Teaching Christ; the Catholic Church

"All authority is given to me in Heaven and on earth, Go you therefore and teach all nations baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to "OBSERVE ALL I HAVE COMMANDED YOU, and behold I am with you always, even to the end of the world"   Mathew 28

The above are the last words of Jesus to his disciples at his ascension into Heaven.   He did not ask them to teach people to observe what He had commanded.    He ordered them.     He did not tell them that his message would probably get lost, but that was OK, for an educated generation would come along, no, he told them that he would be with them in their teaching till the end of time.   People in the future would not have to follow their conscience, because when they listened to his followers they would know the truth which he had come to bear witness to.    He did not ask them to write a book which everyone could read, because it was self explanatory, and thousands of disagreeing Christian sects  and denominations bear witness to his wisdom in this, no, he told them to teach and ensure his teachings were heard, not the teachings of  future Tom, Dick, or Harry all claiming they had the Holy Spirit and others did not.  No Christ named first his authority and his followers would have that authority till the end of the world.

St Paul warned Timothy "Follow all I have taught you by word or scripture, so that even if an angel from Heaven taught you something else, then let him be anathema"    Strictly following the teaching of Jesus was given to the Apostles who passed it on, and gave authority to those whom they trusted to keep faithful to the teaching.    When disputes arose if the appointed ones could not settle the disputes then they appealed to others in the same rank.   If this brought no resolve then they appealed to the Bishop of Rome, the place that was eminent because it had been held by the leader, Cephas who was  appointed by Christ, St Peter.     This is how the Church taught Christ to the people for two thousand years.   This was the Church that Christ founded, a Church with Authority, teaching in the name of Jesus and demanding the obedience of the faithful to all he taught.   That Church and only that Church can be traced back to the time of Christ, for like branches from a tree all other Christian faiths broke off from Rome or broke off from others who had broken off.    Scripture itself exists because of the Authority of the Catholic Church, which had three councils before  at the Council of Carthage 419 decided on the books it would use in the Liturgy, the bible, and called them 'the Word of God'.

I will be accused by some of  'Triumphalism'  for daring to speak a truth which must not be said in an Ecumenical Age.    But Ecumenism itself must be an honest endeavour, I love and admire many Protestants, but my first duty is to proclaim Christ and his Church. 


 

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