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Jesus did not come to establish a religion. Jesus founded a church comprised of born again believers. It is an organism not an organization. The one true church is in many denominations and many non-denominations. As sand of the sea their number cannot be counted. Jesus adds to His church daily such as should please Him. Jesus is building His church and the gates of hades cannot prevail against it.
For the cause of Christ
Roger
For the cause of Christ
Roger
Here's an example of a story I read about a church group a long time ago. The church was divided as to whether the body and blood of Jesus in communion was symbolic or literal, so much so the church split up into two groups according to what they believed. I say, both groups missed the point of communion.
1Co 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
1Co 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
1Co 1:11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
1Co 1:12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
1Co 1:13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.
There is only one way to interpret the Bible,and one truth,and God wants the saints to work together,to come to the unity of the faith,and truth.
For some will say this,and some will say,no that,and so forth.
Jesus rose,He did not rise.
The millennial reign is over,it is in the future.
All prophesy has been fulfilled,except the resurrection,all prophesy has not been fulfilled.
Baptize,Father,Son,Holy Spirit,baptize in Jesus' name.
Baptism is towards salvation,no it is not.
A refurbished earth,no this earth will pass away,and a new earth.
The saints will be on this earth forever,no they will be in heaven forever.
We are not saved by works,no we are saved by works.
Once saved,always saved,no it is not true.
And there are worse differences than that,which is amazing that they would all come up with these differences,with one book.
People usually go by their denomination,and fight for it,tooth and nail,and when you can show them they are wrong,through scriptures,they still fight for it,tooth and nail,and I wonder what is the explanation.
While there may be different reasons,a lot of people probably do not consider this.
They have a competitive spirit,and they delight in it.
The world has it,that competitive spirit,and I'll use the NBA,for example.
At the start of the season,when it is fresh,the teams love the thought that this is the year they might be able to be champions,and they like that competitive spirit,and delight in they might be able to be number 1,and if they win and are the champion,it pleases them much,and they think that of all the teams that were striving to be champion,we beat them all,we are number 1,and they delight in it.
It could be that some people that claim Christ,have that same attitude,and think,out of all the denominations saying they have the truth,and oh there is many,fighting,and arguing,over truth,and belittling,that we are the ones that have the truth,we are number 1,we are the winning team,and they delight in that.
So people with that attitude will fight tooth,and nail,for their denomination,ignoring everything presented to them,even if it can be proven,because they like that attitude,we are number 1,we are the winning team.
Also possibly another reason why they fight tooth,and nail,for their denomination,is because it's an ego defense,because they can't stand the fact that they might of been stupid enough to believe doctrines that were not true.
I am kind of kidding on that last one,but you never know,and people believe what they want to believe,even people in the truth,but it is a good thing that it happens to be the truth.
1Co 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
1Co 1:11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
1Co 1:12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
1Co 1:13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.
There is only one way to interpret the Bible,and one truth,and God wants the saints to work together,to come to the unity of the faith,and truth.
For some will say this,and some will say,no that,and so forth.
Jesus rose,He did not rise.
The millennial reign is over,it is in the future.
All prophesy has been fulfilled,except the resurrection,all prophesy has not been fulfilled.
Baptize,Father,Son,Holy Spirit,baptize in Jesus' name.
Baptism is towards salvation,no it is not.
A refurbished earth,no this earth will pass away,and a new earth.
The saints will be on this earth forever,no they will be in heaven forever.
We are not saved by works,no we are saved by works.
Once saved,always saved,no it is not true.
And there are worse differences than that,which is amazing that they would all come up with these differences,with one book.
People usually go by their denomination,and fight for it,tooth and nail,and when you can show them they are wrong,through scriptures,they still fight for it,tooth and nail,and I wonder what is the explanation.
While there may be different reasons,a lot of people probably do not consider this.
They have a competitive spirit,and they delight in it.
The world has it,that competitive spirit,and I'll use the NBA,for example.
At the start of the season,when it is fresh,the teams love the thought that this is the year they might be able to be champions,and they like that competitive spirit,and delight in they might be able to be number 1,and if they win and are the champion,it pleases them much,and they think that of all the teams that were striving to be champion,we beat them all,we are number 1,and they delight in it.
It could be that some people that claim Christ,have that same attitude,and think,out of all the denominations saying they have the truth,and oh there is many,fighting,and arguing,over truth,and belittling,that we are the ones that have the truth,we are number 1,we are the winning team,and they delight in that.
So people with that attitude will fight tooth,and nail,for their denomination,ignoring everything presented to them,even if it can be proven,because they like that attitude,we are number 1,we are the winning team.
Also possibly another reason why they fight tooth,and nail,for their denomination,is because it's an ego defense,because they can't stand the fact that they might of been stupid enough to believe doctrines that were not true.
I am kind of kidding on that last one,but you never know,and people believe what they want to believe,even people in the truth,but it is a good thing that it happens to be the truth.
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Yes that's exactly what it means Blessed. Yes to your other question as well, and why all those denoms aren't named is because it's mans thinking and not Gods.. Some will even make their own bibles like mormons and j. Witnesses, or a " scolefield " bible. Narrow is the way, seek and we will find the right way through the Holy Spirit and scripture.
There's one church, its the many membered body of Christ, consisting of all those who follow his life and teachings. Remember in Revelation, Jesus only approved of 2 of the 7 churches.
Church of Ephesus, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love
Church of Pergamos; So hast thou held the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate
Church of Thyatira; I have a few things against thee
Church of Sardis; I have not found thy works perfect before God
Church of Laodicea; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot
Church in Smyrna; I will give thee a crown of life.
Church of Philadelphia; Because thou hast kept the word, I also will keep thee.
Jesus refers to those who follow him as 'his bride', and his church. There's just one.
Church of Ephesus, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love
Church of Pergamos; So hast thou held the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate
Church of Thyatira; I have a few things against thee
Church of Sardis; I have not found thy works perfect before God
Church of Laodicea; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot
Church in Smyrna; I will give thee a crown of life.
Church of Philadelphia; Because thou hast kept the word, I also will keep thee.
Jesus refers to those who follow him as 'his bride', and his church. There's just one.
The closest thing I see to right, are the baptist but even baptist preachers can get it wrong. It's understanding what they are preaching. I started to like the 7th day advent but as I look in to their history and prophecies, I can't agree. I haven't studied each denom, I can see it's just little confusion here and there that causes a split... It makes it confusing for young Christians, so I stick by baptist or few non-denoms , but it's about the message, that is getting twisted and confused on how all this works.
And just to show you where and how it started...
Acts 20:
29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
2 Peter 2
1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
Christian, I believe, came from Christ, and means one who follows his way of life and teachings.
You will not find a particular name, because a name is just that, a name, whhich anybody can take up, just like the name or title Christian. Anybody can take that upon themselves, even if they are not followin Jesus' way or teachings.
So in order to identify the church, you will have to look at who are following Jesus.
Also you can look at what he said his followers would be doing, and how you can identify them.
One identifying mark is given at:
John 13:35
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
It's called " the body of Christ ". We don't know the hearts and intents of men. We don't know where any given individuals that line the pews are. What we do know is there is one God, one Word, One Jesus, & Holy Spirit. You have to find a true church that aligns itself perfectly with Gods Word and teaching. Trust me, if it was that easy to find a true church, I'd send you an invite. I'm still searching for just a good church, doesn't have to be perfect, and it won't be perfect. It does have to align with the Word and not the world though. This is something you and The Holy Spirit have to search out.
Hi Blessed123
Did you get what you were looking for?
If not, I can give you a few scriptures to help.
You can start with Mathew 7:
First and foremost - Pray, and don't stop praying.
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
If you really want to find it, you will. Get down on your knees, and pray like you never prayed before.
Second - Be honest, and look for the narrow gate. Don't be content with worship that allows you to do whatever you want, like drink heavily, gamble, smoke cigars, curse, live immorally, or just take it easy. The gate is narrow and the road cramped. It won't be easy.
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Third - Look for those who do fine Christian deed, those who love their neighbor, rather than be mean and spiteful, or just plain agressive.
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Fourth - this is the last one, but by no means the least. It's short and sweet too.
Find out what God's will is - what he wants.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
If you need a scripture for that. Let me know.
I be offline for a while.
Did you get what you were looking for?
If not, I can give you a few scriptures to help.
You can start with Mathew 7:
First and foremost - Pray, and don't stop praying.
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
If you really want to find it, you will. Get down on your knees, and pray like you never prayed before.
Second - Be honest, and look for the narrow gate. Don't be content with worship that allows you to do whatever you want, like drink heavily, gamble, smoke cigars, curse, live immorally, or just take it easy. The gate is narrow and the road cramped. It won't be easy.
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Third - Look for those who do fine Christian deed, those who love their neighbor, rather than be mean and spiteful, or just plain agressive.
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Fourth - this is the last one, but by no means the least. It's short and sweet too.
Find out what God's will is - what he wants.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
If you need a scripture for that. Let me know.
I be offline for a while.
P
Yes, there is one true church- the church Christ established- of which many religions branched off of by changing doctrine. So what do you do if you're raised in one of these man-made churches and don't know it? You see if their doctrine matches the bible. A man named Michael Shank and his wife did this, they compared religions to see which one matched the bible. He then wrote a book about it called "Muscle and a Shovel" if you're interested in seeing what they found out.
Every one of us has the responsibility to study the scriptures daily and search for the truth. Because when it comes to false religions, God says, "They worship Me IN VAIN, their doctrines are merely human rules. I don't know about you, but I want my hard work and worship to get me to heaven, not just waste my time. My church's doctrine is the bible only, is yours?
Every one of us has the responsibility to study the scriptures daily and search for the truth. Because when it comes to false religions, God says, "They worship Me IN VAIN, their doctrines are merely human rules. I don't know about you, but I want my hard work and worship to get me to heaven, not just waste my time. My church's doctrine is the bible only, is yours?
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Is this another push for home churches? If so...meeh, not buying the koolaid.
If it's a serious question,then the verse is about unity in Christ..why use it to divide people?
God knows His people...they are a part of every denomination out there and recognize His Holy Spirit working in the lives of their brothers and sisters.
If it's a serious question,then the verse is about unity in Christ..why use it to divide people?
God knows His people...they are a part of every denomination out there and recognize His Holy Spirit working in the lives of their brothers and sisters.