The Teaching of the Shield (Outline)
Disciples of the Way (Apostolic)
- The Shield: Faith (Eph 6:16).;
- Salvation is through faith (Eph 2:8-9);
- Christians are sustained by faith (1 Jn 5:4);
- Faith as a system of belief (Eph 4:5).
- The Cross: The Doctrine of the Cross (1 Cor 1:18).
- Speaks of death;
- Speaks of Blood Covenant;
- Speaks of personal trail;
- Apostolic: Of, or Pertaining to the Apostles;
- Apostolic Succession in holy orders (2 Tim 2:2);
- In Teaching: The Apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42);
- In Practice: Apostolic Example (1 Cor 11:1; Phil 3;17).
- Disciples of the Way (Acts 9:1; 18:25-26; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22);
- What it means to be a Disciple: Faithful follower;
- Why we are called “The Way?” (Isa 40:3; Jn 14:6);
- The Sword: The Word of God;
- Belongs to the Spirit (Eph 6:17);
- Double Edged: both Old and New Testaments.
- The Alpha and the Omega: Introduction to the Deity of Christ.
- The Dove: The Holy Spirit,
- Power of the Highest (Lk 1:35);
- The Spirit in the Life of the Believer (Acts 1:8);55
- The Spirit in the Life of the Church (Acts 15:28).
- The Triquetra: A Tri-folded Circle into equal parts;
- Metaphorically, God is a Circle, Whose center is everywhere, and Whose circumference is nowhere.
- The Triquetra represents the Economy of the Godhead (2 Cor 13:14);
Economy: the management of resources; the arrangement, or mode, of operation.
The Shield of the Apostolic Disciples of the Way and Modalism
The heart of the Shield of the Apostolic Disciples of the Way consists of a white dove descending from the Alpha-Omega, with the triquetra on its shoulders. The truth taught by this symbolism is powerful. The Alpha- Omega, being the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, speak of Jesus’ identity with the Father, in that both Jesus and Father God are called the First and the Last.
It must be acknowledged that Father God claimed the title of the First and Last: Isaiah 44:6 “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” The exclusiveness of this cognomen is self-evident; however, doubling down on the unique application of the name, Yahweh states: “Beside me there is no God.” Having, as we do, Yahweh staking His claim to the title of the First and the Last, we then have a revelation as to the identity of Jesus of Nazareth, when He says of Himself that He is, in fact, the Alpha and Omega and the First and the Last. One need only see the following texts: Revelation 1:8 “ I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Then in verse 11 Jesus tells John: “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.” Moreover, in closing the Revelation, Jesus declares: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” So, unless there can be more than one Alpha and Omega, or more than one First and Last, it must be acknowledged that the Yahweh of the Old Testament prophets, is one and the same as the Jesus of the New Testament writers.
The descending white dove is the biblical symbol of the Holy Spirit, as seen in the Holy Spirit’s descent upon Jesus at His baptism, in the form of a dove (Matt 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:). In the Alpha-Omega-Dove symbol the dove is descending from (out of) the Alpha-Omega, thus, representing the biblical truth that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the person of the Father (John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:) as He is incarnated in Jesus Christ (2 Cor 5:19, To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.): demonstrating the teaching of John the Baptist that Jesus is, indeed, the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (Matt 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:).
The heart of the Shield of the Apostolic Disciples of the Way consists of a white dove descending from the Alpha-Omega, with the triquetra on its shoulders. The truth taught by this symbolism is powerful. The Alpha- Omega, being the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, speak of Jesus’ identity with the Father, in that both Jesus and Father God are called the First and the Last.
It must be acknowledged that Father God claimed the title of the First and Last: Isaiah 44:6 “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” The exclusiveness of this cognomen is self-evident; however, doubling down on the unique application of the name, Yahweh states: “Beside me there is no God.” Having, as we do, Yahweh staking His claim to the title of the First and the Last, we then have a revelation as to the identity of Jesus of Nazareth, when He says of Himself that He is, in fact, the Alpha and Omega and the First and the Last. One need only see the following texts: Revelation 1:8 “ I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Then in verse 11 Jesus tells John: “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.” Moreover, in closing the Revelation, Jesus declares: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” So, unless there can be more than one Alpha and Omega, or more than one First and Last, it must be acknowledged that the Yahweh of the Old Testament prophets, is one and the same as the Jesus of the New Testament writers.
The descending white dove is the biblical symbol of the Holy Spirit, as seen in the Holy Spirit’s descent upon Jesus at His baptism, in the form of a dove (Matt 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:). In the Alpha-Omega-Dove symbol the dove is descending from (out of) the Alpha-Omega, thus, representing the biblical truth that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the person of the Father (John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:) as He is incarnated in Jesus Christ (2 Cor 5:19, To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.): demonstrating the teaching of John the Baptist that Jesus is, indeed, the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (Matt 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:).
The triquetra on the shoulders of the dove speaks to the fact
that the administrations of Father, Son and Holy Spirit are
manifested in the life of believers through the Holy Spirit abiding
and working in the Church; and that all the economy of the
Godhead proceeds forth from Jesus—the Alpha-Omega, the First
and the Last, the incarnate Father God.
Bishop David Ignatius
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-apostolicbishops-podcast/id1472262392?fbclid=IwAR2FlRYnNsw5Vu_Bz4PjyEdiAxFMawhtD2BFr_S7WysrpFcYjuQYSHGAlZ
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