Post by Les Brewer on May 6, 2012 15:01:33 GMT
John Wolf
Calvary's Cross Ministries
Preaching Christ Crucified...I Cor.1:18-25
From the Pastor's desk...
Hi to all this beautiful Sunday. I hope all is well with my family and friends.
Jesus Forbids Sectarianism
What is sectarianism? In simple English,it is separating one-self from others,into sects,that do not believe the same way that you do...This is how all the denominations came into existence.Sectarianism is not necessarily a bad thing though,and Luke 9:49-50 will bear this out,which says,
"Now John answered and said 'Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name,and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.' But Jesus said to him,'Do not forbid him,for he who is not against us is on our side.' "
Sometimes it becomes necessary to separate from others when critical issues are at stake in the body of Christ.For example:Should separation be made when the group as a whole can not agree on which color the carpeting should be in the sanctuary?Well,of course not!The answer is obvious,but separations have occurred before over such trivial and mundane decisions as these.Should separation take place if half the group believes the Lord's Supper should be observed every single time they come together as a group?No,not really!The Lord's Supper can be observed so much that at some point in the process,it will become legalism and a person's faith will be shifted from Christ and the Cross to the doing of the Lord's Supper as the object of their faith.Having grown up in the Lutheran church,I have observed this first hand.
Should separation occur if one group says it's not the blood of Jesus that saves,but, the blood and something else (whatever that something else may be) that saves? Yes,absolutely,they should separate immediately.The work of Christ Jesus and his sacrificial death upon the Cross,is all that God the Father has provided for an individual to be saved.
How a person,or what a person believes about who Jesus Christ is and what He did for us when He went to the Cross,is the most critical of all decisions a person can make.There are many today who no longer believe in the sacrificial death,burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ,within the body of Christ.They have fallen away from the true faith.There have always been cults,such as The Watchtower and Bible Tract Society,Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,Seventh Day Adventists,Scientology,Christian Science,Positive Confession,Positive Thinking,The Mind Science cults of which there are many,and the list goes on,who over the years have spewed out their spiritual poison to the masses leading many of God's people astray.Although they have many and varied teachings on how you can be a better person and achieve your best human potential,they all have one common thread that will always mark them as aberrant and heretical in their teachings.It is their view of Jesus Christ and what He did at Calvary that brings the separation from Orthodox Christianity.If a person holds to an aberrant or heretical view of these two points,who Christ is and what He did,you should separate from them immediately.This is not to say that if they are a close friend or family member you should shun them,but you should separate from them in your spiritual beliefs.I have family and friends who do not necessarily hold to the Biblical view of Jesus Christ as the Son of God or His sacrificial death to pay for their sins,but I still love them,and still associate with them.I pray that the Lord will open their eyes to the truth of Christ,and that they will one day be saved.
Anyone,family member or otherwise,who holds to an exalted view of man and a diminished view of Christ,has begun the journey down the road to error and,if not repented of,destruction.We hear a lot these days about faith,even from people who do not believe in the Biblical view of Jesus Christ.Is their faith a legitimate type of faith that God will recognize? My answer will cause much anger to some,but,no.God only recognizes faith in the proper understanding of who Jesus Christ is and what He did for us at the Cross.
A closer reading of the gospel of John chapter 8,will reveal a detailed account of who Jesus is.A person can be very sincere in their beliefs,but the same person can also be very wrong in their beliefs.God will not judge you on your sincerity,He will judge you on how you have received His Son,nothing else.
Man tries so hard to come up with ways to reach God and to try to make Him love them more.This,my friend,is religion.This is the very thing that caused Cain to murder his brother,religion! Cain's sacrifice was rejected by God because it was his (Cain's) way of trying to please God.Abel's was accepted by God because it was His (God's) way of making an atonement for sin.An innocent lamb had to make an atonement for the sins of man.
Sectarianism for trivial,non-essential issues is forbidden in Scripture,separation over essential doctrines that distinguish between truth and aberrant or heretical views is a mandate in Scripture.
In view of the day and times we are living in,where there are many belief systems out there to choose from,I feel it is necessary to bring you a study of the Essentials of the Orthodox Christian Faith compared to the heretical and aberrant views held by those who claim to be Christian,but are wolves in sheep's clothing.It never ceases to amaze me of how little God's people really know about His word and how to distinguish between truth and error.And I'm not trying to be condescending to anyone.This is a bigger problem in our churches today than many leaders are willing to admit.Some of it is caused by the so called leaders of the Church.It is a mandate of Scripture to know what you believe and why you believe it.If you don't know the Scriptures,how will you recognize the error when you are faced with it? Most people can not recognize counterfeit currency when they see it,but a bank teller can recognize almost immediately.How? By familiarizing themselves with the genuine! the same is true with your system of faith,it must be based in fact.......Thank you so much for your time....may God richly bless you....J.W
Calvary's Cross Ministries
Preaching Christ Crucified...I Cor.1:18-25
From the Pastor's desk...
Hi to all this beautiful Sunday. I hope all is well with my family and friends.
Jesus Forbids Sectarianism
What is sectarianism? In simple English,it is separating one-self from others,into sects,that do not believe the same way that you do...This is how all the denominations came into existence.Sectarianism is not necessarily a bad thing though,and Luke 9:49-50 will bear this out,which says,
"Now John answered and said 'Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name,and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.' But Jesus said to him,'Do not forbid him,for he who is not against us is on our side.' "
Sometimes it becomes necessary to separate from others when critical issues are at stake in the body of Christ.For example:Should separation be made when the group as a whole can not agree on which color the carpeting should be in the sanctuary?Well,of course not!The answer is obvious,but separations have occurred before over such trivial and mundane decisions as these.Should separation take place if half the group believes the Lord's Supper should be observed every single time they come together as a group?No,not really!The Lord's Supper can be observed so much that at some point in the process,it will become legalism and a person's faith will be shifted from Christ and the Cross to the doing of the Lord's Supper as the object of their faith.Having grown up in the Lutheran church,I have observed this first hand.
Should separation occur if one group says it's not the blood of Jesus that saves,but, the blood and something else (whatever that something else may be) that saves? Yes,absolutely,they should separate immediately.The work of Christ Jesus and his sacrificial death upon the Cross,is all that God the Father has provided for an individual to be saved.
How a person,or what a person believes about who Jesus Christ is and what He did for us when He went to the Cross,is the most critical of all decisions a person can make.There are many today who no longer believe in the sacrificial death,burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ,within the body of Christ.They have fallen away from the true faith.There have always been cults,such as The Watchtower and Bible Tract Society,Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,Seventh Day Adventists,Scientology,Christian Science,Positive Confession,Positive Thinking,The Mind Science cults of which there are many,and the list goes on,who over the years have spewed out their spiritual poison to the masses leading many of God's people astray.Although they have many and varied teachings on how you can be a better person and achieve your best human potential,they all have one common thread that will always mark them as aberrant and heretical in their teachings.It is their view of Jesus Christ and what He did at Calvary that brings the separation from Orthodox Christianity.If a person holds to an aberrant or heretical view of these two points,who Christ is and what He did,you should separate from them immediately.This is not to say that if they are a close friend or family member you should shun them,but you should separate from them in your spiritual beliefs.I have family and friends who do not necessarily hold to the Biblical view of Jesus Christ as the Son of God or His sacrificial death to pay for their sins,but I still love them,and still associate with them.I pray that the Lord will open their eyes to the truth of Christ,and that they will one day be saved.
Anyone,family member or otherwise,who holds to an exalted view of man and a diminished view of Christ,has begun the journey down the road to error and,if not repented of,destruction.We hear a lot these days about faith,even from people who do not believe in the Biblical view of Jesus Christ.Is their faith a legitimate type of faith that God will recognize? My answer will cause much anger to some,but,no.God only recognizes faith in the proper understanding of who Jesus Christ is and what He did for us at the Cross.
A closer reading of the gospel of John chapter 8,will reveal a detailed account of who Jesus is.A person can be very sincere in their beliefs,but the same person can also be very wrong in their beliefs.God will not judge you on your sincerity,He will judge you on how you have received His Son,nothing else.
Man tries so hard to come up with ways to reach God and to try to make Him love them more.This,my friend,is religion.This is the very thing that caused Cain to murder his brother,religion! Cain's sacrifice was rejected by God because it was his (Cain's) way of trying to please God.Abel's was accepted by God because it was His (God's) way of making an atonement for sin.An innocent lamb had to make an atonement for the sins of man.
Sectarianism for trivial,non-essential issues is forbidden in Scripture,separation over essential doctrines that distinguish between truth and aberrant or heretical views is a mandate in Scripture.
In view of the day and times we are living in,where there are many belief systems out there to choose from,I feel it is necessary to bring you a study of the Essentials of the Orthodox Christian Faith compared to the heretical and aberrant views held by those who claim to be Christian,but are wolves in sheep's clothing.It never ceases to amaze me of how little God's people really know about His word and how to distinguish between truth and error.And I'm not trying to be condescending to anyone.This is a bigger problem in our churches today than many leaders are willing to admit.Some of it is caused by the so called leaders of the Church.It is a mandate of Scripture to know what you believe and why you believe it.If you don't know the Scriptures,how will you recognize the error when you are faced with it? Most people can not recognize counterfeit currency when they see it,but a bank teller can recognize almost immediately.How? By familiarizing themselves with the genuine! the same is true with your system of faith,it must be based in fact.......Thank you so much for your time....may God richly bless you....J.W
