Posted by Beren
(here)
They did formed churches and church as an institution served its purpose and still in some way serves. But the thing is that this is a first step. Church is a first step towards Christ. Then if your heart is genuine God leads you forward.
Here comes the first problem with all churches in some point. They do the first step in informing people about Creator and then instead to allow God's spirit to work in people, they tend to lock the passage way to God. They then state that actually God speaks through them and in that cloak they impose their new rules and regulations and voila!
yes I think so too Beren
the Church is a first step to Christ
the tangible first step
we would not know about Jesus except as a footnote in history
if the first christians walked away from the faith at the threat of their lives
almost all the Apostles were crucified or stoned for preaching the Gospel
Peter was crucified at Rome with his head downwards because he didn't consider
himself worthy to be crucified like Jesus
the Bible is preserved by the blood of the martyrs and it's message is preached
in the churches
the Gospel would probably be burnt as heresy by both Rome and Jerusalem
if the first christians that made up the early churches
denounced Jesus to save their own lives
we ought to be grateful to those that stick to the truth no matter what
because humans are constrained with a gross body and inflicted with a dross brain
it's just a matter of time before the truths are twisted towards some
self serving needs
there is an inherent corruption in all physical nature
the Church has survived up til our times to tell the Gospel of Christ and His victory over death
and that He is alive and available to help us overcome our own corruption
but it takes some time and a whole lot of virtues
which the Church unfortunately is running out of
as is the world