re: The Methodists are at it again

This kind of sick crap is why our church broke off from the United Methodist Church.

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The United Methodist Church I belonged to was not allowed to vote re: disaffiliation.

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My UM church pastor did not allow the vote to take place either.

No matter. At least 40 percent of the congregation has left, including myself. Now, there is a female pastor who doesn't adhere to the liturgical schedule and has readings from The Message instead of an actual Bible.

Thank God there is a Global Methodist Church in town. Small in number but great in faith.

I joined a Congregational Methodist Church, also great in faith and scripture based.

This is not my UMC of the 80's/ 90's. I'm bout to go full Pentecostal.

(Not really, but I have considered it; I like make-up and pants and dyeing my hair blonde, like many other southern ladies.)

It all started with love is love. Just let them marry who they want.

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It all started with love is love. Just let them marry who they want.

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That was step 2.

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Jesus taught people that God was within

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Not exactly. He taught that God is a spirit therefore isn’t confined to any place (Jn 4:24). He taught that He (Jesus) alone possesses the essence of God, and so if you have seen Jesus, you have seen the Father (Jn 14:7-11). Jesus taught the Holy Spirit would come and dwell in (not become part of) Christ’s people (Jn 14:16-17).

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and was generally against organized religion, which is that which replaces God as men are looking towards other men rather than to God.

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Again, not what Jesus taught.

Jesus observed the religious ordinances of the Old Testament. His parents had Him circumcised on the eighth day in accord with the religious practice of the Jews (Lk 2:21). He attended worship in the Synagogue on the Sabbath (Lk 4:16-17). He taught that the Sabbath was important and that He, Himself, was Lord of the Sabbath (Mk 2:27-28).

Jesus went with His earthly parents every year to Jerusalem to attend the Passover (Lk 2:41), and observed it as an adult (Jn 2:13,23; 12:1; Mt 26:17-20). He observed the religious feasts, as well (Jn 7:2,10,14).

He quoted the religious Scriptures constantly and held others accountable to it as the highest authority (Mt 4:4,7,10; 15:3-9).

Not only did Jesus keep the religious Jewish law, but He instituted religious practices for Christians to follow. He said He would build His church (Mt 26:18). He told the disciples to evangelize, baptize, and make students to know and obey all He commanded (Mt 28:19-20). He instituted the sacraments of baptism (Mt 28:19) and the Lord’s Supper (Lk 22:19) to be performed by His people. He taught His disciples to pray to God and even gave a formula for prayer (Mt 6:7-13). He gave instructions for church discipline (Mt 18:15-20). He said worship should be done in Spirit and truth (Jn 4:23-24).

That doesn’t even speak to the authority He gave to the apostles for commanding the government and worship instructions of the church found in the book of Acts and the epistles.

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In this way, Jesus taught that the people were the authority rather than the scribes(those who could cite scripture by memory and were considered experts on it).

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Again, not true. Jesus specifically said that the scribes and Pharisees sat in Moses’ seat (of authority) and that the people should listen to them and do what they say, but not what they do (Mt 23:2-3). He did contrast the authority of men with the ultimate authority of God’s word in the Scriptures (Mt 15:3-9), but recognized the subordinate authority of rulers like Pilate (Jn 19:10-11) and Caesar (Mt 22:21). More importantly than Caesar, Jesus gave authority to his apostles to teach the church what Christ commanded (Mt 28:18; Lk 10:16), and provided for church discipline and censure (Mt 18:15-20).

Further, after His resurrection, Jesus declared that He alone was given all authority (Mt 28:18).

So no, Jesus didn’t teach that each individual was an authority to Himself, as if Christ or the Scriptures or even the Apostles were to be ignored in favor of whatever seems right in each person’s eyes. That’s why Jesus gave the church Apostles and later elders to rule and govern as undershepherds of Christ for the formal governance and support of His church, not leaving each person to be an island, but to be the body of Christ, who is our head.

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FooManChoo

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Very impressive post!

Evangelicals be like “here is this dissertation on where gods spirit is but all those verses about giving to the poor, loving your enemies and helping immigrants are bullshite”