Under Construction

“Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.” (Isaiah 29:14)

“Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.” (Habakkuk 1:5)

I think some folks tend to think of God as an absentee landlord. He created this planet among the myriad of stars and planets in the Universe. He pops back in from time to time to fix things up (Mount Sinai, Calvary, etc.) and then off He pops to His other planets. He set up a sort of “Super” (like a religious “Schneider”) called the Roman Catholic Church and He leaves things in her hands.

But that is neither true of God’s dealings with the world nor especially with the Body of Christ. There is a move of God at work today in the Catholic Church as well as among Evangelical Christians. The Holy Spirit is acting upon the hearts of men and women of true faith to explore the history and claims of the Church. The result is a shock to Catholic and non-Catholic alike.

For the Evangelicals

More and more honest, intelligent and educated men and women of ministry are either converting or in some cases (such as mine) reverting to Catholicism. For those unfamiliar with the terms, a “convert” is one who was not a Catholic before and becomes one. A “revert” is someone who was what we call a “cradle Catholic” and left… some may have become agnostic or atheistic and others, such as myself, became Evangelical Christians.

As in my own story told in the four articles that are in the beginning of my archive on this site, many credit the writings of the Early Church Fathers as a deciding factor in the decision. This is not really surprising since we are taught as students of the Bible and Christianity to seek to get as close as possible to the original source material to find out the Truth of what the Apostles believed and taught. Most of the writings of the Ante Nicene Fathers date to about the same time as what is called “the most reliable transcripts” of the Books of the Bible. These men were disciples of the Apostles and their writings not only reflect some of what would later be determined to be the canon of Scripture, but also on the day to day life and practices of the Church in the first and second century.

One thing that you find as you study them is that much of what was ingrained into you as an Evangelical about the origins and history of the Church up to the time of the Protestant Revolt is an out and out lie. For instance, there is no record of the words “Catholic Church” until 325 AD, that the Mass was a late invention of those seeking to “rule over the laity” (what many are taught is the meaning of “the doctrine of the Nicolaitans” in Revelation 2 and 3) and that the Perpetual Virginity of Mary was created as a myth about the same time. None of these things are true and all that is proven in their writings for anyone who is willing to look.

Neither I nor any other minister who has converted/reverted want you to take our word for it… just as truly honest preachers don’t (charlatans prefer you as ignorant of the Bible as they accuse Catholics of being). As the popular phrase says “Be A Berean”. Don’t take the word of anti-Catholic websites and teachers who lie about or twist the teachings of the Church to fit their narrative. Many good Bible programs have the Ante Nicene Fathers’ writings available as part of their Reference Library (I use E-Sword for instance) and there are also online sources for them. Search both the Scriptures and the writing of the Church to see if what I or any other author on this site tell you… or if what the anti-Catholic tells you… is true.

For the Catholics

I read an excerpt recently from a book written by Deacon Alex Jones that reflects some of what I have seen in America after my reversion (and to their credit I must say is not true in the Philippines). Alex was a Pentecostal minister for 40+ years. Through the leading of the Holy Spirit and through his study of the Ante Nicene Church Fathers he became a convert a few years ago. Not just him, but a large part of his congregation to whom he taught these Truths also converted. But his entry into the Catholic Church was not very receptive at first. He wrote in his book, “No Price Too High”:

"Some of the reactions I got when Catholics found out I was coming into the Church were disheartening. One priest actually asked why I would want to come into the Church. And there were other Catholics who expressed similar sentiments. There was no universal concept. They felt everyone has his own religion and it works for him--so great! They believed the unity lies in the belief in God and in Jesus Christ, not in the governmental unity of the church. Hey, we're all going to heaven, so just stay where you are! They are trying to be magnanimous. What they failed to realize is that when a person's heart has been stirred to see the truth of the Church, that kind of thinking comes across almost as that of an apostate.... I don't think those people know what they are saying. It is a tremendous hindrance to tell someone seeking the truth to say where he is."

The full story of his conversion can be read here. While I never encountered outright resistance, I did encounter cold indifference that reflects the culture of the Church in the United States. For instance, if you have someone visiting your Church try saying “Hi” and ask them a little about themselves. Realizing that many churches are large and you can’t know everyone who comes you might start by asking about how long they have been coming and how they like it. Believe me, if the person is a convert or revert they will be more than happy to tell you… especially if they were a minister before. We love to share our testimony of what God has done.

God is not finished doing His work in His Body. As I have discussed in other articles, to some in the Church it is as unwelcome as the work that He did among the Jews in the first century. But it’s God’s Church not ours. He is the Potter, we are the clay. If we’ll just cooperate He will produce a masterpiece that, like the Prophet above said, “you won’t believe though you see it”.