Did Jesus say He would send the church to teach us?

[banjo]

Robert Heibel:

I was praying, talking with Jesus, when He told me to get more into the Word. I said to Him I am into you. He told me also the written Word.

So you see He is the Word and also what He said is the Word. So the Bible is the written Word of God.

Yes Jesus has called me by name. I’ve heard His voice and He has sat next to me and taught me Scripture.

Robert,

In your post #16 you said that Jesus has been teaching you for 30 years. Respectfully, I would suggest that you have been teaching yourself for 30 years. Many non-Catholics will not accept history in any discussion of religion; they make the claim that the Catholic Church “can’t prove it is the church Christ founded.” That can be turned the other way, non-Catholics can’t “prove” that it isn’t the church Christ founded or that apostolic succession isn’t a reality. Finally, I have believed for some time that people who take religion into their own hands are like people who take the law into their own hands, that is, they become a religion unto themselves. Recently, this belief was validated by a convert to Catholicism who said, “When you take Scripture as your final authority, that makes you the final authority.”

God bless you on your journey…

 

[Robert_Heibel]

Gene C.:

Robert,

I don’t know if you had a chance to read my two subsequent posts to you, or even if you did and choose not to respond. That’s OK. It doesn’t offend me.

But I have a serious question for you. You say you believe that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ. That is great! But where do you go to receive the Eucharist?

If you have read the New Testament thoroughly, and studied it, you will know that, while it tells us the Eucharist is His Body and Blood, it doesn’t tell us much more.

Does the bread and wine become His Body and Blood in ANY Christian service? Does it matter if you go to a Baptist, Pentecostal or Methodist communion service? Or must you go to a service that believes that it is His Body and Blood, such as a Lutheran or Episcopal liturgy? Or is the only valid Eucharistic service in the Catholic and Orthodox liturgies?

How do you answer this question for yourself? I will tell you one thing. You will not get the answer to this question from Scripture alone.

Grace and peace to you,
Gene

I am sorry for not responding to you before now. I am not a great writer and some things are hard to explain with just a few words. The Holy Spirit let me know that I would talk to Catholics about a personal relationship with Jesus, and to non-Catholics that the Eucharist was truly the Body and Blood of Christ. I am sure that it would take me too long to explain to a Catholic that all Spirit filled Christians are priest. I will share a Scripture where people just went to their homes and had Eucharist. (Acts 2:46-47) “They went as a body to the temple every day but met in their houses for the breaking of bread; they shared their food gladly and generously; they praised God and were looked up to by everyone. Day by day the Lord added to their community those destined to be saved.”

Jesus told me He would teach me about Him and He has, and He will everyone who will open up their hearts and minds and let Him. Everyone need to stop saying to the idea that Jesus will come to them personally.

 

[Robert_Heibel]

banjo:

Robert,

In your post #16 you said that Jesus has been teaching you for 30 years. Respectfully, I would suggest that you have been teaching yourself for 30 years. Many non-Catholics will not accept history in any discussion of religion; they make the claim that the Catholic Church “can’t prove it is the church Christ founded.” That can be turned the other way, non-Catholics can’t “prove” that it isn’t the church Christ founded or that apostolic succession isn’t a reality. Finally, I have believed for some time that people who take religion into their own hands are like people who take the law into their own hands, that is, they become a religion unto themselves. Recently, this belief was validated by a convert to Catholicism who said, “When you take Scripture as your final authority, that makes you the final authority.”

God bless you on your journey…

I am not trying to prove anything. Jesus told me to give a word. He didn’t tell me that I should try to convince anyone.

As far as being a Catholic is concerned, when I was called into God’s ministry I was a man in my early forties, married with two children and had been going to Mass and communion almost every day for over fifteen years. I was a co instructor in adult Catholic instruction classes. When I accepted Jesus’ call I asked Him what seminary to attend. He told me NO! Don’t read about me, I’ll teach you about me.

Yours in Christ,
Bob

 

[mercygate]

Robert Heibel:

The Holy Spirit let me know that I would talk to Catholics about a personal relationship with Jesus, and to non-Catholics that the Eucharist was truly the Body and Blood of Christ.

Robert, many non-Catholics believe that Catholics need to be taught about “a personal relationship with Jesus.” But I can assure you that Catholics have a very real, vivid, Spirit-guided, personal relationship with Jesus Christ, through the Scriptures, through personal prayer (read the writings of John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Ignatius of Loyola, *The Cloud of Unknowing, *the stories of the martyrs – ancient and modern – if you want to know about “personal relationships with Jesus Christ”), through the Sacraments of the Church . . .

Nowhere is there any closer personal relationship wjith Jesus than in the Holy Eucharist.

Go ahead and talk to non-Catholics about the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. It is to be found truly present only in the valid sacraments of Apostolic Churches (Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox); Jesus is right here, calling all men to himself in his Body, the Church.

 

[mercygate]

Robert Heibel:

I was praying, talking with Jesus, when He told me to get more into the Word. I said to Him I am into you. He told me also the written Word.

So you see He is the Word and also what He said is the Word. So the Bible is the written Word of God.

Yes Jesus has called me by name. I’ve heard His voice and He has sat next to me and taught me Scripture.

Thank you, Robert. I appreciate your openness in sharing this with us.

 

[mercygate]

Robert Heibel:

I am not trying to prove anything. Jesus told me to give a word. He didn’t tell me that I should try to convince anyone.

As far as being a Catholic is concerned, when I was called into God’s ministry I was a man in my early forties, married with two children and had been going to Mass and communion almost every day for over fifteen years. I was a co instructor in adult Catholic instruction classes. When I accepted Jesus’ call I asked Him what seminary to attend. He told me NO! Don’t read about me, I’ll teach you about me.

Yours in Christ,
Bob

Well, when Jesus came to me, he told me: the Catholic Church is MY Church, the privileged place of my presence; it is the Church that has suffered with me and bled with me, and died daily with me for two thousand years; it has climbed with me to Calvary and remained with me in the tomb, it has risen with me and been anointed by the Holy Spirit to spread the Gospel of grace and mercy to all nations. The hands of her priests are the womb of Mary in which I am conceived and born on every altar of the world throughout the ages. I am the way, the truth and the life: choose life.

And I did. Fortunately, I have the Magisterium to verify my experience.

 

[mercygate]

Robert Heibel:

As far as being a Catholic is concerned, when I was called into God’s ministry I was a man in my early forties, married with two children and had been going to Mass and communion almost every day for over fifteen years. . . .Yours in Christ,
Bob

Bob,

Don’t answer this on the forum because it is a personal question and nobody’s business but yours. Were you also coming to the Sacrament of Confession regularly?

 

[Robert_in_SD]

Robert Heibel:

I believe the Christian Bible is the Word of God because Jesus told me it was His Word. Jesus also told me He is God, that Christians are dead to sin, we were not to hurt anyone for any reason, the Eucharist is His Body and Blood, that it is dangerous for both parties, to call another man father or to be called father, and I could go on but I don’t want to right a book. You see Jesus has been teaching me for thirty years. Think about It how can a Church who teaches so much that goes against the Word of God be the Church of God?

God also apparently spoke to my brother and told him that the Latter Day Saints were the true restored Church, and he knows it’s true because when he read the Book of Mormon he got a burning in the bosom which was “obviously” the Holy Spirit convicting him of the truth. So why did the Holy Spirit tell my brother one thing, while the same Holy Spirit apparently told you something completely different? Hmm?

In other words, your argument that your personal interpretation of the Bible is the correct version because “God told you so” is not convincing. I’m sure that Jim Jones, David Koresh, Joseph Smith and Ellen Gould White all thought that God was givng them the truth too. You’re proving the point that an authoritative Church is clearly necessary and so must have been in God’s plan as evidenced in the Scripture.

Peace

 

[Gene_C]

Robert,

I, too, was in my forties (I’ll be 52 in September) when I heard the “call” to ministry.

I was raised Catholic, was converted to the Lord Jesus at 20 in a Baptist congregation, left the Church, and spent the next 30-plus years in Evangelical/Protestant denominations. When the call came, I had to choose between three different denominations because I had planted roots in all three: The Salvation Army; the Presbyterian Church in America; and the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Anyone who knows theology can tell you that these three denominations cannot agree on some basic Christian doctrines. It was this disparity that led me to question what I had believed for the last 30-plus years. And back to the Church I came.

It was Jesus in the Eucharist Who brought me back to the Catholic Church, when you come down to it. And you can understand why because you believe, too.

Now I know what my calling is. It’s the same as yours; to be an instrument in the conversion of other Catholics, and to show Evangelical Christians that Jesus is Really Present in the Eucharist. I’ve gotten involved in my parish in the Pastoral Care ministry and the pastor has asked me to be a lector.

Let me tell you how that happened. I was sitting in the sanctuary at the Ascension Thursday vigil Mass. I was staring at the lectern and wondering if I could stand there and declare the Word of God to the faithful. Last year, after hearing the call, I preached six times, three in the Army and three in the Lutheran congregation. But I still suffer from a little stage fright.

After Mass, the pastor pulled me aside and led me to the front. He put me at the lectern with the Scriptures and told me to read. When I was done, he said it sounded good and did I want to be a lector! So here I am thinking if I have the courage to stand up there and then the pastor, without knowing this, pulls me upfront and makes me do it! Do you think the Lord was involved in this?

Yes, He does speak to us. He speaks to us through His Word. He speaks to us through other Christians. He speaks to us through the circumstances of our lives. He speaks to us through the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. AND He speaks to us through the Magisterium of the Church.

I hope and pray that you will discern the Truth in your relationship with the Lord. Robert, I am so glad that, as I answer God’s call, I don’t have to figure out what the truth is. He has given that responsibility to the Bishop of Rome and the other bishops of the Church. All I have to do is…faithfully proclaim it!

May the Lord grant you discernment and lead you into His Truth!

By the way, you are a good writer.

Grace and peace to you and your family,
Gene

 

[Todd_Easton]

Robert Heibel:

I was praying, talking with Jesus, when He told me to get more into the Word. I said to Him I am into you. He told me also the written Word.

So you see He is the Word and also what He said is the Word. So the Bible is the written Word of God.

Yes Jesus has called me by name. I’ve heard His voice and He has sat next to me and taught me Scripture.

Jesus appeared to and spoke to St. Paul numerous times yet even this great man of God was not too proud to submit his private revelations to the scrutiny of those appointed by God as teachers (apostles and bishops) in the Church lest he should be running or had run in vain, as we read in Galatians 2:1-10:

1Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2I went up by revelation; and I laid before them (but privately before those who were of repute) the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, lest somehow I should be running or had run in vain. … 9and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship…

It is Christ’s wish that we be one (John 17:21-22), that there be “unity the of faith” (Ephesians 4:13) since there is “one faith” (Ephesians 4:5). Consider the example of the eloquent preacher Apollos who was well-versed in Scripture and instructed in the Christian faith yet whose knowledge of the faith was inaccurate and in need further instruction by human teachers and he was not too proud to accept it:

24Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the scriptures. 25He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him and expounded to him the way of God more accurately. (Acts 18:24-26)

 

[E.E.N.S]

Robert Heibel:

I believe the Christian Bible is the Word of God because Jesus told me it was His Word. Jesus also told me He is God, that Christians are dead to sin, we were not to hurt anyone for any reason, the Eucharist is His Body and Blood, that it is dangerous for both parties, to call another man father or to be called father, and I could go on but I don’t want to right a book. You see Jesus has been teaching me for thirty years. Think about It how can a Church who teaches so much that goes against the Word of God be the Church of God?

The Catholic Church teaches absolutely NOTHING that goes against the Word of God!

 

[mercygate]

Gene C.:

Robert,

I, too, was in my forties (I’ll be 52 in September) when I heard the “call” to ministry. . . .

I was raised Catholic, was converted to the Lord Jesus at 20 in a Baptist congregation, left the Church, and spent the next 30-plus years in Evangelical/Protestant denominations. . . . It was Jesus in the Eucharist Who brought me back to the Catholic Church, when you come down to it. And you can understand why because you believe, too.
. . .Gene

What a powerful testimony. Thank you for your witness, Gene C.

 

[Robert_Heibel]

E.E.N.S.:

The Catholic Church teaches absolutely NOTHING that goes against the Word of God!

The Catholic Church believes in a “Just War” Jesus told me not to hurt anyone for any reason. Scripture also tells us that. Jesus told us not to store. The Church owns a Bank??? Jesus said call no man father. Jesus and much of Scripture says Christians are dead to sin. The Church dosn’t understand that at all. You want me to go on?

 

[E.E.N.S]

You misunderstand the Church, and you also misunderstand the Scriptures…one such example would be this - why do the apostles refer to themselves as fathers (or spiritual fathers?)

God is unchanging; have you read the Old Testament? There sure seems to some ‘hurting’ done to people by God’s will…

The Church owns a bank…well Jesus tells us to give to the poor; how do you suppose that is efficiently managed with billions of people in the world?

Christians are called to be dead to sin, Christ goes so far as to tell us to be perfect like Our Father in heaven is perfect…are you perfect? What happens when we sin?

(And yes, please go on…if need be, when I get the chance I will write you a ‘unabridged version’ of answers for you.)

 

[Robert_Heibel]

Gene C.:

Robert,

I, too, was in my forties (I’ll be 52 in September) when I heard the “call” to ministry.

I was raised Catholic, was converted to the Lord Jesus at 20 in a Baptist congregation, left the Church, and spent the next 30-plus years in Evangelical/Protestant denominations. When the call came, I had to choose between three different denominations because I had planted roots in all three: The Salvation Army; the Presbyterian Church in America; and the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Anyone who knows theology can tell you that these three denominations cannot agree on some basic Christian doctrines. It was this disparity that led me to question what I had believed for the last 30-plus years. And back to the Church I came.

It was Jesus in the Eucharist Who brought me back to the Catholic Church, when you come down to it. And you can understand why because you believe, too.

Now I know what my calling is. It’s the same as yours; to be an instrument in the conversion of other Catholics, and to show Evangelical Christians that Jesus is Really Present in the Eucharist. I’ve gotten involved in my parish in the Pastoral Care ministry and the pastor has asked me to be a lector.

Let me tell you how that happened. I was sitting in the sanctuary at the Ascension Thursday vigil Mass. I was staring at the lectern and wondering if I could stand there and declare the Word of God to the faithful. Last year, after hearing the call, I preached six times, three in the Army and three in the Lutheran congregation. But I still suffer from a little stage fright.

After Mass, the pastor pulled me aside and led me to the front. He put me at the lectern with the Scriptures and told me to read. When I was done, he said it sounded good and did I want to be a lector! So here I am thinking if I have the courage to stand up there and then the pastor, without knowing this, pulls me upfront and makes me do it! Do you think the Lord was involved in this?

Yes, He does speak to us. He speaks to us through His Word. He speaks to us through other Christians. He speaks to us through the circumstances of our lives. He speaks to us through the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. AND He speaks to us through the Magisterium of the Church.

I hope and pray that you will discern the Truth in your relationship with the Lord. Robert, I am so glad that, as I answer God’s call, I don’t have to figure out what the truth is. He has given that responsibility to the Bishop of Rome and the other bishops of the Church. All I have to do is…faithfully proclaim it!

May the Lord grant you discernment and lead you into His Truth!

By the way, you are a good writer.

Grace and peace to you and your family,
Gene

Gene, Jesus (God) Holy Spirit, has spoken to me and I sure to many others, audibly, just talking to me in my mind, tongues and interpretation, gift of knowledge, just letting my whole person know. Jesus once told me to pray to be open to His touch and to His word all day long. So He has communicated to me by His touch. If Jesus has ever spoken to me through the Church, or events, other people, He has confirmed it to me personally.

Yours in Christ,
Bob

 

[Gene_C]

Mercygate,

You’re welcome and thank God!

Gene

 

[Gene_C]

Bob,

I know there is nothing that I, or anyone else on this Forum, will be able to say to you that will convince you that the Catholic Church is the Church that Jesus founded, because you believe that He is speaking to you personally.

Blessings to you and your family,
Gene

 

[Robert_Heibel]

Robert in SD:

God also apparently spoke to my brother and told him that the Latter Day Saints were the true restored Church, and he knows it’s true because when he read the Book of Mormon he got a burning in the bosom which was “obviously” the Holy Spirit convicting him of the truth. So why did the Holy Spirit tell my brother one thing, while the same Holy Spirit apparently told you something completely different? Hmm?

In other words, your argument that your personal interpretation of the Bible is the correct version because “God told you so” is not convincing. I’m sure that Jim Jones, David Koresh, Joseph Smith and Ellen Gould White all thought that God was givng them the truth too. You’re proving the point that an authoritative Church is clearly necessary and so must have been in God’s plan as evidenced in the Scripture.
I am not starting a new church and what ever I have been taught does not disagree with the Word of God. Also I am not trying to prove anything to you or anyone. The Holy Spirit told me to tell people that no matter who tells them anything about God, be it a priest, bishop or anyone, they were to ask Jesus if it was right or wrong. So don’t believe me ask Jesus!
Peace

 

[Todd_Easton]

Robert Heibel:

Jesus told us not to store. The Church owns a Bank???

Jesus and the twelve apostles had a “money box” (John 13:29). If the Vatican has a bank, think of it as a big money box for the more than 1 billion Catholics. Actually the Vatican often runs in debt due to all the charitable aid it gives to the needy.

 

[Robert_Heibel]

Robert Heibel:

I am sorry for not responding to you before now. I am not a great writer and some things are hard to explain with just a few words. The Holy Spirit let me know that I would talk to Catholics about a personal relationship with Jesus, and to non-Catholics that the Eucharist was truly the Body and Blood of Christ. I am sure that it would take me too long to explain to a Catholic that all Spirit filled Christians are priest. I will share a Scripture where people just went to their homes and had Eucharist. (Acts 2:46-47) “They went as a body to the temple every day but met in their houses for the breaking of bread; they shared their food gladly and generously; they praised God and were looked up to by everyone. Day by day the Lord added to their community those destined to be saved.”

Jesus told me He would teach me about Him and He has, and He will everyone who will open up their hearts and minds and let Him. Everyone need to stop saying no to the idea that Jesus will come to them personally.