Since you’re starting your own church, you need to understand a basic fact of human nature. People want to get into Heaven while doing as they please on earth.
That’s why schisms are popular with those who want to avoid any doctrine more demanding than our Great Commandment: “The most important thing we can do is believe in Jesus and The Bible.”
Successful Evangelical Ministers understand how important it is to separate faith from obedience. The only thing you want anyone to obey is The Great Commandment: “The most important thing we can do is believe in Jesus and The Bible.” That helps people believe they can do pretty much anything they want and still get into Heaven.
Your first step is to understand how vitally important it is to separate faith from obedience. Then, have them believe “Obedience is no longer necessary.” Every schism must begin with The Great Commandment: “The most important thing we can do is believe in Jesus and The Bible.” Your group will only grow if you make obedience to anything but that seem to be an unnecessary, even an intolerable, burden.
Obedience is the greatest danger a schism can face. Sometimes, people will wonder: “Jesus said ‘If you do not eat My Body and drink My Blood you do not have life in you.'” A rational believer cannot avoid concluding: “The only way I can obey Jesus’ very clear instruction is by receiving Catholic Communion.”
That’s dangerous thinking. It must be discouraged. Those who think obedience is important will obey the directions in many similar passages, and logically find that the only way to have life in them or have their sins forgiven is to become Catholic. Worse, they may take others with them. It’ll be your fault because you let them get away with thinking that obedience is important!
That’s why you must make obedience seem to be the focus of extremists, like “Those Catholics, who worship idols.”
Convince people that Catholics take obedience so seriously because they are old-fashioned and insensitive. Point out that your own schism is aware of modern problems and allows birth control, along with “therapeutic abortion and euthanasia”. Make it clear: The only thing we have to obey is The Great Commandment, “The most important thing we can do is believe in Jesus and The Bible.”
We want followers to believe that it is faith, and not obedience, that gets us into Heaven. If someone suggests that obedience is important, remind them, again, that the only obedience that’s necessary is to follow The Great Commandment: “The most important thing we can do is believe in Jesus and The Bible.”
You will be amazed to see how quickly and happily your flock will embrace this bit of additional advice: “Don’t worry about obedience. Trying to obey lots of contradictory rules just gets between us and God. All we have to do is believe! It’s what God wants.”
Many will be grateful for a reason avoid doing all that’s necessary to become Catholic. They will say, “Thank you, Pastor Bob!”
