The graphic below was posted on Facebook today by a Christian brother, Ren Suarez Pana, and it brought a flash-back to many years past. Ren was raised a Roman Catholic and as an adult converted to the Protestant faith and that is why he posted this graphic.
Ren's graphic reminded me of a conversation I had with a Christian Friend, Daniel, about twenty years ago. I was an elder in our Fil-Am Church of Corona and Daniel was a member. At the same time he also attended a local Roman Catholic church where his cousin was a monsignor.
In a conversation one day at the home of our Friend, Maggie, we talked about prayer. Daniel still clung to his Roman Catholic practice of praying to Mary and to the saints. I suggested to Daniel that we should pray directly to God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) - for when Christ died on the cross, He opened the path to the throne room of God for all believers.
Before Christ's death, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, i.e., the throne room of God. At His death the veil dividing the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom, i.e., from God to man. Now man could bring his prayers directly to God instead of going through the High Priest as an intercessor.
Daniel, to justify praying to Mary and the saints, told me, "But, Bill, you are posting an Intercessory Prayer Chain. Isn't that going to others with your prayers?"
And I told him, "No, Daniel, what I am doing in my Intercessory Prayer Chain is asking people to pray to God for the healing, spiritual and physical, of others. However, keep in mind that all of the people whom I ask to pray - are still alive. Once they die, they can no longer pray or intercede for others. Mary, Joseph, and all the saints to whom Roman Catholics pray - are all dead, no longer able to pray for us. They are in their post-death life, no longer able to hear our pleas."
When we turn to the Bible to learn how to pray, this is what we are told:
So, when we pray it is directly to God the Father - through God the Son and through the intercession of God the Holy Spirit.
Now, before anyone gets mad at me, let me assure everyone that this is not an attack against my Family and Friends who are Roman Catholic. I am only saying that we must all accept that the Bible, God's Written Word - His full revelation to man - is the only book of authority authored by God. All other books, regardless of who presents them - come from man.
You may agree or disagree regarding intercessory prayer - but you must accept that the Bible is the highest authority on all things pertaining to God and man.
Let me briefly share the story of a man who was highly educated in Roman Catholic seminaries, rose to a high position in the Roman Catholic education hierarchy - and then chose to leave that church. In the last years of his life I was privileged to have known him personally.
I first met Anthony Pezzotta in writing about 25 plus years ago. A Filipino pastor Friend gave me a floppy disk which contained the unpublished manuscript of a book titled "Far From Rome, Near To God, Testimonies Of Fifty Converted Roman Catholic Priests" edited by Richard Bennett, former Dominican Priest and now Director of Berean Beacon in Portland, Oregon, and Martin Buckingham, Director of The Converted Catholic Mission in Leicester, UK.
That book is available at: https://www.thebereancall.org/content/far-rome-near-god
When I began to read the manuscript, I was immediately drawn to the very first testimony in the, at that time, unpublished manuscript. That testimony was written by Anthony Pezzotta and is titled "I Found Everything When I Found Christ."
The reason I was immediately drawn to his testimony is that Tony was born in Italy into a devoutly Roman Catholic family, educated in Roman Catholic seminaries in England, Germany, Spain, and Rome, and spent a large part of his early ministry in the Philippines.
After being ordained, he went to the Philippines where he taught theology in Roman Catholic seminaries. He was later appointed and served as Director of Schools and Seminaries in the Philippines, as well as a Rector of Local Salesian Communities, for ten years.
His association with the Philippines caught my attention because I was saved in a Filipino church in 1987 and have been associated with Filipino-American churches since then. And my wife, children, and grandchildren are Filipino.
If you would like to read more about Anthony Pezzotta's journey from Roman Catholicism to his life of serving God in the Baptist church family, click on the link below to read my full blog:
As I said earlier, this is not an attack on my many Friends and Family who are in the Roman Catholic Church. I am only sharing with you what I have learned through studying God's Word for the past thirty plus years since becoming a Christian believer in 1987.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
Ren's graphic reminded me of a conversation I had with a Christian Friend, Daniel, about twenty years ago. I was an elder in our Fil-Am Church of Corona and Daniel was a member. At the same time he also attended a local Roman Catholic church where his cousin was a monsignor.
In a conversation one day at the home of our Friend, Maggie, we talked about prayer. Daniel still clung to his Roman Catholic practice of praying to Mary and to the saints. I suggested to Daniel that we should pray directly to God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) - for when Christ died on the cross, He opened the path to the throne room of God for all believers.
Before Christ's death, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, i.e., the throne room of God. At His death the veil dividing the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom, i.e., from God to man. Now man could bring his prayers directly to God instead of going through the High Priest as an intercessor.
Matthew 27:50-51 (nasb), "And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; . . ."
Daniel, to justify praying to Mary and the saints, told me, "But, Bill, you are posting an Intercessory Prayer Chain. Isn't that going to others with your prayers?"
And I told him, "No, Daniel, what I am doing in my Intercessory Prayer Chain is asking people to pray to God for the healing, spiritual and physical, of others. However, keep in mind that all of the people whom I ask to pray - are still alive. Once they die, they can no longer pray or intercede for others. Mary, Joseph, and all the saints to whom Roman Catholics pray - are all dead, no longer able to pray for us. They are in their post-death life, no longer able to hear our pleas."
When we turn to the Bible to learn how to pray, this is what we are told:
Matthew 6:9 (nasb), "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name."
1 Timothy 2:5 (nasb), "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
Romans 8:26-27 (nasb), "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints (all believers) according to the will of God."
So, when we pray it is directly to God the Father - through God the Son and through the intercession of God the Holy Spirit.
Now, before anyone gets mad at me, let me assure everyone that this is not an attack against my Family and Friends who are Roman Catholic. I am only saying that we must all accept that the Bible, God's Written Word - His full revelation to man - is the only book of authority authored by God. All other books, regardless of who presents them - come from man.
You may agree or disagree regarding intercessory prayer - but you must accept that the Bible is the highest authority on all things pertaining to God and man.
Let me briefly share the story of a man who was highly educated in Roman Catholic seminaries, rose to a high position in the Roman Catholic education hierarchy - and then chose to leave that church. In the last years of his life I was privileged to have known him personally.
I first met Anthony Pezzotta in writing about 25 plus years ago. A Filipino pastor Friend gave me a floppy disk which contained the unpublished manuscript of a book titled "Far From Rome, Near To God, Testimonies Of Fifty Converted Roman Catholic Priests" edited by Richard Bennett, former Dominican Priest and now Director of Berean Beacon in Portland, Oregon, and Martin Buckingham, Director of The Converted Catholic Mission in Leicester, UK.
That book is available at: https://www.thebereancall.org/content/far-rome-near-god
When I began to read the manuscript, I was immediately drawn to the very first testimony in the, at that time, unpublished manuscript. That testimony was written by Anthony Pezzotta and is titled "I Found Everything When I Found Christ."
The reason I was immediately drawn to his testimony is that Tony was born in Italy into a devoutly Roman Catholic family, educated in Roman Catholic seminaries in England, Germany, Spain, and Rome, and spent a large part of his early ministry in the Philippines.
After being ordained, he went to the Philippines where he taught theology in Roman Catholic seminaries. He was later appointed and served as Director of Schools and Seminaries in the Philippines, as well as a Rector of Local Salesian Communities, for ten years.
His association with the Philippines caught my attention because I was saved in a Filipino church in 1987 and have been associated with Filipino-American churches since then. And my wife, children, and grandchildren are Filipino.
If you would like to read more about Anthony Pezzotta's journey from Roman Catholicism to his life of serving God in the Baptist church family, click on the link below to read my full blog:
Herbert, Jeremiah, And I Discuss Anthony Pezzotta's Book "Truth Encounter"
https://billdory-christian-ministries.blogspot.com/2018/03/herbert-jeremiah-and-i-discuss-anthony.html
As I said earlier, this is not an attack on my many Friends and Family who are in the Roman Catholic Church. I am only sharing with you what I have learned through studying God's Word for the past thirty plus years since becoming a Christian believer in 1987.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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