Originally posted by @moonbus
Jesus set himself the task of reforming the Jews; Paul, that of converting the gentiles. It is a curiosity of history that the man succeeded where the God failed.

God hasn’t failed.

Originally posted by @caljust
Here's a little mind game that might interest you...

Imagine you are in a large room with a whole lot of other people. They all believe basically the same, in broad strokes. Let's call this the "Christian Room". It contains the Bible, all the Saints and all their writings. All churches, and it even contains Heaven and Hell (in separate corners of the roo ...[text shortened]... rise!) never ever imagined before.

Few people have sat on the roof. It is well worth a visit.

I propose the ideal of the teachings of Jesus and the Aposltes, faith and works. Some who cannot make this ideal but whose heart is right with God [only God can judge that], will see the Kingdom of God before those who teach faith without works.

Originally posted by @caljust
Here's a little mind game that might interest you...

Imagine you are in a large room with a whole lot of other people. They all believe basically the same, in broad strokes. Let's call this the "Christian Room". It contains the Bible, all the Saints and all their writings. All churches, and it even contains Heaven and Hell (in separate corners of the roo ...[text shortened]... rise!) never ever imagined before.

Few people have sat on the roof. It is well worth a visit.

Lol you are such a tool.

Originally posted by @kellyjay
God hasn’t failed.

What do you expect a child of Satan to say?

Originally posted by @moonbus
Jesus set himself the task of reforming the Jews; Paul, that of converting the gentiles. It is a curiosity of history that the man succeeded where the God failed.

Jesus told his disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel. Paul went to the land around the Mediterranean Sea and that is basically all we have in the Bible. That is not the sum total of all the preaching that went on in the early church.

In the very same way John said this of Christ .. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. (John 21:25 KJV)

Not everything that all these apostles and disciples did was recorded. They must have traveled very far to carry the news of Christ and the Kingdom of God.

Originally posted by @rajk999
Jesus told his disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel. Paul went to the land around the Mediterranean Sea and that is basically all we have in the Bible. That is not the sum total of all the preaching that went on in the early church.

In the very same way John said this of Christ .. [i]And there are also many other things which Jesus di ...[text shortened]... s recorded. They must have traveled very far to carry the news of Christ and the Kingdom of God.

There are Christians still in India today who trace their religion to the Apostle Thomas.

Originally posted by @moonbus
There are Christians still in India today who trace their religion to the Apostle Thomas.

Yes .. of course and there is a Gospel of Thomas as well which is not included in the KJV. The original disciples from the time of Christ must have covered the whole world [as Christ commanded] and taught the doctrine of Christ.

Originally posted by @rajk999
Yes .. of course and there is a Gospel of Thomas as well which is not included in the KJV. The original disciples from the time of Christ must have covered the whole world [as Christ commanded] and taught the doctrine of Christ.

The Gospel of Thomas is fascinating reading. One can see why the Roman bishops at the Council of Nicea did not see fit to include it in the canon. It starts out "Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death" and continues "...the kingdom is inside you and it is outside you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realise that it is you who are the sons of the living father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty." That's dynamite; if people need only understand Jesus's teaching, then they don't need a Church hierarchy to intercede with God for them. If widely accepted, the Gospel of Thomas would have made the Roman bishop's position unnecessary and untenable.

What I have never accepted about the Protestant position, which rejects papacy, is this: if you reject the papacy, you cannot fall back on the NT, because it was papists who decided what should be included in the canon and they had an agenda to include certain scriptures and exclude others.

Not my problem, of course, just an observation from 'outside.'

Originally posted by @moonbus
The Gospel of Thomas is fascinating reading. One can see why the Roman bishops at the Council of Nicea did not see fit to include it in the canon. It starts out "Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death" and continues "...the kingdom is inside you and it is outside you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will becom ...[text shortened]... scriptures and exclude others.

Not my problem, of course, just an observation from 'outside.'

Actually we don't need church hierarchy to intercede with God for us, that is the job of
Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If someone claims they are required, they lie.