From: jesus_is_lord To: List Member Subject: Authority Date: Friday, August 04, 2000 11:13 AM jesus_is_lord Dear CHRISTIAN Friends: Greetings in the name of the ONLY wise God and Saviour Jesus Christ. ****************** I recently responded to a Catholic woman who says she was "deeply offended" by our website. She went on to essentially say that Catholics are Christians. I need to answer Catholics like her more often than I do. I'll include my response to her in this email. When we answer any cultist, our response must come from the Bible. The Bible is our AUTHORITY. When we were unsaved, the Bible was not our AUTHORITY. When we got saved, we received THE BIBLE AND THE GOD OF THE BIBLE AS OUR AUTHORITY. We must keep that at the forefront of our minds. A lot of people say they worship "God" but they could be talking about "Allah" or a host of other lowercase gods. I find that I must be very specific--I worship THE GOD OF THE BIBLE or I worship THE JESUS OF THE BIBLE--not the one of men's imaginations. The authority and basis for my beliefs is THE BIBLE. We got to be specific. We worship THE GOD OF THE BIBLE. When people criticize my beliefs in person or on the internet I tell them, "I worship THE GOD OF THE BIBLE. He has laid out specific requirements for man and they are found IN THE BIBLE. That is what my beliefs are based on." That response takes the pressure off of my little, feeble pea-brains and turns the focus onto "Thus saith the Lord" which is where it should be. I don't get into "I think..." Satan thrives in the area of human reasoning. He loves and savours those things that be of men, including our human reasoning-- Matthew 16:23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for THOU SAVOUREST not the THINGS that be of God, but those THAT BE OF MEN. There is no room in the Christian life for the "I think" syndrome. Satan will clean your clock with that thinking. I don't care if I'm talking to the biggest atheist in the world, I'm going to speak from the word of God. No man can gainsay the wisdom from the word. If I try to lay my argument foundation on "logic", scientific arguments, etc. I'll walk away with my head down 'cause the Devil will have me for lunch. But when you start speaking the word, hallelujah, everybody got to be quiet. People and devils. They may or may not give a snide remark, but more often than not, they are completely silenced. When we respond to any person or situation, we should use the Bible. Being on the internet has given me the opportunity to answer a lot email. I've made some mistakes, but through it all the Lord has shown me that I must use the Bible in all my responses. If my response cannot be supported by the Booke (King James 1611) then that response got to be deleted. An atheist wrote to me saying that I should change the focus of the website. The scripture that came to mind formatted my response-- Dear Friend: The content of the website should be of no concern to you since THOU HAS NEITHER PART NOR LOT IN THIS MATTER: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Acts 8:21 for Jesus' sake, tracy Through the internet, the Lord has shown me that this is what I must do. Use the word in all my responses. It is quick and powerful and sharper than any twoedged sword. It'll even divide asunder to the soul and spirit. It is a DISCERNER of the very thoughts and intents of the heart. It is the Christian's sword and it'll cut up EVERY lie, REAL QUICK. We must read it AND obey it. Then we will be fit for the Master's use in the midst of this generation. The following is my response to the Catholic woman. The emphasis here is on the Bible as the only true authority and how everything that contradicts it is a lie-- Dear Friend: You claim to worship the God of the Bible but you believe and practice things that are not in the Bible. You cannot support purgatory, prayers to Mary, etc. with a Bible verse. To the contrary, your beliefs are contradicted by the Bible. The bottom line is that every man appeals to someone or something for their authority. That authority is found in only one of two places-- (1) the Bible or (2) anything else. I worship the God of the Bible. He demands truth. What is truth? John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. What will judge you in the last day? John 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: THE WORD that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. The Lord requires adherence to His word. Both Cain and Abel gave God an offering. They were both worshipping. Abel's offering was accepted. But Cain's offering was REJECTED because it was not according to God's instructions. All those who circumvent the Bible are in Cain's group--REJECTED. Jude calls it "the way of Cain". False worshippers are the children of Cain. Catholics are in this group. They bring a strange fire before the Lord-- Leviticus 10:1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered STRANGE FIRE before the LORD, WHICH HE COMMANDED THEM NOT. 10:2 And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and THEY DIED before the LORD. God did not command you to call Mary the mother of God. God did not command you to listen to a pope. God did not command you to listen to a magisterium. On the other hand, God did say "Let God be true and EVERY man a liar." Anything that contradicts the word of God is a lie whether it comes from a pope, magisterium, archbishop, priest or layperson. The rosary, which requires repetitious "prayer", is found no where in the Bible. It is strange fire which the LORD commanded thee NOT. In fact, the rosary is contradicted by this scripture-- Matthew 6:7 But when ye pray, use not VAIN REPETITIONS, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Romanism is not Christian, that is why it is so easy to use the Bible to refute its grievous errors. The scriptures are a light that immediately expose your beliefs as false and heretical. False worshippers are destroyed just like Nadab and Abihu. False worshippers hear and despise the commandments of the Lord. You may say, "I do not despise the commandments of the Lord." Yes you do, because you DO NOT DO THEM. You choose another way. Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and DO NOT the things which I SAY? God did not command you to pray to Mary or a host of other things you do. You offer a strange fire before the LORD and He does not accept it. You will surely perish if you do not turn to the God of the Bible. He MUST be worshipped IN TRUTH-- John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in TRUTH: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him MUST worship him in spirit and in TRUTH. What is truth? John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: THY WORD is truth. for Jesus' sake, tracy -- http://www.jesus-is-lord.com ...I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD. And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. Ezekiel 2:4, 6 ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to jesus_is_lord-unsubscribe@listbot.com Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb