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NASB | Ephesians 4:11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 4:11 And [His gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special messengers, representatives], some as prophets [who speak a new message from God to the people], some as evangelists [who spread the good news of salvation], and some as pastors and teachers [to shepherd and guide and instruct], |
Bible Question:
HELP ME HERE! I quite agree with you in principal. But there are nearly 300 different denominations and sects most of which say they believe the Bible, yet they disagree with each other. For example I might say I could not fellowship with a Catholic Church because I disagree with too many important doctrines. You may pick a different church but could find some that you feel the same way about. Where one draws that line is a real point of concern for me. As we have attempted to fellowship with local churches, we find that our personal fellowship with God through scripture has made us unpalatable to these churches and them to be very uninteresting to us. The more we read and study our Bibles the less Biblical the churches seem and the farther to the right we tend to draw that line. Is there a chance that we are seeing II Timothy Chap 3 and 4 being fulfilled? |
Bible Answer: Dear kenpos1948: Certainly I am prepared to empathize with you in your dilemma of trying to find a church that you feel suitable to your needs, which I define from your post as a church that teaches, preaches and endeavors to follow the truth of Scripture. In these days of rampant apostasy and false teaching, this is rarely an easy task. My wife and I some half dozen years ago, as members for many years of what once had been a conservative, true-to-the-Bible church, came to feel estranged in our own home church, as it were, because in this church -- and in the denomination of which it was a part -- its traditionally sound, orthodox theology was being supplanted by secular humanism. We discussed our problem at length, prayed about it, and eventually reached a decision. We simply had to find another church -- a church that was Christ centered, a church that taught the Bible and rejected human philosophies and theories that clearly clashed with the teaching of the Bible. It was no simple task nor an easy one. But find a church we did. And it is what we were looking for. I assure you that, in the midst of a sea of churches that teach and promote falsehood, there exist still shining little islands in this dark sea -- islands on which stand good, solid, faithful-to-the-Bible churches. I pray that God will reward your search by leading you and yours to one of them. --Hank |