Great Churches

[BlessedWheat]

There is much in the world that goes by the name of the house of God. The great historic Churches and denominations all claim that title. We would all agree that the Roman Catholic Church is a false house, based on a wrong principle of authority and built largely of dead bricks and not of living stones. The Protestant Church, in as far as it is evangelical, has more life. In it are many living stones, but they are individual and not united. Liberty of conscience is its speciality. There is much splendid material, but it is not built into a house. But quietly, in many places and largely unseen, God is raising up a vessel which is truly His house. It consists not of single outstanding individuals, whether great in preaching or revival or anything else, but in humble men and women who have been welded into one by the Cross. Shechem must become Bethel. God must deliver us from the whole principle of individualism. He must save us from wanting to be outstanding individual Christians, and somehow make us one in His house. For it is the house of God that is His witness in the earth. Everyone knows how difficult it is for Christians to live together! When by the grace of God it happens, and continues to happen, even hell takes notice. But let us be careful. Is God's house a principle to be followed, or a life to be lived? Is it something to copy, or something to be? It would be easy, having seen the value of life together, to determine at all costs to apply the principles by which it should work. But this would not achieve the result. We must have the life of the Body, the shared life of Christ that comes from Him as Head, before we can abide by its principles. They cannot just be learned.

[christianmomof3]

:amen:

[Daniels]

The Ideal Church.
The ideal church is revealed in the New Testament,like the New Jerusalem has twelve gates to it.

The Christship of Jesus is the Foundation of the Church.

Matt 16:18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

I believe this is the first time Jesus is mentioned the word Church.My Church.

Greek word ------ekklesia(ek-kaly-SEE---uh) the literal meaning is "a called out assembly"


Jesus Christ would be the Builder of this Church,the Head of the Church.
Eph 1;22 And He put all [things] under His feet, and gave Him [to be] head over all [things] to the church,

Col 1; 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Each believer in this church is a "Living stone"

I Peter 1;5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

[Kelly]

I see the OP as just wanting to cause division and say that their church is the right one. I hate it when the non-denom forum just because denom bashing forum.

[BlessedWheat]

All Christians are in the Church. There are not right ones and wrong wrongs, but one Church. I didn't understand this English of yours: "I hate it when the non-denom forum just because denom bashing forum."

[Kelly]

You come in here relatively new and state immediately that the catholic church is a 'false house'. I am not catholic and I differ in views from them but I am sad when this forum becomes a place to disrespect Catholics, etc.

[christianmomof3]

You come in here relatively new and state immediately that the catholic church is a 'false house'. I am not catholic and I differ in views from them but I am sad when this forum becomes a place to disrespect Catholics, etc.
I think that if we thought the RCC religion was true and correct, we would be in it. It is quite different in many ways from other Christian religions and is considered by many Christians to be full of false teachings and wrong in it's claim to be the one and only true church. I do not see the op as bashing or disrespecting Catholics. There are many brothers and sisters in Christ who meet with the RCC. She is pointing out in her post that the RCC religion is not the one and only true church of God as it claims to be. I agree with her and so do many Christians. I still love my Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ, I just do not agree with their religion, nor do I believe that it is what it claims to be.

[BlessedWheat]

The harlot is either too presumptuous or too wicked. Though their conscience is not enlightened by God, the nations of the world cannot tolerate the practices of the Roman Church, such as, that after the bread is blessed by the priest it somehow is transubstantiated into the body of the Lord, that only the priests can read the Bible, that confession must be made to the priests, and that the inquisition and the selling of indulgences flourish. Yet there are many other mean and treacherous acts practiced by her which even the nations cannot stand which causes her to be allowed to be destroyed in the Tribulation. God will allow this. It is an inevitibility so that there is no trace of her in the millennial reign of Christ in Person on earth. On the other hand, because of her good, since in the Roman Church there can yet be found such truths taught as the Trinity, Jesus the Son of God, the Virgin Birth, the belief in the Lord’s death, resurrection and ascension, and so forth, she still belongs to Christ in name, and therefore the nations hate her and do away with her. According to God's divine providence, you can not stop this.