But the anointing which ye have received of him abides in you, and you need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall abide in him. 1 John 2:27.
papa, you are doing it again. you pick one line of the bible and think it negates all of church history.
you know as well as i do that isnt how christianity works.
you know as well as i do that you are ignoring the historical church that Christ said the very gates of hell would not prevail against.
the devil himself can quote the bible too, but that means little.
it comes down to what what done in the past when the apostles appointed their successors, who were these men, what did the do, what did they teach, and for whom did the teach?
if you wish to ignore that, and just quote another bible verse, then you are willfully missing the point, instead of discussing what im saying.
And THAT is why the church is losing. People are no longer interested in religion. They want (and need) the reality of a loving, grace-filled relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The church in many ways has stood in the way of those trying to find Him.