Here is the point. When Christ built his Church in Jerusalem (Mt. 16), he was thinking of a perpetual ONE Church and since he foresees what would happen 1,900 years later, Jesus made sure that His original Church wouldn’t be deceived by impostors and fake angels registering business corporations in the guise of a church. When he founded his Church, he was seeing the future anticipating that in 1914 someone would be using his name.
He spoke to Simon Peter right on that day, face-to-face with the man whom we consider the Church's first Pope leading Christ’s Church. As God is fond of renaming great people such as Abram to Abraham; Sarai to Sarah, Moises whom he called by his name; Jacob as Israel so he too commissioned two great men and saints in the Church namely Simon who is re-named to Cephas or Peter (meaning “Rock”) and Saul to Paul. (Read Four Marks of the Church)
And you Simon, says Christ, you are “Rock” (Peter or Cephas) and upon this Rock I will build my Church and the gates of Hell will never prevail against it. Trying to disfigure the very words of Christ, the Iglesia ni Cristo apologists said that the Rock Jesus was referring to was himself. How ridiculous. Christ must be out of his mind when he was talking to Simon, changed his name to Rock and at the same time he’s referring to himself on that particular conversation. No he was not. The Iglesia ni Cristo founder must be on that confused state.
No doubt, Jesus was reffered to as the Stone which the builders have rejected in Psalm but his kind of Stone or Rock is not similar to that of Simon Peter. Just as we use different rocks in erecting a building, so Christ knew exactly what he was saying.
Christ Church was build upon a strong foundation. Jesus was no doubt the very cornerstone that the builders have rejected and that this strong foundation he built it upon the Rock of Simon to be our spiritual Shepherd commanded him to shepherd his sheep, tend his sheep (see John 22:15-25). No fake Iglesia ni Cristo or Church of Christ could overpower his TRUE CHURCH, today nor in the future. Jesus knew exactly what he was saying to Peter because he was not hallucinating like the founder of a fake church in 1914 who fasted 3 days and 3 nights until he can’t bear his hunger and came out with a new gospel.
When Jesus told Peter (Cephas or Rock) he firmly promised that “I will build my Church”—it was his Church, not the Pope’s Church nor any Cardinal’s Church or a priest's nor anybody’s Church. It was Christ’s Church. And since his Church is ONE, it was known in many various names irrespective of any language on earth. Translate them to any language doesn’t change it’s meaning:
Church of God
Church of Christ
Universal Church
One True Church
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Savior
Church of the Resurrected Christ
Church of the Unleavened Living Bread
Church of the Good Pastor
Church of the Anointed One
Church of the Promised One
Church of the Messiah
Church of the Lord
Church of the Master
Church of the Good Shepherd
Church of the Living Vine
Church of the Living Water
Church of the Living God
Church of the Incarnate Word
Church of the Word Made Flesh
Church of the Divine Made Man
Church of the Son of God
Church of Jesus Christ the Lord
Church of the….. etc., etc.
Photo Source: SCBorromeo.org
You name the Church in anyway and any language and it means still the same; the only One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church. It has existed in more than 2,000 years which scholars and experts cannot just simply set aside this facts. Its only one so it’s not difficult to trace its roots down to the first century. How much more those fake church that was founded by a man-angel in 1914? (see History of the Catholic Church or History of Christianity or Timeline in Christianity or Timeline of the Catholic Church compared it to the History of the [fake] Iglesia ni Cristo (1914))
The enemies of Christ and his Church would rather point out to isolated errors some members of the Church had done. From the time of the Inquisition to a few sexual abuses of Catholic priests in many cities. All Catholics should be humbled by these mistakes and should take responsibility and never condone with evil acts within the Church. The tremendous Psychological effect to the victims could be unbearable but let's not hate the sinner but sin.
The “enemies of the light” believed on news clippings, rumors and gossips over the official condemnation of the Catholic Church revolving around these issues. These and many more issues in the future will never apostatized Christ's Church for he promised that the gates of Hell will never prevail against his Church. This is a promise we can always rely on. This is a promise that we, members of his One, True, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church can be assured of. We have to hold fast on His words, not on the empty promises of many self-proclaimed angels and prophets whose only purpose is to build their own kingdom out of Christ’s name and enrich themselves. They have already drunk the cup of condemnation.
Some members of the cult of Felix Manalo take this issue on personal level but I would treat them as nuisance. That's very normal reaction of a man who can't explain reasonably of his belief. So far all they have been quoting were from third party sources and anti-Catholic writers from different Protestant sects. They haven’t explained fully how Felix Manalo’s angelic mandate came to be and how, when, where, and why did Christ’s true Church apostatized? They just can’t prove it and they have no data to back it up!
Wait!
Did not Felix Manalo condemned the Protestant Church as "Devil's Church" like the Catholic Church for teaching Christ as God? Why these Iglesia ni Cristo relying on quotes and literatures written by Protestant theologians and writers?
Think!
He spoke to Simon Peter right on that day, face-to-face with the man whom we consider the Church's first Pope leading Christ’s Church. As God is fond of renaming great people such as Abram to Abraham; Sarai to Sarah, Moises whom he called by his name; Jacob as Israel so he too commissioned two great men and saints in the Church namely Simon who is re-named to Cephas or Peter (meaning “Rock”) and Saul to Paul. (Read Four Marks of the Church)
And you Simon, says Christ, you are “Rock” (Peter or Cephas) and upon this Rock I will build my Church and the gates of Hell will never prevail against it. Trying to disfigure the very words of Christ, the Iglesia ni Cristo apologists said that the Rock Jesus was referring to was himself. How ridiculous. Christ must be out of his mind when he was talking to Simon, changed his name to Rock and at the same time he’s referring to himself on that particular conversation. No he was not. The Iglesia ni Cristo founder must be on that confused state.
No doubt, Jesus was reffered to as the Stone which the builders have rejected in Psalm but his kind of Stone or Rock is not similar to that of Simon Peter. Just as we use different rocks in erecting a building, so Christ knew exactly what he was saying.
Christ Church was build upon a strong foundation. Jesus was no doubt the very cornerstone that the builders have rejected and that this strong foundation he built it upon the Rock of Simon to be our spiritual Shepherd commanded him to shepherd his sheep, tend his sheep (see John 22:15-25). No fake Iglesia ni Cristo or Church of Christ could overpower his TRUE CHURCH, today nor in the future. Jesus knew exactly what he was saying to Peter because he was not hallucinating like the founder of a fake church in 1914 who fasted 3 days and 3 nights until he can’t bear his hunger and came out with a new gospel.
When Jesus told Peter (Cephas or Rock) he firmly promised that “I will build my Church”—it was his Church, not the Pope’s Church nor any Cardinal’s Church or a priest's nor anybody’s Church. It was Christ’s Church. And since his Church is ONE, it was known in many various names irrespective of any language on earth. Translate them to any language doesn’t change it’s meaning:
Church of God
Church of Christ
Universal Church
One True Church
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Savior
Church of the Resurrected Christ
Church of the Unleavened Living Bread
Church of the Good Pastor
Church of the Anointed One
Church of the Promised One
Church of the Messiah
Church of the Lord
Church of the Master
Church of the Good Shepherd
Church of the Living Vine
Church of the Living Water
Church of the Living God
Church of the Incarnate Word
Church of the Word Made Flesh
Church of the Divine Made Man
Church of the Son of God
Church of Jesus Christ the Lord
Church of the….. etc., etc.
You name the Church in anyway and any language and it means still the same; the only One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church. It has existed in more than 2,000 years which scholars and experts cannot just simply set aside this facts. Its only one so it’s not difficult to trace its roots down to the first century. How much more those fake church that was founded by a man-angel in 1914? (see History of the Catholic Church or History of Christianity or Timeline in Christianity or Timeline of the Catholic Church compared it to the History of the [fake] Iglesia ni Cristo (1914))
The enemies of Christ and his Church would rather point out to isolated errors some members of the Church had done. From the time of the Inquisition to a few sexual abuses of Catholic priests in many cities. All Catholics should be humbled by these mistakes and should take responsibility and never condone with evil acts within the Church. The tremendous Psychological effect to the victims could be unbearable but let's not hate the sinner but sin.
The “enemies of the light” believed on news clippings, rumors and gossips over the official condemnation of the Catholic Church revolving around these issues. These and many more issues in the future will never apostatized Christ's Church for he promised that the gates of Hell will never prevail against his Church. This is a promise we can always rely on. This is a promise that we, members of his One, True, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church can be assured of. We have to hold fast on His words, not on the empty promises of many self-proclaimed angels and prophets whose only purpose is to build their own kingdom out of Christ’s name and enrich themselves. They have already drunk the cup of condemnation.
Some members of the cult of Felix Manalo take this issue on personal level but I would treat them as nuisance. That's very normal reaction of a man who can't explain reasonably of his belief. So far all they have been quoting were from third party sources and anti-Catholic writers from different Protestant sects. They haven’t explained fully how Felix Manalo’s angelic mandate came to be and how, when, where, and why did Christ’s true Church apostatized? They just can’t prove it and they have no data to back it up!
Wait!
Did not Felix Manalo condemned the Protestant Church as "Devil's Church" like the Catholic Church for teaching Christ as God? Why these Iglesia ni Cristo relying on quotes and literatures written by Protestant theologians and writers?
Think!
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