Replies

Well, let’s start with “Apostolic Church”.

The age of the 12 Apostles is over. You see, they were the eyewitnesses to Jesus’s earthly ministry. They hold positions that no other men will ever hold. They straddled the time frame from the Old Covenant to the New one of Pentecost.

And as far as Roman Catholicism goes, I see no historical Bible record that Peter ever entered Rome or visited there, so I remain confused about Catholic teachings on Apostolic succession. There is no Bible precedent for Apostles such as the eyewitnesses as the 12 Disciples for “succession”. It’s ridiculous.

Also, just as a side note since Catholics ignore this verse and Charismatics misinterpret it, let’s look at a few things Jesus said about the Christians to come in the future. He said “and they shall do greater works also, because I must go to the Father”.

Now Charismatics take this verse out of context and try to conjure up the belief that this means that Christians living now will do ‘greater works” than did the Apostles. Meaning, we should be raising people from the dead on a regular basis or something. But that is NOT what Jesus was talking about.

Jesus was talking about the greater work of FAITH. He was talking to the Apostles, who saw Jesus work miracles in the flesh. So their faith was pretty much a given thing... they saw with their own eyes Jesus do these miracles! But Jesus is telling them that those of us who come after this Apostolic time, that we will do “greater works because I must go to the Father”..

Do you get it now? Jesus was saying that we who believe in Him now, will do greater works of FAITH because Jesus will no longer be here in human form and our faith will be greater than even the disciples in some sense, because we ‘have seen not, but yet believe”. Greater is our faith, greater are our works of faith than even the Twelve — in some sense! Jesus is the judge of all things, thank you Lord.

So anyway, back to your idea about one holy and Apostolic Catholic church...

Once Pentecost fell and the Holy Spirit was given freely to all, there is a church system of elders etc., but no revived Levite Priesthood, no monastic idea of segregated and secluded convents or nunneries or monasteries — because Paul warns us that our faith is nullified if we remove ourselves from the world. In other words, there is a danger to thinking that if you remove yourself from the world and its temptations that you are somehow more “spiritual” than the hoi polloi. Witness the Dali Lama. That’s man’s thinking, not God’s. And what hubris for the Roman Catholic church to think they are some sort of reconstituted Levite Priesthood. Uh. The Old Covenant is over. The Temple Curtain is rent. What need are we of Levite Priests? (none.)

So there are no Apostles like the original 12 to ever walk the earth again. The word Apostle by the way, means “one sent” and it really means MISSIONARY.

So, how did the idea of Popery crop up? I have no idea. It’s crazy. When Jesus gave the authority to bind and loose doctrine and exercise spiritual authority in power over the church, it was because Peter had revelation knowledge about who Christ was. It was a sign that we, too, we who are to be taught by the Holy Spirit and to discern the spirits by the Word of God have this same authority.

There is only one Body or Church, as you say. But is it entirely in God’s mapping, not human buildings, congregations or even understanding. The Lord’s will WILL be done, but not because of any church system but in spite of it.

Finally since God says that there will be a Great Apostasy that takes over all the churches in the End Time, most people who love the Lord are fleeing organized religion in droves. The Whore of Babylon is a spiritual thing, a churchy thing that will fool the world into thinking the Antichrist is indeed God. Organized religions, be it Catholic, charismatic or whatever — not looking too good right now. We want to have God’s invisible seal on our foreheads as in Ezekiel and Revelation — not some smarmy antichrist computer chip fake “seal”.