About Corpus Christi
മലയാളം
Outline
Corpus Christi, in Latin, means ‘The Body of Christ.’
Vision and Mission
OUR VISION: We envision the full expression of the
kingdom of God on earth in righteousness, peace, justice, joy, and
love under the Lordship of Jesus Christ whose glory will be shared by
the Church–the company of the redeemed from every tribe, tongue,
people and nation.
OUR MANDATE: The risen Lord Jesus Christ received
all power in heaven and on earth. He is the King of kings and Lord of
lords.
He commanded his disciples to preach the good news to all the
creatures and to make disciples of all nations. As disciples of Jesus,
we seek to obey His royal commission to win and train new disciples in
obedience to the King through our word and example.
OUR METHODS: We derive our methods from the
two-fold Mandate we received from Jesus Christ.
- First, we strive to communicate and proclaim the good news of
Jesus Christ to all.
- Second, we focus on making individual disciples perfect in Christ
in the context of a local church, the family of God. The local church
is a dynamic, organic, self-replicating body of disciples.
Articles of Faith
We believe …
- The sixty six books of the Holy Bible, in their
original form, are divinely inspired and they constitute a standard
for life and teaching of the Church.
- The One True God who has revealed himself in the
Holy Bible; the One God is One divine Godhead of Three Persons—the
Father, The Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
- The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God;
born of virgin Mary, he lived a sinless life to offer his life as a
ransom for sinful humanity destined for eternal destruction; he died,
was buried, and rose again from the dead to be exalted above every
other name and power as King of kings and Lord of lords; there is no
other name by which humankind may be saved from their sins.
- Salvation is a free gift of God available to
anyone who, in repentance, places his/her trust in the atonement
accomplished by the risen Saviour Jesus Christ. Salvation is
the offer of eternal life in Jesus Christ; it includes forgiveness of
sins, regeneration by the Holy Spirit, adoption into the family of
God, deliverance from the effects of sin, and a commission to follow
Jesus Christ in the power of His indwelling Spirit.
- The Church of Jesus Christ is the universal
fellowship of Christ’s followers—forgiven, regenerated people who live
in active fellowship with God through Christ. Christ is the Head of
this Body, which is the renewed
“Israel” of God. She is the new humanity that Christ
created to include people from all races and tribes. In its local
expression, Church is a dynamic, organic family of Christians who are
committed to each other; they meet frequently for worship, fellowship,
and service.
- The Church is called to participate in God’s Mission.
- The primary calling of the Church is to glorify God in praise,
worship, and through the display of God’s reign in their lives.
- All members of the Church are called to serve one another, like
parts of the same Body, using manifold gifts of the Spirit, speaking
the truth in love, till all reach unity of faith and spiritual
maturity.
- They are also called to participate in God’s mission to save the
world from sin, decay, and suffering through the proclamation of the
gospel of Jesus Christ and through service; God desires that no one
should perish in unbelief. Jesus promised to supernaturally empower
each of his followers with the baptism of the Holy Spirit to fulfill
God’s mission.
- Baptism in water, by immersion, in the name of
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, is an ordinance established
by the Lord Jesus for all who believe in Him. Those who believe in
Christ and are baptized are born-again (born
of water and the Spirit) as God’s children. They, thus, become members
of God’s Church.
- The Lord’s Supper is a meal of remembrance. “Do
this in remembrance of me,” commanded Jesus. Jesus and the Twelve
observed the fulfilled Passover in anticipation of the suffering
and death that Jesus was about to endure. Christians must observe a
fulfilled Passover meal to remember Jesus and the exodus He
accomplished through His death. The Afikomen (unleavened
bread) demonstrates the unity of the body of Christ, the Church (1 Cor
10:17); its unleavened state teaches us that the church should be free
from sin (1 Cor 5:6-8).
- The Lord Jesus Christ promised to come back to his apostles (John
14:3) before they exhausted all the cities of Judea while fleeing from
persecution (Matthew 10:23). Accordingly, the apostles and the early
church expected the Second Coming of the Lord in
their lifetime (Matthew 16:27,28; 24:34; John 21: 22-23).
- The blessed hope of Christians is that they will
share the glory of Jesus Christ. They will be raised from the dead and
transformed to inherit immortal, glorious bodies to be with the Lord
forever.
- The Final Judgment: Although God executes
judgment at all times, He will judge all humanity—both dead and
alive.
Our Values
We uphold the following values; we aim at instilling these in those
entrusted to our care and in promoting these in the marketplace.
a. The Glory of God:
- The promotion of the Glory of God and the honor of His church in
the eyes of the world is our primary concern.
- Interpersonal disputes between Christians are therefore best
settled with the help of worthy Church leaders.
- Integrity in moral, financial, legal, and related matters is
vital.
b. The genetic unity
of the human family:
- All human beings belong to the family of Adam and Eve. We are one
family.
- It rules out any possibility for the accommodation of theories of
human origin such as the theory of organic evolution or eastern
theories of human origin that divide and stratify human beings.
- It pulls the rug from beneath the promoters of racism and color
based caste system. There is only one race: the human race.
c. Sexual Differentiation
- Sexual Differentiation – that is, God’s creation of mankind as
male and female – is divinely instituted and fundamental to
human life.
- Sexual Differentiation is expressed in heterosexual marriage
and in differing yet complementary gender
roles;
- Homosexual practices do not have any place in God’s scheme of
creation and are a sign of divine judgement. However, those who claim
to have homosexual orientation deserves to be loved and cared
for.
d. The
Permanence and Sanctity of Monogamous Heterosexual Marriage
- Human beings were created and designed for monogamous heterosexual
marriage that reflect God’s faithful relationship with His covenant
people. Promiscuous tendencies stem from human sinfulness.
- Marriage is the only divinely sanctioned arena for the expression
and fulfillment of human sexuality.
- Divorce and remarriage should be permitted only on those grounds
that the Scriptures endorse.
e. Biblical
Patriarchy and Male Headship
- Biblical patriarchy rests on the fatherhood of God, from whom all
families in the world derive their being. God is our
Father.
- God created Adam in His image and likeness. That is, Adam was
appointed to be God’s vice-regent on earth. Man “is the image and
glory of God; but woman is the glory of man” (1 Cor 11:7).
- In the family and the Church – the only two divinely instituted
bodies in the world – God has ordained men to lead with authority,
wisdom, and compassion.
- Male headship in the family and in the Church is a reflection of
Christ’ headship over His Church.
- Traditional gender roles for women – such as to “to marry, to have
children, to manage their homes” (1Tim 5:15) while “being subject to
their own husbands” (Titus 2:5) – are based on God’s created order.
Any departure from the created order might discredit the gospel and
playing into the hands of the adversary.
f. The Sanctity of Life
- God is the Giver of life and the only One who has
authority to take it back.
- God has prohibited homicide and has ruled that any human or animal
who kills a man/woman should be awarded capital punishment by the
state.
- The weakest link between human generations is the unborn child,
the killing of which constitutes murder in the sight of God.
g. Human Worth:
- Every individual is valuable in the sight of God.
- Every individual has an intrinsic worth that is greater than the
worth of the whole world.
- Every individual deserves to hear and understand the gospel in his
or her language.
- A community is not more important than an individual member of the
community. An individual’s interests should not be over-ruled by any
interest of a community.
- No human being should be treated as a commodity. No human should
be enslaved or exploited. No human should be violated or tortured or
treated in a de-humanizing manner.
- Every man and woman has a God-given inalienable right to exercise
freedom of choice and expression.
- The individual is sovereign. The sovereignty of the state is
derived from the collective mandate given by individuals who
constituted that state or subscribe to its constitution. A state that
tramples the sovereignty of the individual sins against God and the
individual.
h. The Goodness of Creation:
- We value God’s creation and the intrinsic goodness which God saw
in it.
- This includes the human body which should be honored as temples of
the Holy Spirit. Reasonable and adequate care should be taken for the
upkeep of our bodies. Under no circumstance should the body be used
for evil, sinful activities or be submitted to intoxication or
hypnotism.
i. The Path of Non-violence:
- Non-vindictiveness and forgiveness in interpersonal relationships
in order to make way for Divine Judgment
j. The Dignity of Work
- God has decreed labor for all and therefore remunerative work is
honorable for all, including elders in a church. All Christians are to
aspire to gain financial freedom through honest labor (1 Thess.
4:10b-12). It is the duty of every Christian man to provide for his
family (1Tim 5:8).
- The Bible does not command a church to financially support its
elders or pastors. Elders are commanded to work and earn money to
support themselves and to help others in need (Acts 20:35). Only those
whose calling require frequent traveling for the purpose of preaching
the gospel are permitted to abstain from other remunerative work (1
Cor. 9:1-14; 1 Tim 5:17-18; 3 John 5-8).
k. Sharing and Giving:
- Christians are commanded to share their resources, time, and
energy with fellow Christians (Acts 2:44-45; Romans 12:13a; Gal 6:6; 1
Tim 6:17-19; Hebrews 13:16) and with anyone in need (Gal 6:10).
Christians are commanded to practice hospitality, especially to
itinerant preachers (Romans 12:13b; Heb. 13:2; 1 Peter 4:9; 3 John
5-8)
l. A Life of
Faith and the Uncertain Tomorrow:
- God in His wisdom has hidden the future from mankind except where
He chooses to reveal matters through His Holy Spirit. We trust in God
and walk by faith. We reject every human tendency to predict the
future through the occult, astrology or other related means.
About the Eapens
I am a follower of The Way – the path inaugurated by the Lord Jesus
Christ to His eternal Kingdom.
I’m married to Jessimol and we are blessed with three sons and a
daughter.
I was born and raised in the state of Kerala, known as “God’s Own
Country,” in a family that belonged to a very religious (yet mostly
nominal) ‘Thomas Christian’ community. I was fortunate to have a godly
father who led me to a personal relationship with Christ. At the age
of 16, I mustered enough courage to go to a small band of poor and
despised Pentecostal Christians to be baptized in water. That was a
huge step because it marked my departure from a hoary episcopal
community that baptize infants. God baptized me with the Holy Spirit
and commissioned me to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.
I believe the world needs Jesus Christ more than anyone or anything
else. Jesus Christ, the greatest Man who ever walked this earth offers
us forgiveness of sins and access to God our Creator. He is exalted as
the King of kings, ruling over everything seen and unseen. To be able
to follow this King of kings is a sacred privilege. Every man, woman
and child deserves a chance to make an informed choice about Jesus
Christ.
Ever since, I served as a witness of Jesus Christ on various
campuses, led local churches, taught seminarians, and ministered as an
itinerant Bible teacher. By training, I’m an environmental scientist
and a computer software professional. I’ve also worked as a teacher in
one of the best international schools in India.
My life as a follower of Jesus has been a splendid adventure of
faith sustained by God’s abundant grace and enriched by fellowship
with several godly Christians. If you are one of those who have doubts
about God or Jesus Christ, I suggest that you talk to God right now!
God, in His love, will answer you and lead you to Him.
Philip Eapen
