Part III
It is all about Jesus.
When people realise this one truth, the church gets built.
Growing up Protestant, we tended to use the NT, specifically WL's "Heart of the Divine Revelation" - Ephesians/Galatians/Colossians/Philippians, plus Romans - to prove abstract theories: Justification, Sanctification, Transformation, Redemption, Holiness, Law-keeping vs Grace, religion vs "organic faith" and so forth.
But when Jesus was there, there was no NT. There was the OT, and a person. The NT showed that the person was the OT personage called-for.. "Are you the Christ" was the question asked of John the Baptist. They would not have asked if they were not waiting.
Jesus was the Christ. He was the prophesied Son of Man, Son of David, Anointed Messiah, King of Israel whose Kingdom would have no end, and Saviour of the World. King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Look what a hash WL made of it. The Processed God and One Church Per City and God's Deputy Authority. I cited the other 'ministers' earlier to show that WL was not alone. It is actually more widespread than we realize. It is perhaps even the rule. The persons I cited were just the really obvious ones. But the errors and abuses are probably more common than we realise, and we call that "Christianity."
But at its irreducible core there's one person. Crucified, raised to glory. For me, everything rests on the gospel messages given by Peter in Acts 2, and Paul in Acts 13. The referents that I made in the earlier posts on this thread show what happened when people started adding stuff. WN and the others I mentioned weren't more evil than you and I. Remember Jesus' word in Luke 13.
Quote:
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Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
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I wasn't judging the string of failed servants, but rather showing how prevalent this is. Why did a conservative, established Reform Presbyterian Church pick 36-year-old-with-troubled-past Tchividjian? Because he had stars in his eyes: he was scion of Graham, with aspirations of self empire. He was compromised in vision and this 'vision' seduced & fooled thousands. Same with Nee, Lee, Driscoll, Falwell Jr etc. It's nearly ubiquitous - the only question is degree. By the time it gets to David Koresh shooting it out with the ATF, we realise something is very wrong. But we're so dull, and Jesus so far away, smothered by layers of abstract accretia, that we don't get it till the wall tumbles down, like those under the ruins in Siloam.
If we see this tendency, and reject it, i.e. repent, then Jesus can build his ekklesia.