Terry wrote: > ... from my perspective, there can only be one > Cornerstone because there is only one Christ
This sounds like you don't believe that Christ is omnipresent. It indeed is fantastic to consider that in Rev. 2 & 3, when Jesus stands in the midst of the seven candlesticks, that each one springs forth from the same root, which is Christ. Isn't this what the Menorah is meant to convey to us? One Christ, yes, but each branch of the candlestick is one whole church. Terry wrote: > ... and one bride of Christ I think when people talk about a church being the bride of Christ, they do so metaphorically. The Scriptures define the bride of Christ, not as the church, but as the heavenly Jerusalem that comes out of heaven (Rev. 21:9 ff). Terry wrote: > ... so I see the Church with a big > C as one church, the Bride. Any Scriptural foundation for the viewpoint of this one big Church being the Bride? Terry wrote: > The gatherings that you describe can be called churches > with a small c, and just as a hand is part of the body, > they are part of the larger Church. But this analogy of the hand being part of the body Biblically is not applied to the local church but to members of the local church. I think each community is meant to have one whole complete church where Christ in his fullness can be manifested. If you are going to say that local churches can only manifest a part of Christ, then perhaps we should try to organize on a grand central scale like Roman Catholicism so that the whole body of Christ can function in unison. In my mind, this is one of the errors of Roman Catholicism, their vision of one big Church with a capital C that excludes the local church from autonomy. As a home church man, I am somewhat surprised that you do not have a similar perspective. Terry wrote: > I see apostles as only those who have > seen Jesus face to face. This is a common teaching among many Protestant churches, but it really has no strong Biblical foundation. Paul is an example of an apostle who did not know Jesus face to face. He saw Jesus, but it was in a vision, which is not unlike many today testify to have seen him. The Bible teaches that when Jesus ascended, he was received by heaven until the times of restitution of all things. This means that Paul's vision of Christ was just that, a vision. Jesus physically was still in heaven when he saw him. Terry wrote: > Prophets are scattered throughout the Bible > as God has had need of one. Why they would > be necessary in every gathering is beyond me. > They were not in every synagogue. Prophets may not have been in every synagogue, but it appears to me from my study of Scripture that they were in every church. Certainly the churches in Jerusalem, Antioch, Corinth, and Caesarea had them. Why would other churches be any different? Maybe you understand the role of prophets in Scripture but do not understand the role of prophets in the church? Peace be with you. David Miller. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
