No question, Christ is present whenever the faithful gather.
Still, the purpose of the Church is to crush the gates of hell (Mt. 16:18), that is, to bring men to salvation, and Christ did not offer but one baptism (Mk 16:16; 1 Pe. 3:21) and didn’t start but one Church (Acts 2:2-5).
>> Still, the purpose of the Church is to crush the gates of hell (Mt. 16:18), that is, to bring men to salvation, and Christ did not offer but one baptism (Mk 16:16; 1 Pe. 3:21) and didn’t start but one Church (Acts 2:2-5).
Christ never said that Salvation can be gained through any specific CHURCH, but through Him alone. Salvation can be gained with no church at all — even in areas where no Catholic or Protestant church exists.
I do agree that Christ started one Church — the Christian church. That church is comprised of those that follow Him, His teachings, and accepted His Salvation. I’ve seen no evidence at all that the Catholic church has a monopoly on Christ’s teachings.
SnakeDoc