The History Of The Church Through The Ages, Part 2 - Duane Permenter 6/7/11

Once again, we welcome you to our assembly.

We're thankful for the presence of everyone who is here tonight,

we're going to study again about the history of the church.

And what we want to do is we want to rewind just a little bit

and talk about how the departure actually occurred talk about

some of the things that occurred.

Well, before we do that, I want to review the facts of how and

what the church was we know that the church in the Bible is

called The Church of Christ. Just Romans chapter 16 and 16.

Romans 16 · chapter mention

We know that the church began in the city of Jerusalem as the

prophets foretold in Isaiah chapter 2, and not a chi chapter

Isaiah 2 · chapter mention

2 and, of course, we have the history of this event in Acts

Acts 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2, we know that it occurred about a t-33 after the

first Pentecost on the first Pentecost.

After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we know that Peter began

to preach somewhere around 9 a.m. in the In Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2:15

verse 15, we know that Jesus Christ is the Builder.

We know that he is the foundation, he's the Cornerstone

along with the apostles and the prophets, the Bible says, the

foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself

being the Chief Cornerstone. Now, we know that even though

there was only one church had one Faith, some departed from

that Faith, some left, that faith.

And we were warned about this early before it happened.

We know that these men Follow doctrines of demons or doctrines

that came from the Devil Himself.

Now we know that the Bible identified, the second Church in

identified the departure by stating that this subgroup of

people would forbid, some to marry and command certain foods

not to be eaten. So here we have the Church of

Jesus Christ and we have a departure predicted.

And at first there were no denominations.

There were no no religious sectarian Ins.

There was only one body, there was only one church now.

I think we need to understand something the word church

ekklesia means called out and literally translated it should

have been assembly. In fact, if you study the Bible

and you look to Acts chapter 19, you'll notice that the word

Acts 19 · chapter mention

ekklesia is translated in reference to a town meeting.

And all the word means is assembly so it's not wrong to

say the Baptist Church because that is the Baptist assembly,

but it's wrong to call it the Church of Christ because it's

not the Lord's assembly. And so when we talk about one

Church, we're talking about one saving Church.

There are many religious bodies. There are many assemblies in the

world but they will not save. You only the church that you

read about in the Bible only the religious institution that is

recorded in the scriptures and we pointed out last evening

there are 3,000 Mainline churches.

Well how was it that the Church of Jesus Christ?

Those who were brothers and sisters in the body and ranks of

Our Lord left the true faith and entered into darkness friends.

It was not one giant leap Into Darkness.

It was one small step at a time. One day after another one, small

error after another and of course, over a period of 100

years, all of those steps became such a Giant Mountain.

Those You were born under that hundred-year departure had no

idea of what the truth even was they didn't know how to get back

and so that's of course how the departure occurred.

So we want to talk about some of those details.

Listen to what Paul says to the church at Ephesus.

He's talking about this, same problem, you see?

The problem is still real. It's still an issue today that's

why the old preachers told us Brethren were drifting.

It reminded us of the fact that we need to be aware of the fact

that we can drift away from the truth that we can leave.

Leave the truth and we can do it in such a unconscious way.

We don't even realize that it's occurring until it's too late.

You know, what's so dangerous about leaving the truth?

You know, the best way to illustrate it.

You know I've been in the church long enough now to see this

happen, many times, I mean a woman decide they're not

satisfied at the truth and so they leave.

Maybe they go into what we call the digressive church, maybe

they going to denominationalism, they'd been raised in the truth

and they go off in into the world away from the truth and

raise their families and Finn finally one day they wake up.

And they come back. But the children stay where they

were. That's what drifty.

That's one of the reasons why drifting is so dangerous.

It's not just where we are going, but where is the next

Generation going to go? And often the next or the second

generation, the third generation.

They are so far removed from the pure that they don't know how to

get back. Now, think about this, this is

very important. Therefore Paul says he's talking

to the elders at Ephesus. He's called them to my leaders.

He's hastening his journey to get to Jerusalem by certain

time. And so he sends word ahead for

these men to meet him, at the Seacoast, town of my letus and

he gives them A Farewell Address.

He thinks that this is the last time he's going to see them, but

it isn't the last time he sees them several other occasions.

Now, this is the same church that he had spit.

Some Three years working among, and working with a previous to

this, he had established this church, and he had gone in there

later, and spent three years of working and laboring among them.

Now, notice what the Bible says, therefore take heed to

yourselves talking to the leaders of the church, the

elders, take heed, therefore unto yourselves and to all the

flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to

Shepherd the Church of God, which he purchased with his own

blood for. I know this that after my

Departure Savage wolves will come in among you not sparing

the flock, listen to this. Also from among yourselves.

Men will rise up speaking perverse, things to draw away to

the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember

that for three years. I did not cease to warn every

one night and day with tears. Notice now, Paul says they're

going to be problems in the church.

Both from without, and from within Now, I'm not so afraid of

the problems out there of the enemy out there because we know

who he is. But, you know, the people that

are dangerous are people who are on the inside people, we love

People, we esteem people, that we believe are faithful who do

their Dirty Work behind the scenes in secret, so, to speak.

That's the way it always is. Who work on prey on the weak who

work and prey on those who are troubled and have problems.

Paul says, there's going to be trouble on the inside and on the

outside, that's the way. It's always been.

There's going to be trouble ahead, it plans wrong, we have

to face that fact. There's going to be problems in

the church in the future. There always will be.

The Bible says that evil men, and seducers shall wax worse and

worse deceiving and being deceived.

And so we have to recognize that fact, at first, the church was

pure and John told the rather. He said you try the spirits and

he qualifies with those Spirits were by saying that they were

preachers or teachers in the church, they were false prophets

that had gone. The word he says, test.

It put them to the test, try to make sure they are what they

claim they ought to be. Now again, I want to emphasize

at first, the church was pure, but there was one small change

after another. Now, what's interesting about

this, if you go through and you study this we there's no we

don't have time tonight to talk about all of it but every one of

these early departures had something that they affected

that it affected later on. Long and this apostasy grew and

grew and grew until you had the Roman church and it was one

little step at a time that maybe people didn't have much thought

about or concerned about now, one of the first things that was

introduced was about 20 years after the last Apostle died.

And that was holy water. Now, how did that start?

I don't know for sure but I will tell you this.

I noticed one day and Zambia. Well, they always pray before

they you know, we pray afterwards.

They do too, but they prayed before they baptized too.

I don't always understand. Didn't always wasn't always able

to hear. What was being said by?

Notice one day the brother said, Lord, will you bless the water?

And I thought, hmm. And so, you know, we have

studied, we had studies and we had dialogue.

We've got too sophisticated for that, kind of teaching you in

America, you know. But Paul the Bible says, talk

did and that word taught means that he dialogue with him and

acts 20:7. It was not just getting up.

Acts 20:7

And given the 45-minute discourse, he actually dialogue

with brethren in the audience. That's what we do.

This van via Bill Davis taught me how to do that and there's a

great deal of learning when that happens.

Well, anyway, we're dialoguing about this and I Ask the

Brethren. I said how do you think people

started blessing the water in the first century?

How do you think holy water came about?

And you know there were some in that audience.

So these are all church leaders about 100 church leaders and

there were some in that audience that thought when the brother

was praying for the lord, to bless the water that he was.

He was creating holy water. Now, the brother who made that

prayer said he didn't mean anything, but he was just he

just asking the Lord's blessing on what they're about to.

Do. That's all he meant by what he

said, but you see sometimes good intentions lead to bad things.

We have to realize that. Maybe that's how holy water came

into Vogue in the first century, I don't know, or the second

century actually. Maybe that's how holy water was

introduced, I don't know, maybe it was innocent.

It was still water. It still was the same water

after they blessed it as it was before it still had the same

saving power. But of course, it's set them up

for other changes later on and we'll talk about that.

Another departure that came about. 140 was lent and Easter

another departure and 157 ad was the doctrine of penance.

Now, this developed from something that was good and

right. you know, when somebody commits a sin, their

consequences, When a church leader is immoral.

He don't make a confession this Sunday because he got caught.

And then next Monday, you have him up there leading singing and

praying and leading the service in the teaching.

That's not the way it works. The Bible says, you know, those

who labor among you, if a man's an immoral person?

What do you know about him, when you put him up there, the next

Sunday, you know, he's young person that said I'm sorry and

that you know that he's an immoral man.

That's what All about him. Now we need to put it in proper

perspective. Bible says, test the spirits.

That means something that's not put in there to fill in space.

We are too quick to put men in positions of authority.

Now, listen to me, when a man's a gospel preacher, If I go out

here and commit adultery and I have a meeting plans, Road, you

don't cancel it. You're going to be accountable

to the Lord for that. It doesn't matter if I make

10,000 confessions, there are consequences for my action?

Yes, I can be forgiven. Yes, I can be forgiven but there

are consequences to my action and I need to be responsible and

when I'm in a trusted position and I betrayed that trust it's

very very difficult to know if I really he repented because if I

repented after I got caught, that might be the only reason I

repented And I know that happens and we're too quick to put

people in the Pulpit too quick to put people back in a position

of authority when they when they spoil that position.

Now, that's where that dr. Drew Pinsky came from.

It was good intentions. It just wasn't enough for him to

make a confession and sit on the bench.

She see. They started having different

things. Sometimes, they paid money.

That's where the idea of paying money for sin, came from it

developed into all kinds of corrupt fames.

Well, the doctor appendix was forward to.

The Bible is forward to the teaching of the Bible.

Now there's some there's some connection to the Bible in that

Doctrine, but it's carrying the gospel too far carrying, what's

written too far, 1980, the Apostles Creed was developed in

the year 200. Now this is interesting and I in

fact, Act. I want to write this on the

board because I want you to keep this in your heart and in your

mind in the New Testament Church.

There were elders. And of course, those Elders were

known as Shepherds. Those Shepherds were known as

pastors. Those pastors were known as As

let's see, there's another term. We receive a shepherd's pastors.

O Bishops. And there were Bishops in the

church. Now, all of these terms refer to

the same thing All of them referred to the same offers for

the same work, but now think about this.

What men decided was the ownership is not.

It is not have the respect, it needs.

It does not have the authority. That it needs.

People didn't listen to the eldership like they should.

And so they took a breath and to task instead of teaching them,

the what they needed to know instead of teaching them the

truth. They of course, Decided, this is

what we'll do. Will change the name of the

Elder to priest will exalt him. Now, they might have recent like

this, the Elder is a priest because all Christians are

priests in 1st Peter, chapter 2. The Bible says that we make up a

royal priesthood. We're all individual priests.

And we're to all offer up spiritual sacrifices under the

Lord. There is no clergy laity

relationship in the Church of Christ.

This is one of the main differences between us and the

rest of the religious World. There are no big eyes and little

use. We're all members one of

another, they're all connected, one to the other, but in the

year 200 ad, they exalted the leadership and started

designating the local Elders as priest separate from the church

separate from the membership. Now, that was a major change, it

seem like small but that's what led to the great apostasy or one

of the things that led to the great apostasy into 2080

Purgatory was introduced now. Of course, that was R.

If you had a loved one who was lost, he go to hell or go to

Purgatory for a period of time and after a while he suffered

and he endured a great deal of pain but you could actually buy

his way into heaven. And that was a Doctrine people

wanted rich. People were willing to pay for

that. We rich people were willing to

donate, lots of money to the apostate church because of this

Doctrine. Well, it was rejected in the

beginning but it was reintroduced in 1070 ad in the

Cayman part of the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church.

Well, now, I'm 250 ad. Now, you can see a connection

here. The water were using is Holy.

You know, it might be that we want we don't have a priest down

at so-and-so place, but we got a priest here and he's he's he's

blessed. This water, it's become holy

water, we don't have to dump people anymore.

So, and so's on a sick bed and he's not able to be immersed in

water. So we got this holy water.

Let's just sprinkle them See how it works, one departure

encourages a donor. That's why it's so important to

investigate everything, we practice everything we believe

and make sure that what we're doing is according to the

dictates of God's word and not just something that Mom and Dad

did or that. The preacher says, we ought to

do. Well, the departure from the New

Testament pattern is very slow. There a lot of other things that

I could talk about but I don't have the time But it's one step

at a time, one minut change at a time.

One day after day, one change after change and through the

years the departure becomes a terrible thing and it actually

develops into what we call the apostate Church, its gradual and

it takes a long time. However, something changed that

help this departure now, according to mr.

Brownback the public functions of religion were solely

entrusted to this. Babish, Ministers of the church,

the Bishops and the presbyters. Now, look at this, you see into

20 or so, they took elders and decided that their priests.

Now what they've done that elevated the, the elders above

the membership, just a little bit.

Now, the next step is these. This clergy that's developing

decides. That not everybody has a right

to wait at the Lord's table. Have you ever discussed with the

Catholic priest about the communion, you know, they

believe that, that none of us eat the Lord's body bread

because you have to have that connection to Peter all the way

back to Peter and you have to be a certain individual that's had

that Authority passed down through him to him, through the

ages to bless it and make it the Lord's body.

In the Lord's. Blood And of course the Bible

doesn't teach that it is the Lord's body or it is the Lord's

blood anyway, the word is in Matthew, 26, 26, and 27 is a

copula and it means it's a symbol of representation.

It represents the body of Jesus, it represents the blood of

Jesus, it does not become the blood of Jesus nearing.

The communion, when we bless the law of it is a representative of

the body of Jesus, and it remains that representative

until Party in the assembly. Each from that one loaf.

When the last person eats from that one love, it's finished and

it's no longer the body of Christ.

And we get that all confused and we have great debates about what

you got to do with the bread, when the service is over.

But it's just bread and the service is over. and we get that

from the Catholic idea that it becomes the body of Christ,

whether we want to admit that or not, we better be careful.

Now, what they do next, they take away the jobs from the

church, the clergy starts leading all the singing.

They start leading all the parade, they start waiting at

the Lord's. Supper they start doing all the

preaching and so they're developing its clergy laity

relationship, they're making a distinction, the separation

between those who lead the church and those who attend

church. That's the beginning of them of

the Catholic Church, taking the Bible away from people.

You know, when they took the Bible away from people, you know

how they did that. They made Bibles and Latin

language that had been dead for hundreds of years.

Nobody could read it when a Wycliffe translated the Bible,

he was so hated that 75 years after he was dead, they dug up

his bones and burn them and stir them to the Four Winds.

I don't know what difference has it made, but they hated him so

much because he translated the Bible.

They did that as an act of of hatred toward him because they

said people said the authority of the church said, the common

man can't read the Bible. He can't serve God.

You got to have a special people, a special group.

Now listen to me. The Bible says we're all priests

When you sin, you had a right to approach God and ask him to

forgive you. There's not a clergy laity

relationship in the church. Some people have this idea that

they have to have the preacher pray for.

I'm gonna tell you something. That is not the Bible.

That is our thinking from this idea of clergy laity

relationship. Now, don't misunderstand.

Me. If you committed public, seeing

you need to publicly acknowledge that sin.

But if you realize you send on Monday, you don't have to wait

till Sunday to pray. To God, to forgive you, and wait

till Sunday to be forgiven because you're a priest.

If you're Christian seeming, you're a priest in Lord service

and you have access to God. Now, I want to give you an

example of that, under the Old Testament during the makes the,

the morals of suppose a college. They had a priesthood, the

descendants of Aaron, during the patriarchal age, they had no

priesthood. In that sense, but the patriarch

of the family served as the priest he offered the sacrifice.

For example, in job, the first chapter, the Bible says that job

made sacrifices for his sons, just in case they send, you see

why there is no priesthood as such the patriarch acted in the

place of the priest. Now, Abraham was a patriarch.

Now, he went down to Egypt and he told Pharaoh, Sarah.

Sarah is my sister. Now, what did your dad do when

he found out? You told half of the truth and

you told half of the truth because you wanted to fool him

and then he found out that you told him half the truth so that

you wouldn't get in trouble. What did he do?

I'll pay with my dad. Did he took his belt off?

And he wore my bottle bath. Because a half, truth is a lie.

Abraham lied to pharaoh. Now it's true.

That Sarah was his half-sister. They had the same father but not

the same mother. But now listen folks, he lied.

Now, Pharaoh took Sarah to be his wife.

Now, evidently he didn't commit any immorality with her but it

just took her into his house and when that happened, the Bible

says that God calls plagues to fall, upon pharaoh.

Now, Pharaoh did this in ignorance, he didn't know that

he had a man's wife. But because he took Sarah

pledge, were put down upon his house, and he realized that he

had made God unhappy. And so, he found out from the

Lord, that Sarah was Abraham's wife.

In addition to being his sister, and he brought him in here

addicted. But you know what happened?

When, when Pharaoh wanted to be one of this plague to be

removed, you know what God Said. He said you have Abraham, the

priest, the Prophet, The Prodigal or the patron of the

patriarchal of the, his family, the go-between for you.

And God, he said you had him off or sacrifice for you.

Now, the point is this, the point I'm trying to make is this

when I sin, because I'm a priest, even though I've sinned,

if I approach God according to his terms, I can ask for

forgiveness. And it doesn't matter if I have

sinned, I can still ask God, I can still pray to God just like

Abraham did for Pharaoh. Well, that's a sideline but I

think we need to talk about that like we did when I was a kid.

I remember dr. McCord, if the sizing that

meetings that he held, I remember Linwood emphasizing

that in meetings held him and we didn't have a problem with it.

They had like we have sometimes. Now people have this idea that

that you got to walk down. In the island and confess your

sins. But that is not what the Bible

teaches. The Bible teaches that there is

no priesthood separate from the church, every Christian is a

priest. Well, the point is, they took

the work away from the members as small change in church,

government occurs, the elders are elevated.

They're called priests now. And of course, the work of the

church was done by all qualified members, but now it was only

those who were Sanctified for that purpose in the eyes of men

notice now, Romans 15:4. It says they were able also to

Romans 15:4

admonish one another. That is to teach one another

therefore comfort each other first Thessalonians 5:11 each

1 Thessalonians 5:11

other and edify. One another just as you also are

doing. In other words, everybody in

early church who was qualified. Every man in the early church,

who is qualified, could serve at the Lord's table.

Every man who was qualified and faithful Could Teach the

audience, Every man who had the ability every man who had the

faithfulness could stand and lead the assembly in a song.

There was no clergy laity relationship all were equal as

far as the church is concerned. So the leadership takes all the

work from the membership and this started about 100 years

after the last Apostle died. Just about the time 100 years

after the last Apostle died, I remember what Paul said.

He said Sun would rise up Among Us, speaking perverse, things to

draw away disciples after them, this truly was the beginning of

the end. Now The Bible says our history

tells us rather that in the major metropolitan areas, they

had large churches now just like it is today.

The church at plans Road, the Church of Brundage Lane.

Sends help to hatch be right. Y'all help help set right door.

Set right. Darrell innocent you guys help

to hatch me they don't said help them here.

You see any help up there because their country Church

small Church. Well, that's the way it was in

the first in about the third Century, you had these large

shirt, large churches and you had these churches in the

country side, and what would happen is the churches in the

country, didn't always have the leadership they needed, and so

they sought help from other places.

It was it wrong for these other places to help them but that set

them up for a great departure from the truth.

And so the elders have been exalted Excuse me.

They took the work away from the people and then they decided

that when there was a problem but among the elders, that could

not be settled. That what they should do is

exalt one of the Elders above the others and called him Bishop

now In every church or in a lot of the congregation's, what

developed was a head Elder? That's what they had.

They, that they had five elders and they ran into a problem.

Couldn't be solved. They had one man that made the

final decision. Now, it's natural for some men

to have more influence than other men.

It depends obviously on their ability.

It depends on how much time they spend in the work.

It's natural for some men have more influence than others.

But what happened was? They took that That simple

logical thing and made it more than it should have been exalted

him as Chief Elder. Now that of course led to

something else. In fact, what they did is, they

develop their brought in a new name, they borrowed a name from

the Old Testament, Patriarchs and made one of the elders in

the local eldership. A patriarch.

Now, we have the scriptural situation, Elders, ruling in

every Church, Deacon serving under the eldership.

And of course the bishop was an elder he was equal to the Elder.

He was not over the Elder but of course this attitude of the

apostate Church LED. They just Parcher from the

truth. And so now all of these churches

are looking to these to these Town churches for assistance.

And now the town Church, appoints a man to be over all

these country churches and he develops, what is called a

diocese and they have an Archbishop.

And this we know historically occurred in Rome constant Noble

Ephesus, Antioch and Alexandria. Now the next step is logical.

Because you see what happened, was the church at Alexandria,

had a problem out here in the country somewhere?

They couldn't get it solved. They've been working on for a

long time. Couldn't be solved so they

called over to Antioch and pretty soon, maybe the church at

Ephesus call over to constant Noble, they couldn't get the

problem solved so they had to put somebody else over all the

churches. And finally, it ended up that

there was a papa in the city of Rome.

Now this was caused by a lack of knowledge, not by the people in

charge, but by the membership you see there has to be a check

and balance situation and if there's not Then we're headed

for trouble. Every member has a

responsibility. You have an obligation.

When I teach something, it's wrong to talk to me about that,

listen to me. If you're a teacher in the

church and you don't like it when people object to something

you've said or talk to you about, what's what you said,

then you better change your attitude.

Because the audience has a right to question everything that said

publicly. And if I is a gospel preacher or

as a teacher leader in the church and not willing to be

question that I have not had no right to even teach because the

church is to protect the truth, your to protect the pulpit.

Listen folks, it's still just Frankie's job.

It's your job brother. It's your job.

It's your responsibility. And that's how the church is

protected. That's why I'm the Church of

Christ. We don't have this cool clergy

lady relationship, we're all members.

One of another. Now we all have ability and

sometimes because of our ability we may develop more influence

than someone else, but we had no Authority that the Bible is not

give us Authority comes from the Bible and this problem was

caused because people didn't study.

I'm going to tell you something, if we don't, if we don't have a

knowledge of the Bible, we're headed for trouble.

Hosea said, my people are destroyed for a lack of

knowledge. Me ask you a question.

If you're a teacher in the church Brundage or your teacher

of the church here at plans Road, Have you read the New

Testament through? How many times have you read it

through? How about if your sister here?

Now you're not a public teacher. You don't teach?

In the church. Your responsibility in any

public situation. As far as the Bible's concern is

silence and submission. But you supposed to have a Bible

knowledge so you can teach your children so you could teach your

neighbor. How many times have you read the

New Testament through? Do you realize that if you're a

slow reader and you spend 20 minutes a day now who among us?

Could not get up, 20 minutes earlier than we normally do in,

read the Bible for 20 minutes. What's 20 minutes?

if you read 20 minutes a day every day and one year, you read

the Bible through But suppose you're really slow reader and

you only get halfway through. So what read it in two years.

But make it your lifetime goal. To continue absorbing the will

of God. David said, Thy word?

Have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.

David said, the entrance of Thy word, giveth light, when have we

ever lived in a time? When we needed a lot more

desperately? We need to know what the light

says. We need to absorb the light.

We need to memorize it. We need to.

Read it. We need to think about it when

you discuss it. The departure occurred because

people didn't study. There are a lot of reasons why

we don't have the Bible knowledge.

We used to have but the main reason, is because we're not

studying, we've gotten so busy It's so incredible, how busy we

are. We spend our life. and the

things that are most important sometimes remain on the back

burner and our life passes by Well, another thing that caused

this problem was a desire for preeminence.

You know, anybody in the church wants to be the boss, I do.

That's dangerous. Leadership is not being the boss

folks. In fact, Jesus teaches us that

leadership is servant ship. A Bible leader that's going to

lead the church and the right way is serving the church is

exhausting his life in service. That's what a leader is in God's

eyes. It's not being the boss but all

the doctor fees Have not passed away, have they?

Preeminence that also led to the departure a desire for a new way

of worship. Be careful when you want to

change studies. It's not always bad to change

unless the changes compared to this book.

So, be careful when you change things because that attitude

might lead you in the wrong direction.

Well, there's no denominations, there's only one Church all of

these departures occur, many others that we could talk about,

and then of course, they put pop ahead of the whole church

universally and in 60 680. He was appointed and they called

it. The Roman Catholic Church.

The headquarters was in Rome Italy.

And of course some believe that the papacy success And when all

the way back to Peter, but of course, we know that the Bible

does not teach this. Now it's interesting.

There's only one church now, I don't know exactly when this

occurred but there was a division in the Roman Church

between the Western Empire and the Roman Empire and the Eastern

Empire. And when that division occurred,

there were three churches. And of course there's the Roman

Catholic Church, the Greek Catholic church and the Church

of Christ for over 1,000 years. There's only three churches.

An amazing Church down here at church guy came tonight.

He's looking for a church on plans, road, we tried to get him

to stay, but he's looking for somebody else, somewhere else

that was supposed to be right here in this area.

Well, there's every flavor of church that you can imagine or

desire, but there's only three there.

For over 1,000 years. And then Luther took a trip to

Rome. and when he got to Rome, And he saw what had been done

with the Indulgence has, it was more than he could stand.

In fact it's kind of interesting to read his history.

A few years back, there was a major writing in the in the

National Geographic about Luther.

You know at first he thought when all this corruption occur

to the Catholic church that the pope surely didn't know about it

and of course when he made his trip to Rome he found out that

he was right the middle of it. Now, Luther did not have a

desire to start a church. That was not his desire.

In fact, he told people don't call yourselves Lutheran's, call

yourself Christians, his thought was to reform the mother church,

but listen, folks, it had gone too far.

They were so far away from the truth.

There was no way to bring that church back.

There was no way to reform it in such a way that they, it could

come back to the truth. Well, when he died in 1534, the

followers of Luther organized, the Lutheran church.

Now we have four churches. Now a few years later, Henry

King Henry, the 8th wanted to divorce his wife.

Now he's still connected to the Roman Church and so he writes it

appeal to the to the pope and he says he wants to divorce his

wife and the pope wrote back and said Ed.

No. well, Old King Henry, the 8th decided That he wasn't a

listen to that and he wrote a letter to Parliament and he

said, you're going to separate the Church of England from the

Roman Church and you're going to make me the Pope.

Are you know what's good for you?

And so he formed the Church of England that was in 1538.

Now John Wesley saw the ritualistic form of worship the

empty form of worship that existed in the Church of England

and so he started What's called the Methodist Church in 1795.

The Baptist Churches were organized in Europe and 1605 by

a man by the name of John Smith now.

These names and dates are given in the encyclopedia.

You can't find them in the Bible.

You can read about the Church of our lord of the Bible but you

can't find these other churches in the Bible but you can find

them in secular history. The SDA as they like to call

themselves and Sandia, or The Seventh-Day Adventist started in

the mid 19th century. They were led by a man with the

name of William Miller. Now at first, they weren't

called The Seventh-Day Adventist, they were called

millerites. But now Miller predicted just

like this fellow that's predicted.

Jesus would come a few days ago that Jesus is going to come back

in 1843 well that day came and went and Jesus didn't come and

guess what Miller became a backslide.

And when he died in 18-49 lmg white, her husband took up his

cause and they changed the name to Seventh-day Adventist.

Well, there's a lot of other churches we talked about the

fact that there are three thousand churches.

But the problem is all of these churches where the wrong name,

all of these churches started in the wrong place.

All of these churches are too late for the Church of our Lord

and Savior. Jesus Christ, all of these

churches have Earthly heads, other, Then the Lord, Jesus

Christ, wrong name wrong place wrong time wrong man.

They're not the church that you read about in the will of God in

the Church of Jesus Christ that started in Jerusalem. 8033 this

is the one saving Church, the one saving body.

The one saving Christ, he built his church and that of course is

the Church of Christ. Now, listen to this.

Therefore in conclusion, listen to this.

Therefore whoever here as these sayings of mine and does them, I

will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock and

the rain descended, the floods came and the winds blew and beat

on that house and he did not fall for it was founded on the

Rock. But everyone who hears these

sayings of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man

who built his house on the sand and the rain, descended the

floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house and it

fell and great. Was its fall.

Now we have a choice tonight, we can build on the Rock of Ages,

or we can build on this, and there's only one saving church.

And tonight, if you're not a member of that one saving

church, we invite you to become a member.

Now listen to the words of Jesus.

Jesus said he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.

Jesus said look 13 Verse 3, I tell you nay but except ye

repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Obviously repentance has to do with changing our minds and then

as a result of repentance, we change your life.

And that's evidence of our dependents.

Jesus said whosoever shall deny me before men him alive.

And I also before my father who is in heaven whosoever,

therefore, shall confess me before men him will?

I confess also before my father who is in heaven, once you make

that good confession tonight, if you've never done that, and then

be buried with him in baptism for Jesus says that baptism

saves us. We thank you for listening to

our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.

Road in Bakersfield, if you would like any additional

information or you would like to receive a free Bible

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Church of Christ Bakersfield.com.

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