John 15: 13-14 "12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you.…"
There are those who want us to give up our devotion to Christ in order to advance their own pleasures, this is not the self-sacrifice God describes in His Word.
Most "self-sacrifice" today is done with fan-fair and media attention to promote self, it also is not the self sacrifice God speaks of in His Word.
Matthew 6:1-2 "1“Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men 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 sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.…"
Matthew 23:1-32 "23 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples,
2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses.
3 Therefore, whatever they tell you, do and comply with it all, but do not do as they do; for they say things and do not do them.
4 And they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as their finger.
5 And they do all their deeds to be noticed by other people; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.
6 And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the seats of honor in the synagogues,
7 and personal greetings in the marketplaces, and being called Rabbi by the people.
8 But as for you, do not be called Rabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters.
9 And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
10 And do not be called leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ.
11 But the greatest of you shall be your servant.
12 Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
Eight Woes
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
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 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?'"
Those men who insist on being called "Pastor" or "Priest" or "Father: as their official title are acting no differently from the attitude of the Pharisees.
They are expecting special treatment above others in the gathering of believers as well as believing those in the pews cannot know as much as they know.
These self-righteous ones negate the work of the Holy Spirit by the lack of encouragement for all believers to be led by the Holy Spirit. Everything is done according to the mandates of that "specially educated person" who dominates over others rather than serving them.
Every born-again believer in a Christian gathering has gifts and talents given to them by God. No one is above another.
In the modern gathering, the people who sit in the pews remain stoic and unresponsive while the person up front known as the "pastor" dictates to them. This is the opposite of what God ordered for His church.
We have made lifeless dead spectators out of the people of God by our human rules that only the "pastor" speaks. The word "pastor" has become a title and a position rather than what God meant for it to be, that is a gift and calling without hierarchy status.
Since the church has been off track for so long now it is impossible for most church attendees to wrap their mind around the way God commanded it to be.
Every person participated in the worship around the Lord's supper and every man participated in the teaching.
If you wish to know the order of the meeting when believers come together read 1 Corinthians 14, to see that the only One in authority is the Holy Spirit and the men speak as they are led.
The Holy Spirit does not lead in the gatherings anymore, the men lead and tell the Holy Spirit to bless what they have chosen. I call this arrogance and I also call it out for what it is, that is placing man as the authority above God.
No wonder those who love God with all their heart are leaving the gatherings to remain at home with those who agree with God.
No comments:
Post a Comment