The beliefs of one bounded cult led by Mike Mazzalongo
speaking, worryingly, on Bibletalk.tv
and with a large presence on the Internet.

The Inspiration of the Bible The Inspiration of the Bible



Paul says in II Timothy 3:16 - Every Scripture is inspired of God
 Peter says in II Peter 1:21 -
for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will,
but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
 Fulfilled prophecy, historical accuracy, divine quality:
all of these come together to say clearly that the Bible
is completely and totally inspired by God.
(But all these three are unfulfilled, or challenged!)
No one can deny that the Bible itself says that it is written by God.
(But how can this prove that it is?)
What does this mean for us in practical terms?
It means that regardless of the fads and social changes,
we are guided by it, and it alone, this is a non-negotiable.


Salvation is in Christ only Salvation is in Christ only


Peter, in referring to Jesus, says,
and there is salvation in no one else;
for there is no other name under heaven
that has been given among men,
by which we must be saved....- Acts 4:12

Christianity is an exclusive religion.
(But Jesus was the very reverse of exclusive,
showing that this form of Christianity
is but a perversion of truth.)


According to the New Testament
The Jews, who rejected Christ then and now, are not saved.
The Muslims, who reject Christ, are not saved.
The Buddhists, who reject Christ, are not saved.
The Hindus, who reject Christ, are not saved.
(But most of these are not mentioned in the New Testament!)
The unbelievers, undecided, uncommitted, who reject Christ, are not saved.
 This is not a popular idea in the world of political correctness
and relativity where everyone is as good as everyone else,
and so is your religion, and your opinion.
The practical aspect of Jesus' message is very clear and very harsh:
Those who believe and are baptized are saved.
Those who disbelieve or who neglect to be baptized are not.
He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved,
but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned....- Mark 16:16
That we need to believe in Jesus as the Son of God,
confess His name, repent of our sins,
and be immersed in baptism in order to be saved is a non-negotiable;
this has always been the only way of salvation
and it will remain so until Jesus returns.

(or until Christianity rediscovers Christ!)

There is only one true church There is only one true church

Jesus said,
upon this rock I will build My church....- Matthew 16:18
He didn't say a church, some church; He said My church.
He didn't say my churches, one of many churches;
He said My church - singular.
Paul said,
There is one body and one Spirit...- Ephesians 4:4
(it actually seems unlikely that Paul wrote this letter!)
Paul and the other Apostles described the church that belonged to Jesus,
and they worked to establish that one body of which Christ was the head.
Some say that the church of Christ think they're the only ones going to heaven;
we don't say that about ourselves.
What we say is that the Bible describes only one church
and we are doing everything we can to be that one church.
It is for this reason that we don't approve of groups
who call themselves churches but don't follow the New Testament
in their teaching and practice,
or religious organizations that try to replace the church.
Nor do we support or encourage movements to unify various denominations
at the expense of biblical teaching.
All of these have sincere motives (proclaim Christ, do good)
but are going about it the wrong way using man made methods, organizations and rules.
When it comes to Christianity the end does not justify the means.
Anything not organized and operated according to the New Testament is not the church
regardless of its motives or size. (the New Testament has people meeting in their homes
without any obvious containing organisation!)
We associate with all kinds of people, good and bad.
Some we associate with to encourage their good works,
others we associate with to win their souls,
but we only have fellowship with those who are in the body of Christ.
I have friends, associates and family members,
who are of various religious and moral backgrounds and I love them,
but my only brothers and sisters in Christ are in the Lord's church
- that is non-negotiable.

. We only offer God acceptable worship . We only offer God acceptable worship

Our worship, whether it be the attitude of our hearts within,
or the way that we act publicly on the outside should always be according to God's will.
In the New Testament God describes what He wants both in our hearts
and in our public assemblies when it comes to worshipping Him.
From our hearts he wants pure, sincere, joyful, and totally committed lives
in service to be our spiritual inward worship.
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual service of worship.
And do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
so that you may prove what the will of God is,
that which is good and acceptable and perfect.... - Romans 12:1-2
 This is the worship we offer to Him from day to day as individual Christians.
God also reveals to us what He accepts when we worship Him publicly as the church.
1. Our praise is to be in song only.
 Joyful, spiritual songs, hymns and Scriptural songs sung by everyone in the assembly.
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,
making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
- Ephesians 5:15-19
 Historians record that for centuries this is how Christians used music.
The idea of using instruments in worship was introduced by the Roman Catholic church
and never supported by Scripture or the practice of the early church.
2. Praying is to be done by men
who themselves are leading righteous lives
so that they can raise holy hands in supplication to God.
Again, the New Testament clearly restricts women from leading in public prayer, teaching, or preaching.
Paul says,
Let the women keep silent in the churches, they are not permitted to speak. - I Corinthians 14:34
(silly ass, or a man with a real problem!)
And again in I Timothy 2:12 he says,
I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man.
By extension, the Bible permits a woman to teach unbelievers when necessary,
teach women, and to teach children.
Public worship, teaching, prayer, and preaching is to be led by the men in the assembly.
That's a New Testament principle.
(Untrue! Many women led churches and even the disciples were led by Mary at times.)
3. We also serve communion each Lord's day
(both the bread and wine) and we collect an offering each Lord's day;
again because this is the example and instruction we receive from the Lord in the New Testament.
We don't take communion on Wednesday,
nor do we raise money for church matters with raffles or bake sales
for they didn't do it in the first century.
They had no command, they had no example, they had no suggestion that they should,
so they did only what was given to them to do in worship - no more and no less.
This is why we don't offer parades, bands, theatrical presentations,
women prayer or worship leaders, choirs to do our singing for us,
and all the various religious activities that so many are adopting today,
even in congregations calling themselves churches of Christ.
These things are not bad in themselves, actually they are entertaining
and relevant to younger audiences and meet the needs of women
who want to have a greater role in church life.
We don't and won't do these things because they don't have any support
in the way of direct teaching or command in the New Testament.
In addition to this, there are no clear examples of the Apostles
actually doing these things or a body of biblical information
that leads us to conclude that God wants us to do these things.
The way we offer public worship is defined by the New Testament.
We can't change that; it's another one of those non-negotiable items in our faith.