Nothing has changed, religious leaders of today act no differently from those in the time of Jesus Christ. Proud and restrictive, judging by their own rules and ideas they oppress those they lead while refusing to be taught themselves by others who are filled with the Holy Spirit.
Eight Woes of the Pharisees
15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’
17 You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold?
18 And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering that is on it is obligated.’
19 You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering?
20 Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it.
21 And the one who swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells in it.
22 And the one who swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.
26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may also become clean.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
28 So you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,
30 and you say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
31 So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 [ab]Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers.
33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?
34 “Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city,
35 so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
We do not see persecution as blatantly as described in the days of Jesus Christ but we do see very subtle hatred that comes in the form of isolation from the group, indifference to God's Word, dismissiveness when we speak the principles of God as well as lies that are told against us to remove any support system from us.
God said if we so much as hate our brother it is the same as murder. There are those within the organized church who hate those who speak the truths of God's Word. They exclude them in subtle ways while demeaning them to others in mocking.
The modern church and its hierarchy are no different from the Pharisees in the days of Jesus Christ. People still elevate the leaders as special, the leaders desire to be obeyed and expect obedience as though they are a king. This is not the order of God's gathering as described in the New Testament. The leaders are to be plural and they lead by example and teaching but it is only the Holy Spirit Who has authority over the born-again believer.
Leading does not mean dominance over and it does mean service to the people out of a humble Spirit desiring to love all brothers and sisters with a sacrificial love that can only come about by the Holy Spirit.
May the Lord open our eyes further as we seek the Holy Spirit and His Word for wisdom.
No comments:
Post a Comment