By John Larkins
These weekly columns begin at the biblical beginning of our relationship with God, because that relationship is eternal and the only lasting relationship, we will ever have with anyone. God loved humans, beginning with Adam and soon adding Eve. God was saddened by their subsequent disobedience that changed our parent’s life pattern in which they would be given a second chance to prove they loved God enough to be given eternal life after their earthly lives.
The Way God chose was to create a Church. This was a revolutionary idea and stayed a mystery for an exceptionally long time. God did not explain Himself in a sense that any human understood until after the process had started.
About 4,000 years ago, the first hints of The Way began to be seen in God’s announcement to Abraham. God promised Abraham that he would be the patriarch of a mighty nation with many people. Why this elderly man, a herdsman in what was then probably Iraq, was chosen to have such a future and what was the purpose of this “mighty nation” was not revealed.
We now have the Bible, the Word of God, in an Old Testament part that ended about 200 B.C. and a New Testament portion that concluded about 100 A.D. The organizational entity to be used in telling men what God required of them and guiding the Church in this mission was first described by Jesus Christ: “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” His new teaching expanded and reinforced the Hebrew faith. It was necessary to be converted, a fact many of today’s preachers miss, because Jesus said, “You cannot put new wine in an old wineskin.” This new dogma contained the power of men to forgive sins, to perform the creation of Christ’s body and blood for the sacrament of communion, the power to speak on Earth for the meaning of teachings valid in Heaven and to administer Christ’s salvation on Earth in concert with Jesus, who remained in spirit in the Church although He had returned to Heaven.
All of these delegations of Christ’s authority are contained in the Bible. The Pharisees, who served as the Hebrew authority at that time, were understandably quite hateful to Jesus about their job insecurity, much like some of today’s preachers might react to the conversion of their organization’s flock to Christ’s Church.
We must be sure to focus on the overwhelmingly important event, which is Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve, all souls were, upon death, gathered “somewhere” awaiting judgement. Jesus paid the price for the salvation of all people. He went to “prison” to judge these souls for three days right after His death. But that new possibility of eternal salvation is of the highest importance to us!
Please research this fact carefully. Jesus very clear-ly establishes that at His resurrection, His Father, God, empowered Him with “all power in Heaven and Earth.” Jesus clearly told the eleven bishops, or apostles, that He was now “sending them out into the world “as my father sent me.”
The Apostles of the new and everlasting covenant – the Catholic Church – were now responsible and empowered to “feed my sheep” within the operation of the Catholic Church.
Jesus publicly calls us to keep His Commandments. The law stating “Thou shalt not kill,” also written as “murder,” applies to abortion of our children. A vote for the Democratic party supports these acts as well as funding their proponents. Legal or not, sin is sin.
Do you prefer smoking or non-smoking?
John Larkins’ formal education includes a BS certified for science teaching, an MBA from the University of Missouri and an MPA from Jacksonville State University in public administration and environmental management. For the past 15 years, John evangelized on the street, door-to-door, in tent revivals and in church situations. Contact him at johnlarkins@bellsouth.net.