OUR VISION
Our vision is to minister to families, marriages, and children
by being a funnel (a vessel unto honor) used by the Father
to fill up and edify His beloved children (short and tall) with love and
laughter.
OUR NAME
Our name, Funnel Ministries, is our lifestyle - plain and simple.
funnel: n. 1. a
vessel (usually
an inverted cone)
with a tube at the point, through which liquids, powders, etc.,
may be run into another vessel. - Webster's Dictionary
===========================
Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved
(tested by trial),
a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately
dividing -
rightly handling and skillfully teaching - the Word of Truth. But the
firm foundation [laid
by] God stands, sure and unshaken, bearing this seal (inscription): The
Lord knows those
who are His, and, Let every one who names [himself by] the name of the Lord
give up all
iniquity and stand aloof from it. But in a great house there are not
only vessels of gold and
silver but also [utensils] of wood and earthenware, and some for honorable
and noble [use]
and some for menial and ignoble [use]. So whoever cleanses himself
[from what is ignoble
and unclean]- who separates himself from contact with contaminating and
corrupting
influences - will [then himself] be a vessel set
apart and useful for honorable and noble
purposes, consecrated and profitable to the Master, fit and ready for any
good work.
2 Timothy 2: 15, 19-21 (Amplified)
Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any
man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that
believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow
rivers of living water.
John 7:37-38 (KJV)
By being a funnel for the Lord we open up ourselves
through prayer, praise and worship
to recieve all that Lord desires for us, and to run through us
and into all the lives that the Lord intertwines with our own.
OUR FAITH
WE BELIEVE...
In the Verbal Inspiration of the Bible
The Scriptures, both the Old and the New Testaments, are verbally inspired
of God
and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule
of faith and conduct
(II Timothy 5:15-17; I Thessalonians 2:13; II Peter 2:21).
In One God, Eternally Existing in Three Persons; Namely, the Father, Son
and the Holy Spirit
The one true God has revealed Himself as the Eternally Self- Existent "I
AM",
the Creator of heaven and earth, and the Redeemer of mankind. He has
further revealed Himself
as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father Son
and Holy Spirit.
(Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10-11; Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:22).
That Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived of
the Holy Spirit,
and born of the Virgin Mary. That Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised
from the dead.
That He ascended to heaven and is today at the right hand of the Father as
the Intercessor.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Eternal Son of God. The Scripture declares:
His virgin birth (Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:31, 35)
His sinless life (Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22)
His miracles (Acts 2L22; 10:38)
His substitutionary work on the cross (1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians
5:21)
His bodily resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:39; 1 Corinthians
15:4)
His exaltation to the right hand of God (Acts 1:9, 11; 2:33 Philippians 2:9-11;
Hebrews 11:3)
His second coming (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:15,17; 2 Thessalonians
2:1; 1:7-10; Revelation 5:10)
That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God
and that repentance is commanded of God for all and necessary for forgiveness
of sin
(Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3; Acts 3:19)
That justification, regeneration, and the new birth are wrought by faith
in the blood of Jesus Christ.
Conditions of Salvation:
The grace of God, which brings Salvation, hath appeared unto all men
through the preaching of repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord
Jesus Christ;
man is saved by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit;
and being justified by grace through faith, he becomes an heir of God according
to the hope of eternal life.
(Titus 2:11; Romans 10:13-15; Luke 24:47; Titus 3:5-7)
Evidence of Salvation :
By having faith in God's Word, the inward evidence to the believer,
of his salvation, is the direct witness of the Spirit (Romans 8:16).
The outward evidence to all men is a life of the fruit of the Spirit in
righteousness and true holiness.
In Sanctification
Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil.
And of dedication unto holiness, being a living sacrifice.
(Romans 12:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:12)
Sanctification, is realized in the believer by recognizing his identification
with Christ
in His death and resurrection, and by faith, reckoning daily the fact of
that union,
and by offering every faculty continually to the dominion of the Holy Spirit
(Romans 6:1-11, 13; 8:1-2,13; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 2:12-13; 1 Peter
1:5)
Holiness to be God's standard of Living for His people.
The scriptures teaches a life of "holiness" without which no man shall see
the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).
By the Power of the Holy Spirit we are able to obey the command: "Be ye holy,
for I am holy"
(1 Peter 1:15-16).
According to the scriptures, we retain the right not to solemnize same sex
marriages,
seeing that it would be in direct disobedience to the Word of God, for living
a holy life style.
(Romans 1:18-32)
Of which lifestyle brings the judgment of God into such a life. Any one knowingly
living this lifestyle
may not minister in Funnel Ministries in any capacity as part of this ministry.
On God's part, holiness and/or sanctification are provided for, in Christ's
atoning work;
and on the part of the believer it is an act of separation from that which
is evil and being
dedicated unto God. (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:12)
In the Baptism with the Holy Spirit subsequent to the Holy Birth
All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek
the promise of the Father,
the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and Fire, according to the command of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
This was the normal experience in the early Christian Church. With it comes
the endowment of
power for life and service, the bestowing of the Gifts and their uses in
the work of the ministry
(Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4,8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31).
This experience is distinct from and subsequent to the New Birth (Acts 8:12-17;
10:44-46; 15:7-9).
With the Baptism in the Holy Spirit come such experiences as an overflowing
reverence for God
(Acts 2:43; Hebrews 12:28), an intensified consecration to God (Acts 2:42),
and a more active love for Christ, for His Word and for the lost (Mark 16:20).
The Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
The Baptism of Believers in the Holy Spirit is witnessed by the physical
sign of speaking
with other tongues, as the Spirit of God gives them utterance (Acts
2:4; 10:46; 19:6).
In Water Baptism by Immersion
and all who repent should be water baptized
in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded in the Scriptures. All
who repent
and believe on Christ as Savior and Lord are to be, baptized. Thus, they
declare to the world
that they have died with Christ and that they have been raised with Him to
walk in newness of life.
(Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 10:47; Romans 6:4).
Divine Healing is provided for All in Atonement.
Divine Healing is an integral part of the Gospel. Deliverance from sickness
is provided for in the atonement and is the privilege of all believers
(Isaiah 53:4-5: Matthew 8:16-17; James 5:14-16).
In the Lord's Supper and Washing of the Saint's Feet.
Holy Communion (The Lord's Supper), consisting of the elements, bread and
fruit of the vine
- is the symbol expressing our sharing of the divine nature of our Lord Jesus
Christ (II Peter 1:4);
a memorial of His suffering and death (I Corinthians 2:26); and is enjoined
on all believers, "till He comes".
The Washing of the Saint's Feet is symbolic of Christians expressing their
love and concern for one another
(John 13:4-17).
In the Pre-millennial Second Coming of Christ.
First, to resurrect the righteous dead and to catch away the living saints
to Him in the air
(I Thessalonians 4:16, 17, Romans 3:23; Titus 2:13; I Corinthians 15:51-52).
Second, the visible return of Christ with His saints to reign on the earth
for one thousand years
(Zechariah 14:5 ; Matthew 24:27, 30 ; Revelation 1:7; 19:11-14; 20:1-6).
This millennial reign will bring the salvation of national Israel
(Ezekiel 37:21-22; Zephaniah 3:19-20; Romans 11:26-27)
and establishment of universal peace (Isaiah 11:6-9; Psalms 72:3-8; Micah
4:3-4).
In the Bodily Resurrection.
Eternal life for the righteous, (Matthew25:46; Luke 18:30; John 10:28; Romans
6:22; I John 5:11-13)
Eternal punishment for the wicked. No liberation, nor annihilation.
Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 3:29; I Thessalonians 1:8-9; Revelation 20:10-15;
21:8).
The New Heavens and the New Earth. We, "according to His promise, look for
a new heaven
and a new earth where in dwells righteousness." (II Peter 3:13; Revelation
chapters 21 and 22)
The Ministry.
The Lord has provided a divinely called and scripturally ordained ministry
the four-fold purpose of leading the church in:
Building a house of prayer (Mark 11:17)
Evangelization of the world (Mark 16:15-20)
Worship of God (John 4:23-24)
Building a body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son (Ephesians
4:11-16)
The Church
The church is the body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit,
with divine appointments for the fulfillment of her Great Commission. Each
believer, born of the Spirit,
is an integral part of the general assembly and church of the firstborn,
which are written in heaven (Ephesians 1:22-23; Hebrews 10:25; 12:23).
Since God's purpose concerning man is to seek and to save that which is
lost,
to be worshipped by man, and to build a body of believers in the image of
His Son,
the priority reason for the existence of the church is:
To be an agency of God for evangelizing the world. (Acts 12:8; Matthew 28:10,20;
Mark 16:15-16)
To be a corporate body in which man may worship God. (I Corinthians 12:13)
To be a channel of God's purpose to build a body of saints being perfected
in the image of His Son.
(Ephesians 4:11-16; I Corinthians 12:28; 14:12)
The Whole Bible Rightly Divided.
We believe in the harmony of Scripture - the whole Bible rightly divided.
We do not believe in emphasizing one portion of Biblical truth above
another
or one less than the others emphasize, but we believe each one to harmonize
with the other,
which presents a harmonious whole.
We encourage every member (covenant partner) to know the Declaration of Faith
of this Constitution
and to Biblical understanding of the same, and to actively demonstrate these
truths in their daily lives.
OUR MINISTER
We are all called to minister. My wonderful original Webster's describes a minister as;
MIN'ISTER, n. [L.] to serve, wait, attend
1. Properly, a chief servant; hence, an agent appointed
to transact or manage business under
the authority of another; in which sense, it is a word of very extensive
application.
Moses rose up and his minister Joshua. Ex.24:13
2. One to whom a king or prince entrusts the direction
of affairs of state; as minister of state;
the prime minister. In modern governments, the secretaries or heads of the
several
departments or branches of government are the ministers of the chief
magistrate.
3. A magistrate; an executive officer.
For he is the minister of God to thee for good.
Rom.13:4
4. A delegate; an embassador; the representative of
a sovereign at a foreign court; usually
such as is resident at a foreign court, but not restricted to such.
5. One who serves at the altar; one who performs sacerdotal
duties; the pastor of a church,
duly authorized or licensed to preach the gospel and administer the sacraments.
Eph.3
Jo Barkoukis called to serve, wait and attend to the saints of the kingdom
by our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, to be a fully functional carrier of
the good news of the
gospel of Jesus Christ, to preach. A preacher is simply a teller or
proclaimer of the truth.
A vessel used of God. What is a vessel? Read my
letter for more on this...
You don't need to be an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher -
but you definitely need to be a vessel!
Because the only Jesus that some people ever see is the Jesus in you,
or the Jesus in me. We need to change
our mindsets. We don't need to get the world to come to church so they can
get saved. We need to BE the
church and take our witness out into the world! Be a carrier - a vessel.
God is not looking for eloquence or
expertise - all He wants is for us to be obedient to say what HE wants us
to say. And that's all. He's looking
for vessels redeemed by the blood of the Lamb to carry His word and His love
and to pour that into other's lives.
© 2002 Funnel Ministries. All rights reserved.