A Red State Mystic.

(Note: This is a seies exploring Saintly Intercession. If you've missed it, please scroll down and read the previous posts.)

So, now that we have come to a common understanding that we should not totally disregard something because it is Catholic, let us progress further in this discussion of Saintly Intercession. Let me stop here for a moment and say that we should never totally disregard something until it has been explored and completely understood. In the church we have many people running around yelling “Heresy” at things that they look at without coming to a sound biblical view of why what they call heresy is actually heresy. If someone presents you a view on something in the faith that you have never heard before, listen to them and the leadings of the Holy Spirit, to decide whether something is heresy or not. But, please, at least listen.

Who’s on Heaven?

When we go into worship, our awareness of this world becomes dim as we become aware of the fact that our soul is in entering (or is already there, I’m not sure) into the very throne room of God. St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Hebrews that we should “enter boldly into the throne room of Grace.” Where exactly is this throne room – it is in heaven. St. Paul also writes about this in Ephesians were He says that we are “seated with Christ in heavenly places.” Notice, he does not say that we will be seated, but that we are seated with Christ in heavenly places. So, when we enter into worship, we become aware that we are in the very throne room of God, into the very throne room of God in heaven, where we worship the King and Lord of the Universe at His most holy feet. Now, how can this be, since we remain in our physical bodies? Well, I would presume that it has something to do with Jesus saying that “The kingdom of God is within you.” So, during worship, we dive deep within ourselves, which is the portal that is covered with the blood of Jesus, which leads us to the very throne room of the Most High. (I must stress here for your sake, that we are not God nor do we turn into God. However, the Spirit of God lives within us and we worship Him within and without. I also must say that heaven is not located within you either. But your soul is located in heaven. I hope that makes sense.)

If we enter heaven, it would be advantageous if we stop for a second and take a look around at who else is in heaven right now. The most obvious are the Angels, the servants of God who serve us also. It is in this throne room, that Isaiah saw the angels singing back and forth, “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty.” But the Saints are also in heaven. I should stop here for a moment and say that the Church catholic has certain people that it believes should looked to as exemplars of the faith – even Protestants do this. While this is fine and good, we should also remember that there are believers in heaven that are not quite as famous, but still reside within the pearly gates – they should be looked upon with favor also. The Saints are up in heaven singing their song that St. John heard in his revelation. When we come before God singing praise, our praise mingles with the praise of the angels and the saints who have gone up before us in one mystical cacophony of praise.

If all of this is true, which it is accepted by most believers, then what ramifications does this theology of worship imply on Saintly Intercession? Well, I’ll get to that in my next post.

(Note: Here begins a series on Saintly Intercession. Please, hold all comments till the end of the series, after I have explained myself fully.)

What to Do With Catholic Doctrine?

If you’ve been reading my blog for an extended period of time, you know that I was raised as a Baptist, turned Charismatic, and then played piano at a Lutheran Church, all while learning from those who were around me. I have spent my whole life in the protestant church and still consider myself a Protestant. However, just because of those 95 theses of Martin Luther, does not mean that God had suddenly dropped the Roman Catholic Church and left them on the roadside, while He gallivants the tango around with the church protestant.

I believe that the church protestant is almost always guilty of throwing out the baby with the bathwater, so to speak. Because some of Catholicism had turned heretical at the time of Martin Luther (Vatican II agreed with this), we have thrown everything Catholic out the window. Even though the liturgy is the Bible in condescended format – most Protestants shove that by the wayside because it is too Catholic. Even though a church structure and levels of authority are biblical – most Protestants shove that by the wayside because it is too Catholic. And even though Mary had an integral part to play in the Gospel, by the birth and rearing of Jesus, she is thrown by the wayside only to be picked up on Christmas because she is too Catholic.

Is this something we should do or are Catholics our fellow brothers and sisters in the faith? Many Catholics believe with us that Jesus Christ is His only Son, our Lord, and therefore are Christians (Romans 10:9-13). If this is true, then there must be some kernel of truth in their dry field of doctrine, because at least those who believe must be lead by the Spirit of God. I am not ready, as others have, to label the Roman Catholic Church Ichabod (1st Samuel 4:21), because of the fact that most of them still call Jesus Christ the Lord and savior of mankind. Also, I challenge you to tell me that the writings of St. Teresa of Avila, St. Augustine, and numerous others; the lives of great Christians like Pope John Paul II, Mother Angelica, and Mother Teresa are not led by the Spirit of God! Their lives and works are an inspiration for us to process further into the Spirit and expand the Kingdom of God, much like the great protestant saints, John Wesley, AW Tozer, and Smith Wigglesworth!

So, if this is true that some in the Roman Catholic Church believe that A) Jesus Christ is the Son of God, B) They have the Spirit of God living in them, then some of their doctrine must have some validity. So, let us wait before we completely throw out Saintly Intercession without exploring it further, just because it’s too Catholic. Come to it with an open mind and an open heart before we throw it out the window.

Answer me these questions three:

Saintly Intercession is it just an obscure Catholic doctrine stemming from ancestral worship or is it Biblical?
Is it Idolatry and can it lead to the worship of Mary?
What proper role should Saintly intercession play in the Church catholic, if any?

I'd be interested to see what everyone's opinions are before I give you mine.  Participation is expected and there will be a grade. :-)