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God's instrument by which and thru which HE carries on HIS WORK!
Jesus Christ came to this earth 1900 years ago to start the
true WORK OF GOD---carrying His GOSPEL MESSAGE to all the world as
a witness! But God works thru human instruments. Jesus did not
preach to all the world. He called, taught, educated and trained
His disciples, who became apostles. Thousands of others were
converted thru them. These formed the true CHURCH that Jesus built
---the COLLECTIVE BODY used in the WORK OF GOD, which is carrying
HIS GOSPEL to all the world! The work was started by the Holy
Spirit working in the individual personal BODY of Jesus. It
continued by the same Spirit of God working in the COLLECTIVE body
of the apostles, evangelists, pastors and elders and converted
believers who became the true CHURCH OF GOD.
But the Church of the apostles' day did not get to all
nations. Persecution set in. They were scattered. By 70 A.D.,
after the Roman invasion, their organized effort was largely
stopped. Only a few local churches remained faithful, but they
were not organized for any world-wide evangelism. The prophesied
APOSTASY set in. Pagan doctrines and customs drove in their
entering wedge. By 150 or 200 A.D. there were more than 50
different sects calling themselves "Christian"---yet all believing
different doctrines and practising different customs. They were
not the real CHURCH OF GOD---they "dissented" from the teaching and
practices of CHRIST---from "the established or parent Church" which
Jesus founded.
In the early 4th century, Constantine, Emperor of the Roman
Empire, took command over these differing sects that called
themselves, falsely, "Christianity." He called the Nicene Council.
He told the leaders of all sects to settle their differences---to
decide on some ONE doctrine they could ALL compromise on. That is
what came out of the Nicene Council---a doctrine of human
compromise that would please the largest number of people! The
military General-Emperor, Constantine, used the power of the state
police and the army to force that doctrine and practice on the
Roman world! As time went on, more and more pagan doctrines and
customs were gradually introduced into this false "Christianity."
Millions were martyred for BELIEVING the BIBLE instead of the
man-made pagan doctrines that came out of these successive
Councils.
Then came the Protestant "Reformation." Luther, Calvin,
Knox, the Wesleys, and other Protestant leaders made changes. They
even restored parts of Bible TRUTH. But they also, in their turn,
introduced various new doctrines and customs of their own, which
were contrary and totally foreign to the Bible and the teachings
and examples of Jesus and of Paul. Today there are hundreds of
these Protestant sects and denominations. What do they have? Each
has its own different combination of doctrines, part of which is
Bible TRUTH; another part of which is error often peculiar to each
particular sect; and a large part of which---larger than realized
---is the same pagan beliefs and customs which came thru the
Catholic Church which Emperor Constantine organized.
BUT THEY DO NOT SPEAK THE SAME THING JESUS DID! They do not