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Becker Bible Studies LibraryVineyard Church USA
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Denomination History, Practices and Beliefs IntroductionThe Vineyard Church USA is part of the Association of Vineyard Churches. They teach the sign gifts which are prophecy, healings, miracles, tongues and the interpretation of tongues. Most Christian churches believe these gifts of the Spirit ceased when the Scripture were closed or with the death of the Apostles. The Pentecostals, Charismatic and the Vineyard Churches believe they are all present day signs and a very important part of their belief system. The Vineyard Church USA teaches Christians can be possessed with demons and they must be forcefully cast out. They teach satan must be aggressively attacked in order to defeat him. They teach power evangelism which shows signs and wonders to lost sinners. Power evangelism is believed by them to be the out pouring of the Holy Spirit. They practice healings, raise the dead, cast out demons, and speak words of knowledge. They believe in doing this as focus of their worship, gives them the authority, power and superiority over program evangelism. They often speaks of the word of knowledge which is used to describe events that would be similar to visions of psychics or empaths. They believe this is a spiritual gift given by God and it allows them to give detailed information about strangers and allows them to minister to strangers more effectively. They believe this word of knowledge is given to Christians through dreams, visions, specific verses in the Bible or immediate realizations and understandings. They teach that words of knowledge are prophetic and instructive. They believe the word of knowledge is for predicting the future and not for explaining the past. They teach the Dominion theology which is dominion over every aspect of life which they believe has been restored by the first coming of Christ. They therefore believe it is their obligation to redeem individuals and society in order to usher in the Kingdom of God. They do not believe the Kingdom of God is here yet. They state the Kingdom of God created the Church at Pentecost through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This outpouring is believed to give them the power over demons, the sick and even over nature. As part of this church, they believe they should manifest all the power that Christ had while He was on the earth. They believe they are doing what Jesus did while He was on the earth. They believe the physical kingdom on earth will be ruled by Christ, however they believe the church will usher in the final aspect of that kingdom as it takes dominion over the earth. They believe there will be a great last day revival which they call the Latter Rain. History John Wimber was the founder and leader of the Anaheim Vineyard church. He is the one who has most influenced and shaped the theology and the practice of the Vineyard churches. John Wimber was born in Kirksville, Missouri February 25, 1934 the son of an alcoholic father who had abandoned his young family. Wimber was raised in a non-religious family. He married Carol, who was a Roman Catholic, in 1955 only to separate for a short period of time. Their marriage was restored when John Wimber converted to Christianity in May 1963. John Wimber played keyboard in the band The Righteous Brothers under the name of Johnny Wimber. Bobby Hatfield and Billy Medley give credit to John Wimber for bringing them together in 1962. John Wimber attended Azusa Pacific University, a conservative Quaker school, in Yorba Linda, California, to study sociology and religion. He was a co-pastor of Yorba Linda Friends’ Church in Yorba Linda, California in 1970. Because of his charismatic teachings, he was eventually ask to leave the Quaker Church. John Wimber gave his resignation to the Quaker Church and began teaching at Fuller Theological Seminary. He became the Founding director of the Department of Church Growth at the Charles E. Fuller Institute of Evangelism and Church Growth that was founded by the fuller Theological Seminary in 1974. On May 8, 1977 John Wimber became the pastor of Calvary Chapel, which was a small group church that was associated with Chuck Smith. Later this church became known as the Anaheim Vineyard Christian Fellowship from 1977 to 1994. The Calvary Chapel leadership practiced spiritual gifts so the Wimber’s left the Calvary Chapel and joined the Vineyard Christian Fellowships that was started by Kenn Gulliksen and moved to Anaheim, California. The Chuck Smith Calvary Chapel disassociated with the group of The Vineyard Christian Fellowship. This was the beginning of the Vineyard Movement. John Wimber became a well known speaker at International charismatic conferences using the focus on the Power Evangelism and healing through the power of the Holy Spirit. John Wilber and Charles Peter Wagner co taught a course at Fuller Theological Seminary called the Miraculous and Church Growth. They gave hands on training in signs and wonders and healings. Charles Peter Wagner gathered Christian leaders together to bind demons of homelessness and sickness. The Fuller Theological Seminary cancelled this course in 1985. John Wimber taught his Vineyard church to imitate Jesus Christ. He taught his congregation to worship the experience of the empowerment by the Holy Spirit. John Wimber has authored several books on Power Evangelism and the Power of Healing. He was an international speaker and a worship songwriter. John Wimber died November 17, 1997 of a brain hemorrhage after a fall and recovering from a coronary bypass. Belief The Vineyard Church USA believes God is the King and the Holy Trinity. They believe God is the eternal, infinite and unchangeable Spirit. They believe God is perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power, and love. They believe God exists as the One Living and True God in three persons and of one substance and that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are equal in power and in glory. They believe God, the King has a kingdom that is everlasting. They believe from His throne and through His Son His eternal Word, God created, upholds and governs all that exists. They teach all that exists is under the rule of God which includes the angelic hosts, the universe, the earth, every living thing and all of mankind. They believe God created all things good. They believe that satan originally was a great and good angel who rebelled against God and he took a host of angels with him. They believe satan was cast out of the presence of God and has established a counter kingdom of darkness and evil on the earth. They believe the whole world is under the domination of satan. They also believe all people are sinners by nature and by choice. They believe people are under the judgment of God and it is through the preaching of the good news of Jesus and the kingdom of God and the work of the Holy Spirit that people can be released from the domination of satan. They believe God created man in His own image, both male and female, for the purpose of having a relationship with Him and to govern the earth. They believe it was under temptation of satan that mankind fell from grace. They believe because of this fall, there is sin, sickness and the judgment of God for death to the earth. The Vineyard Church USA believes satan and his demonic hosts gained access to the good creation of God. They believe now creation is experiencing the consequences and the effects of the original sin. They believe God did not abandon His rule over the earth. They believe God still upholds His providence, bring redemption, establish His covenants and reveals His grace to sinful people. They believe God is actively revealing His Word today through prophecies, the words of knowledge and through visions. They believe God is directly revealing certain information to the apostles of today. The Vineyard Church USA believes in the fullness of time, that God honored both His covenants with Israel and His prophetic promises of salvation and sent His Son Jesus into the world. They believe Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. They believe Jesus is fully God and fully man in one person. They believe Jesus is humanity as God intended us all to be. They believe Jesus was anointed as God’s Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Vineyard Church USA believes Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom of God reigns on earth, overpowered the reign of satan by resisting temptation. They believe Jesus preached the good news of salvation, healed the sick, cast out demons and raised the dead. They believe and teach Jesus gathered His disciples and that reconstituted god’s people as His Church to be the instrument of His kingdom. They believe Jesus died for the sins of the world and was raised from dead on the third day and that fulfilled the covenant of blessing given to Abraham. They believe Jesus was sinless and perfect and met the demands of the law. They also believe and teach that in the atoning death of Jesus on the cross, Jesus took the judgment of God for sin. They believe His death on the cross also disarmed the demonic powers. They believe the covenant with David was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus from the house of David. The Vineyard Church USA believes and teaches the messianic ministry, the Resurrection from death, His ascent into heaven and His present rule at the right hand of the Father. The Vineyard Church USA believes the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church at Pentecost in power. They believe Baptizing believers into the body of Christ and they believe in the releasing of the gifts of the Spirit to them. They believe the Holy Spirit brings a permanent indwelling presence of God for spiritual worship, a personal sanctification, a building up of the Church, and driving back the kingdom of satan by the evangelization of the world through proclaiming the Word of Jesus and by doing the works of Jesus. The Vineyard Church USA believes and teaches the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that the Holy Spirit is the abiding Helper, Teacher, and Guide. They believe in the filling or empowering of the Holy Spirit which is a conscious experience. They practice the laying on of hands for the empowering of the Spirit, for healing and for recognition and empowering of those whom God has ordained to lead and serve the Church. The Vineyard Church USA believes the Holy Spirit has inspired the human authors of the Holy Scripture so the Bible is without error in the original manuscripts. They accept the sixty six books of the Old and New Testaments is their final, absolute authority the only infallible rule of faith and practice. The Vineyard Church USA believes in the one holy universal church. They believe all who repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and form the living Body of Christ. They believe Jesus Christ is the head and all believers are the members. The Vineyard Church USA believes there are two ordinances of the church Baptism and the Lord’s Supper that are available to all believers. They believe in water Baptism and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit following conversion. They believe this Baptism is a second work of grace that enriches the life of the Christian and prepares them for ministry. They believe this Baptism takes place at the moment of conversion even though they teach there can be other fillings of the Spirit after salvation. The Vineyard Church USA believes in the final judgment of the Kingdom of God. They believe the Kingdom of God comes in the ministry of Jesus Christ and that continues to come in the ministry of the Spirit through the Church. They believe this will be accomplished in the visible and triumphant appearing of Jesus with His return to the earth as King. They believe after the return of Christ to rule, Jesus Christ will bring about the final defeat of satan and all his followers. They believe Jesus will resurrect the dead and the final judgment will take place. They believe the eternal blessing of the righteous and the eternal conscious punishment of the wicked. They believe God will be all in all and His kingdom and His rule will be fulfilled in the new heavens and the new earth where He will forever be worshipped. A special note of caution from Becker Bible Studies Teachers to their students... “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these [are] the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, [he is] in the secret chambers; believe [it] not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:4-31) |
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