Churches
Congress does not define what a Church is, but the legal dictionary does consistently.
“Church. In its most general sense, the religious society founded and established by Jesus Christ, to receive, preserve, and propagate his doctrines and ordinances.”
“A body or community of Christians, united under one form of government by the profession of one faith, and the observance of the same rituals and ceremonies.”[1]
Is your Church “established by Jesus Christ and united under one government to receive, preserve, and propagate his doctrines and ordinances”?
What are his doctrines?
Most Church Doctrines include very few of Christ's Doctrines or even His specific instructions.
They have removed much of what Christ said and replaced it with what Paul said, or rather what people think Paul said. Paul was expounding on what Christ said having already preached gospel to men and women who were doing and living according to the pattern of the doctrines of Christ.
- Romans 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
- Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
- 1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
- Ephesians 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. {trusted: or, hoped}
1 Timothy 1:16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
Christ preached a way to govern ourselves according to His Holy Spirit and appointed that government to His disciples to be like Him.
- 2 Timothy 4:22 The Lord Jesus Christ [be] with thy spirit. Grace [be] with you. Amen.
The modern Church really needs to reexamine its doctrines and mission in comparison to Christ in the context o His doctrines and the activities and apparent mission of the early Church.
Is it doing the work of His appointed government or has it relinquished its responsibilities to the governments of the world that have been established by men for the personal benefit of men?
The Church is actually a creation of Christ. Have men recreated the Church? Is the modern churches preserving, and propagating His doctrines and ordinances or their own?
Religion use to mean the performance of your duty to God and your fellow man.
The term religious organization is not treated the same as the term Church in modern law. An organization seeking to meet the religious purposes test has become something other than a Church. The purpose and mission of the Church was religious. The Church is a religious organization but it is not an entity of the State but is established by Christ which makes it excluded and separate from the state.
But when men began to alter the purposes of the Church they stop being the Church "founded and established by Jesus Christ".
Department of Revenue and the I.R.S. state:
“In order to determine whether recognition of exemption should appropriately be extended to an organization seeking to meet the religious purposes test of section 501c(3), the Internal Revenue Service maintains two basic guidelines:
- ) That the particular religious beliefs of the organization are truly and sincerely held, and
- ) That the practices and rituals associated with the organization’s religious belief or creed are not illegal or contrary to clearly defined public policy.”[2]
On the same page of that publication, we see phrases like, “If you are organized to operate a home for the aged, the following information must be submitted:” Or if you are a scientific organization, “You must show…” etc. But for religious organizations, there are only ‘two basic guidelines’ which are merely ‘maintained’ by the Internal Revenue Service. These mere guidelines are maintained only ‘to determine whether recognition of exemption should appropriately be extended to an organization seeking to meet the religious purposes test.’
Summary of the Nimrod to Now Video Series:10-10 7:53 Gods plan verses man's plan. Summing up... the Gospel of the Kingdom...
Ecclesia, Ekklesia. or Church
http://www.hisholychurch.org/ekklesia.php
The Coercive and Non-Coercive Churches
Concerning what the "Church" is or should be and what it is not.
http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/coercivechurch.php
- Audio On the Coercive Church
The Coercive Church BlogTalkRadio 29:10
http://www.hisholychurch.net/audio/10-10-3TS-412548CC.mp3
- The Coercive Church TalkShoeQandA 48:43
http://www.hisholychurch.net/audio/10-10-3show_1295668CC.mp3
The Church from the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCl12-3Church.php
- The Separate Church
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCl12-4Separate.php
Church and State
From the book The Higher Liberty, Sec. 18
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/THL/churchstate.php
Separation of Church and State
From the book The Higher Liberty, Sec. 20
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/THL/separation.php
A Kingdom not of this world
From the book The Higher Liberty, Sec. 22
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/THL/notoftheworld.php
The Apostolic Church
From the book The Higher Liberty, Sec. 68
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/THL/apostolic.php
Christian Welfare
From the book The Higher Liberty, Sec. 71
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/THL/welfare.php
Are Christians Idiots?
Were the apostles unlearned, uneducated and unlettered?
http://www.hisholychurch.org/news/articles/idiots.php
Christianity Derailed
Has the Church lost it way and taken the people with it?
http://www.hisholychurch.org/news/articles/christderailed.php
Appeared first on NewsWithViews 3-2-11
Taxes
"Piety is no defense to the assessments of the tax collector." Scripture Press Foundation v. United States, 285 F.2d 800, 904 (1961), cert denied 368 U.S. 985.