Apology to the Catholics

[Scott1]

The Church is not to do the evangelizing but to feed the evangelist.

Feed him with what?

 

[Alabaster]

I for one can and will fellowship where the true Word of God is preached in all it's fullness. This of course excludes much of the worlds churches unfortunately.

And the church is not an evangelism opportunity. It's function should be to equip Christians to go out and share their faith and seek and save that which is lost. The Church is not to do the evangelizing but to feed the evangelist.

The churches are also places where people find Christ! God brings them to our doors! The least we can do is introduce them to Him!

Funny--we have 5-10 or more salvations a week. Why? Because we are going out to the highways and byways and BRINGING THEM IN, as Jesus instructed.

 

[Biblereader]

The Church is not to do the evangelizing but to feed the evangelist.

Feed him with what?

spiritual nourishment... encouragement, wisdom from God, kindness

 

[Biblereader]

I for one can and will fellowship where the true Word of God is preached in all it's fullness.
Let me know when you find one, and I'll try to attend it, or at least get in touch with it.
There are NONE in my area!!! Scary!
This of course excludes much of the worlds churches unfortunately.

And the church is not an evangelism opportunity. It's function should be to equip Christians to go out and share their faith and seek and save that which is lost.
Yes, to build up Christians, and to save the lost. Ideally.

The Church is not to do the evangelizing but to feed the evangelist.

Well, the church should also checkup on it's members,to make sure everyone is
doing well.

 

[Scott1]

spiritual nourishment... encouragement, wisdom from God, kindness

Isn't the Bible enough?

 

[Alabaster]

The Church is not to do the evangelizing but to feed the evangelist.

Wow! The Church of Jesus Christ --the Bride---is the light of the world and the salt of the earth and Jesus has given us the Great Commission to do what?

EVANGELIZE!

Some of you really need to know Scripture, so the enemy will have a harder time lulling people to sleep with his lies.

 

[handy]

The word 'church' gets a bit confusing. There is the Church which is the Body of Christ. And, then there is 'church' which means that place we go to meet with other Christians in order to worship God, be equipped and sent forth to do the work of the kingdom. The Scriptures uses the word 'church' to refer to both the catholic body as well as to the local congregation. I tend to capitalize Church when I use it to refer to the Body, and use lower case when referring to the local congregation, just to try to keep it straight in my own mind.

Whereas it is totally correct that the Church (the Body of Christ) is to evangelize, I do not believe that the primary purpose of our worship services are for evangelism. Yes, we can bring non-Christians to church and hopefully they can respond to the Holy Spirit there. But, church (corporate worship time) is family time. It is our time to be with together before God, to share communion, to sing praises and hymns to our Lord, to meet the needs of each other, to equip each other for good works, to exhort each other not to weary of doing good and to then go forth, refreshed, renewed and ready to bring the gospel into the world.

Scott1, I for one am not a big 'sola scriptura' believer. I do believe that the Bible contains all we need for the equipping of the saints, but the Holy Spirit calls some to be apostles, pastors and teachers and I believe He calls some to this calling for the simple reason that we need them. We are also urged in the Scripture to 'not neglect our own gathering together, as is the habit of some, but to encourage one another and all the more as we near the Day'. (Hebrews 10:24-25 wildly paraphrased by me.)

 

[Scott1]

Thanks handy for your well written reply.....

It is our time to be with together before God, to share communion, to sing praises and hymns to our Lord, to meet the needs of each other, to equip each other for good works, to exhort each other not to weary of doing good and to then go forth, refreshed, renewed and ready to bring the gospel into the world.

I don't doubt this... but I'm just curious how those who are "sola scriptura" 100% feel about the subject. It seems that time spent in a church building could be better spent reading the Bible individually....or working on ones own "personal salvation" as that seems to be the most important thing.

Yes, we can bring non-Christians to church and hopefully they can respond to the Holy Spirit there.

Again... why not just give them a Bible?

What is it in your church that contains the Holy Spirit other than Scripture?

Thanks for taking the time (you or anyone else) in answering these questions.
S

 

[RadicalReformer]

Scott1 - how do we know that we are too follow your brand of Catholocism and not, say:

http://www.traditionalmass.org/

 

[Scott1]

Scott1 - how do we know that we are too follow your brand of Catholocism and not, say:

http://www.traditionalmass.org/

Never said you should follow me at all... follow your conscience.... and if the SSPX works for ya, join up.

For me .... I'd go Russion Orthodox .... married priests, cool beards, great music.... can't beat it.

 

[RadicalReformer]

Scott1 - how do we know that we are too follow your brand of Catholocism and not, say:

http://www.traditionalmass.org/

Never said you should follow me at all... follow your conscience.... and if the SSPX works for ya, join up.

For me .... I'd go Russion Orthodox .... married priests, cool beards, great music.... can't beat it.

Ahh... so there are different blends of Catholocism - almost like different denominations.

 

[Scott1]

Ahh... so there are different blends of Catholocism - almost like different denominations.

Sort of... we just share the same basic faith... and most importantly a valid Eucharist.

"Denomination" to me at least, implies that there is a difference in the core faith, otherwise what's the point of a new denomination.... unless it was a political shift (like some of the Lutheran sects) I'd have to say the new group is something different from the "original".

 

[handy]

It seems that time spent in a church building could be better spent reading the Bible individually....or working on ones own "personal salvation" as that seems to be the most important thing.

I don't think that most Protestants would say that reading the Bible and working on one's personal salvation are the most important things. We in the Body are to be doing the 'good works which God prepared for us, to walk in them.' (Ephesians 2:10) Evangelism is certainly one of those 'good works' as is meeting the needs of the poor, healing the sick, visiting those in prision and so on. Good works, if done faithfully can wear one down, which was why the Apostle Paul exhorted us not to weary in doing them but to remain faithful. (Gal 6:9)

Yes, we can bring non-Christians to church and hopefully they can respond to the Holy Spirit there.

Again... why not just give them a Bible?

Non-Christians wouldn't really understand the Bible. It is not written for them. One can only understand the Scriptures correctly if the Holy Spirit is opening the heart to recieve it. Not that giving Bibles to non-Christians is a bad thing, it's not, and reading the Gospel of John was how the Holy Spirit brought me to new life. But, for the most part, the Bible in the hands of a non-believer isn't necessarily going to unfold the gospel to them in a way they can respond to. Far better for a believer to open the Bible with the non-believer and explain the way of God to them.

What is it in your church that contains the Holy Spirit other than Scripture?

I'm not sure that 'contains' is the correct word, but I think I understand your meaning. Communion certainly, as well as baptism. The Spirit of God is also at work within the teachings, as Paul said to the Corinthians, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words." (2 Cor 2:12-13)

And, also during corporate worship the Spirit is present in the hymns and songs we sing as we see in Ephesians 5:18-19: "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord."

 

[Scott1]

Wow Dora.... I think I'd like to visit your church... sounds like a great place to worship.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[waitinontheLamb]

The Church is not to do the evangelizing but to feed the evangelist.

Wow! The Church of Jesus Christ --the Bride---is the light of the world and the salt of the earth and Jesus has given us the Great Commission to do what?

EVANGELIZE!

Some of you really need to know Scripture, so the enemy will have a harder time lulling people to sleep with his lies.

Maybe before you make such statements you should read what I am saying. I am not saying the Church, as in the body of believers, is not to be the evangelists. I said that the building itself, or the church service is not for evangelism. It is the job of the Church (body of believers) to be the evangelists.

Satan also loves to lull by getting people to insert their own meanings into things that are not there. Ni Night.

 

[handy]

Folks, I'm going to lock this thread pending some discussion I want to have with other staff here. Hopefully, this will be temporary lock.

 

[Biblereader]

The Scriptures uses the word 'church' to refer to both the catholic body as well as to the local congregation.

OH? Where?

 

[handy]

Numerous places. Keep in mind that the word 'catholic' simply means universal or entire.

Examples of where the word church is used in the catholic sense:

Matthew 16:18 "And I say also unto thee, that thou aret Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church...

1 Corinthians 10:32 "Give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God."

Examples where the word church is used in the local sense:

Romans 16:1 I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a serveant of the church which is at Cenchrea.

It can be an intersting study to go to a place like the Blue Letter Bible and search the concordance for the word 'church' and see how it is used.

 

[Alabaster]

The Church is not to do the evangelizing but to feed the evangelist.

Wow! The Church of Jesus Christ --the Bride---is the light of the world and the salt of the earth and Jesus has given us the Great Commission to do what?

EVANGELIZE!

Some of you really need to know Scripture, so the enemy will have a harder time lulling people to sleep with his lies.

Maybe before you make such statements you should read what I am saying. I am not saying the Church, as in the body of believers, is not to be the evangelists. I said that the building itself, or the church service is not for evangelism. It is the job of the Church (body of believers) to be the evangelists.

Satan also loves to lull by getting people to insert their own meanings into things that are not there. Ni Night.

I read you. You never said that originally in any way.

 

[waitinontheLamb]

That is exactly what I said. It is your hermaneutic transferring into everyday distortions.