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THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAS A NEW LEADER

As of this afternoon, theRoman Catholic college of cardinals has elected Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as leader of the one billion Catholics. Ratzinger chose the name of Pope Benedict XVI. He is a 78-year old German who was the Dean of the College of Cardinals during the reign of Pope John Paul II.

WHAT TRUMPS WHAT? LOVE, MERCY, JUSTICE, DOCTRINE? WHERE IS GOD IN ALL THIS?

Last week I received an email from a friend of more than 40 years, who was terribly upset with me regarding my memorial (below) to the Pope, upon his death. Here is what my friend - or ex-friend now as he probably is - said:

dear Joe

since when does a pope who claims to be infallible and allows millions to worship and idolize him, taking glory that belongs only to God almighty qualify as being a "dear Christian brother"?

He goes on:

You would do well to study up on Roman Catholic theology over which this idol presides. we are not to pray to saints, or to Mary. neither do we confess our sins to some man, nor call any man on this earth our spiritual father. Celibacy in the clergy is unscriptural and has fostered a terrible blight on the church and ministry through sexual abuse of children and acts of homosexuality. I'm not interested in debating this subject, the history of the catholic church reveals their antichristian beliefs and actions. They have shed the blood of many of God's martyrs. please don't send me any more emails about your friend the pope.

XXXXXXXX (Name withheld)

I sent him an answer that was a bit long for reproduction here, but here are some of the things that I said in response:

XXXX, you're right; those things you mentioned along with many others are things that I totally disagree with Catholics about, in fact there are a lot of things that the Roman Catholics believe that are unbiblical and I always take every opportunity to apprise them of that. My thoughts about the pope are that the man himself, Karol Wojtyla, was a man of prayer, great faith, and moral strength. The man did express many times the point of saving faith in Jesus alone, and he stood up to everyone from the Nazis to the communists, to American failures like abortion, the homosexual agenda, and this awful "death culture" that we seem to have adopted in the US. I don't know if I could have exhibited such spiritual strength.

As a church, they have departed from the original faith on many issues....

I also don't agree with their point of view that Peter was the first pope. The Bible is very clear that James, not Peter, was head of the church in the first century......

There is one area where we owe the Roman Catholic Church a debt of gratitude: Because there were monks transcribing and writing the scriptures over the centuries, especially in the "dark ages", we have the Bible we have today. Remember there are plenty of places in the Bible where God used imperfect men (and women) to accomplish His will......In fact, I'm still imperfect, but I'm trying to please the Lord in every way I can. I make a lot of mistakes and I have to ask the Lord for forgiveness daily. Maybe since you were born and raised in a Pentecostal environment, you might not know just how precious it is to come in from the world and to experience a saving faith in the blood of Jesus like I do.........

OK, when you read the above, do you get the impression that my friend was a bit angry with me? I do. But what do we get from this outside of that? Well, in a part of his email, he ripped me up personally, tearing me to shreds - I didn't print that part of his letter, it was a bit too harsh. So, is he right? How do we deal with such things?

Well, his assessments of the Roman Catholic Church, as far as that's concerned, I agree with him. But to make a personal attack on John Paul II was out of line. His attack on me as a person was out of line too, and certainly not in conformance with what the Bible teaches us about our behaviour as Christians. Last time I checked, love and mercy trump judgement. Check out what the Bible says in James 2:12-13:

"Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgement without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgement!"

Jesus had a few things to say about mercy, forgiveness, and being on the receiving end of insults, hurtful accusations, and evil conversation. Look at the Beatitudes, in Matthew chapter 5:

v.7: "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."

vv.11-12: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in Heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

And I especially love Romans 8:1, where the Word of God gives me, a human who makes mistakes and errors, a break. Without the mercy of God, I would have no way possible to inherit eternal life, as I am imperfect and have a human nature that brings sin. The only sacrifice for sin is the blood of Jesus, and that blood covers me, because I trust Him as my saviour.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."

You should read on, down through verse 4, to get the full impact of the idea.

What I am trying to say here, and probably didn't do such a good job of it, is that not one of us is fit to judge the heart of the other. God has sent Hisw Son, Jesus, to be the propitiation for our sins, and there is no way we can obtain forgiveness for our sins. None of us is perfect, and none of us has a magical ability to see into any other's heart. For that reason alone, it is not a good idea to call the pope or anyone else, the names which my friend did. Who can say that they know for sure what conversations had taken place between him and God, or who knows just what he thought or what God thought of him? A lot of Pentecostals have the flaw of judging others, calling themselves, "fruit inspectors," from the passage that says, "by their fruit shall you know them." But that's just taking on a bit too much responsibility if you ask me, and it requires more insight than I have, for sure!

In sending His Son to die on the cross for my sins, God has done for me what I could not do for myself: provided salvation and eternal life! Faith in Christ, and faith in Him alone, is the single requirement for eternal life. Anything we add, any requirement, or work, or sacrament, is extrabiblical and incorrect, and will not add one iota to our salvation. So friends, let us love one another with the love of Christ, let us live for Him, and let us allow God to make the decision as to who is or is not saved, and we will avoid a trap that will come back to bite us. And if you disagree with this, leave your comment at the end of the post, because I want to know what you think. But remember, the Bible is God's Word, and that alone is the arbiter of our faith.

Thank you, be sure to pray for me, and may God give you His blessings!

Joe Comer

THE POPE HAS LEFT THIS EARTH

The Vatican has announced that at 9:37 PM tonight, Rome Time, Pope John Paul II passed from this earth into the presence of his Saviour. This beloved man, who spent 84 years among us, passed away peacefully and with great dignity and grace. Our post yesterday remains as a memorial to his long and fruitful life.

May God in His grace and love, accept our brother into His presence, amen.

The Patriot Flyer 

POPE JOHN PAUL II NEAR DEATH

At noon ET, on Friday, 01 April 2005, the Vatican issued a statement, and Sky News Italia followed with a comment that the Pope's condition has worsened, that he has slipped into a coma. They say that his organs have begun shutting down, notably that his kidneys, already compromised, have begun to fail. It appears for certain that the Holy Father is close to meeting his Lord face-to-face. And I think that meeting will be a wonderful occasion.

This Pope has been, for all of his 84 years, beloved by all those around him as he served both God and humanity in so many ways. In 1942, he was arrested by the German Gestapo with several others. His German worker's card, signifying that he had a job, got him released, while the others were shot. Later that year, Karol Jozef Wojtyla began feeling the call of God on his life, and started studying for the priesthood at great personal risk, under the very noses of the Gestapo. From that moment in his life, all around him knew that this was a man for whom the word "fear" did not exist! All the world knows the history, and we all know his influence on history, how he literally changed history as he followed his heart. The courage and strength he displayed in the face of oppression and evil such as Naziism and communism inspired millions, and he gave strength to his native Poland to throw off the yoke of the Soviet state. I believe that Pope John Paul II is greatly to be credited with the downfall of communism in Europe, and God will reward him for that courage.

Indeed, this Pentecostal Christian writer is one who has not historically appreciated a lot of the policies and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, but John Paul, I believe, is truly a man of God, a man whose love for the Lord is an example of what God calls us to as Christians, something that should be reflected in us all. His love for all people, his respect for - in worldly terms - the smallest and least significant among us, is inspirational and a value that we must all emulate. His humility and love for God, his love for people, have changed the face of the Catholic Church, and endeared him to Christians, both Roman Catholic and non-Catholic, and non-Christians as well. His life, lived to the fullest, was holy as God calls each of us to be holy, and he will be remembered by all of us as a man of prayer and a man of great courage, who loved the Lord with all of his soul.

I can imagine the scene in Heaven, maybe later today or tomorrow, as Karol Wojtyla steps over the threshold into eternity. I believe Jesus will be there to meet him, surrounded by thousands whose lives were touched by him, thousands who indeed were saved by the faith in Christ that he inspired in them. Among them, in the crowd, will be a young American woman, recently freed from a body that was unable to sing God's praises, unable to speak of God's grace, and unable to defend herself from those who were determined to take her life at any cost. Terri Schindler-Schiavo will wave and smile at Pope John Paul II, as she cries out, thanking him for trying to save her. As the Pope enters the Holy City, bowing before the King of Kings, Jesus will step forward, take his arm, and ask him to rise. Then, Jesus will throw his arms around him, in a tight, loving embrace, as He says, "Welcome Home, Karol, welcome to your eternal reward my good and faithful servant. You have done well, my friend and brother. Let us go now and meet with My Father. As they stroll together, arm in arm, down the street of gold, the crowds will be singing and rejoicing with the Angelic Choir, all of them enthusiastically welcoming home a man who loved and served his Lord for a long and eventful life! And what is so wonderful is that Jesus will welcome each of us who love and serve Him, in the same fashion.

As Pope John Paul II slips quietly into his eternal reward, let us all celebrate the life he lived and the way he worked to spread Christianity and freedom through his demonstrated love for the Lord and for people everywhere. I feel blessed to have been on earth during his time here, and I look forward to meeting him personally when I go home to be with the Lord. Of course, there is no way my own life, so full of failures, can compare to his, but the beauty of our faith is reflected in the fact that I don't have to worry about my failures. Jesus Christ forgave my sins when I trusted Him as my saviour, and He forgives me daily as I live in this sinful world. I love my Lord, and that is the total of my testimony. As you read this, if you have not yet asked the Lord Jesus to be your saviour, I invite you to quietly bow your heart before Him and ask Him into your heart and your life.

My heartfelt prayer, as Pope John Paul II walks toward the meeting with the Lord, is that millions around the world will see his testimony, lived out in his life and in his sermons, and place their faith in the Lord he loved and served while in his sojourn on earth! While we will miss him here on earth, let us remember that life does not end here. This is only the beginning; life eternal is beyond compare with this vail of tears. Death, for the Christian, is not the end. It is not the hopeless thing to be feared by those who have no faith in our loving saviour. Jesus told us that He is the only way to Heaven, and that has not changed. For those of us who have faith in Christ, the end never comes!

"O death, where is thy sting, O grave, where is thy victory? (ICor. 15:55)

God bless you, thank you for reading this memorial, and please let your friends know about our site! Leave us your comments below, and I will answer each one who does.

Joe Comer
Vidalia, GA