Commonly Asked Questions
Q: How do I become a member of Heirs of Promise Church?
A: Heirs of Promise Church has an open-enrollment membership policy. You are considered a member if you:
- Believe and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.nbsp;
- Attend worship services and home Bible fellowships regularly.
- Contribute your time, talents, and finances.
Q: Why is being faithful to a local church so important?
A: God has set up the local church to operate and work like a body. We will have a difficult time discovering what our function is in the body without being connected to a local body of believers. God's Word encourages us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves, but exhorting each other. We need each other in order to grow both individually and as a church body.
Q: What can I do to help my church grow?
A: Invite people you know from your neighborhood or work to church and offer to bring them. The number one reason a person comes to a new church is through personal contact with someone that already goes to that church.
Q: Why does God desire for me to tithe into my local church?
A: The tithe was instituted by God so that we could be blessed physically and financially. Tithing requires that we act in obedience to God's Word. God does not want our money as much as He wants our heart. God promises us that if we tithe (give the first 10% of our financial increase to Him through the local church) then He will supernaturally open up the windows of heaven and supply our needs so that we can be sustained and prosper. We should tithe into a local church where we are being fed spiritually.
( Malachi 3:10-11 ) ( Proverbs 3: 9-10 ) ( Philippians 4:19 )
Q: Is speaking and praying in tongues still for today? & What is it's purpose?
A: Speaking with other tongues was the first sign of the original infilling of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. It was a sign and a wonder to those that had not yet believed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Speaking and praying in tongues still happens today. It is a gift and a blessing from God for believers. The public use of tongues occurs when one speaks a message from God in an unknown language and another follows with the English interpretation. The purpose of the public use of tongues is for edifying, exhorting, and comforting the believers who are assembled. There should always be an interpretation in English so that everyone will understand what has been said and be edified. The private use of tongues occurs when one prays in an unknown tongue while alone with God. When a believer prays in tongues, it is the language of their born again spirit praying and communicating with God. The purpose of praying in tongues is for an individual's own spiritual edification, exhortation, comfort and worship to God.
( Acts 2:4; Acts 2:39; I Corinthians 14:5; I Corinthians 14:14-15; Jude 20 )
Q: What is our spiritual connection as Christians to the Jewish people and to the nation of Israel?
A: Our Christian roots go all the way back to Abraham. God made a promise to Abraham that he would have a son and through his seed God would raise up a people that would serve Him and receive blessings. Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness. The chosen son of Abraham was named Isaac. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born from the generational line of Isaac. Today, Christians have Christ dwelling and living in them because Jesus rose from the dead after His crucifixion. We are not only blessed with the blessings promised to Abraham, we are born again and have eternal life by believing and trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. As Christians, we have inherited the promises made to Abraham through our faith in Jesus Christ. We are Heirs of Promise. When we bless and pray for Israel and the natural descendents of Abraham, we are blessed by God.
(Genesis 15:4-6; Galatian3:29; Deuteronomy 28; Romans 12:13; Genesis 12:3; Psalm 122:6)
Q: What is the Promised Land for the Christian?
A: The Promised Land in the Old Testament was a physical land called Canaan. It was a promise for a better life for God's chosen people. Jesus Christ came to give Himself as the promise for a better life to all that would believe in Him. Through Jesus Christ, we can live a life with purpose and abundance. The abundant life is not a life void of challenges. It is a life of gaining victory over the challenges of life.
(John 10:10; I John 3:8; I John 5:4)