AND MANY FOLLOWED HIM BECAUSE HE TAUGHT WITH AUTHORITY
As I read through the Bible and the words of the Jesus of Scripture I came across Matthew 28 where Jesus said "All AUTHORITY is given to me in heaven and on earth, go therefore to al nations baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all I have commanded you. And I am with you always even till the end of the world"
If you follow the Jesus of Scripture you will know that he is a very authoritarian person and indeed it is said in scripture that many followed him because he taught with authority not like their own scribes and Pharisees. So in this MATTHEW 28 we see Jesus passing on his authority to the disciples and telling them that he will be with them in their teachings until the end of the world. Perhaps our young people do not come to Church because that authority is no longer there. Instead we have too many bishops and priests more interested in teaching their own Gospel and their own Christ and making the teachings of the Jesus of Scripture irrelevant for the 'Church of Modern Times'
But did Jesus Christ fail in his mission and the disciples from earliest days began to dispute and change what Christ had taught? This is certainly possible but did it happen? After Jesus died the disciples became missionaries to the Roman world and we are all familiar with the writings of Paul and his travels. There were certainly no bishops in dioceses appointed by Rome yet in those early days Rome became important. Peter had gone there and died there and the person put in charge after Peter was Linus, then Cletus, then Clement. A practice developed that when there were disputes in any region the matter was always referred to Rome and the successor of Peter. Thus in 96 AD we have Clement of Rome writing with authority to the Corinthians that they did not have any right to replace the leaders given to them by the Apostles and other Eminent Men. As the successor of Peter his ruling was accepted. Things back in the time of the Apostles were no different from today. there were within the Church many who felt they were 'mature enough to make up their own minds'. When asked how to find the truth Ignatius of Antioch around 120 AD laid down what was to be the hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church. To find the truth you could go around all the Churches and learn the Consensus or you could go straight to Rome where the truth can be found because of its superior eminence. (The seat of Peter) When the Roman Emperor moved to Constantinople, the Pope was left not just to run the Church but to run the city as well. Thus when Attila the Hun came to invade Rome it was the Pope he had to negotiate with. Meanwhile the leader of the church in Constantinople began to challenge the Pope and his right to run the Church there. When eventually he claimed the same power to run his own Church in the East the writings of Matthew were produced "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.....and I will give to Thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven so that whatever you loose on earh will be loosed in heaven" When the Kings of Israel went to war they could be away a very long time so the King would appoint someone to run the Kingdom in his absence by 'giving him the keys of the Royal Household' Yes, it only appears in the Gospel of Matthew written to the Jews but the Jews understood the authority of the keys. So in the church there was always someone taking the place of Christ as Leader. And teaching with Authority. In many parts of the Church today where the Reformers took control the authority of the Pope is ignored and as a result the truth that the Jesus of Scripture wanted his children to know is no longer taught. But young people know the difference between teaching with authority and teaching with no conviction.
And talking about Scripture There were two Councils at Carthage and one in Hippo in the 5th century when the then bishops in an ecumenical council (all the Bishops together) met and decided which writings by the Apostles and those taught by the Apostles could be accepted entirely as the Word of God. There were many false narratives around and the Church had an obligation to ensure what the people read was revealed truly by the Holy Spirit. It was not an easy task. I have already mentioned the writings of Clement and of Ignatius of Antioch but for whatever reason these writings and many others were not included. When an agreement was reached the decision was given to the Bishop of Rome and he ratified their decision. (In the Hierarchy the bishops must act under the supervision of the Pope) so it is the Catholic Church that first called the chosen writings The Word of God.
Relations between Rome and Constantinople continued to deteriorate and in the 7th Century the Eastern Church broke away in schism from Rome.
But make no mistake. If you follow the Jesus of scripture you will know if you deny the teachings of the Church you are denying the teachings of the Lord Himself. He that heareth you hearth me, He that despises you despises me.
If you follow the Jesus of Scripture you will know that he is a very authoritarian person and indeed it is said in scripture that many followed him because he taught with authority not like their own scribes and Pharisees. So in this MATTHEW 28 we see Jesus passing on his authority to the disciples and telling them that he will be with them in their teachings until the end of the world. Perhaps our young people do not come to Church because that authority is no longer there. Instead we have too many bishops and priests more interested in teaching their own Gospel and their own Christ and making the teachings of the Jesus of Scripture irrelevant for the 'Church of Modern Times'
But did Jesus Christ fail in his mission and the disciples from earliest days began to dispute and change what Christ had taught? This is certainly possible but did it happen? After Jesus died the disciples became missionaries to the Roman world and we are all familiar with the writings of Paul and his travels. There were certainly no bishops in dioceses appointed by Rome yet in those early days Rome became important. Peter had gone there and died there and the person put in charge after Peter was Linus, then Cletus, then Clement. A practice developed that when there were disputes in any region the matter was always referred to Rome and the successor of Peter. Thus in 96 AD we have Clement of Rome writing with authority to the Corinthians that they did not have any right to replace the leaders given to them by the Apostles and other Eminent Men. As the successor of Peter his ruling was accepted. Things back in the time of the Apostles were no different from today. there were within the Church many who felt they were 'mature enough to make up their own minds'. When asked how to find the truth Ignatius of Antioch around 120 AD laid down what was to be the hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church. To find the truth you could go around all the Churches and learn the Consensus or you could go straight to Rome where the truth can be found because of its superior eminence. (The seat of Peter) When the Roman Emperor moved to Constantinople, the Pope was left not just to run the Church but to run the city as well. Thus when Attila the Hun came to invade Rome it was the Pope he had to negotiate with. Meanwhile the leader of the church in Constantinople began to challenge the Pope and his right to run the Church there. When eventually he claimed the same power to run his own Church in the East the writings of Matthew were produced "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.....and I will give to Thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven so that whatever you loose on earh will be loosed in heaven" When the Kings of Israel went to war they could be away a very long time so the King would appoint someone to run the Kingdom in his absence by 'giving him the keys of the Royal Household' Yes, it only appears in the Gospel of Matthew written to the Jews but the Jews understood the authority of the keys. So in the church there was always someone taking the place of Christ as Leader. And teaching with Authority. In many parts of the Church today where the Reformers took control the authority of the Pope is ignored and as a result the truth that the Jesus of Scripture wanted his children to know is no longer taught. But young people know the difference between teaching with authority and teaching with no conviction.
And talking about Scripture There were two Councils at Carthage and one in Hippo in the 5th century when the then bishops in an ecumenical council (all the Bishops together) met and decided which writings by the Apostles and those taught by the Apostles could be accepted entirely as the Word of God. There were many false narratives around and the Church had an obligation to ensure what the people read was revealed truly by the Holy Spirit. It was not an easy task. I have already mentioned the writings of Clement and of Ignatius of Antioch but for whatever reason these writings and many others were not included. When an agreement was reached the decision was given to the Bishop of Rome and he ratified their decision. (In the Hierarchy the bishops must act under the supervision of the Pope) so it is the Catholic Church that first called the chosen writings The Word of God.
Relations between Rome and Constantinople continued to deteriorate and in the 7th Century the Eastern Church broke away in schism from Rome.
But make no mistake. If you follow the Jesus of scripture you will know if you deny the teachings of the Church you are denying the teachings of the Lord Himself. He that heareth you hearth me, He that despises you despises me.
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