There is absolutely no evidence of any Church other than the Catholic Church in the Bible. No, the name "Catholilc" isn't there. But it doesn't have to be. There was no other Church! There was but one Church in the beginning. Mot many. The Orthodox broke off in 1057 A.D. Protestantism began in the late 16th century.
Not so!
THE CHURCH…IS expressly Called BY Jesus …..MY CHURCH.
Matt 16:
[
18] And I
(JESUS) say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build
my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Jesus is THE HEAD, THE WORD, THE BODY of
His Church.
Christ is THE POWER, THE SPIRIT of
His Church.
Tents, Homes, Buildings, Synagogues,were BUILT, STANDING And
SPEAKING and PREACHING the Word of God, WITHIN those structures ( and also A Temple) LONG before ANY building was called a CHURCH.
Wherever The Word of God is being PREACHED, HEARD, RECEIVED…
Jesus’ Church IS IN Service, IN a STRUCTURE, OR NOT.
Jesus Himself, Preached IN Streets, IN Fields, IN Homes, IN Courtyards, IN Synagogues,
BUT NEVER IN A BUILDING CALLED …
A CHURCH!
Jesus Himself Taught His Jewish Disciples to go and Preach IN Synagogues and TO: Israels Jews FIRST, then the other Tribesmen of Israel…and LASTLY the Gentiles.
The WORD of God, ie. JESUS Himself, Taught MEN, WHO BELIEVED Gods Word, TO SPREAD THE WORD OF GOD, Where ever they went, traveled, TO whomever was WILLING TO HEAR the Word of God,
that BY WORD OF MOUTH, the WHOLE WORLD, where ever they were, WOULD HEAR the Word of God.
A GENTILE man, BELIEVING the Word of God, selected the term
CATHOLIC, (meaning universal,) AS an interpretation of Christ Jesus’ MEANING for the WHOLE WORLD to HEAR the Word of God.
Believing men, began purchasing, erecting BUILDINGS, CALLING THEM “A CHURCH”, and ANNOUNCING, anyone WILLING to Hear the Word of God, were welcome to come and Hear.
The EARLY Church “BUILDINGS”, were simply called A CHURCH, identified BY the CITY in which such CHURCH was Located.
In Consideration OF the masses of People…
Being Curious, being interested and BEING ILLITERATE…They BLINDLY TRUSTED that that which they DID HEAR….WAS completely TRUE.
(BLINDLY TRUSTING? Meaning, being ILLITERATE, they had NO WAY to VERIFY IN Scripture, WHAT they were HEARING and being TAUGHT.)
The Tribesmen / Jews had a
long HISTORY of teaching CHILDREN to READ, and LEARN the Word of God.
The Gentiles have a
short HISTORY of teaching CHILDREN to READ, even into modern times, and THESE DAYS.
The Gentiles busied themselves BUILDING “Churches”…identifying the BUILDINGS, by What ever NAME “they” CHOOSE.
And “
IDENTIFYING” their “DOCTRINE” by a DESCRIPTIVE NAME of their CHOOSING. (Which is simply a “DENOMINATIONAL NAME”.) AND members OF THEIR CHURCH, being CALLED, the SAME as the descriptive denomination.
A select group of men CHOSE the TERM “CATHOLIC” as “their” Churches denominational Identity. That ALL about the world, where ever a CHURCH was erected, It WOULD be CALLED…CATHOLIC…the members would be CALLED…CATHOLICS…and the Pastorial Teachers/ Clerics/ Preachers/ would be CALLED:
Priests and Addressed as Father.
FOR CENTURIES, illiterate men FOLLOWED the CATHOLIC Protocol, even unto this day, men illiterate or not.
However SOME MEN, having Learned to READ, having taken advantage of their ability to READ, and READING, VERIFYING, IN SCRIPTURE, a Multitude of things THEY WERE TAUGHT “IN Catholic Churches, BY Catholic clerics”….
AND FOUND BOLD FACE DISCREPANCIES.
And THAT ONE specific example (of Catholic Doctrine TEACHING and DOING) IS: Verified IN Scripture as AGAINST Gods Word…
Matt 23:
[
9] And
call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
* Some men, continued to remain a Catholic Church member.
** Some men, simply left the Catholic Church to seek a Church that which could be VERIFIED with Scripture as True Teaching of the Word of God.
* Some men, Challenged the high Council of the Catholic Church. And IF and WHEN gained an Audience WITH the high Council, were met with DENIAL of any Conflict with Scripture, then booted out of the Catholic Association and their membership revoked.
THAT ^^ SCENARIO Has been REPEATED through-out the History of ManKIND.
Men have Deflected from NUMEROUS “Denominal name identified” Churches, and Started or SOUGHT what they believe IS IN LINE with Scriptural Doctrinal Teaching…
And So WHAT?
Which is more NOBLE? Men continually SEEKING the TRUTH….or Men calling themselves BY the SAME membership NAME, while BLINDLY hearing and following and agreeing and doing…
While Not Verifying according to Gods written Word?
Scripture itself TELLS YOU…
Acts 17:
[
11]
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that
they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Catholics certainly DO spread their Doctrine of their churches across the world.
So do others, by what ever NAME they Call their Church and their Denomination and their’s as well having Doctrines of men.
And so do others, by what ever NAME they Call their church and their Denomination and expressly have the Doctrine of Christ Jesus.
FREEWILL, for each individual to CHOOSE.
Jesus’ CHURCH, IS HIS. His Church Belongs to NO MAN. His Church is NOT a man-made Structure. His Church is WITHIN a man WHO, has become a Member of His Church;
By, through, of HIM, According to HIS WAY.
Glory to God,
Taken