Barrd
His Humble Servant
A very long time ago, Israel decided that they needed some authority over them. They already had God, but they felt that they needed some man to lead them.tom55 said:All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
So Jesus gave ONLY the apostles the authority to "make disciples of all nations", baptismal authority and teaching authority?
Once the apostles died the authority to do these things died with them?
You may believe Jesus abandoned us and the authority he passed down to his apostles ended but Jesus says different. He said he will be with us until the end of the age.
You have made several comments about being baptized. By who's authority were you baptized? Jesus clearly states he passed his baptismal authority onto the apostles. The apostles passed it to someone else and they passed it to someone else and so on and so on until The Barrd was baptized 2000 years later. So the person who baptized you got that authority somehow and from someone? Didn't they?
The problem and the reason why we have thousands of different denominations is because no one wants to accept authority! Jesus passed his authority down to the church and he said the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Scripture says the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth. Now we just have to figure out what church he was talking about.
1Sa 8:4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
1Sa 8:5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
1Sa 8:6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.
1Sa 8:7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
They had rejected God. And there would be a price to pay:
1Sa 8:9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
1Sa 8:10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.
1Sa 8:11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
1Sa 8:12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
1Sa 8:13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
1Sa 8:14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
1Sa 8:15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
1Sa 8:16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
1Sa 8:17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
1Sa 8:18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.
They should have listened to Samuel.
Let's see...they had King Saul...he didn't last very long....and then, of course, there was King David...and then, Solomon the Wise. Solomon, who nearly destroyed Israel over his women.
By the time Solomon had finished, the Kingdom had been torn in two.
They were warned that the Lord would "suddenly appear":
Mal 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
I'm sure you are familiar with that prophecy. And the Lord did, indeed, suddenly come to His temple...
Mal 3:2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap...
They were warned, but they still did not recognize their Messiah. And what's worse, they are still looking for a man to be their Messiah.
Now, you'd think we would learn something from all of this, wouldn't you?
But no....fools that we are, even though we know Who our Messiah is, yet we are still looking for a man to lead us....