Every week we study something new, all of which is beneficial for personal growth as well as leading others to truth. This week we studied the history of the church and the progression that it went through to become the church we know today.
As we made our way through the pages of history, we kept seeing something similar surface every time the church came to a crossroad: their hearts were full of good intentions. But, now we see looking back that having good intentions is not always enough. Our actions must line up with the truth. If they don’t than it doesn’t matter what our intentions were, the next generation will pay for it.
My perspective of the church, especially the Catholic Church, has been radically changed. It is enlightening and yet heart breaking to see the transformation of how the church went from honoring God as we should be, to elevating man to a higher position than we aught be. It helps me understand the Catholics and how I might show them the truth and how a church and its members should act accordingly.
The thing that really surprised me about the church is how they position a hierarchy or government within, when it is un-Biblical to do so. Such as the Presbyterian, the Assemblies of God, and the Baptist church who all have a higher up authority, other than God, that they answer to. Even in a single church itself, there is an order of who is above who and ultimately one person higher than everyone else in the church. Although this can help churches to be more fluid, it is not necessarily Biblical.
If nothing else, this week has shown me that there are no perfect churches. Some are better than others, don’t get me wrong, but all are far from perfect. Whether Calvinist, Lutheran, or even Arminian, I know that when choosing a church in the future, the one thing that really matters is that they profess truth. All they teach and believe should line up with the Word of God and the Word alone.
“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshippers. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit in truth.” – John 4:23-24