Frequent Questions
What Does Salvation Mean?
How Can I become a member of FBC Reserve?
What is Baptism?
What is Tithing?
#1 What does salvation mean?
Understanding How To Have A Personal Relationship With Jesus Christ
The Good News: God loves you
“ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. John 3:16
The Bad News: Man is separated from God through sin
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;.” Romans 3:23
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
Our Attempts To Reach God: good works, religion, morality-Don’t Work!!
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9
God's Plan: Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sin
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
Our Response: Receive Jesus Christ's forgiveness of your sins and trust him to restore you to God
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” John 1:12
Pray this prayer to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior:
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am sinful and I need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died to pay the penalty for my sin. I want to turn from my sin nature and follow You instead. I invite You to come into my heart and life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
#2 How can I become a member of FBC Reserve?
Understanding Membership
Church membership is more than having your name placed on the church rolls It is being connected to a family, and community of other Born Again Believers (Romans 12:4,5; 1 Corinthians 6:15 & 12:12-27).
When you become connected to the family of FBC Reserve, you can expect:
Acceptance—regardless of your background, race or social status, you are accepted.
Friendship—not only will you discover that FBC Reserve is a friendly church, but you will find true friends.
Value—we value the input of our members. Every member can make a difference with their gifts and talents.
Family—we believe in meeting the needs of families regardless of their make up.
Spiritual Growth—spiritual growth does not “just happen” when you are saved, even if you join a church. FBC Reserve is committed to helping everyone grow spiritually on their journey to the Kingdom.
To be a member of FBC Reserve, we require 3 important steps:
Have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (Salvation)
Be scripturally baptized by immersion
Be willing to be active in a Bible Study or Life Group.
#3 What is Baptism?
It is an essential part of your spiritual life as a Christian. Baptism is an act of obedience to Jesus Christ as Lord.
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Acts 2:38, 41
It is an outward confession of your salvation and the commitment you made to Jesus Christ.
Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.” Acts 8:35-38
It is a picture of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus as well as your own spiritual death, burial and resurrection.
“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:” Romans 6:3-5
Who Should Be Baptized?
All Christians who accept and confess Jesus Christ to be their Personal Lord and Savior
“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 10:32
When Should I Be Baptized?
After you:
Repent—Turn away from sin to follow Jesus
Believe—completely trust in Christ's death and resurrection for your salvation
What If I Was Baptized As An Infant?
The Bible does not teach anywhere about baptizing a baby. As stated earlier, it is necessary for a Christian to repent and believe before he can be baptized. Obviously a little baby cannot make a commitment to repent and believe.
Why Do I Have To Be Baptized In Water?
The word baptism comes from a root word which means to “dip under”. Jesus demonstrated that immersion in water is the proper way to be baptized.
“And when Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens split open and the Holy Spirit descending like a dove on him.” Mark 1:10 (NLT)
When Can I Be Baptized?
We are able to baptize during any of our worship services. You can schedule your baptism by talking to the Pastor or one of the other church leaders.
#4 WHAT IS TITHING?
1. WHAT IS A TITHE? A tithe is 10 percent of a whole. Recognizing that our entire lives and all that we possess and own belongs to the Lord, Christians around the world practice the biblical stewardship principle of tithing their time, talents and monies to the Lord. The Bible talks quite a bit about tithing. Long before the Old Testament Law was established, Abraham, Jacob and others practiced tithing (Genesis 14:20, 28:20-22). The Bible teaches that “the tithe is holy to the Lord” (Leviticus 27:30), that God blesses and protects those who tithe (Malachi 3:10-12), and that tithing is expected of those who profess to believe in God (Matthew 23:23, 1 Corinthians 16:2). A better question would be, “Who is a tither?” A tither is someone who readily acknowledges God's sovereignty in their lives, believes God's promises in His Word, submits to God's will for their lives, and cheerfully subscribes to the biblical directions concerning giving their time, talents and monies to the Lord.
2. WHY DOES GOD WANT AND NEED MY MONEY? The truth is, God doesn't need or want your money. What He wants is “us” – our surrender to Him in every arena of life. God knows that our willingness to tithe is indicative of our surrender and submission to Him (which is why Jesus emphasized giving in 16 of the 38 parables that He told). Paul said of the Macedonian Christians (while commending their generosity): “they first gave themselves to the Lord, and to us by the will of God” (2 Corinthians 8:5).
3. WILL TITHING MAKE ME RICH? While God has promised to bless the tithe and the tither (Malachi 3:10), He doesn't promise to make tithers financially rich. Many people have by their own testimonies, however, experienced financial success as a result of their faithfulness to the Lord in tithing. God's Word primarily promises that He will bless us and supernaturally provide for us when we are faithful to tithe. Several promises from the Word of God include:
“Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” (Proverbs 3:9-10).
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (Luke 6:38).
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19).
We can be sure that a godly and generous person will be rich in love, rich in friendship, rich in spiritual growth, and richly provided for by Almighty God!
4. WHO WILL BE HELPED WHEN I TITHE? The Bible teaches that when we are faithful in tithing, God provides physical and emotional resources for those who are needy and spiritual food for those who are hungry (Malachi 3:10). He also utilizes our tithes to support the spread of the Gospel through churches, ministries and missionaries (2 Corinthians 8-9), and to help hurting Christians around the world (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Finally, God utilizes our tithes to provide aid in ministering to families and individuals, and to provide spiritual growth resources for people. When we are faithful to tithe, we demonstrate that we care about others as well as ourselves.
5. WHEN SHOULD I START TITHING? Start young. Many Christian parents help their children to understand the importance of tithing from an early age (which is the beginning point for teaching them discipline in their spending habits). Too late for that? Then, start now. God will help you for God is at work within you, both to give you the desire and to give you the will to do what pleases Him.
6. WHAT IF I CAN'T AFFORD TO TITHE? Most people who would ask that question, have excessive debt or have experienced financial setbacks due to loss of job or income. At the same time, many people have testimonies of how the Lord rescued them from financial dilemmas when they began to faithfully tithe to Him. Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). When we begin to put God first in every arena of our lives, He promises to take care of everything else.
7. WHAT RESULTS CAN I EXPECT IF I TITHE? If by this question you are asking if you will have any surprises, the answer is yes! You will be surprised at how much:
· Satisfaction you gain from being obedient to the Lord
· Money you have for God's work
· Your spiritual life deepens as a result of your trust in the Lord
· Better you manage the money that remains
· Easier it is to trust God once you've begun to tithe
· Regret you will have for not beginning to tithe earlier in your life
· Your prayers are answered and needs are met as you prioritize the Lord in your life
