"Take heed to yourselves and to the entire flocklet, among which the holy spirit appointed you supervisors, to be shepherding the ecclesia of God, which He procures through the blood of His own"
Acts of the Apostles 20: 28, Concordant New Testament Translation
Very few Christians know of the First Council of Nicaea, which was convened in the summer of the year 325. However, it is through the works and decisions of this gathering of church bishops that shaped the teachings and ideology of the church as we know it today. Convened by the emperor Constantine, the councils primary focus was to somehow develop a consensus within the church through a gathering of those from throughout Christendom. That is, to develop an understanding and a primary focus of the church. In other words, to create conformity within the church. It is through the Nicaea council that we have many of the traditions and theologies preached by the church today. Make no mistake, the same bishops which gathered in the year 325 were the ones most responsible for establishing conformity within the Christian religion. They were the original keepers of conformity. While we still have bishops in many Christian dominations today, including the Catholic and Eastern orthodox churches, within the mainstream church, it is the local pastor(s) who now carry that weight of the keepers of conformity. It is the pastor who speaks the words taught for centuries by the church. Seldom wavering in the message which is given unto the congregations. Make no mistake, there can be no non-conformity within the congregation. Many churches have boards which decide the message and direction of the church. These are the modern day keepers of conformity. I have been blessed with the experiences a dear friend of mine has shared with me over the years of his own experiences as a pastor and the keepers of conformity of the congregation. I've seen first-hand how those who do not conform to the standards set by the council of Nicaea are treated. Consider the truth which I have come to know of my own life within the Fathers love. Back in the day, the bishops of Nicaea may well have deemed such beliefs as blasphemy. For they do not fall in line with the church message established so many years ago.
For those who have had the revelation from the Father as I have, your biggest struggle will be fighting against thousands of years of church teachings. The keepers of conformity will not tolerate the truth being spoken within the walls of the church. What is this truth? The truth which speaks to the fact that I am no longer a sinner {Paul to the Romans 6:10}. The truth which testifies to the fact that I no longer life a life of flesh, blood and sin, but a life within the love of the Father {Johns Account 14:20}. To the keepers of conformity, this is heretical thinking. It goes against the church message which the council of Nicaea agreed upon all those years ago. The fact that my beliefs are grounded in the scriptures makes no difference to them. In their eyes, I am simply cherry picking verses to support my blasphemous viewpoint. The keepers of conformity will use sin as a weapon to keep the congregation in line. The same sin, by the way, which Christ Jesus has already given Himself for {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}. The only thing which makes their teachings certified and mine heresy is that decision by a group of bishops thousands of years ago. In all of my years within the church, I've never heard a pastor utter anything in the way of living my life within the Father. The closest they would come is to proclaim that we "Be like Jesus." But the apostle Paul speaks to the truth that we're not like Jesus, we ARE Jesus {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}. Paul understood that he was dead, having been crucified with Christ at the cross. What remains, is Christ. Yet this thinking, taken straight from the evangel of Paul, is seen as blasphemy by the keepers of conformity. And that cannot be accepted in the church.
Two priests came round our house tonight
One young, one old, to offer prayers for the dying
to serve the final rite
One to learn, one to teach, which way the cold wind blows
And fussing and flapping in priestly black like a murder of crows
~All this time~ Sting
~Scott~
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