Why Should I Attend Church

Why should I attend church?Because the New Testament repeatedly emphasizes the importance of local assemblies. In fact, it was the pattern of Paul's ministry to establish local congregations in the cities where he preached the gospel. Hebrews 10:24-25 commands every believer to be a part of such a local body and reveals why this is necessary. 

"And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own    assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near"           (Hebrews 10:24-25). 

The Bible also says that for a man to be truly in the path of life as God wants us live, he must be sure that he is doing the right thing, and only by learning regularly can he truly be sure to be on the right path. Like when paul says "Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching" (1 Timothy 4:13). It is only through hearing the word of jesus by someone who is prepared and sent by him, can we truly know what we should do in this life.

We might be able to learn and follow God correctly individually. but we are called by God to be in his body. the church is the Body of Christ. so we can induce that God calls us to be in His Church.Active local church membership is imperative to living a life without compromise. It is only through the ministry of the local church that a believer can receive the kind of teaching, accountability, and encouragement that is necessary for him to stand firm in his convictions. God has ordained that the church provide the kind of environment where an uncompromising life can thrive.

Personal Take on Same-Sex Marriage

I don't want to write a lot on this post. Its basically just my opinion on this and I would rather not get judged by what I write here.

Should same-sex marriage be allowed?

My answer, simply put, is no. 

But hear me out.

Marriage as it stands is a union between two people in the eyes of the Church. The basic idea of marriage is for a man to accept infront of God that he will care and take care of the woman that he loves. That is Man taking care of Woman, not Man working with Man. I believe that Marriage should not be allowed between the same sexes.

On the other hand, there are civil unions, which are basically the same thing as marriages, without the religions point added to it. It is also important to point out that there are some states that dont accept civil unions.

So my point is: I personally think that if two homosexual people, man or woman, really love each other as to the point that they would want to spend  their whole lives with each other. Then by all means, go ahead and be part of a civil union or domestic partnership. But marriage has and will always be a religious ceremony in front of God.

Apostolicity Of The Church

Apostolicity is the way that the Church compares itself to the accuracy of its teachings as proclaimed within its early years of establishment by Jesus. This is very important to the Catholic Church, because on of the most important things to the Church is the authenticity of its teachings, and its heritage as seen through succession. All four marks of the Catholic Church are based upon the accuracy of the Church. Consequently, one of the most important things to the Church is maintaing the authenticity of the Magisterium as much as possible.

The Church was given the Holy Spirit to assist in the protection of the Magisterium, as well as the complete guidance of the Church. After Pentecost, the Holy Spirit gave the Apostles the strength to go out and preach the Good News. The term "Apostolic" is very important, as it is the clearest way to describe the relationship between Christ and his Apostels. This represents the sanctity of the authority of the Church, as it all begun with the establishment of God. 

Apostle means, "one who is sent," by the authority of Jesus to continue His Mission upon earth. Therefore the Church is called Apostolic, because it was founded by Jesus. Apostolicity of doctrine and mission is necessary. Apostolicity of requires that the deposit of faith is given to someone with the right committed to the Apostles shall remain unchanged. The Church will withstand the test of time due to the assistance of the Holy Spirit.
-Timmy Mashinski

Rites Of The Catholic Church

There are many different "rites" within the Catholic Church. A rite is not a different Church separated from the Catholic Church, such as the Baptist Church. Rather, it is a unique type of celebrating mass within the Catholic Church. Rites are important, because they are not protestant domination, so they are indeed in unity with the Church.

There are two main rites the Western Rites and the Eastern Rites. The Western Rites consist of more common rites with the Church, such as Roman Catholic. However, one example of a popular Eastern rite is the Maronite Rite. Lebanon is one of the few Catholic countries in the middle east, and whenever immigrants come to the United States they traditionally remain Maronite. Also, the Greek Church is very popular, as the Greek Orthodox Church is (which is not a Catholic Rite).

The Catholic Church has endured many wounds in its unity. However, Catholic Rites are a blessing from God, as they prevent further damage and schism. Instead, the authority of the Church has decided that different geological regions should have the right and power to control how mass is served. The only thing that the Church highly regards is the upkeep of the teachings and sacraments shared within the different rites. All of these rights can exist in harmony within the Church, as long as they convey the same doctrines as regarded by the Magisterium.
-Timmy Mashinski

Martin Luther and his 95 theses.

Hello there, for today's posts I decided to write about something that I have heard about a lot, probably like a lot of you, but dont really understand. Im talking about Martin Luther (not MLK) and his 95 theses.

To start us off.

Who was Martin Luther?
Martin Luther was tod and became a monk. He was later condemned a heretic for questioning the Church.
he son of a prominent business man in a territory of what is now Germany.  While studying at the University of Erfurt in 1505, his life changed during a huge storm. Young Martin Luther suffered a near-death experience in which he was almost struck by a lightning bolt. Because of that he considered his life a Gift from G

Background info on the Church at that time.
In the early 16th century, a lot of the writings of the church (mainly the Bible) were beginning to be more widely spread because of the advances in the reading capabilities and understanding of common people. Because of this a lot of people started to question the teachings of the church, calling them out-dated and inappropriate for the times. There were people like Augustine (340–430) who emphasized the primacy of the Bible rather than Church officials as the ultimate religious authority. At this point in time the church was also selling Indulgences and in some places that practice became extremely corrupt with the indulgences being sold without the proper requirements to make them valid. But people just wanted to make money.

What did Marting Luther do?  
Luther vigorously objected to the corrupt practice of selling indulgences. Acting on this belief, he wrote the "Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences," also known as "The 95 Theses," a list of questions and propositions for debate with the Church. He was later summoned to a hearing in which he debated against Cardinal Thomas Cajetan for three days.Pope Leo X issued a papal bull (public decree) that concluded that Luther's propositions were heretical and gave Luther 120 days to recant in Rome.  Refusing to recant, Luther concluded his testimony with the defiant statement: “Here I stand. God help me. I can do no other.” 

With his bold statements and actions, Martin Luther single handedly started the Protestant Reformation which led to there now being over 30,000 different denominations for Christians all around the world. He is considered a heretic by the church having been excommunicated by Pope Leo X, but in the eyes of regular people he can be considered a great thinker and true spokesman having stood up alone agains the Church because of something he saw that went against what he believed in.