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Posts Tagged ‘brethren’

SIN IS A LACK OF LOVE- PAUL MUTSCHLER

Posted in Articles, BIBLE, English Posts, GOSPEL, tagged , , , on October 7, 2016| 1 Comment »

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arizonaSIN IS A LACK OF LOVE

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THE BELIEVER’S GOAL

*  John 5:14 – “Afterward Jesus findeth Him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole:  sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.”

*  John 8:11 – “She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.“

*  1 Corinthians 15:34 – “Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God:  I speak this to your shame.”

*  Ephesians 4:26-27 – “Be ye angry, and sin not:  let not the sun go down upon your wrath:  neither give place to the devil.”

*  2 Timothy 2:19 – “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His.  And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

*  1 John 2:1 – “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.  And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED WHEN YOU FAIL

*  1 John 3:1-3 – “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:  therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:  but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.”

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 WHILE WE WAIT TO BE CHANGED INTO HIS LIKENESS

*  Romans 13:8-10 – “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law.  For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law.”

*  Galatians 5:13-14 – “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.  For all the Law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

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DAYS OF PRAISE-FROM DISCIPLES TO BRETHREN

Posted in Articles, BIBLE, English Posts, GOSPEL, UNITY OF DISCIPLES, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 9, 2012| 2 Comments »

 

From Disciples to Brethren

June 9, 2012

 “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” (John 20:17)

 It is interesting to note that our Lord never called His disciples “brethren” until after His resurrection, and our text, which identifies them as such, was the first thing He uttered after rising from the dead, at least as recorded in Scripture.

 Until then He had referred to them in a variety of ways, including “little children” (John 13:33), “brethren,” in the sense of brothers in a family (Matthew 12:49), and even “friends.”

 “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you” (John 15:15). Certainly the disciples held a special place in Christ’s heart.

 But it was not until He had risen from the dead, He who was “the firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18), the “firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20), that His disciples, and indeed all who would “believe on |Him| through their word” (John 17:20), could be made “sons of God” (Romans 8:14). “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and jointheirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). This high standing comes as a fulfillment of His determination to “be the firstborn among many brethren” (v. 29).

 He has relabeled the “great congregation” (Psalm 22:22, 25 quoted in Hebrews 2:12) the “church,” identifying the individual members as His “brethren,” and is not “ashamed” to do so (Hebrews 2:11). As we see in our text, His God is our God, His Father is our Father; in all ways, we who have believed on Him are His brothers. Oh, what a standing is ours! JDM

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UNITY,UNIFORMITY, UNANIMITY-They’re not all the same.

Posted in UNITY OF DISCIPLES, tagged , , , on September 21, 2011| Leave a Comment »

UNITY,UNIFORMITY, UNANIMITY

They’re not all the same.

“And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring,and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one flock,and one Shepherd”

(Jn. 10:16).

We know that the unity of His people is very dear to the heart of our Lord Jesus because it is one of the subjects He prayed about shortly before going to the cross (Jn. 17:20-23).While that unity certainly has practical considerations, the Lord was referring to mystery of the church—Jews and Gentiles united in one body. Later, Paul would outline the unity of the universal church (Eph. 4:4-6) by listing seven magnificent items that are positional: they are shared by every member of the body of Christ, regardless of that believer’s appreciation of themor the quality of his Christian walk. But there is also a conditional aspect to the unity of believers.These great truths are to be translated into daily living. Hence, in connection with thosepositional truths, we are instructed how to behave in order to “preserve the unity of the Spirit inthe bond of peace” (Eph. 4:1-3). This is a description of practical unity in the church.There are two related concepts that are also significant to our understanding of practical church unity. Firstly, unity is not to be confused with uniformity. The same passages that emphasize the unity of the assembly also describe its divine diversity (e.g. 1 Cor. 12; Rom. 12).Taking this principle seriously actually fosters unity. No end of irritation develops when a believer expects everyone else to be just like him. Often, a believer will view his own particular burden or ministry as the paramount duty of all Christians. As a result, he doesn’t value (or sometimes even notice) the roles and ministries of the other members of the body. Instead of appreciating the wisdom of God in placing every member in the body just as He desired

(1 Cor. 12:18), a believer who expects uniformity will be constantly discouraged, self-righteous,and critical. This betrays a tragic misunderstanding of the nature of the local church. The Lord is infinitely creative and does not make duplicate Christians. He gives every believer a crucial and unique role. We can all rejoice as we see how other believers are equipped to meet vital needs that we, left to ourselves, had barely noticed.

This diversity, however, does not extend to every element of church life. Unanimity is required in many areas. For example, diversity of doctrine is not a strength—it is not a virtue to have a diversity of viewpoints on the deity of Christ or the importance of New Testament church principles. Furthermore, there are many “practical” elements of the Christian life where we don’tdesire variety. “You’re patient; I’m not. Isn’t diversity wonderful?” We trust that we can be in absolute agreement on moral issues or any other matter where the Scriptures speak clearly. Lastly, unanimity is an important principle specifically for elders. Years ago, a dear Christian brother told me that when the elders of his assembly were unable to come to unanimous agreement on an issue, one of them would say, “Brethren, we clearly do not yet have the mind of the Lord on this. Let’s continue to pray about it.” This might not be the fastest way to make decisions, but there’s no doubt it is the wisest. The assembly is not a democracy where majority rules. Our duty is to discern the Lord’s thoughts, as revealed in His Word. Unanimity among the elders is one of the safeguards that helps ensure that we do just that.Let us allow the Lord to be our guide in all of these matters.He is the great unifier of His people, who has sovereignly given us our unique roles in the body. And it is His mind and will that we should seek to understand and implement in our lives. by James Martin

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THE BRETHREN-WHAT IS SO UNIQUE ABOUT THEM !!!CONCLUSION,About The Authors

Posted in UNITY OF DISCIPLES, tagged , , on September 17, 2011| Leave a Comment »

THE BRETHREN-WHAT IS SO UNIQUE ABOUT THEM!!

CONCLUSION

From the time of Protestant Reformation, many churches
have tried to get as close to the New Testament as
possible. Conforming to the New Testament pattern
requires that a church should have the right doctrine, right emphasis, and also that it should reject all
what God rejects.
Many churches have the right doctrines, but they do not emphasize that which is to be given
emphasis and thus the fail in conforming to the Bible. Others have the right emphasis, but do not
teach the whole counsel of Scripture so that people soon drift into human do-goodism instead of a

Bible-based holy living. Still others try to give the right direction to the church through creeds and
customs, but succeed only in taking the church closer to the carnal society.
The Brethren Movement, however, has succeeded in emphasizing the right doctrine, right practices,
and also in rejecting all man-made additions to the church. Thus it is a unique group, as close to the
New Testament principles as possible.
After reading this book, some of you might want to point to the shortcomings of the Brethren
Assemblies. Please remember, shortcomings will always be there in the Christian world as long as our
sin nature is with us. Thus the main question should not be “why are there these shortcomings in our
churches”. Rather, the right question that each one of us should as is “since I am part of such a
blessed group, what has been my contribution so far to enrich this group”. Once our readers start
asking this question honestly to themselves, they will find that they are on the path of a new
transformation in their spiritual life.

Come, Let Us Go Back To The Bible!
Please Join The Mission of Brethren Research Group
Every reform movement comes to slumber in a century or less. There are practically no exceptions in
the last two millennia of church history. Thus each generation needs Ezras and
Nehemiahs to rebuild the foundations that were once laid down but which are in
ruins now! The only solution is to go back to the Bible and its fundamentals.
The authors stand unashamedly and without wavering on the following
fundamental principles: Bible Alone (Sola Scriptura), Faith Alone (Sola Fide), Grace
Alone (Sola Gratia), Christ Alone (Solus Christus). With this in mind we bring to
you a set of writers who stand strong on these principles.
Please join this movement by distributing copies of this Ebook in any format
(electronic, print, on CDs, pen drives) to your family, friends, and church members.
Announce it on your website and in your bulletins. Ask people to download and
read it.
All books can always be downloaded free from http://FreeEbooks.Itz4u.com
Remember, a mere five minutes spent by you to introduce these FREE Ebooks to a friend in need can
transform his entire life, so do make this investment today itself!

About The Authors
Dr. Johnson C. Philip is a physicist and Christian communicator. He is also
the senior-most Christian apologist in India, having trained more than
10,000 apologists worldwide through distance education. At present he
serves on the faculty of several theological seminaries worldwide.
He has authored close to 100 books/ebooks and over 10,000 article (2011)
and a good number of his ebooks are available free. He is also an expert in
Indian Numismatics.
He made a decision to serve the Lord and to stand for the Brethren Distinctives when at the age of 5
he witnessed how opponents to the gospel burned Bibles and gospels in Kota where his father
(along with the late Dr. MA Thomas, late Paul S Cant, and KC John) was serving the Lord. In the
past he has served as the Principal of Rehoboth Theological Institute (Brethren) and the Academic
Dean of Brethren Bible Institute, Pathanamthitta. At present he is the Principal of Brethren
Theological College, Kallisseri.
Dr. Saneesh Cherian is sociology major with interest in Theology and
communication. He has authored close to 50 books/ebooks and
numerous articles. He was one of the architects of the first Christian
apologetics and Systematic Theology textbooks in the Malayalam
language, produced by a team of writers at the Brethren Bible Institute,
Pathanamthitta and Rehoboth Theological Institute, Trichur.
In the past he has served as the Academic Dean of Rehoboth Theological
Institute (Brethren). At present he serves on the faculty of several theological seminaries
worldwide, including Brethren Theological College as its Academic Dean.
He developed an interest in writing when he studied theology under Dr. Johnson at Brethren Bible
Institute, and has devoted his life to stand for Brethren Distinctives.
http://www.BrethrenAssembly.com
FreeEbooks.itz4u.com

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THE BRETHREN-WHAT IS SO UNIQUE ABOUT THEM!!!BIBLICAL IN REJECTION – 4. Man-made Creeds And Customs

Posted in UNITY OF DISCIPLES, tagged , , on September 17, 2011| Leave a Comment »

THE BRETHREN-WHAT IS SO UNIQUE ABOUT THEM!!

BIBLICAL IN REJECTION

4. Man-made Creeds And Customs
Are Rejected: Just as people have a
tendency to create a carnal hierarchy over
churches, they also have a tendency to create
creeds and customs without an end.
Eventually these creeds and customs totally
overshadow biblical truth.
There is absolutely no Scriptural basis for holy-water,
holy-oil, anointing-oil, etc. in the New Testament.
These are perversions that have entered the church
from the pagan world
A good example is the holy-water used by
many nominal churches and by many
charismatic preachers. Just as non Christians
use holy water to anoint buildings, people on
death-bed and priests (when they are
consecrated), these Christians also use this
so-called holy-water for man-made rites
related to separation, dedication,
consecration, and death-bed ministries. They
call it as “anointing”. This is an absolutely
pagan concept, totally contrary to the
principles of the church age.
Similarly, many churches have contrived
creeds that are totally against the Scripture.
Some of these reject the divinity of the Bible,
others sanction and justify idol-worship, and
still others elevate dead people (the so-called
saints) and Bishops to the level of God.
Bishops are often addressed as His Grace, His
Worship, etc. whereas these are terms to be
used only for God.
Then there is the the imposed celibacy of
priests. There is absolutely no warrant for this
in the Scripture. There is also no warrant for
women in Christian ministry to undergo forced
celibacy. This is totally opposed to the spirit of
creation where man has been made to live
with woman and have offspring. The amount
of moral sin that this has created is
mind-boggling. Worse, some Protestant
churches force men to abandon their families
after they are consecrated as Pastors. Again
this is an open violation of the Scripture.
Carnal man loves to elevate human things to
the level of the divine. This is totally and
absolutely forbidden in the Scriptures. In
keeping with such commands of the Scripture,
the Brethren rightly reject all man-made
creeds and customs

ROMANIAN TRANSLATION FROM VESTEA BUNA

Crezurile și obiceiurile făcute de om, respinse. Din mărturia fraților din India (4.)

4.Crezurile și obiceiurile făcute de om, respinse

Aşa cum oamenii au o tendinţa de a crea o ierarhie carnală peste biserici, ei au de asemenea o tendinţă de a crea
credinţe şi obiceiuri fără de sfârșit. În cele din urmă aceste crezuri şi obiceiuri umbresc  total adevărul biblic.
Nu există absolut nici o bază scripturală pentru apă-sfântă, ulei-sfânt, ulei de uns, etc, în Noul Testament.
Acestea sunt falsificări care au intrat în biserică din lumea păgână.
Un bun exemplu este apa sfântă utilizată de către multe biserici nominale şi de mulți predicatori carismatici. Exact așa cum necreștinii folosesc apă sfinţită pentru a unge clădiri, oameni pe patul de moarte şi  preoţi (atunci când aceștia sunt consacrați) aceşti creştini, de asemenea, folosesc această aşa-numită apă sfântă pentru rituri făcute de om, legate de  separare, dedicare,  consacrare şi slujba pe patul de moarte. Ei îi zic la asta ”ungere”. Acesta este un concept absolut păgân, total contrar principiilor erei bisericii.
În mod similar, multe biserici au crezuri născocite care sunt total împotriva Scripturii.
Unele dintre aceste resping divinitatea Bibliei, altele  justifică închinarea la idoli, şi încă altele ridică morţi (aşa-numiți sfinţi) şi episcopi la nivelul lui Dumnezeu.
Episcopii sunt adesea tratați  ca Sfinția Ta, Înălțimea Ta, etc deși aceștia sunt termeni care urmează să fie
utilizați numai pentru Dumnezeu.
Apoi, există celibatul impus preoţilor. Nu există absolut nici un mandat pentru această practică în Scriptură. Nu există, de asemenea nici un mandat pentru impunerea celibatului forțat pentru femeile din lucrarea creștină.  Acest lucru este în totală opoziție spiritului creației unde omul a fost făcut să trăiască cu o femeie şi a avea urmași. Mărimea  păcatului moral pe care acest lucru l-a creat este înnebunitor. Mai rău, unele biserici protestante impun  bărbaţilor să-şi abandoneze familiile lor după ce aceștia sunt consacrați ca păstori. Din nou aceasta este o încălcare deschisă a Scripturii.
Omul carnal iubeşte ridicarea lucrurilor umane la nivelul divin. Acest lucru este total şi absolut interzis în Scripturi. În conformitate cu poruncile Scripturii, fraţii resping în mod întemeiat toate crezurile și obiceiurile făcute de om.

 

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THE BRETHREN-WHAT IS SO UNIQUE ABOUT THEM!!! BIBLICAL IN REJECTION -3. Salaried Priesthood Is Rejected:

Posted in UNITY OF DISCIPLES, tagged , , , , on September 17, 2011| Leave a Comment »

THE BRETHREN-WHAT IS SO UNIQUE ABOUT THEM!!

  BIBLICAL IN REJECTION 

3. Salaried Priesthood Is Rejected:
According to the word, a person is to be paid a
salary when he is employed by someone. Thus
the moment people brought in the worldly
system of a special priestly class “appointed”
by the church, they also brought in the
concept of paying them a salary. Thus the
priests in these churches are hirelings of the
church, not servants of Christ.
These priests and pastors are subject to a
human office, central authorities, and are
liable for transfer exactly the way it happens
in government offices. There is also plenty of
lobbying for transfer to better (rich) churches,
and those who go against the hierarchy are
sent to bad churches as “punishment
transfer”.
There is absolutely no Scriptural warrant for these
things and the Brethren reject it
All of the above happens when the house of
God is managed using earthly principles. There
is absolutely no command or precedent for
such man-made organization in the New
Testament church. The Brethren therefore
reject the Salaried Priesthood as a totally
man-made and carnal institution. Those who
serve as evangelists and elders in Brethren
assemblies do not serve a human hierarchy.
They do so unto God, and no salary is every
given to them. There are neither transfers to
rich churches for one’s favorite people, not
punitive transfers to those who do not
conform to the hierarchy.
What is done unto the Lord is done in faith,
and it is the Lord who looks after them, not a
manipulation-prone and sin-prone human
hierarchy. The Brethren are unusual in this
aspect of their church, and they take this
stand so as to conform as closely as possible
to the model provided by the Bible

ROMANIAN TRANSLATION FROM VESTEA BUNA

 

Biblici în respingere. Mărturia fraților din India (3). Preoția salarizată este respinsă.

 Preoţia salarizată este respinsă

Potrivit Cuvântului, o persoană trebuie să fie plătită cu un salariu atunci când este angajată de cineva. Prin urmare
oamenii au ajuns în sistemul lumesc al unei caste  speciale preoţeşti ”numită(unsă)” de biserică, de asemenea au acceptat să plătească acestora un salariu. Astfel, preoţii în aceste biserici sunt angajați de biserică, nu slujitori ai lui Hristos.
Acești preoţi şi pastori fac obiectul unei autorități umane, autorităţi centrale  şi sunt supuși transferărilor exact aşa cum se întâmplă în slujbele guvernamentale. Se face de asemenea mult lobby pentru un transfer la o biserică mai bună (bogată)
şi cei care merg împotriva ierarhiei sunt trimiși la biserici mai rele  ca ”transfer-pedeapsă”.
Nu există absolut nici un mandat scriptural pentru aceste lucruri şi fraţii le resping.
Toate cele de mai sus se întâmplă atunci când casa lui Dumnezeu este gestionată cu ajutorul unor principii pământeşti. Nu
este absolut nici o poruncă sau precedent pentru astfel de  organizaţii făcute de om  în Biserica Nou Testamentală.
Fraţii, prin urmare resping Preoţia Salarizată ca fiind o instituție în totalitate făcută de om și carnală.
Cei care slujesc ca evanghelişti şi bătrâni în adunările fraților nu slujesc o ierarhie umană.
Ei fac acest lucru lui Dumnezeu, şi nu primesc fiecare un salariu.
Nu sunt nici transferuri către biserici bogate pentru unii favoriți, nici transferuri punitive(de pedeapsă) pentru cei ce nu se conformează ierarhiei.
Ce se face pentru Domnul se face în credinţă şi  Domnul le poartă de grijă, nu o ierarhie umană predispusă la păcat și manipulare.
Fraţii sunt ciudați  în acest aspect al bisericii lor şi ei să iau această poziție pentru ca să se conformeze cât mai strâns posibil
modelului oferit de Biblie.

traducere rapidă cu ajutorul Google translate

 

 

 

 

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THE BRETHREN-WHAT IS SO UNIQUE ABOUT THEM!!! BIBLICAL IN REJECTION 2. Man-made Church Hierarchy Rejected

Posted in UNITY OF DISCIPLES, tagged , , , on September 17, 2011| Leave a Comment »

THE BRETHREN-WHAT IS SO UNIQUE ABOUT THEM!!!

BIBLICAL IN REJECTION

2. Man-made Church Hierarchy
Rejected:

There is no hierarchy in the
church age. We read “There is neither Jew
nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free,
there is neither male nor female: for ye are all
one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28 ). All hierarchy
has been abolished in church. There is no
special priestly class, special no vestments, no
special liturgy. There are no church unions, no
centers, no central pastors or bishops.
However, all of this is contrary to human
wisdom. If there is a special priestly class,
special vestment, special liturgy which is to be
administered only by the appointed ones,
then a few priests can control vast numbers of
people. The common man can be manipulated
at will because only the priestly class has the
authority to interpret the Bible in such a
system. This is why all kinds of bizarre
hierarchical systems and stipulations have
come up on the Church age. The ultimate
purpose is to enslave people, whereas Christ
has liberated people.
In keeping with the Scripture, the Brethren
strongly and totally reject all man-made
church hierarchy, church-unions, ecumenism,
and artificially contrived liturgy. In keeping
with the New Testament truths, the
Brethren also totally reject the concept of a
man-made priestly class and priestly hierarchy.
In fact they believe that this hierarchy,
through Ecumenism, will ultimately form the
One World Church, which would become the
Mystery Babylon, the Mother of Harlots. The
Brethren reject the Mystery Babylon and also
its present manifestation in the form of
man-made church hierarchy.

ROMANIAN TRANSLATION FROM VESTEA BUNA

Biblici în respingere. Mărturia fraților din India (2.) Ierarhia Bisericească făcută de om, respinsă.

 Nu exista nici o ierarhie în vrema adunării. Am citit  ”Nu mai este nici evreu nici grec, nu există nici sclav, nici liber,

nu există nici bărbat, nici femeie: voi toți sunteți una în Cristos Isus “(Gal 3:28). Toate ierarhia a fost eliminată în biserică. Nu există nici o clasă specială preoţescă, nu există veşminte speciale, nu există liturghie specială. Nu există Uniuni de Biserici, nici pastori sau episcopi centrali.
Cu toate acestea, toate acestea sunt contrare înţelepciunii omenești. Dacă undeva există o clasă specială preoţească,
veşmânte speciale, liturghie specială  care poate fi administrată numai de anumiți ordinați, acolo câţiva preoţi pot controla un număr mare de  oameni. Omul comun poate fi manipulat în voie, deoarece doar clasa preoţească are  autoritatea de a interpreta Biblia într-un astfel de sistem. Acesta este motivul pentru care toate tipurile de Sisteme ierarhice şi prevederi au apărut în era  Bisericii. Scopul este de a subjuga pe oameni, întrucât Hristos i-a eliberat pe oameni.
În conformitate cu Scriptura, fraţii au respins ferm şi total toată ierarhia bisericii făcută de om, uniuni de biserici, ecumenism și liturghia artificială. În conformitate cu adevărurile Noului Testament, fraţii de asemenea, au respins în totalitate conceptul de clasă preoțească făcută de om și de ierarhie preoțească.
De fapt, ei cred că această ierarhie, prin Ecumenism, vor forma în cele din urmă O Biserica Mondială, care ar deveni
Taina Babilonul, mama curvelor.
Fraţii resping Taina Babilonul şi de asemenea, manifestările sale  prezente sub formă de ierarhie bisericească făcută de om.

traducere rapidă cu Google translate corectat

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THE BRETHREN-WHAT IS SO UNIQUE ABOUT THEM!!!BIBLICAL IN REJECTION-1.Vanity, Pomp And Show

Posted in UNITY OF DISCIPLES, tagged , , , , , , on September 17, 2011| Leave a Comment »

THE BRETHREN-WHAT IS SO UNIQUE ABOUT THEM!!

BIBLICAL IN REJECTION

· Vanity, Pomp And Show

The idea of separation comes with the
stipulation that the separated ones reject
certain things and ideas as stipulated by God.
A good example is Samson who was
separated unto God right from the moment of his conception. Therefore he had to observe strict
separation from Wine. He was not supposed to marry gentile women. Priests in the Old Testament
were separated people, and they were not supposed to act like common Jews.
The great men who left nominal and worldly
churches to become the founders of the
Brethren movement were men deeply
committed to the Bible. Thus one of the first
thing they did after their separation was to
reject a number of things. These include:
· Vanity, Pomp And Show
· Man-made Church Hierarchy
· Salaried Priesthood
· Man-made Creeds And Customs

1. Vanity, Pomp And Show Rejected:
Human heart is totally devoted to vanity and
therefore all religions add all kinds of vanity,
pomp, and show as it grows and becomes
powerful. The 1800s were a time like this
worldwide. The industrialized nations were
rich with factory produces coupled with loot
from their colonies. The Colonies like India had
a substantial business class among Christians
who were rich. Thus churches everywhere had
access to plenty of money but no
accountability to man or God. Pomp and
show, coupled with luxuries, was the order of
day. Church buildings were built to impress
people and the liturgy was meant to terrorize
the common man.
The first thing the new believers did was to
abandon all pomp, show, and vanity. Church
services were conducted in common man’s
language, special priestly vestments and
contrived prayers read from books were done
away with. Plain halls were used as churches,
and all ceremonies including marriage and
funeral were made simple. Since gold
ornaments had become a prime symbol of
vanity among Kerala Christians, these were
also abandoned. There was no more clergy
laity difference. All believer-priests were equal
in the Lord. Thus the Christian faith of the
early Brethren returned to the simplicity of
the New Testament era by rejecting all show
of human vanity.
The situation continues to be the same today,
in spite of much compromise. There is neither
special priestly vestments, nor the artificial
liturgy that is seen in nominal churches. In
general Kerala Brethren continue to keep
ornaments of gold, silver, and precious stone
away as a part of this choice, and in this
matter they are unique among all the
assemblies everywhere in the world.

ROMANIAN TRANSLATION FROM VESTEA BUNA

biblici-in-respingere-marturia-fratilor-din-india-1-vanitatea-pompa-si-spectacolul-respinse

16 septembrie 2011
Descriind frații din India, autorul cărții de mai jos(Frații), după ce subliniează doctrinele biblice ferme: Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia și Solus Cristus enumeră și descrie 5 principii practice de manifestare a adunării: Separarea, Preoția tuturor credincioșilor, Autonomia bisericii locale, Necesitatea evanghelizării și Necesitatea de a planta biserici. Ultima parte a cărții: Biblici în respingere, cred că merită tradusă și publicată.

Ideea de separare vine cu stipularea că cei separați resping anumite lucruri şi idei astfel cum este prevăzut de către Dumnezeu. Un bun exemplu este Samson, care a fost separat lui Dumnezeu chiar din momentul conceperii sale. Prin urmare, el a trebuit să respecte strict separarea de vin. El nu ar fi trebuit să se căsătorească cu femei dintre neamuri. Preoţii în Vechiul Testament au fost separați de oameni şi ei nu ar fi trebuit să acţioneze ca evreii comuni.
Oamenii mari care au părăsit  bisericile nominale şi lumeşti ca să devină fondatorii Mișcării fraţilor au fost oameni profund atașați scripturii. Astfel, unul din primele lucruri ce le-au făcut după separarea lor a fost de a respinge o serie de lucruri. Acestea includ:
• Vanitatea, pompa si Specatcolul(1)
• Ierarhia Bisericească făcută de om.(2)
• Preoția salarizată(3)
• Crezuri și obiceiuri făcute de om.(4)

1. Vanitatea, Pompa si Spectacolul respinse
Inima omului este devotată in totalitate vanității şi prin urmare, toate religiile adăuga toate tipurile de vanitate,
pompă, şi spectacol și astfel  cresc şi devin puternice. Anii 1800 au fost un moment ca acesta în întreaga lume. Naţiunile industrializate s-au îmbogățit cu fabrici ce  produceau cuplat cu prada din coloniile lor. Coloniile ca India au avut
o clasa de oameni de afaceri substanţială între creştini care erau bogaţi. Astfel, bisericile de pretutindeni au avut
acces la o multime de bani, dar nu responsabilitate faţă de om sau de Dumnezeu. Pompa şi spectacolul, cuplate cu luxul, erau la ordinea zilei. Clădiri de biserici au fost construite pentru a impresiona oameni şi liturghia a fost menită să terorizeze omul comun.
Primul lucru pe noii credinciosi l-au făcut a fost să  abandoneze toată pompa, spectacolul și si vanitatea. Serviciile adunării au fost efectuate în limba oamenilor de rând, veşminte preoţeşti şi rugăciunile citite au fost date afară.
Săli plane au fost folosite ca biserici şi toate ceremoniile, inclusiv căsătoria şi înmormântarea au fost făcute simple. Deoarece ornamentele de aur au devenit un prim simbol al vanitații printre creştini Kerala, acestea au fost
de asemenea abandonate. Nu a mai fost nici diferențierea cler-laici. Toţi credincioșii-preoţi au fost egali în Domnul. Astfel, credinţa creştină a Fraţilor timpurii a revenit la simplitatea erei Noului Testament, respingând tot spectacolul și vanitatea umană.
Situaţia continuă să fie la fel astăzi, în ciuda compromisului mult. Nu există nici veșminte preotesti speciale, nici liturghie artificială  care este văzut în bisericile nominale. În general Fraţii Kerala continuă să păstreze podoabe de aur, argint şi pietre preţioase departe ca o parte din această alegere, şi din acest punct de vedere ei sunt unici printre toate
adunări peste tot în lume.

(traducere cu ajutorul google.translate corectat rapid)

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THE BRETHREN-WHAT IS SO UNIQUE ABOUT THEM!!!THE RIGHT EMPHASIS -5.The Necessity Of Planting

Posted in UNITY OF DISCIPLES, tagged , , on September 16, 2011| Leave a Comment »

THE BRETHREN-WHAT IS SO UNIQUE ABOUT THEM!!

THE RIGHT EMPHASIS

5. The Necessity Of Planting
Churches:

The last two centuries were
times of great revival and evangelistic activity
for many. However, a good number of such
high-visibility evangelists prefer to send
people back to their own man-made,
compromising, churches after people accept
Christ. A good modern example is the Billy
Graham Evangelistic Association which claims
to have led hundreds of thousands to the
Lord. However, once a person accepts Christ
through them, the Lutheran is sent to his
Lutheran church and the Roman Catholic back
to his Catholic church.
In other words, once people come to Christ,
there is a tendency in most evangelistic
activities to send them back to their own
man-made denominations. This would quickly
sap their new-found joy, deprive them of their
spiritual priesthood, and would subject them
to a man-made and exploitative hierarchy.
Soon their spiritual joy would be quenched.
However, the Brethren have always stood for
nurturing new believers. For this they plant
new churches whenever there are two or
three new believers are there. They do not
worry about numbers, buildings, or a special
man-made priesthood. On the contrary, their
whole attention is upon the spiritual growth
of the new believers and that is why
church-planting is given high priority where
there are two or three news believers. This is
something unique to the Brethren.

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THE BRETHREN-WHAT IS SO UNIQUE ABOUT THEM!!!THE RIGHT EMPHASIS -3. Autonomy Of The Local Church

Posted in UNITY OF DISCIPLES, tagged , , on September 16, 2011| Leave a Comment »

THE BRETHREN-WHAT IS SO UNIQUE ABOUT THEM!!

THE RIGHT EMPHASIS

3. Autonomy Of The Local Church:
Church is a totally new system instituted by
God. It is completely different from anything
that one sees in the Old Testament and it was
a mystery before the day of Pentecost.
Starting from that day, God revealed
numerous things about the Church and
Church Age. This information is spread from
the book of Acts to the book of Revelation in
the Scripture. When all this information is
collected and arranged, it becomes clear that
the Church of Christ is not to be organized like
a human organization.
The New Testament Church is a very large
family, with born again members spread
throughout the world. The New Testament
makes it clear that they are to gather into
churches, but that these churches are not to
be made into any kind of human organization
or hierarchy. There are a number of reasons
behind this new command, and one of them is
to preserve His church from human control
and manipulation. However, practically every
Protestant church in the world has organized
itself into a hierarchy and there is absolutely
nothing in such hierarchies that grant
autonomy to the local church. They have used
this hierarchical power to introduce man
made rituals, demands, and theology to
exploit their members. This is totally contrary
to the New Testament pattern.
The Brethren are practically the only church in
the world that literally and strictly adheres to
the principle of the autonomy of individual
churches. Each church is autonomous, and is
under no pastor, no bishop, and under no
hierarchy. Yet the Brethren worldwide
continue to be one New Testament pattern
movement because every autonomous church
stands upon one and the same foundation,
which is the Bible and not any man-made
system.

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