Over the years, God has shown me many things. I have outgrown the beliefs and systems of the world as I depend entirely on the Holy Spirit to guide me.
God began to challenge me while I was in the Catholic Church, and when I left that system, He continued to challenge me in the Evangelical system.
Eventually, I left that system too and can never return to any system that promotes a form of hierarchy that usurps the Holy Spirit.
When we begin to obey the Holy Spirit walking in deeper understandings according to the Word of God, we no longer fit into any man-made system that is based on rituals and practices devised by men that those systems think are helping God.
When we rely on men for our understanding, we will see many traditions that God never commanded that tend to distract from intimacy with Christ while elevating men.
The one-man-paid-pastor system was devised by men, not God.
The pews all face forward, giving one man all the attention and power over the people. The people believed him without challenge.
One person chooses the songs while those in the pews do what they are told.
A sermon by one person while the others are expected to remain silent.
The one man in the pulpit is seen as the authority over the people rather than a servant to all while negating the leading of the Holy Spirit.
The Evangelical system is so broken the only way to fix it is to leave those groups of large people and begin again in homes as the first-century gathering practiced.
When the people in the pews below the pulpit see the man in the pulpit as above them, smarter and more educated than themselves, and worse more led by the Holy Spirit than they, we have idol worship of a man instead of the leading of the Holy Spirit.
God gave commands for the gatherings to be led by the Holy Spirit in all the believers in the gathering. No one was elevated, no one had more authority than the others. The leaders were servants, not authorities over the people.
1 Corinthians 14:26 " 26 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done to build up the church."
We come together to edify one another in the word, and all participate as led by the Holy Spirit. I have seen this in practic,e and it was a beautiful thing. Someone would ask for a song, others would pray, while some would read from the word, and all was done to glorify God in Christ's name. No one was elevated above anyone else, and no one was elevated above the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5:19 "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord,"
When this was done God's way, He was glorified, no human being was.
Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."
Romans 12:6-8 "We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith; if it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is giving, let him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."
1 Peter 4:10-11 "As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another. If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen."
Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
Acts 2:42-47 "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. A sense of awe came over everyone, and the apostles performed many wonders and signs. All the believers were together and had everything in common."
In our modern system of apostasy, people are elevated, show off, and demand money from others to pay for their salaries, the buildings, uniforms for the choir, and send children on mission trips that are more like vacations than anything else. They must pay for the fun things, the useless things, and the things that elevate pleasure above the gospel. In short, they are a social club with religious leanings.
No one is edified to go into their world speaking the gospel to the lost. No one learns very much because the sermon speaks so generically and without conviction that the people are open-eyed sleeping people. They can't even remember what the sermon was about when they reach the parking lot to drive back home to their neighborhood 30 minutes away.
No one weeps in the pews from conviction; in fact, there is often laughing and clapping at the "funny" sermon or the happy story that was told to keep the people entertained. Then there is the music and the "worship leaders" who entertain too. The Holy Spirit is not the leader in these places; the people are, and they are very worldly.
Those in the building never see the others during the week, don't know their lives nor do they care. It's all about the enjoyment of the "service" and the superficial friendliness of the people as they come in or exit the building.
The one who mentions the name of Jesus Christ outside the building is ignored because of the embarrassment it brings to those who love their happy social club.
2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…2Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.…"
If you don't believe me, correct someone on doctrine or criticize their observance of Halloween and see what comes out. You will be treated as though you were rude and the one who causes division by remaining faithful to the word of God.
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