When Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him, after Peter answered, Jesus said "Feed My sheep." The church are His sheep, they hear His voice, and follow Him. Jesus is our one and only Shepherd. He appointed pastors (elders- not ministers) over each flock (congregation- Christ has only one church), as overseers (assistants). They are to see to it that the flock is following Christ's doctrine (the New Testament).
But only Christ is the head (Authority) of His body (the church). He never appointed a man to oversee all of His congregations. For "He is the head of the body- the firstborn from the dead (who would never die again) so that in everything He would have the supremacy." He does not share His supremacy with cardinals and popes. There is no ladder of promotion to climb in Christ's genuine church.
Even the elders (pastors) of a local congregation have no authority of their own. They are there to make sure that congregation stays on track obeying Christ. They are not our Shepherd because the doctrine does not come from them- it comes from Christ. Some might say it comes from the apostles then- this is not true either. Christ told them to teach us what He commanded them to. So they wrote it down, and taught us what Christ commanded them to- therefore the doctrine comes from our Shepherd Christ, through the apostles- not from the apostles.
They might have wrote down "If your enemy is hungry feed him." But the order comes from Christ Himself. Therefore the New Testament laws are the doctrine of Christ. When Christ said "Feed My sheep." He didn't mean "Teach them whatever good advice comes into your head." He meant "Teach them My laws." He is our Shepherd. We are His sheep. And we are to be fed His Word- this is the voice we are to follow- not man-made laws/doctrines/practices.
"Some have left the Faith to follow deceiving spirits- whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry, and to abstain from certain foods." Sound familiar? Catholics maybe?
Christ said "They like to wear their tassels long, and to sit in the most important seats at events." Christ commanded "Call no one on earth father- for you have one father and He's in heaven. I was told this is not so because of father Abraham. It is so, but before I tell you how, shame on anyone who tells Christ that what He says is not so!
King David was the father of Christ- but not directly- he was Christ's great, great, great, etc grand-father. In the same way, not everyone who can legitimately say that "Abraham is our father" was born directly from Abraham's' body (which would include Gentiles).
Therefore, to say that Abraham is your father, is the same as to say that all the forefathers are your father- David, Isaac, Jacob, Seth, Adam. But there is only one father all the forefathers can be traced back to. If you look at the geneology of Christ, it says "And Seth the son of Adam, and Adam the son of God."
Therefore, if you were born from Cain, or even Abel, but not of Seth, God is not your father- which means the above forefathers and not your father either. In the New Testament it no longer mattered to be physically from Abraham, because through adoption, "Whosoever will" became legitimate children of Abraham- and therefore legitimate children of God (spiritual).
THEREFORE- (since this is not spiritually speaking), anyone who does not legitimately have Abraham as their father (such as the pope or catholic priests) are not to be called 'father' because God is not their father. For in order to be of the seedline, you have to follow the doctrine of Christ (Who came from Abraham and from God)- and Catholics do not. They have made up their own doctrine- which is constantly changing, even up to the present day.
God has said to some "You are of your father Satan- for Satan has been lying since the beginning." Satan didn't have physical children- therefore this shows that a father is a way, a doctrine, a practice. And no Catholic priest who goes against God by saying such things as "Pray through Mary, don't eat meat the Friday before the earthly Easter, don't marry, etc, will never be called 'father' by me!
For I have one Father Who is in heaven, and I have one Shepherd (Teacher) Who is Christ my Lord.
But only Christ is the head (Authority) of His body (the church). He never appointed a man to oversee all of His congregations. For "He is the head of the body- the firstborn from the dead (who would never die again) so that in everything He would have the supremacy." He does not share His supremacy with cardinals and popes. There is no ladder of promotion to climb in Christ's genuine church.
Even the elders (pastors) of a local congregation have no authority of their own. They are there to make sure that congregation stays on track obeying Christ. They are not our Shepherd because the doctrine does not come from them- it comes from Christ. Some might say it comes from the apostles then- this is not true either. Christ told them to teach us what He commanded them to. So they wrote it down, and taught us what Christ commanded them to- therefore the doctrine comes from our Shepherd Christ, through the apostles- not from the apostles.
They might have wrote down "If your enemy is hungry feed him." But the order comes from Christ Himself. Therefore the New Testament laws are the doctrine of Christ. When Christ said "Feed My sheep." He didn't mean "Teach them whatever good advice comes into your head." He meant "Teach them My laws." He is our Shepherd. We are His sheep. And we are to be fed His Word- this is the voice we are to follow- not man-made laws/doctrines/practices.
"Some have left the Faith to follow deceiving spirits- whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry, and to abstain from certain foods." Sound familiar? Catholics maybe?
Christ said "They like to wear their tassels long, and to sit in the most important seats at events." Christ commanded "Call no one on earth father- for you have one father and He's in heaven. I was told this is not so because of father Abraham. It is so, but before I tell you how, shame on anyone who tells Christ that what He says is not so!
King David was the father of Christ- but not directly- he was Christ's great, great, great, etc grand-father. In the same way, not everyone who can legitimately say that "Abraham is our father" was born directly from Abraham's' body (which would include Gentiles).
Therefore, to say that Abraham is your father, is the same as to say that all the forefathers are your father- David, Isaac, Jacob, Seth, Adam. But there is only one father all the forefathers can be traced back to. If you look at the geneology of Christ, it says "And Seth the son of Adam, and Adam the son of God."
Therefore, if you were born from Cain, or even Abel, but not of Seth, God is not your father- which means the above forefathers and not your father either. In the New Testament it no longer mattered to be physically from Abraham, because through adoption, "Whosoever will" became legitimate children of Abraham- and therefore legitimate children of God (spiritual).
THEREFORE- (since this is not spiritually speaking), anyone who does not legitimately have Abraham as their father (such as the pope or catholic priests) are not to be called 'father' because God is not their father. For in order to be of the seedline, you have to follow the doctrine of Christ (Who came from Abraham and from God)- and Catholics do not. They have made up their own doctrine- which is constantly changing, even up to the present day.
God has said to some "You are of your father Satan- for Satan has been lying since the beginning." Satan didn't have physical children- therefore this shows that a father is a way, a doctrine, a practice. And no Catholic priest who goes against God by saying such things as "Pray through Mary, don't eat meat the Friday before the earthly Easter, don't marry, etc, will never be called 'father' by me!
For I have one Father Who is in heaven, and I have one Shepherd (Teacher) Who is Christ my Lord.