Christianity's Strength and weaknesses

Rev: 31-Jul-09

Test the spirits to see if they be of God. When one closes an eye to contradictions within New Testament scripture, or says "Amen" to that which they have not understood, they are part of the problem and not part of the solution to these problems. The problem is simply that the Holy Spirit is no longer with the church as it was in the beginning of the Christian era. This is primarily due to the church which changed God’s Holy Spirit into the third person of their triune god, thereby eliminating the Heavenly Father’s power in his very person.  The time is running out and the seventh and final day is approaching quickly. Join in the battle under the captain of our salvation, the man Jesus Christ.

Legend: My words are in bold blue, [my entries], Christ' words are in red, Words in black are text lifted from reference material. Caps, boldfaced type and/or underlining are my personal added emphasis. Numbers preceded with the letters "H" or "G" represent the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance reference numbers.

Christianity's strength is imbedded in God’s word. Every word of God contains an invisible force known as the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit is what excites man to do things according to God's will. However, the validity of written words depends on the proper translation/interpretation of those words. If words do not demonstrate by actions their quality, there is a good chance that the truth is not in them. On the other hand, as in the time of Christ, Jesus along with his immediate apostles, and others demonstrated the power in God's words. This difference must lie in the basic understanding of God's words. Therefore, it is imperative that no contradictions exist when trying to determine where truth lies. The ability to point out contradictions in scripture is acquired by those with whom the Spirit of Truth is, and who have chosen to believe in God's words. If a person has chosen to believe and put into practice what Jesus taught, and holds on to the promises and hopes for a better life after this present one, he is a true Christian. The Pope writes: (Ut Unum Sint, Ch1 Para 6, 1995) "How is it possible to remain divided, (Referring to Christian unity), if we have been "buried" through Baptism in the Lord's death, in the very act by which God, through the death of his Son, has broken down the walls of division?" The Pope himself is unaware that true Christians are not and have never been divided. Even if they do not belong to the RCC, if they truly believe in Christ as their Lord and Savior, they are part of the Christian Church that Christ founded. However, most Christians of today do not even understand what the Church that Jesus founded, really is.  Look at what the following references have to offer and then decide if you are part of that Church.

Matthew 16:13-18 ( KJV ) When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?  14And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.  15He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?  16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.  17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.  18And I 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.  [In the first place, as written here, it must be understood that the Jesus, who is asking the question, was the “son of man,” as stated, which means that he was born of man and not simply a person who lived in Heaven before creation. The spirit of the Messiah was with the Father in the beginning, but not the human person of Jesus.  This also means that he was the first “born again” human person that was made both Lord and Christ.  Secondly, the reply that Peter gave was the truth of the matter. He (Jesus), as the “son of man” was “the Christ, the Son of the living God”.  This is that “rock” that Jesus built his church upon.  The “rock” in verse 18 is feminine in gender, "rock/G4073" and I don't think that Peter would qualify in this case.  At the same time, the Church has always been portrayed as a loving mother figure that cares for her children and of whom gives us our new birth].

 

Of course, not many in today’s church will agree with me on this matter as I just stated because of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, in which most members are taught, does not agree with my opinion here.  In this case, they only have to read the second chapter of Acts, while making all efforts at believing what they are reading.  In this reference we find Peter explaining what, and to whom, had just happened.  Now if Peter didn’t understand exactly who Jesus was, then nobody did. 

Part of the problem, as I see it, lies is the way one enters into this Church; which is by Baptism, preceded by repentance. This, by the way, IMHO, happens to be one of the main problems with the Roman Catholic Church. They are said to be baptized but they consciously never really experience true baptism because this sacrament is performed on infants who have no awareness of the happening. This error in Christian initiation results in too many "watered down" Christian.  A true Christian chooses to be Christian because they consciously want to be part of Christianity and eternal life under the Christ of God.

This is mainly achieved by understanding that a holy spirit as the "Son of God" was sent by the Father to redeem mankind, as he, as the Messiah, taught us. This also means that that spirit was perceived and believed on as the Messiah that was to be sent to save the Jews. However, as the Christian church teaches, we know from Scripture  more or less what had happened in the first century of the church.  During the end of the first century, many antichrists already had come into existence.  However, the church is still here and the “Gates of Hell” have not prevailed against it.  However, it must be admitted that the church has forfeited some of the spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit can bring to believers.  Who would deny this in our day and age?   This does not go so far as to state that the Holy Spirit is no longer with the church, but it does indicate that that Holy Spirit has drawn back some of it’s power from the present organizations under the umbrella of Christianity.  This situation is clear in today’s church.  Many leaders pretend to be true believers, but in spite of this they overlook Scripture that is contradictory to today’s teachings.  A true “Truth seeker” can not do this.  Therefore the evidence is quite clear as the divisions in the present church bears witness against itself.

Though a person may have the outward appearance of a Saint or sinner, they can and will be recognized by their deeds, not necessarily their words. This same principal can be extended to the other churches also. If one finds contradiction between the written Word and their actions, this is the proof in the pudding. At this point, we have only to observe these groups to have some idea as to their Christianity. Obviously, we must be very careful not to form opinions too quickly. It is a shame to see the Church seemingly split up as it is today. This is not Christianity. Then what is it? The answer lies in the definition of the Church which is defined as that body of "True Christians" as defined above, who are the so called "building blocks" of the "House" where God The Father lives in the heart of his children.  “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1Cor 6:19-20).

Every word of God is also like a spiritual brick in our own personal spiritual house that we are constructing for the Heavenly Kingdom. The more bricks we have, the stronger the house could become. If for some reason we reject one of God's words, this can equate to maybe a hole in one of the walls of that spiritual house or maybe like a leaky cistern.

At this point, I am convinced that the Church made some very wrong decisions way back in the first few centuries of Christianity that accounts for the present conditions in today's Christian Church.

Before I get started on this topic, I would like to explain two things:

  1. Even if the accepted church preached some false doctrine, and the followers accepted this doctrine, they (the followers) are not guilty of any wrong doing because they acted in good faith. Plus the fact that scripture gives the Leader of the Church the authority to change things.

Mat 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

However, for preaching that which is not true scripture, the Church is held guilty and suffers for these errors. Therefore, if errors are detected, they can be changed by the leaders, to get back on track, so to speak.

  1. Whoever holds to the idea that the bible is letter perfect is simply ignorant of the facts that prove otherwise plus they are a little hardheaded (stiff necked). It would however, be safe to say that the bible is perfect in its design in spite of the obvious errors. If there existed a perfect edition of the Bible, then would understanding and knowledge be contributing factors for salvation whereas scripture tells us that our faith alone through Grace will be our judge. Take note of what happened to the Jews of the OT; they had a nearly perfect copy of their scriptures but they were blinded to the spirituality that is contained in Gods word and their copy didn't do them much good. This is also what happens today when someone is led to believe that they have a perfect copy of scripture. Some have been infected with haughtiness because of their misunderstanding of Gods words. They judge others as if they possessed and used a perfect copy of the bible while assuming that they have perfect understanding of what they have been reading. If they had perfect understanding, why then would they be so severe in their judgment towards others? Believe me, their words betray them; they are cheating themselves of the Spirit.

Mat 15:11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

  

Here then is my humble opinion.

True wisdom comes from God whereas information can come from any source. Being able to discern the difference between the two is a spiritual gift in itself. Those that are spiritually gifted can almost feel the difference between what sounds more correct but even then, they can err from time to time; for our understanding is not yet perfect. Somehow I feel that I must remind you also that we are not all at the same spiritual level. However, to accept these premises, you must understand that the "printed word" and the "spoken word" are not the same. Scripture reads:

2 Cor 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent (by the Spirit)? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

This inspiration seems to be very weak in our day and age and we do not quite live up to this next verse]

Mat 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

This inspiration by the spirit of God through his Christ can also be found in any of the translations of the Bible. The words that one reads from the bible are of less importance than how one react to them. What one does, as a result of hearing the word is how they will be judged in the end. Remember that it is our faith in God that counts; and this comes from hearing God's words that Jesus spoke.

Even though Jesus had explained quite clearly the nature of things, by the time that this was recorded, Jesus had ascended into Heaven and Satan was cast down onto this earth and has been at war with the children ever since. For the true Christian, it should be no surprise that Satan should use all his tricks to destroy Christianity from the very beginning. I'm convinced that the strongest weapon he has, is the very word that our preachers have been preaching. His tactics being, to introduce confusion in our scripture and cause strife from within and from the looks of things, he has done a pretty good job up to now and I'm afraid he's not done yet. Even though Satan has not been able to kill Christianity, it is quite clear to me that he has caused enough division and separation and has succeeded in disarming most of our leaders to the point that the majority of our so-called believers fail the following two tests:

Mark 16:17-18 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

There should therefore be no doubt, in today's day and age, that Satan has succeeded in disarming most Christians to the point that many are no longer soldiers under the captain of our salvation but mere onlookers or even deserters of the battle, casualties of this war. Many Christian leaders of today have been demeaned to the point of becoming mere social directors or conductors of funerals and weddings. I have heard them being called "leaches of society". How low can one get? We are supposed to be the healers of our society, the ones to give relief to the suffering, the teachers and guides to all of our tomorrows under Christ. This war of Satan has been going on seemingly unnoticed by our leaders because of the subtle manner of Satan's ways. The fuel for Satan's weapon is called philosophy and there should be no doubt about it that the imagination of man has led to this following verse taken from the Jerusalem bible [Doubleday 1966].

Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God (The Godhead of the OT), they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Rom 1:22 The more they called themselves philosophers, the more stupid they grew

Rom 1:23 until they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for a worthless imitation, for the image of mortal man (God seen as man and man (Jesus) seen as God), of birds, of quadrupeds and reptiles.

See the document titled “The Christian Church” for a definition of exactly what the “Church” really is.

A study that I did on the so called heretics of the second, third and forth centuries, indicates that even if they did not agree with the "Church" at that time, many were strong Christians, defending their positions as believers, to the point of death. In many cases, the "Church" had them killed. Not a very Christian act! This alone testifies to their "Christianity", and that the Holy Spirit had drawn back to some degree.

The Christian Church of today has become corrupt the world over and evidence for this fact is no secret to those in the know. Where are the "Miracle workers, healers, those who cast out demons, the speakers and interpreters of tongues, etc. What about this: men being married to men in a Christian Church, homosexuality among the Church leaders, Church groups chasing after the dollar, etc. etc. The RC Church as to popularity, according to the census takers, are having to take a back seat to Muslims. It saddens me to think of what the real statistics would report if we counted only those Christians who pray to our Lord regularly. The Muslims who pray to Allah have a duty that requires prayer five times a day. In Italy alone, some census takers report over Fifty million Catholic Christians, because they have nearly all been baptized and registered as Catholic. Believe me, the number of real or true Christians, in Italy, would be staggeringly low. If the rest of the Western countries were as bad in this respect, as it is in Italy, I'm not sure I would want to publish that figure.

Some of the contributing factors that have led to our degradation and confusion are as follows and in this order:

  • The misrepresentation of the words found in the original Hebrew text that define God, god, or gods. His name is also hidden to the NT readers.  These were all caused by the LXX translation and their mishandling of God’s proper name and titles.  The exclusive use of “Theos/G2316/God” for “God” both singular and plural has led to much confusion.
  • The doctrine of "The Holy Trinity".
  • The adoption of "Tradition of the Church leaders influenced by philosophy" being our guide, rather than Scripture.
  • Lack of Faith in Scripture among the Church Leaders.
  • Infant baptism, which leads to no commitment or repentance.
  • Promiscuity of church members.
  • Simply "apathy". This Greek word being mistranslated to read disobedience and/or unbelief. (Rom 11:32)

In summation, God knows the intentions of the heart and each of us will be judged accordingly. It's all up to you. Each individual is the architect of their future abode. Therefore, strive at removing the clear contradictions to the NT that states that Jesus has a God, and that this God, whose name is Yahuah, or something similar, but known by the true believers and followers of Jesus Christ as our Father and our "God".


John 20:17 ( KJV ) 17Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Amen  

 simply "Christian"