November 14, 2005

Dear Phillip,

I bid you greetings and peace to your household and those with whom you gather.
Thank you for taking the time to write and pose your question in a non offensive
manner. I can only hope that you will not misunderstand my reply to be hateful,
vindictive or unnecessarily offensive towards you but I take strong issue with all
matters regarding the Catholic Church. My reply is strictly centered on the redeeming
sacrifice and quality of Christ's teachings and established pattern. I am a God
fearing man who serves Christ Jesus and His chosen Church. That by the way, despite
what you may have learned, is neither the Catholic or Protestant Church. His Church
are literally all those who are gathered and surrendered unto Him and the authority
of His Word alone. I do not subscribe to the politics of man's religious institutions
or governing authority which man has used throughout the ages to suppress free will
and exert oppression over his own kind. The Pope is a fraud and a more perfect example
of a Pharisee. One not unlike the Jewish Pharisee's that Jesus sternly rebuked.
Now on to answering your question...

No where in the article you mention is Jesus mentioned. Instead, there is a vision
of Medjugorje that seems to be manifesting itself as a divine message to lead the
people to salvation. This female image is a ruse and a counterfeit of sorts because
there is no salvation offered believers but that which was offered through Christ
Jesus. This whole worship of visions men and women have seen is a distraction from
the pure and blameless Word of God and the blameless testimonies offered by the
earliest Christians; the disciples. Mother Mary was never to have been placed on
such a high pedestal of worship and neither were the angels ever to be worshiped
above the Christ of God. But that is what is happening here. Here is where I go
in scripture to refute such claims made by those who say they saw a vision.
Speaking of false prophets, visions and dreams, Jeremiah records for our benefit:
Jeremiah 23:18-22 "For who hath stood in the council of Jehovah, that he should
perceive and hear his word? who hath marked my word, and heard it? Behold, the tempest
of Jehovah, even his wrath, is gone forth, yea, a whirling tempest: it shall burst
upon the head of the wicked. The anger of Jehovah shall not return, until he have
executed, and till he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days
ye shall understand it perfectly. I sent not these prophets, yet they ran: I spake
not unto them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, then had
they caused my people to hear my words, and had turned them from their evil way,
and from the evil of their doings.

Rather than repenting from worshiping false images and spirits, the people are drawn
into a delusion. Rather than drawing nearer to God, they are making further separation
from Him because they believe with their eyes rather than with their heart. People
are foolish for believing such things. Rather than trusting and believing solely
the accounts and teachings of Christ Jesus, they rather believe a perversion of
the truth. This should not be! There are many spirits in this world but there is
only one Holy Spirit and character of God that is consistant throughout the ages.
Jeremiah 23:25-29 "I have heard what the prophets have said, that prophesy
lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall this be
in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies, even the prophets of the deceit
of their own heart? that think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams
which they tell every man to his neighbor, as their fathers forgat my name for Baal.
The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let
him speak my word faithfully. What is the straw to the wheat? saith Jehovah. Is
not my word like fire? saith Jehovah; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in
pieces?"

Proverbs 29:18 "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint;
But he that keepeth the law, happy is he."
Con't Part II

Now it is true that the Lord has promised dreams, visions and prophesy in the latter
days. I hope that you can agree with me that we are likely in those latter days.
The prophet Joel was first told of this in the following passage. Joel 2:28-32 "And
it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh;
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams,
your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids
in those days will I pour out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens
and in the earth: blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned
into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah
cometh. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah
shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that
escape, as Jehovah hath said, and among the remnant those whom Jehovah doth call."

Now here is where the real test of such visions occur. Who is calling upon the name
of the God in the name of the Heavenly Father and His only Son? No one is. Instead,
they are calling upon Mary and Medjugorje! This is a terrible error on their part.
The same holds true for the Catholic Church's prescribed worship of the Virgin Mary.
Where in Scripture does it ever indicate that Mary was to become an intercessor
of our faith? No where is that ever mentioned. Where does Scripture indicate that
Mary was to be sought for salvation as the Catholic Church has prescribed for only
the last few hundred years? No where does Scripture validate that claim. Neither
can Scripture validate the majority of the claims that the Catholic Church makes.
Among all the assertions the Catholic Church has made over time, the most troubling
and offensive is the Papal claim to the "Order of Melchizedek's priesthood!"
The Popes have only over the last five hundred years asserted themselves as Vicar
of Christ! This is utter blasphemy! So too is the extroidinary claims made regarding
the vision of Medjugorje.

If the vision of Medjugorje is a glory of God to behold, then there should of natural
consequence be the accompanying virtues of genuine repentance and a sincere return
to God the Father and His Son by the followers. But there is not. The last sentence
in this very "Catholic" article is, " Dearest Gospa, you choose 6
young people in Medjugorje, may millions of others welcome your motherly love and
taste what a gift life is." This "motherly love" aspect was established
by the Catholic Church a couple of hundred years back. It stemmed from the need
to have a compassionate and caring mother image available in the God head because
God the Father represents stern discipline and punishment for sins while Jesus represents
suffering for the sins of others and very few are willing to lay down their lives
for another according to the pattern of Christ. This is why the whole "mother"
image was created. Historically and on record, priests use to give children and
young people who they were evangelizing the parable of how frightening it is when
you've done something wrong and your father would come after you with a switch or
a belt to whip your back or your butt. Sometimes the mother of children took it
upon themselves to come between the raging father and spare the child of such severe
punishment. This is how the Catholic priests and believers were first indoctrinated
by the need for and eventual worship of a motherly image. I tell you truly that
this is a false indoctrination and a complete lie from the pits of hell!

If there was any truth to that false doctrine then there would be plenty of evidence
to support that in the gospels but there is none. Therefore because Scripture judges
all things including myself and the Word of God is unchanging as is the character
of God, I conclude that believing in such nonsense is best described by this warning
given us in scripture: Colossians 2:18-20 "Let no man rob you of your prize
by a voluntary humility and worshiping of the angels, dwelling in the things which
he hath seen (i.e. visions), vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding
fast the Head, from whom all the body, being supplied and knit together through
the joints and bands, increasing with the increase of God. If ye died with Christ
from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, do ye subject
yourselves to ordinances..."

and also... Matthew 15:8-9 "This people honoreth me with their lips; But their
heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, Teaching as their doctrines
the precepts of men."

Con't Part III

Be that as it may, I think it wise for me to state here that you may believe as
you wish according to your own faith. All I ask is that you not allow your faith
to be corrupted by the corruptible influences of religious men and their dogmatic
precepts who have become pawns and puppets of fallen spirits. I am about worshiping
the Christ as He patterned for us His true righteousness. I refuse to be swayed
to and fro like a wind-tossed wave on my thinking but that does not mean I am beyond
reproof. It is human to err and from time to time my own zeal bites me in the butt.
If the visions of Medjugorje were leading people to Christ and His pattern I would
give great glory and thanksgiving to God. The truth is they are not and I am terribly
concerned that the established clergy of a corrupted institution are taking advantage
of a people that know no better. Ignorance is one part of the reason we fail to
overcome deception. Laziness and unbelief is the other. So if you think that such
visions are a miracle of God, let us examine the true miracles coming from this
place and determine if they are judged correctly by the unchanging Word of God.

Earlier this year, another man by the name of Mark commented on our articles concerning
Medjugorje and suggested that we should simply pray for those involved with Medjugorje
that they may granted help from God to follow the right path of salvation. I agreed
and replied in part,

"I am delighted to read your simple and most fundamental suggestion. It is
a "prime
directive" issued by our Lord and Master to do just that, "pray for one
another." When we are insulted by another, we should pray for them. When we
are harmed by another, we should pray for them. When we are in disagreement with
one another, especially with regards to one another's faith, we should pray to God
for effective and peaceful resolve between opposing factions without taking aim
and killing one another for Jesus established a peaceful resolve. When we cannot
resolve our differences, we should pray for one another and that God would clarify
and glorify Himself and His Word for God is able to make us be at peace with even
our enemies. When a friend, a neighbor, a loved one or even a foe is sick or injured,
in trouble or in danger, we should pray for one another and do what we can to minister
physical needs as well as spiritual needs. When we are seemingly blessed with adversity
or smooth times, we should pray and bless God for His wise and abundant character
and nature towards us. In all things we should praise God and beseech Him to be
merciful towards us and our enemies so that His love towards us may be manifested
in each of us and His abundant mercy and empowering grace may be witnessed. We all
should be desiring more of Jesus in our lives and less of self or the praise of
past, present and former saints a.k.a. God fearing examples in human flesh."

That is where I would like to leave this issue. I don't have to agree with what
others are doing. Salvation is a duty and responsibility towards God and our fellow
man and I understand what is meant by "working out our salvation with fear
and trembling." If the vision were truly from God then there would initially
be much fear and trembling leading the spectators to God through repentance. I don't
see it. What I see instead is the "hirelings" of mankind's institutionalized
religion are getting financially "fat" off this apparition and I know
that judgment will be severe for all who take advantage of other peoples ignorance.
Therefore, one should have to go no further than to the written Word of God and
learn to accept the judgments it makes upon humanity in its fallen state and take
the necessary courage to pick up their burden (cross) and follow Jesus alone. There
is no other way to the Father in Heaven but through Christ Jesus alone!

Matthew 11:25-30 "At that season Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding,
and didst reveal them unto babes: yea, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in thy
sight. All things have been delivered unto me of my Father: and no one knoweth the
Son, save the Father; neither doth any know the Father, save the Son, and he to
whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal him. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for
I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke
is easy, and my burden is light."

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life:
no one cometh unto the Father, but by me."

With all sincerity and love for the truth and our scattered brethren abroad,

Nicholas A. Stivers, humbled God fearing man, scribe and messenger.