Moving
The
Rock...
"Thou art Peter and upon this
rock I will build My Church." Matt 16:18
"You are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets with
Christ Jesus Himself as the Chief Cornerstone. In Him the whole structure
is fitted together and grows into a temple holy in the Lord." Eph
2:20-21
"And ALL things He made subject under His feet, and Him He gave as
head over ALL the Church, which indeed IS His Body, the completion of Him
who fills all with all. " Eph 1:22-23
See also, Eph 4:11-16.
"But why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord', AND DO
NOT PRACTICE THE THINGS THAT I SAY? Everyone who comes to Me and
hears My words AND ACTS UPON THEM, I will
show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep
AND LAID A FOUNDATION UPON ROCK (Matt 16:18).
And when a flood came, the stream broke against that house AND
COULD NOT SHAKE IT; because it was founded on rock. But he who has
heard My words AND HAS NOT ACTED UPON THEM
is like a MAN WHO BUILT HIS HOUSE UPON THE GROUND
WITHOUT A FOUNDATION; against which the stream broke AND
STRAIGHT AWAY IT FELL IN, AND GREAT WAS THE WRECK OF THAT HOUSE."
Luke 6:46-49
In these few verses, Jesus Christ founded His One, Holy,
Apostolic, and Catholic Church, BUILT ON ROCK,
and He set the system of government under which it would operate. He said
He was the Head and we are the body.
THE HEAD OF THE BODY TELLS THE BODY WHAT TO DO. THE
BODY DOES NOT TELL THE HEAD. So what system of government did Jesus
Christ blueprint for His Church? It is an Hierarchy.
The members of an Hierarchy
are subject to its head. To whom the Church listens to, therefore, comes
from GOD, and not from the people.
What do we call the system of government where the head is subject to the
body, the members, the "will of the people"? It is a government
of the people, by the people and for the people. It is called a Constitutional
Republic. What a republic type of government
listens to, comes from the people, and not from above.
Can an Hierarchy
ever become a Republic? No, not unless there is Anarchy
first which causes a split in the Body of Christ.
Anarchy we have
experienced in the past. It was called the Reformation.
Reformers broke away from the Hierarchy
and the result today is a plentitude of Protestant churches running under
various forms of government, with some being even a "rule by the people"
of sorts. They "bend" to the will of the people, and not to the
will of GOD, as in the Catholic Hierarchy.
Here are a few examples:
1. Prior to 1930, Protestant churches agreed with the Catholic Church that
contraception was intrinsically evil. In 1930 at the Anglican Lambeth Conference,
the members agreed to "bend" to the "will of the people"
and allowed contraception under limited conditions. Soon, one by one, other
Protestant churches followed suit until now most of them whole heartedly
condone contraception. You see, once you open the door to error, you cannot
close it. Error proliferates and is self feeding.
Read about Onan in Holy Scripture and see what GOD did to him for contracepting
in Gen 38:9-10. Read Deut 23:1-2, Matt 21:19, and Rev 9:21. Read this file
on this website for many verses which attest to the very fact that GOD
is Pro-Life, and any human plan to circumvent
His command is a grave sin. The Catholic Hierarchy
holds fast to the will of GOD on this subject of contraception while other
church's hold to the will of the people. Read this very prophetic letter
from Pope Paul VI, written in 1968, regarding The
Evil Consequences of Contraception. Pay particular
attention to paragraph #17 to see what a stunning prophesy of dire consequences
this Pope warned about over 30 years ago, if the evil of contraception
was allowed to continue. His prophecy we are suffering through today.
The Hierarchal
Catholic Church is almost
alone in condemning contraception............................... that is......................................................................................................ALMOST!!!
GOD, Himself, just happens to
be on our side. That fact puts the infinitely heavy, and immovable "ROCK"
on one side of the scale, while a feather, or even less weight is on the
other side.
Would you care to read Luke 6:46-49 again? The "stream breaking against
the houses" in those verses, in one sense, is a prefigurement of the
"will of the people".
2. Abortion, again, ...the "will of the people":
By the republic people's Supreme Court decision, Roe vs Wade in 1973, ushered
in legalized abortion. Since then over 40,000,000 babies in the United
States alone have been murdered in the womb. There are so many Bible verses
against the taking of human life, yet by republic decision, the "will
of the people" has brought us the "culture of death". See
this very Biblical Anti-Abortion
file for a summation of these verses. By
a "will of the people" decision, the will of GOD has been completely
circumvented. For almost 2000 years the Hierarchal
Catholic Church has staunchly opposed this evil brought on by man. Need
I say again that GOD is firmly on the side of the Hierarchal
Catholic Church on the subject of abortion, in addition to contraception?
3. Now, the "will of the people" has demanded from the Hierarchal
Catholic Church that women be admitted to the priesthood. Is there any
Biblical evidence that Jesus Christ or any of the Apostles condoned women
as priests? No, there is not one word of Biblical support for this demand.
However there are some choice verses against it, such as, 1Cor 14:34-35,
and 1Tim 2:11-12. Then there is Judges 17:10 and 18:19 which say, "...be
our father and priest..." Have you noticed that Holy Scripture is
very loudly silent on, "be our mother and priest"?
Bishop Fulton J. Sheen once remarked, "A woman can never become a
priest. The Word of GOD is 'the seed' (Luke 8:11, Matt 13:19-23). It is
the man who gives the seed. The woman receives it."
The Anglican Church started admitting women as priests in the 1990's. The
result was an immediate outflow of some 1200 Anglican priests and bishops
to the Catholic Church. I suspect this migration was not due to sexual
discrimination, but to a recognition that what this Church did was against
the will of GOD. More recently that same Church announced that it will
ordain a female bishop. The Anglican Church, and some of its members, have
been at odds over this decision.
Now as for the "people's will", should the Hierarchal
Catholic Church heed to the demands originating from the body below, or
continue to do what is mandated from the Head above? You tell me the answer?
Does Luke 6:46-49 come to mind?
4. The "will of the people" has demanded from the Hierarchal
Catholic Church that divorce and subsequent remarriage be accepted freely.
Jesus Christ Himself, condemned divorce in Matt 19:3-12, Mark 10:10-12,
and Luke 16:18. Almost all Protestant church's condone divorce and remarriage,
"bending" yet again to the "will of the people". How
can they ignore the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself? Yet they do.
The Hierarchal
Catholic Church stands firm and almost alone, but there again, with the
will of GOD on this issue.
Luke 6:46-49, how prophetic!
5. The "will of the people" of various Protestant churches is
demanding same sex marriages or "holy unions" which are anything
but holy. The Methodist church has already done this in Sacramento and
with the blessings of over 60 ministers. I have read where yet another
mainline Protestant church has decided to follow suit. The door to this
error has now been opened, and I can envision history repeating itself
on this subject, as the Anglican Lambeth Conference did for contraception.
There are so many Bible verses which condemn the homosexual act, such as,
Lev 18:22, Rom 1:18-27, 2Pet 2:4-10, and Jude 7, to name a few.
GOD willed that marriage is between a man and a woman, not between same
sexes. Show me the verses which condone same sex marriages? This is a grave
offense against GOD. The Hierarchal
Catholic Church has responded strongly against this abomination. The Catholic
Church condemns the homosexual act, the sin, but not the person.
How many houses built with no foundations will "fall and become wrecks"
because of this issue?
Certainly, the unbending "house built on rock" will not. Again,
I am reminded of Luke 6:46-49.
"FOR THERE WILL COME A TIME WHEN THEY WILL NOT ENDURE THE SOUND DOCTRINE;
BUT HAVING ITCHING EARS, WILL HEAP UP TO THEMSELVES TEACHERS ACCORDING
TO THEIR OWN LUSTS, AND THEY WILL TURN AWAY THEIR HEARING FROM THE TRUTH
AND TURN ASIDE RATHER TO FABLES."
2Timothy 4:3-4
The Hierarchal
Catholic Church, and especially the Vicar of Christ, the Pope, has come
under much criticism for being "old fashioned", or "medieval"
in its thinking, saying,
"For after all this is the 90's (in the past, 2000's now) and times
have changed. Therefore, the Church has to change and accept the 'will
of the people'."
The Holy Father is criticized from every direction for not changing this
or not changing that.
Can he???
Does he have the power to make these "will of the people" changes?
Who is the only Person who can make changes to the Hierarchal
Catholic Church?
This brings us back to the beginning of this file. Please tell me what
the definition of Hierarchy
is?
In your opinion, can the Church accept the "will of the people"?
Is the Catholic Church to be bound by personal opinions?
I have to ask,
"Does GOD change?" I always thought He was the same yesterday,
today, and forever.
"Does truth ever change?" Truth is one. How can truth ever change?
"Did GOD relent from the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah?" No, not
according to Scripture.
"Were the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah any worse than what I have recounted
above, that the 'will of the people' are trying to force the Church to
do?"
"Which Church does not 'bend' to the 'will of the people'?"
"Which Church is consistent in doing the will of GOD?"
"Which Church is the one built on rock?"
Can the "Rock" be moved
by the will of the people?
Answer please?
Yes?
Then please explain to me how?
No?
Then why do people keep pressing for change?
©
Written by Bob Stanley, February 25, 2000
Updated July 24, 2000
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