Christianity
Quick Survey

The Work of Jesus on earth

Christianity, quick survey:

   Christianity started from the teachings and life of Jesus Christ, the Messiah so long waited by the Jews, in the 1st century AD.

The Work of Jesus on earth:

    1- The Cross: Jesus on the Cross redeemed us, Israel and the whole world, He paid for all our sins,  we just have to appropriate this free payment just by believing in Jesus Christ and doing what he orders, mainly to be baptized in his church Mark 16:15-16).

    2- The Resurrection: But the Cross was not the end... After His Resurrection Jesus Himself wants to live in the Christian, here, on earth. We were saved from sin to live on earth with the love and joy and peace of Jesus in us, I no longer live, but Christ lives in me (Gal.2:20). A love and joy and peace that nothing and nobody can take away (Rom.8:37-39).
    To do good woks!
    For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph.2:8-10). Please, read verse 10 again.
    We all want to love, but since Adam we love ourselves, we are "selfish" which is exactly the opposite of real "love". With Jesus in us we really love, and not me, but Jesus who is in me, I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. (Gal. 2:20).
    Give thanks with joy to God always and in any circumstance as proclaimed in Eph.5:20 and emphasized in the Preface of every Holy Mass, Indeed it is "just" and "necessary", our "duty" and our "salvation" to give thanks to God always and in all circumstances. There are no more words in the dictionary to emphasize it!
   
    The life of a Christian on earth is a  A Wedding Feast! , as proclaimed in at least 20 quotations in the Bible. In this Wedding Feast each one of us is invited, and not just as any guest, but as the "Bride of the Lamb", "the Bride of Jesus" This is the message of the Cana wedding feast in John 2, the first miracle of Jesus.
    With problems like in Cana, but always with the joy and love and excitement of a bride in her wedding feast. In success or failure, good or bad health, always with the joy and love and peace of Jesus in me that nobody and nothing can take away.

    3- The  Ascension: Still more: The work of Jesus on earth did not end with the Cross nor with the Resurrection, but with His Ascension to Heaven: He wants us to go to eternal Heaven, like Him!... Christianity is the religion of joy on earth, but still more, in Heaven for one eternity, without the need for any reincarnation, because Jesus paid for absolutely all our sins, for all our bad karma of all humanity.

    Suffering?
    Yes, many problems and sufferings, but with the joy and excitement of a "mother in labor" Jesus tells us in Jn.16:21.
    Because Each suffering is to bring up a new life, either in us or in others:   
        1- In us, because each suffering is like an injection of God to purify us, as proclaimed in Hebrews 12.
        2- In others, like the sufferings of redemption of Christ or Mary, of Peter or Paul... Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. (Colos.1:24)... yes, with my cross I am a co-redeemer with Christ, it is my best evangelization, to help others to go to Heaven. An old sick woman is not a burden, but the best treasure of home.
    "Suffering" is a great revolution of Jesus in the two mountains:
    1- In the Mount of the Beatitudes, proclaiming the "poor happy", the "hunger happy", those who "mourn happy", the "persecuted happy"...
    2- At Calvary it was not with words, but with deeds, with his flesh... the greatest success of humankind!...
    IT CAN BE DONE... CHRIST AND I, ABSOLUTE MAJORITY!, I can do everything through him who gives me strength.  (Phil.4:13).

    Jesus Christ is the son of the Virgin Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit. At least 1,093 prophecies of the Old Testament have been already fulfilled in Christ and His Church. Prophecies
    He preached the Kingdom of God, the Gospel of Grace, with salvation free, by faith, without any work, but to do good works (Eph.2:8-10).
    He performed many miracles during this time and related many of his teachings in the form of parables. Among his popular sayings are to "love your enemy" and "turn the other cheek." 
    He revealed He was the Son of God, God Himself, who came to save humanity from sin. This He did by being crucified on the cross to pay for all our sins, to save the world. He then resurrected to give "new life" to anyone who believes in Him, and appeared to his disciples 11 times and told them to go forth and spread the message of the Good News. Holy Scriptures

    Jesus built "his Church", "His Kingdom", upon Simon-Peter (Rock). He chose 12 Apostles and send them to preach the Gospel, the Good News, to the whole world, giving them the power to cast out the unclean spirits and to heal the sick (Matt.16:18-19, ,10:1-2, 28:18-20, Mk.16:16-18, Jn.21:15-17). The Church of Christ, Organization of the Church
     In 32 years Christianity spread all over the world known at that time (as reported in the Acts)... in 2005, it is the religion with the largest membership: 2,100 million adherents.

    Christianity:
    The essence of being a Christian is not "to know" about Christ but "to be" another Christ: "Me in Christ", in His Mystical Body, in His Church, and "Christ in me", by faith, by grace, freely, I no longer live, but Christ lives in me (Ga.2:20... John 15)... to live on earth the glorious adventure of a Christian in Christ, of another Christ, doing wonderful woks, and to end up in eternal heaven, full of joy and peace and love for ever and ever.   
    Christianity was originally a movement of a few Jews who accepted Jesus as the Messiah, but the movement quickly became predominantly gentile. The early church was shaped by Peter and Paul and other early Christian missionaries and theologians; it was persecuted under the Roman empire but recognized by Emperor Constantine in 313.
    The greatest difference between the Old and the New Testament, is that in the "Old", God was "among" his people, leading them and caring for them, but in the "New", God is "within" each Christian, every Christian is a Temple of God (Jn.14:23, 1Cor.3:16)... The "Absolute" the Hindus are looking for, is already in the heart of a Christian... The "compassionate" of the Muslims lives in a Christian... the "enlightenment" the Buddhists are looking for, lives already in the heart of any Christian child... the real enlightened one!.   
   
    Today: During the centuries since Jesus' death, Christianity has subdivided into three major branches:
        1- Roman Catholics, 1,000 million
        2- Eastern Orthodox, 200 million
        3- Protestants, 500 million, from Encyclopedia Britannica, Book of the Year, 1996 (Rounded figures)  Membership
    Most Christian groups have an ordained clergy. Members of the clergy lead group worship services, the most widespread is the Holy Mass.

    Two kinds of Christianity:
    There are today a multitude of forms of Christianity, over 700 denominations, cults and sects, though some scholars claim up to 33,000. For this reason there can be a great difference between the various forms of Christianity they even may seem like different religions to some people. The Greatest "Shame" and "Glory" of Christianity, Branches, Denominations, Cults-Sects
    However, there are mainly two kinds of Christianity today, as there are mainly two kinds of Judaism:
    1- Two kinds of Judaism:
    1- Judaism "before Christ": Centered in the Altar, with sacrifices, priests, Temple... the Judaism of Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Jesus...
    2- Judaism "after Christ": "Rabbinic Judaism", centered in the Synagogue, with rabbis (teachers), but no Altar, nor sacrifices, nor priests, nor Temple... today's Judaism.
    The Torah is the most sacred book of Judaism today, and dedicates 27 full chapters to the Altar, sacrifices, and priests (Ex.25-40, Lev.1-6, 23-25, Num.28-29)... plus Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob spent a good time of their lives erecting altars and offering sacrifices... and now, all of them are "obsolete" for today's Rabbinic Judaism... If Abraham or Moses would come today to New York or Israel they would not recognize Judaism!.
    The Scriptures are really being fulfilled to the letter: The Altar, Temple, sacrifices, and priests, will be abolished after the coming of the Messiah (Daniel 8,9,11,12).
    2- Two kinds of Christianity:
    1- "Christianity with Sacrifice": Centered in the Altar, with priests, Temple, and the only sacrifice of the "Lamb of God" in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is mainly represented by Catholics, Orthodox and many Protestants.
    2- "Christianity without Sacrifice": Centered in the Synagogue ("hall of meeting"), with pastors (teachers and preachers), but no Altar, no sacrifice, no priests, no Temple. Represented by many Protestants.
    The prophecy of Jesus is being fulfilled: At the end of times the Temple will be abolished, and the Altar, and the priests, and the sacrifice (Jesus in Matt.24:15, as reported in Daniel 8:11, 9:27, 11:31, 12:11). Judaism:
    Temple and Synagogue: The difference between "Temple" and "Synagogue":
    - In the "Temple" God is present: In Judaism, in the Ark of the Covenant. In Christianity, in the Tabernacle.
    - "Synagogue" means "hall of meetings", to teach and pray, but God is not present, there is no Ark of the Covenant, nor Tabernacle. The Synagogue and the Temple

    Baptism in Christianity:
    Two main graces, free, by faith, without any work... like a prince, who is a prince without any good work, just for being the son of the King:
    1- All sins are forgiven, included the Original Sin.
    2- The person becomes a "new Creature" in Christ, son of God, temple of God, of the Holy Spirit, another Christ on earth. Baptism, Born Again

    Confession:
    If a Christian sins, his sin is forgiven without any good work, freely, just by faith, doing what Jesus orders, just Confessing his sin:
    ²³If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”  (Jn.20:23). Confession of Sins

    Eucharist:
    The "perpetual daily sacrifice" of Num.28 and Ex.29, if it is "perpetual" and "eternal", is got to be present now and eternally in Heaven:
    - In "Heaven", John saw it through an open door in Rev.5:6, "the lamb standing like slaughtered in the center of the throne of heaven", the reason for all the joys in Heaven.
    - Now, if it is perpetual, is got to be present "now", and it is!... in the 500,000 Holy Sacrifices of the Mass celebrated daily all around the world... the two unblemished yearling lambs offered daily in the Temple have multiply now with the real "lamb of God who really takes away the sins of the world"...Jesus is now the lamb of God!... each "Mass" is not a "remembrance", or just a "renewal" of Calvary, but it is exactly "the same Calvary", the greatest miracle of God of time and space. Eucharist
 

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