Thank you so much for sending me your excellent newsletter. It hits the nail on its head. The hellish romish system is even worse than you describe, for in order to know Rome’s real, unecumenical face you must move ‘south of the border’ (Mexico, Central and South America and also the Philippines), where she dares to carry on actions that would be a ‘no-no’ in the States (at least for the time being). May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and your work for Him.
R.G.M
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dear R.G.M.,
Thank you for writing us. Many of our readers find it hard to believe that the Catholic church persecutes anyone. If we remind our readers of their history and recall the horrible crimes against humanity, we usually hear comments such as “That was then and this is now”, or, “They don’t do that any more”. We deeply appreciate your testimony of what it’s like to live “south of the border”. Many here in America tend to grow apathetic, much like the Laodiceans in the book of Revelations. “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wast cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing: and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (3:15-17). Interesting enough, the word Laodicea is taken from two Greek words, laos (people) and dike (right - as self evident). People’s rights as self evident...hmmm sounds familiar!
I believe that eventually the arm of Catholicism will begin her persecution world-wide. After reading the article written by Nicole Peoples in this month’s issue, I dread to think of what new and unusual punishments she will dream up to torture those who trust in the blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
Our prayers are with you. May God give us all the courage to stand no matter what the cost.
In Jesus’ Precious Name,
Rebecca A. Sexton
Greetings in the wonderful name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ:
I want to take this time to thank you from the bottom of my heart for sending me your papers and such. I will read them through a couple of times before I send this letter out.
I do want you to know that you caused me some pain. Let me explain. Not to long ago I had a total knee, (a false knee put in) done, and one does not move fast on it. When I opened the package you sent, the first thing I saw was the tract, "Purgatory" and thought, "Oh no! give me a break". Then I opened it, and saw it was blank, I started laughing so hard I fell off the stool I was sitting on. Those in the room here, thought I lost it. Thanks for warming my heart, for I was really starting to believe there were so few Bible believing Christians who's heart broke for the lost trapped in the Roman Catholic church.
Would like to tell you a little something about myself. Right now, I am a little disabled. Have some heart problems and had to get new knees put in. Been disabled for a couple years now. But in a way it has been a blessing, as now I am able to study God's Word 6-8 hours a day. I am a Bible believing Christian, saved by the Grace of God, washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ. I believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead and will come back one day to take His church home. I have been saved for a number of years now. Before I became disabled 2 1/2 years ago, I spent twenty-odd years on the road bringing the Word of God to the homeless...I traveled all across this nation and lived in the mountains, working with those who lived there. I worked for a living by sheepherding and on cattle ranches, in tea fields, and panned for gold. God met all my needs. I was able to reach those that the churches couldn't or wouldn't. You could say I lived out of my back pack. If God so wills I will go back into His service. I lived in Mexico working with the Catholic Indians there. There (in Mexico) when one brings the truth of Jesus Christ, to those trapped in the grips of the Roman Catholic system, one can really see the hate that church has for Bible believing Christians.
After reading your newsletter, I want to say, it is good to see others caring enough to stand strong for the truth of Almighty God. Never let anything in this world change your path, no matter how much this world may come against you. When Jesus Christ is your covering, you can't lose.
I too use nothing but the A.V. (KJV 1611) I have other types, but just to show others as I teach. I have read and studied G.A. Riplinger's book New Age Bible Versions, she's right on the button in her book. I think it's the best work of its kind. I've read and studied it a couple of times. I know the world dislikes it, and has tried to keep it out of the hands of people. What really amazes me is that so many so-called Christians churches have tried to put it down.
I believe I better close this note and hope you can read it.
Thank you for your stand for Jesus Christ and those trapped in the claws of the Roman Church.
My prayers go out for each of you there. I may never meet you here, but will one day, to shout “praise God” with you in the kingdom of God.
Respectfully in like faith,
E. N. T, of Cape Coral, Fl.
Dear E. N. T.,
What a refreshing letter to receive, and we are so glad you liked our tract All The Scriptures That Prove The Doctrine Of Purgatory. Thank you for sharing some of your testimony with our readers. We also are anxiously awaiting the second coming of Jesus Christ, who is our hope, and look forward to praising God with all those who share our hope. Although we do not know the day or hour, we do know that we are in the season, as we see so many prophecies coming to pass. The harvest is ripe, but the workers are few. We can only pray that more of our brothers and sisters in Christ will reach out to the Catholics with the true gospel.
Let me also take this time to thank you for all the information you sent us. We hope to be able to use it in future issues. Many of our readers have sent us materials, and we are grateful to God for everything. Your reference to Gail Riplinger's book New Age Versions brought back many fine memories. I have to say that I enjoyed that book tremendously, and recommend it to all of our readers.
You stated that you saw a lot of hatred for Bible believers down in Mexico, and after reading about the persecution of Christians by Catholics in Mexico, I am grateful that we still have the freedom to take a stand, but I have to wonder how long?
We hope to hear from you in the future. Till then, know you are in our prayers, that our Lord Jesus would strengthen you to go back into the mission field.
Respectfully,
Rebecca A. Sexton
Dear Rebecca and Diane,
After reading February's issue, I just had to make a few comments. I was meaning to write before this, but I'm guilty of procrastination.
I was a practicing Catholic (I had to practice for as you know you can never get it right) for over 30 years. I went to a Catholic school and was an altar boy. In the last few years of my association with the Catholic church, I was a commentator at a local church. I did all the so-called right things, followed all the rules and participated in ecumenical classes. I can remember being told that it would be OK to attend a Greek Orthodox service because it would fulfill my Sunday mass obligation. However, we were told we could not receive communion because it wasn't the same as Roman Catholic communion. I should interject (roaming Catholic). Get the pun? That is when I started to have some misgivings about Catholicism. After mass I would feel as though something was missing. I wasn't getting fulfilled. I never heard the gospel preached. I never knew for sure if I was going to heaven. I thought I could go to purgatory if I wasn't bad enough to go to hell. Over 22 years ago I accepted Jesus into my heart and I knew without a doubt that I was saved and all I had to do was confess Jesus with my mouth and believe, so simple. When I think about the great commission to preach the gospel in all the earth and that the fundamentalist Protestant denominations are the ones who are preaching the gospel with millions getting saved, I cant' help but think about how Catholicism was taught in countries that had pagan religions. To this day they incorporate their pagan beliefs with Catholic doctrine and the church does nothing about it. It tells me they are more concerned with how many Catholics are in the world than how many souls are saved. I still have family who are in bondage to Catholicism and when I mention the word salvation they always come out with the church's "interpretation". I have an aunt who still has masses said for her husband who died years ago. Can you imagine paying someone to say a mass to get someone out of purgatory, which doesn't even exist? Do they have a pipeline to purgatory to find out if someone made it to heaven so they can notify the family when to stop paying? Get real!
I think Mr. Sungenis better ask Jesus to come into his heart and reveal the truth through His Word. Some one once told me before I was saved that I wouldn't understand God's Word until I became saved. I said yeah, sure, he didn't know what he was talking about. As far as Jesus supposedly being in a wafer, how would you like to have Him rubbed all over your face? That’s what happened to individuals who took communion from a priest who had coordination problems because of age and health. Boy, I bet God was livid with anger. He probably said you've blasphemed my Son. Jesus lives in the believer, he didn't say I'll be with you for a short time on Sunday through a piece of bread. If I had to serve a God like that I might as well go and serve Buddha.
What about infallibility? Think about it. No man is infallible, only God. Since the Holy Spirit guides the pope, which supposedly makes him infallible, how come it used to be a sin to eat meat on Fridays and now it's not? Why has the church changed to accommodate the people (especially since they claim they never change). What happened to Christopher who used to be a saint and he's not? Poor guy. If he's in heaven he must really be distraught about being dethroned by human beings. If he's in hell, it makes no difference. What about the people that prayed to him, did those prayers go unanswered? I'll tell you what, I'll never pray to the dead because Jesus said in I Tim 2:5, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus." Need I say more?
On the matter of the pope; I hear him say that he was the head of the church. Sorry Jesus is the solid Rock on which I stand. Jesus appointed the apostles, including Peter, to preach the gospel to the Jews and the Gentiles, not to sit around with a bunch of red caped crusaders telling people what they can or cannot do. When people started to kneel down at the apostles feet, they told them to rise up because they were only men. But do you ever see the pope humble himself before men and tell people not to bow down to him or kiss his hand? No, he has to act like a holy man. One more thing; How about all those people who go to have their sins forgiven by a priest who is allegedly a mediator between God and the sinner? Many years ago I found out a married family man was gay. He told me he had confessed it to a priest and the priest told him to live with it because that's the way he was. Guess what? I found out a few years later the priest was relieved of his position because he was gay. I knew a priest who was an alcoholic and went to bed with at least one woman who was married. He told my wife at that time that if the woman wouldn't marry him he would just go into rehab. They had a special place for priests with problems. Here was a man who through holy orders was supposedly given the authority by God to forgive sins. Do you think I would go to a person such as him to have my sin's forgiven and then he would give me penance to say? There is only one who can forgive sins and that is God through His Son. As far as I'm concerned, the pope is nothing more than a religious political figure and he's showing it more and more in these last days. I know there are a lot of Catholics who are saved but they are still held in bondage to the Roman Catholic church. They have that inner voice that keeps saying, what if? I kept a rosary for one year after I was saved. When I got rid of it I was totally out of the grips of bondage. You know who keeps you in that bondage? Satan. So, just submit to God and resist Satan by the blood of Jesus and he will flee.
Diane and Rebecca, I know I mouthed off quite a bit and showed a little sarcasm, but you wonder what's it going to take to get through those closed minds. They have eyes but don't see and ears but don't hear. You can do whatever you want with this letter. If you want to use the testimony you can edit it or if you want you can sent it to your apologist debater. I know what the word apologist means, but I could never help thinking why a person would want to keep apologizing for a church that says the Bible is not the final word, that tradition comes into play also. You know what Jesus said to the Pharisees about tradition. I rest my case. But I could go on and on.
I remain a brother in Christ,
J. S. of Massillon, Ohio
Dear J. S.,
You cheered our hearts to read your letter. We hope our readers enjoyed it as much as we did.
When you talk about "eating meat on Fridays" and how it use to be a sin, we often hear that these were nothing more than church "disciplines" that change with the wind, I mean times. "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every WIND OF DOCTRINE, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive" (Eph.4:14) (Emphasis mine). Can you imagine the multitudes of people supposedly sitting in hell for deliberately eating meat on Friday? (According to the Catholic church there are degrees of sin. Mortal sin is when a person chooses
"...deliberately - that is, both knowing it and willing it - something gravely contrary to the divine law...This destroys in us the charity without which eternal beatitude is impossible. Unrepented, it brings eternal death" (Catechism of the Catholic Church -1874). They say it is a minor church discipline, but how minor is it for those who burn in hell for all eternity? This is one reason I love the Word of God so much...He never changes. Dr. Bill Jackson, who worked as a missionary to Catholics in Ireland for 30 years, told me of how the English quit eating meat on Fridays before the Irish. So if a man was traveling from England to Ireland on Friday, started eating meat when he left the airport on Friday and was still eating meat by the time he got to Ireland (and it's still Friday), would he be guilty of sin as soon as entered Irish skies? What nonsense!
We don't feel you were too sarcastic. Actually, for as much as we were all lied to, I feel you were quite kind as well as honest. Keep us in your prayers, as you are in ours.
Friends in Christ,
Rebecca A. Sexton
Dear Diane:
We received your newsletter and are encouraged in our walk and ministry. It is important to speak the truth of God's Word with boldness as you do.
We have a ministry here in Albuquerque, New Mexico which pronounces the truth about modern bible translations and also about scriptural evidence that the Roman Catholic church is a false church.
Enclosed with this letter is a bookmark which we use in our witnessing efforts for our ministry. It occurred to us this month that perhaps this bookmark would be a valuable tool for some of your readers. If you feel that including our bookmark with your mailing is appropriate, we would send you as many as you request. These bookmarks are available through our ministry free of charge to all who want them.
We realize that this may not be what you intend for your ministry and understnd if you are not interested. Either way you decide, our prayers go out for the success of your ministry.
Tim and Corinne McCorkendale
P.O. Box 119
Sandia Park, NM 87047
Dear Tim and Corinne,
The bookmark is excellent. We would love to give them to each of our readers. I believe they would benefit from them, as they are filled with Scriptural responses to false doctrine. This is the desire of all of us here at FCFC. God bless you for reaching out to Catholics! If there is anything we can do for you, please write and let us know. Your ministry is in our prayers. Hope to hear from you soon.
Diane M. Schoeppner
Why, why, why would the Archbishop of Winnipeg, Canada, Mons. A. Sinnott, in a letter dated March 1, 1944, urge all Roman Catholic mothers to guarantee their sons (who were in the army) salvation from purgatory if they made monthly payments of $40.00 for prayers and masses to be celebrated?
Why, why, why do the Catholics use I Cor.3:11-16 to prove the doctrine of Purgatory when the Bible clearly teaches the Christian that he/she will be judged for rewards, not salvation?
“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation [Jesus Christ] gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a REWARD [did not say salvation, salvation is a free gift of God]. If any man’s work shall be burned he shall suffer loss [did not say loss of salvation, rewards is the subject]: but he himself shall be saved” [wrongly motivated works are burned, not the person!]. (Emphasis mine)