quote: Originally Posted by O No!:Of course by now we all now that will never happen. But it's getting mighty old. The Roman Catholic Church has been around much longer than your cut and paste Baptist church, and it will be around long after you're gone. Don't you have anything better to do than pound your head ego into this wall?
Hi O,
You are right. The Roman Catholic church has been around longer than the Baptist, or any other denominational church. But, what about the real Christian church, the one begun by the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost 33 AD? That was the pure non-denominational church.
Denominations, whether of the Roman Catholic flavor or of the Protestant flavor -- were all founded by and established by MEN.
Jesus Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit, and no one else, started the Christian church -- and then, when men got involved -- it has been downhill from there.
Christian church, Jesus Christ 33 AD
Roman Catholic - Constantine, 312 AD
Founders of Other Religions and Churches:
http://www.adherents.com/misc/adh_founders.html
Lutherans - Martin Luther, 1517
Anabaptists - Zwingli, 1519
Church of England, Anglicanism - Henry VIII, 1534
Calvinism; Dutch Reformed - Calvin, 1536
Presbyterians - Knox, 1560
Puritans - Cartwright, 1570
Congregationalists - Brown, 1582
Baptists - John Smith, 1605
Episcopalians - Seabury, 1620
Quakers - Fox, 1654
Shakers - Ann Lee, 1741
Methodists - Wesley, 1744
But, at the Rapture, the only thing Christ will look for is -- are you, by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, a Christian believer? He will not ask which Christian church you attended. He will not ask if you are a liberal, conservative, or middle-of-the-road Christians believer.
He will not ask if you believe in His Millennial Kingdom, nor if you believe in the Rapture. Of course, since you have just met Him face to face in the air -- because of the Rapture; it will be pretty difficult to tell Him you do not believe in the Rapture.
No, Jesus will not ask any of those questions. He will merely ask if you are a true believer. Of course, because He is God, He will already know the answer -- but, He will ask anyway.
And, if you say "no" or you are not sure you are really ready yet to commit to Him -- He will point you toward the door on the left. And, if you can honestly say "yes" -- He will point you toward the door on the right.
It will all boil down to what one of my favorite Gospel songs tells us:
It's not what's over the door Of the church that you attend,
That makes you a child of God, And a heavenly citizen.
As the eyes of the Lord look this world o'er,
There’s just one thing He's lookin’ for
Can’t you see that’s what’s in your heart,
And not what's over the door.
So, O No, my Friend, it is not what's over the door, i.e., not which Christian church you attend that counts. The only thing that will count is -- IS JESUS IN YOUR HEART?
If He is -- you are a winner! If He is not -- you are a loser! That's the way the ball bounces.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
