FOLLOW JESUS OR DENOMINATION???

Should we follow what the bible says, and what the Holy Spirit tells us? Or should we follow our denominations interpretation of the bible?

I say follow bible and Holy Ghost.

Gal 1-10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Gal 1-15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.

Paul let the Holy Spirit teach him, and if it's good enough for Paul, it's good enough for me.

I'm not saying that we shouldn't consult with others, but I believe that in the end we should let THE Spirit be our guide.

Working for Jesus,

Tam,

You say Paul was taught by the Holy Spirit. You are correct because the Lord is the Spirit.

Galatians 1:12 says revelation of Jesus Christ.

Then why did the apostles go around teaching?
Why does Jesus tell us to teach?
Why is teaching one of the gifts of the spirit?
Well maybe God was wrong then.

So am I to understand that the Apostle Paul never had human teachers?

Paul was taught at the feet of Gamaliel the number one Jewish Religious Legal Expert (as I understand it) during that time...

Paul had the absolute best reliigous education of his day...

*BUT* he *still* needed a personal encounter with Jesus to make all his training of any use at all...

They say there is an 18 inch gap between heaven and hell. That is the approximate difference between the head and the heart...

Head knowledge is only as good as the empowerment and application the Holy Spirit gives it...

Paul put things into perspective, IMHO, in two places...

First when he chastised the Corinthians for being splintered over who followed whom...

Then he also cautioned us all not to think of ourselves (and it would follow our human teachers) more highly than we ought...

Human Teachers are important in passing down the standard interpretation, head knowledge, rules of order, and such like...

But, human teachers alone are inadequate to draw a person to Jesus or to apply the head knowledge to the human Spirit. Only the Spirit of the Living God can do that...

They are Spiritually Discerned...

But, how can they hear if no one preaches...

How can they learn if no one teaches...

It is like the man born blind who when first healed saw men walking as trees... He had sight... But, didn't know how to apply it...

I practice a musical instrument not so that I never make a mistake (I know I will) and not to be perfect (ain't no way!) but so that when playing if the Spirit says play a particular note I not only know where and how to play the note... But, I can do so on His Command...

I study God's Word, and 'suffer' teachers for the same reason so that I will have something to apply the Spirit's Leading against...

And, so that I can test the spirits to see if they are of God or not...

If I had never been taught I would have no standard against which to try new knowledge...

Should we follow denomination or God -

The question can be re-phrased, "should we follow God or Man". Really, what is a denomination except for a group of believers who have agreed to interpret the Bible in a particular way. Any time you follow a denomination, you are following man's interpretation of the Word. However, one of the roles the Holy Spirit has is revealing Scripture to us. If you do something strictly because your denomination says do... then you are following man's interpretation of the Word. This may, or may not be correct. Only God and reveal that to you through his Word and through his Spirit. You should never trust another man over what "the source" tells you - aka God, His Word, or His Spirit.

The bible tells us we are taught all truth by the Spirit so that it will not be necessary for any man to teach his neighbor. Paul did indeed have a human teacher as SpiritualMadMan points out but Paul didn't KNOW Christ through man's teaching. Christ revealed Himself to Paul at the time Christ chose.

Paul didn't say he never had teachers. He said he learned from the Spirit FIRST and then he went to the disciples and other people to study.

Working for Jesus,

Tam

Acts 8
26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian[4] eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."
30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
31"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.


Teaching is very important. We shouldn't rely only on our own capabilities. There is high chance we'll get something wrong.

Each new denomination is a result of the new denomination founder's failure to reconcile his understanding with his previous denomination teaching/teachers!

Bump

Paul taught the everlasting gospel as the Father of the faith. Sitting under men Paul failed miserably in knowing who God really was. Paul also is an example he said of the long suffering of God and patience toward us. He was forgiven because He acted in ignorance and unbelief.

Now when the New Covenant was introduced there needed to be some to bring in the truth of the gospel.

John was as the Moon (a light that burned for a time) The Moon turned to blood John must decrease and Christ must increase is an excellent ministry of preparing the bride and presenting her to the bridegroom and an exchange of following. Once the revelation of Christ comes to one they cease under the gardians and trusties to which they have been entrusted and are free now to be led by the Spirit of God to be led as God desires. The picture of the wind blows where it wants to, you hear the sound but cannot tell where its coming from or where its going so are those who are born of the Spirit.

A Beatiful picture of the salvation of the souls on Mt Zion with Christ following HIM wherever He goes. Johns humility is beyond anything I've ever seen. As they leave John one of Johns disciples notices they are leaving
John and brings this to Johns attention. Johns job was complete they were following Jesus as they were supposed to do and letting them go to do this.

Now on the other side were the Pharisees who desired others to follow after them and loved to Lord over others (being called teacher, rabbi, reverand,father etc) and everything that God himself is to us. These are those to which the people when Jesus spoke asked each other, "Who do the teachers of the law say that He is"? Heres a great example of depending on others according to what someone else teaches. The outcome was that "some say this, others that etc" the same thing we basically see today.

A True servant of Christ does not lord over but works together for ones building up of anothers faith (not tearing down).

A good indicator of the Spirit of Truth is Joy (Joyful assembly!). Paul asked His children of the faith, "What has happened to all your JOY"??

I call it my joy meter, those I embrace in that spontaneous joy in the Spirit and the love and unity in Christ which is as a magnet with certain ones. A real blessing in fellowship when this happens. God is Good Amen?


God Bless

Seth3

Bump it is

Let me ask a question. How did you come to the conclusion that you are suppose to follow Jesus on your own without a denomination?

I am willing to bet 10 bucks that it was not your own idea. It was passed to you, wasn't it?

And you are talking to whom???

If you are talking to me, the answer is NO. I was not told this by anyone.

I actually read the bible and came up with it on my own! Contrary to popular belief, women can think on their feet.

I'm not saying you don't need fellowship with other Christians, but in the final analisis, the Word of God must be the final authority.

Tam

Originally posted by tamborine lady:
Should we follow what the bible says, and what the Holy Spirit tells us? Or should we follow our denominations interpretation of the bible?

Click to expand...

We typically do both. For example, we Babtists are required to adhere to scriptural interpretations that are inline with the Baptist Distinctives. Additionally, as a member of the SBC, I'm required to adhere to SBC articles of faith and practice or I risk being disfellowshipped by the SBC.

Originally posted by Janosik:
Bump it is

Let me ask a question. How did you come to the conclusion that you are suppose to follow Jesus on your own without a denomination?

I am willing to bet 10 bucks

that it was not your own idea. It was passed to you, wasn't it?

Click to expand...

Actually I was told to follow Jesus but when I was actually did they did not think it was Him leading. So I simply believed that if God was willing and working in me to do His good pleasure and I was not led to do that which everyone thought I should do, I trusted my inner leading over men.

God Bless

Seth3

If the Spirit will lead us to all truth - why are there so many different denominations that teach different things? Why is there so much disagreement on Baptism/Lord's Supper/Dispensationalism/Rapture/Millenialism?

Each denomination says that it's being led by the Holy Spirit. If that is true, why do they teach different things?
The Holy Spirit cannot contradict Himself.

Because people listen to their traditions instead of just SCripture. That's why we're Baptists - Scripture is the sole authority.

Originally posted by PastorGreg:
Because people listen to their traditions instead of just SCripture. That's why we're Baptists - Scripture is the sole authority.

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If that is solely the case, then why are there so many different BAPTIST denominations that teach different things like disagreement on Baptism, Lord's Supper, Dispensationalism, Rapture, Millenialism?

I guarantee you, everyone here on this board thinks that he/she has the only right interpretation of these, even though we're all Bible believing Baptists.

Because some are wrong because they don't see everything exactly the same as those of us who are right.