One of my favorite passages of Scripture is from the book of Acts:
“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:10-11).
I think about the brethren from Berea, and how they received the preaching; the NASB says “With much eagerness.” I can just picture them leaning forward so as not to miss a word of what was being preached, but what made them noble in the eyes of the writer of Acts, was their complete reliance on, and devotion to God’s Word. They searched the Scriptures daily to make sure that what they had been told, matched up with God’s Holy Word. Oh, that we would all be like the Bereans!
Unfortunately, many in the church are led by their emotions. This is why people like Joel Osteen and Kenneth Copeland, and many other so-called preachers can pack in thousands of people on a Sunday morning. These congregations hold onto every word spoken by these types of preachers; never thinking to open up their Bibles to see if the sermons line up with God’s Word. If they did, they would immediately see that “Your Best Life Now” is not found anywhere in the Word of God. They would find that speaking in tongues in church, without an interpreter, is forbidden in God’s Word.
But the charismatic preachers tell their people what they want to hear, and the people trust them. Most probably never pick up a Bible to read what God says about these matters. The “Itchy ear crowd” are easily deceived.
“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Ephesians 4:14).
UNITY
Jesus spoke of unity in the spirit and unity of the brethren. He was not speaking of uniting with others who held beliefs which were opposed to His teachings. When He said that He was the only way to the Father, He meant it! Teachings which oppose the Word of God are heretical, and should be avoided by the child of God.
Pope Francis has aligned himself with Universalist Unitarian churches and other religions which deny the inerrancy of Scripture. I have never heard this pope speak of sin and repentance. Actually, I’ve not heard any pope speak of these essentials of our faith! But Pope Francis takes this to a whole new level. See what this universalist website writes about this pope whom they love:
“If the Pope embraces reconciliation with Candomblé, with real, human, interface between leaders, why shouldn’t Catholics also embrace practitioners of Vodou? Or indigenous African religions? Or modern Paganism, for that matter? Indeed, the Pope’s new attitude is needed more now than ever before. We live in a world where human beings, fueled by religious beliefs, are persecuting and killing one another in increasingly disturbing incidents. What better time for a Pope to emphatically embrace an interfaith mission? A mission that had been blunted during the Papacy of Benedict, but now, hopefully, will bear new fruit.”
FROM GOD’S WORD:
“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:6-9).
It is so apparent from the Scriptures above, that we must adhere to God’s Word. Unity with another gospel is forbidden, and it is for our safety and our well being that God tells us these things!
MARTIN LUTHER AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
“Born in Eisleben, Germany, in 1483, Martin Luther went on to become one of Western history’s most significant figures. Luther spent his early years in relative anonymity as a monk and scholar. But in 1517 Luther penned a document attacking the Catholic Church’s corrupt practice of selling “indulgences” to absolve sin. His “95 Theses,” which propounded two central beliefs—that the Bible is the central religious authority and that humans may reach salvation only by their faith and not by their deeds—was to spark the Protestant Reformation. Although these ideas had been advanced before, Martin Luther codified them at a moment in history ripe for religious reformation. The Catholic Church was ever after divided, and the Protestantism that soon emerged was shaped by Luther’s ideas. His writings changed the course of religious and cultural history in the West.” [1]-source
The Great Reformation was so critically important for the Word of God to be understood and obeyed. The Catholic Church had corrupted the Word, and after the Protestant movement grew, the Catholic Church was responsible for slaughtering millions of those who were not obedient to the RCC. This is when the Jesuits came into being as the military arm of the Vatican. I would encourage the reader to do a study of the crimes committed throughout the centuries by the Vatican and its popes. Most people are oblivious to the history of the RCC.
POPE FRANCIS IS CALLING THE PROTESTANTS BACK TO THE “FOLD”
The Vatican’s Strategy (From Reachingcatholics.org)
“It is indeed disturbing to see so many evangelicals unaware of the Vatican’s strategy for bringing the world under the dominion of the papacy. The Vatican has made a concerted effort since 1965 to bring their “separated brothers’ back home to “holy mother the church.” In his 1995 encyclical Et Unum Sint, Pope John Paul II said he intends “to promote every suitable initiative…to increase the unity of all Christians until they reach full communion” and “to encourage the efforts of all who work for the cause of unity.” The pope’s stated desire is “to gather all people and all things into Christ, so as to be for all—an inseparable sacrament of unity… expressed in the common celebration of the Eucharist.” During a week of prayer for Christian unity Pope John Paul II said, “I gladly take this opportunity to call the attention of all believers to the ecumenical commitment that marked VC II. The council rightly defined the division among Christians as a scandal. The council Fathers felt the need to beg pardon of God and of their brethren for the sins committed against unity.” He asked Catholics “to cultivate an authentic spiritual ecumenism” through the Virgin Mary [not through the Lord Jesus]. The success of the pope’s push for unity can be seen by the announcement made last year by the Archbishop of Canterbury. He urged all Christians to recognize the Pope as the supreme authority of a new global church (6/99 CRN News). In a document called The Gift of Authority, he describes the Pope as a “gift to be received by all the churches.” It would do us all well to heed the words of C.H. Spurgeon, “Ignorance has been one of the grand agents of Popery ever since her establishment; by it, the eyes of men have been so blinded that they can scarcely discern between good and evil, and follow implicitly any guide even until they fall into the ditch of perdition.
The Vatican’s ecumenical movement goes beyond the unity of all professing Christians. Their strategy is to bring all religions under the power and influence of the papacy. Pope John Paul II has been traveling the world to build bridges to all non-Christian religions. In a recent speech he said, “Christians and Muslims, we meet one another in faith in the one God…and strive to put into practice…the teaching of our respective holy books. Today, dialogue between our two religions [Roman Catholicism and Islam] is more necessary than ever. There remains a spiritual bond which unites us and which we must strive to recognize and develop.” Even Mother Theresa had the ecumenical spirit as noted from her book Servants of Love. She stated, “we went every day to pray in some temple or church. The Archbishop gave us permission to do so. We prayed with the Jews, the Armenians, the Anglicans, the Jains, the Sikhs, the Buddhists, and the Hindus. It was extraordinary. All hearts united in prayer to the one true God.
As we watch the Vatican we can see a seductive strategy for uniting all Christians. They masterfully and deliberately redefine biblical terms to make them more vague, ambiguous and acceptable to both Catholics and Protestants. An example of this is the 1999 Lutheran-Roman Catholic “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.” In the declaration, Rome uses equivocal and indefinite words to affirm the doctrine of “justification by faith alone” but, at the same time, continues to affirm the anathema’s that condemn all who believe this doctrine. We must not be misled. Rome has not changed its position on things that really matter! Instead they take advantage of professing Christians who lack discernment or who are unwilling to contend for “the faith.” [2]-source
CATHOLICISM IS A CULT
Strong words, you say? I believe these words accurately describe this demonic institution. The RCC has led more people to hell than any other church in the world. They teach that to get to heaven, you must work for it. This is NOT the Gospel of Christ! They deify Mary, and call her a co-redemptor with Jesus. Mary was a little Jewish handmaiden who needed a Savior as much as you and I!
EVANGELICAL COMMUNITY MOVING AWAY FROM SOUND DOCTRINE
As the Vatican continues its quest to bring back the Protestants to the Catholic Church, it seems that many Evangelicals are falling away from the Truth of the Word. This renders them vulnerable to being deceived. Many leaders in these churches would trade sound doctrine for “unity” but not the kind of unity of which Christ spoke. What has light to do with darkness? Can you see the perfect storm developing for the body of Christ at this time?
CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH (from Reachingcatholics.org)
“As the ecumenical movement gathers momentum, we must be strong and continue to contend for the faith, no matter what others might do or say. Let us pray for our evangelical leaders to return to the authority of Scripture for every issue of faith. Let us use God’s Word to lovingly admonish any church leader who encourages unity with apostates or unbelievers. And finally, let us resist the pressure to participate in any activity or event that will deliberately suppress or compromise biblical truth for the sake of unity. We must return to the infallible, inerrant and inspired Word of God to heed its warnings and obey its commands. The Bible exhorts us to test all teachers and spirits (1 John 4:1,6). We are to expose false teachings and the evil deeds of darkness (Eph. 5:11). Christians are to lovingly confront and rebuke false teachers (Titus 1:9, 13). We are to separate from those who persist in teaching error (Romans 16:17; Titus 3:10). If we ignore these exhortations we may be disqualified for service (2 Timothy 2:20), or worse yet, be identified with the false teachers themselves (2 John 10-11).” [1] source
POPE LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR ONE WORLD RELIGION
“For now, Pope Francis just seems to be laying the groundwork for the one world religion that is coming. There is a 900-year-old prophecy that indicates that Pope Francis could be the last Pope. If that prophecy is true, then it will be very important to watch the actions of this Pope very carefully.[2]- source
WHAT ARE WE TO DO?
First, we must understand that all of God’s prophetic Word will be fulfilled. Nothing we can do will stop that. What we can and must do is to continue to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as we can. Show them love and pray for openings to share truth with the lost.
Try to stay calm, and I do know that this is very hard. God is in control and He is with us. We know how this story ends, and for that we should be so grateful.
Stay strong in Him!
MARANATHA!
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