CORE CONVICTIONS
(BASICALLY, WHAT YOU’LL HEAR US TALK ABOUT THE MOST)
THE PREEMINENCE OF JESUS
The Word of God became flesh through virgin birth, bypassing the Adamic curse, and dwelt among us in obedience to God the Father. He is Jesus of Nazareth: the Son of God, the Son of Man, and the Son of David. He is the Messiah, the Eternal One in whom all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. He is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. No one can access or be reconciled to God, but through Jesus. He is preeminent in and over everything. His life is the light of men. His obedience led Him even unto death on a cross to break the power of sin and death and ransom all who believe in Him for immortality in the world to come, over which He will reign forever and ever.
ISAIAH 7:14; 9:6-7; JOEL 3:17; MATTHEW 1:1; 20:28; MARK 10:45; LUKE 1:26-38; JOHN 1:1-14; 3:14-17; 10:1-17; 14:6; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:20-28; COLOSSIANS 1:18; 2:9; PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11; REVELATION 19:1-22:21THE DAY OF THE LORD
This “present evil age” ends in climactic culmination of God’s redemptive purposes, the return of Jesus, the resurrection of the dead, and the final resolution of the “controversy of Zion.” The prophets referred to this hinge of history of the penultimate “Day of the LORD.”
ISAIAH 2:12-22; 13:6-12; 34:2, 8; EZEKIEL 30:2-3; DANIEL 7:13-14; JOEL 2:1-3:21; AMOS 5:18; OBADIAH 1:15; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:5; GALATIANS 1:4; 1 THESSALONIANS 4:15-18; 2 PETER 3:1-18THE RETURN OF JESUS
The Son of Man came once to atone for sin and break the power of death; He is coming again to rule, reign, and restore all things. He will come on the clouds in power and glory; every eye will see Him and all the earth will mourn for Him. This event will not be hidden. His return is a one-time event catalyzing the first resurrection and leads to His coronation in Jerusalem, from which He will rule the entire earth in a global theocracy as He leads creation into the restoration of all things.
DANIEL 7:13-14; ZECHARIAH 12:1-14:3-9; ACTS 1:1-11; 1 THESSALONIANS 4:15-18; REVELATION 1:7THE COVENANTAL CENTRALITY OF JERUSALEM
All of God’s redemptive and eternal purposes are anchored in and to the city of Jerusalem through the unilateral oath taken by the Almighty under the oak trees of Mamre. The Abrahamic Covenant’s three provisions to save mankind from the curse of death (seed) and restore the “very good” creation of Genesis 1 (land) are extended to all nations (blessing) through Abraham’s seed on Abraham’s land. These provisions were secured forever through Jesus’ blood on the cross and will come to pass through the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant. The promises to Jerusalem, including the union of Heaven and Earth as the New Jerusalem descends to serve as the bridge between the two at the end of Jesus’ millennial reign, are specific to Jerusalem and await fulfillment. We stand with Jerusalem in intercession for her prophetic promises, confident she will one day be the “joy of the whole earth.” We commit to bearing faithful witness of this mystery in an age when this “cup of stupor” is intoxicating the nations.
GENESIS 12:1-3;15:1-21; 2 SAMUEL 7:1-28; PSALM 2:1-12; 48:2; 110:1-7; ISAIAH 2:2-4; 54:11-17; 66:-24; JEREMIAH 23:6; 33:16; ZECHARIAH 12:2; MATTHEW 5:35; 23:37-39; HEBREWS 13:20; REVELATION 21:9-22:5PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM
All disciples are commissioned to preach the Gospel and make disciples, teaching others to obey what Jesus has taught us through the Scriptures. There is only one Gospel, and Jesus specifically identified it as the “Gospel of the Kingdom.” The good news (“gospel”) of this message was first proclaimed by the prophets before being entrusted to the apostles. Any message that is not the Gospel of the Kingdom is a “different gospel,” rejected by the apostles and (per Paul) warrants an eternal curse upon its messenger. We are committed to the Gospel of the Kingdom and only the Gospel of the Kingdom, through clear verbal proclamation and demonstrated through compassionate deeds.
ISAIAH 40:1-11; 52:7; MATTHEW 24:14; 28:18-20; ROMANS 10:13-11:15; GALATIANS 1:6-9PRIORITIZING THE MUSLIM WORLD
We are committed to leveraging our messaging platform to advocate for the remaining unreached and unengaged world, the Gospel frontier, which includes the Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist worlds. We recognize the adversarial relationship between the sons of Ishmael, Esau, and Muhammad and the sons of Isaac and Jacob in the Middle East and throughout the world. We are committed to serve and support Israel in her stewardship of the oracles of God, and we believe the Christian body globally is called to serve Israel’s enemies with a cruciform witness of the Gospel of the Kingdom. To this end, THE EMMAUS TABLE places a priority on supporting Gospel initiatives serving the Muslim world.
PROVERBS 17:17; ISAIAH 42:10-13; ROMANS 11:25-36; 15:17-21; PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11THE TABLE
“Where two or more are gathered in [Jesus’] name,” He gathers alongside them. We are committed to the table, literally and proverbially speaking, as it serves to host fellowships, healthy debates, conversations, and reconciliations. While our resources are useful for independent study and devotion, they are engineered to facilitate conversations and fellowship for gatherings of “two or more” around the (literal or proverbial) table.
MATTHEW 18:19-20; LUKE 5:29-32;19:5-7