If you have not been following any of my post to this point, then maybe you do not know I do not represent any specific domination or even a non denominational church. What I am representing is biblical Christianity. Meaning what I am writing about has been modeled in the bible, and if any of you wish to see book chapter and verse then ask for it. as i have been told not to "preach" unsolicited sermons.
That said I turn my attention to the question why there are so many sects of Christianity?
My response is there has always been. If you look at how the bible was compiled and written, more over the NT. you will see it is divided into the 4 gospel accounts (the stories of Christ) the book of Acts, which is the general establishment of the Church and the introduction of the Apostle Paul. Then we have the different letters or books to the different Churches or the first centuries equivalent of the different denominations of the church. The letters to the church at Corinth, Rome, Galatia, Ephesus, The letter to the Former Hebrew worshipers, all represented different denominational forms of worship. This is made evident in the letters themselves in how the various authors addressed the various forms of worship. God through the Apostles never set up a singular form of worship as He did with the Jews.
If God wanted us to adopt all of the ceremonies traditions and rules that most of you think of whenever Christianity is mentioned. He would have given to us. Christianity Biblical Christianity is about freedom from religion. The works found in the books of the NT attest to this fact. Paul Spends most of his time shooting down all of the different religious "have to's" the different churches and church leaders were making for themselves.
Christ told us (and this sentiment is also echoed by Paul) The whole of the law hangs on two commands. To Love our Lord God with all of our being,(Heart/ with all of your feeling, Mind/with all of your academic ability, Spirit/with all of your will and Strength/physical effort) and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
That is it. Those are the governing terms of Biblical Christian worship. Subsequently that is why there are so many different sects of Christianity as well. Because all of us are a little different and we have different strength, our adherence to our greatest command would have us worship alittle differently to meet our indivisual strengths. Honestly I do not even think this is a conscience effort for most, we just naturally want to do our best for God.
For instance a charismatic man would waste away his gifts in a strictly academic church or setting. and vise versa an academic would not be worshiping God with all of His abilities if he were to worship in a jump up and down charismatic setting.
Christ freed us from a singular rule driven worship and ceremonies type of service, unless this is the type of thing we need. "For what you bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven, and what you loose on Earth will be loosed in Heaven." Meaning for the one who seeks to worship Christ with all of his being his efforts are only bound by His heart.
Obviously one has to reconcile that with what has been written to regulate the church (the have to's for the most part) but outside of where the bible speaks you are free to worship how you see fit. Apparently there about 35,000 different combinations (give or take) of sanctified (Christ centered forms of fellowship.) where like minded believers come together to worship God with all of their being.
Someone asked which one is the correct one? the answer is none are on their own merit, yet all are under the atonement offered by Christ.
How is this possible? The same atonement that is offered when one willfully sins is also offered in abundance when one gives all of His heart, Mind, Spirit and Strength to God. Even if all that he has to offer falls short of another's standard.
The tricky thing here is not to talk yourself into lowering your "all in standard" to suit your current life style, lest you think God a fool or bound by loop holes you have created for yourself.
That said I turn my attention to the question why there are so many sects of Christianity?
My response is there has always been. If you look at how the bible was compiled and written, more over the NT. you will see it is divided into the 4 gospel accounts (the stories of Christ) the book of Acts, which is the general establishment of the Church and the introduction of the Apostle Paul. Then we have the different letters or books to the different Churches or the first centuries equivalent of the different denominations of the church. The letters to the church at Corinth, Rome, Galatia, Ephesus, The letter to the Former Hebrew worshipers, all represented different denominational forms of worship. This is made evident in the letters themselves in how the various authors addressed the various forms of worship. God through the Apostles never set up a singular form of worship as He did with the Jews.
If God wanted us to adopt all of the ceremonies traditions and rules that most of you think of whenever Christianity is mentioned. He would have given to us. Christianity Biblical Christianity is about freedom from religion. The works found in the books of the NT attest to this fact. Paul Spends most of his time shooting down all of the different religious "have to's" the different churches and church leaders were making for themselves.
Christ told us (and this sentiment is also echoed by Paul) The whole of the law hangs on two commands. To Love our Lord God with all of our being,(Heart/ with all of your feeling, Mind/with all of your academic ability, Spirit/with all of your will and Strength/physical effort) and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
That is it. Those are the governing terms of Biblical Christian worship. Subsequently that is why there are so many different sects of Christianity as well. Because all of us are a little different and we have different strength, our adherence to our greatest command would have us worship alittle differently to meet our indivisual strengths. Honestly I do not even think this is a conscience effort for most, we just naturally want to do our best for God.
For instance a charismatic man would waste away his gifts in a strictly academic church or setting. and vise versa an academic would not be worshiping God with all of His abilities if he were to worship in a jump up and down charismatic setting.
Christ freed us from a singular rule driven worship and ceremonies type of service, unless this is the type of thing we need. "For what you bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven, and what you loose on Earth will be loosed in Heaven." Meaning for the one who seeks to worship Christ with all of his being his efforts are only bound by His heart.
Obviously one has to reconcile that with what has been written to regulate the church (the have to's for the most part) but outside of where the bible speaks you are free to worship how you see fit. Apparently there about 35,000 different combinations (give or take) of sanctified (Christ centered forms of fellowship.) where like minded believers come together to worship God with all of their being.
Someone asked which one is the correct one? the answer is none are on their own merit, yet all are under the atonement offered by Christ.
How is this possible? The same atonement that is offered when one willfully sins is also offered in abundance when one gives all of His heart, Mind, Spirit and Strength to God. Even if all that he has to offer falls short of another's standard.
The tricky thing here is not to talk yourself into lowering your "all in standard" to suit your current life style, lest you think God a fool or bound by loop holes you have created for yourself.
