How about US?
We've got Jesus' name on everthang; y'all!
Posted on 02/08/2015 5:22:25 AM PST by fwdude
With the appalling apostasy, both overt and subtle, engulfing many evangelical churches in these last days, I have found myself in search of a truly Bible-believing church body that is serious about the Truth taught by God through Jesus Christ.
To be specific, these are the things I am trying to avoid:
- The cultish "mega-church" mentality (though size doesn't not necessarily disqualify an otherwise orthodox church culture)
- Any sympathy, working agreement, or tacit acknowledgement of any Christian legitimacy with Rome.
- The hyper "grace only" heresy of the need just to "believe on Jesus Christ," nothing else matters (i.e. repentance, therefore renouncing sin, optional.)
- An above-all social component to church life, using Christ as the pretext to party and have a good time.
- The "contemporary worship" scene, where the great traditional hymns of devout saints are jettisoned in favor of the shallow, repetitive pap of me-centered guitar and percussion powered emotionalism.
- Teaching that completely avoids, or gives apologetic ground to, the deadly evil in today's society, especially the stridently militant homosexuality that is engulfing even many churches behind the scenes (even the SBC).
- The unlimited "welcoming" banner that is put out by many heretical bodies, i.e., no questions asked and no requirements for participate in the life of the church.
With these in mind, here is what I am seeking:
- A praying church where prayer is not just and afterthought or a mandatory formality.
- A church that holds its fellowshipping members accountable and expects real spiritual growth in them.
- A church that believes in the spiritual gifts as the Scriptures lay them out, without the emotionally caricatured ones. (I wouldn't even object to the gift of tongues if it were genuine and conducted biblically (a real existing language not learned by the practicer), and not like most maniacally charismatic church's wantonly display in disarray.)
- A church that meets regularly, and doesn't dismiss services for Superbowl Sunday.
These are obviously not exhaustive lists, but my point is that I am through wasting time in congregations that ignore the spiritual reality of the world, and focus on the empty wood, hay and stubble of the world, neglecting the members of the Body, and subjecting them to eternal danger.
At the risk of attracting caustic criticism, I'll also throw in that I've valued the teachings of Gordon C. Olson as biblically sound, so any recommendations for church bodies that adhere closely to the theology that he taught would be much appreciated.
"Let’s see - I think you left out the use of flannel boards in Sunday school classes. Have you considered starting your own church? I’m not joking, either. You seem to be those types that hyper jump from one church to another for one of thousands of reasons."
Now, who's being graceless?
Thanks so much. I was able to track down the article that featured the graph you posted. Aside from hurricanes, Brazoria County is appealing, where Ted Cruz serves. I will definitely research the Azle area. A deputy sheriff I know says to avoid Springtown, too, in Parker County.
Did any of you notice one of the disqualifying items was, "Any sympathy, working agreement, or tacit acknowledgement of any Christian legitimacy with Rome"? Moreover, it took Rome over 1400 years to provide an "infallible" indisputable complete canon for herself, debater over which had continued thru the centuries and right into Trent.
Bill Russell - "you will find the Catholic Church offers everything else you have just asked for."
Rather, it is Catholicism and the church of Rome in particular (as the church taking up the most space on the broad way to destruction) that is most manifest as standing in critical and overall contrast to the NT church. Which church, as manifested in Scripture,
1. Was not based upon the premise of perpetual assured infallibility of office as per Rome, which has presumed to infallibly declare that she is and will perpetually be infallible whenever she speaks in accordance with her infallibly defined (scope and subject-based) formula, which renders her declaration that she is infallible, to be infallible, as well as all else she accordingly declares.
2. Never promised or taught a perpetual assuredly infallible magisterium was necessary for preservation of truth, including writings to be established as Scripture, and for assurance of faith, and that historical descent and being the stewards of Scripture assured that such had assured infallibility.
3. Never was a church that manifested the Lord's supper as being the central means of grace, around which all else revolved, it being “the source and summit of the Christian faith” in which “the work of our redemption is accomplished,” by which one received spiritual life in themselves by consuming human flesh, so that without which eating one cannot have eternal life (as per RC literalism, of Jn. 6:53,54). In contrast to believing the gospel by which one is regenerated, (Acts 10:43-47; 15:7-9; Eph. 1:13) and desiring the milk (1Pt. 2:2) and then the “strong meat” (Heb. 5:12-14) of the word of God, being “nourished” (1Tim. 4:6) by hearing the word of God and letting it dwell in them, (Col. 3:16) by which word (Scriptures) man is to live by, (Mt. 4:4) as Christ lived by the Father, (Jn. 6:57) doing His will being His “meat.” (Jn. 4:34) And with the Lord's supper, which is only manifestly described once in the life of the church, focusing on the church being the body of Christ in showing the Lord sacrificial death by that communal meal.
4. Never had any pastors titled "priests" as they did not engage in any unique sacrificial function, that of turning bread into human flesh and dispensing it to the people, or even dispensing bread as their primary ordained function, versus preaching the word. (2Tim. 4:2)
5. Never differentiated between bishops and elders, and with grand titles ("Most Reverend Eminence," “Very Reverend,” “Most Illustrious and Most Reverend Lord,” “His Eminence Cardinal,” “The Most Reverend the Archbishop,” etc.) or made themselves distinct by their ostentatious pompous garb. (Matthew 23:5-7) Or were all to be formally called “father” as that would require them to be spiritual fathers to all (Mt. 23:8-10 is a form of hyperbole, reproving the love of titles such as Catholicism examples, and “thinking of men above that which is written, and instead the Lord emphasizes the One Father of all who are born of the Spirit, whom He Himself worked to glorify).
6. Never required clerical celibacy as the norm, (1Tim. 3:17) which presumes all such have that gift, (1Cor. 7:7) or otherwise manifested that celibacy was the norm among apostles and pastors, or had vowed to be so. (1Cor. 9:4; Titus 1:5,6)
7. Never taught that Peter was the "rock" of Mt. 16:18 upon which the church is built, interpreting Mt. 16:18, rather than upon the rock of the faith confessed by Peter, thus Christ Himself. (For in contrast to Peter, that the LORD Jesus is the Rock (“petra”) or "stone" (“lithos,” and which denotes a large rock in Mk. 16:4) upon which the church is built is one of the most abundantly confirmed doctrines in the Bible (petra: Rm. 9:33; 1Cor. 10:4; 1Pet. 2:8; cf. Lk. 6:48; 1Cor. 3:11; lithos: Mat. 21:42; Mk.12:10-11; Lk. 20:17-18; Act. 4:11; Rm. 9:33; Eph. 2:20; cf. Dt. 32:4, Is. 28:16) including by Peter himself. (1Pt. 2:4-8) Rome's current catechism attempts to have Peter himself as the rock as well, but also affirms: “On the rock of this faith confessed by St Peter, Christ build his Church,” (pt. 1, sec. 2, cp. 2, para. 424) which understanding some of the so-called “church fathers” concur with.)
8. Never taught or exampled that all the churches were to look to Peter as the bishop of Rome, as the first of a line of supreme heads reigning over all the churches, and having the last word in questions affecting the whole Church.
9. Never recorded or taught any apostolic successors (like for James: Acts 12:1,2) after Judas who was to maintain the original 12: Rv. 21:14) or elected any apostolic successors by voting, versus casting lots (no politics). (Acts 1:15ff)
10. Never recorded or manifested (not by conjecture) sprinkling or baptism without repentant personal faith, that being the stated requirement for baptism. (Acts 2:38; 8:36-38)
11. Never preached a gospel of salvation which begins with becoming good enough inside (formally justified due to infused interior charity), via sprinkling (RC "baptism") in recognition of proxy faith, and which thus usually ends with becoming good enough again to enter Heaven via suffering in purgatory, commencing at death.
12. Never supported or made laws that restricted personal reading of Scripture by laity (contrary to Chrysostom), if able and available, sometimes even outlawing it when it was.
13. Never used the sword of men to deal with its theological dissenters.
14. Never taught that the deity Muslims worship (who is not as an "unknown god") is the same as theirs.
15. Never had a separate class of believers called “saints.”
16. Never prayed to anyone in Heaven but the Lord, or were instructed to (i.e. "our Mother who art in Heaven") who were able to hear and respond to virtually unlimited prayers addressed to them (a uniquely Divine attribute in Scripture).
17. Never recorded a women who never sinned, and was a perpetual virgin despite being married (contrary to the normal description of marriage, as in leaving and sexually cleaving) and who would be bodily assumed to Heaven and exalted (officially or with implicit sanction) as
• an almost almighty demigoddess to whom "Jesus owes His Precious Blood" to,
• whose [Mary] merits we are saved by,
• who "had to suffer, as He did, all the consequences of sin,"
• and was bodily assumed into Heaven, which is a fact (unsubstantiated in Scripture or even early Tradition) because the Roman church says it is, and "was elevated to a certain affinity with the Heavenly Father,"
• and whose power now "is all but unlimited,"
• for indeed she "seems to have the same power as God,"
• "surpassing in power all the angels and saints in Heaven,"
• so that "the Holy Spirit acts only by the Most Blessed Virgin, his Spouse."
• and that “sometimes salvation is quicker if we remember Mary's name then if we invoked the name of the Lord Jesus,"
• for indeed saints have "but one advocate," and that is Mary, who "alone art truly loving and solicitous for our salvation,"
• Moreover, "there is no grace which Mary cannot dispose of as her own, which is not given to her for this purpose,"
• and who has "authority over the angels and the blessed in heaven,"
• including "assigning to saints the thrones made vacant by the apostate angels,"
• whom the good angels "unceasingly call out to," greeting her "countless times each day with 'Hail, Mary,' while prostrating themselves before her, begging her as a favour to honour them with one of her requests,"
• and who (obviously) cannot "be honored to excess,"
• and who is (obviously) the glory of Catholic people, whose "honor and dignity surpass the whole of creation." Sources and more.
The weasel is that of RCs who attempt to use the "profess aspect to negate the fact that Rome went on to positively affirm that Muslims "together with us they adore [worship] the one, merciful God."
And which is not some unknown god who may be said to represent be Christ, but a theologically defined god who contrary to that of Scripture.
But V2, being the work of a committee of two opposing sides can provide language supporting both sides.
As a SSPV source says,
Conservative Novus Ordo Catholics who object to the drastic changes call them "abuses" that result from the "misinterpretation" of Conciliar teachings. They point to many fine and orthodox statements in support of their contention. Those on the other hand who are on the forefront of the Revolution - the Liberal post-Conciliar Catholic - can justify almost anything they wish by recourse to the same documents.. - http://www.the-pope.com/wvat2tec.html
However, your one duty is to follow your pastors, and are called to implicitly submit to RC teaching.
True dis!!
HMMMmmm...
Psalm 150
1 Praise ye the Lord in his holy places: praise ye him in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise ye him for his mighty acts: praise ye him according to the multitude of his greatness.
3 Praise him with sound of trumpet: praise him with psaltery and harp.
4 Praise him with timbrel and choir: praise him with strings and organs.
5 Praise him on high sounding cymbals: praise him on cymbals of joy: let every spirit praise the Lord. Alleluia.
HMMMmmm...
1Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
4to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
5who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
6who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
7who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
8the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
9the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.
10to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
11and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
12with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.
13to him who divided the Red Seaa asunder
His love endures forever.
14and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
15but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.
16to him who led his people through the wilderness;
His love endures forever.
17to him who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.
18and killed mighty kings—
His love endures forever.
19Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.
20and Og king of Bashan—
His love endures forever.
21and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.
22an inheritance to his servant Israel.
His love endures forever.
23He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
24and freed us from our enemies.
His love endures forever.
25He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.
26Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.
Even if the COWBOYS are in it???
http://www.wesleyan.org/235/a-wesleyan-view-of-homosexuality
There is a good one in Davao City too.
**Try the Catholic Church - you know they believe in it since it wrote the table of contents.**
Which, based on the OP’s criteria, should send him running in the other direction!
Who was that prophet who was fed by ravens?
He got scared and ran and hid.
Didn't God tell him (after his little pity party that they wuz gonna kill him and he was the ONLY one left...) to go BACK to where he was?
Wise choice; Pilgrim!
You are making progress.
Perhaps just hopeful.
It springs eternal in the human breast.
But; there is NO joy in Mudville.
AMEN!
How about US?
We've got Jesus' name on everthang; y'all!
It's not so much watered down as it is just milk.
Where are the RED MEAT EATERS amongst us?
Does NO church sing Onward Christian Soldiers any more?
So?
So does Rome!
There it is!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.