Tuesday, October 31, 2017

After 500 Years of Celebration...




I’m so sorry to hear that! I’ll be praying for God to turn them back.
It must be so heart-wrenching for you, being so close and all.
That’s really, really sad, actually. 

Their whole system of sacraments and church authority is unbiblical.
The Bible actually teaches against cannibalism.
Only Elders and Deacons are biblical, too.
And that whole crazy talk about Mary! Every true Christian knows she shouldn’t be worshiped!
Satan is so clever, masking himself as an angel of light. 
She can’t even hear our prayers anyway! 
Where in the Bible does it say that she can hear our prayers after death? Nowhere, that’s where. 

Then there’s the problem with priests. Not only are they not Biblical, but because none of them have ever been allowed to marry, they just invite pedophilia and homosexuality into the church. It’s like they don’t even care about God’s Law!
And the Pope! Don’t even get me started with that nonsense. 
They actually believe every word he says! If Pope Francis told them that Abortion and Communism was good for humanity, they’d treat his words like Jesus himself said them. One can only hope that the Pope will one day renounce their unbiblical belief in works, too. Maybe then Catholics will understand the gospel.
They actually believe people are not saved by faith alone. Can you believe that? 
“Works” are necessary too, they say. 
But where in the Bible does it say that?!? 
Salvation is—at least, according to God’s Word—a gift of God which you cannot earn. For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, but is a gift of God. NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast. That’s what Jesus taught. We are saved through faith; not on the basis of faith; not “because” of faith, but THROUGH it. 
Faith is an instrument that God gives to us as His gift. We didn’t earn it! 

That’s why the doctrines of confession and penance are misleading too. They treat priests and the penance they give as magic tricks or something. 
Who in their right mind actually thinks a priest has the authority to assign “works” for you to do, and that if you don’t obey his arbitrary rules—rules that aren’t found in the Bible, by the way—you cannot be saved? 
Priests can’t work magic. Jesus is all you need to be saved. 
Once you really have Jesus, there’s nothing you can do to lose your salvation. 
I always recommend people get a good Bible and study it every day, when they wake up in the morning, and when they walk by the way, and when they lie down to sleep at night. That’s what the Bible commands us to do. All day, every day, we ought to be people immersed in the Bible. 
I prefer the KJV or NKJV, but I also don’t mind the NIV so much.
I prefer the NKJV because it uses the most pure text for translation into English. I don’t want a Bible that softens the gospel of God’s grace. I want it to be as free from error and external human influences as possible. 

Have you asked them how often they read their Bibles? I bet that’s part of why they converted—not reading their Bibles.
I always tell people that they need to bathe in God’s word if they want to remain faithful. Otherwise, who knows what can happen? Backsliding even a little from the truths of God’s word is seriously dangerous. The slope is too slippery. 
I always tell my friends to memorize the Gospels and Acts first, followed by Romans and Galatians. That’s the best way to get a grip on the Gospel. 
Of course they should read the entire Bible. But not the Catholic Bible, because that has the Apocryphal letters in it, which are not inspired and inerrant.
Paul says that all Scripture is inspired of God, and is profitable for all the instruction we need in life. And if you compare the word of God with the Apocryphal writings, it’s obvious that the Apocrypha is not God-breathed, which is why the Great Reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox didn’t include those books in their Bibles. 

You know, if your friends ever have questions about the Bible, just give them my number and I’ll set aside some time to talk with them. Or you can invite them to my church, if you want. Our pastor is one of the most Biblical preachers around. He even has a blog of his own with links to his sermons on it. 
He can help your Catholic friends. That’s why—I believe—we are commanded to honor the Sabbath and to keep it holy. If we are not fed the Word of God regularly in worship, at least once a week, then we’re not being spiritually nourished. 

Oh, we also have a prayer meeting once a week. You should prayerfully consider inviting them to join us sometime. A life of prayer is so important, even for Catholics; probably even especially for Catholics, because with all those distractions about Mary, the saints, the rosary, and all other fluff, they might even forget what real prayer is like!

You know what? I have a book I can give you, too, which you can give to them. I can just buy another copy for myself. It’s no big deal. In this book they can learn so much about the truth of God’s word. 
In our church we call it the little green book, but that’s not actually it’s name. It’s called a catechism, which is the most accurate expression of the Christian faith in writing today (apart from the Bible of course!). 
What makes it so great is that it is in question and answer format, asking and answering all the really important and “deep” questions about God and his word, and everything in it comes directly from the Bible, almost word for word. 
Every question and answer has a list of footnotes underneath it which shows exactly where in Gods inspired word the answers are found. So they can open up their Bible and read the truth for themselves. And it is by the Bible's truth that they will be set free, just as Jesus tells us in John’s Gospel. 

Oh, and one more thing….

I almost forgot...

Do you know if they have ever heard of Strong’s Concordance? 
Do you even know what that is?
It’s a really neat book which highlights the true meaning of each word in the Bible.
It’s really helpful for people who can’t read the original languages. 
That way, no matter what translation your friends use (just hopefully not a Catholic one!), they can always go to God’s original, unadulterated word for answers.  
I’ll see if I have a copy at home, and if I do I’ll drop it off at your house this week, to give to them.

Again, I’m so sorry to hear about their "conversion." 
I will be praying for them this Wednesday evening.
I’ll let my pastor know, too. He can pray for them.
And if you don’t mind, I’ll even tell other Christian brothers and sisters in my Bible study about them, so they too can intercede for them. 

Perhaps God will be merciful, and hear all of our prayers.