Isaiah 8:11-13
"11 For thus the Lord spoke to me with mighty power and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying,
12 “You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’
In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy,
And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.
13 “It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy.
And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread."
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Willful Ignorance
When the Lord has clearly spoken what we are to do and we ignore it, we are sinning.
Many people do not read their Bibles or take heed to what is written there if they do read it. They do this because they do not want to obey.
In their heart of hearts they know they will be responsible for what they have discovered, so they determine to remain ignorant. It is called willful ignorance.
There is a Biblical principle that is often spoken of in our laws. The saying goes like this, "Ignorance of the Law is no excuse."
When we don't know the answer we are responsible to ask God for it. If we do not ask God we will be responsible for not asking and not knowing.
When we drag our feet in obedience to Him, after He has revealed truth to us, then we are disobeying willfully.
James 4:17
"Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin."
Many people do not read their Bibles or take heed to what is written there if they do read it. They do this because they do not want to obey.
In their heart of hearts they know they will be responsible for what they have discovered, so they determine to remain ignorant. It is called willful ignorance.
There is a Biblical principle that is often spoken of in our laws. The saying goes like this, "Ignorance of the Law is no excuse."
When we don't know the answer we are responsible to ask God for it. If we do not ask God we will be responsible for not asking and not knowing.
When we drag our feet in obedience to Him, after He has revealed truth to us, then we are disobeying willfully.
James 4:17
"Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin."
Do Not Receive Him
Do we obey this?
2 John 10 & 11
"If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting."
"for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds."
2 John 10 & 11
"If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting."
"for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds."
Foolishness Is Not For The House Of God
As a former Catholic!
The Catholics are heavily dependent on their church traditions. They actually say in the documents that their traditions are as binding and powerful as the principles of Christ. They don't read the Bible as a whole, only portions, but speak continually about their man made rules. Mary is often on their lips, to do for them what should be attributed only to Christ.
Their worship days are called "holy days of OBLIGATION", this phrase tells us a lot. All the Catholics I knew were more concerned about ritual than God. The name of Christ never rolled off their tongues, but Mary came up regularly.
When worshiping God is an "obligation" then we can be sure there is a desire not to have to do it. Those who love Christ want to worship Him, we are driven by our total dedication to Him. He is our companion, our lover, our brother, One we love to be with and wait somewhat impatiently to be reunited with in eternity.
1 John 5:3-5
"3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"
I know because I was once Catholic, when the Lord brought me out, I was hated by all those Catholics who knew I had left. They were angry whenever the Bible was mentioned and called me names like "Bible Thumper."
I was ridiculed, excluded from family and friends and gossiped about. Now try to tell me there is any Christlike love in the Catholic church!
Sadly, I am now experiencing similar things in the so called "evangelical" churches. They have left the Bible behind in favor of their traditions, although different from the Catholic church, they are nonetheless traditions.
Some of their traditions include "self esteem"teaching, the holidays that were never mandated by Christ and are heavily paganistic with Christ tacked on to make the people feel justified in them.
The Lord's supper is being neglected to a great extent in most evangelical churches today. It is a side note that comes up occasionally. The first century church observed the Lord's supper every time they met, no matter how often. Their focus was Christ and His work on behalf of mankind.
Much of what goes on in the Evangelical church, is "a form of religion" that denies the power of God and depends heavily on human ingenuity. The sermons have become joke fests focused on pleasing the people. The idea that if they make people happy then the people will like Christ. This is an abomination.
Christ was never concerned about "pleasing the people." He had one mission and that was to show people their sin and the solution to it, being His propitiation for it on our behalf.
If the Holy Spirit were in the modern church, we would see more weeping over sin and brokenness over the lost. What we see instead is foolish levity, silly joking and childish laughing.
What passes for "Christian" now, is an abomination to Christ. It is man made, superficial and socially and pleasure oriented. There is little love for the brethren, a trait that God says is evidence of our love for Him.
1 John 3:14 "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death."
There is more of the world in the church than there is holiness of the believer.
Luke 10:27
"27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”
James 4:4
"4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
1 Corinthians 10:31
"31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
Romans 12:1
"12 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service of worship."
May the modern church repent of it foolishness and begin to take seriously what Christ did and what we are, I am quite sure there would be little laughing in the church, but far more repenting and confession.
The Catholics are heavily dependent on their church traditions. They actually say in the documents that their traditions are as binding and powerful as the principles of Christ. They don't read the Bible as a whole, only portions, but speak continually about their man made rules. Mary is often on their lips, to do for them what should be attributed only to Christ.
Their worship days are called "holy days of OBLIGATION", this phrase tells us a lot. All the Catholics I knew were more concerned about ritual than God. The name of Christ never rolled off their tongues, but Mary came up regularly.
When worshiping God is an "obligation" then we can be sure there is a desire not to have to do it. Those who love Christ want to worship Him, we are driven by our total dedication to Him. He is our companion, our lover, our brother, One we love to be with and wait somewhat impatiently to be reunited with in eternity.
1 John 5:3-5
"3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"
I know because I was once Catholic, when the Lord brought me out, I was hated by all those Catholics who knew I had left. They were angry whenever the Bible was mentioned and called me names like "Bible Thumper."
I was ridiculed, excluded from family and friends and gossiped about. Now try to tell me there is any Christlike love in the Catholic church!
Sadly, I am now experiencing similar things in the so called "evangelical" churches. They have left the Bible behind in favor of their traditions, although different from the Catholic church, they are nonetheless traditions.
Some of their traditions include "self esteem"teaching, the holidays that were never mandated by Christ and are heavily paganistic with Christ tacked on to make the people feel justified in them.
The Lord's supper is being neglected to a great extent in most evangelical churches today. It is a side note that comes up occasionally. The first century church observed the Lord's supper every time they met, no matter how often. Their focus was Christ and His work on behalf of mankind.
Much of what goes on in the Evangelical church, is "a form of religion" that denies the power of God and depends heavily on human ingenuity. The sermons have become joke fests focused on pleasing the people. The idea that if they make people happy then the people will like Christ. This is an abomination.
Christ was never concerned about "pleasing the people." He had one mission and that was to show people their sin and the solution to it, being His propitiation for it on our behalf.
If the Holy Spirit were in the modern church, we would see more weeping over sin and brokenness over the lost. What we see instead is foolish levity, silly joking and childish laughing.
What passes for "Christian" now, is an abomination to Christ. It is man made, superficial and socially and pleasure oriented. There is little love for the brethren, a trait that God says is evidence of our love for Him.
1 John 3:14 "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death."
There is more of the world in the church than there is holiness of the believer.
Luke 10:27
"27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”
James 4:4
"4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
1 Corinthians 10:31
"31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
Romans 12:1
"12 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service of worship."
May the modern church repent of it foolishness and begin to take seriously what Christ did and what we are, I am quite sure there would be little laughing in the church, but far more repenting and confession.
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