www.stillcatholic.com
presents
THE
EARLY CHURCH JINGLE by claire
Up on the cross, the day He took his
last breaths,
He prayed we’d all be one after His
death
Just how united should believers be
with one another?
Just as one as the Son is with the
Father
That’s what Jesus said
He had prayed this before
He prayed it in Gethsemane
‘Cause this was the day His heart
stopped beating
Then the earth started shaking
Tombstones started breaking
Dead saints rose
They went into the city
They appeared to many
There was no mistaking
The Temple of Jerusalem
For upon the death of Christ
The temple’s veil was torn asunder
The veil that concealed the Holy of
Holies
Was torn in two; thus ending the Old
Covenant
Made with Abraham four thousand years
ago
The Jewish priesthood was no longer
needed
The new priesthood had started
With just the Twelve who were seated
At the Last Supper with Christ
The night before He was betrayed
The night he held up His body and
prayed
His new priests were told to do the
same
In the temple, God would no longer
exist
From now on, Christ would reside in
believers
In the Eucharist
Our bodies are temples
On Christ we subsist
“My flesh is true food”
“My blood is true drink”
Jesus said this over and over
Until it finally sunk in
The early Christians confessed the
Real Presence
It was part of the faith; the
Church’s inheritance
Christ built His church
On a man He called Rock
The gates of hell would not have a
shot
At toppling this Church
Whether man sinned or not
Christ knew that men
Might not always obey
So He made His Church divine
So at least our doctrines
Could not go astray
ALL TRUTH
ALL TRUTH
This believers were assured
Through the Church
Instituted by our Lord
The apostles received
The full and true teaching.
After they died,
Their successors kept preaching
The Spirit of Truth
Did not go away
The Spirit spoke through the Church
As He still does today
Which Gospels were Scripture?
Which interpretations were right?
The Holy Spirit showed Her the light
At the 4th century
councils
We can have no doubt
The Holy Spirit showed the Church
Which books belonged in the Bible
And which books stayed out
Century one, century two, Century
three, four, five
Every bishop, every pope was in an
unbroken line
A line straight back to an actual
apostle
If this was a coincidence, it sure
was colossal
The miracle continues two thousand years
later
The same apostolic lines still
protected by our Creator
All our bishops trace back to the
Twelve
Our popes can be traced right back to
Saint Peter
One man’s office let another take
So they laid their hands on certain
approved men
Careful to avoid a mistake
A bishop ordained outside the
apostolic loop
Was merely a fake
Every Christian was Catholic
Every Catholic was Christian
There was only one Church
There could be no division
The light of the world
A city set on a hill
Everyone knew which Church was
Catholic
And the same is true still
One Body, One Faith, One Flock, One
Fold
One Lord, One Truth, One Spirit we
Hold
Jesus had entrusted His apostles
With his own teaching mission
This mission would continue
Through Apostolic Tradition
The power and authority
From Christ up above
Was granted to the Church
To shepherd us in love
What you bind on earth
I will bind in heaven
Said the Lord who promised
To make His Church His bride forever
The Church is the teacher
And here She stays
From Jesus we know
She’d prevail all days
********************************************
BIBLE REFERENCES FOR ABOVE JINGLE
CHRIST’S FOLLOWERS MUST BE ONE
“As you sent me into the world,
so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they
also may be consecrated in truth. I pray not only for them, but also for those
who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you,
Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may
believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that
they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be
brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and
that you loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17:17-23)
Here, Christ grants to His Church His awesome authority to legislate on Earth:
“Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall
be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
(Matthew 18:18)
Here,
Christ says he will build his Church on the Rock of Peter (Pope JOhn Paul II is
Peter’s direct successor) and this Church cannot fall or be conquered. Peter’s
authority will be recognized in heaven:
“And so I say to you, you are
Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the
netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the
kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed
in heaven." (Matthew 16:18-19)
“But when he comes, the Spirit
of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he
will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming.
(John 16:13)
The
Church must be One: one flock with one shepherd.
“…. and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (John 10:16)
“…striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:3-6)
“…so that they may all be one, as
you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the
world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave
me, so that they may be one, as we are one…” (John 17:21-22)
I have other sheep that do not
belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and
there will be one flock, one shepherd. (John 10:16)
There
should be no divisions.
I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions
among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose. (I
Cor 1:10)
“For in one Spirit we were all
baptized into one body…”((I Cor 12:13)
“so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another…” (Romans 12:5)
AVOID THOSE WHO CREATE
DISSENSIONS
“I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create dissensions and obstacles, in opposition to the teaching that you learned; avoid them.” (Romans 16:17)
Here,
Christ gives His Church the power to forgive sins:
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (John 20:23)
Here,
Christ shows the Church has the power to discipline
“If he refuses to listen to
them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat
him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.”
(Matthew 18:17)
Christ
promises the Church will be ongoing, teaching truth until the end of time.
Go, therefore, and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)
And I will ask the Father, and
he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of
truth…….” (John 14:16-17)
Here, the Church is called the pillar and foundation
of truth.
But if I should be delayed, you
should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the
living God, the pillar and foundation of truth. (1 Timothy 3:15)
When the Church speaks, it’s actually Christ speaking
Whoever listens to you listens
to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one
who sent me." (Luke 10:16)
For I received from the Lord
what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed
over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, "This
is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
In the same way also the cup,
after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this,
as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you
proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
(1 Cor 23-26)
THE
CHURCH IS VISIBLE AND CANNOT BE HIDDEN
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14)
May
another take his office (Apostolic Succession/Hierarchy)
For it is written in the Book of
Psalms: 'Let his encampment become desolate, and may no one dwell in it.' And:
'May another take his office.' (Acts 1:20)
Also see
Acts 1:25-26 where Matthias takes on the apostolic office of Judas
Also see 1
Tim 3:1, 8, 5:17 provides qualifications for bishops, priests and deacons
Also see 1: Tim 4:14 and 1 Tim
5:22 Apostolic ministry is conferred with laying on of hands/laying of hands
should not be done too readily on anyone
The Church was “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.” (Ephesians 2:20)
Hierarchical Order
“And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers…” (Ephesians 4:11)
***************************************************************************
NON-RHYMING INFORMATION ON
THE EARLY CHURCH
http://www.catholic.com/library/pillar.asp
(Pillar of Fire, Pillar of
Truth)
http://ic.net/~erasmus/RAZ60.HTM
(The Visible, Hierarchical,
Apostolic Church)
http://www.staycatholic.com/the_church.htm
(The Visible Church)
http://www.scborromeo.org/papers/history.PDF
(An Unbroken History)
http://home.inreach.com/bstanley/nutshell.htm
(A Brief History of
Christianity in a Nutshell)
http://www.catholic.com/library/Apostolic_Succession.asp
(Apostolic
Succession)
http://www.cin.org/liter/belief11.html
(The Belief of Catholics: The
Foundation of the Church)
http://www.cin.org/liter/belief0.html
(Essays from 1927)
http://www.stillcatholic.com/CATH%20Euch.htm
(Why Believe in the
Eucharist)
http://catholicapologetics.com/q5.htm
(Eucharist Fulfilled in the New
Testament)
http://www.catholic.com/library/What_Catholic_Means.asp
(What
Catholic Means)
http://www.catholic.com/library/Peter_and_the_Papacy.asp
(Peter and the
Papacy)
http://www.catholic.com/library/Apostolic_Succession.asp
(Apostolic
Succession)
http://www.catholic.com/library/Authority_of_the_Pope_Part_1.asp
(Authority
of Pope I)
http://www.catholic.com/library/Authority_of_the_Pope_Part_2.asp
(Authority
of Pope II)
http://www.catholic.com/library/Origins_of_Peter_as_Pope.asp
(Origins of
Peter as Pope)
http://www.catholic.com/library/scripture_tradition.asp
(Scripture
and Tradition)
http://www.catholic.com/library/sacraments.asp
(Sacraments)
http://www.cin.org/users/jgallegos/schism.htm
(Unity)
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/2671/smc_open.html
(From Mormon
to Catholic)
http://www.cin.org/users/jgallegos/visible.htm
(The Visibility of the
Catholic Church)
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15179a.htm
(Unity: Catholic Encyclopedia)
http://home.inreach.com/bstanley/amputate.htm
(Believers Must be in One
Body with no discord)
http://www.cin.org/users/jgallegos/church.htm (The One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church in Patristic Thought)
St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo:
"The Catholic Church, there are many other things which most justly keep
me in her bosom. The consent of peoples and nations keeps me in the Church; so
does her authority, inaugurated by miracles, nourished by hope, enlarged by
love, established by age. The succession of priests keeps me, beginning from
the very seat of the Apostle Peter, to whom the Lord, after His resurrection,
gave it in charge to feed His sheep, down to the present episcopate. And so,
lastly, does the name itself of Catholic, which, not without reason, amid so
many heresies, the Church has thus retained; so that, though all heretics wish
to be called Catholics, yet when a stranger asks where the Catholic Church
meets, no heretic will venture to point to his own chapel or house. Such then
in number and importance are the precious ties belonging to the Christian name
which keep a believer in the Catholic Church, as it is right they should....
With you, where there is none of these things to attract or keep me.... No one
shall move me from the faith which binds my mind with ties so many and so
strong to the Christian religion.... For my part, I should not believe the
gospel
except as moved by the authority of the Catholic Church." (Saint Augustine of Hippo, Against
the Letter of Mani, 5:6 A.D. 397)
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