St. Cecilia's

Lighthouse Catholic Media

2009-03-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

So...I got an email from Lighthouse Catholic Media about their Lenten Bundle, which is, by the way, still available through April 4th. While the CDs from LCM are not free, they are very reasonable and worth every penny! While I was on their website placing my order, I noticed that they have openings for people to become LCM representatives - in other words, they'd PAY me to brag about their CDs! I thought to myself, "Self, why not turn what you are already doing on a smaller scale, into a real, bona fide paying job?"

I've been praying about doing something a little more permanent than my very part-time, only-when-they-need-me bindery job. I think this might be it. (o:

Learning Things!

2009-03-20T12:13:00.001-07:00

I have been asked to be an affiliate for Learning Things, please help me out by clicking here:

Which Church Father are You?

2008-02-02T14:40:00.000-08:00

You’re Origen!

You do nothing by half-measures. If you’re going to read the Bible, you want to read it in the original languages. If you’re going to teach, you’re going to reach as many souls as possible, through a proliferation of lectures and books. If you’re a guy and you’re going to fight for purity … well, you’d better hide the kitchen shears.

Find out which Church Father you are at The Way of the Fathers!

Twelve Years Ago

2007-11-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

On a Thursday in early November 1995, my 73-year-old Great-Aunt Rose was coming home from a physical where she had been given a clean bill of health. She and Uncle Joe talked on the way home from the doctor's office about how blessed they were to be in such good health at their age. Friday night, she was awakened by chest pain. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital where they performed emergency open-heart surgery. She came out of the surgery just fine, but then on Saturday afternoon her heart stopped and they could not do anything to make it start again.

I should mention that was very pregnant with my second child at the time. Her son asked me to sing her favorite hymn, "How Great Thou Art" for the funeral service. I sang just fine until the last verse:

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, "My God, how great thou art!"

Thinking about Aunt Rose doing that very thing was just too much for my very pregnantly hormonal self and I could not manage to even squeak out the last chorus. Fortunately the organist had some experience playing for funerals and had told me ahead of time that she would keep playing no matter what, so it wasn't a total disaster.

This weekend, on the very anniversary of Aunt Rose's passing, we're singing "How Great Thou Art" at Mass. I believe with my whole heart that Aunt Rose will be there, in that great cloud of witnesses, to hear me sing her favorite hymn and together we will proclaim, "My God, how great thou art!"

Oh, by the way...

2007-10-10T15:15:00.001-07:00

I'm in. On August 12th I became an officially confirmed, communed, sealed with the Holy Spirit Roman Catholic. I should have blogged about this much sooner but even now, after having nearly two months to ponder, I have difficulty finding the words to describe that day, and that moment.

Perhaps I'll have to start with August 11th. That I can talk about with no problems at all! I got to see some of my best friends on the planet! They came by car and plane from all over the US to celebrate my homecoming. We drank wine, talked, laughed, drank more wine, talked, laughed, went to a restaurant and laughed and talked some more (and drank some more, Corona with a lime for me, margaritas for almost everyone else). I know some of them who "knew me when" would never have believed that I had become Catholic unless they were there to see it with their very own eyes!

We met up in a hotel room and I opened gifts. Had I known that gifts were coming I would have said something about them not being necessary at all. The fact that my friends had taken time to venture to the cornfields just to share the day with me was more than enough. I got:

a gorgeous crucifix made of olive wood, that has replaced my "Life of Christ" picture on my bedroom wall.
a crucifix necklace that I wear almost daily that also has a pendant with the Blessed Mother and Child and a round crystal I'm told either represents unity or the eternal nature of God.
The Catholic Prayer book
A Book of Hours by Thomas Merton
The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius
a Willow Tree angel
a journal from my mom (you know, the old-fashioned kind, that you write in with a pen...)
a rosary made from Job's Tears

I have always been terrible about writing Thank You notes, especially when I don't have mailing addresses for some of you, but if you're reading this post, THANK YOU! Thank you for coming to share my joy, thank you for the lovely gifts, and thank you for walking me Home. Each of you were instrumental in making this day come to pass, in some way.

May the Lord Bless you richly.

RCIA Summer Intensive

2007-07-06T08:03:00.000-07:00

I had to really restrain myself from doing the happy dance in Mass a few weeks ago. Father John announced that they would be starting their RCIA Summer Intensive session, designed for baptized believers who just need basic instruction in "Catholic distinctives" before being received into the Church.

I have been somewhat disappointed in the content of the class - the "Intensive" part of the class title, as far as I'm concerned, is a misnomer. Intensive is what I've been doing on my own for the last year or so. This is "overview" and "any questions?" The instructors are a couple of very sweet grandmothers - one of whom just LOVES Oprah Winfrey. Yes, I realize Oprah does a lot of great things for the good of humanity, but I might be more inclined to LOVE her if she didn't seem to be doing it all for the glory of Oprah.

There is only one other person in the class who will be confirmed with me on Aug 12th. There is a third woman who just joined the class, but she's not baptized, in fact, she has never been to church anywhere, so she's just there to get acquainted and will go through the full RCIA program that starts in the fall.

We were talking about the miracles of Jesus and one of the teachers was kind of blending the story of Zacchaeus (you know, the "wee little man") and the woman with the "issue of blood" who touched the hem of Jesus' cloak. So, according to her telling of it, there was a man up in a tree looking for Jesus, and then he climbed down to touch the hem of Jesus' cloak to be healed.
I couldn't help myself - I corrected her. But I wasn't rude about it. Honest.

So I am counting down the days (1 month, 6 days according to my Ticker) until I am confirmed. I hope to have several of my online buddies there for the occasion. I know they'll ALL be there in spirit! I am so much at peace about this. If you'd told me 5 years ago that I'd be looking forward to my Catholic Confirmation I'd have probably fallen over, nearly dead at the thought. Praise be to God for his gentle leading.

Answered Prayers

2007-05-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

I've finally gotten over my shock and am now able to fill you in on what's been going on. Instead of the reaction I feared from dh (WHAT!?!? No way am I going to be Catholic and neither are YOU!) he is actually very open to learning about it. He's reading The Rapture Trap right now, which not only debunks the Rapture theory we held near and dear to our hearts for years, but also has quite a bit of Catholic apologetics on other topics woven into it. He's not typically a reader - a few paragraphs and he's nodding off to sleep - so this is a BIG deal. Also at his bedside he has My Struggle With Faith and The Lamb's Supper. He listened to Scott Hahn's testimony CD and has a great deal of respect for him, so I'm hoping and praying that The Lamb's Supper is his burning bush.

He attended Mass with me a couple of weeks ago and, being his first time in a liturgical church, was more worried about not knowing what to do next. I told him that the only reason the kids and I knew what to do when was because we'd been there for a few weeks and there is a definite learning curve! CS Lewis says something in Letters To Malcolm that really speaks to this:

Every service is a structure of acts through which we receive a sacrament, or repent, or supplicate, or adore. And it enables us to do things best -- if you like it, "works" best -- when, through long familiarity, we don't have to think about it. As long as you notice, and have to count, the steps, you are not yet dancing but only learning to dance. A good shoe is a shoe you don't notice. Good reading becomes possible when you need not think about eyes, or light, or print, or spelling. The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God.

He's at a point now where he doesn't think the Pope is the Anti-christ but is still not entirely convinced that Rome is the only way to go. For me, I cannot in good conscience go to any church with the intention of becoming a member unless it's a Catholic Church. He said, "Well, that narrows down the choices for us, doesn't it?" Yup, sure does, and isn't that much better than trying 100 Protestant churches first and finding one that "fits" us? I sure think so.

Tag!

2007-04-25T07:05:00.000-07:00

Your blog has been tagged. People who get tagged need to write a blog entry of their own 6 weird things as well as stating this rule clearly! Three people need to be tagged and their names listed.

OK I've put this off long enough. This late in the game, I don't know who I'll be tagging back that hasn't already been tagged by someone else, but for now I'll at least share 6 weird things about myself. In no particular order:

1. Whenever I wash dishes by hand, I have to do this after I add the soap to the sink: I turn the bottle upright and before the soap gets settled again, I give it a little squeeze which makes tiny bubbles fly around. Discovered it by accident once and have been doing it ever since.

2. I remember asking my mom one time (before I was old enough to operate the washer and dryer myself) why she returned my folded laundry to me inside-out. She said that that was the way it was put in the laundry basket and if I wanted it right-side-out I should put it in the basket that way. To this day, I try to remember to do that. My family does not. However, when I do get around to folding laundry, 95% of the time everything is returned to its right-side-outedness before I can fold it. My husband has told me that he doesn't care if he has to turn his shirts out right before putting them on, but I still feel a pang of guilt if I fold a shirt inside-out. This is also for practical reasons. We have 4 dozen T-shirts of approximately the same size, with different pictures or words on the front. I have to see what's on the front of the shirt to determine its owner.

3. I dip my grilled cheese sandwiches in ketchup. This is something I didn't realize was weird until I was in 3rd grade, experiencing hot school lunches for the first time (previously I had to pack a lunch in my orange Tupperware lunchbox) and totally grossed out my table-mates. Before that day, I honestly thought everyone did this. I fail to see how it's that different from having ketchup on a cheeseburger, it's just meatless!

4. I am an incurable hair-twirler.

5. I have two piercings in my left ear, and one in my right. I did the third hole myself when I was 14, and never wanted to do the fourth because I knew I wouldn't be able to line it up precisely. A little lopsided (meaning the two holes in one ear and one in the other as they are now) is one thing, but if the fourth hole didn't match the third, well, that would just be annoying.

6. I am not, and likely never will be a registered voter. I have this irrational fear of being called for jury duty. I'd get a murder case for sure and I couldn't handle the disturbing images that a trial like that would involve. I prefer not having nightmares when I can avoid it, I'm not going to do anything to initiate them. (For this same reason I do not watch scary movies.)

There. I did it.

Mom's Weekend!

2007-02-22T12:16:00.000-08:00

I was invited to spend the weekend at a retreat house in Independence, MO with the Sonlight-Catholic Moms. I was originally told that several women had paid deposits and then for whatever reason, were unable to attend, and I would just have to pay the balance and get myself there. I looked at flight information and was trying to figure out where I would get the money to buy a plane ticket, when I learned that someone who lives north of me was looking for someone to ride with and share the driving. She willingly drove several miles out of her way to pick me up, and I willingly took over the driving from there. Then I found out that I would not even have to pay the balance of the cost for the retreat itself! God is so good! I don't know how that worked out, but I am thankful!

Friday we arrived at the retreat house. I (finally!!) got to see several ladies that I've known online for years. It was so nice to finally put faces and voices with the forum posts I've been reading, and I got to meet some new friends, too. :) We spent a long time getting acquainted and now there are women living all over the country who know some dirty little secrets about each other. ;)

We went to evening prayers in the little chapel, and when the time came for the Eucharist I suddenly found myself sobbing. The harder I tried to get it under control the worse it got. I knew it would be hard to be there and not receive, but I did not see the flood coming! I've never had to experience such a longing for the Bread of Life. I purposely had chosen the Lutheran church to attend for my "liturgy fix" because I knew that I could come to their Table. Fortunately, someone better prepared than I had Kleenex.

Back at the retreat house, we prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, singing along with a video. It was so beautiful to hear all of our voices together, praying "For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world." I don't know if you're 'supposed' to do this, but I find myself meditating on the Sorrowful Mysteries - The Agony in the Garden, The Scourging, The Crown of Thorns, Carrying the Cross, and the Crucifixion- as I sing the Chaplet.

Saturday afternoon I was stretched completely out of my comfort zone. I wasn't going to participate at first, because physically I'm in fairly decent shape so I didn't think I should ask for healing, but then I realized that spiritually and maritally things are not healthy, so I was anointed for spiritual and marital healing with precious oil from the relics of St. Walburga. I know other Protestants anoint with oil, but it was never something that the Baptists did, and never to my knowledge did the anointing oil I saw in Protestant churches come from a relic, it came from the Christian book store!

I wish I could say that I got this ethereal feeling or divine vision or something; alas, I did not. I did, however, feel a great deal of peace about where God is leading me and realized without a doubt that I am past the point of no return. I have to be Catholic. I cannot be Protestant anymore, I cannot "attend with the possibility of joining" a Protestant church of any flavor. I want the Truth, the Whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth!

Saturday evening we prayed a Candlelight Rosary. Votive candles were lined up around a table like the Rosary beads, and lit as each prayer was said. My Inner Protestant still struggles mightily with saying ALL those Hail Marys, so it wasn't quite as moving for me as singing the Divine Mercy Chaplet had been. I have prayed a quasi-Anglican form of the Rosary for quite some time now, and instead of the 10 Hail Marys, I would pray: Jesus, Lamb of God; have mercy on us. Jesus, Bearer of our Sins, have mercy on us. Jesus, Redeemer of the World, grant us thy peace. I must say I adjusted rather well and "got over myself."

By the glowing lights of our Candlelight Rosary, we each had to pick a small rock out of a box and place it in a basket. Then the basket was passed around the room and we would take a turn, holding our rock and sharing about a time in our lives when we were in a crisis and how God brought us through it. If I had known I was going to cry that weekend as much as I did, I would have packed my own Kleenex!

Sunday morning Mass. We sang some hymns that I knew! YAY!!! I was reminded that I could go forward for a blessing even though I could not receive the Eucharist. When I was standing before Father with my arms crossed, he looked at me with eyes filled with so much compassion and for the first time ever in my life, a Catholic priest laid his hand on my head and blessed me. I can't even begin to put into words what came over me as I walked back to my seat. I wasn't "slain in the Spirit" or anything like that, just totally overwhelmed and I had this feeling... the grace of God pouring over me like warm rain, the whisper of God in my ear that it might be quite a while before I can physically partake, but He is leading me on this journey and I can do nothing but trust.

If this has been a test
I cannot see the reason
But maybe knowing I don't know
Is part of getting through

I try to do what's best
Find faith has made it easy
To see the best thing I can do
Is put my faith in You, for

You know better than I
You know the way
I've let go the need to know why
I'll take what answers You supply
'Cause You know better than I

John 1:19-51

2007-01-25T08:42:00.000-08:00

Quote:

The testimony of John the Baptist about the Messiah and Jesus' self-revelation to the first disciples. This section constitutes the introduction to the gospel proper and is connected with the prose inserts in the prologue. It develops the major theme of testimony in four scenes: John's negative testimony about himself; his positive testimony about Jesus; the revelation of Jesus to Andrew and Peter; the revelation of Jesus to Philip and Nathanael.

19 And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews* from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites (to him) to ask him, "Who are you?"

Quote:

*Jews: throughout most of the gospel, the "Jews" does not refer to the Jewish people as such but to the hostile authorities, both Pharisees and Sadducees, particularly in Jerusalem, who refuse to believe in Jesus. The usage reflects the atmosphere, at the end of the first century, of polemics between church and synagogue, or possibly it refers to Jews as representative of a hostile world.

20 he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, "I am not the Messiah."*

Quote:

Messiah: the anointed agent of Yahweh, usually considered to be of Davidic descent. See further the note on John 1:41.

21 So they asked him, "What are you then? Are you Elijah*?" 16 And he said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet*?" He answered, "No."

Quote:

Elijah: the Baptist did not claim to be Elijah returned to earth

Quote:

cf: Malachi 3:23 - Lo, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, Before the day of the LORD comes, the great and terrible day,
Matthew 11:14 - And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come.

The Prophet: probably the prophet like Moses

Quote:

Deut 18:15 - A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you from among your own kinsmen; to him you shall listen.

Quote:

cf Acts 3:22 - For Moses said: 'A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you from among your own kinsmen; to him you shall listen in all that he may say to you.

22 So they said to him, "Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?"
23 He said: "I am 'the voice of one crying out in the desert, "Make straight the way of the Lord,"' as Isaiah the prophet said."

Quote:

This is a repunctuation and reinterpretation (as in the synoptic gospels and Septuagint) of the Hebrew text of Isaiah 40:3 which reads, "A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord."

24 Some Pharisees* were also sent.

Quote:

Some Pharisees: other translations, such as "Now they had been sent from the Pharisees," misunderstand the grammatical construction. This is a different group from that in John 1:19; the priests and Levites would have been Sadducees, not Pharisees.

25 They asked him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet?"
26 John answered them, "I baptize with water;* but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
27 the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie."

Quote:

I baptize with water: the synoptics add "but he will baptize you with the holy Spirit" (Mark 1:8) or ". . . holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:16). John's emphasis is on purification and preparation for a better baptism.

28 This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,* where John was baptizing.

Quote:

Bethany across the Jordan: site unknown. Another reading is "Bethabara."

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God,* who takes away the sin of the world.

Quote:

The Lamb of God: the background for this title may be the victorious apocalyptic lamb who would destroy evil in the world

Quote:

Rev 5-7 (several references in those 2 chapters refer to Christ as The Lamb of God, I won't copy it all here; Rev 17:14 - They will fight with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and king of kings, and those with him are called, chosen, and faithful."

the paschal lamb, whose blood saved Israel (Exodus 12 - again, I won't copy the whole chapter); and/or the suffering servant led like a lamb to the slaughter as a sin-offering

Quote:

Isaiah 53:7, 10 - Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; Like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth....(But the LORD was pleased to crush him in infirmity.) If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.

30 He is the one of whom I said, 'A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.'*

Quote:

He existed before me: possibly as Elijah (to come, John 1:27); for the evangelist and his audience, Jesus' preexistence would be implied (see the note on John 1:1).

31 I did not know him,* but the reason why I came baptizing with water** was that he might be made known to Israel."

Quote:

*I did not know him: this gospel shows no knowledge of the tradition (Luke 1) about the kinship of Jesus and John the Baptist. **The reason why I came baptizing with water: in this gospel, John's baptism is not connected with forgiveness of sins; its purpose is revelatory, that Jesus may be made known to Israel.

32 John testified further, saying, "I saw the Spirit come down like a dove* from the sky and remain** upon him.

Quote:

*Like a dove: a symbol of the new creation

Quote:

Genesis 8:8 - Then he (Noah) sent out a dove, to see if the waters had lessened on the earth.

or the community of Israel

Quote:

Hosea 11:11 - Out of Egypt they shall come trembling, like sparrows, from the land of Assyria, like doves; And I will resettle them in their homes, says the LORD.

**Remain: the first use of a favorite verb in John, emphasizing the permanency of the relationship between Father and Son (as here) and between the Son and the Christian. Jesus is the permanent bearer of the Spirit.

33 I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the holy Spirit.'
34 Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God."

Quote:

The Son of God: this reading is supported by good Greek manuscripts, including the Chester Beatty and Bodmer Papyri and the Vatican Codex, but is suspect because it harmonizes this passage with the synoptic version: "This is my beloved Son"

Quote:

Matthew 3:17 - And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."; Mark 1:11 - And a voice came from the heavens, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."; Luke 3:22 - And the holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

The poorly attested alternate reading, "God's chosen One," is probably a reference to the Servant of Yahweh

Quote:

Isaiah 42:1 - Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, Upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations,

The Gospel according to St. John

2007-01-15T10:49:00.000-08:00

I'm heading up a forum study on John's gospel. Someone else suggested it and I, inexplicably, took it upon myself to get it going. It was Jesus' words in that sixth chapter that sent me hurling over the proverbial edge and headlong into the Catholic Church. I still am amazed at the changes God has made in me as His Truth has been revealed. How I could have been so blind for so long, and then to have those blinders thrown off...I was floored. Shocked. Amazed. And grateful that He chose to show little ol' me.

In Matthew Henry's Commentary on John 1, he wrote:

The Divinity of Christ.

The plainest reason why the Son of God is called the Word, seems to be, that as our words explain our minds to others, so was the Son of God sent in order to reveal his Father's mind to the world. What the evangelist says of Christ proves that he is God. He asserts, His existence in the beginning; His coexistence with the Father. The Word was with God. All things were made by him, and not as an instrument. Without him was not any thing made that was made, from the highest angel to the meanest worm. This shows how well qualified he was for the work of our redemption and salvation. The light of reason, as well as the life of sense, is derived from him, and depends upon him. This eternal Word, this true Light shines, but the darkness comprehends it not. Let us pray without ceasing, that our eyes may be opened to behold this Light, that we may walk in it; and thus be made wise unto salvation, by faith in Jesus Christ. (Jn 1:6-14)

Lord, may our eyes be opened to behold the Light and walk in it.

Take up your cross

2007-01-06T14:56:00.000-08:00

I am looking forward to what the new year will bring me and my family. I am praying fervently for my husband to see (and embrace) the Truth I have found in the Catholic church, but I know now that I must become Catholic. I always said that I did not want to move forward without him. I refrained from seeking membership at the Lutheran church because I always said that I would not join without him, and he has yet to step foot into the Lutheran church for a worship service. He says it's fine if that's how I'm fed, (meaning the liturgy) like this has anything to do with ME or what I want. I was perfectly fine worshipping with the Lutherans and blessed their ever loving hearts for allowing me to share Holy Communion with them.

For some reason, I don't have that same hesitation about becoming Catholic. Now that I know that is where my destination is, I'm fired up and ready to get there. I think it has a lot to do with my results-oriented personality. I've never been one to fuss over the details and take any more time than absolutely necessary to do things. To borrow a phrase from Larry the Cable Guy, I prefer to "Git-'er-Done!"

Apparently this character trait is something the Lord is working on in me. I know I can't just walk in and tell the priest that I'm really already Catholic, I have been studying the Catechism, I believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, so can I pretty please just skip all those silly classes? I was looking online for Mass times and sure enough, someone else thinks like me!

Q. Why do I have to go have to go through all of these programs to join the Church? Can’t you make it easier?

A. Is anything worthwhile easy? But seriously…the Church wants you to understand as fully as possible what it is you are joining. In being received in to the Church, you will be asked to state that you believe in all that the Church teaches. It is important that you know what you are agreeing to! Additionally, programs like RCIA are wonderful opportunities to grow deeper in your relationship with Christ as you prepare to enter His church.

This is not going to be easy, quick, or painless. I already feel pangs when I think about attending Mass but not participating in the Eucharist. I pray that with God's grace I will be able to offer up that pain and hunger as my cross to bear as I follow Jesus into His Church.

Baptism, Confession, Communion and the Bible

2006-11-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

Sacrament - a visible sign instituted by Christ, by which grace is conveyed to our souls

Three things are necessary for something to be a sacrament: a visible sign, invisible grace, and instituted by Christ

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
#774 seven sacraments are the signs and instruments through which the Holy Spirit spreads the grace of Jesus Christ, the Head, throughout the Church, His body
#1084 Christ acts through the sacraments to communicate His grace
#1116 actions of the Holy Spirit at work in Christ's body, the Church
#1127 in them, Christ Himself is at work

They are not magic, not items on a checklist which Catholics must do to go to Heaven, they are the means by which Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, communicates His grace which He merited, to the members of His Body, through which we can grow in holiness. It is through the blood in our bodies that the cells receive life and nourishment. It is through the sacraments that we receive grace, the very life of God Himself. If a human body part is cut off from the blood it dies. If we are cut off from the blood of Christ, we die. Sin keeps God's grace from working in our lives. If we remain in a state of sin, eventually we will die.

How are we today "washed in the blood of Christ"? Is Jesus still bleeding? NO! We are washed in the blood of Christ through the holy Spirit! How? Protestants do not have an answer. Catholics know that it's through the sacraments that he washes us in His blood and He gives us His grace. It is the same concept. There are non-Catholics who believe in the sacraments. Orthodox, Lutheran, Episcopalian, some Methodist and Presbyterian all have some understanding of the sacraments, but not always in the same way as Catholics. Fundamentalists, evangelicals, and non-denoms generally will have NOTHING to do with the concept of sacrament.

Baptism:
Most non-sacramental protestants believe baptism is symbolic, a gesture that a saved person makes to the community to show his.her commitment to Christ. That it is symbolic only. No washing away of sin, no infusion of grace, nothing at all supernatural. Sacramentalists believe through baptism our sins are washed away, Jesus Christ communicates grace, we are spiritually reborn and made members of the body of Christ; and we are saved. Who is right? Is baptism symbolic? Or does it communicate grace, etc...?

What does the Bible say? You can look and look and you won't find a single verse that says baptism in symbolic, or is to be done as a symbolic act to show one's commitment to Christ. If baptism IS symbolic, the Bible should say that! So...does Baptism wash away sin? Through Baptism do we receive the Holy Spirit?

Ezekiel 36:25-27 And I will put clean water on you so that you may be clean: from all your unclean ways and from all your images I will make you clean. 26 And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you: I will take away the heart of stone from your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit in you, causing you to be guided by my rules, and you will keep my orders and do them.

Does the OT still apply? Is is a foreshadowing of the NT, not completely divorced from it. (OT is the NT concealed, NT is the OT revealed)

2 Tim 3:16 Every Scripture which comes from God is of profit for teaching, for training, for guiding, for education in righteousness:

The passage in Ezekiel says that this is an outward sign to bring about an inward change. This is a foreshadowing of NT baptism.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. .
There is no symbolic language here, this is real! God was preparing us in the OT for what He would do in the NT.
Acts 22:16 And now, why are you waiting? get up, and be baptized for the washing away of your sins, giving worship to his name.

Is it through baptism that we become members of the body of Christ? Or do we become Christians by accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour? There is not a single passage in the Bible that says we become Christians by "accepting Jesus into our hearts as our personal Lord and Saviour"! That passage does not exist.

It IS important to have a relationship with Christ; however, it is possible to have a relationship with Jesus and still end up rejecting/betraying Him - look at what happened to Judas. It is not a personal relationship alone that makes us Christians.

1 Corinthians 12:13 For through the baptism of the one Spirit we were all formed into one body, Jews or Greeks, servants or free men, and were all made full of the same Spirit.
Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ.

Baptism makes us members of the Body of Christ. Baptism is the new entrance into the covenant with God, just as circumcision was under the old covenant.

Colossians 2:11-12 in Him ye were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

Does baptism save us?
I Peter 3:20-21 Who, in the days of Noah, went against God's orders; but God in his mercy kept back the punishment, while Noah got ready the ark, in which a small number, that is to say eight persons, got salvation through water: 21 And baptism, of which this is an image, now gives you salvation, not by washing clean the flesh, but by making you free from the sense of sin before God, through the coming again of Jesus Christ from the dead;
John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God!

Jesus was not talking about natural birth when He said, "born of water." Where does Scripture say that water means amniotic fluid? Nowhere! That is not reading the passage in context. That is an interpretation which is not supported by the whole of Scripture. Right after the conversation with Nicodemus:

John 3:22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

Baptism is the context in which Jesus says "born of water and the Spirit." If you read any account of Jesus' baptism, it is in water, and what happens when Jesus comes up out of the water? The Spirit descends upon Him. Water + the Spirit = Baptism.

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit:

It does NOT say "make disciples, by getting them to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour." Why is baptism given such paramount importance in Jesus' final instructions to the apostles if it is only symbolic? That makes no sense whatsoever. Scripture does, however, clearly and directly support the teaching that baptism saves us, makes us members of the Body of Christ, washes away our sin, and gives us the Holy Spirit.

Confession:
Most protestants, if not all, believe you should confess your sins straight to God. Forget all this nonsense about going through a priest. BUT what does the Bible say?

Leviticus 5:5-6 And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these [things], that he shall confess that wherein he hath sinned: 6 and he shall bring his trespass-offering to the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin.

To be forgiven we must confess, and there is penance to be performed after our sins are confessed (a guilt offering), and a person could not go straight to God to have his sins forgiven. They had to go to a priest. (Remember 2 Timothy 3:16?)

Hebrews 10:1 For the law having a shadow of the good [things] to come, not the very image (true form) of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect them that draw nigh.

The OT practices should give us a clue as to the NT practices. The are a shadow of the things to come. In the Old covenant, God was training His people, giving them clues of the things to come. In the OT we had confession of sin, penance, and the involvement of a priest in the OT.

I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Does it say we are to confess our sins to God alone and not to man? No!

James 5:16 Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working.

It says confess our sins to one another, not JUST to God. BUT do we go around confessing to just anyone? Doesn't it make sense for us to forgive our sins to those who have the power to forgive our sins? Whoa! Men can forgive sins? This is a major stumbling block for non-Catholics. They will say (and they're correct) that only God can forgive sins. Catholics also believe this. They also believe that God can and does exercise this power, but he does it through men. It is God's power, but He exercises it through men.

Mark 2:7 Why does this man thus speak? he blasphemes: who can forgive sins but one, [even] God?

Yes, God alone can forgive sins. But this statement was spoken by the scribes, who had a limited understanding of God's power. Jesus goes on to point this out. To say that ONLY God can forgive sins puts you on the same side with the scribes. Generally speaking, this is not a good thing.

Matthew 9:3-6, 8 And behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemes. 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven; or to say, Arise, and walk? 6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins (then saith he to the sick of the palsy), Arise, and take up thy bed, and go up unto thy house. ...8 But when the multitudes saw it, they were afraid, and glorified God, who had given such authority unto men. (Note that it is men, plural.)

God gave this authority to MEN, not just to a MAN. What authority did God give them? The authority on earth to forgive sins.

John 20:21-23 Jesus therefore said to them again, Peace [be] unto you: as the Father has sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit: 23 whose soever sins you forgive, they are forgiven unto them; whose soever [sins] you retain, they are retained.

The apostles were given the authority to forgive sins! Why give them that authority if people will not be confessing sins to them? How can you forgive/retain someone's sins unless they are confessing their sins to you? The priest is an integral part of how God set up the system for receiving the forgiveness of sin. The sacraments are ALL instituted by Christ Himself.

Holy Communion/Lord's Supper/Eucharist:
The majority of people believe the Eucharist/Lord's Supper is merely a symbolic act in which we remember what Jesus did for us. The sacramentalist will say that it is MUCH MUCH more! It IS the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ. Is it a symbol or is it Christ?

Malachi 1:11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name [shall be] great among the (Gentile) nations; and in every place incense [shall be] offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name [shall be] great among the nations, saith the LORD of hosts.

This is a prophecy. At the time of Malachi, a pure offering was NOT made to the LORD among the Gentile nations. It was only after Christ that God's name was made great among the Gentiles and among all the nations.

Incense is to be a part of worship. It also says a pure offering will be made - Jesus is the ONLY pure offering. We "offer" or re-present (not re-enact or re-crucify) the offering that Jesus made on the cross to the Father in Heaven. In the world-wide Church, this offering is made perpetually in all nations at all times.

John 6:53-55 Jesus therefore said unto them, Most assuredly, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves. 54 He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

Sacramentalists believe Jesus is speaking literally. Non-sacramentalists do not.

Matthew 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it; and he gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins.
Mark 14:22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and when he had blessed, he brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take ye: this is my body. 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave to them: and they all drank of it. 24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.
Luke 22:19-20 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave to them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 And the cup in like manner after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, [even] that which is poured out for you.

In all of these accounts, Jesus uses the word "is," not "is similar to" or "is symbolic of" or "represents."

1 Corinthians 11:23-29 For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread; 24 and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body, which is for you: this do in remembrance of me, 25 In like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as ye drink [it], in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord`s death till he come. 27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh in an unowrthy manner, eateth and drinketh judgment unto himself, if he discern not the body.

We can see in all of these passages that Jesus was speaking literally, not symbolically. How can you be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord if it's only a symbol of the body and blood of the Lord? How can you discern the Lord's body if it's not really there, but only symbolic?

John 6:63 It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and they are life.

This is often the proof-text that Jesus was speaking symbolically. The words "spirit" and "symbolic" are NOT interchangeable. It's not the 'Father, Son and Holy Symbolic.' Nowhere in Scripture does the word spirit ever mean symbolic. The spirit is as real as it gets. If John 6:63 is taken symbolically, why did many disciples leave Him over it, in v66? (Upon this many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.) They understood him literally, as did the Jews in v52 (The Jews therefore strove one with another, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?)

John 6:67 Jesus said therefore unto the twelve, Would ye also go away? 68 Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69 And we have believed and know that thou art the Holy One of God.

Peter did not reply, "Oh, no Lord! We know you're only speaking symbolically!" If Jesus was not speaking literally, why did he let so many disciples walk away?

Matthew 13:10-11, 18; Matthew 13:24-33, 36; Matthew 15:15, and Matthew 17:10, 19 are some of the parable passages. Whenever the disciples did not understand something, they either asked for an explanation or Jesus volunteered the explanation. We do not see that happening in John 6. Jesus was speaking literally and they knew it!

If we give John 6 a symbolic meaning:
John 6:53-55 Jesus therefore said unto them, Most assuredly, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves. 54 He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

Problem #1 - How do we symbolically eat his flesh and drink his blood? If we symbolically eat his body and drink his blood by eating bread and grape juice will we have eternal life? Are we guaranteed heaven by eating bread and drinking grape juice?

Problem #2 - In v 60, why is this a hard saying if it is symbolic? If Jesus was explaining in v63 that his words were symbolic, why did they leave him in v66? Why would they consider it such a hard saying that they walked away from Jesus over it if it is symbolic? How many people today leave a church over the idea of having to eat a small piece of bread and drink some grape juice?? It is not a "hard saying" to assent to symbolism. These disciples who walked away in v66 SAW the feeding of the multitudes just the day before Jesus said this! They also had just seen Him walk on the water! Do you think after they had seen these miracles that they would walk away over having to symbolically eat His Body and Blood? They had also seen Jesus turn water to wine, heal the sick, cast out demons - they had even healed the sick and cast out demons themselves - and they walked away from Jesus because they had to symbolically eat His flesh and drink His blood????

Why didn't Jesus clear up the misunderstanding if he was speaking symbolically like he had at other times? If all the people who heard Jesus speak these words took Him literally, why don't people today, 2000 years later, believe that His words were symbolic? Because it IS a hard teaching! They reject the real meaning of Jesus' words just like the Jews and many disciples rejected the real meaning of His words 2000 years ago - because is IS a hard teaching.

John 6:30-35 They said therefore unto him, What then doest thou for a sign, that we may see, and believe thee? what workest thou? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat. 32 Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, It was not Moses that gave you the bread out of heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread out of heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 They said therefore unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 Jesus said unto them. I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

John 6:61-62 But Jesus knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at this, said unto them, Doth this cause you to stumble? 62 [What] then if ye should behold the Son of man ascending where he was before?

Here Jesus tells us that the miracle of whatever he means by eating his flesh and drinking his blood is something GREATER than the manna from Heaven and more miraculous than His ascension into Heaven! Is eating a piece of bread and drinking some grape juice more miraculous than Jesus ascending into Heaven on a cloud? Is the bread and wine of the Eucharist actually being changed into the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ a greater miracle than the manna in the desert, or His ascension? Yes! An interpretation which renders Jesus' words symbolic just doesn't make any sense. Everyone took Jesus literally because He was speaking literally.

John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.
John 6:58b he that eateth this bread shall live for ever.

Was the flesh that Jesus gave for the world real or symbolic?
Was Jesus' death on the cross real or symbolic?
Was the flesh on the cross real or symbolic?
Was the blood He poured out for us on the cross real or symbolic?

If you believe Jesus is speaking symbolically in John 6 or at the Last Supper, then the conclusion you MUST come to is that Jesus did not REALLY die on the cross, but it was a symbolic representation of it. You cannot have it both ways. This IS my body. This IS my blood. Amen.

Whew!!!

2006-10-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

Emphatically, NO, God will NOT plant me at The Bridge. I had opened myself up to the possibility that The Bridge was where God wanted me for a time and had determined that I would go in and worship God, because I feel that I *should* be able to worship anywhere that God is being worshipped 'in spirit and in truth.'

I should preface this with the facts: it is "that time of the month" so my nerves were on edge anyway, AND I was tired. But still hoping to hear from the Lord concerning The Bridge and whether that was where I/we oughtta be. If that was where He wanted to plant me, I was ready to deal with it.

SO, we're ushered into 'worship' yesterday with a Dave Matthews Band video. Hmmm, last I checked, Dave Matthews didn't get much airtime on my Christian radio station. Come to think of it, I'd never HEARD a whole Dave Matthews song until they played this video yesterday. "Worship" music was more of the same stuff, one good song, "Forever," then songs like "Made to Worship" which I wouldn't mind hearing on the radio but they're not really singable AS worship songs. There's a real 'anti-anything that looks or feels like traditional church' attitude there that was spelled out clearly in the message. I fought back tears for most of the service but eventually lost the fight.

EVEN DH SAID LATER IT WAS NOT CHURCH AND HE WAS NOT GOING TO CALL IT CHURCH ANYMORE.

When we got home I told dh I was going to lie down for a bit, while trying to fight the tears that were once again forming without my consent. He said (Lord, Bless him!) I didn't have to ever go back there again. He followed me to the bedroom and said,

"Get some rest now. We'll talk later about whatever it is that is making you feel like this, because I want to fix it. I'm open to whatever. I love you."

Oh Lord, HELP. Give me the words to say. Give him a heart that is indeed open to what I have to say. Give us UNITY. You made us One Flesh. I miss having my other half worship beside me.

"God on high, Hear my prayer,
In my need You have always been there....
Bring him home."

Thirsting For God

2006-10-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

It has become abundantly clear that NOW is not the time for me to cross the Tiber. As much as I want to, it would likely tear my marriage apart.

The good news is that I can be catholic even though I'm not Catholic. Catholic thinking is not limited to the Roman Catholic Church. As my dear deacon friend so eloquently put it:

A catholic thinker sees the church as one, unified, and spanning time and space. A catholic thinker is therefore drawn to liturgical worship because you can't span time and space within the microcosm of your own little building. But a catholic thinker is also a sacramentalist for the same reason: the sacraments span time and space and even the natural physics of things because they're a link between what's happening in heaven itself and what takes place here. It's the divine magic. Likewise, a reformed Christian understands that some of the theological ideas of the human institution of the church needed (and continue to need) to be re-examined. Not because what went before was wrong (that is the uncatholic way of examining the past and present need for reform) but because somewhere along the lines, sinners that we are, we've managed to deviate from the faith once delivered to the saints.

I can look back over the last two years and see that I was first drawn to liturgical worship, then the sacraments, and now I need to find where exactly it is that God wants to plant me so I can once again bloom. I've been uprooted for so long, as far as having a church home. I've been in church, but none that I would call home.

My biggest fear is this - I am digging in my heels about The Bridge; I don't feel God's presence there, I don't see a real reverence for God there, I'm not getting fed much at all there - what if that is where He wants to plant me??? (Insert "scared to pieces" smilie here, if there is such a thing)

The Rapture & The Bible

2006-10-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

Once again, these are the notes I took while listening to another BCS CD.

What is the Rapture? How does it fit into the End Times theology of many Protestants? Common Protestant End Times theology is not compatible with Catholic theology. Catholics can believe in A Rapture, but not the Protestant version. Protestant theology is not compatible with the Bible. Catholics are being increasingly influenced by Protestant thought concerning the Rapture and End Times. Left Behind has sold 20 million+ copies. While the authors say that the theology represented comes straight from Scripture, it doesn't really when you examine the passages in context.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 Indeed, we tell you this, by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, 3 will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.16 For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together 4 with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord.

This is often the main "proof text" for the Rapture. This is believed to be the first in a series of events: after the Rapture, then the 7 year Tribulation begins; wars, famines, petilences, earthquakes, which results in the deaths of many. There will also be false prophets and false Messiahs, THEN in the middle of the 7 years, the Antichrist is revealed. The last half of the Tribulation is MUCH WORSE than the first half.

At the end of 7 years, Christ returns and slays the Antichrist and his armies at Armageddon. Then the Antichrist is thrown into the Lake of Fire, or Hell. THEN Christ will establish a physical kingdom on earth and reign for 1000 years w/the saints at His side. After 1000 years, Satan is released from the bottomless pit and gathers armies from the four corners of the world to wage war on the saints, but he and his armies will be destroyed and sent to the Lake of Fire. After that, there will be a resurrection of the dead, the final judgement, and the end of the world. This is the MOST COMMON version of the sequence of events among Rapture enthusiasts. There are many MANY variations on this.

If you want to see the confusion that has come from Sola Scriptura, where everyone can read and interpret the Bible for themselves, just get online and do a search on "Rapture." There are no two sites that match up the end times events exactly, yet each of them say that THEY are going by the Bible Alone, and each site claims to be giving THE most accurate interpretation of the Bible. How can that be?

The most common version of the End Times theology is pre-Trib. There are ALSO those who believe in a mid-Trib or post-Trib Rapture, and they ALL point to the Bible as the SOLE SOURCE for their beliefs. Not only do people disagree on WHEN the Rapture occurs, but those who disagree on the number of Raptures that occur. Some say that there will be several Raptures, several times that Christ will return, several different times for the resurrection of the dead - and they ALL use the Bible as the SOLE source for their beliefs. How is that possible?

You'll even find people who used to believe pre-Trib, because the Bible said so. Then they change to mid- or post-Trib, because the Bible said so. How do we know then, that their current view won't change again at some point in the future? This is one of the fundamental flaws in Rapture theology, that there is NO authority beyond individual interpretation of the Bible behind these teachings, so we have dozens if not hundreds of different scenarios for the sequence of End Time events - all of which are somehow found in the same Bible.

From http://www.lookup.org/ "Believers have long argued about when the Rapture would occur. Most will agree with their pastor, or with some famous theologian who has written extensively, or spoken persuasively on the subject. But do we dare delegate that task (and when we don't study for ourselves, isn't that exactly what we are doing) when being wrong means leading our loved ones headlong into the "great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall" totally UNPREPARED???"

Then the web-author goes on to give us HER "correct" interpretation of the Bible and the Rapture. So she's actually saying, "Don't believe your pastor, that's just HIS interpretation...Don't believe some theologian...trust in your own interpretation" then goes on to give HER interpretation, which, if you disagree with HER, means you are OBVIOUSLY wrong!! - doesn't make much sense, does it?

Where in all of this, is the Church of 1 Timothy 3:15, which Scripture says is "the pillar and bullwark," or upholder and defender of the Truth? When it comes to the Rapture, essentially a Protestant doctrine, it's every man for himself. They are their own pastor of their own church.

While there are these differing views on the Rapture, for those who do believe in a Rapture; not all Bible-believing Protestants believe in the Rapture! Lutherans, Episcopalians, Methodists, and Presbyterians (all Sola Scriptura faiths) for the most part do not believe in the Rapture. The End Times beliefs of these people is the SAME as the End Times beliefs of the RCC.

What does the Catholic Church teach regarding the End Times?

Catholics do not believe in a rapture of ALL believers at ANY TIME other than the Final Coming of Jesus; the Second and Final Coming which occurs at the end of time.
Catholics do not believe in a literal, physical 1000 year reign of Christ on earth after the Tribulation.

There will be a Great Tribulation which will occur before the return of Christ. This tribulation is one in which Christians will suffer trials and persecution, and during which many people will be led astray by the false teaching of the Antichrist. There WILL BE an Antichrist. (CCC para #675-677)

There will be a mass conversion of Jews to Christianity (CCC para #674) though exactly when this happens is unknown.

At the end of the Great Tribulation, Christ will return in power and glory and will defeat evil(CCC #677), and the dead will be resurrected, where we all will be changed/transfigured into incorruptible bodies. (CCC #988; 997-1001)

Then there is the Final Judgement, after which the "good" enter the eternal Kingdom, and the "wicked" enter eternal damnation.(CCC #678-679, 1038-1041)

The old heaven and earth are transformed into a new heaven and new earth, and the Kingdom of God comes in its fullness as the New Jerusalem and the righteous reign forever with Christ. AMEN. (CCC #1042-1050)

What does the Bible say regarding the Rapture and the End Times?

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 Indeed, we tell you this, by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, 3 will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.16 For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together 4 with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord.

The Catholic church does not totally reject the idea of a rapture, but believe it will happen at the Second Coming of Christ at the end of time, not before.

This passage actually mirrors the ancient custom, when someone important would come into a town or city, such as a king or general, and many of the people would go out and greet this person outside the town or city, and then accompany them back into town. It would be an insult NOT to go out and greet this important person. This happens today, when the President flies into an airport, a lot of people go out to greet him and escort him back to town. That's how the Early Church Fathers (St. Augustine, St. John of Chrysostum) read this passage. When Christ returns, those who are caught up to meet Him in the air are escorting Him to the earth; this passage does not say that these people meet Jesus in the air, and then Jesus turns around with them and goes back to Heaven! How do we know this is not what happens?

Revelation 21:1-3 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, 3 coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them (as their God).

Just as the Lord descends from Heaven to earth, so also the New Jerusalem descends from Heaven, because Jesus brings Heaven with Him!!

Revelation 11:15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet. There were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world now belongs to our Lord and to his Anointed (Christ), and he will reign forever and ever."

The idea that the Lord will descend from Heaven, stop somewhere above the earth and gather believers, then turn right around to go back to Heaven is an interpretation that cannot be supported by the rest of Scripture and is not supported by any writings of the Early Church.

Notice in I Thess. 4 that it's not just the living who are caught up, but also the dead in Christ.
v16 For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

This is the resurrection of the dead. So rapture believers have to believe, that Christians who have died will rise from the grave and disappear as well. There is a BIG problem with this:

John 6:54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.

Regardless of your interpretation of the first part of the verse, literal or symbolic, the fact remains that Jesus is talking about believers - Christians - whom He will raise on the LAST DAY.

John 6:39 And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it (on) the last day.
John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day.
John 11:24 Martha said to him, "I know he will rise again, in the resurrection on the last day."

Why would Lazarus have to wait until the last day to be resurrected? Why wouldn't he be caught up at the Rapture? Because there is NO Rapture before the LAST DAY. You cannot square a pre-Tribulation rapture supposedly described in I Thessalonians 4 with John Ch 6, because Jesus is talking about the dead being raised at the end of the world on the last day in John 6, and I Thessalonians 4 talks about the dead being raised. If the dead aren't being raised until the last day of the world, then the "rapture" being described in I Thessalonians 4 is occuring on the last day of the world, not before.

What if Jesus meant the last day before the Tribulation, or the last day before His millenial Kingdom starts? The Bible doesn't say that. It says "the last day" with NO qualifiers.

John 12:48 Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day,

There is no talk among rapture enthusiasts about judgment at the rapture. Judgment of those who are left (the wicked) does not occur until the end of the world - the Great White Throne Judgment. Those who reject Jesus will be judged on the Last Day. The phrase "the last day" MUST be referring to the end of the world and no other time. Not the last day before the Tribulation, not the last day before the Antichrist appears, not the last day before the 1000 year reign of Christ, the LAST DAY of the WORLD.

Matthew 24:37-41 For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 In (those) days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. 39 They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be (also) at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.

Luke 17:26-36 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; 27 they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; 29 on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. 30 So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, a person who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise a person in the field must not return to what was left behind. 32 Remember the wife of Lot. 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. 34 I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. 35 And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left. 36 There will be two men in the field; one will be taken, the other left behind,"

One taken, one left. The Rapture, right? Wrong! The Coming of the Son of Man with some being taken and some being left, is being compared to the days of Noah and the days of Lot. After the flood, who was left behind? Noah and his family! The good guys! Who was taken by the flood? The bad guys! After Sodom was destroyed, who was left behind? Lot and his daughters! The good guys! The bad folks were destroyed, taken away. So if there is a "Rapture" a-la Left Behind, you don't want to be one of the ones taken away! If you want to live like Noah and Lot, you want to be left behind! Those who are left behind in I Thessalonians 4 are caught up meet the Lord in the air and go with Him to the New Jerusalem. The folks who are taken are thrown into the Lake of Fire.

Matthew 24:3-13, 21-24 As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, "Tell us, when will this happen, and what sign will there be of your coming, and of the end of the age?" 4 Jesus said to them in reply, "See that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah,' and they will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and reports of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for these things must happen, but it will not yet be the end. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be famines and earthquakes from place to place. 8 All these are the beginning of the labor pains. 9 Then they will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. 10 And then many will be led into sin; they will betray and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise and deceive many; 12 and because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold.
13 But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

21 for at that time there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will be. 22 And if those days had not been shortened, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect they will be shortened. 23 If anyone says to you then, 'Look, here is the Messiah!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24 False messiahs and false prophets will arise, and they will perform signs and wonders so great as to deceive, if that were possible, even the elect.
(Cf Mark 13:5-13; Luke 21:7-28)

II Thessalonians 2:1-12 1 We ask you, brothers, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him, 2 not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed either by a "spirit," or by an oral statement, or by a letter allegedly from us to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For unless the apostasy comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one doomed to perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship, so as to seat himself in the temple of God, claiming that he is a god-- 5 do you not recall that while I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. But the one who restrains is to do so only for the present, until he is removed from the scene. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord (Jesus) will kill with the breath of his mouth and render powerless by the manifestation of his coming, 9 the one whose coming springs from the power of Satan in every mighty deed and in signs and wonders that lie, 10 and in every wicked deceit for those who are perishing because they have not accepted the love of truth so that they may be saved. 11 Therefore, God is sending them a deceiving power so that they may believe the lie, 12 that all who have not believed the truth but have approved wrongdoing may be condemned.

Daniel 8:17-25 17 When he (Gabriel) came near where I was standing, I fell prostrate in terror. But he said to me, "Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the end time." 18 As he spoke to me, I fell forward in a faint; he touched me and made me stand up. 19 "I will show you," he said, "what is to happen later in the period of wrath; for at the appointed time, there will be an end. 20 "The two-horned ram you saw represents the kings of the Medes and Persians. 21 The he-goat is the king of the Greeks, and the great horn on its forehead is the first king. 22 The four that rose in its place when it was broken are four kingdoms that will issue from his nation, but without his strength. 23 "After their reign, when sinners have reached their measure, There shall arise a king, impudent and skilled in intrigue. 24 He shall be strong and powerful, bring about fearful ruin, and succeed in his undertaking. He shall destroy powerful peoples; 25 his cunning shall be against the holy ones, his treacherous conduct shall succeed. He shall be proud of heart and destroy many by stealth. But when he rises against the prince of princes, he shall be broken without a hand being raised.

Daniel 7:25 He shall speak against the Most High and oppress the holy ones of the Most High, thinking to change the feast days and the law. They shall be handed over to him for a year, two years, and a half-year.

Revelation 13:5-10 The beast was given a mouth uttering proud boasts and blasphemies, and it was given authority to act for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was also allowed to wage war against the holy ones and conquer them, and it was granted authority over every tribe, people, tongue, and nation. 8 All the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, all whose names were not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life, which belongs to the Lamb who was slain. 9 Whoever has ears ought to hear these words. 10 Anyone destined for captivity goes into captivity. Anyone destined to be slain by the sword shall be slain by the sword. Such is the faithful endurance of the holy ones.

In all of these passages, the Antichrist destroys the saints, the elect, the followers of Christ. This is why some people switch from Pre-Tribulation to Mid- or Post- Tribulation theology, because it tells us that the Antichrist WILL persecute and kill Christians! BUT if all the Christians have been raptured, then who are these saints that the Antichrist destroys. Nowhere does Scripture say that these will be the "new" believers who came to Christ "after the Rapture" because the "old" believers have disappeared. If all the Christians are gone, who is left to teach these so-called new believers about Jesus? Will these people gather into congregations? Will they have pastors? Will there be various denominations? Will these new believers debate about whether or not they will be caught up in a post-Tribulation Rapture? Is there more than one rapture and more than one resurrection of the dead?

I Corinthians 15:20-24 20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. 22 For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, 23 but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; 24 then comes the end, 10 when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power.

Coming. Singular. Not Comings. All the dead in Christ are raised at the same time, at the END, when Christ delivers the Kingdom to God the Father. So much for the literal thousand year reign of Christ.

Hebrews 9:27-28 Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the judgment, so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many, 20 will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

So where does Millenialism come in? Where did that idea come from?

Revelation 20:3-11 He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, which is the Devil or Satan, and tied it up for a thousand years 3 and threw it into the abyss, which he locked over it and sealed, so that it could no longer lead the nations astray until the thousand years are completed. After this, it is to be released for a short time. 4 Then I saw thrones; those who sat on them were entrusted with judgment. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image nor had accepted its mark on their foreheads or hands. They came to life and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were over. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over these; they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for (the) thousand years. 7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison. 8 He will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, 7 to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 They invaded the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the holy ones and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. 10 The Devil who had led them astray was thrown into the pool of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.11 Next I saw a large white throne and the one who was sitting on it.

If you try to make the events of the book of Revelation fit into a timetable, running from beginning to end, you may likely end up in an insane asylum.

For example, in Revelation 12:1-6 A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, 4 with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. 4 Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.

Are we to believe that the birth of Christ is to take place sometime in the future?

Revelation 12:7-8 Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, 8 but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

Hasn't this already happened, too, a long time ago?

Luke 10:18 Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like lightning from Heaven."

How many times does Satan get kicked out of heaven?

The book of Revelation is not historical narrative. It uses a lot of symbolic language more akin to poetry than to historical narative. Not to say that it is not describing historical events, it is! But which events are being described and when they take (or have taken) place is often up for grabs. Like poetry you often have to dig for the meaning of the passage. And with some passages, the meaning may never be clear or the passage has several layers of meaning.

There is a literal interpretation and a literalist interpretation.

Literal - looks for the meaning that the author intended to convey
Literalist- take what's on the page and say "That's what it says, that's what it means."

"It was raining cats and dogs" The literal interpretation that the author intended to convey is that it was raining "pretty dog-gone" hard. The literalist would say that cats and dogs are falling from the sky like rain. Will someone in 2000 years understand this idiom? Only if they dig into historical documents. Just looking at the words on the page will cause trouble understanding the book. You can't just look at Revelation and take it literalistically. You have to look for what the author intended to convey. If you try to force Revelation into a linear timeline you will get into problems. To read these passages about the millenial reign of Christ as taking place after the Antichrist is defeated, but before Satan wages war on the saints will lead to some difficulties in light of the whole of Scripture.

I Corinthians 15:23-26 but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; 24 then comes the end, 10 when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death,

Paul equates the resurrection of the dead, the dead being made alive in Christ, with the defeat of the last enemy, death. The last enemy, death, is defeated at the resurrection of the dead, which occurs at Jesus' Coming, which is the END. You can't fit a rapture with a resurrection of the just before the End of the world. Once death has been defeated, and this immediately preceeds the Eternal Reign of God - not the 1000 year reign of God, UNLESS the 1000 year reign is symbolic of the eternal reign of God.

Revelation 11:15-18 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet. There were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world now belongs to our Lord and to his Anointed, and he will reign forever and ever." 16 The twenty-four elders who sat on their thrones before God prostrated themselves and worshiped God 17 and said: "We give thanks to you, Lord God almighty, who are and who were. For you have assumed your great power and have established your reign. 18 The nations raged, but your wrath has come, and the time for the dead to be judged, and to recompense your servants, the prophets, and the holy ones and those who fear your name, the small and the great alike, and to destroy those who destroy the earth."

The spirit of antichrist is already loose on the earth (I John 2:18), Jesus' Kingdom is here already in The Church (although not yet perfected), He is reigning in the hearts and minds of all those who believe in Him. Churches celebrate the feast of Christ the King. Satan has been thrown down and is restrained, has been defeated by Christ's death on the cross. Could Revelation 20 possibly be referring to some of these things?

Many Catholic and Protestant theologians see Revelation as a chronicle of the Church from the resurrection of Christ until the end of the world. That is a very plausible, overall interpretation of Revelation.

There are many overlapping verses that talk about trumpets, the dead being raised, the end of the world, and the coming of Christ in Glory, the judgement, the defeat of evil at the end of tribulation. Note the similarities. These are all talking about the LAST DAY. The Day of the Lord. Jesus is coming back ONE MORE TIME, that's IT. If you try to fit a Rapture and a 1000 year reign of Christ on earth into these passages, you do serious damage to one or more of them.

People will begin with the belief in a pre-Trib rapture, then try to fit all other passages into that view. When they encounter a passage that doesn't quite fit, they twist it until they get it to fit! Then you have one more version of Rapture theology.

The History of Rapture Theology

A few of the ECFs wrote about a literal 1000 year reign of Christ on earth. However, this kingdom wasn't accompanied by a rapture of believers, it occured before the last day. AND this position was never adopted as an official teaching of the Church as a whole. A literal 1000 year reign of Christ on earth had mostly been rejected by the end of the 4th century.

Teaching on the Rapture first appeared in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It gained popularity by the efforts of John Darby. He preached the Rapture in England, the US and Canada between 1850-1870 to people of thousands of different Protestant denominations, so most of the current teaching on the Rapture can be traced back to only about 150 years ago. There is one obscure writing by someone whose pen name was Pseudo-Ephraim; which has a passage that seems to refer to a pre-Trib rapture, dating approximately from 4th-5th century, and the author's real name is unknown. Rapture enthusiasts will point to this ONE passage and say, "See! The Early Church believed in a Pre-Trib Rapture!"

The problem is: The exact meaning of the passage is open to dispute since 1) there is no mention of Christ coming in Glory, 2) St Ephraim, upon whose writings Pseudo-Ephraim is supposedly based, did NOT believe in a pre-Trib rapture; and 3) if you take ONE obscure passage from the 4th or 5th century to prove an Early Christian belief in the Rapture, then why don't you believe ALL the Early Church Fathers who wrote about:

the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist?
the authority of the Bishop of Rome?
baptism as the real washing away of sin?

Using John 6:54 and 1 Thes 4:16, then, giving the proper contextual interpretation of the "one is taken, one is left" passages from Matthew and Luke, one must conclude that Rapture theology, especially as presented in the Left Behind series, is not logically defensible, is not Biblically defensible, and it is not historically defensible.

One Church

2006-10-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

These are notes from a lecture by John Martignoni of the Bible Christian Society. This CD is one of many that are available free at www.biblechristiansociety.com - just pay $1 each for shipping!

Did Jesus mean for there to be 20,000+ churches and denominations?

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.
Truth is a person, not some enigmatic concept. We need to know HIM if we're to reach Heaven.

John 8:31-32 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

John 18:37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

We need to know the Truth in order to come to the Father, be made free, hear the voice of Jesus, to be saved, to reach Heaven. Where do we find the Truth? Of course, we say "Pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance before reading Scripture."

Romans 2:25 For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
Romans 3:1-2 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? 2 Great in every respect.

Circumcision has a great benefit?

Galatians 5:2 Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.

Romans 3:27-28 Where then is boasting? It is excluded By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

We are not justified by works - or are we?

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

James 2:24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Works or no works? Circumcision or uncircumcision? Which does the Bible teach???

Leviticus 3:1-4 1'Now if his offering is a sacrifice of peace offerings, if he is going to offer out of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without defect before the LORD. 2'He shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and slay it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood around on the altar. 3'From the sacrifice of the peace offerings he shall present an offering by fire to the LORD, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, 4and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys.

Colossians 1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions.

Paul says that he completes in his flesh what is lacking in Christ's afflictions???? Christ did not do everything that needed to be done? Is that right? Is this true? We cannot just pick up the Bible and start reading it and expect to come to a knowledge of the truth that is necessary for our salvation. Nowhere does the Bible say that WE are infallible interpreters. In fact:

2 Peter 3:16 as also in all his(Paul's) letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort[twist], as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Peter is telling these people, who are strong in the faith, that there are things in Paul's letters that are difficult to understand. How can he say that if we are perfectly guided by the Holy Spirit? They were Not evil, ungodly people, but untaught and unstable because they disregarded the apostles' doctrine and come to their own conclusions. These people didn't KNOW they were unlearned or ignorant of the Scriptures, they read them and used "their personal interpretation" to their own destruction, while thinking they knew the truth. They thought they didn't need to listed to Peter or Paul, they were fine reading Scripture on their own. Everyone reading Scripture for themselves (Individual Soul Liberty) to decide what they believe is NOT Scriptural!!!

There is dispute about Scriptural truth even among the most learned scholars. How then can an ordinary person w/o Greek or Hebrew be expected to know the Truth?

2 Peter 1:20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, 21for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Acts 8:27-31 So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace (queen) of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot." 30Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" 31And he said, "Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

An educated, intelligent Ethiopian Jew, Secretary of the Treasury for the queen, needs guidance to understand Scripture.

This does NOT mean don't read the Bible, or that you won't EVER come to some knowledge of the truth by reading Scripture on your own, just that there ARE things that are hard to understand. Nowhere does the Bible say that the Holy Spirit will guide us into an infallible interpretation of EVERY passage of Scripture. If that were true, why go to seminary to learn Scripture? Can seminary teach you something that the Holy Spirit cannot? We MUST have a guide to properly understand/interpret Scripture.

WHO can guide us accurately? The early Christians had the apostles and those appointed by the apostles. Not just in interpreting Scriptures, but living out their faith daily. Do such men exist today? Where do we find them?

I Corinthians 12:28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.

I Timothy 3:15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support (bullwark) of the truth.

Scripture confirms for us that it is in The Church that we will find the truth. Most Christians will say the Bible is the pillar and support (bullwark) of the truth, but the Bible says the CHURCH is. What does a pillar do? Holds things up! What does a bullwark do? Protects and defends! The CHURCH upholds, protects and defends the TRUTH.

So we should check the Yellow Pages to find where The Church is. Depending on your area, you could have thousands of possible choices. Which church do I go to? Are they all the same? Is one better than the other? This is a VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM. How are we to know the Truth if we don't know for sure where to look for it?

Did Jesus Christ want Christianity to be divided into 25-30,000 churches and denominations? The situation we are in today tells us one of three possible things:

1) Jesus established more than one church
Did He? NO!!
Matthew 16:18 And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, (singular)
John 10:16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.

The Church is the Body of Christ.
Ephesians 1:22-23 And he (God the Father) put all things beneath his (Jesus) feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
Colossians 1:18 He is the head of the body, the church. (this is repeated in verse 24)

How many bodies are there? ONE BODY OF CHRIST.

Ephesians 2:15-16 abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims, that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross, putting that enmity to death by it.
Ephesians 4:4 one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call;

Since the church is the (singular) body of Christ, we must conclude that there is ONE Church.

2) Jesus established one invisible abstract spiritual church, to which all belong regardless of denomination, which means: a)doctrine does NOT matter and b)it is acceptable to have conflicting and contradictory doctrines.

None of the churches who teach about an invisible church make the claim that their gathering is THE Church. Individually, members of any denomination belong to the One Church, but the denomination itself is NOT. The Church is bigger than denominations. There is no ONE church that you can call THE Church that you can physically go to, according to this view. Did Jesus establish an invisible, abstract church? Again, NO!!!

John 17:21 that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.
Jesus prays for unity that the world can SEE! The world CANNOT see invisible unity, because it sees 25,000+ divisions, it does not see unity.

v 23 ...I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me.
Obviously Jesus isn't talking about invisible, spiritual unity. It has to be unity that the world can see! Jesus was not just praying for his apostles here, as some might think.

John 17:20 "I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
The Unity of Christians is proof for the world that He was sent by the Father. The world is only able to see the visible. The world does not have spiritual eyes, so there MUST be one visible church.

Matthew 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Matthew 18:15-17 If your brother sins (against you), go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
16 If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that 'every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.'
17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. 14 If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. (Don't associate with him)

If the church is spiritual/invisible, where can we go to fulfill this passage from Scripture? How do we decide what is or is not true, is or is not morally right, when it's so easy to find a church that will support, for example, your decision to have an abortion. Who decides what is good or bad doctrine? Who speaks for the Church? How does the Church function as the pillar and bullwark of the Truth? Does everyone claim to speak authoritatively for Truth? Each individual Protestant pastor is a Pope unto himself, deciding what is or is not good for his personal flock.

On average 5 new denonimations form world-wide each WEEK. Believers from all denominations, according to this view, are all in the ONE TRUE church, no matter how different their doctrines are; SO, either doctrine doesn't matter, or it's okay to have conflicting and contradictory doctrines. (infant vs believer's baptism, symbolic vs sacramental)

1 Timothy 1:3 I repeat the request I made of you when I was on my way to Macedonia, that you stay in Ephesus to instruct certain people not to teach false doctrines
1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the last times some will turn away from the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons
Ephesians 4:14 so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of doctrine arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming.
Titus 1:9 holding fast to the true message as taught so that he will be able both to exhort with sound doctrine and to refute opponents.

Doctrine IS VERY IMPORTANT in the Church that Jesus Christ founded.

They won't say it explicitly, but a lot of Christians believe that it is acceptable to have conflicting doctrines. "Well, even though we disagree on some of the non-essential doctrine, but we agree on essential doctrine" Sounds good, right? Open your Bible. WHICH doctrines does the Word say are essential/non-essential? That table/index does not exist. So who is deciding? It's simply a way to justify contradictory and conflicting doctrine and not make an attempt at total reconciliation.

Matthew 4:4 He(Jesus) said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'"
Doctrines are the revelations of God. They are ALL essential.

Matthew 5:18-19 Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

John 14:26 The Advocate (Counselor), the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name--he will teach you everything and remind you of all that (I) told you.

John 16:13 But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. (Are there changing, differing and conflicting truths??)

Malachi 3:6 Surely I, the LORD, do not change

If the Lord does not change, if the apostles were guided into all truth, if the Holy Spirit taught them ALL things and reminded them of what Jesus taught them, there can be NO contradictions in doctrines.

John 8:32 ...and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
If there is conflicting and contradictory doctrine, how can you KNOW what is the truth? And if you don't know the truth, how can you be set free?

Jesus founded ONE, and only One Visible Church. It cannot be an abstract, spiritual church. It cannot be an invisible church where doctrine is irrelevant, or contradictory doctrine is acceptable. It must be a concrete visible, physical, tangible Church. A Church which, like its founder, has a body.

We're left with only one option:
3) Jesus established one VISIBLE church, in which doctrine matters and in which there can be NO conflicting doctrine, and this church would HAVE to contain the FULLNESS of Truth, as revealed by God. Other churches/denominations would have, at best, only partial truth.

Ephesians 1:22-23 And he (God the Father) put all things beneath his (Jesus) feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
The church is the FULLNESS of Jesus Christ. This One Church has unity in doctrine, and in faith and morals.

Acts 4:32 The community of believers was of one heart and soul,
I Corinthians 1:10 I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.
Philippians 1:27 Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear news of you, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind struggling together for the faith of the gospel,

Faith of the gospel, not faiths. One Faith.

John 17:22-23 And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.

Jesus PRAYS that we will be ONE as He and the Father are ONE. Do you think Jesus and His Father ever disagree on any doctrine? Of course not!

We know that there is One visible Church, that has the fullness of truth, doctrine is VERY improtant, its members must not have conflicting and contradictory doctrines under the same roof.

I Corinthians 12:28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers

The leaders of this One Church should be able to historically trace their authority all the way back to Jesus and His apostles. They cannot stand on the Bible as giving them their authority, as it does not have THEIR name in it stating that they have the authority to teach from it. If you're a pastor, teaching your congregation that the Bible is the sole rule of faith, teaching them what doctrines to accept or reject, then the Bible ought to have your name in it, telling people you have the authority to be teaching these things.

This One Church should claim to teach infallibly in matters of faith and morals. Wouldn't Jesus' church claim to speak infallibility on His behalf in areas of faith and morals?

This One Church should claim to be The Church founded by Jesus Christ - wouldn't the one founded by Christ KNOW that it was founded by Christ? And wouldn't it need to be about 2000 years old?

If anyone is in a church that divides doctrine up into essentials and non-essentials, so that it can claim to get along with other churches that do the same; or you're in a church that does NOT claim to be The Church founded by Jesus Christ, or doesn't claim to still have apostles, or whose leaders do not claim to be infallible when speaking on matters of faith and morals on behalf of Jesus Christ, or a church that claims that it is only one aspect of the spiritual, invisible church that is "out there somewhere." If you're in a church that is NOT 2000 years old, that was founded by a man or group of men rather than Jesus Christ, you might very well have some thinking and praying to do.

"But my pastor is a good, holy man; you can see the Spirit moving when he gives his sermons, and when he preaches, it's from the Word of God and ONLY the Word of God." That's all well and good, BUT don't you think almost everyone else in 25,000+ denominations would say the same about their pastor? Every pastor in every Protestant church claims to go by Scripture Alone, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit - Can they all be right in their interpretations of Scripture, even when those interpretations contradict one another? God does not give contradictory interpretations of His Word! Therefore, all the ministers of these 25,000+ churches and denominations are WRONG at least SOME of the time in their interpretation of Scripture. We need to constantly be in prayer for these ministers!

Again: Where can we go to for Truth? Where do we find the Truth that will make us free? The Church, the One, Visible, doctrinally consistent, 2000 year-old Church, which claims to be the one founded by Jesus Christ. If the church you're in does not claim all of these things for itself, then perhaps a long, hard, prayerful look at the Roman Catholic Church is in order. The Roman Catholic Church at least claims to be all of these things and more. Upon close examination, She can back up all of the claims She makes.

One Church. One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth II

2006-10-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

Part Four Chapter One - Lifting the Veil
"In the earthly liturgy we share in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle. With all the warriors of the heavenly army we sing a hymn of glory to the Lord..." (CCC no. 1090)

The Mass doesn't just mirror the worship in Heaven, it is our participation RIGHT NOW with the worship in Heaven! Every week we proclaim that we believe in "the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church, the communion of saints..." I remember when I finally understood fully what that means. Those believers who are no longer on earth with us are not DEAD, they are ALIVE in Christ! If I ask my friends on earth to pray for me, how much more effectual are the prayers of the glorified righteous who no longer have their sinful flesh hindering their prayers? St John heard the voice say "Come up here" and in the liturgy the priest says, "Lift up your hearts!" In the fifth century, St Cyril of Jerusalem wrote, "...in that awesome hour, we should have our hearts on high with God, and not below, thinking of earth and earthly things. The priest bid all in that hour to dismiss all cares of this life, our household worries, and to have their hearts in heaven with the merciful God."

Chapter Two - Worship is Warfare
In the first century, the Jews believed that Messiah would come and conquer Rome and anyone else and establish the Kingdom in a political sense. Most apocalyptic literature portrays the Second Coming of Christ as one where Jesus descends to earth riding a white horse and crushing all His enemies. I never stopped to look at the fact that his army is dressed in white linen (hardly bulletproof!) and He is fighting with the sword "coming out of his mouth." He's preaching them the Truth, not lobbing off their heads! But the Truth is to their destruction.

Hahn says, "Coming to know God, we will come to know what infinite strength and resources we can call upon in battle. So we should prepare for Mass, thoughout our lives, by ongoing doctrinal and spiritual formation. No soldier should rush untrained into battle. Neither should we think that we can conquer demons if we're flabby in our faith."

He brings those battles right home to me when he says that it occurs our attitude and thoughts during Mass; and my toes are especially sore after reading, "Maybe it's fighting off our smugness when we hear a homily riddled with grammatical errors." Guilty. Lord, have mercy. When we overcome this, "No one but God and His angels will notice that you didn't mentally critique Father's homily this week....So you don't get a medal; you win a battle instead." Thanks be to God!

Chapter Three - Parish the Thought
I was told, among many other untruths, that Catholics re-crucify Christ in the Mass. What's really happening is our participation in the ONE sacrifice, "perpetual and eternal." Gives me "glory bumps." I am so thankful to have a "network" of actual Catholics to patiently debunk the myths. As I journey closer to Rome, I have found myself with an all new kind of hungering for the Word, for spending time in prayer, and for the Eucharist. I am seeking God and He is showing me the right path.

Chapter Four - Rite Makes Might
"Now, heaven has been unveiled for us with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now is the communion God has created us for. Now, heaven touches earth and awaits you. Jesus Christ himself says to you : "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him and he with Me." (Rev. 3:20)

Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen.

The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth

2006-10-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

One of my Catholic sisters loaned me her copy of The Lamb's Supper by Scott Hahn. I had never thought of the worship in Heaven that St. John describes in Revelation in relation to worship in the Mass, so it was a fresh look at the Scriptures and a peek into the Mass, without the sounds, smells and bells. In the Introduction, Mr Hahn says that this book is not a Bible Study. In spite of that, I found myself reaching for my NAB to look up every text he referenced without quoting.

Chapter One - In Heaven Right Now
He begins by telling about his first time at Mass, as an "undercover" Presbyterian minister. He was driven there by curiosity, though he "didn't feel sure that it was a healthy curiosity." His curiosity was piqued in much the same way as mine - studying the writings of the early church and seeing words like "liturgy" and "the Eucharist" and wanting to understand what they meant. He was not expecting the Scripture that was being referred to every time someone spoke. He, as a Presbyterian, did not believe in the Real Presence until the moment the priest consecrated the Host, when his eyes were opened and he, quoting "Doubting" Thomas, said in his heart, "My Lord and my God! That's really You!"

I had experienced liturgy, first at an Episcopal church I visited in Ohio, and then God led me to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. I was perfectly comfortable worshipping with the Lutherans, who also believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, though it's defined differently. I prayed and still pray for my dh to see the beauty and right-ness in liturgical worship.

I went to Mass, hoping for the same type of epiphany that Mr Hahn described. No dice. The difference for me was that I had already been educated on the Truths of Catholicism, I know that Catholics don't worship Mary and statues, or re-crucify Christ at the Mass. I understand the idea of a perpetual sacrifice, that Christ's death on the cross is just as effectual today as it was nearly 2000 years ago. He IS the One who paid for all my sins by his willingness to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. I went to Mass knowing what I would find. And God said, "Not just yet. Wait for Me, child." Patience is NOT one of my virtues.

Chapter Two - Given For You
The first passage Hahn referenced that gave me pause was his interpretation of Genesis 14:18-20. My Baptist upbringing taught me to read at the verses before and after, to get the context.

17: When Abram returned from his victory over Chedorlaomer and the kings who were allied with him, the king of Sodom went out to greet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).
18: ⁵ Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine, and being a priest of God Most High, he blessed Abram with these words:
19: ⁶ Blessed be Abram by God Most High, the creator of heaven and earth;
20: ⁷ And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your foes into your hand."

Here, Mr Hahn says that the bread and wine were a sacrifice to the Lord, but I see that Abram and company returned from victory and Melchizedek gave them bread and wine for sustenance, and blessed Abram; it was not an offering to the Lord which is why no animals were involved. It is enough for me that Melchizedek, a foreshadow of Christ, offered the bread and wine and a blessing for Abram, just as Christ gives us Himself so that we might be blessed and filled with Him.

The next time I "came up for air" was when Mr Hahn gives his interpretation of the Passover. "...God instructed each Israelite family to take an unblemished lamb without broken bones, kill it, and sprinkle its blood on the doorposts. That night, the Israelites were to eat the lamb. If they did, their firstborn would be spared." Um, no, that's not what it says.

(Ex. 12:7-14) They shall take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of every house in which they partake of the lamb.
8: That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
9: It shall not be eaten raw or boiled, but roasted whole, with its head and shanks and inner organs.
10: None of it must be kept beyond the next morning; whatever is left over in the morning shall be burned up.
11: ³ "This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those who are in flight. It is the Passover of the LORD.
12: For on this same night I will go through Egypt, striking down every first--born of the land, both man and beast, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt-I, the LORD!
13: But the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; thus, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you.
14: "This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution.

It was not because they ate the lamb that their firstborn was spared, but if they had applied the blood of that lamb to their doorposts. They were told to eat the lamb that night and not save any leftovers, BUT the Angel of Death didn't peek in the window to see if some Israelite woman had some lambchops wrapped up for later, but looked for the blood on the doorposts. It was the blood that "saved" them.

It is interesting to note that in the OT, only the priests were to eat the sin sacrifice (Lev. 7:17-19) but now that Jesus has made us ALL a royal priesthood, we can "take and eat" as well.

Chapter Three - From the Beginning
Most (not all) Protestant churches do not make the Eucharist (communion) a part of their weekly worship, and when they do it's a memorial, the bread and wine are symbols of Christ's body and blood. While it can be (and is) a solemn occasion, it just barely scratches the surface of what Jesus really meant when he said, "This is my body" and "This cup is the new convenant in my blood." One doesn't have to read too many early Church documents to see that it was MUCH more to them than a solemn memorial service with crackers and grape juice.

I love the last part of the Eucharistic Prayer in the Didache: Remember, Lord, your Church. Deliver it from all evil and perfect it in your love, and gather it together from the four winds -- the Church that has been sanctified -- into Your Kingdom which You have prepared for it."

Until quite recently, I had felt like the Lutheran church was exactly where God wanted me to be, and I still believe it is, for now; but now I see it as a stepping stone across the Tiber rather than a permanent place.

Chapter Four - Taste and See (and Hear and Touch) the Gospel
I mostly just nodded and "Amen-ed" his description of the liturgy. "Liturgy engages the whole person: body, soul, and spirit." I went to Vespers at a Coptic Orthodox church once, and that was my first experience with incense in worship. It took some getting used to, I honestly didn't care for the smell at first, but I've missed it ever since.

He goes on to talk about making the sign of the Cross, and why. "It is the mystery of the Gospel in a moment. It is the Christian faith summarized in a single gesture....It's not only an act of worship. It is also a reminder of who we are. 'Father, Son and Holy Spirit' reflects a family relationship, the inner life and eternal communion of God. Ours is the only religion whose one God is a family."

PART II ~ Chapter One - I Turned to See
Here he starts to go through Revelation, particularly the worship in Heaven before the throne, day and night God hears "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come" and I doubt He ever tires of it. Liturgy is NOT the "vain repetition" that Jesus taught against; interestingly, in the very next breath He gave us the Our Father.

Chapter Two - Who's Who in Heaven
Some parts of all views of Revelation/eschatology are correct. Scripture operates on four levels, and all levels teach God's one truth. The pattern in Revelation of covenant, fall, judgment and redemption, not only describes one time period of history, but any and all of history, including our own. I can certainly see the pattern in my life.

Oh, and there's Mary in Revelation 12. WHAT!?!? I'd never been told that by a dispensationalist! The Woman, they say, is Israel. It's all symbolic. Personally, I say, yes, it's BOTH Israel (figuratively) AND Mary (literally). Go here for a great lesson in the Both/And application of Scripture.

Chapter Three - Apocalypse Then
Once again, I have to agree with Hahn when he says that the futuristic reading of Revelation should not be our primary focus. "Generations of futurists have gone before us, and died, wasting precious years on obsessive worries that Napoleon, Hitler, or Stalin was, at least, the beast foretold.

I learned that Parousia not only refers to Christ's Second Coming, but it also can mean "presence" and Jesus' Presence is not something we need to look forward to, but something we have today in the Eucharist. Yes, He is Coming - but He is HERE! Hallelujah!

I also learned that the seven churches addressed in Revelation - ALL seven of them - have had their lampstand removed, and those areas are predominately Muslim now. Catholics have to get special permission to have Mass.

Chapter Four - Judgment Day
I was reading along in this chapter, not objecting to much until I got to his interpretation of the Great White Throne Judgment. He says, "One day, you and I will be numbered among 'the dead' and we will be judged by what we have done." HOLD IT. I am NOT "among the dead" I am alive in Christ! There is judgment for Christians, but "this ain't it!"

This is really long so I'll finish my review in another post, coming soon!

Why Catholicism? And Why NOT Protestantism?

2006-09-28T07:21:00.000-07:00

I have been perusing www.OnceCatholic.org and looking for answers to some of my objections to the teaching of the Catholic Church. Funny that just yesterday I was musing on the fact that I now believe without a doubt that the Catholic Church is the One True Church , yet I'm still wrestling with my "inner Protestant" over some issues but as I read Scripture and pray, those issues/objections are paling in comparison to the Truths I do now believe.

In answer to the question "Why should I be Catholic? Isn't it enough to be a spiritual and moral person?" Once Catholic has this to say:

...you may want to know why Catholicism instead of any of the other expressions of faith. This is a fair question, and one you ought to devote a great deal of thought and reflection to. Consider this: One of the oldest analogies for the Church is Peter's fishing boat, and it’s a comparison that’s packed with good insights into the Church. We're on a journey with a map, lots of stormy weather, people slipping overboard, survivors being pulled in, mutinies among the crew, getting off course, being attacked by pirates. And a boat needs a captain when everybody's losing their heads. He may not be the ideal captain, but if everybody grabs for the tiller we're all in trouble. Then again, for quite some time Peter wasn't ideal either, yet what his crew managed has lasted 2,000 years. (The full article can be found at AmericanCatholic.org )

Protestantism is, essentially, everyone grabbing for the tiller trying to steer the boat themselves. I never thought much about the problem of Sola Scriptura as a legalistic Baptist because I thought that what those Baptist preachers told me my KJV said was absolutely right. I didn't even know it had a name, I just knew that the Bible was my sole rule of faith. What I didn't know was that I was VERY MUCH following the traditions of men in the way passages were interpreted. Learning that dispensationalism is a heresy was very much like God yanked the rug right from under my feet.

I've been reading through the Gospels, mainly to find what Jesus had to say about the End of the Age. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, (I'm still reading through John) I have not found a single verse where Jesus says that He will "rapture" believers before He returns in Glory. If a Pre-Tribulation rapture is indeed part of God's plan for the end times, why didn't Jesus mention it?

Running Ahead on the Way to God Knows Where

2006-09-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

"Steady me when the road of faith gets rocky
Oh ready me, for fears I cannot see
Lord, won't You let me be a witness to Your promise
Won't You steady me?

We run on up ahead, we lag behind You;
It's hard to wait when Heaven's on our minds.
Teach our restless feet to walk beside You
'Cause in our hearts we're already gone
Will You walk with us
Steady on..." ~Point of Grace

I was so sure God said Go To Rome. So, wanting to be obedient to His command (for a change), on Sunday I went to Mass. I got there about 15 minutes early - I thought it would give me time to read through the service in the bulletin so I would sort of look like I knew what I was doing when things got started. Well, guess what? This parish does not include the service of the Mass in their bulletins! It's more of a weekly newsletter. The Lutheran church I'd been attending handed you a bulletin with every last bit of the liturgy spelled out for you. I thought for sure every liturgical church did that. Oops.

The Liturgy of the Word: We were told where in the hymnal/prayer book to find the readings, and I managed to locate the Nicene Creed just in time. I had read the Catholic version a few times before (I confess to Almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters....) and vaguely recalled parts of it so I stuttered through it. My Lutheran church only uses the Nicene Creed during Advent; and our confessional prayer changes periodically.

The Homily: He preached on humility. I learned (yes! I learned something!) that the root for humility is the same as the word for dirt/earth. By genuflecting, and letting one knee touch the "dirt" we not only are bowing before the Presence of the Lord, but we acknowledge from whence we came.

I knew I could not rightly participate in the Eucharist, AND I had to get home to help dh get kids ready to go to The Bridge; so I left at the start of that portion of the service. What a bit of relief to notice a few other people doing the same. My Catholic friends had told me that not every Catholic will go forward to receive Holy Communion, for whatever reason; but the idea of someone choosing to not participate in the sacrament was so foreign to me I couldn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes.

In my heart, I am s-l-o-w-l-y becoming Catholic. I played around with a couple of "denominational selector" type quizzes, and was totally honest in my answers. I had done the same type of quiz a few years back and was usually a mix of Baptist, Assemblies of God, and Methodist. My latest results? Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican/Episcopal were consistently in my top 5. Yeah, I'd say God is working on me.

God Whispers

2006-09-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

I have been praying for wisdom and direction. In my life God has placed several Christians who converted from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism. These are not people who were disgruntled or hurt by their protestant church in any way, but were seeking God earnestly and he led them to Rome. (The testimony of a couple of them indicates that it was very much against THEIR will, and they dug in their heels the whole way.) These were not people with a vague understanding of the Bible easily tossed about by every wind of doctrine. These were intelligent, Biblically literate people who gave up life as they knew it to follow where God led them, the Roman Catholic Church.

I still have some "insurmountables" that haven't been adequately addressed in a way that I feel is substantial; but as I was humming through a Kutless song, "Promise of a Lifetime"

"I am holding on to the hope I have inside,
With You I will stay through every day
Putting my understanding aside,
I am comforted
To know You're always there
To hear my every prayer
Inside I'm clinging to
The promise of a lifetime..."

and then my thoughts naturally (or supernaturally perhaps) gravitated to the verses in Proverbs. Yup, you know ... Chapter 3:

1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
But let your heart keep my commandments;
2 For length of days and years of life
And peace they will add to you.
3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good repute
In the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your body
And refreshment to your bones. (NASB)

**SIGH** This is a lesson in TRUST and putting away MY understanding of the way things are. I get it now. I love to read and study Scripture and (gulp) pride myself in the academic knowledge I have. No better than a scribe, I suppose. I need to get back to the "faith as a little child" and climb up in Daddy's lap and let Him hold me.

I told a friend today that I thought I heard God whisper to me yesterday. She said that if you're hearing something you want to hear, it's probably not the Lord. If it's something you do NOT want to hear, it probably IS. So the whisper I hear says to me, "Go to Rome."

I don't wanna hear it.

Finding My Faith Part 3

2006-09-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

A big part of the reason that we left the Baptist church is due to my discovery of the origin of dispensationalism and Rapture theology. This, too, shook my foundation. Up until that time, I called myself a Pre-millenial Charismatic Orthodox Christian, if one wishes for a label. I also had developed a better understanding of Roman Catholicism, and was tired of hearing the bashing based on misconceptions about RC doctrine and practice. Snide comments about "wearing their shirt backwards" or "wearing dresses" just didn't sit well with me.

Right now I am dipping a toe in the Tiber, really looking deeply into the Roman Catholic Church. I don't see myself converting unless I get a better response to my "insurmountables," those teachings which I cannot accept based on Scripture. I have come a long way in changing my own beliefs about the Sacraments, (yes, there are seven!) liturgical worship, and the role of Mary and the Saints in our lives today.

I'm reading The Prayer of Mary, an in-depth look at the Fiat and the Magnificat. In it he says that "God is waiting for us to believe that He can do the impossible."

Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief.

Finding My Faith Part 2

2006-09-12T06:37:00.000-07:00

Right around the same time that the Left Behind books were gaining popularity, we got Internet access. I started frequenting the Christian chat rooms and was shocked to find that there were Christians who didn't believe dispensational theology, didn't believe in the security of the believer, believed that baptism was necessary for salvation, and lo and behold THEY TOO could point to Bible verses to back up their statements.

I really thought that the Baptist view of Scripture was the only truly biblical view. (Lord, forgive me!) Imagine my surprise I was also shocked to discover that Baptists did not have the corner marketed on salvation. See, in my experience, Baptists would *say* that you could be saved in other denominations (except for Roman Catholicism) but they didn't act like they really believed it. They teach that baptism is the first step in obedience for a new believer, the "answer of a good conscience toward God." There was nothing salvific about the water in the baptistry, they made that pointedly clear.
B U T if you happened to have been raised in a church that practiced infant baptism or did not immerse, you HAD to be re-baptized, "scripturally."

I learned through discussions with those believers on AOL that there WERE other genuine Christians out there that had never darkened the doorstep of a Independent, Fundamental, Pre-millenial, KJV-only Baptist church, in fact, they rejected a lot of the doctrine that I held dear. And they challenged me to search the Scriptures, like the Bereans did. Not that they directly challenged me, but as they'd back up their opposing views with Scripture I realized that there was a possibility that I could be wrong. Only one way to find out!

It was at this time that I was called to homeschool my kids, and found the Sonlight Forums. They had a forum called Edu-Anon, that has since been renamed Lifelong Learners. LL (or LLL) became the hub of theological discussion, and one of my favorite places to chat. Once again, my faith was challenged through lively discussions with Christians from other backgrounds. One in particular is an ordained deacon in the Episcopal church, and a woman to boot. I fought the urge to tell her how dreadfully unbiblical it is for her to be a deacon in the church - Baptist deacons are MEN. Then I read about Phoebe and did a little Greek study and one more piece of my foundation crumbled.

I was obsessed for quite some time, researching different denominations and finding out what their essentials and distinctives are. If I was going to be conversing with these people regularly, I wanted to know EXACTLY where they were coming from, so I could "lovingly" show them the errors of their belief system. (I was still mostly right at this point)

I was searching for devotional materials when I ran across the Book of Common Prayer at CBD. I asked my deaconess friend about it - she said "Sure, it can be used as a devotional!" (I think she knew exactly what she was doing to me!!) So I ordered one. Something happened to me when I started reading through those ancient prayers and reading through the services. I just knew that liturgical worship, far from being dry, stale ritual, was alive and filled with the Word of God! The fact is, more Scripture is read in a liturgical church than I'd ever heard in Sunday morning AND evening services as a Baptist.

Not sure how my husband was going to feel about my change, I proceeded with caution and just shared little tidbits here and there about where I was being led (and I'm still unsure where I'll end up in this life!) He knew I was unhappy in our current church for more reasons than just the theological differences, and told me that he didn't 100% agree with Baptist doctrine. I was not yet ready to venture into a real church, so I got my liturgy "fix" by doing the Daily Office online and occasionally watching the Mass at the Notre Dame Cathedral that broadcast on a public access channel. I did visit an Episcopal church in Ohio while my oldest dd and I were there for a dance competition. She felt drawn into the liturgy as well, but didn't care for the wine. (o;

Some of you may be aware of the issues surrounding the Episcopal Church USA recently. While I really felt like the Episcopal church was everything I was looking for in a church, basically Catholicism sans the Pope, I couldn't in good conscience attend the church in my city after I contacted the rector and found out he was totally supportive of the homosexual bishop in NH. What to do? I was ready to experience liturgy for real and didn't know where to go. I wasn't about to become Catholic and my options around here are very limited.

My deacon friend again came through for me and recommended an ELCA Lutheran church, as the ELCA and the ECUSA are in communion with one another. There just happens to be an ELCA church less than 5 minutes from my house, so I've been going to their 8:00 service then joining my husband for church first at the Baptist church and currently at a very contemporary church that brings out my critical spirit, which, as you might guess, is not very conducive to pure worship. We are praying about being involved in the music ministry once the sister church starts this Sunday. I don't know if I can even minister in that setting, but God will make a way if it's where He wants me.

Part 3 coming soon!

Finding My Faith

2006-09-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

I was raised loosely Methodist. We went to church when we lived in Michigan and I attended nursery school at this church. In 1st grade we moved to Puerto Rico and didn't go to church at all; and then before I started 3rd grade we moved to Indiana. My dad was a contract engineer for the phone company so he got transferred a lot. I had no idea what it meant to be Methodist, or how their beliefs differed from anyone else, I just knew I was Methodist like some people know they're Catholic or Jewish.

Once we were back in the States, I think my parents had just fallen out of the habit of going to church, because the only time I went to church was if I went with a friend. I always enjoyed going but it never occured to me to ask why WE didn't go. Come to think of it, a lot of questions never occured to me at that time.

I was visiting a Baptist church with a friend when I was 16 years old, (we'd go hide outside and smoke while her aunt was in choir rehearsal) and I saw someone get baptized. I thought perhaps I should be baptized if I hadn't been - not sure why I wanted to other than it seemed like the thing to do. I had seen my on-again, off-again boyfriend get baptized at that same church a year before. My friend told me that I had to be saved first. I said, "OK, I'll get saved!" not having the first clue what that meant.

She took me to the pastor, who took me into the church library and showed me the 'Romans Road.' I nodded and agreed with everything he said, and when he asked me if I wanted to pray, I informed him that I was not sure what to say. So I repeated a prayer after him and got dunked the following Sunday. It was right after that that my friend started working on Sundays and quit going to church. I sure wasn't going if SHE wasn't going!

After I graduated from high school, I moved in with my then boyfriend, now husband. The ONLY pastor available to marry us over Labor Day weekend was the same pastor that had baptized us and believed we were Christians. We had our first baby 9 months, 5 days later. When she was about 6 months old, he was looking in the classifieds for a better job and ran across an ad that read: "666 is COMING! Call 1-800-###-####" and out of morbid curiosity he called the number, expecting to hear some demonic message but instead it was an end times, repent and be saved, turn or burn message.

We found ourselves at the same Baptist church and this time, we heard the Spirit call us. I know that I have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb! I sang all those Christmas carols for all those years and all of a sudden I knew what they were talking about when they sang, "Veiled in flesh the God-head see, hail th'incarnate Deity!" Hallelujah!!!

So, I was born-again and raised Independent, Fundamental, Pre-millenial, KJV-only Baptist. And I thought that I had the Truth. I believed everything they taught me because they could point to Bible verses and say, "That means this...." and I never doubted. When the Left Behind series came out, I thought maybe Mr. LaHaye had a bit of his eschatology mixed up, but the premise of the series gave me NO pause.

Stay tuned....

Why St. Cecilia?

2006-09-11T08:55:00.000-07:00

She's the patron saint of singers, that's why! My mother always encouraged me to sing, because that way I never misplaced my instrument. So, I was in choir from 4th-12th grade, then church choirs, then I got a dream come true opportunity in 1995 to sing in the nuns' chorus and play Sister Margaretta for our Civic Theatre's production of The Sound of Music. Not exactly my dream part, but I sang along with Maria from the wings.

We "nuns" had so much fun singing together that we formed an ensemble, In Dulci Jubilo (With Sweet Rejoicing) and I kept my voice in shape doing that for a few years. So, I can sing in English, Latin, French, and some German; I might not understand what I am singing, but I can figure out how to pronounce it! Several of the selections we used were sacred. I love the old old old hymns! I had NO IDEA that Ave Maria had so many different tunes! I sang it in (public) high school choir and then with the ensemble but I had to relearn it because it was a completely different arrangement.

I currently just sing at church with the congregation, and at home, much to my kids' chagrin. (I like to sing silly songs to them, badly.) A forever have a song in my heart praising the Lord for all He has done!