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Because the physical and tangible are flawed, declining, and temporary, just as with our bodies. It was never set up to have emphasis there. God knows how attached we are to objects and materialism, so he specifically made us focus elsewhere. Too bad though that we let the physical and material continue to play a role - and a large role at that - against his wishes.
Jesus used physical touch, spit, etc. in His own ministry. I agree that the physical aspects of this world are flawed, but I believe that God operates in our real world, today. Our spiritual communications with God are also flawed as well, because we're human beings who are flawed. But God still uses those as well too.
I know that, and I have. And Paul said this Church was to be led by prophets and apostles until we all became unified in our faith. Furthermore, he said that without this organization we'd be at the mercy of people who perverted true doctrines. He prophesied very plainly of an apostasy (or falling away) that would take place after his death. He was right on.
Ephesians 4
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Jesus gave the early church the gifts of Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to bring about unity and growth. There are no Apostles or prophets today, and there haven’t been since the Apostle John. We no longer need them because God has given us everything we need to know through the precious gift of His word. His word brings unity and growth to those who wholly believe and trust in it. We have no need of new revelations today. We know what we must do to be saved and to live a life pleasing to God.
There are no Apostles today because they had to have witnessed Jesus’ resurrection. There are no Apostles today because no one has the miracle working power of the Apostles. The Apostles were able to heal any physical condition on the spot and they could raise from the dead.
It’s easy to make the claim of being an Apostle today, but saying so doesn’t make it true.
Paul appointed elders in the various congregations to lead. The hand-picked Apostles all passed on by the turn of the century. God, in His divine wisdom, had elders (plural) appointed in every local church. He gave specific qualifications for these men. Why? Because they were to be the leaders.
Your view of the two-witness rule is foolish. Especially, when it comes to child abuse, where the only two witnesses is the victim and the abuser. However, I do believe that you have claimed "you would not report" the abuse. Apparently, you merely do not want to get involved, thus, enabling the abuse to continue within your Organization. Perhaps, you think you are protecting - a brother in Christ? But that is no excuse for not reporting any suspected abuse of a child.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mensaguy
I don't slander Jehovah/YHWH/God/Allah or any other name you'd like to call Him. It's simply a statement of fact that every time one of you hides behind a "two witness" rule for a serious crime for which two witnesses rarely exist, your are condoning the crime. Report the suspected crime to the police and let them figure it out. We're not talking about jaywalking here. We are talking about felonies. We are talking about people that do serious harm to children. Your posts imply that you don't care about that hurt, because, if you did, you would report the crimes, no if, and, or buts. Report the crimes.
Ephesians 4
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Jesus gave the early church the gifts of Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to bring about unity and growth. There are no Apostles or prophets today, and there haven’t been since the Apostle John. We no longer need them because God has given us everything we need to know through the precious gift of His word. His word brings unity and growth to those who wholly believe and trust in it. We have no need of new revelations today. We know what we must do to be saved and to live a life pleasing to God.
There are no Apostles today because they had to have witnessed Jesus’ resurrection. There are no Apostles today because no one has the miracle working power of the Apostles. The Apostles were able to heal any physical condition on the spot and they could raise from the dead.
It’s easy to make the claim of being an Apostle today, but saying so doesn’t make it true.
Paul appointed elders in the various congregations to lead. The hand-picked Apostles all passed on by the turn of the century. God, in His divine wisdom, had elders (plural) appointed in every local church. He gave specific qualifications for these men. Why? Because they were to be the leaders.
Jehovah's witnesses can be disfellowshipped for committing serious sins unrepentantly, or even minor ones if they practice them. To date I have not been given the sin I supposedly committed. In order for one of us to be disfellowshipped legally, a documented sin has to have been committed and the sinner is unrepentant. To be documented there has to be a minimum of 2 witnesses, or a confession. I agree with this policy.
If a person admits guilt, but is repentant, then they are given what is called reproof, a time period in where their privileges will be restricted until their repentance is assured to the congregation. Although this is not true, the elders who conducted my trial told me if there is anything that we disagree with that the faithful slave teaches then we are not one of Jehovah's witnesses, which is not what we teach. Every single one of us has something we do not understand, or possibly completely disagree with, but apostasy comes into play on how we react to that belief.
I will say that it has been the toughest thing I have had to face in my life, and it has been quite stressful, so I agree with Paul who said: (Acts 14:22) . . .“We must enter into the Kingdom of God through many tribulations.” Each of us who serve Jehovah have our own thorns in the flesh, yes mine is tough, but so many other brothers and sisters serve Jehovah having it much tougher than me. We follow Jesus's admonition not to look behind, but stay focused on the wonderful blessings ahead.
From what you’ve written, it sounds like you disagreed with one or more of their teachings and did so in front of one or more people, who probably reported you. I find it very sad that if a person disagrees with the teachings of his group, disfellowship is used. That is not Scriptural. Disfellowship is to be used when someone is sinning publicly and refuses to repent. Disagreeing is not sinning. In the congregation I worship with, we are encouraged to speak up if we believe something is being taught that conflicts with God’s word. We sit with our elders and study whatever the disagreement is about. Most times, we can iron it out, but sometimes, we can’t. When that happens, we can simply agree to disagree. If it’s something someone feels so adamant about, they are free to go elsewhere, but never are they disfellowshipped for disagreeing. I commend you for standing up if you thought something was wrong.
I, as well do not watch the news, I do hear it on the radio sometimes while driving though. Keeping on the watch and staying focused on seeking the Kingdom first should be our priorities for sure maam. You are so correct about the spiraling society. I am 67 yrs old and have seen a change in society that perhaps younger ones have not observed. We do know how the world will "end" however, at the end of the great tribulation when people are near to the point of extinction Mat 24:22, Jesus will return for those chosen ones (elect), and they will meet him in the air and he will proceed to remove the remainder of the wicked. 1 Thes 4:16,17; 2 Thes 1:6-9; Ps 37:9-11.
Nice speaking to you Kate
Nice speaking to you as well, and I appreciate the respectful conversation.
The tribulation Matthew speaks of is specific to the besiege of Jerusalem by the Romans, which eventually led to its destruction. He says in vs. 21, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
Have you studied the following phrases, and how they are used throughout the Scriptures? (The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from heaven, the Son of man coming on the clouds)
If you have, I’d be interested in knowing what you learned.
We know the end will come without warning, like a thief in the night, and when it does, the heavens will be dissolved in fire and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
... Christendom is filled with denominations and the doctrines of men. It’s time to get back to the church Jesus built.
Actually, Christ didn't start a church, Paul did -- centuries later. All of the church is man made.
The Christ taught directly to those around him, setting an example he instructed them to follow. In the end, he went to his cross alone.
Come to God as the Christ did, though no mediator. Be silent in your devotion. Let your example be instruction enough. And for God's sake, leave everything else up to God.
It may be possible that I can email it to you, or mail you the actual magazine if you give me your address in a private message. My email is capumetu@yours.com
Sorry for the misunderstanding. I should have said I don’t read links. Honestly, I try to stay away from commentaries as much as possible. I only go to them when I’m completely stumped. I prefer to study with just me and the Holy Spirit. I don’t want to be influenced by what men think. I had enough of that in the early years of my life, being raised and educated in Catholicism. One I was exposed to the Scriptures, I left that organization and never looked back. That was 44 years ago. My life is based totally on the word of God. It’s like the old saying, “ Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me!”
The Bible as we know it today didn't exist in the first century either.
If you mean it didn’t exist in one big book, you’re right. But you’re wrong if you think the word of God didn’t exist in the first century. It existed first in oral form, then later in written form. Scrolls were copied and circulated amongst the congregations that existed at the time. Can we agree on this much?
Actually, Christ didn't start a church, Paul did -- centuries later. All of the church is man made.
The Christ taught directly to those around him, setting an example he instructed them to follow. In the end, he went to his cross alone.
Come to God as the Christ did, though no mediator. Be silent in your devotion. Let your example be instruction enough. And for God's sake, leave everything else up to God.
Jesus said He would build His church. If you want to know how Jesus built his church, read Acts 2. Peter preached the first gospel sermon. Those who accepted his message were baptized and the LORD ADDED THEM TO HIS CHURCH.
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