates the importance of an ongoing, empowering work of the Spirit subsequent to conversion as well. Being indwelt by the Spirit and being filled with the Holy Spirit are theologically distinct experiences. The Holy Spirit desires to fill each believer continually with increased power for Christian life and witness, and imparts his supernatural gifts for the edification of the Body and for various works of ministry in the world. All the gifts of the Holy Spirit at work in the church of the first century are available today and are vital for the mission of the church, which are to be earnestly desired and practiced.
The Church
God the Father directs His Holy Word Jesus and His Holy Spirit to create and sustain the Church, calling sinful men out from the whole human race into the fellowship and possession of Christ. By the same Word and Spirit, the Father guides and preserves the newly redeemed person by His Sovereign will. The Church is not a religious institution or denomination. Rather, the Church (being universal) is made up of those who have become genuine followers of Jesus Christ and have personally appropriated Christ’ Blood atonement through faith. The Body of Christ exists to worship and glorify God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It also exists to serve him by faithfully doing his will in the earth. This involves a commitment to see the gospel preached and churches planted in all the world for a testimony. The ultimate mission of the Church is the making of disciples through the preaching of the gospel and seeing them through to the end; being born again redeemed persons. Upon conversion, newly redeemed men and women are added to a local church, in which they devote themselves to teaching, fellowship, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer.
All members of the Body of Christ are to be a vital and committed part of a local church. In this context they are called to walk out the New Covenant as the people of God, and demonstrate the reality of the kingdom of God. The ascended Christ has given gift ministries to the church (including apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers) for the equipping of Christ’s body that it might mature and grow. Through the gift ministries, all members of the Church are to be nurtured and equipped for the work of ministry. Women play a vital role in the life of the church, but in keeping with God’s created design they are not permitted “to teach or to exercise authority over a man” (1 Timothy 2:12 ESV). Leadership in the church is male. In the context of the local church, God’s people receive pastoral care and leadership and the opportunity to employ their God-given gifts in his service in relation to one another and to the world. Albeit, I must say that the Scriptures permit women to be prophetesses, and they are able to operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the Nine fruits of the Spirit. They may also bring words of exhortation, being in subjection to the spiritual leadership above them.
Water Baptism
Water baptism is intended only for the individual (not infants) who has received the born again spirit, who have received the saving benefits of Christ’s atoning work and has become his disciple. Therefore, in obedience to Christ’s command and as a testimony to God, the Church, oneself, and the world, a believer should be immersed or submerged in water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Water baptism is a visual demonstration of a person’s union with Christ in the likeness of his death and resurrection. It signifies that his former way of life has been put to death, and vividly depicts a person’s release from the mastery of sin. An infant has no knowledge or ability to meet the requirements of water baptism which was just explained. Infant baptism is useless, vain and un-biblical.
The Lord’s Supper, the Lord’s Table, or Communion
The Lord’s Supper is to be observed only by those who have become genuine followers of Christ, evidenced by being born again (which is contrary to Roman Catholic doctrine). The ordinance of Communion, which is the breaking of Christ’s body via unleavened bread and the shedding of his blood by our drinking of the fruit of the vine for our behalf is to be observed repeatedly throughout the Christian life as a continued participation in the atoning benefits of Christ’s death. As we partake of the Lord’s Supper with an attitude of faith and self-examination and repentance of sin, we remember and proclaim the death of Christ, thereby receiving spiritual nourishment for our souls and do signify our unity with other members of Christ’s body. We observe, take, and ingest the Communion of our Lord and Savior Jesus, not as a representation, but it is dynamic and life giving. While it is a memorial, It is also real, not a representation. For when Jesus broke the bread and gave the cup to His disciples, did He say: “take, eat, this is my representation”. Or did He say: “take, eat, THIS IS my flesh, THIS IS my blood” that was shed for you. While some may cry and say that you are teaching catholic doctrine, I say no for they have a man lay hands on it and change it from ordinary elements of unleavened bread and wine to the actual body and blood of Jesus, which is rubbish. But in truth, it is when a believer partakes of it, he or she partakes of it and it is imputed unto that person as the spiritual flesh and blood of Christ. This is a work of the Spirit. Otherwise, would you say Jesus was speaking an untruth when He held actual elements in His hands and said: “this is” my flesh, “this is” my blood; all the while His flesh and blood was on His person as He talked to them. No, this is an imputed spiritual dynamic, otherwise, why would people become sick or die prematurely if they practiced the “representation” ill reverently? Think of it this way, when you pray to God to wash you of your sins, do you pray for the representation of His Blood to wash you or His actual blood that was sacrificed on the tree? It is a Spiritual dynamic that only God can impute for you and to you.
The Consummation
The Consummation of all things includes the visible, personal and glorious return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the translation of those alive in Christ, the judgment of the just and the unjust, and the fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth. In the Consummation, Satan with his hosts and all those outside of the covenant of Jesus Christ are finally separated from the benevolent presence of God, enduring eternal punishment in the lake of fire. But the righteous, who will be given glorious bodies, shall live and reign with him forever. Married to Christ as his Bride, the Church will be in the presence of God forever, serving him and giving him unending praise and glory. Then shall the eager expectation of creation be fulfilled and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God who makes all things new.
Legal Notice
Expounder Ministries is a Radio Bible Teaching Outreach which is also a full-fledged Ministerial entity which has been granted by God and the Law of Liberty Ministries (Founder Randy Richter-now in Heaven) the spiritual right to Baptize in Water, to Preach and Teach the Bible, to Preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every creature and to perform all ministerial rights granted to me from God; included here but not limited to: performing Weddings, Funerals and the Laying on of Hands of the Presbytery. In addition to all this, I have the Constitutional Right Granted to me by the United States Constitution as defined by the right of the free exercise of Religion to perform all this.
Expounder Ministries was created, founded and is and has been presided over by Steven C Millhorn of Texas from December of 1993 until this present moment. Expounder Ministries is a not a 501 (c) 3 entity nor is it a non-profit. Steven Millhorn is the laborer of this entity and all monies derived therein are the responsibility of Steven Millhorn to further the gospel of Jesus Christ and to advance the Kingdom of God. It is also my duty to inform you as a fair notice of declaration, to proclaim and make the fair statement to all who consider, that this ministry does not “spiritually” recognize the right of two human males or two human females to be joined together in marriage under the certified will of God. The United States Government has made it clear that it chooses to violate God’s Law in allowing Homosexuals and Lesbians to be joined in Matrimony and I do not interfere with their Governmental right to do so. I do however, exercise my right to decline to spiritually marry homosexuals and lesbians at their request as being averse to the Christian Faith and religion. So as to their right to marry under the law of the United States, I do not hinder or interfere. But as to my legal right to exercise my freedom of religion which forbids the union of homosexuals and lesbians, I hereby do exercise my right to decline that duty. There is no Law established in the United States of America which states, infers or requires that Christian Ministers are compelled to marry anyone or everyone who asks them. Christian Ministers are only allowed to unite other Christians in marriage. Practicing Homosexual and practicing lesbians are Not Christian. Therefore there is no legal requirement for a Christian minister to be forced against his conscious or will or to violate his freedom of Religion to be compelled by the Federal Government to marry non-Christians. This is a fair statement of declaration and advisement.
General Statement: If per chance that you run across a duplicate Radio Program, please forgive me and know that I tried to weed out all the duplicates that I could. I did leave the Jacob Toback Interview in two locations on purpose so that the 15 Minute Radio Bible Teaching program format can still be downloaded for Radio Station Play as opposed to a full one piece Interview on Past Radio Program 1000. Otherwise, if you run across a duplicate and you care to notify me of it I'd be grateful and will change it as soon as I'm able. Shalom to all of you and thanks for visiting the Web Site.