VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY

Where the underground religious communities in the centuries through the tribulation continue to grow in number on the basis of their personal experiences with Christ, we see the phenomenon arise in the above-ground church that everyone is going to be counted to the Christian church, because Emperor Constantine has seen the light.

Subjects had no choice and this also applied to many subsequent centuries for all kind of rulers and their serfs.

No effort or expense was spared to give shape to this Christianity in the visible world.

For example, cathedrals are springing up, one even larger than the other and preferably decorated as richly as possible with stained glass windows, grand altars, etc.

Similarly the Canon, the Sacred Scriptures, arises, consisting of the writings of the Old and New Testament, but also apocryphal books about which no unambiguous judgment could be given whether or not to be inspired and therefore decisive for the general church.

The organization of the church was also tackled with vigour according to the model of the worldly rulers.

In this way cardinals, bishops, deacons, pastors etc. came into being, who had to guarantee the functioning of the general Christian church, meaning in accordance with the wishes of the secular rulers.

” Eventually a schism arises and a western-oriented and an eastern-oriented Christian church is formed, which we now generally refer to as the Roman Catholic Church with the pope as the boss over the cardinals and the Eastern Orthodox Church with the Metropolitan as the first among equal patriarchs “

In this way they gained prestige and at the same time they were given authority over those who were settled under them.

They often exercised that power over their followers with force, allowed by the political power of rulers for which they worked.

However, this is at odds with what the underground religious communities did in the first three centuries.

Certain functions that the people then held were intended solely to help, support and serve the community and the individual believer wherever they needed it.

Eventually a schism arises and a western-oriented and an eastern-oriented Christian church is formed, which we now generally refer to as the Roman Catholic Church with the pope as the boss over the cardinals and the Eastern Orthodox Church with the Metropolitan as the first among equal patriarchs.

Within these groups more and more independent religious units are increasingly functioning, such as monasteries and, for example, the Syrian Orthodox faith community.

All in all, the personal experience with Christ disappears to a considerable degree, with the exception of some high-profile figures such as Augustine and Francis of Assisi.

In our time, the current Pope Francis could also be seen as a clear point of light.

Already from the first centuries of the above-ground church, we see the political worldly influence increase.

We see differences in emphasis in what was considered important in faith.

We see therefore also all kinds of movements within for example the Roman Catholic church arise.

Some were devout, others of a more practical design in following Christ.

Yet there was at least some degree of unity on the outside, both within the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, among which for convenience the Greek, Russian, Syrian Orthodox and Coptic Church is included, albeit each with its own Metropolitan.

These differences in emphasis, which were focused on in the Holy Scriptures, reached their climax with the arrival of Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Johannes Hus and others.

The unity of the Roman Catholic Church can no longer be preserved.

” The second schism, about how the Scriptures should be interpreted was a fact: for example, about celebrating the Lord’s Supper; was the wafer, the piece of bread, the actual body of Christ, or could it only be seen as a symbol? “

There is too much profound criticism by the protesting groups about what the cardinals represented.

The second schism, about how the Scriptures should be interpreted and whether new insights could be added to the Scriptures and whether old interpretations could be susceptible to a renewed or new approach, was a fact.

For example, about celebrating the Lord’s Supper; was the wafer, the piece of bread, the actual body of Christ, or could it only be seen as a symbol?

Should the Canon exclusively consist of the well-known writings or can credentials, truth from the Apocryphal books be obtained?

What about the veneration of certain figures, shaped in statues, in churches?

For the Eastern Orthodox church it was a bit more crystal clear; no new revelations, no new saints, no change in the magnitude of what one believes.

For the western general church in those days, this was quite different.

Saints were constantly added, like in the 18th century the veneration of Maria.

But also papal decrees became more important than the Holy Scriptures themselves.

Luther and his followers revolted and broke with the Roman Catholic church.

In the end this resulted in a terrible persecution of people who wanted to believe in a different way, expressed in burning pyres, quartering, accusations of witchcraft to complete battles with thousands of deaths on both sides.

Neither the Roman Catholic church nor the Protestant churches were unconcerned in persecuting the dissenters.

And this all based and sprouted from biblical texts and their interpretations.

But also within these protesting Protestant groups differences of understanding arose about how to interpret the Bible.

What is important and what is less important?

A long list of groups that were splitting off can be made to this day.

This ecclesiastical journey of discovery is often also found in the names of these independent groups, such as Mennonites, Baptists, Pentecostal believers, Full Gospel believers, Quakers, Article 31 followers, Reformed , Dutch-Reformed, Lutherans, Amish etc ..

Then the emphasis in the following of Christ will be on, for example the clothing one wears, which rest day one takes, whether one is man or woman, which behaviors are forbidden and heavily sinful, conducting healing campaigns, whether or not they speak in glosses, which music is permissible and which is not etc ..

” The writings of the apostles did not have that authority, that infallibility, as later occurred in the above-ground church; in the first centuries these writings were much more a kind of non-binding support in believing, following Christ “

All are accents of large and smaller faith communities to underline what they find the core of the message of Christ.

If we take a bird’s-eye view of the rest of what the recognition of the Christian church as a religion meant for the world at that time, we see in the first centuries of persecution of Christians a personal experience of Christ central in the inner-life of man.

They did not know the Bible yet, at most texts from the Jewish Canon.

The writings of the apostles did not have that authority, that infallibility, as later occurred in the above-ground church.

In the first centuries these writings were much more a kind of non-binding support in believing, following Christ.

Once elevated to Canon, the texts from the New Testament scriptures as well as from the Old Testament, the Jewish Canon, are interwoven into a large and fully divinely inspired book, where all answers to questions from mankind are actually in enclosed.

Where does this ecclesiastical voyage of discovery lead to?

New groups, new churches, who seem to see another little flame in the light of Christ?

Symptom control, because we think we see a new lighting point?

Has it brought us closer to Christ or have we lost sight of Him?

More division instead of unity among Christians?

A spiritual enlightenment within all churches in all believers would be more appropriate.

An enlightenment, a clear view of where it went wrong.

An enlightenment that brings us back to our spiritual roots.

An enlightenment that propels us into the arms of the True One, the Spirit of Christ!