01/07/12

Faithless and perverse generation

Luke 9:41 - And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.


I am sharing something not to put down any person but to understand how faithless and perverse we can be when we believe man more than God.

One sister sent me a mail stating Peter was the first Bishop of Rome and the first Pope. When I asked her where she got her information from she referred to the website of the Roman Catholic Church.

Firstly there are no records of Peter being an operational head of any institutional Church. The Bible also does not state him to be the head of the Church after Jesus. He was given the honour to lead by not as a head of the Church. Paul's letters are a proof that the Church had no head other than Christ, unless Paul was not of the same Church which Peter was.

The first institutional Christian Church in records (which I know of - I may be wrong here) was the Church of Jerusalem of which James the brother of Jesus was the Bishop of. One should remember Peter as well as Paul along with the other 12 Apostles were all martyred excluding John who was put to death in a pot of boiling oil yet miraculously survived. The first early Church during the time of Peter operated more from houses since the persecution of the early Christians started in Jerusalem.

The first earliest records of elections of a Pope were in 418AD when Boniface became Pope. The concept of the Bishop of Rome being the head of the Church was made many years after the Apostles died. The word 'Pope' comes from a Greek word which means 'father' and all Bishops were called by that term (the Catholic Church priests are not official priests, only the Bishop is, but they receive permission to do 'the priestly duties' from the Bishop they are under). The first records of the title 'Pope' was in 233AD (if Peter was the first Pope he would have been at least 250 years old by then, that is if he had not died). It was in 217AD that infighting began of who headed the Church in Rome for the Bishops started fighting among themselves and that led to the concept that was later known as 'antipope'. According to RC Church records there were least 30 antipopes of the 266 Popes till date. The worst period was between 950AD- 1150AD which saw 12 antipopes, this period also saw Pope Benedict XI being disposed twice and again restored. Again in 1350AD-1450AD there were 5 antipopes in a period of 100 years. It institute was less an institute to do with God and more a political power center. Even today if you know of people in the Vatican the story has not changed. Of late it has come out in the media.

If one reads the Bible the scriptures show the Apostles did not report of any one person being head, they worked together as one unit. Paul at no place took permission from the other Apostles for any activity once his ministry took off; nor did they dispute with him or each other in the book of Acts. In only place is recorded of a dispute between them and this was of a serious nature; something very important which the Lord wanted us to know. It was between Paul and Barnabas concerning Mark. When one reads the ending of Gospel of Mark one would understand Paul's displeasure against Mark (whose real name was John). The Gospel was incomplete and later completed by someone else; Mark's original Gospel spoke of Jesus' death and His body missing but did not record the witnessing of His resurrection.

If one goes by logic Barnabas was one of the 12 selected Apostles and Paul was not, so that incident would make Paul a rebel of the Church! The 12 Apostles and so also Paul knew the concept of twelve was as symbolic as the twelve tribes of Israel. The twelve were not a council or a board of directors of the Church. They worked together as one body and this is shown even with Paul and the others who were with him, including those who did not have callings of Apostleship. In fact even though an Apostle is top among the calling (but below Christ the Head) yet an Apostle has to serve the lowest in the calling not like how the Pope who sits like a king on a throne wearing crown (he has a triple crown which declares him as king of kings, having authority over heaven, earth and hell).

We people become perverse because we are filled with distorted information and we prefer to believe in them more than believing in what the Bible states. We prefer questioning God than questioning man whom we have made king over our lives.

This message is not only for the Catholics but also for Believers who prefer to believe preachers and Pastors blindly but do not verify their teachings with scriptures. Jesus said today's words to those with Him at that time but today the Holy Spirit is saying the same to us. How long has He to bear with our faithless and perverseness?


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, You have again and again warned us against trusting man more than You. You do not change nor does your Word change. Everything will move but your Word holds Truth and never changes. Lord, help us to trust You more and not to put our trust in the words of the worldly man. Help us to discern what comes from your Spirit and that which comes from the mind of man...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Acts 15:36-41
36 And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.
37 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.
38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.
39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;
40 And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.
41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.

Ephesians 1:20-23
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Colossians 1:16-18
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)