Well, just don't hold it too tight. :-)
Because the Bible tells me in Jhn 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Now we're not talking about Peter here, nor the current Pope, nor the Prophet Joseph Smith (inside joke), we're talking about the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth.
I suppose you will also tell me that without the Pope, I can't have the Spirit. In that case, we will have to agree to disagree. That is what my last "God appointed" religious leader tried to tell me. I'm done with giving my authority to listen to the Holy Spirit away to a Church or a Church leader.
Now we come to the question of how the Holy Spirit guides the Church. This past Sunday was Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles. Here the Holy Spirit does not come to the Church by way of individual and private revelation by through the ministry of the divinely appointed Apostles.
But Peter standing up with the eleven [notice again how Peter is named separate from the rest of the Apostles], lifted up his voice, and spoke to them ...Nor do we have an option of ignoring their authority for our Lord said:
(Acts 2:14)Now when they had heard these things, they had compunction in their heart, and said to Peter, and the rest of the apostles [Peter again listed first and separately!]: What shall we do, men and brethren?
(Acts 2:37)
He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me.Now if we were to reject this understanding of how the Holy Spirit operates and insist that he comes to each believer privately and individually we have a problem. I too, like you, claim to be a Christian and a follower of Jesus Christ yet we do not share the same faith. Does the Holy Spirit teach you a truth that is different than he teaches me or is he failing to come to one of us. If it is the later, how are we to test the spirit and know the truth. Do not reply that we need to study the Bible. I too study the Bible and have found that agrees with the teaching of the Catholic Church.
(Luke 10:16)
"I suppose you will also tell me that without the Pope, I can't have the Spirit. In that case, we will have to agree to disagree. That is what my last "God appointed" religious leader tried to tell me. I'm done with giving my authority to listen to the Holy Spirit away to a Church or a Church leader."
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God Bless You! Just trust in JESUS and read your SCRIPTURE.