Difference between Catholic and Protestant.

[Taken]

What a bleak and hopeless view of the Gospel.
Thank GOD that Jesus gives us more hope than that.

He said that His Church is a VISIBLE entity – “the light of the world” and “a city on a hill that cannot be hidden”(Matt. 5:14). It’s NOT something that we all have to “figure out” on our own because men have failed over the centuries. It's NOT some "secret" club that we have to go searching for. It's been right here for 2000 years.

MEN fail – the Holy Spirit does NOT. Jesus guaranteed that HIS Church would endure and would NOT succumb to darkness (Matt. 16:18).

He DIDN’T promise that there wouldn’t be bad people within that Church along the way.
In fact – He WARNED about that (Matt. 7:15-19).

You can hope all day long, or face the truth.

Luke 12;
[51] Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

 

[farouk]

You can hope all day long, or face the truth.

Luke 12;
[51] Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

It depends a lot on the sort of peace in question.............

There is indeed "Peace, peace, when there is no peace..." (Jeremiah 6.14).

 

[Taken]

It depends a lot on the sort of peace in question.............

There is indeed "Peace, peace, when there is no peace..." (Jeremiah 6.14).

Chaos in the world, inner peace for the Converted.

Division of People, even within their own “groups”... Jews /Gentiles.

John 7:
[43] So there was a division among the people because of him.

Glory to God,
Taken

 

[farouk]

Chaos in the world, inner peace for the Converted.

Division of People, even within their own “groups”... Jews /Gentiles.

John 7:
[43] So there was a division among the people because of him.

Glory to God,
Taken

@Taken Indeed; and we need to keep 'looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith' (Hebrews 12.2).

 

[Taken]

@Taken Indeed; and we need to keep 'looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith' (Hebrews 12.2).

Amen! Gotta run, talk later.

God Bless,
Taken

 

[Illuminator]

Ignatius is insignificant to me and my faith!

Of course you don't. By your own admission, you have little in common with the historic Church of the 1st, 2nd and third centuries. Where is the consistency?

The Pope is not significant to me and my faith in Christ. I came to Christ apart from the Catholic Church.

Good for you! The Church rejoices that you found Jesus, even if it happened outside the walls of a Catholic Church. I can document that with CCC 817-820.

They tried when I was a young boy and nothing stuck. Went to Catechism, was confirmed and received Communion ... and nothing.

Sadly, it happens. Being Catholic by inertia or by ethnicity is not a real Catholic.

Twenty years later, Jesus knocked and I opened the door. So please, don't try to push your "Catholic only" faith to me or anyone. You have a faith and praise God.

I'm glad for you. Were your parents good examples? If not, that's probably the real reason why you left. Kids who must be forced to go the church are being spiritually abused; it's damaging. Parents are the PRIMARY religious educators by their example, schools and catechism classes are SECONDARY educators. No wonder you left.
Catholics don't "push", we have a right to stand our ground when we get shoved, the same right you grant to yourself.

I can quote Pope Francis too! Will he go down in history and be quoted like Ignatius? Pope Francis issued a statement at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences that "Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation," warning against thinking of God's act of creation as "God [being] a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything."

Because he is correct. Magical creationism is for Pharisaical literalists.

He believes in this "theistic evolution", as many Catholics have followed and it is not true. God's act of creation did not involve evolution.

So you are saying God is not capable of using evolution in His Creation?

He made finished humans, finished animals, finished botanicals. They did not evolve. Changes within the species occur but that is just adaptive mechanisms programed into the genetic code. No changes from one kind to another has occurred.
But go ahead and hold onto all these false teachings. Just make sure you have true faith in Jesus and you will be saved! None of the other stuff will save you or forfeit your soul. One can believe in aliens from outer space too, but as long as one's faith is real, they will find out when they get up there that aliens from other planets do not exist!

You are being rigid. Catholics are free to accept your magical creation, or God-guided evolution. We don't accept atheistic evolution, and neither do you.

What is the Catholic position concerning belief or unbelief in evolution? The question may never be finally settled, but there are definite parameters to what is acceptable Catholic belief.

Concerning cosmological evolution, the Church has infallibly defined that the universe was specially created out of nothing. Vatican I solemnly defined that everyone must “confess the world and all things which are contained in it, both spiritual and material, as regards their whole substance, have been produced by God from nothing” (Canons on God the Creator of All Things, canon 5).

Concerning biological evolution, the Church does not have an official position on whether various life forms developed over the course of time. However, it says that, if they did develop, then they did so under the impetus and guidance of God, and their ultimate creation must be ascribed to him.

Concerning human evolution, the Church has a more definite teaching. It allows for the possibility that man’s body developed from previous biological forms, under God’s guidance, but it insists on the special creation of his soul. Pope Pius XII declared that “the teaching authority of the Church does not forbid that, in conformity with the present state of human sciences and sacred theology, research and discussions . . . take place with regard to the doctrine of evolution, in as far as it inquires into the origin of the human body as coming from pre-existent and living matter—[but] the Catholic faith obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God” (Pius XII, Humani Generis 36). So whether the human body was specially created or developed, we are required to hold as a matter of Catholic faith that the human soul is specially created; it did not evolve, and it is not inherited from our parents, as our bodies are.

While the Church permits belief in either special creation or developmental creation on certain questions, it in no circumstances permits belief in atheistic evolution...

...Science and Religion
The Catholic Church has always taught that “no real disagreement can exist between the theologian and the scientist provided each keeps within his own limits. . . . If nevertheless there is a disagreement . . . it should be remembered that the sacred writers, or more truly ‘the Spirit of God who spoke through them, did not wish to teach men such truths (as the inner structure of visible objects) which do not help anyone to salvation’; and that, for this reason, rather than trying to provide a scientific exposition of nature, they sometimes describe and treat these matters either in a somewhat figurative language or as the common manner of speech those times required” (Leo XIII, Providentissimus Deus 18).

As the Catechism puts it, “Methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things the of the faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are” (CCC 159). The Catholic Church has no fear of science or scientific discovery.

read more here

 

[Illuminator]

One thing is clear about the Catholic church: it cannot trace its roots back to Jesus.

Revelation 12:17 KJV says the end times "remnant" church will "keep the commandments of God". Since it is the "remnant" church, it must be identical to the church Jesus in the beginning.

Revelation 12:17 says nothing about a remnant church.

The Catholic church by its own admission professes to keep different commandments that those of Jesus, which they claim authority to establish...therefore, since the Catholic church does not keep the commandments Jesus gave His church, it's cannot be the end time church which can trace its roots to Jesus.

Then you should be able to find, and name, any Sabbatarian in the 2nd century. Cite any Ph.D. early church historian that agrees with your myth making. Early Christians always met on the First day (Sunday) and never kept the sabbath! << not a Catholic site, but that doesn't matter to you, since, according to your prophetess E.G. White, by occult channeling, Protestantism is the daughter of the whore.

 

[Phoneman777]

Do you think protestant churches follow Christ's commandments more accurately?

A bit more accurately, but none do so enough to qualify as a "remnant" church, as defined in Revelation 12:17 KJV.

The church Christ founded in the NT taught all of God's Ten Commandments, intact and unabridged. Just as a "remnant" cloth or carpet will be identical to that which was on the bolt in the beginning, so the "remnant" church will identical to the NT church Christ founded, keeping the same commandments. That's why Catholicism can't trace its roots back to Jesus - it claims to have changed numerous commandments, and recognizes my denomination as "the only consistent Protestant":

"Reason and common sense demand the one of the other of the two alternatives. Either Protestantism and the keeping holy of Saturday, or Catholicity and the keeping holy of Sunday. Compromise is impossible." - The Catholic Mirror, 1893​

 

[Phoneman777]

FALSE.

It is ONLY the Catholic Church that can trace its roots back to Jesus and the apostles. No other Church can make this claim – except for the EOC, which was part of the ONE Catholic Church before the East-West split.

NO OTHER CHURCH has the historical OR doctrinal paper trail that the Catholic Church has.
FIRST century Bishop of Antioch, and lifelong disciple of the apostle John, St. Ignatius gives us a picture of what the first century Church looked like:
Ignatius of Antioch
Follow your bishop, every one of you, as obediently as Jesus Christ followed the Father. Obey your clergy too as you would the apostles; give your deacons the same reverence that you would to a command of God. Make sure that no step affecting the Church is ever taken by anyone without the bishop’s sanction. The sole Eucharist you should consider valid is one that is celebrated by the bishop himself, or by some person authorized by him. Where the bishop is to be seen, there let all his people be; just as, wherever Jesus Christ is present, there is the Catholic Church (Letter to the Smyrneans 8:2 [A.D. 110]).

“Follow your Bishop”
“Obey your Clergy”
The “Eucharist”
“The CATHOLIC Church.”

Gee – WHAT Church does this sound like??
SDA revisionists always crack me up . . .

Sorry, but there's no way Catholicism qualifies as God's "remnant" church, as defined in Revelation 12:17 KJV.

A "remnant" is identical to that which was there in the beginning, such as you would find at a "remnant sale" at a clothing material shop. Your church by its own admission claims to enforce commandments that are contrary to those of Christ:

"Reason and common sense demand the one or the other of the two alternatives. Either Protestantism and the keeping holy of Saturday, or Catholicity and the keeping holy of Sunday. Compromise is impossible." - The Catholic Mirror, 1893​

Their claim to have changed the 4th commandment makes tracing Catholicism back to the church Jesus founded as impossible. The church Christ founded kept the Ten Commandments as written, and was driven from public view by tyrannical papists who serve at the pleasure of the god of this world, only to emerged right on time, according to Biblical eschatology.

 

[Phoneman777]

Revelation 12:17 says nothing about a remnant church.

What Bible are you reading?

"And the dragon (Satan) was wroth with the woman (Christ's church) and went to make war with the remnant of her seed (Christ's end time church) which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ". Revelation 12:17 KJV​

Then you should be able to find, and name, any Sabbatarian in the 2nd century. Cite any Ph.D. early church historian that agrees with your myth making.

I'll do better than that. I can show you from the Bible that the New Testament church was a Sabbath-keeping church.

Even Hebrews 4:9 in Lamsa's Peshitta goes beyond the KJVs mere "rest" and accurately translates "Sabbatismos" as it should be: "It is therefore the duty of the people of God to keep the Sabbath."

Early Christians always met on the First day (Sunday) and never kept the sabbath! << not a Catholic site, but that doesn't matter to you, since, according to your prophetess E.G. White, by occult channeling, Protestantism is the daughter of the whore.

Let's stick to the facts, OK? Christ church kept the Sabbath day, in some cases, all the way into the second millennium. It was only after Constantine's 4th century edict that cowardly men who huddled in fear while the true saints of God were being thrown to wolves and burned at stake rushed forward and hijacked Christianity and drove these same dear saints from public view. They would go on to establish the "papacy" in 538 A.D. and where ever the tentacles of this apostate Whore of Babylon stretched out, Sabbath was done away with and Sunday was set up:

"For although almost all churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries on the Sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition (satanic Sun worship), have ceased to do this." - 5th century church historian Socrates Scholasticus​

 

[dev553344]

Revelation 12:17 says nothing about a remnant church.

Then you should be able to find, and name, any Sabbatarian in the 2nd century. Cite any Ph.D. early church historian that agrees with your myth making. Early Christians always met on the First day (Sunday) and never kept the sabbath! << not a Catholic site, but that doesn't matter to you, since, according to your prophetess E.G. White, by occult channeling, Protestantism is the daughter of the whore.

I like that post on Revelation 00:13-17 regarding heavenly mother, the virgin Mother. I've been persecuted by Satan before in some attacks that were troubling. And it was obvious persecution. It was pleasant that Mary was given two wings of an eagle from God to escape the dragon.

Gives me hope really.

 

[dev553344]

OK I have a question if you are willing for @Illuminator and @BreadOfLife. I'm skimming thru the debate and the backed up claim that authority was given to the original church and that it was the church of the Apostles thru record seems correct. I also see the point of the protestants, that perhaps tradition came into the church as time went on.

So the question that I would like to ask, is when was the rosary established? What year and by who, and what is the backing for that tradition?

 

[dev553344]

And I also have a question for the protestants. And I think it is this. If a church is following the gospel of Christ I think signs and wonders will follow (Hebrews 2). So do the protestants have healing as a norm for the churches there? I know I asked about the gifts of the spirit and perhaps that is a loaded question and one subject to various interpretation. But healing should be able to follow Christ's church I think and that should be easier to discern.

Thanks for any replies.

 

[Phoneman777]

And I also have a question for the protestants. And I think it is this. If a church is following the gospel of Christ I think signs and wonders will follow (Hebrews 2). So do the protestants have healing as a norm for the churches there? I know I asked about the gifts of the spirit and perhaps that is a loaded question and one subject to various interpretation. But healing should be able to follow Christ's church I think and that should be easier to discern.

Thanks for any replies.

The church will continue to manifest all the gifts of the Spirit, which includes healing.

It's scientifically proven that our risk of cancer is directly proportional to free radical consumption. Heating certain oils above 300 degrees for 30 minutes will cause free-radical production to explode...and most fast food restaurants have that oil boiling ALL DAY LONG. Why should God lift a finger to heal a saint from cancer when the average American Christian willfully eats everything that will kill him, instead of the things the Bible says are "good for food"?

A lot of stranded WWII sailors were getting sick eating anything they could grab that swam by, so the Dept. of the Navy commissioned a study to produce a handbook for sailors on what marine life to eat and to avoid. After all that money was spent, the experts came back and said, "Just tell them if it has fins and scales, it's probably safe to eat."

No wonder the unchurched thinks Christians are so stupid. They can't count to 7, they can't follow simple instructions, and they think God is some sort of cosmic ATM from which they can withdraw limitless blessings without making any faith deposits.

 

[Phoneman777]

Of course you don't. By your own admission, you have little in common with the historic Church of the 1st, 2nd and third centuries. Where is the consistency? Good for you! The Church rejoices that you found Jesus, even if it happened outside the walls of a Catholic Church. I can document that with CCC 817-820. Sadly, it happens. Being Catholic by inertia or by ethnicity is not a real Catholic. I'm glad for you. Were your parents good examples? If not, that's probably the real reason why you left. Kids who must be forced to go the church are being spiritually abused; it's damaging. Parents are the PRIMARY religious educators by their example, schools and catechism classes are SECONDARY educators. No wonder you left.
Catholics don't "push", we have a right to stand our ground when we get shoved, the same right you grant to yourself.
Because he is correct. Magical creationism is for Pharisaical literalists. So you are saying God is not capable of using evolution in His Creation?

You are being rigid. Catholics are free to accept your magical creation, or God-guided evolution. We don't accept atheistic evolution, and neither do you.

What is the Catholic position concerning belief or unbelief in evolution? The question may never be finally settled, but there are definite parameters to what is acceptable Catholic belief.

Concerning cosmological evolution, the Church has infallibly defined that the universe was specially created out of nothing. Vatican I solemnly defined that everyone must “confess the world and all things which are contained in it, both spiritual and material, as regards their whole substance, have been produced by God from nothing” (Canons on God the Creator of All Things, canon 5).

Concerning biological evolution, the Church does not have an official position on whether various life forms developed over the course of time. However, it says that, if they did develop, then they did so under the impetus and guidance of God, and their ultimate creation must be ascribed to him.

Concerning human evolution, the Church has a more definite teaching. It allows for the possibility that man’s body developed from previous biological forms, under God’s guidance, but it insists on the special creation of his soul. Pope Pius XII declared that “the teaching authority of the Church does not forbid that, in conformity with the present state of human sciences and sacred theology, research and discussions . . . take place with regard to the doctrine of evolution, in as far as it inquires into the origin of the human body as coming from pre-existent and living matter—[but] the Catholic faith obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God” (Pius XII, Humani Generis 36). So whether the human body was specially created or developed, we are required to hold as a matter of Catholic faith that the human soul is specially created; it did not evolve, and it is not inherited from our parents, as our bodies are.

While the Church permits belief in either special creation or developmental creation on certain questions, it in no circumstances permits belief in atheistic evolution...

...Science and Religion
The Catholic Church has always taught that “no real disagreement can exist between the theologian and the scientist provided each keeps within his own limits. . . . If nevertheless there is a disagreement . . . it should be remembered that the sacred writers, or more truly ‘the Spirit of God who spoke through them, did not wish to teach men such truths (as the inner structure of visible objects) which do not help anyone to salvation’; and that, for this reason, rather than trying to provide a scientific exposition of nature, they sometimes describe and treat these matters either in a somewhat figurative language or as the common manner of speech those times required” (Leo XIII, Providentissimus Deus 18).

As the Catechism puts it, “Methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things the of the faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are” (CCC 159). The Catholic Church has no fear of science or scientific discovery.

read more here

Do you know that there was a pope who was warned at his coronation that the most important thing he could do was keep the Bible from the common people, because not only did it show that many things the Catholic church did was wrong, but that they were doing things in direct opposition to what it teaches?

What more can be said about a church that refuses to allow their members to read the Bible except that it's of their father the devil?

 

[Brakelite]

Jesus entered the local synagogue one day in Nazareth. Each Sabbath the rulers of the synagogue had prepared readings which they would discuss and study. This Sabbath, Jesus was offered the scroll of Isaiah to read the stipulated text. Jesus however had something else in mind. “When He opened the book, He found the place where it was written”…and He quoted what we know today to be …
Isaiah 61:1 ¶ The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD

Now the scroll from which Jesus read was a large scroll. Huge. It would have taken a while for Jesus to find this precise scripture, and you can imagine what was going on the minds of the people as He searched. It was not chapter and verse in number form as the Bible is today. So although Jesus clearly knew the scripture, it still would have taken Him a while to find that text. “What’s He doing”….”what’s He looking for, we told Him what to read?”….”what on earth is He up to now, He was trouble enough when He was young, now He’s older He still thinks He can do what He wants” ‘sigh’…
So Jesus reads the text and gives the scroll back to the minister, and sits down. Those Jews knew what that scripture was all about. It was a Messianic prophecy. It was a very important part of their entire belief system, an integral component of their hopes and aspirations. Have you ever been to a place and known that EVERY single eye in the entire place is focused on you
Luke 4:20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him
And Jesus then said the most astonishing thing He could have. Now remember, this was a Messianic prophecy, so everyone was very very curious as to what Jesus had to say
21 “And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears”
And from there till verse 27 Jesus turns their cosy little world completely on its head. You can read it for yourselves in the gospel of Luke chapter 4, but what He said effectively is this
You believe that because God has raised you for a purpose, that makes you ‘special’, or exclusive. Not so. For I am come to tell you that My Father loves the entire world, that you are not to be exclusive, but inclusive. That you are not Israel, and everyone else non-Israel. That you are not the children of God, and everyone else not children. For I am come to save the whole world, to set at liberty ALL captives to sin, to free all men from the bondage and slavery to sin and addiction. The Messiah is not here today to just make you special, oh no
And friends, this goes for Christians also. I grew up as a Catholic. In those days everyone else was ‘non-Catholic’, thus inferior and in need of what I was. Then I received Jesus into my life, and I became a Pentecostal Protestant, everyone else becoming non-Pentecostal and in need of what I was. Today, I am a Seventh Day Adventist. Let me assure you my Adventist friends out there, that we are not to look upon everyone else as ‘non-Adventists’, and believe that they must become what we are. No, no, no! What everyone needs in this very late day and age, is Jesus! Whether Catholic, Protestant, Seventh Day Adventist, Messianic, Pentecostal, unbeliever, no matter who or what you are, regardless of who others may be, everyone needs Jesus! Jesus is the ONLY Way, Truth, and Life. And He is coming soon not just for Seventh Day Adventists, but for anyone and everyone who has accepted Him and His atoning sacrifice for sin. And they are everywhere. They belong to all manner of denominations, they speak any number of languages, they are many different colors, some are highly educated with letters after their names to prove it, while others like me have only what it takes to put a few words together on paper. But one thing they have in common. A Savior. A Savior they love with all their hearts, minds, and souls. A Savior Who has empowered them by His Spirit and they are living lives that honor Him through the keeping of His commandments and are testifying of His love to a world that is groaning under the collective weight of guilt, fear, stress, and unbelief. A Savior Who is inspiring them to proclaim from the rooftops that there is a God Who loves them, a God Who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin, a God Who longs to have them live with Him forever, free from heartache, free from fear, free from all anguish and pain, and He is coming very soon to take these children home.

To all of you who are unsure about your faith, or maybe know that you are not quite living up to what you ought to be, I am not recommending any church, faith, or denomination, or belief system as an answer to your doubt or questions. What I recommend is a Person. A Person who will accept you whoever, and wherever you are, and regardless of what you have done. This Person isn’t partial, He doesn’t play favorites, He doesn’t require you to have an education, certain looks, or ancestry in order to qualify. This Person will accept you as you are , right now, right where you are , today. He loves you with a passion, and He longs for you to know Him and experience the joy and peace of knowing that you have eternal life, and be free from the power of sin over your life, and become someone like Himself. One who has courage to stand in the midst of potential enemies and not be afraid to speak the truth. To not be afraid to testify that God is LOVE, and that the whole world may know Him and for the first time, have real tangible blessed hope. And this Person’s name in Hebrew is Yeshua…in Greek, Iesous… in English, Jesus… in Maori, Ihu. It doesn’t matter in what language you speak to Him, He will answer. That is a promise.
And there is another promise. Though He accepts you as you are, He will not leave you as you are. You will become a new creature. Born again of the Spirit of the living God, with the power of the universe ready and waiting to give you a life and a character which your Creator can once again say, it is very good.
And nor will He leave you homeless. He will lead you to the right church. But you need to trust Him. And you need to obey Him. When the Spirit directs you in a certain direction, and you have been utterly upfront and honest in your desire to earnestly seek and obey God's will in your life, don't second guess His leading. Don't doubt. Even though you may have questions, those will be answered in good time. What God wants from you is commitment and trust. Your whole relationship with God is to be built on trust. Not trust in your neighbors tea leaf readings, or the corner news agent. You cannot develop a relationship with Jesus through a proxy. Not even through a church. God wants to know you. And He wants you to know Him.
"Let them build me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them". Exodus 25:8. In the OT that sanctuary for Israel comprised a tent, then a temple, but today, that sanctuary is you.
KJV Ephesians 2:19-22
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

KJV Romans 8:9-14
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

 

[Phoneman777]

Christopher Marcellus, to Pope Julius II in 1512:

“Thou art our shepherd, thou art our physician, thou art our governor, thou art our husbandman, thou art finally another God on earth …”

If only "protestants" would pull their heads out of the sand and find out why the God-ordained Protestant Reformation was fought and why it is still so significant to our day in terms of eschatology, instead of falling all over themselves to run back their "ecumenical" mother in Rome.

 

[Phoneman777]

Jesus entered the local synagogue one day in Nazareth. Each Sabbath the rulers of the synagogue had prepared readings which they would discuss and study. This Sabbath, Jesus was offered the scroll of Isaiah to read the stipulated text. Jesus however had something else in mind. “When He opened the book, He found the place where it was written”…and He quoted what we know today to be …
Isaiah 61:1 ¶ The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD

Now the scroll from which Jesus read was a large scroll. Huge. It would have taken a while for Jesus to find this precise scripture, and you can imagine what was going on the minds of the people as He searched. It was not chapter and verse in number form as the Bible is today. So although Jesus clearly knew the scripture, it still would have taken Him a while to find that text. “What’s He doing”….”what’s He looking for, we told Him what to read?”….”what on earth is He up to now, He was trouble enough when He was young, now He’s older He still thinks He can do what He wants” ‘sigh’…
So Jesus reads the text and gives the scroll back to the minister, and sits down. Those Jews knew what that scripture was all about. It was a Messianic prophecy. It was a very important part of their entire belief system, an integral component of their hopes and aspirations. Have you ever been to a place and known that EVERY single eye in the entire place is focused on you
Luke 4:20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him
And Jesus then said the most astonishing thing He could have. Now remember, this was a Messianic prophecy, so everyone was very very curious as to what Jesus had to say
21 “And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears”
And from there till verse 27 Jesus turns their cosy little world completely on its head. You can read it for yourselves in the gospel of Luke chapter 4, but what He said effectively is this
You believe that because God has raised you for a purpose, that makes you ‘special’, or exclusive. Not so. For I am come to tell you that My Father loves the entire world, that you are not to be exclusive, but inclusive. That you are not Israel, and everyone else non-Israel. That you are not the children of God, and everyone else not children. For I am come to save the whole world, to set at liberty ALL captives to sin, to free all men from the bondage and slavery to sin and addiction. The Messiah is not here today to just make you special, oh no
And friends, this goes for Christians also. I grew up as a Catholic. In those days everyone else was ‘non-Catholic’, thus inferior and in need of what I was. Then I received Jesus into my life, and I became a Pentecostal Protestant, everyone else becoming non-Pentecostal and in need of what I was. Today, I am a Seventh Day Adventist. Let me assure you my Adventist friends out there, that we are not to look upon everyone else as ‘non-Adventists’, and believe that they must become what we are. No, no, no! What everyone needs in this very late day and age, is Jesus! Whether Catholic, Protestant, Seventh Day Adventist, Messianic, Pentecostal, unbeliever, no matter who or what you are, regardless of who others may be, everyone needs Jesus! Jesus is the ONLY Way, Truth, and Life. And He is coming soon not just for Seventh Day Adventists, but for anyone and everyone who has accepted Him and His atoning sacrifice for sin. And they are everywhere. They belong to all manner of denominations, they speak any number of languages, they are many different colors, some are highly educated with letters after their names to prove it, while others like me have only what it takes to put a few words together on paper. But one thing they have in common. A Savior. A Savior they love with all their hearts, minds, and souls. A Savior Who has empowered them by His Spirit and they are living lives that honor Him through the keeping of His commandments and are testifying of His love to a world that is groaning under the collective weight of guilt, fear, stress, and unbelief. A Savior Who is inspiring them to proclaim from the rooftops that there is a God Who loves them, a God Who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin, a God Who longs to have them live with Him forever, free from heartache, free from fear, free from all anguish and pain, and He is coming very soon to take these children home

To all of you who are unsure about your faith, or maybe know that you are not quite living up to what you ought to be, I am not recommending any church, faith, or denomination, or belief system as an answer to your doubt or questions. What I recommend is a Person. A Person who will accept you whoever, and wherever you are, and regardless of what you have done. This Person isn’t partial, He doesn’t play favorites, He doesn’t require you to have an education, certain looks, or ancestry in order to qualify. This Person will accept you as you are , right now, right where you are , today. He loves you with a passion, and He longs for you to know Him and experience the joy and peace of knowing that you have eternal life, and be free from the power of sin over your life, and become someone like Himself. One who has courage to stand in the midst of potential enemies and not be afraid to speak the truth. To not be afraid to testify that God is LOVE, and that the whole world may know Him and for the first time, have real tangible blessed hope. And this Person’s name in Hebrew is Yeshua…in Greek, Iesous… in English, Jesus… in Maori, Ihu. It doesn’t matter in what language you speak to Him, He will answer. That is a promise.
And there another promise. Though He accepts you as you are, He will not leave you as you are. You will become a new creature. Born again of the Spirit of the living God, with the power of the universe ready and waiting to give you a life and a character which your Creator can once again say, it is very good.
And nor will He leave you homeless. He will lead you to the right church. But you need to trust Him. And you need to obey Him. When the Spirit directs you in a certain direction, and you have been utterly upfront and honest I'm your desire to earnestly seek and obey God's will in your life, don't second guess His leading. Don't doubt. Even though you may have questions, those will be answered in good time. What God wants from you is commitment and trust. Your whole relationship with God is to be built on trust. Not trust in your neighbors tea leaf readings, or the corner news agent. You cannot develop a relationship with Jesus through a proxy. God wants to know you. And He wants you to know Him.
"Let them build me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them". Exodus 25:8. I'm the OT that sanctuary for Israel comprised a tent, then a temple, but today, that sanctuary is you.
KJV Ephesians 2:19-22
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

KJV Romans 8:9-14
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

AMEN, BROTHER! As a member of a denomination which teaches the majority of God's people are presently NOT Seventh-day Adventists, I too recommend Jesus, that those who embrace Him would "keep the commandments of God" and look for "the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ".

 

[dev553344]

The church will continue to manifest all the gifts of the Spirit, which includes healing.

It's scientifically proven that our risk of cancer is directly proportional to free radical consumption. Heating certain oils above 300 degrees for 30 minutes will cause free-radical production to explode...and most fast food restaurants have that oil boiling ALL DAY LONG. Why should God lift a finger to heal a saint from cancer when the average American Christian willfully eats everything that will kill him, instead of the things the Bible says are "good for food"?

A lot of stranded WWII sailors were getting sick eating anything they could grab that swam by, so the Dept. of the Navy commissioned a study to produce a handbook for sailors on what marine life to eat and to avoid. After all that money was spent, the experts came back and said, "Just tell them if it has fins and scales, it's probably safe to eat."

No wonder the unchurched thinks Christians are so stupid. They can't count to 7, they can't follow simple instructions, and they think God is some sort of cosmic ATM from which they can withdraw limitless blessings without making any faith deposits.

I think sometimes people are just trying to survive in this fast paced world. And I think God knows that. Thanks for the info though. I'll try to avoid some fast food restaurants. But I really don't eat out very often. I'm on a tight budget.

An interesting note is that they found a link between smoke and cancer also. They found that people that ate smoked meats regularly had a much higher risk of stomach cancer. So that's something to eat sparingly.

And the smoke of course was also present as a danger in cigarettes and second had smoke. It also was linked to air pollution. And as soon as they said breathing air could cause cancer I tuned them out and just decided to trust in the Lord.

 

[Behold]

While I think everyone, clergy and laity alike, should be permitted to marry -- and I disagree with Paul's suggestion in 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 that remaining unmarried is "better" --

You missed one.
Paul said that "forbidding to marry", "is a doctrine of DEVILS"

So, welcome to the Catholic Priesthood, according to the Apostle Paul.