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| Subject: Ecumenism and the Divided Church | |
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Author: Apostle Dr. Genesis A. Dawuda |
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Date Posted: 04:21:00 01/29/09 Thu Ecumenism The way forward for Ecclesiastical Unity By Apostle Dr. Genesis A. Dawuda DD, KSA Administrator, Centre For World Rebirth, Jos Plateau State, Nigeria © Copyright 2007 Centre For World Rebirth Jos, Plateau State,Nigeria “A leader who is willing to step out in faith may step out alone, but he will soon have followers. Together they will change lives. Many have changed the course of history.”-Anon “A person who doesn’t have to survive chooses to make the right decision even if it’s not a popular one.”-Anon “God gives selfless people spiritual power. That’s what makes the difference.”- Anon “ That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”- John 17:21 KJV “The concern for restoring unity involves the whole Church, faithful and clergy alike. It extends to everyone, according to the talent of each…” (Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 5, Second Vatican Council) “ A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; Frowardness is on his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.” Proverbs 6:12-15 KJV “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” Proverbs 6:16-19 “ Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Eph. 4:3) “We can hardly expect to affect the world while Christians are so fragmented, so divided. In our disunity we really have nothing to say to the world and it is for this reason the church lives in weakness and is held in contempt by society. Therefore, above all other things our need is to unite. There is power in numbers and if we can get enough Christians together we can influence society as the church was intended to do.” – Pastor Ray C. Stedman, Body Life “To carry out anything lawful that shall promote the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and its unity.” – Article 3(h) of the Constitution of the United Fellowship of Christ Ministries,(A Messianic Jewish Ministry) USA “Having all faith in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord, Christ Jesus; that there is but one true Church in the Body of Christ of which the Lord Jesus is the head; that we, His servant, fit jointly together for the service of His continuing ministry. That His true Church is without divisions of any kind.” – Statement of Faith of the United Fellowship of Christ Ministries, New Jersey USA “The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council. Christ the Lord founded one Church and one Church only. However, many Christian communions present themselves to men as the true inheritors of Jesus Christ; all indeed profess to be the followers of the Lord but they differ in mind and go their different ways, as if Christ himself were divided. Certainly, such division openly contradicts the will of Christ, scandalizes the world, and damages that most holy cause, the preaching of the Gospel to every creature.” - Vatican Council 11, Decree on Ecumenism (Unitatis Redintegratio, 21 November, 1964) page 452 Added to this statement is what Ray C. Stedman had to say on the Unity of the Church; “It is extremely important that Christians stop quarreling, bickering, struggling against one another, and feeling strong resentment and hate. A Church where these attitudes exist is a totally ineffective body in its community. A Church that has this kind of activity going on can say nothing to which the world will pay any attention.” The unity of the church cannot be overemphasized rather the time has reached for us to face it squarely. The Word Ecumenism simply means “Universal”. That which concerns itself with the Whole Christian World or universal Church. And any such effort seeking to restore the unity of the Christian Churches worldwide. On a lighter mood, Ray C. Stedman wrote that; “Certain men have become so devoted to this ideal that they have been labeled ‘ecu-meniacs,’ while others disdainfully suggest that the problem with the church is that it is passing through its ‘ecu-menopause.’ Then I wonder when we will reach an ‘ecu-meniscus’ in order to measure the level of achievement we have made so far in our ecumenical pursuit. The Creeds: Apostle’s Creed I believe In God the Father Almighty Maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead and buried, He descended into hell; The third day He rose again from the dead, He ascended into heaven, and Sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe In the Holy Ghost; The Holy Catholic Church; The forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body, and The life everlasting. Amen The Nicene Creed We believe In one God, the Father, the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth and of all that is seen and unseen; and In one Lord Jesus Christ the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father: God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God. Begotten, not made, one in being with the Father, through Him all things were made. For us and for our salvation, He came down from heaven and, by the power of the Holy Spirit He was born of the Virgin Mary and became man. For our sake, He was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day He rose again, in fulfillment of the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He shall come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and His Kingdom shall have no end. We believe In the Holy Spirit, the Lord the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the Son He is Worshipped and glorified; He has spoken through the prophets. We believe In one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, we acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. The Reformed Faith One God in Trinity: There is only one God. This God, however includes the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each of which has his own area of concentration. Creation: God has created the entire universe and DECLARED BOTH PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL AS GOOD. Therefore, we accept both physical and spiritual as having equal value in His eyes. It is important to work in the world as it is in the church. Salvation by Grace: The only way we can we can be saved by Christ is by His undeserved grace. Because we are all dead in sin, we are unable to lift up ourselves. Thus the initiative has to come from God and that is called ELECTION. No amount of human effort can lead to or cause our salvation. Nevertheless, this salvation comes to us through our faith, which is a gift from God and ENABLES us to do good works. This salvation and its resultant Christian life begin in this world and continue into everlasting life. God’s Covenant Promise: God is free and cannot be bound. However, he has voluntarily bound Himself to us by a promise of faithfulness in His care for us. He is therefore not arbitrary. We can count on Him to keep His Promises to us in life and death. We can thus be sure of our salvation. Our own part on that covenant is to obey and follow Him without fear that He will forsake us. One Kingdom and Lord: In distinction from other Christian traditions, the Reform faith testifies that there is only one kingdom of God that includes all of the creation, the Physical and the spiritual, heaven and earth. The church plays a central part in that Kingdom, but it is not the whole. This Kingdom is created and preserved mainly by God the Father, but at this stage of history, Jesus Christ, the Son, has been appointed Lord over this entire Kingdom. Thus His Lordship covers all life, including politics and business. The Holy Spirit gives us power to obey Him in all we do and to overcome opposition. Revelation: God reveals Himself in three major ways: In nature, in the Bible and in Jesus Christ. Each of these is the word of God. Nature proclaims His power, and love. But because our ability to reason properly has been undermined by sin, we need the Bible to understand nature. The Bible explains to us the meaning of creation and the entire scheme of salvation, including the role of Jesus Christ. It is trustworthy, reliable and dependable in what it tells us of God and His world. We listen not only to the Bible but also nature, which includes human history and experience. Our Task (Cultural Mandate): We have the CULTURAL MANDATE in Genesis 1, which instructs us to develop and rule the world as God’s deputy governors. Thus Christians must participate in all areas of life in the name of God. That is our basic RELIGIOUS duty. Because unbelievers cannot properly carry out this task, we also have the GREAT COMMISSION of Matthew 28, which sends us into the world to preach the Gospel and to teach our neighbors all that we are taught in God’s word. Thus these two commandments have common aim. Both are to be carried out in the context of the GREAT COMMANDMENT, which is love for God and neighbor. In our present day, important aspects of this basic task include strong concern for evangelism, honesty, healing, and peace, justice for all and the environment. Our Christian Hope: We share with all mainline churches the hope of the return (the new heaven and the new earth), and through the resurrection, everlasting life. In the meantime, we witness to the same world of the love, peace and justice that is promised us in the new creation. Priesthood of all Believers: While some churches have developed many ranks and titles almost army style, the Reformed have rejected this approach. They have seen that in the long run, rank and title have led to abuse of power in the church. Instead of responsibility, lust for privilege took over. Hence, there are no different ranks for the Pastors: all are equal. And the Pastors are under the supervision of the local elders, who are expected to be spirit-filled servants of God and His people. In fact, every believer is considered a priest. That is. Every believer has the Spirit of God. The Pastors have no monopoly over His Spirit… The Athanasian Creed Statement of Faith of the United Fellowship of Christ Ministries endorsed by the Centre For World Rebirth as Truths of the Faith in Christ Jesus 1. Having all Faith that the Holy Bible (original autographs) is divinely inspired, the only infallible, final and authoritative Word of God. That the cannon of Scripture is a sealed and completed work from God. 2. Having all Faith that there is one God, eternal existent in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. That these three comprise the Godhead of all authority and power for all time. 3. Having all Faith in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. Salvation is given to all those who believe and receive Him; that Christ Jesus provides the only pathway to God. 4. Having full understanding that Satan is controlling and takes dominion over the present world and that those outside of the Faith in Christ are led of this sinful spirit and are powerless against this leading. That they are led in captive bondage and kept blinded to the truth of Christ Jesus. 5. Having all Faith in the great commission that we are to reach the entire world with the message of the Gospel of our Lord. That all should hear His message and make their choice, having full knowledge in the truth of the Lord. 6. Having all Faith in the divinely given Baptism of the Holy Spirit with an evidence of speaking in an unknown tongues as recorded in Acts of the Apostles, as well as the ceremonial baptism in water for public professing of our devotion and faith in Christ Jesus. 7. Having all Faith that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential to reach the fullness of Christ Jesus with a purity of the heart. That this fact will be made evident by the outward appearance of the fruits of the Spirit in Love. 8. Having all Faith in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life. Whose divine power is with us today providing individual gifts which operate in His will through those He selects, who have received Him. 9. Having all Faith in the gifts of Ministry (Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teaches, Evangelists) divinely given to expand, develop and grow the Kingdom ministries. That God has set FIRST in the Church Apostles, NOT Cardinals, nor Bishops, neither Popes for the effective Founding and Structuring of His Church on earth, with the seal of His presence displayed through extra-ordinary signs and wonders. That there is no such Biblical Titles as Cardinal, Pope, Rev. Father, Most Reverend, Archbishop and Monsignor but are Titles identifying in man’s world that such ones are divine vessels of God recognized by the civic society. As such titles are ecclesial endorsements and should not in anyway deny Apostles of their Holy Place in effecting their office in the Body of Christ and in the earth. 10. Having all Faith in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life eternal in Christ Jesus and they that are lost unto the resurrection in Christ Jesus and receive the final judgment unto eternal damnation in total and permanent separation from God. 11. Having all faith in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord, Christ Jesus; that there is but one true Church in the Body of Christ of which the Lord Jesus is the head; that we, His servant, fit jointly together for the service of His continuing ministry. That His true Church is without divisions of any kind. We declare our belief in the normative decrees of the Seven Ecumenical Councils of the undivided Church: The Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, Constantinople in 381 AD, Ephesus in 431 AD, Chalcedon in 451 AD, Constantinople 11 in 553 AD, Constantinople 111 in 680 AD and Nicaea 11 in 787 AD. It is Scandalous to cause a schism in His Universal Church of any kind. 12. Having all Faith that only God can ordain anyone for His ministry!!! Man can only give recognition of this calling by Licensure. No man-created religion has the ability to CREATE a minister. Christian Organizations can only grant license for ministry. The Anointing for Ministry comes not from man but from GOD. Men can perform no ceremony that will impart this Anointing. Many Organized Religions will try to dispute these facts, however the Truth is clearly evidenced in the Holy Bible. 13. Having all Faith in the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist (The Lord’s Supper) otherwise known as Holy Communion, or Divine Liturgy. As instituted by Christ; who is Himself certainly and really present in His own ordinances (though not in the elements thereof as subscribed by the Roman Catholic Church), and are signs and seals of His Gospel not to be separated therefrom. They confirm the promises and gifts of salvation and, when rightly used by believers with faith and prayer are, through the operation of the Holy Spirit, true means of grace. It is the central focus of our Church Service. The Eucharist should be offered as often as possible to all baptized Christians who are, or believe themselves to so to be, a part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, and shall not be turned away from the Love of Christ for reasons of race, religion, creed, national origin or sexual orientation. It is a hope and expectation that those who do partake of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, do so after confessing their sin to Almighty God and renounce and repent from their sin. 14. Having all Faith in all that the City-Church stands for, in bringing the Church to its full Maturity in this Age. That the Century One Church was a seed form of what God is doing in this end-time to bring His Church to Maturity. Regardless of how glorious it will be in this end-time it’s still the body of Christ. 15. Having all Faith that God in His appointed time will allow and return the favor back to the Jews (Messianic Jews) to rebuild their Temple according to the pattern recorded in Ezekiel 40-48. That when this happens it will knock off certain theology and ecclesial theology we had held so dogmatically in the past. That it will take a prophet to effect this teaching and Angel Michael and Gabriel who will appear in such a time as the Mighty Prince of Israel to help the Israelites. Daniel 12:1 16. Having all Faith that before the world comes to an end Daniel 2:44 must be fulfilled and the Universal Church will be glorified, Economically, Politically, Spiritually, Socially and Materially; as the stone cut out without hands. That this Ecumenical Church will break in pieces Religions, Nations, Kingdoms and Powers that be in order for God alone to be exalted above the peoples of the earth through the glorification of His Kingdom on earth. The Silver and the Gold are His. That the Vatican does not in any way represent the FULL manifestation of His grand plan for His Kingdom. His Kingdom is all encompassing, it is all-denominational as well as it is non-denominational. When all these begins to happen it is clear sign that the Fulness of the Gentile Church has come. This Ministry Subscribes to the Code of Canon Law of the Independent Catholic Union, Gurnee, Illinois USA as a guide to our practices in the promotion of Ecumenism. In which canon 5 states that; The Independent Catholic Union is an Ecumenical (Inter-Communion) Apostolic jurisdiction of the Holy Order of the priesthood that welcomes unity of the Christian ministry that consists of the Anglican Rite, Episcopal or Reformed Episcopal, Lutheran, Celtic Rite, Roman Rite, Liberal Catholic Rite, and Orthodox Rite. We come together as one cause for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Union is made up of a unity within an Inter-communion of Lay Ministers, Deacons, Priests, and Bishops that are looking for a place without being judged by their past. We are all Disciples of Christ dedicated as Apostles to preach the Gospel of His Holy Word. We are here to teach what the Bible has given us, the truth of the Living God. This makes the Apostolic Rite. We are the teachers of Christ and follow what was passed down in the Scriptures. Yeshua Embassy Network of Churches International, USA was a member of the ICU recognized under the Charismatic Catholic Rite. It is the Mission of Yeshua Embassy Network of Churches International, Ashdale Circle, Newark DE USA to Spread the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to every part of the entire world, with a need for ministers of the Gospel and Churches to be united in Christ so that we’ll be able to fight satan and his agents to surrender. We wish to encourage Ministers to have a sense of belonging. • To make your tribe, Church, or Ministry a voice to be heard in your generation, a force that creates impact and a star that cannot be covered but gives light to all. • To expose you to beautiful opportunities in life and Ministry • To get you connected to advancement in life and Ministry • To be involved in God’s Mission of taking the gospel to every tribe, that His righteousness may reign every where among the heathen • To admit intending missionaries, train and send them to cities, nations or continents wherever the need(to Macedonia calls) or to Churches that demand for it. • To give international ordination, recognition and international ministerial license to accredited Ministers of the Gospel • To project Ministers of the Gospel to new heights of attainment in the Christian World. • To assist you with information and to help you in Church planting wherever our network covers. And to the Constitution of Yeshua International and the Old Roman Catholic Church in England. Articles 5(ii) and (iii) Which aims to; “Secure the association of Ministers on the basis of their common Evangelical faith, each Member retaining liberty to fulfill his or her own distinctive Ministry, witness and mission. To foster their continued fellowship in prayer, worship and work, to co-ordinate their common aims, activities and resources for the evangelization of the people and the extension of Christ’s Kingdom in every sphere of life.” Mission and the Work of This Generation According to the Leader of International Branch of the Lion Judah in Spokane, Washington USA, Gary Larrabee, the Following points below make up the mission of this generation. 1. To come into Unity as believers in God And Jesus Christ his Son. Reveal the difference of being saved and the difference of being a part of the Kingdom of God. a. To reveal the Truth of God’s Branch b. To reveal the Truth of the 10 Lost Tribes and the difference of between Judah and Israel. c. Plumb Line Principal of designated authority. d. Be submissive and directed by the Holy Spirit through the Biblical principal of the Plumb Line where all spiritual authority is directed from the Head downward throughout the body of Christ. Through a standard to be established the The Lord Jesus Christ will lead all believers individually and fully submitted to, and abiding fully in Christ through total submission. 2. To learn to hear God’s voice. 3. To submit to what God wants to do in each of our lives. 4. To Take upon the Power and the authority of God working through us. a. To defeat the world system, the Fall of Babylon. b. The Keys to the Kingdom is the power given to believers to rebuke, to bind and to cast out. c. When we as the body of Christ become the perfect man described in Ephesians 4:11-13, we will be given the power to to take this world from satanic forces and prepare the Kingdom of God for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. 5. To structure the Plumb Line Principal of designated authority. 6. Establish Jesus Christ as the Head of His Body. 7. To Gather all the weapons of war from every Nation and convert the metal into agriculture equipment. 8. Let Jesus Christ through his Spirit live the life of His Body. a. The seven eyes upon one stone. b. The Plumb Line in Priestly Authority and the Plumb Line in Civil Authority. c. Take hold of the power and use the keys to the Kingdom. d. In unity bind rebuke and cast out all spiritual forces of evil upon the earth. e. To evangelize the earth as the Army of God. 9. Manifest this power and authority upon the earth by re-claiming the earth and all that is in it for the Glory of God. 10. Rebuild the Tabernacle of David and all it stands for in rebuilding the Kingdom of Israel. 11. Establish a New World Economic System, to re-place Babylon. a. Establish new Banking System free of interest charges. b. Establish the principal of giving to receive rather than lending. c. Establish a financial base for every living person upon the earth. 12. Establish the Borders to the Land of Israel as described by Ezekiel. 13. Renovate the City of Jerusalem. 14. Establish the boundaries of the Land for each of the 12 Tribes. 15. Let each of the 12 Tribes build their territory in Jerusalem according to each ones boundary. 16. Gather the Silver and the Gold from the nations of the world to Jerusalem for the structure of the Temple of the Messiah. 17. Construct the Temple of God in Jerusalem. 18. To re-develop all the cities of the earth into equal housing and equal prosperity for everyone. 19. To establish agriculture production to where there is no one lacking in the entire world. 20. To establish free energy and sharing principals of all commodities. 21. To do everything under the direction of the Holy Spirit to prepare for the Return of Jesus Christ and for the Kingdom to be handed over to Jesus Christ by Moses one of the two witnesses. We have to recognize the problems that the Church faces from the World and non-Christians both locally and Internationally, in order to foster unity among the Churches. Such problems like Leadership issues in relation to the Doctrine of Apostolic Succession, Who is supposed to be the legitimate head of such an ecumenical movement?, what really brings in the issues of denomination into the Church of Christ that had no denominational clichés in the first century? What really led the Church into the Laodicean age of materialism & carnality? Curbing the problems of dooms-day cults like that of Jim Jones(the Guyana Tragedy), hunger & poverty, Lack of reforming capability of the Church has led to a great societal decay. If heresy connotes a doctrine or opinion that is contrary to the fundamental doctrines or creed of any particular church; an error of opinion respecting some fundamental doctrine of religion; an opinion or doctrine tending to create division ; an unsound and untenable doctrine of any kind.” Hence, a heretic is one whose errors are doctrinal, and usually of malignant character, tending to subvert the true faith.” Among such ancient heresiarchs are the Ebionites, the Cerinthians, The Arians, The Gnotics, The Appollinarians, The Nestorians, and The Eutychians; while in recent years we have, the Freemasons, the Spiritism, New Age, Jehovah’s witnesses, Theosophy, Christadelphians, Christian Science, Unitarianism, Mormonism, Theosophy, Unity school of Christianity, Catholicism?, Islam, any kind of organization that refuses to subscribe to the First Seven Ecumenical Councils of the undivided Church. Will it surprise you to find out that an atheist in the person of David Humes commented that, “In the lives of most people, religious principles are perverted by those who seek wealth and power, instilling terror as the primary principle of religion?” Rather it should make the Church to know that the world is watching her. It was the same Philosopher David Humes who stated that, “The proper office of religion is to reform Men’s lives, to purify their hearts, to inforce all moral duties, to secure Obedience to the Laws & Civil Magistrate. While it pursues these purposes, its Operations, though infinitely valuable, are secret and silent; and seldom come under the Cognizance of History. That adulterate Species of it alone, which inflames Faction, animates Sedition, & prompts Rebellion, distinguishes itself on the open Theatre of the World.” Prior to this there had been a statement close to this one; “For the ‘proper office of religion is to regulate the heart of men, humanize their conduct, infuse the spirit of temperance, order, and obedience; and as its operation is silent and only enforces the motive of morality and justice, it is in danger of being overlooked and confounded with these other motives.’ True religion is an attitude to God which ought to lead to an attitude to man, a guide to action; and it functions only as it guides. When it is seen as a separate principle, institutionalized and propagated by forms, ‘ it has departed from its proper sphere and has become only a cover to faction and ambition.” I may not agree with all the ideologies of the American Poet, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, but he made a point here when he wrote that “there are so many gods, so many creeds; so many paths that wind and wind; when the art of being kind; is all this sad world needs.” Philo also declares that, “ it is certain, from experience, that the smallest grain of natural honesty and benevolence has more effect on men’s conduct than the most pompous views suggested by theological theories and systems.” Humes further said, “ ‘true’ religion did not operate on the “open theatre of the world,” was not the contestant for party or faction, was not the enforcer of superstition. Proper religion supported silently the benevolent intentions of men. It operated privately adding to the innate moral tendencies of individuals, it is not the foundation of, but rather the complement to benevolence.” Such philosophical thoughts should make us think inwards and consider what the world out there thinks about us. This same man had in the past been an admirer of George Whitefield, one of the greatest revivalist in history, David Humes usually hurries himself to attend Whitefield’s crusades in order to catch precious words from him and learn more of what this Man of God stands for in his philosophy of life, he weighed Whitefield’s Morals with what He stands for as a Philosopher of Morals. The story is told that one day David Hume is seen hurrying up along a street and was asked by a friend where he was going. ‘To hear Whitefield’ came the unexpected reply. His friend was startled. ‘Surely you don’t believe what Whitefield is preaching, do you?’ ‘No,’ replied Hume, ‘but Whitefield does’. So you may be someone’s research material whether knowingly or stealthily. Another issue is the case of Christians and the KGB in the defunct USSR as quoted below from the book, ‘Faith Despite the KGB’ by Herman Hartfeld; “For many decades the KGB has been carrying on an unlawful battle against the Christians in the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, people in the West do not have a clear understanding of exactly what the KGB is. It is not simply a secret police force concerned with problems of government scrutiny. The KGB is an organ which strives to take into its own hands not only the control, but also the direction, of the entire country, overseeing all areas of life, including ideology. The KGB even tries to dictate the administration of Christian Churches: Orthodox, Adventist, Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic, and others. To do this the KGB attempts to recruit ministers of the Church, pressuring them from all sides. Unfortunately, there are sad cases where individual ministers have become involved in such contact with the KGB. They not only give information regarding the life of believers and the church, but allow the KGB to direct church affairs. The church is experiencing innumerable misfortunes on this account. Under no conditions does the KGB want children and young people to join the church, and by manipulating co-operative ministers, the KGB attempts to corrupt the Church from within. This strategy began in 1930s. At that time, most ministers refused to collaborate with the KGB. Consequently thousands lost their freedom, while many lost their lives. One of those was the president of the Baptist Union, Nikolai Vasilievich Odinzov, who died in a Soviet concentration camp. In recent years the KGB’s attempts to recruit church ministers have intensified. Those who refuse to co-operate in this destructive work are subjected to all kinds of repression, including prison and concentration camps. Occasionally official delegations representing the church in the USSR come to the West and deliver original speeches that promote the ideas of communism. They even talk boldly about great religious freedom in the USSR! So the question arises: for what purpose did these people come? And who put them up to it?” One always wonders why the church fails to understand that denominationalism is only known within the member churches not by the secular world so the earlier we recognize the evil forces by all these the better. - Disillusionments also include situations where fellow clerics scandalize the name of their colleagues by calling them bastards because they have not been brought under Apostolic Succession; I wonder why a cleric will call a brother that have been purchased and covered by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, who is also born-again of Spirit and water a BASTARD? We call God Abba Father through the Spirit of adoption. Was John the Baptist under any line of Apostolic Succession? Or was Moses, Elijah, Ezra, Daniel, Ezekiel, Apollos, under any of such doctrine of succession? Some even call their fall-out colleagues FAKE all because of titles and applause; such applause that one is not really sure of getting from God on that GREAT judgment day. Others are called spiritual harlots because they become dissatisfied with leadership, Jezebels because they confront the statusquo, 419 because they are not as privileged as the person, Anti-Christ because their success is overwhelming, Fraudsters because they can’t explain how God is using the person. All because they chose to abide by certain codes of ethics different from theirs, but then only God can Judge perfectly the deeds of every human being on earth, be it a Christian or a non-Christian. In some quarters loyalty has turned into sycophancy. Hero-worship has taken over the place of servant-leader concept of leadership. Divorce by ministers no matter how bitter/terrible the case may be, has brought scandal to the Church of Jesus Christ to the extent that both the Church members and the minister’s children in many quarters are estranged, with each other suffering because of the deeds/intolerance of just two people. According to Gary Larrabee, in his book ‘Thy Kingdom Come’, (The wording is as it was written at the time he was listening to the Holy Spirit speak these words to him) “The body of Christ is coming into unity by judgment. Judgment begins at the house of God and since April 1984, all believers, organizations, or denominations have been under severe judgment in breaking the body. All true believers are being broken to the point of dying to self – to the point it is no longer I, but Christ, that lives in me. I can no longer live this life by myself.” He further stated that, “The embassies of many governments work the same way in foreign countries by watching and seeing what the other government or agency is doing. This is a problem for my people. Almost every church teaches the same gospel, the same Sunday School classes. But they have different names and labels. They have not been able to grasp the principle of leverage.” We need to “Now visualize the wheels as a network of various churches all teaching the basic doctrines of salvation, by grace, and the other main points of agreement. What if we were to establish city, county, and neighborhood communication centers for pastors and church leaders by their own choice to participate in prayer for each other? What if we have them pray over the Internet in order to establish a test for everyone to see how the ‘plumb line principal’ works? This would allow us to introduce My method of being the head of the church.” As stated through a prophecy given through him by the Holy Spirit. Internationally, Christians in Jerusalem still suffer a hell of persecution from those practicing Judaism and also from Moslems. Irrespective of the fact that there was once a Christian Kingdom in Jerusalem(Acre) which fell into the hands of the Mamelukes in 1291 AD . The Mamelukes placed heavy and grievous restrictions upon both Palestinian Jews and Christians. By law, Jews had to wear yellow turbans and Christians blue turbans to distinguish them from the first-class Moslem citizens. Prior to this event Christians had suffered under Moslems in 1009 AD when they ordered the destruction of the church of the Holy Sepulcher in which 30,000 christian buildings were said to have been destroyed at that time. In 1095 AD, Peter the Hermit while addressing a congress in Clermont, France voiced out that; “From the Borders of Jerusalem… evil tidings have come. An accursed race, estranged from God, has invaded the lands of the Christians… and have depopulated them by fire, steel, and ravage. They have led away many into captivity, they have torn down the Churches of Christ, or used them for their own rites. In some they stable their horses, and befoul the altars with the filth from their bodies. Even now they are torturing Christians, binding them and filling them with arrows, or making them kneel, bending their heads to try if their swords can cut through necks with a single blow. They are ravishing Christian women. Pilgrims from our lands have been forced to pay toll at the gates of cities and at entrance of Churches. Those who had no money were searched, even the callouses on their bare heels were cut to see if they carried money their. They were given poison to drink, until they vomited, but finding no coins in the vomit, their bowels have been cut open with a sword so that if any treasure was hidden there it might be disclosed. Who can relate this without being deeply grieved? For they are your blood brothers – children of the same Christ and sons of the same Church!” So I will ask too, Who can relate this without being deeply grieved? There was no label of denomination on those Christians that were Frustratingly persecuted. It was after this fiery speech that Jerusalem was taken by Christians on July 23, 1099 and Godfrey of Bouillon was elected as governor and defender of Jerusalem. This was the end of the first crusade. The next seven crusades was followed by the disgraceful exit of Christians out of Jerusalem and the final fall of Acre, since then the Crescent had triumphed over the cross and the Crusaders left behind only the ruins of their castles, their blood that coursed through the veins of the natives with whom they had intermarried and the memory of wars which they had waged and a Kingdom which they had founded and lost. The most controversial scandal to me is Worship practice in Jerusalem in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre best described by this novel ; “…Christian Quarter . This place, too, was a minor political battle ground; each of the Christian sects and nationalities argued over whose ground was the most sacred which was the proper mode of worship. Each claimed to have cornered the market on truth and righteousness and god. Ellie paused to stare up the street as a procession of incense-bearing priests passed by. To her left rose the towers of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where Jesus was said to have died. Ellie wondered what He would have said if he could see Jerusalem now splintered into a hundred fragments, each block was a deadly time-bomb of self-righteousness. And where is God in all this? Ellie wondered. If He was ever really here, she decided, surely He has given up on this contention and moved His headquarters somewhere else.” This is really a thought provoking statement, I know that God will never chew His words of prophetic agenda concerning Jerusalem and the Unity of His Church, He may provoke Jerusalem by starting the revival elsewhere but it will end up with a Mass gathering into Jerusalem. In which Nigeria or Africa and Australia has always been seen to play a very important part in the Unity and the revival of the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. Without unity there will be a whole lot of mischief that will continue against the Church as the earthly body of Christ. Since there are the gates of hell fighting against the triumphing efforts of the Church, we must fight in union to see to it that we prevail against all gates of hell that the devil has kept wide open to cause a delay in the fulfillment of our Destiny. One of such gates is the gate of disunity and the materialism tendencies of the Church against the primary mandate of preaching the message of the coming Kingdom of God whose principles of governance is contrary to what the secular world defines as a State, Nation or a Kingdom. To be continued... Please visit: www.drgenesis.com for other nice reforming information. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |