The Holy Spirit is God. The Church is not God. No thing controls God - God has no "boundaries."
Reverencing or worshiping the church is and would be gross "idolotry".. could be called spiritual mirror gazing.. or worse..
If the Church believes this, and teaches it, then the contention against Catholicism cannot end.
The Holy Spirit is God. The Church is not God. No thing controls God - God has no "boundaries."
Said much more beautifully, simply and briefly than I, for sure. But sure my convictions on it.
ALLLLLLL Christian congregations are an affront in some way or another to the PURE UNADULTERATED BIBLICAL GOSPEL OF JESUS THE CHRIST--to some greater or lesser degree. There is none, good, no, not one, Scripture says of individuals. How can motley collections of individuals be any different!
Alas, some congregations and even denominations for historical as well as political and sociological as well as trumped up theological reasons seem to make it a raison d'etra to follow the pharisees of 2,000 years ago in throwing sand in God's eyes; straining at gnats and swallowing camels; majoring in minors and minoring in majors; ignoring the spirit of the law while ranting over the tiniest letters . . . etc. etc. etc.
Christ sliced through it all as the most recent ONE ANOTHER articulates: love fulfills the law. But that's too hard. OUR congregation's distinctives are MOST HIGH MOST HOLY and we can't stoop to that common love stuff. Besides, it's tooooooo hard.
Sigh.
I know. "Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake", (Matthew 5:11)