A Whole Team of Christ’s

A Whole Team of Christ’s

In the sermon titled “The Arm of Flesh vs The Arm of God” John Thiel (a professed independent SDA minister) openly introduces Catholic doctrine to his flock.

John Thiel – “If you have a whole team of Christ’s, remember what Jesus said?  Greater works than I have done you will do.  We see here that human visible beings are the arm of the Lord.  Jesus was the first and his servants thereafter.  Can it be truly stated and concluded that if Jesus is the arm of the Lord, those he sends as his servants are also the arm of the Lord?” [1]

Here John Thiel introduces his team of mini-Christ’s. John Thiel and his followers, are a whole team of intermediaries, a whole team of Christ’s. They come in Christ’s stead as little Christ’s.

Our Sunday Visitor – “Catholic teaching says that a priest is an alter Christus. To say that the priest is an alter Christus (‘another Christ’) seems at first hearing decidedly brash and haughty. All Christians are so called because we are ‘little Christ’s’ in the world in which we find ourselves.” [2]

John Thiel – “A friend that they can see in Christ’s stead.  In other words, when you can see that person, they are in Christ’s stead as a human arm.”

William Tyndale – “That is, the shaven nation preach Christ falsely; yea, under the name of Christ preach themselves, and reign in Christ’s stead.” “The shaven nation hath put Christ out of his room.” [3]

John Thiel – “Think about it.  There is a human being.  You are relying on the human being for direction and guidance.  How many people have said don’t lean on the arm of flesh when they are dependent on the servant of God?”

Roman Catholic Spiritual Direction – “He [God] speaks to us through our noble thoughts and desires, which always must be presented to a wise spiritual director to help us discern God’s voice from our own.” [4]

John Thiel – “Man needs man because man can only see with his eyes and he cannot see God or Jesus but he can see a man who is the arm of the Lord.”

Head of the Church, Wikipedia – “In Roman Catholic ecclesiology, Jesus is called the Invisible Head, while the Pope is called the Visible Head. Therefore, the Pope is often called the Vicar of Christ.”

Never once in the writings of EGW is it written that any man, besides Christ himself, is the arm of the Lord.

God’s arm alone is able to uphold all who lean upon it. {4T 594.2}

Teach every soul to lean heavily on the arm of infinite power. {2MCP 430.2}

. . he could lean in perfect safety upon that all-powerful arm. {GC 132.1}

. . lean upon the arm of the Mighty One for strength {1T 99.2}

Upon His arm depended the salvation of the fallen race {DA 111.5}

. . laying hold of the arm of the Mighty One, we are safe; but just as soon as we loosen our grasp of His arm, and begin to depend upon human beings, we are in great danger. {SD 329.5}

In this sermon John Thiel reads – It is unsafe for any church to lean upon some favorite minister, to trust in an arm of flesh. God’s arm alone is able to uphold all who lean upon it.  {4T 594.2}

John Thiel – “In other words if you rely on some favourite minister who has lost his bearings . . . then you are leaning on the arm of flesh.”

[1] http://sabbathsermons.com/2009/09/03/890/

[2] http://www.osv.com/tabid/7636/itemid/5748/Priest-Alter-Christus.aspx

[3] William Tyndale, The Obedience of a Christian Man, page 47.

[4] http://rcspiritualdirection.com/blog/2013/02/16/pope-benedict-and-the-voice-of-god

[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_of_the_Church