Author: | Doug Vermeulen | ISBN: | 9781301549368 |
Publisher: | Doug Vermeulen | Publication: | February 1, 2013 |
Imprint: | Smashwords Edition | Language: | English |
Author: | Doug Vermeulen |
ISBN: | 9781301549368 |
Publisher: | Doug Vermeulen |
Publication: | February 1, 2013 |
Imprint: | Smashwords Edition |
Language: | English |
Synopsis Of - Book 2 - The Universal Church
By Doug Vermeulen
The Universal Church - His Body.
Witness, testimony, agreement, division, separation
Behold, I Am Doing A New Thing; Now It Springs Forth; Do You Not Perceive And Know It, And Will You Not Give Heed To It? I Will Even Make A Way In The Wilderness And Rivers In The Desert.
Ezekiel 43:18, 19]
Here the Lord is saying to us that we have to change our perspectives if we are to become a united Church. We have to see ourselves as united and not keep doing the things that keep us separate. We cannot change if we keep doing the same things. We have to forget man-made traditions, and do things the Biblical way.
This Is A Profound Mystery - But I Am Talking About Christ And The Church.' [Ephesians 5:21 - 32.]
`For your Maker is your husband - the Lord Almighty is his name - the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit-a wife who married young, only to be rejected," says your God. "For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you," says the Lord your Redeemer.
[Isaiah 54:5-8]
Thus it is all about Jesus and His relationship with the Church.
`The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.[Revelation 22:17].
In the Scriptures we are pointed as the Bride of Christ to the Wedding Supper with Christ.
Christ And The Church
Jesus’ bride the Church, one with God and man
We have to root out the thought of separation, and replace it with one where we exist in unity with Jesus, and therefore with the rest of the Godhead, and one another.
If we truly come to an understanding how unity in the Body of Christ can be achieved, then we will have ‘the Church without spot or wrinkle.’
Theology has its place, but not where it causes separation in the Church.
If we choose a theologically based way of naming our fellowships or gatherings, then it is inevitable that we will become divided into groups where we have to defend our theological position.
The more the discussion continues, the more the division will widen the gap, until eventually outsiders will wonder whether we as Christians worship the same God.
Watchman Nee in his writings of ‘The Church and the Work’ [a 3 book series] in the 1930’s and 1940’s offered a biblical solution to the need for unity in the Body of Christ.
He searched the scriptures and found that fellowships and gatherings were originally, and in the book of Revelation, named in terms of their geographical location.
Thus we have ‘The Church at [whatever city or town or village] the worshipers lived in.
Thus we have the ‘fellowship at [Number of the dwelling in whatever street or road] the people live in,
Book 2 covers the universality of the members of the Body of Christ who are the Church. What makes a person truly a member of the Body of Christ is looked at. Later books in this series show what the Church is to become.
Synopsis Of - Book 2 - The Universal Church
By Doug Vermeulen
The Universal Church - His Body.
Witness, testimony, agreement, division, separation
Behold, I Am Doing A New Thing; Now It Springs Forth; Do You Not Perceive And Know It, And Will You Not Give Heed To It? I Will Even Make A Way In The Wilderness And Rivers In The Desert.
Ezekiel 43:18, 19]
Here the Lord is saying to us that we have to change our perspectives if we are to become a united Church. We have to see ourselves as united and not keep doing the things that keep us separate. We cannot change if we keep doing the same things. We have to forget man-made traditions, and do things the Biblical way.
This Is A Profound Mystery - But I Am Talking About Christ And The Church.' [Ephesians 5:21 - 32.]
`For your Maker is your husband - the Lord Almighty is his name - the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit-a wife who married young, only to be rejected," says your God. "For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you," says the Lord your Redeemer.
[Isaiah 54:5-8]
Thus it is all about Jesus and His relationship with the Church.
`The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.[Revelation 22:17].
In the Scriptures we are pointed as the Bride of Christ to the Wedding Supper with Christ.
Christ And The Church
Jesus’ bride the Church, one with God and man
We have to root out the thought of separation, and replace it with one where we exist in unity with Jesus, and therefore with the rest of the Godhead, and one another.
If we truly come to an understanding how unity in the Body of Christ can be achieved, then we will have ‘the Church without spot or wrinkle.’
Theology has its place, but not where it causes separation in the Church.
If we choose a theologically based way of naming our fellowships or gatherings, then it is inevitable that we will become divided into groups where we have to defend our theological position.
The more the discussion continues, the more the division will widen the gap, until eventually outsiders will wonder whether we as Christians worship the same God.
Watchman Nee in his writings of ‘The Church and the Work’ [a 3 book series] in the 1930’s and 1940’s offered a biblical solution to the need for unity in the Body of Christ.
He searched the scriptures and found that fellowships and gatherings were originally, and in the book of Revelation, named in terms of their geographical location.
Thus we have ‘The Church at [whatever city or town or village] the worshipers lived in.
Thus we have the ‘fellowship at [Number of the dwelling in whatever street or road] the people live in,
Book 2 covers the universality of the members of the Body of Christ who are the Church. What makes a person truly a member of the Body of Christ is looked at. Later books in this series show what the Church is to become.