What would Jesus Do?

[jobitr]

What Would Jesus Do?In order to be ‘in Jesus’, to be ‘in his name’ and to be in the will of the Father, aren't we supposed to 'do what Jesus did'? Well then, can someone please esplain to me something? Jesus and his followers faithfully, in faith, [Gk. Pistis] set apart the seventh-day Sabbath as well as the so-called 'feasts of Israel'. It is well demonstrated in the Scriptures, that even decades after Jesus' death and resurrection, the apostles and the primitive church continued to observe Torah and keep the traditions (for one small example, see 1 Cor 11:1-2). Not only that, but I see nowhere, any credible evidence that before the fourth century, the apostles and the early church taught or believed or knew anything about a divine Jesus or a triune God. Before the Greek philosophers/church fathers had the opportunity to plant their pagan, Platonic 'mystery’ confusion and before Rome had her chance to 'sanitize' the church of any and all 'Jewishness' and Torah observance, the faith delivered to and continued by the believers was purely mono-theistic, Messianic, Torah-observant Judaism. They were doing what Jesus demonstrated and what Paul had told them to do. This was for nearly four hundred years, almost twice the amount of time that the U.S.A. has existed as a nation.Here is my difficulty: if Jesus, the apostles and the early church, whom we are to look to as examples of right living, all kept the Sabbaths, weekly and annual, observed the whole Torah of Moses and worshiped God alone as the singular Omnipotent God and Father of the purely hu-man person Jesus Messiah, who was it, other than the unholy Catholic Church of Rome, who instigated this change away from the set-apart ways confirmed by the Messiah and continued by his followers? Not only that, but wasn't it the unholy Catholic Church of Rome, the Papacy, that was responsible for the deaths (estimates run from 50 to 150 million) of whole communities of innocent people who just wanted to follow the teachings of the one true early church and to obey the Scriptures rather than to obey the teachings of the unholy Catholic Church of Rome? Who is it that is now continuing this work of the unholy Catholic Church of Rome, turning our hearts away from the commands, but her offspring, the so-called Protestant Church.Dear believer and lover of God, please stop following man and his teachings. Instead of looking to a man for the Truth, no matter how well-respected or how well-educated he may be, follow the unadulterated Scriptures and follow the Set-Apart Spirit, not the half-baked theological myths that have been floating around for the last 1600 years. This is how we can know if we truly love God or if we are just paying Him lip service. Take this road and you will experience the trials and the persecution that Jesus warned us about, but be of good cheer, God will be with you. He will be your protection and in the end, He will tell you, ”Well done, good and faithful servant … Enter into the joy of your master.’ Please carefully consider, do we want the praise of men or do we want the acceptance of the Father?

 

[Peacebewithyou]

(jobitr;27229)
Not only that, but I see nowhere, any credible evidence that before the fourth century, the apostles and the early church taught or believed or knew anything about a divine Jesus or a triune God.
Then allow me to open your eyes: From Scripture: In John 8:58, when quizzed about how he has special knowledge of Abraham, Jesus replies, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I Am"—invoking and applying to himself the personal name of God—"I Am" (Ex. 3:14). His audience understood exactly what he was claiming about himself. "So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple" (John 8:59). In John 20:28, Thomas falls at Jesus’ feet, exclaiming, "My Lord and my God!" (Greek: Ho Kurios mou kai ho Theos mou—literally, "The Lord of me and the God of me!") Also significant are passages that apply the title "the First and the Last" to Jesus. This is one of the Old Testament titles of Yahweh: "Thus says Yahweh, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, Yahweh of armies: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides me there is no god’" (Is. 44:6; cf. 41:4, 48:12). This title is directly applied to Jesus three times in the book of Revelation: "When I saw him [Christ], I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the First and the Last’" (Rev. 1:17). "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the First and the Last, who died and came to life’" (Rev. 2:8). "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay every one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the beginning and the end" (Rev. 22:12–13). This last quote is especially significant since it applies to Jesus the parallel title "the Alpha and the Omega," which Revelation earlier applied to the Lord God: "‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" (Rev. 1:8). Early Christians testify to the Divinity of Christ: Ignatius of Antioch"Ignatius, also called Theophorus, to the Church at Ephesus in Asia . . . predestined from eternity for a glory that is lasting and unchanging, united and chosen through true suffering by the will of the Father in Jesus Christ our God" (Letter to the Ephesians 1 [A.D. 110]). "For our God, Jesus Christ, was conceived by Mary in accord with God’s plan: of the seed of David, it is true, but also of the Holy Spirit" (ibid., 18:2). Melito of Sardis"It is no way necessary in dealing with persons of intelligence to adduce the actions of Christ after his baptism as proof that his soul and his body, his human nature, were like ours, real and not phantasmal. The activities of Christ after his baptism, and especially his miracles, gave indication and assurance to the world of the deity hidden in his flesh. Being God and likewise perfect man, he gave positive indications of his two natures: of his deity, by the miracles during the three years following after his baptism, of his humanity, in the thirty years which came before his baptism, during which, by reason of his condition according to the flesh, he concealed the signs of his deity, although he was the true God existing before the ages" (Fragment in Anastasius of Sinai’s The Guide 13 [A.D. 177]). (I especially like that one, how 'bout you?!) Clement of Alexandria"The Word, then, the Christ, is the cause both of our ancient beginning—for he was in God—and of our well-being. And now this same Word has appeared as man. He alone is both God and man, and the source of all our good things" (Exhortation to the Greeks 1:7:1 [A.D. 190]). Cyprian of Carthage"One who denies that Christ is God cannot become his temple [of the Holy Spirit] . . . " (Letters 73:12 [A.D. 253]). I have more. Would you like to see them?

 

[tim_from_pa]

I agree with the sabbath and feast days, but disagree about the mention that Christ was not divine.I'll answer the latter. When Israel wanted a King, God was ticked off because He was supposed to be their King. So, He sends Messiah to be the ultimate King. Would that King be anything less than God? It would not make sense if He was not God, otherwise God would contradict Himself.Now, for the Sabbaths and feast days. Yes, they were ordained by God as shadows of things to come fulfilled in Christ Himself. Much of the so-called Christian holidays today, such as Christmas and Easter, has its roots in paganism, and then Christ's name was stamped to it to Christianize them. Technically, we should not celebrate Christmas, but the autumn feast days as the Trumpets and Tabernacles. Likewise, Easter should really be Passover, and so forth.