When our focus in on the way things have always been done and on the culture around us accepting us we cannot serve Christ. Those who are in bondage to the cultural traditions of our age will be weak and worried all the time about obtaining approval of men rather than approval of God.
It has been my experience more than anything else in the modern church that people call obedience to Christ "legalism" while judging those who are free from man-made rules when they obey Christ.
Legalism is following man's rules to please man and obedience is adhering to God's principles in His Word to please Christ.
When we step out of the legalism of man and obey Christ we will be judged by the superficial church attendees as disobedient for not following their version of spirituality made up by men who love to control others.
Matthew 23:4: "They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger".
Matthew 23:5-6 "5 All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. 6They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues,…"
The modern one-man-paid pastor system affords prideful teachers to elevate themselves above others as though those without a degree cannot hear from the Holy Spirit. Even though many of them would pretend they are not greater than the Holy Spirit in all believers, they will act as though only they can know the truth.
Remember that the Holy Spirit is our teacher and there is no one greater than He and that He lives in everyone who has been born again.
Many people who say they are Christians, who attend church gatherings and do good deeds deny Christ by their refusal to seek His Word and the Holy Spirit causing them to follow the lies of the culture and psychology rather than Christ Himself.
Every time these pretenders add to the Word or ignore it for their own desired results they are denying Christ. Christ is the very essence of His Own Word.
Matthew 15:8-9
"8 ‘This people honors me with their lips,[a]
but their hearts are far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.’”
We ought to be more concerned about the church changing the word of God to suit their own desires than we are about what the world is doing in politics. After all, the world will always deny Christ but for a "Christian" to deny the words of Christ is even worse.
It has been my experience that most "Christians" who are corrected with God's Word will argue, fight or dismiss and demean anyone who challenges them to follow Christ through obedience to His word.
Christian family will exclude anyone who corrects with the Word of God, and yet they will still say they are Bible believers. Yes, it is true they are Bible believers, but they are not Bible followers. Even the devil believes in Christ, he knows who Christ is and rejects Him.
We are living in the end times in which many will have a form of Christianity but deny Christ in its disobedience to Him. They mock the Holy Spirit, they mock us who belong to Christ and they refuse to look into the Word of God to prove what is true.
These are the end days of apostasy growing more mean-spirited every day, without a conscience or shame for their rebellion.
Isaiah 29:13
"Therefore the Lord said: "These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men."
Mark 7:6
"Jesus answered them, "Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: 'These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me."
John 5:23
"so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him."
Next time you are tempted to feel rejected by family and friends, remember they did it to Christ and the apostles too, we have no reason to think we will escape it.
Hallelujah
James 1:2-4
"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
Matthew 5:10-12 "…10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.…"
Keep these passages in your mind when you encounter those who hate you because you love Christ and His principles.
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