My spiritual dilema? Searching for truth
Hello everyone
There is something I learned recently that I have found troubling to me. First I will give you my history as it pertains to religion.
I started out as a catholic and spent my first two years in a catholic school. After that I spent the next five years in the episcopal denomination. I was seven years of age at that time, my mother started going to the Assembly of God after that which was a non-denominational church but the church looked like a tv evangelist’s building. We went to this church for five years or so which we then moved to other AOG’s (Assembly of God) of different pastors until I was sixteen. I was married to my wife in a AOG church. My mother would donate her time to the AOG church three to four times a week, up until her death. The last church I was a member of recently was the mormon church. It only lasted maybe six months then me and my wife both agreed there was a lot we did not agree with in their doctrine. In all that time and through all of those churches I have not once been told about the four gospels and what they really meant.
The Problem
I have read the bible from cover to cover multipal times. But missed the message over and over again. After I was married I came to the conclusion that institutional churches are not teaching the truth of the bible, but what their ministers opinion and the doctrine he learned from his particular seminary. The main problem I had with institutional churches was the “scripture picking” that was going on in the sermons of these churches. A lot of the time I am following along and the particular scripture used was taken out of context and twisted to the narrative of that sermon. To get a teaching out of the bible in the proper context you must read more then a single scripture from any chapter to get the proper context of understanding. As a minister you would think that you would spend time finding the chapters that have the context that matches the sermon or message you want to get out to the congregation. Anything but the truth is just misleading.
The Solution for me
Recently in the last few weeks I have found a church that uses the bibles stories and scriptures in the context the author originated. They used the bible to support the sermons, and they use either the whole chapter or the multipal scripture portions of the chapter that pertains to the sermon keeping the context of the chapter intact. This is using the bible to verify to weather the sermon is true or not.
The way I see it now is that the bible has always been a guide for humanity. A guide to proper health, and a guide to salvation. I have had a lot of ministers use the phrase “Oh that portion was meant for the isrealites only and was not meant for the gentiles” or “the new testament over rules the old testament”.
The bible needs to be understood literally except when it goes into prophecy! All prophecy up to revelations has been fulfilled and confirmed by historical documentation. Your faith in god must be based on the word of god and not on any particular church or minister. Reading the bible and taking the word as literal where it does not pertain to prophecy will show you if your minister is teaching the truth of the bible or not. This is what I used to determine the above churches that I attended where not teaching the truth. I am not a member of a particular church at the moment but I am researching one I think, is one of the true churches left in the world that has not corrupted itself with paganism, idolatry or doctrine of man. The Seventh Day Adventists church.
I had pretty much given up on finding a church that still taught the bible truth. It was about a year ago that I started digging into the history of the U.S. Constitution and our current government and why we in the united states had so many rules and regulations (not actual law but color of law statutes) what we call law. Well, following the money so to speak, lead me down into a rabbit warren of rabbit holes that no one wants to follow. Long story short, I found that the catholic papacy has a lot to do with were the USA is at today.
I was watching a video series on “you tube” called “Prophecy Encounter”
which shows in the bible that the sabbath day was meant to be followed by all of man kind. The bible shows that it was never abolished by God nor Jesus and none of the apostles. But was in fact a commandment that was supposed to be followed for ever. It was indeed created by, and sanctified by God him self after creation. It was this truth alone that started me back on my quest to find the true church of God.
Genesis 2; 2-3
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
-KJV
The 4th commandment of the ten commandments
Exodus 20; 8-11
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
-KJV
Exodus was the time during the exodus from Egypt and also the time Moses was given the ten commandments from Gods own writing!. A lot of ministers consider this Moses’s law and not Gods law so the forth commandment therefore is abolished by grace in the new testament scriptures after the crucifixion of Jesus, this is a false teaching according to the bible. for the new testament says nothing of abolishing the commandment but reinforces them and expands on their meanings. The ten commandments were indeed supposed to be kept by all mankind. The book of mark chapter 2:27 makes it very plain.
“And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: “ - KJV
The book of Genesis sets the days of the week very plainly with the first day of creation being the first day of the week and the day of Gods rest being the seventh day of the week. The names of the days of the week and the number of weeks in a month and the number of months in a year have been changed by man over the years but the number of days in a week, have NOT changed since the week of creation.
So why is it that most christian churches today, deny and brake the 4th commandment of God? Did you know that Gods Seal is also in the 4th commandment? It is also the only commandment that God started out with the word “Remember”
1 John 5:3-6
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. -KJV
My apologies it seems I have repeated myself a bit in this post but it is an important point that I have found in my search for the truth.
So in conclusion for this post, I choose to follow the bible and keep all ten commandments as well as the other commandments Jesus has set out for relationships, food, cleanliness, and spirituality. It is the ultimate guide to life.
Peace to all and have a great day!
my avatar image created by @carpenterbee
Hello. I know you don't know me, but there's a documentary that came out last year called The Way Documentary. There are people all over the world waking up to this reality. We started following Sabbath about a year ago. And observing the biblical feasts instead manmade holidays. I would tell you to be careful with any church. We were raised in the church and have followed its ways for 35 years. Finally it's like a veil has been lifted. https://www.thewaydoc.com
How amazing that you are on this journey. I am praying for you this morning as you seek Truth! May God bless and keep you and His face shine on you and give you peace.
Many say that the NT overrides the OT teachings. That would be like saying that what God said in the OT is no longer truth. That's not possible; for this would make God a liar. He clearly states in Numbers that He is not a man that He should lie.
If eating certain foods was bad for humans in the OT; they remain so in contemporary times. Giving a tenth of your earnings back to God-causes in the form of the tithe, will yield the same promise that is offered by God in OT Malachi.
If God said it is good to rest on the 7th day; and, even demonstrated this as an example for humans, I assure you, it still applies today.
In the NT Jesus reduces the Law Moses taught to two:
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. **(Matthew 22:37-40)_
Lastly, the answer to your question of why is because beloved, we live in a fallen world. God has gifted His children with the Spirit of Truth. Too often organized religions become more about what will fill the coffers, than speaking the truth according to God; thus, why some teachings are more popular than others.
That said, we're reminded that He holds teachers of the Word in higher accountability; so, what's misstated by some will hold great consequence on the Day of Judgment.
I hope this helps.
Best regards.
Peace.
It is indeed a sad truth of organized religions, more so for the end is very near. These organized religions are playing with peoples salvation. It took me fifty three years to start understanding the bible. Me and my wife started observing the Sabbath day two weeks ago. Our ignorance of the base ten commandments is truly shocking to me in particular. I have always tried to follow a virtuous path even with a very limited knowledge of the bible. When I was in a catholic school the 2nd and 4th commandment where not listed in the ten commandments I learned at that time. Thank you for your reply
Due to Steemit being in 'glitch' mode, I've uploaded your reply as an original post. Here's the link:
https://steemit.com/life/@spiritualmatters/why-the-sabbath-day-remains-relevant-to-modern-times
Best regards.
Peace.
For someone who said they read the Bible over and over again you fail to understand that the New Testament takes precedent our the Old Testament. We're no longer required to become Jews and obey the 613 parts of the Jewish law. We're required to repent of our sins, accept what Jesus did on the cross to pay for those sins, and accept Jesus as our Lord.
Yes, it matters who God was talking to. God made different promises to the Israelites and different promises to the church. To the Israelites God said that if they followed his commands no womb would be unfruitful and he wouldn't inflict the diseases on them that he inflicted on the Egyptians. It should be obvious that some Christian couples are childless and Christians can suffer the same diseases as unbelievers. God promised Israel prosperity in exchange for obedience. He doesn't make that some promise to Christians.
We don't have to follow the Jewish dietary laws and other customs. We don't have to observe the Sabbath. Paul makes that clear in Romans.
(Romans 14:5-6 NIV) One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. {6} He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
No, not all prophesy up until Revelation has been fulfilled. There are many prophecies about Jesus and Israel that are waiting fulfillment. Here are just a few:
(Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. {7} Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
(Daniel 7:13-14 NIV) "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. {14} He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
(Ezekiel 38:2-9 NIV) "Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him {3} and say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. {4} I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army--your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. {5} Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, {6} also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops--the many nations with you. {7} "'Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. {8} After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. {9} You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.
(Ezekiel 38:21-23 NIV) I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign LORD. Every man's sword will be against his brother. {22} I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. {23} And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.'
You're joking about the Seventh Day Adventist Church being a true church, aren't you? They're a cult. They consider Ellen G. White's writings to be equal to scripture.
@carpenterbee in addition to thefarmerswife recommendation, I would suggest looking up 119ministries, torahfamily, and new2torah on YouTube. Don’t doubt yourself, you are on the right track. Jesus died for the penalty of our sins, he did not redefine what sin is.
I looked through some of the replies and have personally read the bible several times and the only thing I know for sure is that there is no such thing as a bible scholar. It can be taken too many ways for one to know the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The bible has one simple message :Jesus loves me this I know for the bible tells me so".
Thank you for your post. I am just searching for the truth in the bible. I can see that over the last 1600 -2000 years, Christianity has been corrupted and twisted every which way from the truth. I for one would like to be inside the walls of new Jerusalem and not on the outside receiving the wrath of God. I see the bible as a guide book for life when our world society seems bent on destroying it. Jesus has said a lot in the new testament "if you love me follow my commandments" so I am looking for those commandments so I can follow them.
First off welcome to the awaking! I too have heard that the New Testament replaces the Old and that there were certain things done for “those” people that no longer apply to us now. It sounds like you are on the right path, God is calling you to look deeper into the word than ever before…go with it but you still have to be careful of course!
The Catholic Church is the reason that Christianity is for the most part the way it is. They felt they had the authority to change God’s word as well as to change the name of pagan rituals and put a “religions” spin on them (Christmas, Easter, Lent, etc…). Constantine in the 3rd century is a part why the day was changed from Saturday to Sunday, as well as the Catholic church saying it has the authority to change the day as well and they don’t deny this at all.
When I first started to look into Sabbath I as well came across the Seventh Day Adventists mainly because they are the only ones really still doing it. I watched Doug for a while and he was very helpful in understanding that the Sabbath is still for today. After I kept learning and studying I found however that they don’t keep the Feast of the Lord found in Leviticus 23 as commanded by God himself. After a little while and more research I was able to find a group of people, under a few different names, but they are mainly labeled Hebrew Roots or Messianic.
A few other people have commented on this post fall under this category of people: @thefarmerswife, @hebrewhousewife and I think @papa-pepper is leaning that way too. I, like them, have been called out and have crossed over from manmade religion to God’s way. The word cross over literally means Hebrew, hence the Hebrew Roots name. I as well would strongly suggest checking out https://www.thewaydoc.com. This was a very well put together documentary on this movement. I as well would suggest looking up 119ministries, torahfamily, and new2torah on YouTube. Side note…I post daily devotions from torahfamily.org and the guy that runs the new2torah channel on youtube also has a presence here on Steemit, that channel is called @mericanhomestead. I am going to agree once again with @hebrewhousewife in saying that there are many link-minded people here on Steemit.
This movement was not started by any person, where as you can find the origins of all the other denominations. It is an awaking of God’s people to repent and turn back to him. This movement is all over the world and spreading fast and can only be done by the work of the Holy Spirit!
I’m here if you have any questions, be glad to help!
Shalom!
Thank you for your post, In Leviticus 23 these where commandments for the Israelites after the exodus out of Egypt but before the crucifixion of Jesus. Since Jesus took the place of the lambs sacrifice for our sins the feast sabbaths would no longer be necessary. But the 7th day sabbath is still in effect because it was created on the 7th day of creation and later added to the list of 10 commandments given to Moses for the Israelites. The ten commandments are later mentioned in the new testament gospels and expanded on in meaning in Jesus's teachings. If you read the old testament books the reason for the feast sabbaths was for worship and asking for forgiveness from God. at least that is what I understand the feast sabbaths where for, and no longer needed since Jesus died for our sins. Do I have that part right?
I am a member of the Church of the Nazarene and our pastor teaches putting the words of the bible into the time context of when it was written before bringing the meaning forward to present day. I was thrilled when I realized how important this is to understanding the bible. The church in Laodicia changed the Lord's day to Sunday in 364 AD. The apostle Paul offered in his writings, I think in Galations that setting traditional events on different days was acceptable. I've also read that Christians did not want to be confused with Jews who were being persecuted at that time relentlessly. I think you choice of Seventh Day is a good one. They are good people and live a humble and righteous life. Due to their lifestyle they are also among the longest lived people in the USA. Good luck in your walk with God.
My family has been on a long strange journey out of the world and into the church, and then out of the modern church system into the faith. Just be willing to obey God over all. It'll be worth it, even if the world, or religious people, hate you for it. Be blessed!
Thank you for your post @papa-pepper, I have watched some of your videos on how you arrived to were you are now, and they are inspirational. I wish you and your family the best.
Hey @carpenterbee! Have you heard of the Hebrew Roots movement? You described what so many of us have discovered ourselves as well!
I did a post a while back on my own testimony: https://steemit.com/thewaytruthandlife/@hebrewhousewife/my-testimony-to-discovering-the-truth
https://steemit.com/faith/@hebrewhousewife/sharing-the-truth
I think you’ll find many like-minded people here on steemit.
Thank you for your reply @hebrewhousewife
No I have not heard of the Hebrew Roots movement. I am just recently looking into going back to church. I am looking for a 7th day Adventist church in our area mainly because they hold services Saturday mornings. These past few weeks my wife and I have been watching a pastor on "Amazing Facts" youtube channel live stream saturday mornings
https://www.youtube.com/user/AmazingFacts/videos
until we can find a way to our area church which is about twenty miles away.
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