The "Papal Root"

There is an expression rumbling around in my spirit the last few weeks that I have never heard... "The Papal Root."

There are so many traditions, understandings and practices of even the modern day "church" that are rooted in essence to Rome. Over the last 40 years I have seen men of God and various groups attempt to remove those false traditions, understandings and practices and seem to succeed for a while only to see that a few years later those things have reappeared and established themselves - even in their own lives. They do not die easily. To me it has always been a mystery.

There is a plant here called "Blackberry Bush" and from just one plant an entire acre can eventually be filled with it. It grows prolifically to about 4 feet tall and branches out everywhere through it's root system - so thick that no one can pass through it. The branches have huge thorns and if one tries to pass through it the thorns catch onto the garment and soon the person cannot move away from it. They are trapped. They have to call for help for others to try and carefully remove the branches that have trapped them.

The other thing about the Blackberry root is that even if all the vine branches are cut to the ground and seemingly the plant is pulled up by the roots, the root goes so deep that it breaks off leaving a part of the root deep in the ground. Soon the Blackberry root is sprouting shoots and begins to take over the entire area again.

The only known way to permanently kill the Blackberry bush is to kill the root. But what exactly is the "root"?

The Papal root is the lie that a singular man has been appointed by God to rule over the Church as his sole authority and emmisary. It is the child of the fallen Church at Rome committing fornication with the "kings of the earth." The result was the Papal root - an Emperor (or sole authority) clothed in religious garments - a religious Empire. That root has branched out and, even though it has taken on different names and identities, that concept has elevated itself in almost all of what is known as "Christianity" till today.

The concept of a "singular pastor" in today's church follows it's lineage back to that "Papal root." There is nothing in the New Testament that remotely upholds that concept. The early church appointed elders (or more accurately recognized in the Holy Spirit those that were indeed elders in the faith.) Some of them had pastoral gifts. It was not a heirarchy of authority with one person at the top over all. It was all about common servanthood to the other believers with the resurrected Christ as the sole authority.

Now a little advice here for those who find themselves in the position above. Years ago working on an old house, I went around between the bushes and the back of the garage with my back to the bushes started working on something. Suddenly when I tried to move I realized that one of the branches of the bushes thorns had embedded in the back of my jacket. The more I turned and stretched to free myself the more other branches' thorns began to cling to me. I was soon completely unable to turn in any direction or to free myself. I was stuck! I had to wait and pray that another worker would come back to the jobsite to help me carefully get free. It was over an hour till someone came and helped me. The lesson in that is that if you are entangled in the blackberry branches, be very careful how you attempt to untangle yourself and if at all possible, get help from others you trust not to get entangled themselves.

ps the fruit of the Blackberry bush is very tasty and sweet despite the fact that it is a very agressive.... WEED.

Knit Together By The Holy Spirit

I DON'T WRITE THIS AS ONE WHO HAS APPREHENDED BUT RATHER AS ONE WHO HAS GLIMPSED IT FROM AFAR. The bright and morning star rising on the horizon heralding the return of the the Messiah....

The Church is the sum total of all believers knit together by the Holy Spirit's indwelling power and leadership and locally ALL those who believe (are found living in Christ). One of the key facets to the nature of the Church especially in a given locality is the nature of Jesus Himself - that they are all ONE.

There are not many independently run churches" in a given locality. That is heresy akin to taking a butcher knife and cutting up the Body of the Lord Jesus into pieces and we should rightfully fear God to attempt that or maintain it.

What is "known" as various "churches" today in most places are by their very nature divided from the whole and that is contrary to the very nature of God Himself. When one "comes out" of that system of endlessly dividing and idependently identifying "churches" one does not "come out" from fellowship with believers in the locality. One comes out into the glorious freedom that is in Christ Jesus to intereact with ALL other believers in the Holy Spirit without the obstruction of a system that is competing with Christ for our loyalty and ultimately is designed to bring people into loyalty to their particular so called "church" image. To bow down to the false image of "church" as most people understand it because they have been taught that from day one.

That is not the doctrine of Christ that was taught "in the beginning." That is the doctrine of the Tower of Babel where God himself divided them because gathered together they would have built a man-made tower to "heaven."

That is not to say that God hasn't used the organizational structures that most of us are familiar with but to recognize that "we see in part and know in part..." therefore everything that is expressed as understanding is taught based on the fact that our understandings are as yet incomplete.

We should ALWAYS remain in a position of humility in recognizing that Truth. We have not arrived yet at the greater perfection that will be apparent at the revelation or 2nd coming of the Lord Jesus for HIS Bride who will be found without spot or blemish.

The problem with the current system of independent "churches" (which are "denominations" in the making) in the locality and the world as opposed to the Church which Jesus is building upon the Bedrock of the revelation of HImself is that when "churches" are formed under the current system of independence there is a great tendency to be closed off from others outside their particular gathering from being used by the Holy Spirit to bring correction and needed revelation of the Word that is missing. The result of that is that there is a mix of Truth and error in EVERY gathering so organized.

In God's design for HIS Church the believers are together and hold all things in common, no man having anything he calls his own. "We being many are ONE." God's Church is not an organization of organizations. It is a singular organism wherein every cell has a purpose and function to uphold the life of the organism. That is true in the locality and that is true worldwide.

I want to encourage us all today to seek God's wisdom on where we are presently at in our local communities and consider this one thing: Are we connected to other believers in the locality just as much as we may be to those of "our" particular gathering. It's time to walk across the street in our neighborhoods and give glory to GOD with our bretheren who may in fact be bretheren of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. And perhaps to prayerfully ask God why in so many cases and situations that love of the bretheren today in our lives does not functionally extend past the manmade walls of the organization we identify with.

Although I do not personally subscribe to the "law" of the Sabbath, being that it is the scriptural Sabbath may we submit ourselves to God's Spirit and "cease from our OWN works" (the religious works of man) and enter into the finished work of the cross towards our bretheren.

Someone once said that in order to sail on the ocean to previously unknown worlds we have to be willing (have the faith) to lose sight of the land that we came from.

-------------
In reponse to someone's comment elsewhere:

The question then arises, "Are the local assemblies accountable to EACH OTHER? Do they submit their doctrines to one another? Are they like the apostles who for a long time met daily in the temple and in homes being in ONE mind and accord? When was the last time the elders in Hilo got together to fast and pray together and share what the Holy Spirit was revealing? Do they feel comfortable confessing their sins and weaknesses to one another? Bearing in mind that no one man has a corner on the whole Truth do they invite each other into the "pulpit to share" a particular understanding in the word or a direct word from the Lord? Is there free flowing Holy Spirit led fellowship in local neighborhoods for "members" of various gatherings to gather in their homes and edify one another based soley upon their identification with Christ regardless of the various gatherings they attend to? Is that a Spiritually natural way of life?

It seems to me that the very same guidlines that apply to "church" operation and function also apply to the Church function in the locality (and the whole world if possible). But the most important thing to remember is that none of those guidlines are valid apart from from the teachings of Christ or the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst.

We have been so "taught" that this independence from each other is normal and acceptable that we can no more see a true unity of the Spirit functionally than we can see ourselves handing over our bank accounts to each other by faith that works by deep love for one another.

It is true that God will use incredibly imperfect situations to take care of His children but it is not always true that He is smiling when doing it.

"Father, I would that they may be one EVEN AS You and I are one."

(Can we even imagine the depth of that prayer.)

I am wondering. How close do you think Jesus and the Father were at that moment of decision? I tend to pay very close attention to a dying man's request. It is most often the closest thing to their heart.