Am I another 'Jack the Ripper'?

Give God the glory due to Him!

Psalm 29:1-2 NIV
Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. [2] Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

Here God's Word addresses us as heavenly beings and we are rightly so. God through the psalmist is speaking to our spirits...

These verses command us to give God all the glory due to Him. The glory of our every accomplishment does not belong to us. It belongs to God Almighty and Him alone.  It is when we take the credit for the accomplishments upon ourselves that we lose our right standing before God. We displease Him. We sadden Him. We take God's glory upon ourselves as if it is by our own strength we did it and we begin to puff up with pride and believe me, that will mark the beginning of our downfall.

That is what happened to Lucifer before he fell off from God's throne room in heaven. Whoa! This is so scary because every time someone congratulates me, or praises me I have to remain humble and ascribe all glory to  God.

What I do externally does not matter. What matters is the condition of my heart. God judges me by the motive of my heart. I can just tell them, "All glory to God! I am just His servant. Just doing what I have to do," But in my heart if I puff up, get so happy and prideful when I am praised and do further good things just to get attention or praise from others, then again I am secretly stealing God's glory. I must examine my heart and my motives every moment to be in right  standing before God.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:1-4 NIV
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. [2] “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. [3] But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Whether we give money to the needy or physically help someone in anyway or even support someone emotionally and even when we lead someone to Christ, we must constantly examine our motives. We must ask ourselves the following questions:-
1. Why am I doing this?( if for recognition, fame or material or worldly gain then I better stop)
2. What do I gain from doing this? ( if the answer is material or worldly gain, then again if I am doing it just for the material or worldly gain, I lose all my credits before God. I receive my reward in full on earth and none in heaven.)
3. How can I be of help to this person to get closer to God through Christ Jesus?
4. How can I share this testimony without being boastful and without ripping God of His glory?
5. What do I do after sharing  this testimony?( ask God to keep me from pride and keep thanking Him for using a useless me for His Glory)

We shall glorify God through our every thought, word and action. We shall not be another, 'Jack the Ripper!'

Mary Augustine
17th March 2016

Now you can Smile when you face your Giant.

We all face little adversities, small problems in life every now and then. Most of the time we know how to handle them through years of experience or by heeding the advice of someone and by tapping on the expertise of those surrounding us or by using the resources around us. But little do we realise that we use these as our crutches to stand strong in our moments of trouble.

I realised it only when my crutches were knocked down and I felt myself drowning, when an unexpected problem, which was not created by me, occurred. At that time I had no previous experience on how to solve it, nor did I know of anyone I could fall back on. That is when I realised how shallow my faith in God was. That is when I began to read God's Word faithfully, write down His promises and claim every promise of His by standing firm on God's Word.

As I poured my heart into God's Word, I realised one thing...every great man and woman of God in the bible did fail at a point or two, but because of their confidence and unshakable faith in the Living God, they were able to accomplish great things; Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David...to name a few. 

I was enamoured by the confidence a mere shepherd boy, David, had in the God of Israel, when I read 1Samuel 17:37-51.

The Israelites were facing the Philistine giant, Goliath, who threatened to wipe out Israel. It was David the shephard boy who appeared at the scene...

Saul dissuades David from going against Goliath saying that he was of small stature and was no match to the giant. But David recollects and narrates his past experiences when he killed a lion and a bear  which came to attack his sheep. What amazed me is what David said next in verse 37...

1 Samuel 17:37 NIV
The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

Instead of boasting about his own strength, David ascribes the past victories to God and puts his confidence in Him. When Saul sees how much David relies on God, he gives his blessing to David and asks him to go, saying,  "and the Lord be with you.”

Next in verse 38 Saul clothes David in his own tunic. He put on David his armour and helmet, then David tried putting on the sword and walked around. But as David was not used to it and had not tested the items, he took them off. He went on to pick five smooth stones from the stream, put them in his pouch and went with his usual staff and sling to meet the giant.

This taught me to be always careful and walk on tested waters.

Next in verses 45-47, when David meets the giant, the giant ridicules him. But David proclaims his trust in God saying that the battle belongs to God.

1 Samuel 17:45-47 NIV
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. [46] This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. [47] All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

Whoa! What a bold proclamation from one who did not carry a sword or spear but only a shepherd's staff, a sling and five smooth stones.

Yes, just as David proclaimed, all those who were gathered there saw with their own eyes, that when God is involved in a battle, He does not need what we need. They saw with their own eyes that God saves supernaturaly without sword or spear.

Thus David defeated the Philistines by killing Goliath with his sling and only one smooth stone and then he went on to cut the dead Goliath's head with Goliath's own sword. How amazing is  our God!

When David could put so much of confidence in a God whom he had not seen but only heard, why can't I put my trust in God Who sent His only Son Jesus to bleed and die on the cross for us, taking our sin and shame upon Himself and saving us from eternal hell fire?

I began to ask Father God to help me be faithful in standing on His promises and I began to exercise my faith in Him. I am not there in faith yet. I run back into His arms to receive my free gift of faith from Him whenever I find it depleting.

Thus when adversities strike unannounced, I am prepared to hand them over to my God and proclaim, "Lord it is all yours!" And I boldly and confidently say, " My God will win the battle for me!"

Now with confidence in my God, I am able to face any giant and smile at him. All I need is a mustard seed sized faith. All glory and praise to Him who made the gift of faith freely available to all who ask.

Mary Augustine
17th March 2016

A Youth's Conversation with God!

A youth speaks to God!

Dear God,

I am not an Aethist,
I believe in You,
I know You exist,
I know You do!

Now that I am a youth,
I have things to do.
I can't be talking,
The whole day to You!

I have projects, tests &
Classes to attend.
I need time to exercise &
My diet, I have to plan.

I have work to complete,
Matters to attend!
Friends to meet,
Personal needs to tend!

I can't be just sitting, waiting
& be staring into space,
And be talking to You God
I think it is a waste!

Do You know God,
That time is money!
The world is in a rush God,
Without $ I can't get a Honey!

I am no more a child God,
Have responsibilities to see to!
I am now a youth God,
Have important things to do!

Do not get me wrong,
I know You're in every place!
I believe You are strong,
You cover me with Your Grace!

I know You care for me
Don't think I need to repent
No time to bend my knee
I know You'll receive me in the end!

Your loving son/ daughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

God's response to that youth ...

A poem well written dude! Great to know that you are all grown up. But sad to say, you have been blinded by the ruler of this world Satan himself, into thinking that since you are grown up, you don't need to spend time  with Me and that you can go about your work, do what you want to do and don't have to repent.  Well you really think you don't need Me now, do you? And why would you not tell Me sorry after hurting Me? Do you think My Grace covers all your unrepentant sins? You are terribly wrong My child. My Grace gives you the courage to repent, My Grace covers your shame and it helps you to walk in My Way again. Never does My Grace allow you to walk proudly with an unrepentant heart.

Can you remember the time when you were still a child in faith? You used to read My Word and delight in it!  You used to spend your waking hours with Me, consulting Me in every matter! You delighted in Me and I delighted in your childlike trust.

Now you are all grown and big and you don't have time for Me??? Do you think you can succeed on your own dude? Are your friends going to stand by you till the end?  Are they even leading you to Me? Are you leading them to Me?  You need Me more than I need you! Yes you do! Don't you get it? 

My Son kept reminding you in Matthew 18:3 NIV...
And He said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Yes, become like a child again,  My child. Have a child like faith in Me. Run to Me with child like simplicity and humility. If not you will find it difficult  to enter into My heavenly abode! Simply knowing that I am there for you, does not mean that you have a child like faith in Me. Having a child like faith is in trusting Me with your first waking hour, trusting Me with your busyness, your work and all your projects, planning, management and finances, even with your life's choices of activities, friends and a life partner. Whatever you put into My hands, I will shake them and multiply them for you beyond measure. Trust Me like a child again.

Remember what My Son said in Luke 6:38 NIV
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
This has often been used only to refer to the giving of your finances. But try Me, My child, just try Me! Whatever you give Me, your time, your energy, your sleep, your finances, your rest, will be multiplied for you. It is My heavenly law and it is irreversible.

The rest of it, your heavy load at work, your heartaches, failures in life, your problems, etc will be greatly reduced and will be done with when you come to Me. Bring your sins to Me, ask Me to forgive you, with a repentant heart. I will wash them away with the blood of My Son Jesus. Didn't my Son tell you in Matthew 11:28 NIV “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest." Just trust Me and try Me, My child.

Spend time reading your life"s guidance manual, the Bible, instead of spending your time on useless movies, games and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc . All you need to know on how to succeed in every area of your life is spelt explicitly in My Word .Take time to read it, meditate upon it and understand it with the help of My Spirit, the Holy Spirit. In times of need and trouble, He, My Spirit, will bring My Word to your mind and lead you gently out of trouble.

My Son Jesus kept telling you to remain in Him in  John 15:4 NIV
"Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me." Yes my child you will never bear fruit and never ever succeed if you remain outside of Me. This IS THE TRUTH. There is no way around it. When My Words abide in you, My Words will transform you back into My own image and likeness. Then success will come automatically.

Dude listen carefully, you are My child irregardless of whatever age you are. You can never succeed without Me. You need Me in every fibre of your being. I Am the One, Who holds you together. I Am the breath, in your lungs. I Am your heartbeat. I Am your very energy. If you remove Me you will cease to exist.

Come to Me as soon as you awake. Put your entire day into My hands. Then talk to Me as you do your duties throughout the day. It is easy when you develop a habit of recognising My presence and cultivate a close walk and an intimate relationship with Me.
I long for that intimate relationship with you My child. The more time you spend in My presence, more will be given to you supernaturally. You will still have time to do what you have planned to do and you will have balance time to relax. Remember that time is in My hands. I can and will stretch it supernaturaly just for you when You abide in Me!

Come abide in Me and I will abide in you my child. As you spend quiet time with Me, you will begin to see what I see and feel what I feel towards mankind and you will know My heartbeat. You will cry for what I cry and rejoice for what I rejoice. It is then, when you will truly begin to save people from going to hell.

Become a child again my beloved and run into My arms, your Papa's waiting arms My baby! 

I Am waiting for you with My arms open wide!.

From your loving 

Dad in heaven (Who longs to abide in you)!

                                     (Mary Augustine)

A Special Tribute to My Angels.

A Special Tribute to My Angels.

Recently I suffered from a bout of gastrointestinal disorder. I was throwing up whatever I ate and drank and at the exact same time I was passing watery stools at my rear end. I was glued to the toilet seat throwing up on the bathroom floor. Believe me, it was like hell on earth. I was continuously doing this for about 4 to 5 times, when my husband had to literally drag me to the A&E at KTPH at 3.15am. Every time the vomitting stopped I kept telling him that I would be alright and that I had to go to school to conduct formative assessments. My concerned husband was so concerned about my health that what I told  him fell on deaf ears. Once at the emergency section of the hospital I was given two jabs and sent home with 3 days medical leave to rest. The doctor wanted me to rest for five days but I insisted on only three. He wrote out a three day medical leave chit shaking his head.

That day was my youngest son's birthday and we had planned to have a celebration at a restaurant. All our plans were thwarted by my sudden ill health. Furthermore that very day I was to have conducted a formative assessment in school and now in my condition I could not even think about it. But it was amazing how God was with me through it all in the form of angels and brought me out of the nightmare I was going through.

Here are the angels I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart.

Firstly I would like to thank my dear husband who insisted I go to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning and brought me there, patiently waited with me and brought me back and ensured that I was OK before he went to a fitful sleep for only two hours and then went to work. Thank you darling. I don't know what I would ever do without you. I need you by my side every single day of my life.

Next I would like to thank my two younger sons who were  with me ensuring I was OK and getting me what I needed and doing the chores around the house helping their dad who was juggling between work and home, and at the same time managing their own work schedules and studies. Thank you dearest Chimmy and Lawrence for being such loving and caring children. I am proud of you both for taking up responsibilities.

Then I would like to thank my dearest colleagues Sasikala and Nirmala for taking over my work and ensuring that my pupils did not miss out on anything important. They held the fort for the three days I was away despite drowning in their own tight schedules. It is very rare you get such precious gems as colleagues and I am truly blessed. Thank you dearest Sasi and Nimms, you both are very special to me. I am truly blessed to be working alongside with you.

Next and most importantly I would like to thank my dearest sister in Christ, Sujatha Sajan for doing only what a mother would do and I want to thank  her dear daughter who is also my daughter in Christ. When sis Sujatha heard that I was sick, she called her helper from her office and told her to prepare a special cumin porridge for me and did not stop at that, she got her helper to cook a special rasam and a  sumptuous feast for my family as we could not go out to celebrate our youngest son's birthday that evening. She asked her daughter Victoriya Priya who was preparing for her diploma exams to personally deliver the food to our home. In awhile sweet Victoriya Priya was knocking at our door with all the food and porridge and the special rasam. Thank you sister Sujatha and dear Priya you both have examplified the meaning of, 'A friend in need is a friend in deed' so aptly.

When I went to class on Thursday morning at 7.15am and I was greeted by my colleague Mdm Syahidah  and 36 concerned pupils  who had made a huge big 'Get Well' card for me.  It showed their appreciation and love for me. I was so touched by their love and was glad to be back in school. Thank you Mdm Syahidah and my dear Primary 5Compassion angels.

How God works through His earthly angels whom He has placed all around us! It is so amazing and exhilarating to bask  in our Lord's presence, His goodness and His loving grace!

I pray God's abundant blessings of awesome health of mind, emotions, body and spirit upon each one who allowed God to work through them.

My dearest angels, you who were amazing blessings to me, I love you all with the love of Christ Jesus!

Mrs Mary Augustine
20th Feb 2016

How To Win Spiritual Battles Effectively

My Thoughts on  Exodus17 : 8-16 &
Exodus 18:13-24

Strategies to be learnt, to win spiritual battles.

Exo 17-Vs 9
*stand on top of the hill - refers to going to a quiet place to meet with God.

*with the staff of God in my hands- here, the staff or rod represents God's power.

Exodus 17:11 NIV
As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. (Coincidentally the Amalekites are the descendants of Esau, the eldest sonnof Isaac and Rebecca & the Israelites are the descendants of Jacob the second son of Isaac and Rebecca)

*As long as he prevailed in prayer, as long as he lifted up his hands in surrender to God, God defeated the enemies and the Israelites were winning but when he was overcome by tiredness and frailty and could not pray, the enemies were winning.

How does one prevail in prayer? How do we win the constant spiritual battles in our lives? As human beings we too face times when we can't pray because we are too troubled and overwhelmed with sorrows. What do we do then? Here is where the role of the prayer partners cone in. Let us see what happens in the Exodus scenario...

Exodus 17:12-13 NIV
When Moses' hands grew tired, they (Aaron and Hur)took a stone (rock)and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up---one on one side, one on the other---so that his hands remained steady till sunset. [13] So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

* took a stone (rock)and put it under him and he sat on it- here the stone or rock represents Jesus our Rock and Cornerstone. Moses sits on it...we should rest our heartaches, sorrows, anxieties and worries on Jesus and wait upon Him Who is our Rock, Foundation and Cornerstone.

* Aaron and Hur held his hands up---one on one side, one on the other---so that his hands remained steady till sunset. [13] So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

*just as Aaron and Hur helped Moses hands to be up steady till sunset, we too must help one another in intercessory prayer and encourage our prayer partners to stand steady till the results are seen and the victory is won.

What if we are like Moses bearing the troubles of everyone and are weighed down heavily by them? Regarding this we hear a very sound and Godly advice from an elderly man of great experiences, Moses' father in law Jethro.

Jethro advises Moses on how to handle people and situations wisely to be effectively win every battle we face in life.

Let us read further in
Exodus 18:13-24 KJV
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: (here Moses was facing the people) and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening. [14] And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even? [15] And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: [16] When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. [17] And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. [18] Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. [19] Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: [20] And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. [21] Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: [22] And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. [23] If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so , then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace. [24] So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said.

*Here Jethro says thus, " Be thou for the people to God-ward, (that means, for the sake of those you are praying, stand toward God, stand facing God instead of the people, instead of being engrossed in their problems and being weighed down by those problems) that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:( bring their problems to God, tell God everything and seek His counsel)  [20] And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do ( thus you will be able to advise them and guide them to do the right thing to solve their problems through the Wisdom of God.

In summary, we as prayer warriors must employ the following strategies to win spiritual battles effectively:-

1) Go to a quiet place to seek God's face.
2) Rest your burdens on our Lord Jesus our Rock.
3) Surrender everything to God our Father.
4) Praise and worship Him as if nothing else matters, just knowing that He will fight the battle for us while we praise Him. 
5) When the battle is heavy, alert prayer partners to pray alongside with you.
6) Never give up till the battle is won.
7) Continue to stand before God for every detail in your life and seek His Counsel.

If we do this everyday we can rejoice in the Lord at all times.

Mary Augustine
17th Feb 2016

'Sermons from the Couch' Series:- No 3- Jesus is our City of Refuge!

Today while doing my quiet time with the Lord He revealed to me that whatever He did in the Old Testament was a 'Type' for the New Testament living. The Old is a shadow of the New. The Old gives way to the New, but we need the Old to understand the New. We cannot have the New without the Old.

In Joshua chapter 20:1-6,
(Joshua 20:1-6 AMP)
THE LORD said also to Joshua, [2] Say to the Israelites, Appoint among you cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, [3] That the slayer who kills anyone accidentally and unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. [4] He who flees to one of those cities shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city; they shall receive him to the protection of that city and give him a place to dwell among them. [5] If the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand, because he killed his neighbor unintentionally, having had no hatred for him previously. [6] And he shall dwell in that city until he has been tried before the congregation and until the death of him who is the high priest in those days. Then the slayer shall return to his own city from which he fled and to his own house.

Just as God told Joshua to set aside cities of refuge, God Himself set aside Christ Jesus as our City of Refuge.

God told Joshua that the cites of refuge will be places of refuge for those who unknowingly commit a murder, where they can run to, plead their case at the gate and be taken in and kept in safety from the avenger of blood.

Similarly we who give in to our natural tendencies and commit any sin (except the sin against the Holy Spirit) can run to Jesus and plead our case, that is repent of our sins and we will be let into the gate Who is Jesus Himself and we will be able to abide in Him and be protected from the blood avenger who is Satan who accuses us day and night before God's throne.

Job 1:6 AMP
Now there was a day when the sons (the angels) of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (the adversary and accuser) also came among them.

Revelation 12:10-11 AMP
Then I heard a strong (loud) voice in heaven, saying, Now it has come--the salvation and the power and the kingdom (the dominion, the reign) of our God, and the power (the sovereignty, the authority) of His Christ (the Messiah); for the accuser of our brethren, he who keeps bringing before our God charges against them day and night, has been cast out! [11] And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony, for they did not love and cling to life even when faced with death holding their lives cheap till they had to die for their witnessing.

The Blood of Christ will protect us from the enemy of our body, soul and spirit. The Blood of Christ is our hedge of protection. Jesus is our City of Refuge.

Jesus Himself has proclaimed in the Gospel.of John,
John 14:5-6 (Aramaic Bible) 5Thoma(Thomas) said to him, "Our Lord, we do not know where you are going and how can we know the way?" 6Yeshua(Jesus) said to him, "I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Way and The Truth and The Life; no man comes to my Father but by me alone."

Jesus also told us that He is the Gate (Door) in the Gospel of John chapter 10,
John 10:9 AMP
I am the Door; anyone who enters in through Me will be saved (will live). He will come in and he will go out freely, and will find pasture.

Therefore let us always remember the following 4 points:-
1)that we have a refuge in Christ Jesus,
2)that His blood covers all our wrongs if we run to Him, repent and plead forgiveness,
3) that He, Jesus is the Only Way to the Father and the Only Gate where we can enter through and live,
4) finally that the accuser, the avenger of blood who is Satan has already been defeated by Christ on the cross and only in Christ we will be protected from him.

Thank You Holy Spirit for this revelation. 

Mary Augustine.

Excommunication of Catholics from the church is it justified?

Read the excerpt from the Catholic apologetics, then read my view on it.

The following para is an excerpt from a Catholic apologetics:-

Quote:- "There are many reasons the Roman Catholic Church is the true Church of Jesus Christ, however, some of those reasons are necessary for discussions with those outside the Catholic Church. Jesus prayed for unity of believers and unity begins with understanding. The understanding of the Church’s beliefs is essential in working toward that unity. Here are some key reasons to keep in mind when speaking to non-Catholics:

1.) Authority– Jesus gave specific instructions regarding dealing with members of the Church who were in sin. Matthew 18:15-18 says “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” What Evangelical/Protestant Church has the authority to remove someone completely from the church? None. If an individual is removed from a ‘congregation’ then he/she can go down the street and join another ‘congregation’ of the same denomination. The congregations are individualized and have no authority outside their own denomination. That is not true with the Catholic Church. If removed from the Catholic Church, one cannot go to another city and join another Catholic Parish." Unquote.

My answer to this is as follows:-

In Matthew Chapter 18 Jesus was talking to His apostles giving them the authority as a body of church. Not to Peter specifically. Now  every believer's duty is to correct a believer who is not walking in the ways  of Christ. By telling the apostles that they have to go through the 3 steps before treating him as a Gentile shows that we cannot keep silent when we see our brother sinning and next after the three steps he does not listen, we are to treat him as a Gentile or a tax collector, meaning that we are to leave him alone. Not chase him away from the very place where there is a chance that he may repent and change eventually. The priest or pastor in his sermons must keep expounding the gospels and the epistles and pray with a group of sincere believers for those hardened sinners that they may repent and change instead of chasing all who would not listen. It is as if they are helping Satan to populate hell. Then immediately after this Jesus says, Matthew 18:18-20 NIV
“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. [19] “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. [20] For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Here Jesus wants two or more believers to pray for the one who would not listen, for the one who was treated like a Gentile and a tax collector. He wants us to do spiritual warfare, the binding of the strongman (evil spirit) and the loosing of God's virtues and the Holy Spirit into him.

Jesus is not saying, "I only give you Peter the authority to bind and loose!" And furthermore what is this binding and loosing about? Is it not the strongmen(the spirits of satan and it's cohorts) which we must bind and is it not the virtues of the Holy Spirit we must loose within the people we pray for? The Catholic church is taking this out of context.

In those days when the popes were ruling and had great powers, they kept excommunicating all those who went against their authority. It was merely for political reasons that they were excommunicated.  Thus it has been handed down as a tradition.

James in his letter says... James 5:16 King James Version (KJV)
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Yes the effectual fervent prayer of the priest or pastor if he is righteous will avail much.

In verses 22-35 Jesus answers Peter who asks Him how many times he must forgive the one who sins against him, that he must forgive him 77times and ends with a parable. This again is connected with verse 15. This clearly proves that Jesus wants us to forgive that person and not cut him off from the community of believers.

Now to say that the Catholic who is removed from the church will not and cannot go to another church is pure rubbish. Because I personally have seen  many such Catholics go to another Catholic church in a different district and also they receive communion after going through divorce and re-marrying outside the church, receiving communion while still living in sin (in an adulterous relationship) cause they want to portray themselves as normal good Catholics in the eyes of those in church. All because they are not prayed for and corrected in love. They still want to follow traditions and think that if they leave they will go to hell. The Catholic church has taught them and frightened them thus. It has not  taught them  to follow Christ's commandments to love God ( never to hurt Him by sinning against Him - first 3 commandments) and to love their neighbour as themselves ( to follow the rest of the commandments in love).

Now I  disagree with the excommunication of Catholics from church. When the Catholic church chases them out where would they go?

There are wolves out there waiting for people to be excommunicated, to pounce on them in pretentious love and lure them to the seemingly loving and caring Hindhu, Buddhist and Muslim communities where they will be welcomed with arms of love.

Has the Catholic church thought about their souls? Where would they end up in?  Why did Jesus even mention praying in His name and about the binding and loosing immediately after telling them to treat them as Gentiles?

This is what we as Christians must do. We must tell the person if he is doing wrong, that he is doing something against God's laws. If he refuses to listen bring along another believer to talk to him. If he still refuses to change bring the matter to his priest or pastor. If he still is adamant in his ways, then leave him alone. But pray with another believer or more believers for him in Jesus' name and bind the strongman in him, cast it out and loose the gifts of God's Holy Spirit in him. Keep praying for him till he changes. Trust in the promises of Christ for the man's change.

If the Catholic church is the true church as they claim, then God's Word and His Commandments will take precedence and only Christ will be worshipped, not traditions, human (papal)authority, power and money.

Christianity had already spread to many parts of the world even before the Roman church was established. Here is the proof:- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_centers_of_Christianity

Be blessed when you know the TRUTH!
Mary Augustine.