Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION2 Chapter I Leaving.5 Chapter II Peter..9 Chapter III Paul..12 Chapter IV The Bible15 Chapter V Warnings18 Chapter VI Closing..20

INTRODUCTION
Hello, my name is Gary Atencio. The reason you have received this booklet is because you probably have a friend or family member that has left the Catholic Church or maybe you are possibly thinking about leaving the church or you possibly already left. Well, we are hoping you will take the next 60 minutes, just one hour, to stop for a moment and look into the church that you are now leaving, the Catholic Church. We must first agree on one thing and that is hopefully, that it is worth your time to study the history, the foundation and the reasons for the Catholic Church. So what are you searching for, are we looking for fun or worship, friendlier people, maybe more support or emotion, well maybe. But when one searches and leaves his security of where they are at, well that is often a very courageous and sometimes risky venture. You see, I believe the real reason is that we are seeking the truth. The truth is what we are after, so before we disagree on anything we must first agree on one absolute and that is there is an absolute. You see there is a truth and God does not bless the gray area. In the Bible he says He will take the lukewarm and spew it from His mouth. He also says that the light does not mix with the dark. You see on issues folks, we are either going to be right or we are going to be wrong. And you see the devil's area is that gray area and that is where he deceives. He knows we are not smart enough to jump head first into the dark but instead it is that gray darkness that we sometimes dabble in. This idea of an absolute, well it is not a secular view, as a matter of fact it is not a popular view. Heck, it is not even an American view. In America we live and let live, we are a democracy. And the definition of relativism is that there is no absolute, because there are so many circumstances that can change that truth. But as Christians we know God has always taught that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and that there is no other way except through Him, Jesus. You see, God never said He would judge us on the truth, that we create only on the ones that He has given us. We will be judged on what we know of this truth and we will be held accountable for what we know. So as Christians we do agree that there is one truth. So now that is something worth searching for and risking and leaving the comfort of the Church you are in. You see, that is the reason others have left the Church also. So maybe you 2

are thinking of leaving in search of the truth. You see, in your confusion you seek an absolute and in your questions you seek an answer. But before we explore this internal search for truth let's take a look at some of the externals. At first glance, why does one leave the Church? First of all, more uplifting music, more updated music. Heck, they have high tech surround sounds in a lot of the churches today, be really exciting. Maybe friendlier people. I don't know, but does it seem like the other churches when it comes to fellowship, just seems like they have really got it down. Then another reason people leave is this feeling of community. This feeling of being close together, when something goes wrong they all kind of chip in and help each other out, a real family of God. Another reason is a simpler faith. The whole idea of Jesus alone, just a personal relationship with you and Jesus, that is what you really need, that is all you need. There are no visible doctrines, there is no Catechism study and instead of, you get Bible study. There's no Saints, no Mass for the Dead, no genuflecting, no offertory candles, no confession to a Priest, no classes for sacraments, yeah you know, on and on. Then, if you have heard it said once we have heard it a hundred times, "Gary, the reason I am leaving is I am just not being fed." And you know it is kind of true. Seems like we go to other churches, we hear some real relevant topics. Things that really do apply to us. You hear topics like lust and greed and actually, they use that word, Satan, a few times. I cannot say I have heard that too often in the Catholic Church. I think that is needed because the Bible says, "For lack of knowledge, my people will parish." It is good to know what we are up against. And then you know, they have Bible studies on the topics, on Tuesday nights and then Wednesday night support groups and it is not just Sunday Worship. And they really do feed. They are definitely more welcoming, to make you a part of the celebration. If you have talents they actually talk with you in fellowship and find out that you can play guitar or you can sing. Before you know it you are up on the altar. What about problems, maybe you have some problems. Well, they have got a lot of audio tapes, video tapes and support groups to take care of little things that we deal with. Maybe it is just your whole way of life. Maybe you are divorced; they can be definitely welcoming, if you are divorced. Then you hear the parents always talking about you know, "the reason that I am leaving is not so much for me, but for my kids." I mean Gary; "these kids are fired up for Christ. That is what I want my kids to be. And they have programs for the youth, they have youth Ministers." Heck, "they even have 3

organized daycare on Sunday." And then you have another reason, it is definitely a positive gospel. It is nice to go listen to something and get really uplifted, you know. You find out that when we are close to Jesus we have got power. And you hear about this Health/Wealth gospel, you find out that Jesus not only wants you rich and abundant in your family life, but He wants you rich also in your pocketbook. Boy that is appealing. If you are close to Jesus, they teach you that there really is no suffering; we can overcome all of that. And then definitely the last reason I think people just get up and leave is personal problems. They just want a new start, maybe they had a problem with somebody in the Church and they just leave. So they go to another church and they are usually very quick to come back and share with us and let us know that they found Jesus. Yeah, they found Jesus; you have to come to this church because we found Him. They get in an argument with the church leader and a lot of times the church leaders have this authority and they sometimes abuse it. But instead of taking it out on them they take it out on the church and well, they just leave. I mean, these are real issues aren't they? I probably could do a recording on each one of these real issues but instead of focusing on these external issues, let's go back for a minute to the internal search for truth. Once this internal truth is satisfied well maybe, just maybe, we can deal with these external issues with a more spiritual maturity.

LEAVING
So what is the truth? Where do we find the truth? What is the foundation of truth? Well, in I Timothy 3:15, it says, "The pillar and foundation of the truth is the Bible." NO, it actually does not say that but you know, a lot of Pastors out there would have you believe that is the way that they look at the Bible, for their truth. The Bible actually says, "The pillar and foundation of truth is the Church." Hmm, okay the Church, that's where we are to find the truth? What church is Paul talking about here to Timothy? Surely God knows what church. But He would also knows it takes a lifetime to study every leader, every doctrine and every teaching out there of every church out there. There are 25,000 different denominations available today. There is one starting up every five days and who starts these churches? By what authority does one need to start a church? Last time we checked it was a $25.00 fee down at the Court House. You see, I quoted Paul from the Bible, "The foundation of truth is the Church." Okay, so all these 25,000 different churches, they use the same tool for the truth and that is the Bible, so they all must teach truth, right? That's wrong, because the reason there are so many is that none of them can agree on what the truth is. Wow - talk about a collection of 25,000 different opinions, now that is one complicated gray area, talk about confusion. You know, Satan loves confusion, God loves Unity. Jesus prayed for Unity in John 17:17 and Jesus said there are one shepherd and one flock in John 10:16. He also said that they are either for us or against us. See, now people say if God didn't want this variety of worship I don't think He would allow it. Wrong. God allows abortion, greed, lust and all the other detestable sins, but that doesn't mean He condones it. It is us who choose sin and confusion. He allows our free will. So let's go back to the time when Paul first wrote this to Timothy. Would it have made more sense back then with just Paul saying, "The pillar and foundation of truth is the Church?" What I'm saying is, was it easier to find that church back then or was there 25,000 to choose from? 5

Well, let's work backwards, from right now, present day, until back then. In this 25,000 Christian denomination confusion, who is this new kid on the block? Who is still wet behind the ears, who is just now finding and feeding on the milk of Jesus and His teachings and maybe not yet ready for the meat of Christ's teachings, whose church history is still in the infant stage? Who, like a runner, they are totally on fire, they are peaked with energy - and it is all for good reason they are still in the starting blocks. Maybe they too have just found Jesus. I mean, we could point modern day to leaders like Koresh or religious group like Heaven's Gate. There are so many of them now. But instead, let's focus on the major players at this time. One would think that a minor precaution of just doing a little background history on the founder of the church you may be looking at could save you a lot of time in discovering the actual belief's and teachings of that church before it is too late. Quite frequently a lot of the beliefs are not apparent in the weekly Sunday worship and questions may not arise until way later, when one is already so far removed from the flock that there is a feeling of uneasiness to return. Throughout this recording I am going to ask you to ask yourself many a question. And I would hope you would take the time to write these things down and ask yourself or the Pastor of another church. So for the first question, what man or woman started the church you are looking at? Please keep in mind the following stats can be found virtually in any encyclopedia in any library in your hometown. So let's call upon history first. If you are leaving for the Vineyard Christian Fellowship, your denomination was started by Kenn Gulliksen and Keith Green in Santa Monica, California in 1974. If you are leaving for the Calvary Chapel, Chuck Smith began your congregation in Costa Mesa, California in 1965. If you are thinking of going with the Church of Scientology, while its origins to L. Ron Hubbard in Washington, DC in 1952. If you are going to the Iglesia de Dios, Felix Manalo instituted your sect in the Philippines in 1914. If you are thinking of going with the Assembly of God or any of their splinter Pentecostal Groups, your religion is one of the hundreds of new sects founded 6

by men in the 20th Century and you could actually trace it all the back to December 31, 1900 in Topeka, Kansas by a man named Charles Fox Parham. And if you are thinking of Christian Scientists, your organization was brought into existence by Mrs. Baker Eddy in 1879. If you are leaving for Jehovah Witness, your church was established by Charles Taze Russell in Pennsylvania in 1879. If you are leaving for the Seventh Day Adventist, it was Mrs. Ellen Gould-White. She inaugurated your group in the United States 1860. If you are leaving to be a Mormon, or otherwise Latter-day Saints, your religion was organized in New York by Joseph Smith in 1830. If you are leaving to be a Methodist, while your form of Protestantism traces it back to John Wesley in London in 1738. If you are leaving to be a Baptist, you can look to John Smith as the originator of your institution in Amsterdam in 1609. If you are leaving to be a Presbyterian, John Calvin is credited with initiating your congregation in Switzerland in 1555. If you are thinking of being inherent to the Anglican or Episcopalian Church your religion dates back to King Henry VIII in England in 1533. If you are leaving for Lutheranism, well we know Martin Luther formulated your religious beliefs in Germany in 1517. And if you are thinking of becoming a member of the Orthodox Church, and there are quite a few, there is Russian and Eastern or Greek. Your church went into the Schism in 1054. If you are thinking about staying a Roman Catholic or becoming a Roman Catholic, your church was founded in Jerusalem by Jesus Christ in the year 33 AD. Wow - sometimes the Truth is blatant, you see, in this history lesson it definitely is. Folks, it's true. The Catholic Church is the only Christian Church that can trace its beginnings all the way back to the one and only King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ.

I asked my six year old daughter for Christmas why she was a Catholic and she said, "Because Jesus started our Church, Daddy." And then I asked her who started all the other churches out there and she just said, "Some guy or some lady." Wow, some guy, some lady, compared to Jesus Christ, what a difference. See, unfortunately what my daughter was taught at an early age, most Catholics I know have not been taught that. Either that or they learn much later in life when sometimes it is too late. Well having been taught that and had they been taught, we might not have this need for this recording at all. Well folks, historically speaking, most Theologians and Historians can agree on this first Truth. That the Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ in 33 AD. It is no wonder that all the Apostles are buried under a Catholic Church somewhere.

PETER

So historically we can check out our past. And thanks to the Bible we can also check it out scripturally. What about scripturally? If you have a Bible handy let's go to Matthew 16:13. Matthew 16:13 says, "When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples saying, "Who do men say I am." So they said, "Some say John the Baptist; some Elijah; and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you Simon Br-jn, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father who is in heaven." And I also say to you, "That you are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church and the gates of Haiti shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth loosed in heaven." Wow - So let's take a look at this. Here is Jesus along with His apostles and followers and it seems like no one really knows who He is. I mean, they walked with Him and talked with Him and then up until now no one has to say who He is. So out of all of them there, who stands up but Peter. He stands up and says, "You are the Christ, son of the living God." And then Jesus goes on to bless Peter, which only happens a couple of times in the Bible. Then Jesus goes on to say, "Upon this rock I will build my Church." You will notice He didn't say churches. You will notice He changed Peter's name from Simon to Peter. Simon which means like a reed that blows in the wind compared to Peter which is kefus; a rock. So He blesses Peter and He says He is going to build His Church upon Peter, the rock. He also goes on to say that the gates of Haiti, which is hell, shall not prevail against it. Talk about divine insurance. Then if that wasn't enough He goes on to say to Peter, "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven." Man, can you imagine Peter's surprise, receiving the keys to the kingdom of heaven directly from Jesus. And if that wasn't enough, Jesus goes on to say, "Whatever you bind I will bind. Whatever you loose I will loose. And so He is basically saying whatever you say I will say. Wow, so this really answers the question about us Catholics being Christians. You see folks, not only are we Christians we are the first Christians found by Jesus himself. So scripturally we see that Jesus did start a church and before He left that church He set up that authority figure to act in His place, Peter. 9

Okay, so let's follow scripture and see how this authority position affected Peter. First, in Luke 22:32 the night before Jesus died, we see Jesus tell Peter that He had prayed for him against Satan's snare, so that Peter would be strengthened and be able to turn back and strengthen his brothers. Then in Mark 16:7 we hear the angel who appeared to Mary Magdalene at the tomb. He instructed her to go tell Peter and the disciples about the tomb. Then in Luke 24:34 Jesus and the disciples, they are talking about how Jesus had already appeared to Peter first. Then in John 21:17 we see Jesus appearing to seven of the disciples on the shore. Then He goes and singles out Peter and He tells him, "Feed my lambs, tend my sheep." He actually tells him this three times. So here Jesus is confirming His leadership position again. I think Peter could have possibly needed a confirmation, because after all, he had denied our Lord three times. In the books of Acts the scriptures give us an insight into what the early church was like. That is, after Jesus left them. So let's look at Acts and see if Peter's authority is evident in this early church. First we take a look at the primacy of Peter, see if it is evident. In Matthew 16:18 we talked about how "upon this rock Jesus built his church", but now let's look at Acts. Act's 1:13, it was Peter who headed the meeting which elected Mathias. In Acts 2:14, it was Peter who led the apostles in preaching on Pentecost. In Acts 2:41, it was Peter who received the converts into the church and Acts 3:6, it is Peter again who performed the first miracle after Pentecost. In Acts 5:1, it was Peter who inflicted the first punishment on Ananias and Sapphira. In Acts 8:21, it was Peter who excommunicated the first haritic, Simon Magnus. In Acts 10:44, it is Peter who received the revelation to admit the gentiles into the church and in Acts 15, it is Peter who led the first counsel in Jerusalem and then in Acts 15:17, it is Peter who pronounces the first dogmatic decision. So, throughout the scriptures the disciples are referred to as Peter and his companions. Peter's name was always at the head of the apostles. Actually, in scriptures Peter's name is mentioned 195 times, which is more than all the other apostles combined. And if Acts is the early church history, we can see Peter is the only apostle who actually speaks at all, in the whole Book of Acts, so when it comes leadership and authority, we can easily see that Peter is the man.

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You know, it is interesting that God has always left us a man to speak of His teachings. He left Abraham, He left Moses, left Peter and now our current leader Pope John Paul II. You see, Saint Peter was the first Catholic Pope. The first 30 some Pope's were killed for their deep faith in Jesus. Think about it, Peter and the apostles are the first Bishops of the Catholic Church. And did you know that every Priest can trace their succession all the way back to those first 12 Apostles. Wow talk about authority. Okay, so scriptures say it all too clear. Church. Peter is definitely the leader of the

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PAUL
What about Paul? Didn't he write most of the New Testament? In Galatians 1:8, with Kefus, also known as Peter. Even thought Paul got his teaching by the spirit of Jesus himself, he would still check with Peter on his teachings. Going back to what Paul said, if the Church is the foundation and the pillar of truth well now, now that we know there was an actual church to turn to, the statement now makes a lot more sense. What else does the scripture tell us about the church and the authority given to Peter and his apostles? I would encourage you to check out these scriptures one-by-one at your leisure, to fully understand how Catholic these scriptures really are. There are four points that we are going to be making about the church. Number one, is the church must be one. In John 10:16, it says, "there shall be one fold and one shepherd." In Ephesians 4:3 says, "there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father." In Romans 16:17, it says "to avoid those that create dissentions." In I Corinthians 1:10, it says, "I urge that there be no divisions among you." In Philippians 2:2, it says, "to be of the same mind, united in heart, thinking one thing." Then Romans 15:5, it says "God grant you to think in harmony with one another." In John 17:17, says "I pray they be one as we are one." In John 17:23, it says, "that they may be brought to perfection as one." In I Corinthians 12:13, it says "in one spirit we were baptized into one body." In Romans 12:5, it says "we though many are one body in Christ." In Ephesians 4:4, it says "one body, one spirit called to one hope." In Colossians 3:15, "the peace into which you were called in one body." So we see that the Church must be one. So this idea of division is definitely mans idea. Second, we see that the Church is apostolic. In John 15:16, Jesus chose special men to be his apostles. In John 20:21, Jesus gave the apostles his own mission. Then in Luke 22:30, Jesus gave them a kingdom. In Matthew 16:18, is where Jesus built the Church on Peter; the rock. In John 10:16, it talks again about one shepherd to shepherd Christ's sheep. In Luke 22:32 and also in John 21:17, Peter is appointed to be the chief shepherd. In I Timothy 3:1, 3:8 and 5:17, they go on to identify the roles of the Bishops, the Priests and the Deacons. Then in Titus 1:5, they have the commissioning for the Bishops to Ordained Priests. So we see that the church is apostolic. 12

Third, we see that the Church is infallible. Scriptures say that in John 16:13, you will be guided by the Holy Spirit into all truth. In John 14:26, the Holy Spirit will teach and remind them of everything. In Luke 10:16, is to speak with Christ's own voice. I Timothy 3:15, is where the church is called the Pillar and Foundation of Truth. In I John 2:27, is the anointing of the Holy Spirit remains in you. Then in Acts 15:28, the Apostles speak with a voice of the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 28:20, He says "I am with you always" So the Church is infallible. And lastly, the Church we see will last until the end of time. In the scriptures it tells us it will be a perpetual church. In Isaiah 9:6, it says "Of Christ's government there will be no end." In Daniel 2:44, it says "God's Kingdom shall stand forever." In Daniel 7:14, it says "His Kingdom shall not be destroyed." In Luke 1:32, says "No end to Christ's Kingdom." In Matthew 7:24, Jesus is like a wise man who built His house on a rock. Then in Matthew 13:24, it said "To let the wheat and the weeds grow together until harvest." In Matthew 16:18, is where Jesus says "The gates of hell will never prevail against Christ's Church." In John 14:16, "The Holy Spirit will be with you always." In Matthew 28:19, He says "I am with you all days." As one can see, the Church of Jesus Christ, the church that he founded and started, it is filled with unity, truth and divinely instituted to stand the test of time. Because the time on this recording will not permit us to examine all the different references to the church, what Paul spoke of often, we can also use his analogy. He frequently said, in Colossians 1:18, "That Jesus is the head of the body, the Church." You see, Paul understood the church was the body of Christ. He also referred to the church as the bridegroom of Christ. Over 100 times Paul referred to the church as the bridegroom of Christ. To separate the bride from the bridegroom, would be spiritual divorce. And to have Jesus without his church is like the head without the body. It's a spiritual dismemberment. You see, other Christians outside the Catholic church, they experience Christ as our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. But we as Catholics, we experience Christ in His fullness. Paul understood the importance of the church, after all think about it, was Paul actually persecuting Jesus? No, he was persecuting Jesus' church and yet Jesus said to Paul on the road to Damascus, "Paul, why do you persecute me?" This could have been the reason Paul believed that Jesus and the Church he established were one in the same.

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In I Corinthians, Chapter 15 verse 5, Paul explains how Jesus was seen after the resurrection first by Peter, then by 500 brethren once and then by James. Then in verse 8 he goes on to say, "Then last of all He was seen by me also and one born out of due time. For I am the least of the Apostles whom am not worthy to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of God."

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The Bible
So if the Catholic Church has the Pope to protect and guard the truths taught by Jesus, then how do the other churches find their truth? What do they use to base their teachings and guidance on? Well, the simple answer is the Bible. And the complete answer is their interpretation of the Bible. Now they all use the same Bible so they all teach the same truths, right? See, unfortunately we know the answer to that. If you give ten men a verse to read in the Bible, chances are you are going to get ten different interpretations. Are you starting to see why we have 25,000 different denominations? Are you starting to see why we have confusion, arguing and disunity in the body of Christ? You see, when Americans wrote the Constitution even they knew, although we can all read the Constitution, it doesn't really mean we can all correctly interpret it. That's why they established the Supreme Court. As Catholics, we have the successor of Peter to interpret the Bible and areas of doctrine and moral teachings. As a church outside of the Catholic faith, well they have their Pastor. In essence the Pastor, he is the Pope, he is the Bishop, he is the Cardinal, he is the whole magisterium just rolled into one man. So you can see why a Pastor takes this personal choice approach on difficult questions regarding morality by simply advising their questioning church member to, well pray about it or that's a personal choice. I've heard of a Pastor saying abortion is a personal choice. Jesus and the Church that He established, they're very clear on such issues, even as disturbing and convicting as that might be to us sinners. So let me ask, is that how the Bible was intended to be used, as a reference book? A how to start your own church book. If you were to ask any Pastor of a nondenominational church if his church is Bible based, he's going to be proud to say yes. But is the Catholic Church Bible based? Well, the answers no. You see, we are Church based because historically our church was founded before the New Testament Bible. I urge you to check this not so apparent fact out for yourself. But it was actually the church who gave us the Bible and not the Bible to give us a bunch of churches. I mean, that's right, the whole New Testament was compiled by the church under the leadership of Pope St. Innocent 1, in the year 405 AD.

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Now, here is another question for you. How can Christians put their trust in the Bible and yet not put their trust in the Pope who declared it to be the Bible? I mean, it does not make sense. But I suppose that is why it is confusion. Any theologian today would agree that if it was not for the Catholic Church we would have no Bible today, period. The Christian world today has a great indebtedness to the Catholic Church for protecting and preserving sacred scripture so that you and I can read it today. But instead of being thankful for what we are seeing, there are Pastors out there actually using the Bible to condemn the teaching of the Catholic Church. Folks, that is like stealing somebody's arm and then beating them with it. The Bible is a Catholic book, written by Catholics, to Catholics, for Catholics. And do not be afraid to share your Catholic book with other denominations. Although many of them have memorized exact verses and they can tell you where the locations are, remember folks, we are not going to be judged on that. See on the last day, instead we were are going to be judged on how we applied and how we were obedient to what we read. Pastors today rely so heavily on scripture alone, which is sola scriptura and they would have you think that a person could not find Jesus without the Bible. And yet what did they do for those first flourishing 400 years of Christianity? If a pagan wanted to be a Christian in those early days did they send him home with a Bible under his arm? No, they probably sent him to worship in Holy Mass and the breaking of bread in an early Catholic Church. The Church was the foundation of truth in those days and it still is today. The truth does not change. As Catholics we hold the Bible up in the highest respect. It is the word of God. And as a Catholic it is also our family heirloom. It was handed down generation-to-generation, from Catholics-to-Catholic and was printed by a Catholic man name Gutenberg on his first press. You see folks, the Bible was never intended to be used like a recipe book for moral teachings on every issue. If it had been, there would have been an index in the back with exact issues like abortion, divorce, contraception, masturbation, breast implants, horoscopes, sacraments and the trinity. You see, that is why we have Catechism of the Catholic faith. That is a book with an index of such topics. Make no mistake, the Catechism was not written for children. Pick one up, read it. You will see that it was written for us, the adult layaty. We have to understand this view of the Bible alone to guide us. It is not even found in the Bible itself. In fact, the Bible tells us we need more than the Bible 16

alone. In John 21:25, the Bible confirms not everything Jesus said and did is recorded in the scriptures. Instead, scriptures tell us we should hold fast to the oral tradition, in other words, spoken, passed on, preached word of God. And you will find that in I Corinthians 11:2 and II Thessalonians 2:15 and also I Peter 1:5. While you are at it, check out II Peter 3:15 and see what the scriptures tell us about untaught men interpreting scripture. Talk about a warning. This whole Bible alone view is actually pretty new. No wonder it is not scriptural. The theory was man made in the 1500's. You see, II Timothy 3:16 said, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." You see, the Bible says it is helpful in all those areas but it does not limit us to just the Bible. Nowhere does it say the Bible alone.

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Warnings
Okay, so now we may be saying that obviously God does not approve of us breaking away from the Church that He founded for us, but couldn't He have warned us of all this that might happen? Somewhere in scriptures? Well, let's take a look. In Romans 16:17, Paul urges us to avoid those who cause division, contrary to the doctrine which you have learned. He goes on to say, "Those who teach other doctrines do not serve the Lord but their own bellies by using smooth words and flattering speech. They deceive the hearts of the simple." So there is one warning. Instead of being the simple and learn, it sounds like we need to learn more about our faith. In II Timothy 3:1, Paul says in the last days, "People will be self centered, lovers of money, irreligious, hating what is good as they make a pretense of religion but denying it's power." He warns to reject them. And in II Timothy 4:3, Paul says, "For the time will come when they will not endorse sound doctrine but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears they will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables." In Galatians Paul also says in Chapter 1 verse 8, "But even if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you, then what we have preached to you let him be a cursed." So we see some real warnings there. So, while there are many other churches out there preaching this Health/Wealth gospel, I mean, remembering Christ we are empowered but we must also be willing to take up our cross and follow Him. See, in Matthew 10:38, Jesus said, "Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Romans 18:16 says, "We are heirs of Christ if only we are willing to suffer with Him." I've been to other churches and I have actually heard Pastors saying if you are suffering you need to get closer to God. Well, that is amazing because Jesus actually would say you cannot get closer to Him than when you are suffering. So while these new gospels they tickle our ears and appeal to our earthly desires for a life of no suffering, what Jesus taught was quite the opposite. I mean, check out I Peter 2:19. Well, when studying the history and scripture many churches now agree that the Catholic Church was the church founded 2,000 years ago. But a lot of them feel somewhere along the way in the first century, the Catholic Church failed. 18

If the Catholic Church failed Christ failed. And because that would mean He lied in Matthew 28:19 when He said "He would be with us always," it would also mean He lied when He said "the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church," in Matthew 16:18 and lastly, that would say Jesus didn't build His own church upon the rock of Peter, but instead on a sandy foundation that eventually gave way. Now the Church Jesus founded is the same in truth today, yesterday and forever. He promised it.

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CLOSING
In closing, I would hope this short study into the foundation of the Catholic faith is not an end but a beginning. A beginning into a stronger search into your faith. Not only the scriptures history and the Catechism of the church shed light on the truths left by Christ, but I would hope that you would also study the writings of the early church Fathers. These are the early church leaders who studied sometimes directly under the guidance of the apostles themselves. After all, it is the church father St. Ignatius who gave us our earliest evidence of the word Catholic, as a title for the church. This word Catholic written all the way back around the year 110 AD. So if you still believe the Bible alone should be our sole foundation for pillar of truth, and not the Church, I will leave you with a few more last questions. Please take these questions to your family, your friends, to your Pastor. Let me ask you, why is it you don't read the gospel of Peter or the gospel of James? They do exist. It is because the Catholic Church told you what the actual gospels are. Why is it that you believe in the Trinity? It is nowhere in the Bible. because the Catholic Church gave you the doctrine of the Trinity. It is

Why is it you worship on Sunday instead of Saturday like the Old Testament teaches? Because once again it is the Catholic Church that told you when the resurrection day to worship God is. See, these are just a few of the things that the Catholic Church has taught us, not because it exists to make up new laws, no instead it exists to protect everything that Christ has already taught. So who is your authority, who is your Pope? If your Pastor interprets the scriptures and shares those opinions on the pulpit and you decide how to live your life and your children's life on his teachings, well then he is your Pope. If you yourself interpret the scriptures and make up the rights and wrongs of morality in your own head and you are the type to just say you are going to all these different churches but you just go to worship. Well, then you are your own Pope. If you rely on the authority left by Jesus to His Apostle Peter, and his successors then your Pope is John Paul II. Now common sense begs the last of 20

the questions. Folks, can any man have a better plan than Jesus in starting and sustaining a Church? So what do you give up by becoming Catholic, by being Catholic or by staying Catholic? Well, you give up one thing, you give up the search. You see, in the Catholic Church there are absolutes, she is a teaching church but are we obedient fully to Jesus and are we teachable? When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. So let's glance back to those real issues back at the beginning, remember? Better music, simpler faith, positive gospel, fired up youth. You see folks, we need our separated brothers and sisters in Christ to share with us their joy in finding Jesus. But in following Jesus in His fullness they need His Church. If you were to meet our Lord tonight with any of these external excuses would any of them be good enough to give Him for leaving His Church. Or would your faith be deeper than that. I mean, possibly deep enough not to ask the Lord, Lord how do I want to worship you? But instead to ask the Lord, how do you want to be worshiped? If you would like more of these external beauties of the Catholic faith like Mary, Confession, the real presence of the Eucharist, statues, infant baptism, the ever virgin, communion of saints or any other Catholic issue, please contact the person who gave you this recording and they can direct you to someone who would love to share the faith with you. May God Bless You and leave you with the knowledge that we are accountable for what we know. God Bless.

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