Results 21 - 40 of 67
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: junmeskie Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
21 | The church as the pillar of Truth? | 1 Tim 3:15 | junmeskie | 137062 | ||
Statement 1 - "Logically, the Bible is the higher authority." If the Bible defines the extent of the church's position and authority, it follows suit that the Bible has the greater authority because it defines the parameters. --------------- AL ANSWER -------------------- Not everything is in the Bible READ - John 21:25 Paul speaks of oral tradition as authoritative - 2 Thess. 2:15, 2 Tim. 2:2, 1 Cor. 11:2, 1 Thess. 2:13 Paul speaks of oral tradition as authoritative. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle." Early Christians followed apostolic tradition - Acts 2:42, 2 Timothy 2:2 "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit Thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also" and more http://www.geocities.com/junmeskie/Sola_Scriptura.html ------------------------------------------------ Statement 2 - "The definition of a church is an assembly of people." ------------------AL ANSWER -------------- 1Timothy 3:15 “...behave thyself in the house of God which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (KJV) - so this mean this verses is not to be believed? What "Church" means in the early Christian tradition "church" is the House of: God or Worship. As Catholic Christians we are members of his one mystical body united in his church as "Family of God" This is also the reason that the Catholic believes in the Communion of Saints both the living and the dead (in heaven) are united as one body and that they (dead bodies) are alive in heaven interceeding for us still here on earth. ALL UNIVERSALLY UNITED WITH THE BISHOP OF ROME ….where THE CHAIR OF SAINT PETER IS never divided 1Cor.14:33 further more "a called-out group." Indeed the group of people is recognizible in what they do, tradition, etc. His church is visible not hidden and recognizable easily just like the Catholic churches recognizable anywhere in the globe ------------------------------------------------ God Bless Al |
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22 | Is the church is infallible? | 1 Tim 3:15 | junmeskie | 137002 | ||
Please point out to me what posting I did that are offensive? Catholic Church were called "The Whore of Babylon" Pagan, Idolatry etc. Please show me any of my postings that attacked or bashed your faith. All my posts refers to the verses and most of these are just answers to what already posted. Sorry if you feel I'm being rude, arrogant or bashing non Catholic faith. Mea Culpa. Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa. Peace Al |
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23 | The church as the pillar of Truth? | 1 Tim 3:15 | junmeskie | 136998 | ||
Hi Steve Out of over 300 scrolls 27 of these scrolls were selected, copied, transferred, hand scripted (by Catholic monks they are not Buddhist... I think) together we now call book then the Chapters and Verses were added finally this book (Biblia - Bible) was canonnized known as God's breath or inspired words of God. The Catholic Church never claimed writting the Bible they selected and compiled the 27 books for the New Testament only. The Church has the authority to chose what is the inspired words of God. Does your denomination "Canonnized" holy person or things? Anyone who studied church history will not dispute this just go to secular public library and read Where We Got The Bible? "THE HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH” Hosts: Kris Franklin (Evangelical) and Rosalind Moss (Jewish - Fundamental) converts share their conversion to the Faith. With great warmth, they discuss their previous misconceptions, explaining and defending Church teachings most frequently misunderstood by Protestants. SCRIPTURE AND TRADITION http://www.geocities.com/almescallado/household_of_faith.html Peace Al |
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24 | The church as the pillar of Truth? | 1 Tim 3:15 | junmeskie | 136994 | ||
Please show me the verse of your claims. thanks God Bless Al |
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25 | The church as the pillar of Truth? | 1 Tim 3:15 | junmeskie | 136950 | ||
and you say I quote from www.carm.org: not from the Bible? yep most if not all "protest-ants" will attempt to refute, rebuke the Catholic church but will never succeessful. First the Bible came from the Catholic Church (surprised?) Read the Origin of the Bible This statement is no way to attack nor bash your faith but to share the full truth. The Bible plus History equals 100 percent TRUTH PEACE and LOVE Jun |
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26 | The church as the pillar of Truth? | 1 Tim 3:15 | junmeskie | 136947 | ||
First we you must know the History and Origin of the Bible. Who put the 27 Books together added the Chapters and Verses? And canonized the Bible and called them inspired words of God. THE CHURCH CAME FIRST (Matt. 16:18) The Bible came out of the church What church existed before the Protestanism or Reformation? Most people at that time cannot read this is the reason Jesus commanded his apostles to “PREACH” not to WRITE - Matthew 28:19-20 "Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ " - St. Jerome "without history you are ignorant to the truth" - Jun Mescallado (not yet a Saint lol) God Bless Jun |
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27 | The church as the pillar of Truth? | 1 Tim 3:15 | junmeskie | 136946 | ||
In the years - 392-397 AD in the Town named Hippo...The Catholic Bishops headed by Saint Augustine...selected the 27 Books for the New Testament Fr. Martin Luther O.S.A. (Augustinian Monk) Excommunicated By Pope Leo took 7 books out, in fact he wanted to take more books out like the books of James and The Revelation The Vatican (codex Vaticanus , B), named from the Vatican library at Rome, where it is kept. Its date is A.D. 300 to 325 TRANSLATIONS (take notes on their years) The Old Testament was translated into Greek by a company of learned Jews at Alexandria, who began their labor about the year B.C. 286. It is called the Septuagint , i.e. the Seventy, from the tradition that it was translated by seventy (more exactly seventy-two) translators. The Vulgate, or translation of the Bible into Latin by Jerome, A.D. 385-405, is the authorized version of the Roman Catholic Church. The first English translation of the whole Bible was by John Wickliffe (1324-1384). Then followed that of William Tyndale (1525) and several others. Like The King James Version which has tons of errors is on it's 3rd revision, if i'm not mistaken! "THE HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH” Hosts: Kris Franklin (Evangelical) and Rosalind Moss (Jewish - Fundamental) converts share their conversion to the Faith. With great warmth, they discuss their previous misconceptions, explaining and defending Church teachings most frequently misunderstood by Protestants SCRIPTURES AND TRADITIONS http://www.geocities.com/almescallado/household_of_faith.html God Bless Al |
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28 | man's tradition | Bible general Archive 2 | junmeskie | 136945 | ||
Bible Alone or Sola Scriptura is not in the Bible http://www.geocities.com/junmeskie/Sola_Scriptura.html READ the VERSES THIS IS ALSO A TRADITION HANDED TO YOU BY MARTIN LUTHER NOT BY THE APOSTLES God Bless Al |
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29 | man's tradition | Bible general Archive 2 | junmeskie | 136944 | ||
POPE AND AUTHORITY Christ gave Pope Peter alone the "keys of the kingdom" (Matt. 16:19) and promised that Peters decisions would be binding in heaven. He also gave similar power to the other apostles (Catholic Bishops) (Matt. 18:18), but only Pope Peter was given the keys, symbols of his authority to rule the Church on earth in Jesus’ absence. In Matthew 16:19 Jesus is referring to Isaiah 22:22 I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open. Rev. 3:7 : "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia, write this: "The holy one, the true, who holds the key of David, who opens and no one shall close, who closes and no one shall open, …” His church is a living church. God Bless Jun |
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30 | Half Brothers and Sisters of Jesus? | John 7:5 | junmeskie | 136943 | ||
Mary: Virgin and Ever Virgin All Christians believe that Mary was a virgin before and at the time of the birth of her son Jesus. Is 7:14 "The virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel." Mt 1:18-25 "Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means "God is with us." When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus." Lk 1:26-27 "In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgins name was Mary." Nicene Creed (325), Constantinopolitan Creed (381) ... Who for us men and because of our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became human. Roman Catholic Christians and many other Christians also believe that Mary remained a virgin for the rest of her life. Constant faith of the Church Great teachers of the Church from at least the fourth century spoke of Mary as having remained a virgin throughout her life: Athanasius (Alexandria, 293 - 373) Epiphanius (Palestine, 315? - 403) Jerome (Stridon, present day Slovenia, 345? - 419) Augustine (Numidia, now Algeria, 354 - 430) Cyril (Alexandria, 376 - 444) and others. Magisterium of the Church Council of Constantinople II (553 - 554) twice referred to Mary as "ever-virgin." Protestant Reformers The great protestant reformers affirmed their belief in Marys perpetual virginity: German reformer Martin Luthers (1483-1546) writings often address the subject of Mary: On the Divine Motherhood of Mary, he wrote In this work whereby she was made the Mother of God, so many and such great good things were given her that no one can grasp them. ... Not only was Mary the mother of him who is born [in Bethlehem], but of him who, before the world, was eternally born of the Father, from a Mother in time and at the same time man and God. (Weimers The Works of Luther, English translation by Pelikan, Concordia, St. Louis, v. 7, p. 572.) Luther, true to Catholic tradition, wrote on the Virginity of Mary: It is an article of faith that Mary is Mother of the Lord and still a virgin. ... Christ, we believe, came forth from a womb left perfectly intact. (Weimers The Works of Luther, English translation by Pelikan, Concordia, St. Louis, v.11, pp. 319-320; v. 6. p. 510.) The French reformer John Calvin (1509-1564) also held that Mary was the Mother of God It cannot be denied that God in choosing and destining Mary to be the Mother of his Son, granted her the highest honor. ... Elizabeth called Mary Mother of the Lord, because the unity of the person in the two natures of Christ was such that she could have said that the mortal man engendered in the womb of Mary was at the same time the eternal God. (Calvini Opera, Corpus Reformatorum, Braunschweig-Berlin, 1863-1900, v. 45, p. 348, 35.) On the perpetual virginity of Mary, "Calvin routinely brushes aside the difficulties sometimes raised from "first born" and "brothers of the Lord." (O Carroll, M., 1983, Theotokos, M Glazier, Inc.: Wilmington, DE, p. 94.) The Swiss reformer, Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531), wrote, on the divine motherhood of Mary: It was given to her what belongs to no creature, that in the flesh she should bring forth the Son of God. (Zwingli Opera, Corpus Reformatorum, Berlin, 1905, v. 6, I, p. 639.) On the perpetual virginity of Mary, Zwingli wrote, I firmly believe that Mary, according to the words of the gospel as a pure Virgin brought forth for us the Son of God and in childbirth and after childbirth forever remained a pure, intact Virgin. (Zwingli Opera, Corpus Reformatorum, Berlin, 1905, v. 1, p. 424.) In another place Zwingli professed CON'T please click or copy paste to your browser links below http://www.catholicapologetics.org/ap080300.htm http://www.geocities.com/junmeskie/BVM.html Thanks God Bless Jun (Al) |
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31 | How do you ordain someone? | Bible general Archive 2 | junmeskie | 136849 | ||
THE first Christians had no doubts about how to determine which claimant, among the many contending for the title, was the true Church, and which doctrines the true teachings of Christ. The test was simple: Just trace the apostolic succession of the claimants. In its concrete form, apostolic succession is the line of bishops stretching back to the apostles. All over the world, all Catholic bishops can have their lineage of predecessors traced back to the time of the apostles, something which is impossible in Protestant denominations (most of whom do not even claim to have bishops). The role of apostolic succession in preserving true doctrine is illustrated in the Bible. To make sure that the teachings of the apostles would be passed down after the deaths of the apostles, Paul told Timothy: "[W]hat you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2). In this passage he refers to the first four generations of apostolic succession--his own generation, Timothy's generation, the generation Timothy will teach, and the generation they in turn will teach. The Church Fathers, who were links in that chain of succession, regularly appealed to apostolic succession as a test for whether Catholics or heretics had correct doctrine. This was necessary because heretics simply put their own interpretations, even bizarre ones, on the Scriptures. Clearly, something other than Scripture had to be used as an ultimate test of doctrine in these cases. Thus the early Church historian, J.N.D. Kelly, a Protestant, writes: "[W]here in practice was [the] apostolic testimony or tradition to be found? . . . The most obvious answer was that the apostles had committed it orally to the Church, where it had been handed down from generation to generation. . . . Unlike the alleged secret tradition of the Gnostics, it was entirely public and open, having been entrusted by the apostles to their successors, and by these in turn to those who followed them, and was visible in the Church for all who cared to look for it" (Early Christian Doctrines, 37). For the early Fathers, "the identity of the oral tradition with the original revelation is guaranteed by the unbroken succession of bishops in the great sees going back lineally to the apostles. . . . [A]n additional safeguard is supplied by the Holy Spirit, for the message committed was to the Church, and the Church is the home of the Spirit. Indeed, the Church's bishops are . . . Spirit-endowed men who have been vouchsafed 'an infallible charism of truth'" (ibid.). Thus on the basis of experience the Fathers could be "profoundly convinced of the futility of arguing with heretics merely on the basis of Scripture. The skill and success with which they twisted its plain meaning made it impossible to reach any decisive conclusion in that field" (ibid., 41). |
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32 | to serve god | Matthew | junmeskie | 136848 | ||
Jesus said it is not enough to have faith in him; we also must obey his commandments. "Why do you call me LORD, LORD, but do not do the things I command?" (Luke 6:46, Matt. 7:21–23, 19:16–21). We do not "earn" our salvation through good works (Eph. 2:8–9, Rom. 9:16), but our faith in Christ puts us in a special grace-filled relationship with God so that our obedience and love, combined with our faith, will be rewarded with eternal life (Rom. 2:7, Gal. 6:8–9). Paul said, "God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work" (Phil. 2:13). John explained that "the way we may be sure that we know him is to keep his commandments. Whoever says, I know him, but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:3–4, 3:19–24, 5:3–4). Since no gift can be forced on the recipient—gifts always can be rejected—even after we become justified, we can throw away the gift of salvation. We throw it away through grave (mortal) sin (John 15:5–6, Rom. 11:22–23, 1 Cor. 15:1–2; CCC 1854 –1863). Paul tells us, "The wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). Read his letters and see how often Paul warned Christians against sin. He would not have felt compelled to do so if their sins could not exclude them from heaven (see, for example, 1 Cor. 6:9–10, Gal. 5:19–21). Paul reminded the Christians in Rome that God "will repay everyone according to his works: eternal life for those who seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in good works, but wrath and fury to those who selfishly disobey the truth and obey wickedness" (Rom. 2:6–8). Sins are nothing but evil works (CCC 1849 –1850). We can avoid sins by habitually performing good works. Every saint has known that the best way to keep free from sins is to embrace regular prayer, the sacraments (the Eucharist first of all), and charitable acts. CCC - Catechism of the Catholic Church |
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33 | Half Brothers and Sisters of Jesus? | John 7:5 | junmeskie | 136842 | ||
No Word for Cousin Because neither Hebrew nor Aramaic (the language spoken by Christ and his disciples) had a special word meaning "cousin," speakers of those languages could use either the word for "brother" or a circumlocution, such as "the son of my uncle." But circumlocutions are clumsy, so the Jews often used "brother." The writers of the New Testament were brought up using the Aramaic equivalent of "brothers" to mean both cousins and sons of the same father—plus other relatives and even non-relatives. When they wrote in Greek, they did the same thing the translators of the Septuagint did. (The Septuagint was the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible; it was translated by Hellenistic Jews a century or two before Christ’s birth and was the version of the Bible from which most of the Old Testament quotations found in the New Testament are taken.) In the Septuagint the Hebrew word that includes both brothers and cousins was translated as adelphos, which in Greek usually has the narrow meaning that the English "brother" has. Unlike Hebrew or Aramaic, Greek has a separate word for cousin, anepsios, but the translators of the Septuagint used adelphos, even for true cousins. You might say they transliterated instead of translated, importing the Jewish idiom into the Greek Bible. They took an exact equivalent of the Hebrew word for "brother" and did not use adelphos in one place (for sons of the same parents), and anepsios in another (for cousins). This same usage was employed by the writers of the New Testament and passed into English translations of the Bible. To determine what "brethren" or "brother" or "sister" means in any one verse, we have to look at the context. When we do that, we see that insuperable problems arise if we assume that Mary had children other than Jesus. When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she would conceive a son, she asked, "How can this be since I have no relations with a man?" (Luke 1:34). From the Church’s earliest days, as the Fathers interpreted this Bible passage, Mary’s question was taken to mean that she had made a vow of lifelong virginity, even in marriage. (This was not common, but neither was it unheard of.) If she had not taken such a vow, the question would make no sense. Mary knew how babies are made (otherwise she wouldn’t have asked the question she did). If she had anticipated having children in the normal way and did not intend to maintain a vow of virginity, she would hardly have to ask "how" she was to have a child, since conceiving a child in the "normal" way would be expected by a newlywed wife. Her question makes sense only if there was an apparent (but not a real) conflict between keeping a vow of virginity and acceding to the angel’s request. A careful look at the New Testament shows that Mary kept her vow of virginity and never had any children other than Jesus. When Jesus was found in the Temple at age twelve, the context suggests that he was the only son of Mary and Joseph. There is no hint in this episode of any other children in the family (Luke 2:41–51). Jesus grew up in Nazareth, and the people of Nazareth referred to him as "the son of Mary" (Mark 6:3), not as "a son of Mary." In fact, others in the Gospels are never referred to as Mary’s sons, not even when they are called Jesus’ "brethren." If they were in fact her sons, this would be strange usage. Also, the attitude taken by the "brethren of the Lord" implies they are his elders. In ancient and, particularly, in Eastern societies (remember, Palestine is in Asia), older sons gave advice to younger, but younger seldom gave advice to older—it was considered disrespectful to do so. But we find Jesus’ "brethren" saying to him that Galilee was no place for him and that he should go to Judea so he could make a name for himself (John 7:3–4). Another time, they sought to restrain him for his own benefit: "And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for people were saying, ‘He is beside himself’" (Mark 3:21). This kind of behavior could make sense for ancient Jews only if the "brethren" were older than Jesus, but that alone eliminates them as his biological brothers, since Jesus was Mary’s "first-born" son (Luke 2:7). Consider what happened at the foot of the cross. When he was dying, Jesus entrusted his mother to the apostle John (John 19:26–27). The Gospels mention four of his "brethren": James, Joseph, Simon, and Jude. It is hard to imagine why Jesus would have disregarded family ties and made this provision for his mother if these four were also her sons. Sources: http://www.catholic.com/library/brethren_of_the_lord.asp |
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34 | to serve god | Matthew | junmeskie | 136824 | ||
Some people answered God's calling to devote themselves completely just to him, by joining one of the specialty religious order. Contemplative or Cloistered orders are religious orders of men and women whose life are centered in silence, meditations, works and sacrifices they took turns in prayers 24 hrs a day to our Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of all mankind. Active Religious orders aside from their daily prayers they are active in charity works, institutions: schools, orphanages, homeless shelters, and medical institutions and taking care of the poor around the globe. (like: Mother Theresa) If You Want an Authentic Personal Relationship with Jesus? Try doing this 24 hrs. 365 days a year? http://www.geocities.com/junmeskie/Vocation.html Read Matthew 25: 34 to 40 God Bless Al Mescallado |
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35 | man's tradition | Bible general Archive 2 | junmeskie | 136822 | ||
Sacred Tradition should not be confused with mere traditions of men, which are more commonly called customs or disciplines. Jesus sometimes condemned customs or disciplines, but only if they were contrary to God’s commands (Mark 7:8). He never condemned sacred Tradition, and he didn’t even condemn all human tradition. | ||||||
36 | GOD TURNED HIS BACK ON JESUS WHEN JESUS | Bible general Archive 2 | junmeskie | 136821 | ||
This is a misconception of most non Catholic Christians Jesus is the son of God, he is God. God did not turned away from himseelf. Can you turm away from yourself? Remember Jesus is referring to the Old Testament (forgot the verse but will re-post them later) God Bless Jun |
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37 | Is the church is infallible? | 1 Tim 3:15 | junmeskie | 136741 | ||
I'm just pointing the common micsconceptions of the Catholic Church When it comes to scriptures I have provided tons of them to support my claims Thanks God Bless Al Mescallado |
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38 | Is the church is infallible? | 1 Tim 3:15 | junmeskie | 136739 | ||
you wrote: "the majority of them agree on the essential doctrines of the faith." My answer: To be Catholic is to be fully Christianized. We must not take compromises on what Jesus teaches and commanded us to believed Fundamental or Basic faith is not what Jesus intend us to believed. Indeed Catholics who left the church are mostly: 1 - IGNORANT to what the church really teaches 2 - BAD EXPERIENCES with Priests or members of the church and sadly the very strict rules of the church regarding morality issues like: gay, abortion, divorce cannot re-marry etc. 3 - FEELINGS they feel that to be true church of Jesus it has to be "A Feel Good Church" as if Jesus came down to earth to have a PARTY. They are looking for a church that will serve them and not to serve Jesus it’s more like they chose to be the center to be catered to. 4 - THE BLASPHEMOUS and MYTH: "Of not getting feed at The Catholic Church" http://www.geocities.com/junmescallado/jesus_feeding_scale.html SEE ……. JESUS FEEDING CHART BUT SINCE THE CATHOLIC IS NOT A DENOMINATION Catholics leave the church to join other Protesters (against) unlike Protesters who can easily church hop to over 33,000 denominations with that multitude of churches to chose from you can't go wrong. Catholics either they leave the church or get excommunicated, they don't go to another parish to church hop. WHO IS THE CENTER OF YOUR WORSHIP? JESUS…. OR….. YOUR PREACHER? http://www.geocities.com/junmeskie/Worship.html JUST LOOK AT THE 2 PICTURES AND COMPARE EYES ON THE PREACHER....NOT ON JESUS PEACE and LOVE Al Mescallado |
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39 | how could you spot a false teacher? | 1 Tim 3:15 | junmeskie | 136736 | ||
Your Pastors, Ministers and Preachers HAS NO AUTHORITY in preaching ABOUT JESUS SINCE THEY DO NOT HAVE VALID ORDINATION REMEMBER THAT PREACHERS ARE SENT (not self appointed) ACTS 15:24 Since we have heard that some of our number (who went out) without any mandate from us have upset you with their teachings and disturbed your peace of mind, Acts 15:25 we have with one accord decided to choose representatives and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, (meaning Apostolic Successions - passed on to Apostles to Bishops to Priests) not Protestant (Non Catholic Christians) Ministers, Pastors or Preachers. PEACE AND LOVE Al Mescallado |
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40 | What scripture tells us to join church | 1 Tim 3:15 | junmeskie | 136734 | ||
If we wish to locate the Church founded by Jesus, we need to locate the one that has the four chief marks or qualities of his Church. The Church we seek must be: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic church THE CHURCH IS ONE (Rom. 12:5, 1 Cor. 10:17, 12:13) Jesus established only one Church, not a collection of differing churches (Lutheran, Baptist, Anglican, Born Again and so on). The Bible says the Church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:23–32). Jesus can have but one spouse, and his spouse is the Catholic Church. His Church also teaches just one set of doctrines, which must be the same as those taught by the apostles (Jude 3). This is the unity of belief to which Scripture calls us (Phil. 1:27, 2:2). Although some Catholics dissent from officially-taught doctrines, the Church’s official teachers—the pope and the bishops united with him—have never changed any doctrine. Over the centuries, as doctrines are examined more fully, the Church comes to understand them more deeply (John 16:12–13), but it never understands them to mean the opposite of what they once meant. THE CHURCH IS HOLY (Eph. 5:25–27, Rev. 19:7–8) By his grace Jesus makes the Church holy, just as he is holy. This doesn’t mean that each member is always holy. Jesus said there would be both good and bad members in the Church (John 6:70), and not all the members would go to heaven (Matt. 7:21–23). But the Church itself is holy because it is the source of holiness and is the guardian of the special means of grace Jesus established, the sacraments (cf. Eph. 5:26). THE CHURCH IS CATHOLIC (Matt. 28:19–20, Rev. 5:9–10) Jesus’ Church is called catholic ("universal" in Greek) because it is his gift to all people. He told his apostles to go throughout the world and make disciples of "all nations" (Matt. 28:19–20). For 2,000 years the Catholic Church has carried out this mission, preaching the good news that Christ died for all men and that he wants all of us to be members of his universal family (Gal. 3:28). Nowadays the Catholic Church is found in every country of the world and is still sending out missionaries to "make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19). The Church Jesus established was known by its most common title, "the Catholic Church," at least as early as the year 107, when Ignatius of Antioch used that title to describe the one Church Jesus founded. The title apparently was old in Ignatius’s time, which means it probably went all the way back to the time of the apostles. THE CHURCH IS APOSTOLIC (Eph. 2:19–20) The Church Jesus founded is apostolic because he appointed the apostles to be the first leaders of the Church, and their successors were to be its future leaders. The apostles were the first bishops, and, since the first century, there has been an unbroken line of Catholic bishops faithfully handing on what the apostles taught the first Christians in Scripture and oral Tradition (2 Tim. 2:2). These beliefs include the bodily Resurrection of Jesus, the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, the sacrificial nature of the Mass, the forgiveness of sins through a priest, baptismal regeneration, the existence of purgatory, Mary’s special role, and much more —even the doctrine of apostolic succession itself. Early Christian writings prove the first Christians were thoroughly Catholic in belief and practice and looked to the successors of the apostles as their leaders. What these first Christians believed is still believed by the Catholic Church. No other Church can make that claim. |
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