Moving the Rock...

"Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build My Church." Matt 16:18

"You are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself as the Chief Cornerstone. In Him the whole structure is fitted together and grows into a temple holy in the Lord." Eph 2:20-21

"And ALL things He made subject under His feet, and Him He gave as head over ALL the Church, which indeed IS His Body, the completion of Him who fills all with all. " Eph 1:22-23
See also, Eph 4:11-16.

"But why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord', AND DO NOT PRACTICE THE THINGS THAT I SAY? Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words AND ACTS UPON THEM, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep AND LAID A FOUNDATION UPON ROCK (Matt 16:18). And when a flood came, the stream broke against that house AND COULD NOT SHAKE IT; because it was founded on rock. But he who has heard My words AND HAS NOT ACTED UPON THEM is like a MAN WHO BUILT HIS HOUSE UPON THE GROUND WITHOUT A FOUNDATION; against which the stream broke AND STRAIGHT AWAY IT FELL IN, AND GREAT WAS THE WRECK OF THAT HOUSE." Luke 6:46-49

In these few verses, Jesus Christ founded His One, Holy, Apostolic, and Catholic Church, BUILT ON ROCK, and He set the system of government under which it would operate. He said He was the Head and we are the body.
THE HEAD OF THE BODY TELLS THE BODY WHAT TO DO. THE BODY DOES NOT TELL THE HEAD. So what system of government did Jesus Christ blueprint for His Church? It is a theocracy and operates as an Hierarchy. The members of an Hierarchy are subject to its head. To whom the Church listens to, therefore, comes from GOD, and not from the people.

What do we call the system of government where the head is subject to the body, the members, the "will of the people"? It is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. It is called a Constitutional Republic. What a republic type of government listens to, comes from the people, and not from above.

Can a theocratic Hierarchy ever become a Republic? No, not unless there is Anarchy first which causes a split in the Body of Christ.

Anarchy we have experienced in the past. It was called the Reformation. Reformers broke away from the Hierarchy and the result today is a plenitude of Protestant churches running under various forms of government, with some being even a "rule by the people" of sorts. They "bend" to the will of the people, and not to the will of GOD, as in the Catholic Hierarchy. Here are a few examples:

1. Prior to 1930, Protestant churches agreed with the Catholic Church that contraception was intrinsically evil. In 1930 at the Anglican Lambeth Conference, the members agreed to "bend" to the "will of the people" and allowed contraception under limited conditions. Soon, one by one, other Protestant churches followed suit until now most of them whole heartedly condone contraception. You see, once you open the door to error, you cannot close it. Error proliferates and is self feeding.
Read about Onan in Holy Scripture and see what GOD did to him for contracepting in Gen 38:9-10. Read Deut 23:1-2, Matt 21:19, and Rev 9:21. Read this file on this website for many verses which attest to the very fact that GOD is Pro-Life, and any human plan to circumvent His command is a grave sin. The Catholic Hierarchy holds fast to the will of GOD on this subject of contraception while other church's hold to the will of the people. Read this very prophetic letter from Pope Paul VI, written in 1968, regarding The Evil Consequences of Contraception. Pay particular attention to paragraph #17 to see what a stunning prophesy of dire consequences this Pope warned about over 30 years ago, if the evil of contraception was allowed to continue. His prophecy we are suffering through today.
The Hierarchal Catholic Church is almost alone in condemning contraception............................... that is......................................................................................................ALMOST!!!

GOD, Himself, just happens to be on our side. That fact puts the infinitely heavy, and immovable "ROCK" on one side of the scale, while a feather, or even less weight is on the other side.
Would you care to read Luke 6:46-49 again? The "stream breaking against the houses" in those verses, in one sense, is a prefigurement of the "will of the people".

2. Abortion, again, ...the "will of the people":
By the republic people's Supreme Court decision, Roe vs Wade in 1973, ushered in legalized abortion. Since then over 40,000,000 babies in the United States alone have been murdered in the womb. There are so many Bible verses against the taking of human life, yet by republic decision, the "will of the people" has brought us the "culture of death". See this very Biblical Anti-Abortion file for a summation of these verses. By a "will of the people" decision, the will of GOD has been completely circumvented. For almost 2000 years the Hierarchal Catholic Church has staunchly opposed this evil brought on by man. Need I say again that GOD is firmly on the side of the Hierarchal Catholic Church on the subject of abortion, in addition to contraception?

3. Now, the "will of the people" has demanded from the Hierarchal Catholic Church that women be admitted to the priesthood. Is there any Biblical evidence that Jesus Christ or any of the Apostles condoned women as priests? No, there is not one word of Biblical support for this demand. However there are some choice verses against it, such as, 1Cor 14:34-35, and 1Tim 2:11-12. Then there is Judges 17:10 and 18:19 which say, "...be our father and priest..." Have you noticed that Holy Scripture is very loudly silent on, "be our mother and priest"?

Bishop Fulton J. Sheen once remarked, "A woman can never become a priest. The Word of GOD is 'the seed' (Luke 8:11, Matt 13:19-23). It is the man who gives the seed. The woman receives it."

The Anglican Church started admitting women as priests in the 1990's. The result was an immediate outflow of some 1200 Anglican priests and bishops to the Catholic Church. I suspect this migration was not due to sexual discrimination, but to a recognition that what this Church did was against the will of GOD. More recently that same Church announced that it will ordain a female bishop. The Anglican Church, and some of its members, have been at odds over this decision.
Now as for the "people's will", should the Hierarchal Catholic Church heed to the demands originating from the body below, or continue to do what is mandated from the Head above? You tell me the answer?
Does Luke 6:46-49 come to mind?

4. The "will of the people" has demanded from the Hierarchal Catholic Church that divorce and subsequent remarriage be accepted freely. Jesus Christ Himself, condemned divorce in Matt 19:3-12, Mark 10:10-12, and Luke 16:18. Almost all Protestant church's condone divorce and remarriage, "bending" yet again to the "will of the people". How can they ignore the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself? Yet they do.
The Hierarchal Catholic Church stands firm and almost alone, but there again, with the will of GOD on this issue.
Luke 6:46-49, how prophetic!

5. The "will of the people" of various Protestant churches is demanding same sex marriages or "holy unions" which are anything but holy. The Methodist church has already done this in Sacramento and with the blessings of over 60 ministers. I have read where yet another mainline Protestant church has decided to follow suit. The door to this error has now been opened, and I can envision history repeating itself on this subject, as the Anglican Lambeth Conference did for contraception. There are so many Bible verses which condemn the homosexual act, such as, Lev 18:22, Rom 1:18-27, 2Pet 2:4-10, and Jude 7, to name a few.
GOD willed that marriage is between a man and a woman, not between same sexes. Show me the verses which condone same sex marriages? This is a grave offense against GOD. The Hierarchal Catholic Church has responded strongly against this abomination. The Catholic Church condemns the homosexual act, the sin, but not the person.
How many houses built with no foundations will "fall and become wrecks" because of this issue?
Certainly, the unbending "house built on rock" will not. Again, I am reminded of Luke 6:46-49.

"FOR THERE WILL COME A TIME WHEN THEY WILL NOT ENDURE THE SOUND DOCTRINE; BUT HAVING ITCHING EARS, WILL HEAP UP TO THEMSELVES TEACHERS ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN LUSTS, AND THEY WILL TURN AWAY THEIR HEARING FROM THE TRUTH AND TURN ASIDE RATHER TO FABLES."
2Timothy 4:3-4

The Hierarchal Catholic Church, and especially the Vicar of Christ, the Pope, has come under much criticism for being "old fashioned", or "medieval" in its thinking, saying,
"For after all this is the 90's (in the past, 2000's now) and times have changed. Therefore, the Church has to change and accept the 'will of the people'."
The Holy Father is criticized from every direction for not changing this or not changing that.

Can he???
Does he have the power to make these "will of the people" changes?
Who is the only Person who can make changes to the Hierarchal Catholic Church?
This brings us back to the beginning of this file. Please tell me what the definition of Hierarchy is?
In your opinion, can the Church accept the "will of the people"?
Is the Catholic Church to be bound by personal opinions?

I have to ask,
"Does GOD change?" I always thought He was the same yesterday, today, and forever.
"Does truth ever change?" Truth is one. How can truth ever change?
"Did GOD relent from the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah?" No, not according to Scripture.
"Were the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah any worse than what I have recounted above, that the 'will of the people' are trying to force the Church to do?"
"Which Church does not 'bend' to the 'will of the people'?"
"Which Church is consistent in doing the will of GOD?"
"Which Church is the one built on rock?"

Can the "Rock" be moved by the will of the people?
Answer please?
Yes?
Then please explain to me how?
No?
Then why do people keep pressing for change?

©
Written by Bob Stanley, February 25, 2000
Updated March 30, 2002

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