Do I Need To Go To Church To Be A Christian…?
October 19, 2008 by A Watchman
I don’t know if you are anything like me… But when I go to church I come away wondering what God truly thinks of it. I mean… I thought church was supposed to be a place where the focus was on Christ. Instead I find that preachers are more interested in trying to make people feel good, teaching them that God wants them to have an abundance of everything that this world has to offer. They teach us that if we give them lots of money then God will give us lots of money. And as for their preaching… Well, it seems that the gospel according to Paul suits their needs more than the Gospel of Christ does.
Have you ever wondered why there are so many pagan traditions celebrated within the church?
Have you ever wondered about Christmas? The supposed Christian celebration of the birth of Christ? Serious scholars of the bible will tell you that Christ wasn’t born any where near December 25th. Roman pagans celebrated December 25th as the birth of their ‘god’ of light, Mithra. Other pagan ‘gods’ born on Dec. 25th are: Hercules the son of Zeus (Greeks); Bacchus, ‘god’ of wine (Romans); Adonis, ‘god’ of Greeks, and ‘god’ Freyr of Greek-Roman pagans.
And what about Easter? Look up the word “Easter” in Webster’s dictionary. You will find: “AS. (Anglo-Saxon), from name of an old Teuton goddess of spring”. The name “Easter” is merely the slightly changed English spelling of the name of the ancient Assyrian goddess Ishtar, pronounced by the Assyrians exactly as we pronounce “Easter.” The Babylonian name of this goddess was Astarte, consort of Baal, the Sun god, whose worship is denounced in the Bible as the most abominable of all pagan idolatry.
There are many other Christian traditions that have deep roots in paganism that I won’t go into here.
I was under the impression that Christ and His disciples taught all men everywhere to repent. Yet when you go to church you wouldn’t think so. “Just say this prayer and you’ll be saved” they tell us. “There is no need to repent, Christ paid the penalty for your sins”.
The truth is… Two seperate and distint churches formed and developed after the resurrection and ascension of Christ.
1. The Nazarenes: The origal disciples of Yehoshua the Christ.
We know a little about the Nazarenes from Jewish Rabbinic writings, but the more important description of them, although negative, can be found in the writings of the Early “Church Fathers”. You see, just as now, the Nazarenes were misunderstood and hated by both the “Church” and Pharisaic Judaism. The fourth century “Church Father” Jerome, described the Nazarenes as “those who accept Messiah in such a way that they do not cease to observe the Old Law” (Jerome; On. Is. 8:14).
Another fourth century Church Father, Epiphanius, gave a more detailed description of how the Netzarim were viewed:
“We shall now especially consider heretics who… call themselves Nazarenes; they are mainly Jews and nothing else. They make use not only of the New Testament, but they also use in a way the Old Testament of the Jews; for they do not forbid the books of the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings… so that they are approved of by the Jews, from whom the Nazarenes do not differ in anything, and they profess all the dogmas pertaining to the prescriptions of the Law and to the customs of the Jews, except they believe in [Messiah]… They preach that there is but one [Elohim], and his son [Yahshua the Messiah]. But they are very learned in the Hebrew language; for they, like the Jews, read the whole Law, then the Prophets… They differ from the Jews because they believe in Messiah, and from the Christians in that they are to this day bound to the Jewish rites, such as circumcision, the Sabbath, and other ceremonies.” (Epiphanius; Panarion 29; translated from the Greek).
Although it’s hard for some to accept, the fact is that those being described here were the direct disciples and followers of Yehoshua (Jesus). So obviously, this is what He taught! These are the direct followers of Yehoshua, and yet there are so many who claim to be his followers and who follow a different Gospel, teachings of someone other than those of Yehoshua from Nazareth. There is evidence that the Nazarene Sect continued to exist until at least the 13th century. The writings of the Catholic teacher, Bonacursus, entitled “Against the Heretics,” refer to the Nazarenes, who were also called “Pasagini.” Bonacursus wrote:
“Let those who are not yet acquainted with them, please note how perverse their belief and doctrine are. First, they teach that we should obey the Law of Moses according to the letter – the Sabbath, and circumcision, and the legal precepts still being in force. Furthermore, to increase their error, they condemn and
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reject all the Church Fathers, and the whole Roman Church.”
2. Pauline (Roman) Christianity: A term used to refer a branch of Early Christianity associated with the beliefs and doctrines espoused by Paul the Apostle through his writings. Paul’s writings and teachings are radically different from the original teachings of Jesus documented in the canonical gospels, early Acts and the rest of the New Testament, such as the Epistle of James.
Proponents of the perceived Pauline distinctive include Marcion of Sinope, the 2nd century theologian who asserted that Paul was the only apostle who had rightly understood the new message of salvation as delivered by Christ. Opponents of the same era include the Ebionites and Nazarenes, who rejected Paul for teaching against the Law.
The doctrine of ’saved by faith’ found in the writings of Paul is radically different from that found elsewhere in the New Testament, nonetheless his influence came to predominate.
Paul’s supporters, as a distinct group, had an undue influence on the formation of the canon of scripture, and certain bishops, especially the Bishop of Rome, influenced the debates by which the dogmatic formulations known as the Creeds came to be produced, thus ensuring a Pauline interpretation of the gospel. The thesis is founded on the differences between the views of Paul and the church in Jerusalem revealed in his letters, and also between the picture of Paul in the Acts of the Apostles and his own writings, such that the essential Jewish or Old Testament character of the faith is said to have been lost. It has arguably been given impetus by the growth in importance of Evangelical Christianity, most especially in the United States, which rely very much on certain of Paul’s writings, in particular the Epistle to the Romans.
The theological aspect is the claim that Paul transmuted Jesus the Jewish Messiah into the universal (in a wider meaning “catholic”) Saviour.
Christianity today is based more on the doctrine of Paul than it is on the doctrine of Christ.
My origianal question was… Do I Need To Go To Church To Be A Christian…?
Well… Considering the history of the Pauline Roman Church…
- The Dark Ages
The period from 426 A.D. to 1628 A.D. is called the “Dark Ages.”
With the establishment of the new Catholic temporal power a bloody persecution began. Loyal, New Testament churches, by whatever name they were called, were hunted and hounded to the utmost limit by this new Catholic power.
The now established Catholic Church began a war of extermination upon all who opposed her.
It is reliably reported that 50,000,000 died of persecution during the Dark Ages.
During the bloody times of persecution, as Catholicism tried to exterminate the true churches, many of the false doctrines of the Catholic church of today began to take place.
- The Inquisition 1198-1700
The Inquisition was instituted by Pope Innocent lII and perfected under Pope Gregory IX. It was a “Church Court” established by the popes for the trying and punishing of “heretics” … a heretic being anyone who did not agree with Roman Catholicism. The lnquisition lasted for 500 years and was a time of indescribable horror.
- Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was a Pauline Christian. You will find it in Mein Kampf.- “Therefore, I am convinced that I am acting as the agent of our Creator. By fighting off the Jews, I am doing the Lord’s work.”
Hitler said it again at a Nazi Christmas celebration in 1926: “Christ was the greatest early fighter in the battle against the world enemy, the Jews . . . The work that Christ started but could not finish, I–Adolf Hitler–will conclude.”
In a Reichstag speech in 1938, Hitler again echoed the religious origins of his crusade. “I believe today that I am acting in the sense of the Almighty Creator. By warding off the Jews, I am fighting for the Lord’s work. ”
Hitler regarded himself as a Catholic until he died. “I am now as before a Catholic and will always remain so,” he told Gerhard Engel, one of his generals, in 1941.
There was really no reason for Hitler to doubt his good standing as a Catholic. The Catholic press In Germany was eager to curry his favor, and the princes of the Catholic Church never asked for his excommunication. Religions encourage their followers to hold authority in unquestioning respect; this is what makes devout religionists such wonderful dupes for dictators.
Historically, all modern forms of Christianity stem from the Pauline Roman Catholicism.
Given the church track record I would have to say that we would do well to heed the voice from heaven that John heard in revelation 18:
4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
My advice…? Just stick to the teachings of Christ… And you can’t go wrong.
Total agreement with you and with Simon Peter JN 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
Most of Paul’s supposed differences with Jesus, really, only come from over-arching misinterpretation of Romans by Calvinist morons. If you interpret Romans in light of Paul’s other epistles and Paul’s teachings in Acts (not to mention the rest of the NT) you cannot buy the interpretation that Paul is teaching justification by faith alone nor arbitrary predestination nor inherited sin in Romans. In which case you could say that Paul is orthodxly in line with Jesus’ teachings but is just not very precise or clear in Romans. Such is obviously the view presented by 2nd Peter 3:15-16 which indicates that Paul’s epistles don’t mean what the “unlearned and unstable” twist them to mean.
rey…
Yahu’shua’s brother James and all of the churches in Asia were Calvanist morons in your opinion? I guess you would include them in your statement because James even went so far as to call Paul a “foolish man” (James 2:20).
Paul’s way of salvation was completly different to Yahu’Shua’s.
When asked “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Yahu’shua said:
“if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Matthew 19:15-17 – Which is exactly the same message as all of the previous prophets)
When Paul was asked the same question he said:
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”(Acts 16:31)
Pauls way of salvation was:
“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Do you trust Paul’s way of salvation even whem Yahu’shua states:
21″Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22″Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23″And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ (Matthew 7:21-23)
Paul can be interpreted any way that anyone likes, since Paul was all things to all men … a master chameleon …
1Co 9:20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
1Co 9:21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
1Co 9:22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
(so ‘Paul’ can ’save’ some??? so Paul is a ’saviour’????)
and again Paul admits he pleases all men
1COR 10:33 Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
and for a different audience he denies pleasing men
GAL 1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Paul’s message changes according to his audience. Chameleons are mentioned in Lev 11 as creatures that are to be avoided.
Jesus commanded we check the fruit, and that involves words and deeds
Paul can be quoted for both pro and con law … tree of good and evil
Jesus is the unchanging tree of life since he IS the eternal law and prophets … the disciples saw Moses and Elijah then transfiguration Jesus only and God said to heed him.
2 Peter is often used to justify Paul, but experts agree that it was not written by Peter. We don’t need experts to tell us this, since Jesus prophesied that Peter would finish with his hands tied and be taken where he didn’t want to go. 2 Peter is the end we see of Peter, so experts simply confirm the prophecy.
Jesus shared a simple message with common folk rather than appeal to the educated elite. Peter was an unlearned man who required Silvanus to write for him and did not disdain lack of learning.
ACTS 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
1Pe 5:12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.
Worth noting that ‘learned’ and then ‘unlearned’ are mentioned often (and rather disdainfully regarding ‘unlearned’) by highly-educated Paul.
ACTS 26:24 And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.
Chameleon Paul did speak against the law as some correctly claim and he did speak for the law as some correctly claim. The mixed deadly tree is not to be touched. The antichrist was known to the apostles because antichrist had spent time among them and gone out from them
1Jn 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
first of all watchman christ wants us to cellebrate life, and this is what alot a charismatic churches are trying to bring forth. jesus was a guest at the wedding at canna and preformed his first miracle and what did he do? he provided wine for cellebrating with for the bride and groom and all the guests. he never told us to be boreing or sit up straight without any fun, in fact he gave us a reason to live, to sing, to enjoy life again, and this is why when i do go to church it is the rejoicng type, the pentacostal cellebration of the holy spirit within us wants us to praise god, he loves music, and singing, he loves us, and god knows how to have fun. for he created it. secondly it doesnt really matter if the dates we cellebrate christs birth and death are wrong, we dont have real dates cause nobody seams to know them, so what do you suggest,? not to cellebrate at all?no, its not the dates themselves that we cellebrate but the events. and therfore anytime to cellebrate the birt hof our new king, and the death of his sacrifice so that we can live is a good day. in fact they should both be cellebrated everyday, and dates are nothing but a time and place, so who cares whether we cellebrate it today, tomorrow, or yesterday? not i, aslong as we cellebrate it and are gratfull and give some time to the remeberance of them is all that trully matters.your right about the catholic church, but you pay out on paul and i believe your wrong and unfair. and what ever hitler said has got nothing to do with what paul was. i only found out not long ago that hitler claimed to be a christian, well he didnt have the spirit of christ now did he. why? not because of who he did or didnt follow, but because of what came out of his heart,death, torcher and cruelty. thats not jesus. so although he claimed one thing, he acted oppersite it, we shall know them by their fruitsand hitlers fruit was not what he said but what he did, and his doings was evil.
People are indeed known by their fruit and lawlessness is loveless fruit
JN 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
JN 14:24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
God desires loving obedience rather than songs or religious celebrations
IS 1:15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
1SAM 15:23 For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from [being] king.
God does not appreciate errant religious traditions of wrong celebrations
EX 32:6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
God killed those worldly errant Israelites who didn’t desire to hear what God had to say
It’s not ok to arrogantly think that God should accept human choices for what errant things religious people think should be acceptable to God but which God has not commanded
LEV 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.
There is a spirit of truth and a spirit of error. Doing what is right in the eyes of humans is the spirit of error.
It cannot be justified to God
LK 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
What makes a Christian?
http://wake.org.au/blogs/wake_blog/archive/2009/05/27/2092.aspx
hi, you’ve got to go to church. Jesus Christ Himself went to Church no matter how busy he is. remind yourself that the church are group of believers who are imperfect. that’s why they worship God to thank him for his grace. if you are looking for a perfect church and in case finally you find one, please don’t join, that will make the church imperfect!
If we truly heed and embrace Jesus, we will be unwelcome in traditional religion:
JN 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
Jesus warned the end of traditional centres of true religious worship was coming
Joh 4:20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Joh 4:21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Joh 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.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Joh 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
Joh 4:26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
Here is truth spoken by Jesus:
MT 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Watchman has been prompted to supply a haven for 2 or 3 … welcome to church.
Which church shall I go if I am already in the Temple of GOD? In Truth and Spirit do I worship Yahweh the only true GOD.
When the veil was torn or rent (for you kjv fans) the Spirit of Our FATHER went from the building to the Body. We are the Body of Christ ; not some building that is empty 95% of the time. The Spirit of Christ lives in us. So we don’t have to attend the Sunday Morning High and Holy hour to be with FATHER. HIS spirit lives in us. So when 2 or 3 are gathered HE is present because HE is in us not the some so called holy object. When Constantine made Christianity legal he kick the pagans out of their temples and the followers of Christ walked in and became followers of religion. That is where we got buildings, paid clergy, sacred objects, temporal power. In other words they became like the Pharisees of old and like them, love the adoration of the crowd, places of honor at the banquets and hypocrisy of not teaching the gospel of “dying to self” and being a ’servant of all” Stay out of those church buildings they are nothing more than;
‘dens of sin and iniquity’ (place smile here) Have a great day wherever you are.
Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch of the good and evil.
You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free John 8:32.
Greetings!
I am a Pastor of 55 years here in Billings, MT. Some time ago I got your book “National Sunday Law” but left it on my shelf for quite a while. Just recently, the Lord directed me to get the book off the shelf and read it. I am repenting for leaving that book on my shelf. I am in 100% agreement with what “National Sunday Law” is saying. Now I want to get more of them to get into the hands of others. Enclosed is my check. God bless you for making this book available. I will be asking people to read this book word for word as though their life depended on it. In many ways it does. For many years I went along with the verse that says to be in subjection to the higher powers. That is true, but I didn’t think about how important the law of God is, and that the Seventh Day is the Sabbath of the Lord our God. Thank you, thank you very much. Pastor R.F. Lucas.
Read “National Sunday Law” on line and be a true Protestant for our Lord’s sake and pass this to others.
Read his news letters on line ———JansNewsletters.com.
REad God’s 10 Commandments. Does it say Sabbath or Sunday?
Jesus said if you love Me, keep My Commandments John 14:15. Money is to spread the gospel truth and help the poor to bring them to Jesus. No one who loves Jesus will receive a salary unless he is a full time evangalist travelling to spread the gospel.
I went to churches for 60 years and I did not believe there is a God. So much for the pocket sermon I heard. Law is the knowledge of sin Romans 7:7. Now read the 10 Commandments. Jesus said if you love Me, keep My Commandments John 14:15.
First verse of the Bible says in the beginning God created heavens and earth. 7th DAy Sabbath is a memorial of Creation. He was in His tomb on His holy Sabbath day. It is changed to Sunday by the Catholic Church. Daniel 7:25.
Read “National Sunday Law” on line and follow Jesus not pope. This time Jesus is coming to destroy the Romans. First He came to die by them.
Don’t listen to the devil. He is a LIAR.
Read Levitticus 23:32,39 . It talks about a Ist day, 8th day and 9th day Sabbath. It is a ceremonial day Sabbath. This Sabbath ended when our Lord died. Pastors did not even took the time to find out this. LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL. ALL WILL END UP LIKE JUDAS.
Many have accepted the 7th Day sabbath after reading National Sunday Law book. Praise God. Jesus still wants to save them. Those who repent will accept the truth. Others will die like Judas.
We need to go to Church because it is the commandment of God. The 4th commandment (Not Modified) asks us to keep the Sabath day Holy and to have our Holy convocation on this day. The only thing that matters is to corporately worship the Lord And Saviour Jesus Christ. The message will be interpreted and received by His Spirit that lives within us. The Holy Spirit will convict us, help change us, guide us and comfort us as we become Christlike (possessing the fruits of the spirit) We need to be obedient to Christ if we profess that we Love Him. We should not Complicate Gods Love neither should we complicate all what Christ has said and done.
The GOLDEN RULE IS: “thus saïth the Lord”we do without going into analysis paralysis.