THE IGLESIA NI CRISTO (CHURCH OF CHRIST OF FYM) IN A NUTSHELL, PART 7

This is a continuation of the series.

Q: How much is probably the expenses of the Iglesia ni Cristo?
A: The Iglesia ni Cristo's expenses strictly speaking are the allowances being paid to its 1,000 (approx.) full time ministers in the Philippines and around the globe. At an average of yearly allowance of $12,000 each, total allowance is $12,000,000. Take this out from the annual receipts of $75,000,000 will leave net Manalo receipts of $63,000,000. Other expenses such as utilities, telephones, supplies,and others, are all paid from the local oferings. Strictly speaking, the local offerings pays for all expenses other than the minister's allowance and travel expenses. Therefore, if we take out the local offerings of #3,000,000 the net takes of the Iglesia ni Cristo owner is $60,000,000 tax free.

Q: What is Gospel of Manalo Doctrine Lesson 8 and what are its fallacies?
A: An excerpt of Gospel of Manalo Lesson No. 8 follows:

" LESSON NO. 8 - Not by Faith Only
Theme: Salvation Cannot Be Attained By Faith Alone
Summary: Many Protestant groups uphold the belief that faith alone in Christ is sufficient for salvation. They have excluded other necessary conditions such as baptism (Mt.16:15-16), Church Membership (Jn.10:9,Acts 2:47, 20:28 Lamsa), suffering for Christ's sake (Phil.1:29), works (Js.2:14,17,20), preaching by the messenger of God (Acts 16:32-33), remaining in the true church (Jn.15:5-6), holding firm and obey Gospel (1 Cor.15:1-2 NIV), enduring & remaining till end (Mt.24:13). Their faith-alone concept of salvation is in direct conflict with the teachings of the Bible where we can find pronouncements that man is not justified by faith only (Js.2:24)." (Fundamental Beliefs of the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ),Erano G. Manalo, 1989, p.32)

The fallacies of this Gospel of Manalo Lesson 8:

Manalo has been misusing the words of Apostle James to enslave all Iglesia ni Cristo members to do works for the Iglesia ni Cristo cult. Let's read the verse being perverted:

"You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only." (Js.2:24 NKJV)

This statement by Apostle James is a conclusion to the paragraph. In order to see what the Apostle is saying, we have to read the whole paragraph. The paragraph starts in Verse 18 and ends in Verse 24. What did Apostle James want us to see? In Verse 22, this is what he says:

"Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?" (Js.2:22 NKJV)

Now we know what Apostle James wants us to see---To see that FAITH WAS WORKING TOGETHER WITH HIS WORKS. Faith and works are working together. They go hand in hand. They cannot be separated. You cannot just do works alone. Or vice versa, you cannot just have faith alone. Manalo had been perverting this teachings of Apostle James by separating works from faith. How does Manalo separates the works from faith? He separates them by requiring the many works for the Iglesia ni Cristo as requirements for salvation.

The real works taught by Apostle James

What works does Apostle James teach? We have to know the kind of works being taught by the Apostle James because Manalo, the three arm nocturnal buddy bandit of the devil who has a penchant for changing the words of God is out there seeking to capture people to become his slaves. Let's read the real works taught by Apostle James:

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom." (Js.3:13 NKJV)

The bandit is caught in his deceptions! The works that we must do is showing good conduct! Which are these? Further down, we read that these are the works or fruits of righteousness:

"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruits of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." (Js. 3:17-18 NKJV)

The works that we must do is the conduct of purity, peaceableness, gentleness, yielding willingly, mercifulness and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy or truthfulness.

Compare the above works prescribed by Apostle James with the following works prescribed by Manalo:

"Brethren, do the following works: Do not leave the Iglesia ni Cristo or else you will be thrown by God to the lake of fire; Do not be absent from the Thursday and Sunday worship services or else there will be no mre sacrifice for your sin but a fearful fire to devour you, plus, your deacon or deaconess will appear at your door to extract your reasons for being absent; Do give to the many kinds of offerings, contributions, and deposits or else you will rob God; Do produce always visitors to the bible manipulation studies or else Christ will chop you off from the vine; Do listen to the church administration messages from your deacon/deaconess in your house during weekly committee prayer conductance or else you are a church administrator rebel; Do buy food and snacks or cook meals from your house budget in order to bring to the bible manipulation studies or else you have stopped building up riches for the life to come; Do go nightly to the devotional prayers or else God will not have pleasure on you; Do always obey the Church Administrator or else he will be grieved and that is unprofitable for you; Endure doing all the above works until the end of your life or else you will not be saved."

Let us now deal on Manalo's requirements for salvation

1) On baptism (Mk.16:15-16)

"And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." (Mk.16:15-16 NKJV)

The bandit has changed the commandment of Christ. Christ's command is to go into all the world, the bandit, however, commanded his ministers to go into all the chapels of the Iglesia ni Cristo to preach the gospel. What is the second requirement of Christ? It is believing. Who? Let's read who should we believe:

"And he brough them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." (Acts 16:30-31 NKJV_

Bandit Manalo is caught again in his deceptions. It should be the Lord Jesus Christ whom we must believe, not Manalo, the bandit. And the third requirement is baptism. Here again, we must know to what name we must be baptized. Let's read:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Mt.28:19-20 NKJV)

Where did the bandit go? He had changed the name of God we should be baptized. Christ's command is we should be baptized in the name of the Trinity, which is, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, but the bandit had been baptizing in the name of the Father only because he had rejected the Trinity. As a consequence, he had thrown out the Son and the Holy Spirit.

2) On Church of Christ membership

"I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." (Jn.10:9 NKJV)

As usual, the bandit has changed the words of God, It is Christ who is the door, but, the bandit replaced the door with Church of Christ. What else? Those who are saved can go in and out. What about the rule of Manalo? Oh no, you can go in, but, you can not go out. You are imprisoned. What else? He had changed the word "church" of Verse Acts 2:47 into "Church". Let's read the verse:

"And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:47 NKJV)

The bandit, instead of always carrying the American Express Card, he always carries a pair of scissors, and pastes, and supplies of capital letter "C's, a technique where later on when you are not looking at his hands, "Church" becomes "Church of Christ".

Where are those being saved really added to? Let's read the explanation of the Bible:

"And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women." (Acts 5:14 NKJV)

The bandit's happy cutting and pasting sprees are over. Those being saved are really added to the Lord. Where will the bandit now paste his stocks of capital "C's? The word "Lord" can't be changed anymore to "Church".

3) On Suffering for Christ's sake

Let's read the verse being used by Manalo:

"For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake." (Phil.1:29 NKJV)

As written, sufferings is for Christ's sake. It is never for the Church of Christ's sake. What is this business of not exchanging Church of Chrit memberships with anything else in this world? It is the business of changing what is written in the Bible. Sufferings is for Christ, not for the Church of Christ. What other changes made by Manalo? Fill in the blanks:

"For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in ________ but also to suffer for ___________ sake."

The bandit's answer for Blank #1 is Felix Manalo, while his answer for Blank #2 is Church of Christ.

4) On necessity of preaching by a messenger of God

"Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately, he and his family were baptized." (Acts 16:32-33 NKJV)

Paul and Silas, who baptized the keeper of the prison and his household were messengers of Christ. There is only one Messenger of God in the Christian era---Jesus Christ (1 Jn.4:14 NKJV).

Christ had set up the rule on proper way of connecting with God. According to Christ, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me(Jn.13:20 NKJV).

Therefore, the set up is: From God, to His Messenger Christ, to Christ's messenger Apostles, to people. And from the people, to Christ's messenger apostles, to God's messenger Christ, to God.

Bad news for the bandit. Where will he place his body in this orderly set up? He is damned if he takes the office of Christ as messenger of God because that would be war against God and against Christ. He is damned if he will change his title to be Messenger of Christ at this late hour because all Iglesia members already know he represented himself as Messenger of God. The more he will be damned if he will at the last minute change his title as messenger of the Apostles because Iglesia members will kick his ass for lying to them as God's messenger. Well, for son Erano, it will be a helluva of problems on how to solve the mess created by father Felix.

Let's go now how the Apostles baptize those who are being added to the Lord Jesus Christ. According to Acts 16:33, the prison keeper and his household were baptized that SAME HOUR of the night. Uh oh, how does the bandit baptizes his converts? My goodness, the one hour of the apostles time becomes months of indoctrinations and trial periods of attending six months of worship services and committee prayers before being baptized. Indoctrinees must even have a school bag to keep his attendance slips. Manalo trains his indoctrinees in patience because his converts are not added to the Lord but are added to the Iglesia ni Cristo concentration camps

5) On remaining in the true church

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (Jn.15:5-6 NKJV)

The vine is Christ! The bandit has changed the vine into Church of Christ. Again, the bandit has changed Christ into Church of Christ as the one whom to abide.
Bad news to all Iglesia members---They can not do anything to save themselves because they are not in Christ as the vine, but, they are in the Iglesia ni Cristo vine. They have listened to the bandit's vine instead of the true vine which is Christ. The bandit's vine's end leads to the Gulag prison of Manalo.

6) On holding fast and obeying the gospel

"Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain." (1 Cor.15:1-2 NIV)

It takes a detective work to know why Manalo had used the NIV this time. The question is, which is this gospel that is preached by Apostle Paul? It is no other than the gospel of Christ (Rom.1:16 NKJV). Therefore, it is the gospel of Christ where we must be saved. What about the gospel of Manalo? Guess if you will be saved by the gospel of the bandit? Absolutely not! The bandit is not the Savior. Apostle Paul says we must hold firmly to the gospel of Christ. What do you think will happen if you will hold firmly to the gospel of Manalo? Surely, if you will hold fast to the bandit, you will be losing your monies.

7) On enduring and remaining until the end

Matthew 24:13 is the most favorite verse of the bandit. This verse is what makes him go on in his labors night and day of deceiving Iglesia members. Everytime the bandit is tired, or in the midst of tribulations, or anxieties, he retreats to his secret chamber and there underneath the cover of his desk is the verse which gives him strength to go on to oversee the Iglesia ni Cristo prison camp. Let's read the verse:

"But he who endures to the end shall be saved." (Mt.24:13 NKJV)

Manalo takes pleasure in the verse. He must endure giving punishments to all Iglesia members. He must continue to increase their duties, their responsibilities, more work,more reports, more monies to give, more meetings, devotional prayers.

What does Lord Jesus Christ want us to endure? Let's read:

"And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved." (Mk.13:13 NKJV)

Bandit Manalo will not be called bandit for nothing. He is expert in scamming his members. Imagine? Manalo had been requiring all Iglesia members to do this and that, and this and that, and other chicaneries and telling members they won't be saved unles and until they endure doing them until the end of their lives when what should be endured is just the persecutions in Christ's name, nothing else? What a scam artist.

TO BE CONTINUED