It would be so if that is what I did. My point was that when an individual or congregation separates itself from apostolic teaching authority, as this one has done, it soon falls into error. That is what happened with the reformers and their congregations since the 1500s. That was my point. Mainline Protestantism is today irrefutably evidencing the effects of separation from apostolic authority and succession in acceptance of homosexual acts as being morally acceptable. Some sort of serious error will soon rise from this separation as well: when those who have no teaching authority (teaching authority is not a vote!) make theological decisions, error soon follows from those same persons, even if those errors are ratified by a vote!
Also, as soon as you denied asserting using material prosperity as a sign of Divine approval, you asserted it again. I did not isolate material from spiritual prosperity. Schismatics may prosper apparently in many ways, but the fruits of the spirit moving them will soon evidence theological and corruption. When Scripture interpreted by individuals is the final authority, you soon end fissioning into thousand of sects (see contemporary Protestantism for an example of this phenomenon).
Best regards.
The authority of the apostles came from Christ through "handshake familiarity" - meaning that THEY were THERE with Him at the time and were in intimate contact - but how about the authority of Paul? He never met Christ in the presence of the 12 but Christ came to him individually and privately. He then went to the 12 and they (guess what) essentially 'ratified him by vote'(!). :) Not, of course, that it would have made a difference; he'd already gotten his 'marching orders' from the Boss Himself.
So, then, God doesn't speak to individuals any more? But only to the self-perpetuating 'management class' who then disseminates everything to the congregants?
_I_ don't see that. If anything, God's desire is for _all_ to attain their highest possible level of spiritual maturity and that there isn't any more of a "feeder vs. fed" hierarchy than is necessary: some will always need to be ministered-to, but it _should_ be the aim of every Christian to be able to 'feed' others and not remain at a level of abject dependence - which is what I see more of in the 'mainline' churches of every denomination and less of in the 'independent' congregations of which I am familiar (or of whose members I am acquainted).
Yes, I _did_ say it, but I did not assert material prosperity ALONE: I coupled it with Spiritual prosperity, as it should be. God's Gifts are spiritual as well as material: a place to worship (with the means to keep it going) and the individual physical wherewithal to worship (transportation, health, and so forth) AS WELL AS the spiritual/mental/cognitive abilities (being able to learn, and teach, and support others) to worship Him.
You assert that: "When Scripture interpreted by individuals is the final authority, you soon end fissioning into thousand of sects (see contemporary Protestantism for an example of this phenomenon)". And I take that to mean that you don't believe God is capable of raising people (those outside of the 'umbrella' of Rome) to the same level of theological understand and maturity and competence as these others.
All the theological seminaries and colleges and universities not affiliated with Rome are a waste of time? No. No; twice. No; three times. It is the caliber of the individuals that come OUT of these institutions that must be examined; not the institutions as a whole - there are the Good as well as the bad (and the same holds true for those out of the institutions of Rome). The institution provides the environment; God provides the tools and His resources, and it's the individual who ultimately decides whether to properly use or waste what's been provided.