Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; [b]and avoid them.[/b]
AVOID: ekklino, to bend out of the regular line, bent outwards or AWAY; to trun away from, SHUN. Bullinger's Critical Lexicon
None of those groups believe the exact same thing. But REGARDLESS, to fellowship together in the manner you suggest, would lead one to directly disobey this commandment.
In effect it wouldn't matter what gospel you believed, or what Church you belonged to, because to fellowship in the manner you suggest would make every one of them guilty of disobeying this COMMAND!
Oh well, it's only a "commandment". Let's forgo it in the name of Eccumenical "unity". After all doesn't the end justify the means. We do after all want to move the "gospel". That one who's commands we are breaking in order to further it.
1 Corinthians 1:10 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.
Again to do as you suggest, would be to directly disobey this command, and the actual gospel itself.
1 Corinthians 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
CARNAL MEN, can easily join in UNITY to a LIE, and not have the truth of the original understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
1 Cor 11:18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
1 Cor 11:19 [size=large]For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.[/size]
One is approved by rightly dividing the word of TRUTH 2 Tim 2:15. God allows men to corrupt the truth just to see who really loves him and who does not.
ALL THESE ECCUMENICAL GROUPS, that you suggest we join, corrupt the truth, and are being gathered together for the last days. I would say that if you love the truth and are seeking it, the LAST place you want to be is with them, when the Lord comes.
Paul knew that the prophecies of the OT and those of Jesus Christ, foretold a great apostasy away from the teachings of Christ, to ANOTHER GOSPEL. That is the gospel that these churches today teach and join in unity on. The Eccumenical movement is the heigth of apostasy and SIN.
Those in the first century Paul was writing to were taught THE TRUTH. And there is to be unity in truth. BUT NOT IN ERROR. In fact to fellowship with believers that you think are in error is SIN.
2 John 1 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in [b]the truth;[/b] and not I only, but also all they that have known [b]the truth;[/b]
2 For [b]the truth's[/b] sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.
3 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, [b]in truth[/b] and love.
4 [b]I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.[/b]
5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
6 [b]And this is love, that we walk after his commandments (in the TRUTH)[/b]. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
9 [b]Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. (this is what it means to confess Jesus Christ come in flesh.)
10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:[/b]
Now do I need to repeat that?
10 [b]If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:[/b]
What did Jesus say about "unity"?
Matt 10:34 [b]Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.[/b]
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
TRUTH causes DIVISION!
Luke 12:51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
John 7:43 So there was a division among the people because of him.
John 9:16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.
John 10:19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.
So I suppose we are just supposed to go and hang out with these dudes.
2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people,[b] even as there shall be false teachers among you,[/b] who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
Many of those you suggest we join in "unity" with are these very types here.
2 Tim 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 [b]Having a form of godliness,[/b] but denying the power thereof: [b]from such turn away.[/b]
It's talking about "Christians" here. "Having a form of godliness".
Oh, and then there's these folks.
2 Thes 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; [b]because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.[/b]
11[b] And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth,[/b] but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and [b]belief of the truth:[/b]
14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
And as you may remember one of those "traditions", was that you withdrew and avioded every brother who walked contrary. Don't even let them in your house, let alone go to theirs.
Any thing outside of the truth, and I sin by fellowshipping with it. And I'm not supposed to partner up with it in the name of some false unity.
Everything you said is basically a lie. Is anti-truth of the original gospel, and therefore ultimately "anti-christ". That is claiming you are FOR Christ, but in truth you are AGAINST Christ, because you promote a teaching that is contrary to what he actually taught.
We are to COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM, meaning the very churches and most ESPECIALLY the Eccumenical movement of which you speak and be SEPARATE.
Yes your post sounds all "loving" and "tollerant" in it's push for diversity. But the truth is what you espouse is not LOVE at all. It's just wishy washy error that will lead people straight to hell, because it's based on lies and not on what the actual scripturs say. It is not PROPHECY or as your ardent admirer stated "forthtelling". The belief is in fact abominable.
Let me see if I can explain this. What you said here may have been true in the first century church, when they were all established and walking in the truth.
HOWEVER that was 2000 years ago and what you have today are people walking in heresies and others trying to find the truth.
TODAY it is the TRUTH that causes division, and God is the one behind it.
It is your belief, planted in your heart that is truly of the devil. For it is not the truth of the gospel AT ALL.
"Neither bid them godspeed."
El Harris
