Denominational Arrogance

I wonder what denomination will heaven be?

I also wonder if denominational divergence is not what the book of Jude is talking about when it says to contend strongly for the faith v.3.

Here is the (Amplified) book of Jude in it's entirety you decide!

JUDE 1

¹JUDE, A servant of Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and brother of James, [writes this letter] to those who are called (chosen), dearly loved by God the Father and separated (set apart) and kept for Jesus Christ:

²May mercy, [soul] peace, and love be multiplied to you.

³Beloved, my whole concern was to write to you in regard to our common salvation. [But] I found it necessary and was impelled to write you and urgently appeal to and exhort [you] to contend for the faith which was once for all ^" handed down to the saints [the faith which is that sum of Christian belief which was delivered ^" verbally to the holy people of God].

⁴For certain men have crept in stealthily ^"gaining entrance secretly by a side door. Their doom was predicted long ago, ungodly (impious, profane) persons who pervert the grace (the spiritual blessing and favor) of our God into lawlessness and wantonness and immorality, and disown and deny our sole Master and Lord, Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

⁵Now I want to remind you, though you were fully informed once for all, that though the Lord [at one time] delivered a people out of the land of Egypt, He subsequently destroyed those [of them] who did not believe [who refused to adhere to, trust in, and rely upon Him].

⁶And angels who did not keep (care for, guard, and hold to) their own first place of power but abandoned their proper dwelling place--these He has reserved in custody in eternal chains (bonds) under the thick gloom of utter darkness until the judgment and doom of the great day.

⁷[The wicked are sentenced to suffer] just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the adjacent towns--which likewise gave themselves over to impurity and indulged in unnatural vice and sensual perversity--are laid out [in plain sight] as an exhibit of perpetual punishment [to warn] of everlasting fire.^"

⁸Nevertheless in like manner, these dreamers also corrupt the body, scorn and reject authority and government, and revile and libel and scoff at [heavenly] glories (the glorious ones).

⁹But when [even] the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, judicially argued (disputed) about the body of Moses, he dared not [presume to] bring an abusive condemnation against him, but [simply] said, The Lord rebuke you!^"

¹⁰But these men revile (scoff and sneer at) anything they do not happen to be acquainted with and do not understand; and whatever they do understand physically [that which they know by mere instinct], like irrational beasts--by these they corrupt themselves and are destroyed (perish).

¹¹Woe to them! For they have run riotously in the way of Cain, and have abandoned themselves for the sake of gain [it offers them, following] the error of Balaam, and have perished in rebellion [like that] of Korah!^"

¹²These are hidden reefs (elements of danger) in your love feasts, where they boldly feast sumptuously [carousing together in your midst], without scruples providing for themselves [alone]. They are clouds without water, swept along by the winds; trees, without fruit at the late autumn gathering time--twice (doubly) dead, [lifeless and] plucked up by the roots;

¹³Wild waves of the sea, flinging up the foam of their own shame and disgrace; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of eternal darkness has been reserved forever.

¹⁴It was of these people, moreover, that Enoch in the seventh [generation] from Adam prophesied when he said, Behold, the Lord comes with His myriads of holy ones (ten thousands of His saints)

¹⁵To execute judgment upon all and to convict all the impious (unholy ones) of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed [in such an] ungodly [way], and of all the severe (abusive, jarring) things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.

¹⁶These are inveterate murmurers (grumblers) who complain [of their lot in life], going after their own desires [controlled by their passions]; their talk is boastful and arrogant, [and they claim to] admire men's persons and pay people flattering compliments to gain advantage.

¹⁷But you must remember, beloved, the predictions which were made by the apostles (the special messengers) of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

¹⁸They told you beforehand, In the last days (in the end time) there will be scoffers [who seek to gratify their own unholy desires], following after their own ungodly passions.

¹⁹It is these who are [agitators] setting up distinctions and causing divisions--merely sensual [creatures, carnal, worldly-minded people], devoid of the [Holy] Spirit and destitute of any higher spiritual life.

²⁰But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith ^"make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit;

²¹Guard and keep yourselves in the love of God; expect and patiently wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)--[which will bring you] unto life eternal.

²²And refute [so as to] convict some who dispute with you, and on some have mercy who waver and doubt.

²³[Strive to] save others, snatching [them] out of [the] fire; on others take pity [but] with fear, loathing even the garment spotted by the flesh and polluted by their sensuality.^"

²⁴Now to Him Who is able to keep you without stumbling or slipping or falling, and to present [you] unblemished (blameless and faultless) before the presence of His glory in triumphant joy and exultation [with unspeakable, ecstatic delight]--

²⁵To the one only God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory (splendor), majesty, might and dominion, and power and authority, before all time and now and forever (unto all the ages of eternity). Amen (so be it).

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

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Confronting Ignorance & Sin...

Today I was picking up my kids at daycare and a man I have never seen before is walking in front of me, smoking a cigarette on school property, which is definitely not allowed. So I said "Hey fella you know that smoking on school grounds is not allowed" he said "Don't worry about it, it's OK" I said "No, it's not OK there is a by-law that bans smoking on school grounds, which makes what you are doing against the law" he gets mad and kinda lunges toward me in a menacing way and say's "No, it's OK" So rather than continue to argue with this guy which would have probably ended poorly, I decided to just get the kids and carry on. As we come walking out of the school he lunges from around the corner at us to scare us and then starts apologizing saying "I thought you were my guy's" Then his family comes out just after that and he attempts to scare them as well.

As we get into the car I ask the kids who that family is and they tell me it's some visitors from another daycare that is shutdown during spring break. He got mad when I told him there was a law against smoking on school property his anger was because he couldn't do what he wanted right there at that moment even though he ended up getting away with it anyway. His anger makes me wonder whether he knew what he was doing was wrong but did it anyway.

Remember back in 2 Samuel 12: 1-14 when the Lord sent Nathan to confront King David of his wrong doing. Now rather than just come right out and say you are wrong he tells him a story about two men, one rich and the other poor. And how the rich man took the poor man's pet lamb and fed it to his guest. At this David's anger was roused at the rich man for having done this deplorable deed and he say's "the man who has done this thing must surely die, and he must restore the lamb fourfold" David shows that he understands and knows the law well. Then Nathan say's you are the man and he lists his deeds of coveting, adultery and murder. Then the curse of the sword that will never depart from his house and that the lord will raise up evil against him from his own house and his wives will be given to others and all of Israel will see.

David repents right there on the spot realizing his misplaced anger was toward himself and the Lord allows him to live but with a curse now hanging over his house. Because of David's sin the enemies of the Lord are given great occasion to blaspheme and the child that was born to him through Bathsheba will surely die. How much misery was caused through this act of coveting his neighbors wife that lead to more and more sin until a curse was on him instead of a blessed life. Still the Lord forgave him but punished him rightly.

If we follow our own way we will end up like David forgiven yet cursed the rest of our days, however if we search out the Lord and his ways daily and depend on his guidance when tempted we could truly live blessed lives that glorify God daily.

The moral of the story is that ignorance is no excuse when it comes to the law...

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

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The Sabbath...

You know I always had a problem packing up my little guys and rushing to church every Sunday morning to worship it always felt wrong to me. But I went along with it, until I actually started to use the mind God gave me and the eyes he gave me also, to actually read what the scripture says about the Sabbath day.

Keeping the Sabbath is the 4th Commandment that we find in Exodus 20 starting at verse 8 and ending at verse 11.

EXODUS 20:8-11

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Nowhere in that passage does it say we are to worship on the Sabbath at brick and mortar buildings or anywhere at all for that matter. It says to rest as God did. For six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.

So whether you hold Sunday as the Sabbath or Saturday or any other day if you are going to church which is a labor unto itself, are you really keeping the Sabbath as commanded in the fourth commandment?

Now lets look further at the denominational divergence of the Sabbath. Those that choose Saturday argue that Sunday worshipers have it all wrong they reason that "Sun-day" comes from the pagan worship of the Sun God. The Sunday worshipers argue that Saturday derives from the Latin for "Saturn's day" a pagan day of worship of the planet Saturn. Who's right? Who cares?

If my salvation depended on what day I choose to worship or what denominational mess I belonged to, I would give up on religion completely and go the way of the Flying Spaghetti Monster folks and make it out to be a big joke. Thank goodness it is no joke for in Ephesians we find;

EPHESIANS 2:8-9

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.


By grace we are saved not by denomination thank the Lord almighty that our salvation is not dependent on what church we attend or what denomination we belong to.

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

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So what does Disciple really mean?

When you accept Christ as your Lord and Saviour you have become a disciple of Christ, a Christian if you will. And being a Christian, is to want to become Christ like. So what was Christ like?

Becoming like Jesus Christ is having an intimate knowledge of who He is and that knowledge exists in your bible. In order to understand Christ we need to start with our bibles and learn from the master. Through study, prayer, practice and application of our knowledge of Christ.

But, but, but I need help with this. I assure you that no matter what help you get nobody can read your bible for you, nobody can have the relationship with God for you, nobody can apply what you learn except yourself. Think of it this way we are ultimately only responsible for ourselves. there is no short cut here reading and learning and hanging out with God in prayer is the only way to becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

Imagine if you will if every professing Christian did this, would there still be the denominational mess of 33,000 plus Christian denominations making the way muddier and muddier for those searching for the living God? Perhaps it could be as Paul stated in Ephesians if only;

EPHESIANS 4:14-16

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Each part does it's work and it is all done in Love with Jesus as the head and the rest of us as parts designed for what? Questions are part of the journey of true discipleship and when you have the answers then you can be assured of your task and go at it with a fervor that doesn't exist when one is unsure.

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

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The Fellowship Challenge...Part II

Whats more important, fellowship with man or fellowship with God?

I suppose the answer to this question again lies with where you are, in your search for truth. Is the biblical version of creation true or is the theory of evolution true? This is a debate that spans modern mans existence and is meant to cause confusion, because both take the faith of the person involved to make sense to the point of being believable.

Consider; Ephesians 2:8-9

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.


The creation story in Genesis 1 contributes all life on earth to God and that nothing evolved on it's own. every creature was given the ability to reproduce after it's own kind. Dogs make dogs, cats make cats and man makes man.

Charles Darwin the father of the evolution theory expressed that evolution in relation to the eye was absurd when he said;

To suppose that the eye could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree.



- Charles Darwin


Now back to the question at hand which is more important fellowship with man or fellowship with God?

When we examine the interaction of man with God and each other throughout the bible narratives, we can clearly see a pattern taken place. Adam was in fellowship with God before eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Cain and Abel both attempted fellowship with God by their offerings. And at the end of Genesis 4 it states that men began to call on the name of God.

In chapter 6 of Genesis we see that God is grieved in his heart for the making of man but found favor in one man Noah, to whom God extends His grace, the text says that Noah walked with God.

Then in chapter 12 of Genesis along comes Abram whom God said all families of the earth would be blessed through.

Now lets skip ahead to Jacob chapter 28 of Genesis where God introduces himself to Jacob and promises that his descendants will be as the dust of the earth and that all families of the earth will be blessed through him.

Then there is Joseph chapter 39 of Genesis the text says God was with him and all that he did prospered to the point of notice of those over him.

Further along chapter 3 of Exodus Moses meets Gods spirit in the burning bush and as we read through that story we notice the relationship with God begins timidly to the assurance of Moses to be able to speak his mind to God and even influence God in His decisions.

Then there is Joshua where the promise of the land of Canaan is realized God tells him as I was with Moses so I will be with you.

Now lets fast forward through to the New Testament, not that the rest of the Old Testament Judges or Prophets hold no sway but to show that the beginning of relationship starts with God then extends itself to man.

The promise of Jesus Christ and the the man sent from God to prepare the way John the Baptist as you can plainly see all instances begin first in relation to God then to man.

However the mystery of this all is in the fact that in 1John 4:20 it says;

If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.


Imagine if you will that throughout the history of man if this formula of God first, given to us through the Holy Bible was followed. Would there be 33,000 plus christian denominations vying for the souls of men?

Consider; Ephesians 4:1-6

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.


Next question. Is becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ more important than joining a Christian denomination?

Until then;

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

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The Fellowship Challenge...

In the Beginning...

The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

- GENESIS 2:7-

There are two schools of thought on this matter, the first being biblical, the second worldly. Which is correct depends on who and where you are in your search for truth. Lets say for now that there is no correct answer but that the matter is an individual endeavor solely based on perception and the individuals experiences and formed beliefs alone.

Consider...

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of scripture came about by the prophets own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

-2PETER 1:20-21-

It could be said we are, what we believe to be true...

For instance if you believe that the creation of life as redacted in the Holy Bible is true, would that then make you a Christian?

I think not...

So what would make you a Christian?

• Is it a person that attends church every Sunday or almost every Sunday to make appearance, that he is a good christian and should be considered so by his peers and fellow attendees?

• Is it a person that sacrifices his time to the benefit of others and gives freely to those in need whether it be time, money or simply friendship?

• Or is it a person that follows closely the teachings of Jesus Christ?

If you answered the person that follows closely the teachings of Jesus Christ then congratulations you are a Christian whether you are a member of a church or not.

Quickly what's more important fellowship with man or fellowship with God?

What does the bible say about which one is more important?

I challenge you to take some time and find out by making it a study topic for your next bible study.

What you don't have anyone to study with, I guess you did not do well in school. Please don't try to rationalize this one away, get busy with your bible, the internet, a church library, a pastor, a friend, a mentor or just by yourself and then we'll meet back here and compare our findings.

Until then...

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Try a Bible Quiz and test your knowledge

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Commom Sense...

I got an email yesterday that read;

Obituary
Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Aspirin, sun lotion or a sticky plaster to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar can sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know my Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm a Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Author unknown

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Try a Bible Quiz and test your knowledge

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All posts by M.A.C. © Bruce W. Moar