SPELLING EDITED R-12. HOW TO WITNESS TO ROMAN CATHOLICS! When witnessing to anyone you want to make them feel non-threatened. So most people do not mind when you ask them questions. You can spend as much time as you feel necessary to start a conversation about God and the church. And after you know that they believe in God and what church they attend then you know the direction that you need to take. And by direction, I mean what kind of questions you will ask next. The first question is a “universal” question that you can start off with when witnessing to any person that believes in God, even if they believe in a false god. QUESTION #1. If you were to die suddenly without any notice would you go to heaven? Yes? Or No? GOAL #1. Your goal or purpose for asking this question is to find out if they know with absolute certainty that they are saved. Or if they are not sure that they are saved. Obviously, if they believe in a false god then you will have to explain what being saved means. But since this particular study is directed to witnessing to Catholics your goal is to learn what THEY believe in comparison to what the Bible ITSELF teaches. So if you KNOW that a person is a Catholic then you can say that you are a catholic will a lower case “c” because the word “catholic” simply means UNIVERSAL and you are indeed a part of the TRUE UNIVERSAL church that Jesus built. But then, quickly add that you are NOT a “ROMAN” Catholic. And almost always a Roman Catholic will ask what do you mean by your being a catholic but you are NOT a Roman Catholic. Then continue on with question number 2. QUESTION #2. Do you believe that people can be saved in other church denominations? GOAL #2. Your goal with this question is to find out if they sincerely believe that there are true Christians in other church denominations other than the Catholic Church. Or to see if they sincerely believe that ONLY Catholics can go to heaven. In America, I would say that most Catholics will believe that there are Christians in other church denominations. So if they agree that you are also a Christian then you can ask question number 3. But if they say that you have to be a Catholic to go to heaven then you need to take a different line of questions. I will cover some of those questions at the end of this outline guide to witnessing to Catholics. QUESTION #3. Do you mind if we compare what the Catholic Church teaches to what the Bible teaches? GOAL #3. Your goal with this question is to get them to READ the Bible for themselves so that they can see that what the Catholic Church teaches does NOT MATCH what the Bible ITSELF teaches. So the following questions are all about COMPARING what the Catholic Church teaches with what the Bible itself teaches to get Catholics to SEE for themselves that what the Catholic Church teaches CONTRADICTS what Jesus himself teaches in the New Testament. QUESTION #4. WHO is the head of the Catholic Church? GOAL #4. Remind them that you are also a Christian. And thus you are also a part of the “Universal” church the same as Catholic Christians are a part of the same “Universal” church because there is only ONE body of Jesus Christ. Your goal with this question is to get Catholics to see that the Bible ITSELF teaches us that Jesus is the HEAD of the body or the church. BUT the Catholic Church says that the Pope is the HEAD of the church. Please read the following verses. Ephesians 1:22. “And has put all things under his feet, and gave HIM to be the HEAD over all things to the church,” Ephesians 4:15. “But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things, which is the HEAD, even Christ:” Ephesians 5:23. “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the HEAD of the church: and he is the savior of the body.” Colossians 1:18. “And HE is the HEAD of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence”. So by, the Catholic Church, having a Pope as the HEAD of the Catholic Church is a direct CONTRADICTION to what the Bible ITSELF teaches us. You can read this in-depth study “WAS PETER THE FIRST POPE?” later to see WHY it is impossible for Peter to have been to the first Pope. QUESTION #5. Did you know that Jesus taught his disciples to NOT place themselves above others to lord over other Christians and that we are all equal? GOAL #5. Your goal with this question is to show that Jesus himself did NOT establish RULERSHIP in his church where the leaders are the only Christians that are able to interpret Scripture correctly. Have them read the following verses. 1 Peter 5:2,3. “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3. Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.” The CLERGY of the Catholic Church is the same as being LORDS OVER the Church because Catholics MUST follow and OBEY what the CLERGY teaches. And if they do not then they will be excommunicated from the Catholic Church denomination. But being kicked out of the Catholic Church denomination does NOT mean that you are being kicked out of the one and only TRUE church that Jesus built. So if you find that the Catholic Church has too many teachings that CONTRADICT what the Bible ITSELF teaches then LEAVING the Catholic Church does NOT mean that you are leaving God or His Son Jesus. Rather, it means that you have made the choice to believe what the Bible itself teaches OVER what the Catholic Church teaches. Matthew 20:25-28. “But Jesus called them unto him, and said, You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26. BUT it shall NOT BE SO AMONG YOU: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27. And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28. Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Luke 22:24-27. “And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. 25. And he (Jesus) said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 26. BUT YOU shall NOT BE SO: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that does serve. 27. For whether is greater, he that sits at meat, or he that serves? Is not he that sits at meat? But I am among you as he that serves.” So then, according to Jesus, there is NO earthly governmental structure in HIS church which means that there should be no division of the body of Jesus Christ having a CLERGY and the LAITY where the clergy makes church doctrine and the flock must believe, follow, and obey their church doctrine or be excommunicated from the Catholic Church. Now, this is true of ALL church denominations. The leaders of the church denominations are to GUIDE the flock and NOT to lord over the flock. QUESTION #6. Did you know that there is no priesthood in the church that Jesus himself built? GOAL #6. Your goal with this question is to get Catholics to see that we are ALL made priests and kings unto God. But our priestly and kingly duties do not start until Jesus returns. Please read Revelation 5:10. “And have made us unto our God kings and priests: and we SHALL reign on the earth.” But WHEN shall we reign as kings and priests on the earth? Please read Revelation 20:4-6. “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and JUDGMENT was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6. Blessed and holy is he that has a part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” So then, it is in the world to come that we will rule and reign with Jesus as kings and priests. But in this PRESENT world, we have but ONE priest, and his name is Jesus. And without a priesthood, there can be no sacrifice of the Mass which is a MAJOR part of the Catholic Church. QUESTION #7. Did you know that the Bible does NOT teach infant baptism? Do you know WHY the Catholic Church started teaching infant baptism? GOAL #7. Your goal with these questions is to get Catholics to see that the church doctrine of original sin is a false doctrine or false teaching. Then explain how one false teaching leads to another false teaching. And then that false teaching leads to another false teaching. The false doctrine of original sin led to infant baptisms. The false doctrine of original sin led to the false teaching of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. This Catholic doctrine teaches that ONLY Jesus and the Virgin Mary were conceived in the womb of their mother WITHOUT the stain of original sin. The Catholic Church added this doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary because Catholics were asking HOW Jesus was without the stain of original sin? Seeing that Jesus was born of a woman who had the stain of original sin then how was Jesus born without original sin? The sound Biblical truth is that EVERY human being is born WITHOUT sin and that all babies that die before the age of accountability go to heaven. Even the heathen babies of parents that worship false gods go to heaven if they die before the age of accountability. So then, many of the teachings of the Catholic Church CONTRADICT what the Bible ITSELF teaches. QUESTION #8. Would you remain in a church denomination that teaches a FALSE gospel that is a DIFFERENT gospel than what Jesus taught his Apostles? GOAL #8. Your goal with this question is to get Catholics to see that by believing ANOTHER gospel than what the Apostles of Jesus taught that they are ACCURSED because they are believing a different gospel that contradicts the TRUE gospel of Jesus Christ. Please read Galatians 1:6-9. “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto ANOTHER gospel: 7. Which is not another, but there be some that trouble you, and would PERVERT the gospel of Christ. 8. But though WE, or an angel from heaven, preach ANY OTHER gospel unto you than that which WE have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preaches ANY OTHER gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed.” Now the gospel that the early church believers received is the SAME Gospel of Jesus Christ that is taught in EVERY New Testament of every Bible translation. So then, if what your church denomination teaches CONTRADICTS what the Apostles of Jesus teach us under the New Covenant written in the New Testament, then those church denominations are teaching ANOTHER gospel that the Apostles of Jesus did NOT teach. For example, ALL of the seventh day of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians are wrongly teaching ANOTHER gospel because they CONTRADICT what the Apostle Paul teachings in the New Testament. So then, how can any be SURE that YOU will go to heaven? For you see, by wrongly believing, following, and obeying a FALSE gospel, the Bible itself says let them be accursed! And the Roman Catholic Church teaches ANOTHER gospel that CONTRADICTS what the Bible itself teaches us. QUESTION #9. Are you going to trust your very eternal life with what the Catholic Church teaches after learning that many of their teachings CONTRADICT what the Bible ITSELF teaches? GOAL #9. Your goal with this question is to get Catholics to the place where you can lead them to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ so that they can be ASSURED that they are saved right now and that trusting ONLY what the Bible itself teaches under the New Covenant written in the New Testament is the ONLY way that leads to eternal life in the world to come. So your next question will be. QUESTION #10. Would you like to know how you can be absolutely positive that you will receive eternal life in the world to come? GOAL #10. Teach them the TRUE Gospel of Jesus Christ on HOW to be saved. Have them read the study “THE SIMPLICITY OF THE GOSPEL!” if you are not sure how to lead someone to confess their faith in Jesus. Then encourage them to read and study the Bible for themselves. You can offer to study the Bible with them. Or you can suggest that they read the studies that I have written on this website AMatterOfTruth.com starting at the top of the menu list to read the studies in the ORDER that I have listed them. They will learn HOW to study the Bible by reading the studies that I have written. They will become rooted and grounded in the word of Almighty God so that they will not be deceived by any other false teachings. Now back to the beginning of this study. If you should come across a Catholic that does NOT believe that you are a TRUE Christian and only Catholics are true Christians then ask them to show you a verse in the Bible that teaches that ONLY Catholics can be saved? And since you already know that there are no such verses of Scripture in the entire Bible then ask them if they TRULY believe what Jesus himself teaches in the Holy Bible? Do you believe that God answered the prayers of Jesus? Then have them read John 17:20. “Neither do I pray for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;” So then, it was the very Apostles of Jesus Christ who WROTE down what Jesus taught them to teach. And when anyone READS the words written down in the New Testament of the Holy Bible then they are reading the very TEACHINGS of Jesus HIMSELF. And that means that any person in the entire world who reads the New Testament of the Bible can BELIEVE the TRUE Gospel of Jesus Christ to become a TRUE Christian even with belonging to any MAN-MADE church DENOMINATION such as the Roman Catholic Church. Do you know that ALL church denominations use the Bible to form their church doctrine INCLUDING the Roman Catholic Church? Do you know that almost all church denominations have at least ONE FALSE church doctrine that they claim the Bible teaches? Now, what IF those false doctrines would cause a Christian to NOT inherit eternal life in the world to come, would you remain in that church denomination that causes their followers to NOT inherit eternal life in the world to come? Or would you get out of that church denomination and start trusting ONLY what the Bible ITSELF teaches for your very eternal life? If they say that they trust in the Catholic Church then move on to another Catholic. And in your private time of prayer COMMIT them into the hand of Almighty God. But if they say that they would come out of a church denomination that teaches false doctrine then go back to the beginning of this study and ask them question #3 through question #10. Thanks for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to witness to Catholics and others with the TRUE Gospel of Jesus Christ. Here are some more witnessing helps for both Catholics and others as well. “HOW CAN I KNOW IF I AM TRULY SAVED?” “OUTLINE TO HELP IN WITNESSING!” “THE SIMPLICITY OF THE GOSPEL!” “ALMIGHTY GOD LOVES YOU SO VERY MUCH!” “GOD’S WORD IS LIKE A JIGSAW PUZZLE!” “HOW TO PRAY FOR OTHERS TO BE SAVED!” Also, please read all the studies under the heading >>>WHAT EVERY CATHOLIC MUST KNOW!<<< For you see, all the studies under that heading expose almost all of the false doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church that directly CONTRADICTS what the Bible ITSELF teaches us in simplicity. If you are a Catholic reading this study and you have any questions then please feel free to write to me by way of email at MarkAtAMatterOfTruth@Gmail.com Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark. RETURN TO HOMEPAGE AT |
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