An imperfect Church with good & bad co-existing. A Kingdom appointed to imperfect servants in charge in succession ‘till His return’.

Did the Lord intend His Kingdom on earth, His church on earth to be pure and without sin, or is it that as the Protestants claim, He deserted the church because of corrupt practices? The answer is found in the parable about the ‘Kingdom of heaven’ in ‘the field’ or ‘the earth’, with the seed sown by God and the weeds/ tares sown by the enemy growing side by side. And when the servants ask the Lord (the householder) if they shall gather up the tares, to which the Lord’s reply was to ‘Let both grow together till harvest (end of the world) when the reapers (angels) will gather the tares first to burn them, and then gather the wheat ‘out of His Kingdom’ into the barn. 'His Kingdom' spoken here as one on earth, is one that co-exists with 'things that offend and those who do iniquity' (Mt 13:41). Likewise in the parable of the Vine and its branches. Jesus is the Vine and the Father the husbandman. The vine has both fruitful and fruitless branches. The fruitful branches the Father ‘purgeth’ that it may bear more fruit, while the fruitless branches He taketh away and men gather them to be cast into the fire and burned. So this is all foretold, then why so much confusion?

M't:13:24-30 & 37-41: Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The

kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his

 field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the

 wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought

 forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder

 came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field?

 from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath

 done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and

 gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root

 up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and

 in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the

 tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my

 barn.  He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the

 Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the

 kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that

 sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers

 are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire;

 so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his

 angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and

 them which do iniquity; 

Joh:15:1-8: I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every

 branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that

 beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are

 clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I

 in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine;

 no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches:

 He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:

 for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is

 cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast

 them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words

 abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto  you.

 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my

 disciples.

Similarly, the parables of the Kingdom as a net with good and bad fish; and the sheeps and goats.

In the Lord’s Kingdom, both good and bad will co-exist till harvest, those that do not abide in the vine are gathered and burned, not that the Lord did not know so. And these also pertaining to a visible kingdom.

Then, what of ‘the servants He has given authority over His house to feed those of the household’? Are they also to be pure and without sin?

M'r:13:34-37: For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left

 his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work,

 and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not

 when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at

 the cockcrowing,or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you

 sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

So, His house has both watchful and lazy servants, good and bad servants co-existing.

Lu:12:41-46: Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable

unto us, or even to all? And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and

 wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give

 them their portion of meat in  due season? Blessed is that

 servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say

 unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. But and if that

 servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to

 beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be

 drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not

 for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder,

 and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

The servant whom the Lord shall make ‘ruler over his household’ is one He shall find so doing ‘when the Lord returns’ as well. So, successive servants till the Lord’s return. It is worth mentioning that it is Peter who asks the Lord as to whom this parable is applicable to, to which the response he gets is of a faithful and wise servant ‘whom his lord shall make ruler over his household’ and ‘whom the lord shall find so doing ‘when he cometh’, i.e. this servant to be seen doing till the Lord’s return. Then Peter’s Office was also one that had to be ‘till the Lord’s return’. The Council at Jerusalem and the decree passed we see the elders appointed in succession by the apostles also taking their parts, initiating the beginning of the apostolic succession.

Ac:15:6: And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this

 matter.

Ac:15:22: Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to

 send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and

 Barnabas;

Ac:15:23: And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and

 elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the

 Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:

Ac:16:4: And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the

 decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which

 were at Jerusalem.

The letters in the Bible are addressed to members of local churches and to us readers of the Bible and so to the members of the imperfect visible church. Members who are said to be ‘being saved’ (Acts 2:47); ‘whom God has called to belong to Him’ (Rom 1:6); ‘whom God has called to be His own people’ (Rom 1:7, 1Cor 1: 2, 2Cor 1:1, Eph 1:1, Phil 1:1, Col 1:2, 1Thess 1:1, 2Thess 1:1). Likewise the Book of Revelation was to the seven local churches, with a call ‘to repentance’, and so again the imperfect congregation. The content of these letters and Revelation are words of encouragement, admonition as well as calls to refrain from sinning, and so to an imperfect congregation. Each verse is then addressed to the imperfect reader or hearer as unto us of this era as well. Even St Paul acknowledges his infirmities and says he strives to reach the goal (Phil 3:12-16). It is this imperfect people who are called a holy nation, etc. St. Paul, Peter, John, James, Jude all address their letters to the local congregations under them and also to us i.e. every Christian on earth’, a visible people. They do not say, ‘some of you’ are baptized by the One Spirit and part of His body, or some of you have come to the church of the firstborn, or some of you are a royal priesthood, but that all are part of His body the church, and have to run to reach the prize. It is from this congregation that the beast attracts followers and deceives them. It is to them from among these that is said ‘who overcomes  will receive the promises of the Lord (Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 3:5, 12, 21, 21:1). All are members of the church that is the congregation of those called by Him which in the end is purged and presented as the Bride of the Lamb. As He said in the parable of the Kingdom that ‘many are called, but few chosen’. And we see that many are part of the ‘invited’ and few are chosen from among those who were invited or called’(Mt 22: 9-14). Similarly said in Eph 5:23-32.

The only church seen and known to all men, of being in unbroken succession to the One and only church instituted by Christ Himself is the Catholic church. To believe in the word and interpretation of mere men or to believe the church the ground of truth, the manifold of wisdom with the promise of Christ’s perpetual presence and promise from the Lord of it’s infallibility, it is left to the believer.

Next>> 7. The Vineyard appointed to new

                           imperfect servants

           with successive authority till His return

Christ Reigns!