6 Rituals In Christianity

Peter was actually a minor player in writing the Nee Testament, and tended to refer to Paul as the head of the church. In the entire Bible, Peter only wrote 8 chapters. The leading writers of the New Testament were Paul and John.
God chose Paul to lead the church. Paul was a ‘Hebrew of the Hebrews’ i.e. he had his PhD in theology. Peter was just a simple uneducated fisherman. Paul went from country to country, preaching the Gospel, while Peter was out fishing!

 

No he didn’t! Philip didn’t preach anything. Was he chosen to write Scripture? Nope! He was just following his Essenene religious practice of baptism by immersion, symbolic of cleansing.

 

After the order of Melchizedek! The one who served bread and wine at the Last Supper, not blood and meat!

 

I usually agree with your posts and enjoy reading them. However, I have no doubt that Jesus and the twelve disciples, including Judas, had lamb for Passover.

Exodus 12:1-8, " The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month is to be your beginning of months; it will be your first month of the year. Tell the whole community of Israel, ‘On the tenth day of this month they each must take a lamb for themselves according to their families—a lamb for each household. If any household is too small for a lamb, the man and his next-door neighbor are to take a lamb according to the number of people—you will make your count for the lamb according to how much each one can eat. Your lamb must be perfect, a male, one year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You must care for it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then the whole community of Israel will kill it around sundown. They will take some of the blood and put it on the two side posts and top of the doorframe of the houses where they will eat it. They will eat the meat the same night; they will eat it roasted over the fire with bread made without yeast and with bitter herbs."

 

why does Peter have the keys of jurisdictional authority under Christ and over the apostles?

isa 22:21-22 Matt 16:18

Already acting in the person of Christ even acting as intermediary!

It is Jesus Christ who identifies peter with himself!

Matt 17:24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?

25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the houser, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?

26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.

27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

It is Jesus Christ who identifies peter with himself! Matt 17:27

 

Christian baptism in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit (holy trinity) is the new birth a holy sacrament

a sacred oath from God, a promise acts 2:38-39 and infants are baptized
Refers to ez 36:25-27

 

Acts 8:5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.

 

was Christ Essenene? He taught baptism Jn 3:5

 

what about acts 22:16?

 

A sacrament is an outward sign
Which is a gift from God to help our little minds see what he does inwardly and invisibly by his grace!

As grace Washes our souls in the merits of Jesus blood from original and personal sin, so the outward action of washing is visible!

without the outward action the inward action cannot take place!

Jn 3:5 Titus 3:5 water and washing
acts 22:16 wash away your sin!

Jn 3:5 Born again BY water and the spirit! Not by “faith alone”!

They did not go to Jerusalem and preach “accept Christ as you’re personal Lord and savior “

They went to the river (water) and they baptized! Jn 3:22

A covenant requires an outward sign of the inward action of grace!

Ez 36:25 I will sprinkle you with clean water and you shall be made white as snow.

Acts 22:16 washing away your sins.

1 pet 3:21 baptism saves you.


Baptism!

God breathed life into Adam, gen 2:7 and we received this life from our fathers!

Christ breathed on the apostles our spiritual fathers, we receive the new covenant life of God’s grace from them thru faith & baptism! Jn 20:21-23 Mk 16:16 acts 8:36-38 eph 2

Born again! Born from above!

'The Father has set his seal' on Christ (John 6:27) and also seals us in him (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:23, 4:30). Because this seal indicates the indelible effect of the anointing with the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of Baptism,

Baptism indeed is the seal of eternal life." 87 The faithful Christian who I has "kept the seal" until the end, remaining faithful to the demands of his Baptism, will be able to depart this life "marked with the sign of faith," 88 with his baptismal faith, in expectation of the blessed vision of God - the consummation of faith - and in the hope of resurrection.

St. Paul tells the faithful at Ephesus that they have been “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” This is in terms of an indelible character imprinted on the soul in the sacraments of baptism and confirmation. It is not as if this invisible mark is simply decorative. Rather, through it, we are enabled to participate in Christ’s mission and in his offices of priest, prophet, and king. Eph 1:13

Sealed by God eph 1:13 sealed by God (ez 36:25-27) in the ark of salvation by baptism just as Noah was sealed by God in the ark of the flood gen 7:16

1 Pet 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us!
(Ark of Noah a type of the church, member of Christ and his church and salvation by baptism!)
(Outside the ark of Noah none were saved, outside the church (the ark of salvation) none are saved!)

Sealed in the ark, sealed in the church the ark of salvation by God thru baptism!



Effects of baptism!

Faith and baptism accomplish justification
With these effects:
born again Jn 3:5
New creation in Christ 2 cor 5:17
Passed from death to life 2 Tim 1:10
Out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light 1 pet 2:9
All sins (original and personal) washed away acts 22:16
Washed in Christ’s blood 1 pet 1:2
Member of Christ and His church
1 cor 12:13
Put on Christ gal 3:27
Died with Christ rom 6:3
Risen with Christ col 2:12
Sealed by God in the ark of salvation 1 pet 3:20-21
Sealed with the Holy Spirit eph 1:13
And none by “faith alone”!

 

Sacraments instituted by Christ for the salvation of souls!

It’s not a do it yourself religion!
It’s not a bible study!

It’s a covenant!

Not by “faith alone”
“Faith alone” not biblical
You may think “Accept Jesus Christ as you personal Lord and savior” is biblical but there is no such verse in your bible!

Faith and the sacraments in the church founded by the authority Christ on Peter and the apostles is biblical!

Faith and baptism is the biblical initiation into the new covenant and member is Christ and His holy church!

Psalm 51 (baptism)
Ez 36:25-27 Mk 16:16 acts 8:36-38

You cannot enter a covenant by “faith alone” must be a ritual outward sign!
Faith and baptism! Mk 16:16 acts 8:36-38

Merits of christ’s passion, death, and precious blood are applied in the sacraments! Jn 1:16

Colossians 1:20
And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Matt 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Acts 22:16
And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Rom 3:24
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

1 pet 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

Heb 10:22
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Acts 2:47
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Romans 5:5
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

1 Corinthians 12:13
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Galatians 3:27
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Lk 1: 72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,

There is only one true church founded by Christ on Peter and the apostles and their successors is the new covenant body of Christ! Matt 1:18 & Jn 10:16 one fold

1 Timothy 3:15
But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Christ and His church are one: acts 9 why persecute me?

Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,


Sacraments are the fruit of the sacrifice!
The holy sacrifice of Christ, His passion, blood, and death producing unlimited fruits of divine grace, actual and sanctifying grace! Jn 1:29 Jn 1:16-17 Jn 10:10


“This promise” (sacred oath of God or sacrament) of the Father acts 2:38-39 with reference to ez 36:25-27 Also a mystery Mk 4:11 Eph 5:32 eph 6:19 1 Tim 3:9 3:16 Col 1:27 2:2 4:3

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Ez 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Jn 3:5 born again by water and the spirit.

Heb 7:21 For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec
(Oath = sacrament)

Hebrews 8:6
But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. Based on Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:


A promise is a sacred oath or sacrament!
Baptismal regeneration is the promise of the Father for union in the new covenant!

The church and the seven sacraments are necessary for salvation

Better covenant on better promises

2 Timothy 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

Life of supernatural grace merited by Christ in His passion and death!

An oath to sacramental life in the new covenant in union with the mediator and communion with God, and the saints!

Promise of the Father acts 2:23-39
Promise is an oath and an oath is a sacrament! This promise of the sacrament of baptism refers to ez. 36:25-27

1 Corinthians 12:13
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Galatians 3:27
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.


1 Pet 3:20
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us!
(Ark of Noah a type of the church, member of Christ and his church and salvation by baptism!)
(Outside the ark all died and outside the church there is no salvation!)

St. Paul tells the faithful at Ephesus that they have been “sealed with the promised holy Spirit.” This is in terms of an indelible character imprinted on the soul in the sacraments of baptism and confirmation. It is not as if this invisible mark is simply decorative. Rather, through it, we are enabled to participate in Christ’s mission and in his offices of priest, prophet, and king. Eph 1:13

Sealed by God eph 1:13 in the ark of salvation by baptism just as Noah was sealed by God in the ark of the flood gen 7:16

Sealed in the ark, sealed in the church the ark of salvation by baptism!

Jn 1:5-5 abide in Him, apart from Him you can do nothing.

Jn 10:10 life, (grace more abundantly)
Jn 1: 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

Jn 1:16-17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
(Thru faith and the sacraments!)

 

you’re right about the priesthood

Is Jesus divine?
Do you believe in the most holy trinity?

 

Another one of your idiotic, anti-Biblical claims . . .

Ummmmmm - can you show me WHERE Peter refers to Paul as "Hed of the church"??Chapter and Verse, please.

Secodnly - You judge Peter's impoirtance by how many pages of Scripture he wrote (or didn't write) - yet you've completely ignored the fact that the MOST impirtant person of Scripture (Jesus) never srote a singlew line of it.

It appears that ALL you understand about the Bible is that it's a dusty book on your shelf . . .

 

Jesus is not “left on the cross” but rather his saving love is displayed. Jesus died for our sins out of love is the central message of a crucifix. The centrality of this to the mission of Jesus on earth is mentioned several times in the New Testament:

For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. . . (1 Cor. 1:23)

“I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.” (Jn. 12:27)

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. (Jn. 3:14-16)

Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you. (Lk. 22:19-20)​

God could have chosen any method for the redemption of humanity. In his desire that humanity should know the depravity of sin and the depths of God’s love he chose to die on the cross. Displaying a crucifix does not in any way deny the resurrection of Jesus. After all, do faith communities that display only a cross want to downplay the sufferings of Jesus? Of course not, it is just a different preference of emphasis. In the Catholic Church the crucifix has been the traditional sign and statement of our faith in God’s love and mercy. It reminds us that Jesus never promised his followers an easy life (Matt. 16:24) but that if we join our sufferings to his, we too we ultimately triumph as he did.
Why Do Churches Have Crucifixes If Jesus Is Risen?
+++

1 Cor. 1:23- Paul preaches a Christ crucified, not just risen. Catholic spirituality focuses on the sacrifice of Christ which is the only means to the resurrection. This is why Catholic churches have crucifixes with the corpus of Jesus affixed to them. Many Protestant churches no longer display the corpus of Jesus (only an empty cross). Thus, they only preach a Christ risen, not crucified.

1 Cor. 2:2 – Paul preaches Jesus Christ and Him crucified. While the cross was the scandal of scandals, and is viewed by the non-Christian eye as defeat, Catholic spirituality has always exalted the paradox of the cross as the true tree of life and our means to salvation.

2 Cor. 1:5-7- if we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort as well. If we unite our sufferings with His, we will be comforted by Him.

 

8 Questions Non-Catholics Almost Always Ask When They Attend Mass

Whether it’s non-Catholics who attend Mass with their Catholic significant other or folks who are inquiring about the faith; if you weren’t brought up with Mass, your first (and second and third…) time can be very confusing—making people feel like they’re, “around a secret that I’m not in on.” Here are some answers to some of the really excellent, frequently asked questions that newbies bring with them.

1. What’s with all of the sitting, standing and kneeling?



We call it “Catholic Aerobics.” It’s how we stay fit. Just kidding!
Each posture during Mass has function and meaning.
When we sit, we are engaged in active listening, giving our attention to the readings, the homily and some of the prayers. We stand for a couple of reasons—to listen to the Gospel (we sit for the other Bible readings) to acknowledge that we are in the presence of Christ. The Gospel is the Word of God speaking to us in the present. We hear stories about Jesus and the words that He spoke and so we stand in honor of this. Sometimes our standing together shows our unity in prayer (like when we pray the Creed or the General Intercessions) as the Body of Christ, and we stand together as a community preparing to receive the Body of Christ in the Eucharist (see #4). Kneeling is a penitential/reverential posture. We acknowledge our sinfulness and need for God’s healing, so we kneel in God’s Presence (mostly while the prayers regarding the Eucharist are being prayed) asking for that healing.

2. What’s that squiggly motion everybody does in front of their faces before the Gospel is read?


This is one of my favorites—particularly because when I tell those who are seeking to convert what this one is all about, I tell them to go home and quiz their Catholics and they almost never know the answer. Before the Gospel is read, when the community stands together to listen, we make the sign of the cross (usually with a thumb) on our foreheads, our lips and our hearts signifying that we are asking God to always keep the Gospel on our minds, on our lips and in our hearts. If we keep the Gospel in these three places, all our thoughts, words and desires will be in line with Jesus. It’s a physical reminder to us that we need to not just hear the Gospel, but to live the Gospel every day of our lives. Many, many Catholics don’t know this, and they just make a crazy squiggle in their general head and torso area. They have a good laugh and are happy to learn why they’ve been doing that their whole lives when it’s explained to them by the Catechumens that they love (and now know more about Catholic practice than they do).

3. How does everyone seem to know what’s going on and what to expect?

This is one of the best things about Catholic Mass. They way we do it in America is the same way they do it everywhere in the world. And the way we do it today is pretty much the way it’s been done since the 1st Century. That’s a long time to get to know how to do something.

From the prayers that we say to the Scripture readings that are read, to the postures and responses that we participate in—it’s all mapped out; and it’s all uniform in every language. This is awesome because, if you’re familiar with it, you can just sink in, let go of whatever was weighing you down on your way in, and let the ritual happen. There is a flow, a beauty and a comfort to the routine. Built in to the routine is a cycle of Scripture readings that change weekly (but we know what’s coming), songs that change weekly, a homily that should change according to the Gospel and some of the prayers (I’m thinking General Intercessions, here) that change weekly. So, it’s never exactly the same, but always the same format. It gets easier as you go along. Also, most parishes have a missallette in the pews that have the whole order of the Mass in it that you can follow along with. Many parishes use Breaking Bread missalettes—if that’s the one in your parish, look for the pages with the gray tips and follow along there.

4. What is the wafer you all are receiving, and can I get one, too?

The Source and Summit of everything we do as Catholics is the Eucharist, aka: Holy Communion. Jesus said in the Gospel of John 6:51, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” We take this very literally. At the Last Supper Jesus took bread and wine, blessed them and said, “This is my body” “This is my blood” and “Do this in memory of me.” (Luke 22) We take this, with the Gospel of John very literally, too. Jesus’ Sacrifice for us on the Cross is what we celebrate at Mass. He made that Sacrifice once and for all, but told us to participate in it, too. Our celebration of this Sacrifice isn’t a new one; it brings the one and only Sacrifice into the present. The hosts and wine change from those elements to His True Presence—to the Body and Blood of Christ. It’s not a symbol for us. It’s a reality. And so, we ask that only those who are united with us in that belief through the Catholic Church participate in receiving Communion.

5. Why do Catholics start their prayers with the sign of the Cross?

This practice tends to be particularly uncomfortable and challenging for Protestants who are joining Catholics for worship (or joining the Catholic Church). As Catholics, there are a couple of reasons that we begin all our prayer “In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit” while making the sign of the Cross on our body. First of all, we are calling on the whole Being of God—the Trinity. We are reminded that when we pray, even if we single out one of the members of the Trinity (like praying specifically to Jesus or the Father), we are always engaging a whole God. All Three are always present, all three make up the One God. The other part of this is the act of making the sign of the cross on ourselves. We do this as a reminder that while we are addressing the Trinity in our prayer, we come to God in humility; understanding that we are only saved by the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the Cross. Our whole relationship with God begins and ends with this selfless act of Jesus, and we are called to imitate the love He has for us, by making sacrifices for others. We communicate with God in the hope of becoming more like God; which means that we have to be as selfless as we can be—like Jesus.

continued...

 

...continued from post #119

6. Why does everyone dip their fingers in the water when they come into Church?



The water in either the Baptismal font or the little fonts fastened to the walls of the entry of the Church is holy water. When we enter the Church, we dip our fingers in the water and make the sign of the cross on our ourselves to recall our Baptism. It is through Baptism that we enter the Church (as Christians) and it is through Baptism that we receive our identity as adopted children of God, and we receive our initial call by God to live differently. We enter our celebration of Mass with this ritual to remind ourselves that we are children of God, in God’s house, sharing the most special meal that God offers us with God’s other children. We say that the Church is the “body of Christ,” and this water reminds us that our parish family and our worldwide family of believers all make up that body. We belong to each other, are responsible to one another and are called to share our faith and our lives with one another. And we are all united and have our sin forgiven through this one Baptism.

7. Why does everyone go down on one knee before sitting down when they first come in?



This is another one of those things that a lot of Catholics don’t know, so I love sharing it. When we enter the Church, after remembering who we are in Baptism, we remember what brings us there—the Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. There is a receptacle in the Church that should be in a very prominent place and is probably made of at least a semi-precious metal. It’s called the Tabernacle. It’s where we keep Eucharist that was consecrated (changed from bread into the True Presence of Christ) at a previous Mass. We keep it there for emergencies and to bring to the homebound, nursing homebound and hospitals. Since we believe that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, we go down on one knee in the direction of the Tabernacle—a gesture called “genuflecting.” Harkening back to the very olden days, we genuflect as an acknowledgment that our King—Jesus—is there. Our response to His presence is what it would always be in the presence of a king—to go down on one knee out of respect, honor and homage.

8. Why do Catholic Churches always have a cross with Jesus’ body on it?



We call the Cross with Jesus’ body (a corpus) on it a Crucifix. For Catholics, our appreciation of the Cross is not just the Cross itself, but what Jesus did for us on the Cross. Yes, Jesus is resurrected—he’s not still dead on the cross—but it’s important for us to enter into the experience of the crucifixion. It wasn’t sterile—and it can’t be sterile in our memory. Jesus; 100% God, 100% human, really suffered and really died on the Cross. We believe that it is this action (paired with the resurrection) that offers us salvation. We also believe that because of Jesus’ suffering, our suffering has meaning, too. When we look at the crucifix, we are reminded that God knows our suffering. We are also reminded that, just as Jesus wasn’t alone in His suffering, we aren’t either. And, finally, just as Jesus’ suffering wasn’t the end of the story; neither is ours. God never lets suffering go unchallenged; and the crucifix is our banner for God’s ultimate conquering of sin and death through His own suffering.

8 Questions Non-Catholics Almost Always Ask When They Attend Mass

 

Lamb is a tad too big for most family Passover celebrations. More common is beef, chicken, turkey, duck, goose, or fish with scales. If keeping strictly kosher, the meat must be kashered by a kosher butcher. Maybe lamb is more common in Australia. In my experience, a leg of lamb serves about 5 or 6 people.

We don’t follow the same rules as the first Passover.

As an aside, Jesus was not born at Christmas, He was born in the first couple of weeks of Nissan, before Passover. What would be a more appropriate time for the Lamb of God to be born into this world. And whatever time would rooms around Jerusalem be booked beyond capacity?

Jonathan Cahn provides the best analysis of the timing I have ever heard on the subject. It must be readily available online.

 

My wife and I regularly eat lamb chops, so lamb cannot too big for most family Passover celebrations. If there is a single lamb slaughtered it can easily be shared among more than one family. Every seder I have attended has had lamb.

 

Christians are forbidden to partake of Jewish practices