Have you ever thought that Christianity, metaphorically speaking of course, is like a box of crayons?
The thought came to me years ago when I was coloring with my granddaughter and she asked me to give her the red crayon.
When I was a child of her age the task would have been easy. My crayon box contained the eight basic colors and there was only one red crayon. Today the choice is much more difficult. Today crayon boxes have not only the basic eight colors used by my generation but also include various shades of each color. After a few minutes of fumbling around with colors like maroon, crimson, brick, radical red, etc. my granddaughter's patience was taxed to the limit. My suggestion that one of the other shades of red was close enough and as good as red was dismissed immediately with an exasperated, "No, it has to be red." Reaching into the box she grabbed a crayon and told me in a tone reserved for her baby brother and intellectual inferiors, "Its easy to find grandpa its the crayon with the point that is almost flat. See?"
That's when the similarity between Christian churches today and a large box of crayons first occurred to me.
In my mind the Church Jesus founded became like the red crayon. It was a specific thing. It was not just a color but one unique color different from all others. I thought finding Christ's Church in the days of the Apostles would be as easy to find as it was for me to find the red crayon in my crayon box of only eight colors. The choice was simple. Just as my crayon box contained only one red crayon, Christianity had only one Church claiming to be Christ's Church at the time of Apostles.
Shortly after Jesus ascended into heaven heresies and conflicts started popping up in church circles. I think Satan overheard Jesus pray for unity (John 17: 6-23) and since his plan to destroy Jesus hadn't worked he knew that he had to get busy sowing seeds of discord and disunity. Jesus, himself, taught that any kingdom or house divided will fall (Luke 11:17). As the Church grew so did the heresies and conflicts until finally there was a complete break with Rome known as the Protestant Reformation. Many denominations appeared all claiming that they had the full and true deposit of faith. These different church communities became for me the various shades of red in a crayon box.
Today the person searching for Christ's Church is faced with the challenge of trying to determine which red to choose in today's crayon box called Christianity. Every shade of red from the lightest pink to the darkest scarlet faces the person searching for Christ's Church. Many searching for the true Church are told it doesn't matter which church you go to, one Church is as good as another.
If you remember in the story above I told my granddaughter that one shade of red was as good as another when she was searching for a crayon. She dismissed that notion. I urge you when you are searching for Christ's Church and someone says it doesn't matter which church you join to be like my granddaughter and dismiss that notion.
Did Christ give us any way to find the Church He founded? Did His Church have anything to distinguish it from other churches that appeared similar? If my granddaughter had ways to identify her crayons surely Christ would have left ways to identify the Church that He and He alone founded. Was His Church marked in someway to enable us to find it easily? The answer is yes.
Christ founded a Church that would be One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. This Church would be entrusted with the full deposit of faith and be a dispenser of all graces necessary for man's salvation. The Father then sent the Holy Spirit to protect this Church from ever falling into error. The Catholic Church teaches that this Church exists within the boundaries of the Catholic Church.
Matthew 16:18-19
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.John 14:16-17
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.John 14:26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.What information did we get from the above scriptures? The first thing we learn is that Christ did establish a Church while He was here on earth. Next we are told He sent the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth who would abide with His Church for ever and keep it free from error. That is why He could say with certainty the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church. For the Church to fall into error the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Ghost, would have to abandon us since truth and error can't exist simultaneously. Since Jesus promised the Spirit of Truth would stay with us forever we know that Satan doing his best on his best day can not overthrow the Church. Sure he can cause a little damage and cause dissension and maybe entice some to leave the Church but he can’t destroy it. So taking all that into consideration we see those who claim the Catholic Church fell into error really don't have a leg to stand on if they believe scripture.
Now if Jesus did establish a Church and the Holy Spirit He sent would dwell with it forever to protect it; reason tells us that this Church would have not only existed in Christ's time but would exist today. In other words the Church Jesus founded would be an Apostolic Church. This means that the actual visible Church He founded could historically trace its existence from the present back to the time of Jesus and the Apostles. This Church would have this Apostolic mark not only because it can be traced back to the Apostles but because it continues to proclaim the message of the prophets and the apostles.
Ephesians 2:19-20
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;Yes Jesus is the cornerstone. The basic, essential, most important part of the foundation. He alone is the founder of this Church. This is one of the things that make the Catholic Church holy. The founder was Jesus Christ not some man but God Himself in the flesh. We in turn can become holy through His Church by utilizing the sacraments He instituted for man’s salvation. This grace is not earned by works as some claim the Catholic Church teaches. It is dispensed through the sacraments as His free gift to us.
Ephesians 2:8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of GodAlthough this gift is free the price of the gift wasn't cheap
Acts 20:28
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.What else do we know about his Church. Well Jesus wanted His church to be one; another mark of the Church founded by Christ.
John 17:21-23
That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.1 Corinthians 1:10
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.Romans 16:17
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.Romans 12:5
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.This Church would display its oneness by professing the same faith, having the same worship and Sacraments.
Ephesians 4:5
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,Philippians 1:27
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;The Church was to be Catholic. Catholic is just another way to say universal. The Church is for everyone on the planet. God loves everyone in the world and doesn't want any one to perish.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentanceThat's why Jesus gave a mandate to his Apostles before he ascended to heaven. To tell everyone the good news. It is not for just a select few as some cults teach. This message was for the whole world.
Matthew 28:19-20
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.If Jesus prayed for us to be one why are there so many denominations?
Some like Henry VIII didn't like what he was told. He despised the answers he was given so he started his own church
Luke 10:16
He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.The Mormons say the angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith and told him that the existing Christian denominations had fallen into error even though Christ had promised this would never happen.
Galatians 1:6-8
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Others were drawn away by men with charismatic personalities who thought the true message of the gospel was no longer being preached.
Galatians 1:9
As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursedSome people wouldn't accept the idea of a Trinity, the existence of hell, or the divinity of Christ or some other part of the original gospel message
1 Timothy 4:1
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;2 Timothy 4:3-4
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.And finally there were those who had the Bible and figured that their interpretation, no matter how strange or erroneous, was from the Holy Spirit even though Scripture warns against this practice.
2 Peter 3:16
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.Some others refused to believe the Church was a visible institution that teaches infallibly in the name of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 16:19
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.Matthew 18:17
And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.Luke 10:16
He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.There is one subject that always comes up when I discuss the Catholic Church; the "bad people" in the Catholic Church. This subject covers the bad popes, yes they really existed, priests molesting children, Mafia members, and Catholic movie stars leading immoral lives. My answer to this is that Christ's Church wasn't so hot when he was on earth with it. Out of the original twelve members; one betrayed him, one denied him and all but one deserted him at His crucifixion. Read about the wheat and the tares starting in Matthew 13:24 and the net in Matthew 13:47. You can look these verses up for practice. If you don't have a Bible don’t you think it's about time you got one. These parables tell us that Christ’s Church will have both sinners and saints as members.
I will conclude this section with a question. Have you ever personally examined the claims of the Catholic Church or have you only listened to what others claim the Church to be? Satan wants to keep the kingdom of God divided. Scripture tells us why.
Mark 3:24
And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.Are you open to the truth? Can you overcome your prejudice, misconceptions, and erroneous teaching to accomplish the desire of Jesus? Unity or confusion? It's your choice and you will have to answer to God for your choice someday.
Romans 14:12
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to GodQuotes from the Early Church Fathers on the Church
Some say the Catholic Church didn’t exist until the fifth or sixth century. Read some of the writings of the Early Church Fathers that mention the Catholic Church and check the dates of these writings. Then decide for yourself if this statement is true
Ignatius of Antioch [A.D. 110] (Letter to the Smyrneans 8:2). "Let no one do anything of concern to the Church without the bishop. Let that be considered a valid Eucharist which is celebrated by the bishop or by one whom he ordains [i.e., a presbyter]. Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church"
The Martyrdom of Polycarp [A.D. 155] (Martyrdom of Polycarp 16:2). "And of the elect, he was one indeed, the wonderful martyr Polycarp, who in our days was an apostolic and prophetic teacher, bishop of the Catholic Church in Smyrna. For every word which came forth from his mouth was fulfilled and will be fulfilled"