A great weight has been placed upon Christianity over the past two centuries that has divided the people of God’s church. This downfall has been brought about through the teaching of many differing doctrines. Entire communities of Christians in the world are separated from each other by these conflicting doctrines. As Christians we are called to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the masses of the world. Yet how can this be possible when we all speak from differing principles? The Bible states that “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints” (1Corinthians 14:33). However man’s fallible nature has brought the very nature of God into a state of contention due to the confusion that is caused by the varying doctrines of each individual denomination. This has resulted in distancing man from the very intention of God’s purpose for man to all follow the one true gospel according to Jesus Christ. There cannot be true coexistence between God and man when the Gospel of the Great Redeemer of Mankind has been ignored. This has been done by mankind in placing his own opinions of what he feels Christ’s Gospel should be according to the views of each individual sect of Christianity. Paul speaks in relation to these issues regarding unity of the faith (Ephesians 4: 11-17). Also in 1 Corinthians 1:10 it states; “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment”. This denigration to Paul’s words is an abomination by mankind to the very Gospel of Jesus Christ. As Christians we are commanded not requested by God to know and fully understand the principles of Scripture and not blindly follow man’s rules and commandments (Matt 12). This should not be a difficult thing for any Christian to achieve as most of us are very well read in the Word. What is it that makes us not capable to come to the realization that we are possibly being led astray? We take those free gifts of grace and salvation by the blood of Jesus Christ given us by a loving and forgiving Father but take them for granted. Teaching can only go so far, we must all personally study the scriptures and work to gain the degree of faith needed to give meaning to Christ’s death for us. There is a difference between only believing and actually walking in faith. Anyone can state that they believe in God and attend church and pray, but this should not be the extent of our faith. We must all walk in His footsteps, which are those examples of His own human attributes shown to all those He came into contact with. Just because there are people with the title of pastor/teacher in the church does not mean they will always have the right opinions regarding true Biblical doctrine. The religion of Christianity has been so segregated by a conflict of vastly differing doctrines that there is no One true Christianity any longer as originally prescribed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christianity in and of itself is no longer followed in true accordance of the New Testament. How can our churches claim to be of true Christ like character when they adhere to the individuality of their sectarian principles? The original Catholic Church through the leadership of the papists became so corrupt and sinful that its very own clergy turned against it. This brought about Reformation and along with it a steady splintering of Christianity up until the present age. The Christian Church today can be compared to Baskin-Robbins. We have a great tendency to follow blindly the dictates of those that are chosen to lead us without question. The only one that should be given this kind of power over our lives is God Himself and no other. Yes we need leaders and teachers but these must be overseen by a group of selected people that are directly involved in each individual church, such as elders and bishops for the protection of the flock of Christ (Acts 20:17, 28). If we allow our church leaders to have free reign over the church without any responsibility, this can lead to an uncontrollable hierarchy that is only answerable to itself. We need leaders in Christianity that are on the same page, and that page is no more than that which Jesus originally spoke about in His Gospel. True Christianity is formed from the doctrines of the New Testament for all of its adherents. We are guilty of learning and following a tradition of doctrine that follows each distinct tenet of denominational belief. Since we have come to know it and follow it all of our lives does not make it truthful. Scripture tells us, “seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7, 8). We must personally seek those examples of scripture in order to bring us into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. We as Christians cannot expect to reach fullness in Christ by only hearing a delivered sermon. This can only be accomplished by a personal study of the Bible itself; this will open to you those mysteries of God that will bring a profound difference to our lives. If Christianity is ever to return to its original majesty, the children of God must come together for the greater good of the Gospel message and their own spiritual relationship with God. To do this there must be men and women with great insight inspired by the Holy Spirit to accomplish this end. The religion of Christianity was never intended to be what it has become today. The grave result of sectarianism upon Christianity is nothing less than the most favorable hope of Satan himself. Man has not corrupted the church by his own volition, but by allowing Satan to use him for this purpose. We must remain strong in the Spirit at all times and wear the armor of Christ to protect us from the influence of Satan, and to overcome our human nature. Satan is like a great General, he does not care to win the battle only, but the entire war upon the souls of mankind and in the destruction of the church. If the shepherd sleeps the flock becomes separated and easy prey for the wolf. Without unity in Christianity it also becomes as prey to the great adversary. I have been told over and over again that unity in right understanding of Biblical doctrine for the Christian people is an impossible task and is something that can never be accomplished. This is a very poor attitude to take for anyone that considers themselves a Christian. They only have to get past that wall of denominational divide that they have learned which blocks the true path that Scripture leads us all too. Finding that true path can be found through out the Books of the New Testament in examples given by Jesus for all people to follow and also taught by the apostles to the world. To conclude, why come in any other name than Christ's? For all of us to be known as anything other than simply "Christian" is to deny Him just as Peter did so many centuries ago.

May the most High and Holy Spirit guide you in all truth, brother philip <><

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  What is happening in our world today? I hear this question raised by many people regardless of the fact that they are religious or of a secular nature. It certainly seems that the wheels are falling off of the wagon. There is war in many countries and rumors of even more. There is wide spread famine and disease. Mankind has become more fearsome than any of the predatory beasts, he preys upon his own without regard to age or gender, and with no remorse. There is no tolerance for our neighbors whether they are of a like kind or foreign decent. Murder, rape, incest, child molestation and slaughter in the schools have become the norm in our world today, also the corruption and ineffectiveness in government. America leads the world in the degeneration of moral character. All anyone needs to do to see this first hand is to turn on a television set and do nothing but sample the content offered. You will find a wide array murder and mayhem, and explicit sexual fare at its worst. Watching the news broadcasts is now like reading stories from the Police Gazette.The children of America are fed this as a diet, day in and day out. They are being influenced by the glitz and glamour of Hollywood more today than in previous times in our countries history, and it is beginning to show upon the moral character of our children. Hollywood has always had its racy side and its controversy, but 50 years ago it was predominately more wholesome in its content with regard to most of its films and television. The stuff of cheap dime store novels and fantasy films has now become a reality of life itself. If you ask professionals on the secular side of society for an answer to this alarming rate of growth to moral decay, they will give you an opinion of what I have stated previously, along with the complexities of everyday life on the family in today’s world. They will give the advice that our children need to be medicated for a variety of symptomatic problems, and personal therapy sessions for the adult sufferer or in regard to couples. The cures that have been described have been used for countless generations and have failed to correct the problems in our society. Therapy and chemicals are not an answer; they are only a Band Aid applied to an ever growing disease. Is it but little wonder that people of foreign countries call America the “Great Satan”? When they hear of mothers killing their children in every fashion one can possibly think of along with all of the problems previously discussed, they are perfectly warranted in their contempt for this nation’s moral character and the fear of it affecting their own culture by the resultant effects of the United States corporate influences in their countries. Is it no wonder why they will fight to the death to keep Americans off of their home soil? Their barbaric answer to this is one that they do to protect their culture from the disease of another’s sinful influence upon it, and know of no other way to respond but in a violent way. Many of these differing cultures are in nature to those of many ages ago. Even though their countries are of much greater age than America, they have not progressed much at all in relation to time. Thus far I have looked at the problems facing this country and mankind in general.  I also would like to state that America is not the only nation with a decline in moral character; it is not alone in the nature of moral bankruptcy. I would now like to speak from the perspective of religion concerning these issues. The failure of man’s moral condition is due to his separation from God. Every problem that affects man’s nature in the present time can be found in the scriptures written in the Bible. All of the problems that men have today are the same that previous generations have suffered from down through the ages. These conditions are nothing new; they have though grown increasingly more evident and are of greater evil. Satan is in control of the earth, as God has control over the heavens. Sin is the dominating factor in all that is wrong concerning the peoples of the earth and nothing else. Satan is responsible for all of mans woes. He is the cause and the effects are from the nature of sin itself, all that plagues mankind with regard to what is happening in the world, is due to sin and only sin. On the other hand if man were closer to God woe would turn to joy because of the gift of grace from Him upon mankind. Grace is as readily available as sin, but there are fewer partakers of it. The lusts of men far outweigh their virtues; this more or less is the proclivity of our nature. The problem lies with man’s distancing himself from God. I am not only speaking here of the unbeliever, but that of the faithful. The faithful believers in Christ have wandered from that narrow path that He left for us to follow and have set out on an exploratory one guided by men and not Christ. The crisscrossing of the many differing routes that they have chosen to follow has led to confusion and a loss of ones way. The Christian people have not only separated themselves from God, but also from themselves. They have divided themselves by the choice of many differing denominational church doctrines. There is no unity in Christianity. Christians do not feel that all of the differing sects due to denominational factors are of a dire consequence to Christianity itself or its adherents. Many tell me that this has not caused them any separation from their brothers and sisters of different denomination due to the fact that they can still discuss their opposing opinions of doctrine and also join in fellowship and friendship with them. Yes they can and do join together in worship, but generally in the confines of a non, or inter-denominational congregation. This is the only common ground that we meet in union for worship together. For example, ask a Catholic to join in worship in a Messianic Synagogue, or in a Baptist Church, they would not. The same would go for a Methodist, an Episcopalian or a Messianic Jew. These people are all claimants to the gospel according to Jesus Christ but allow their own individual church doctrines to come between them. This separation of God’s people, believers in the Son of God according to His gospels in the New Testament is of a very serious nature in concern to God Himself. If Jesus Christ would have opted for this plan He would have explicitly told His Apostles to start their individual churches that they established, in their own names. This was not so and should not be so, but it is this way due to the establishment of the differing sects that are present in Christianity today. The schism that has resulted with relation to the opinions of men concerning Biblical doctrine has divided Jesus Christ’s One Body into many distinctly separate members. Unity has become a foreign word to most if not all of Christianity. I have been criticized by many Christians of all walks including most leaders of all denominations for my stand on this subject. I really could not care less of what anyone’s personal opinion of me is regarding this issue. When my time came to be called on by my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it was not to be a teacher or a preacher; it was to do one thing and one thing only. That service that I was given to do was to carry this message to the Christian people. Unlike most of my fellow brethren I had no choice in what my calling to service would be in His name. It is easily accepted by my fellow ministers in Christ to be called as most are, that of preachers, teachers or counselors, but in my case it is of a completely different nature. I completely understand the difficulty in the Christian people to grasp the thought of unity and of its importance concerning their own personal faith. When you have been taught and adhere to a certain tenet of doctrine it is extremely hard to comprehend or comply with any other form of it. The Christian people have become blinded in this regard. It is an even far greater problem for the leaders of the world’s churches to accept. They have become indoctrinated into a systematic doctrine of theology of institutionalism. The Reformed Churches of today’s world are not about to accept unity of the Christian people due to their own personal livelihoods becoming at stake. What this would boil down to is financial disaster for all of the organized denominational religions. It has nothing at all to do in respect to God; it is one of monetary nature. There are billions of dollars at stake here, they are not about to allow some “Johnny Come Lately” to upset the apple cart, and this is why they will preach from their pulpits that unity is unnecessary where God and His people are concerned. My brothers and sisters in Christ, it is personally up to each one of you to call on the Lord and pray for an answer to this dilemma that we face regarding separation amongst ourselves. It was never Christ’s intention that we be divided from each other as we now are. We are in dire need of unity in the doctrine of Jesus Christ as spoken and taught by Him and as it is written in the gospels of the New Testament. I can do no more than deliver this message to you and pray that many of you will come to terms with this great problem that faces all Christians today. My hope lies in your conviction as followers of the most magnificent man to ever grace the face of the earth, and He is Jesus Christ. I give Him praise with all of my heart, and pray that I may be found worthy of His great love for me.

May His Most Holy Spirit grant you insight into those things that the eye is blind to, brother philip <><

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Of Unity in Faith

          I have spoken many times on the subject of Christian Unity.  I will continue to spread this message as long as there is a breath in my body.  This message is very hard for many to perceive.  It is mainly due to culture and one’s upbringing in a given sect or denomination of Christianity.  I can understand the lay person being incapable of understanding this, but it is quite different in regard to someone that is in the service of Jesus Christ.  Is it a question of blind trust in something that one has learned from childhood in a particular denomination, or that they are truly blind and cannot see what is clearly evident throughout the gospels?  Why is it that someone who has studied theology cannot come by the very name of Christ, but be known by a designation of denomination?  Why would anyone that loves Christ wish to be recognized by any other name than His?  For men to preach the gospel in the name of Jesus Christ and call them selves by anything other than Christian; is to deny Christ no differently then Peter did so long ago.  This is not of unity as one body in Jesus Christ.

          Not only did Jesus speak of this as Him being one with the Father and likewise for the Father in Him, but the apostles also spoke many times concerning the one body and all of its members working in accordance with one another for the benefit of the body as one.  Why is it that “men of the cloth” must segregate them selves in this manner, a manner that is unfit regarding Jesus Christ?  This loving and forgiving man died in a position with arms spread as the wings of a great eagle, spread to encompass all as one within Him. 

          Many men of theology that I have spoken to on this subject ask for proof of this truth of unity, my answer to them has always been, “Look in the Book”.  I have but one of the best answers that I can share with all of my brothers and sisters in service.  God the Father has given us the greatest example of unity there is, it is one that all Christians base their very faith upon.  It is known as the Holy Trinity.  It is one God made up of three individual persons, how much more proof of unity can one have than this?  It is the highest form of unity in all understanding to mortal men, yet they ask, “Where is my proof”?  If they cannot believe what God has placed right before them, a tenet that they base their very faith upon and which is found throughout scripture, how are they ever to believe me?  I will make one last point, a denomination is what can be regarded as what is termed; religion, which has been formed and organized by men alone.  Christianity is not a religion, it is a personal relationship between man and God that was instituted for mankind by His Son.

In His service,

brother philip  <><

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What Unity means to Pastor Frank McLaughlin Sr.