Creeds that Guide & Protect You

At Broken Believers we hold a simple faith in matters of spirituality and encourage other to do the same.  I could delineate and develop an intense SoF, but I have neither the time or inclination to see this through.  I believe that most of us are pretty fluid on these faith issues, but there is also a definite cohesiveness in the lives of  believers who are  filled with the Holy Spirit. 

Here are the two creeds that Broken Believers uses to guide and direct this ministry.

 

 

Apostles’ Creed


1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:

 2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:

3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary:

4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell:

5. The third day he rose again from the dead:

6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty:

7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead:

8. I believe in the Holy Ghost:

9. I believe in the holy Christian church: the communion of saints:

10. The forgiveness of sins:

11. The resurrection of the body:

12. And the life everlasting. Amen.

NOTE: The reference to Jesus as having “descended into hell” appears to be based on the Bible passage found in 1 Peter 3:18-20. In the introductory pages of “The Self-Study Bible NIV,” an explanation of the Apostles’ Creed says that Jesus descended into hell “not to suffer or to offer deceased souls a second chance, but to proclaim his lordship.” The Apostles’ Creed is not contained in the Bible. It is the work of early Christians who wanted to create a summary, based on various Bible passages, to explain to others what it means to be a Christian.

 

Nicene Creed


 The Nicene Creed was written hundreds of years ago by Christians, as a summary of what it means to be a Christian. It is often recited in Christian churches today. The Nicene Creed is not found in the Bible but is intended to be a summary of Christian beliefs. Below is a translation of the Nicene Creed as it appears in a Lutheran hymnal.

“We believe in one God, the Father, Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is,
seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and became fully human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who in unity with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.  Amen”

About these creeds: http://www.creeds.net/ancient/apostles.htm and http://www.about-jesus.org/apostles-creed.htm

Another very good site: http://www.gotquestions.org/nicene-creed.html

Exchange Fear for Trust

The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1
 
Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear. Romans 8:15

*******

What can we do but pray for the throngs of defiant men and women who believe that their humanistic view of life is all sufficient? They believe that they are responsible “captains” of their own souls.

The sad fact is that even while they are joining in the age-old rejection of Jesus Christ—“We will not have this Man to rule over us”—they still are beset with fears within.

The present competitive world and its selfish society have brought many new fears to the human race. I can sympathize with those troubled beings who lie awake at night worrying about the possible destruction of the race through some evil, misguided use of the world’s store of nuclear weapons. The tragedy is that they have lost all sense of the sovereignty and omnipotence and faithfulness of the living God.

Although the material world has never understood it, our faith is well placed in the Scriptures! Those who take God’s Word seriously are convinced of an actual heavenly realm as real as this world we inhabit!

Dear Lord, thank You that You are a strong tower where we can find shelter and protection. I choose to put my trust in You. –AW Tozer
 
 
From the Mornings with Tozer, by A. W. Tozer. For devotionals like this one for your iPhone, visit us at 43rdElement.com

Children’s Letters to God

Dear God:

My Mommy is sad a lot since Daddy went away. We can’t find him. Can you?

Dear God:

My turtle died. We buried her in our yard. Is she there with your now? If so, she really likes lettuce.

Dear God:

I have scary dreams at night. Mommy says I can’t come in with them anymore ‘cuz I’m too big for that. Where do scary dreams come from, or should I ask the devil that?

Dear God:

Did you invent skateboards? Do you have them up in Heaven too? I love mine a lot and can do lots of tricks already. Do you like watching me?

Dear God:

I’m sorry I forgot the words to your songs yesterday in Sunday School. I don’t sing that good anyway so sometimes I just hum along. Is that o.k. with you?

Dear God:

Could you please make my legs be strong? I want to play like the other kids. They tease me so please make them stop.

Dear God:

Do you throw the lightening down at us? It scares me a lot when it goes BOOM. Please stop it.

Dear God:

I love Jesse a lot. When I told him, he pushed me down and made me cry. Mommy says he must like me too. What do you think?

Dear God:

Molly got new pink shoes, and I want them. Is that bad? I won’t steal them or anything, but would you send me some too?

Dear God:

I hate it when Daddy drinks his beer. He smells awful. Then he sleeps. He gets mean and yells at me a lot. Did you make up beer? Why?

Dear God:

When I get big I want to play basketball. Maybe you could make my skin black so I can play better. Also, make me really tall, too.

Dear God:

Do you like it when I pray to you? I do, too.

Dear God:

My Sunday School teacher says you always love me. Is that true? Even after what I did to Sara yesterday – or do you know about that? I really am sorry so I wish you would still love me.

Dear God:

My grandma is dying. She says you want her back with you, but I want her to stay here with me. You can have anyone you want. She’s all I have, so please let her get better and stay.

Dear God:

Did baby Jesus cry all the time? My new brother does, and I don’t like it. Mommy says all babies do, and I did when I was little. I’m six now. I don’t think baby Jesus ever cried. He’s your son, so you must know the answer. We have a bet on it, so please write back.

Dear God:

Why did you make snakes and spiders? I’m afraid of them.

Dear God:

Could you send me a horse? Caitlan has one, and she’s always bragging about how fun he is. I want a bigger and smarter horse than hers. My horses’ name will be Bullet so make him the fastest too, please.

Dear God:

My teacher is mean. She always yells at us. She’s old and ugly. Why did you make bad and mean people?

Dear God:

Help me to not wet my bed anymore. I keep getting whippings, but I still can’t stop.

Dear God:

Why do old people smell funny?

Dear God:

I saw a kangaroo and a buffalo today at the zoo. I like the lion best. What is your favorite? I think the ostrich is funny looking – did you do that on purpose?

Dear God:

I don’t like brussel sprouts. Do I still have to eat them? I don’t like milk, either. Mostly I like pizza.

Dear God:

I love you, God.

Dear God:

Would you make me a little brother? I want to have someone to boss around like my brother does me.

Dear God:

Why didn’t you make me special? Cloe is specially pretty and Janine is specially smart. Ryan can run faster than anyone and wins all the races. Tina has perfect teeth. And Carmen can speak two languages. Did you forget to give me something special to be?

Dear God:

My dog, Bowser is getting really old now. He gets up slowly and doesn’t keep up with me anymore when we run. Mommy says he’s going to die one day. Could you just make him a puppy again instead?

Dear God:

I have no best friend. Everyone at school seems to have a best friend but me. Could you send me one, please? And hurry.

Dear God:

I have a spelling test on Tuesday. I never get all the words right. Maybe you could help me this time. Or is that cheating?

Dear God:

I have a lizard named Ernie. He only has three feet ‘cuz one of them got caught in the door. I didn’t mean to do it though. Would you fix it back again?

Dear God:

In Sunday School we learned that You are everywhere. How big are You? As big as Shaq? He plays basketball and is the biggest I’ve ever seen.

Dear God:

Do you know when I’m bad or good? Or is that just Santa Claus?

Dear God:

I play worse than anyone on my soccer team. I’m the smallest one, too. That doesn’t seem very fair. Did you play a dirty trick on me?

Dear God:

Please make me pretty. Because I think I’m not very smart.

Dear God:

Do you listen to my prayers every night? Do you really know when I only pretend to brush my teeth? Don’t tell Mommy, O.K.?

 

http://www.childrensletterstogod.com/Home.html

A Prayer of St. Anselm

A prayer of St. Anselm

Lord Jesus Christ; Let me seek you by desiring you,
and let me desire you by seeking you;
let me find you by loving you,
and love you in finding you.

I confess, Lord, with thanksgiving,
that you have made me in your image,
so that I can remember you, think of you, and love you.

But that image is so worn and blotted out by faults,
and darkened by the smoke of sin,
that it cannot do that for which it was made,
unless you renew and refashion it.

Lord, I am not trying to make my way to your height,
for my understanding is in no way equal to that,
but I do desire to understand a little of your truth
which my heart already believes and loves.

I do not seek to understand so that I can believe,
but I believe so that I may understand;
and what is more,
I believe that unless I do believe, I shall not understand.

Source: The Oxford Book of Prayer, George Appleton (gen. ed.), 1985, 2002.
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