Sunday, October 18, 2026
Unsolicited Advice is the New Hate Speech
I have been giving unsolicited advice for years. God never said to wait for someone to ask for it. Their response tells me a lot!!
Unsolicited advice is the new hate speech! If they tell you their problems, you are free to give an answer to their problem.
If you don't want my advice, don't tell me your problems. Walls will serve as well as a person if silence is the expectation.
The god of the Modern Christian is not the God of the Bible
Modern Christianity makes the people their god, themselves their god, and anything they like to believe is their god.
Those who love to think of themselves as above God, just as the devil enticed Eve to do in the garden, reject most of God's principles in the Bible. They pick and choose what they like, change what they don't like, and ignore the rest.
They embrace divorce and remarriage with excuses God never gave. They endorse disrespect for their elders with excuses in their own minds because of their own desires. They live in worldly pleasures as though they were needs.
Those who live worldly while attending Christian gatherings regularly afford themselves the luxury of arguing to win rather than discussing to find truth. They care only about appearing superior; truth does not matter to them.
Those who love to win over others do not care about the others they think they rule over. They study the Bible to find good-sounding arguments to make themselves appear "first rate and first class" above others. They change the truth of God into a lie, judge and bludgeon those who do not fall for their tricks through gossip and lies devised in their own heads.
Truth does not matter to these self-exalted ones; only winning matters, no matter how silly the arguments become.
Many people who attend churches deny God by denying the truth of Scripture, believing they can change meanings and replace God's truth with cultural standards while claiming God said it.
While they are saying, "I am a Bible believer", they are denying Christ by their personal philosophy based on psychology and Darwinism.
When challenged to go in prayer and ask God for the truth they go to book and human beings to hear what they want to hear.
Matthew 15:8-9 "8 ‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
9 And in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
Isaiah 65:1-2 "1“I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a nation that did not call My name, I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’ 2All day long I have held out My hands to an obstinate people who walk in the wrong path, who follow their own imaginations,"
Their claim that they are Bible believers is a lie they tell to feel good about changing what God said to make them comfortable with what they wish to believe. They act more like atheists than they do followers of Christ.
Atheism is much like a son standing in front of his mother who bore him and claiming she is not his mother. She is standing right in front of him while he is saying, "You do not exist."
Or perhaps facing his father while standing in front of him, claiming the father has no purpose or influence in his life.
Psalm 53:1 "The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their ways are vile. There is no one who does good."
Romans 1:21-23 "For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles."
In our culture, most people who would say they are Christians never say there is no God, but act and speak as though they do not know Him. Their god is not the God of the Bible; it is their own idea of a god to fit their cultural appetites.
These people believe they are going to heaven because they follow the rules they like, which appear to elevate them as special but have no concern about the other principles of God's Word that they violate every day without conscience. Their fate is frightening unless they realize it before they die and repent of it.
Matthew 7:21-23 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
The pride and smugness of how good they think they are based on their own idea of righteousness will lead them to a place they do not want to go, and they will not realize it until it is too late.
Those who love to think of themselves as above God, just as the devil enticed Eve to do in the garden, reject most of God's principles in the Bible. They pick and choose what they like, change what they don't like, and ignore the rest.
They embrace divorce and remarriage with excuses God never gave. They endorse disrespect for their elders with excuses in their own minds because of their own desires. They live in worldly pleasures as though they were needs.
Those who live worldly while attending Christian gatherings regularly afford themselves the luxury of arguing to win rather than discussing to find truth. They care only about appearing superior; truth does not matter to them.
Those who love to win over others do not care about the others they think they rule over. They study the Bible to find good-sounding arguments to make themselves appear "first rate and first class" above others. They change the truth of God into a lie, judge and bludgeon those who do not fall for their tricks through gossip and lies devised in their own heads.
Truth does not matter to these self-exalted ones; only winning matters, no matter how silly the arguments become.
Many people who attend churches deny God by denying the truth of Scripture, believing they can change meanings and replace God's truth with cultural standards while claiming God said it.
While they are saying, "I am a Bible believer", they are denying Christ by their personal philosophy based on psychology and Darwinism.
When challenged to go in prayer and ask God for the truth they go to book and human beings to hear what they want to hear.
Matthew 15:8-9 "8 ‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
9 And in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
Isaiah 65:1-2 "1“I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a nation that did not call My name, I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’ 2All day long I have held out My hands to an obstinate people who walk in the wrong path, who follow their own imaginations,"
Their claim that they are Bible believers is a lie they tell to feel good about changing what God said to make them comfortable with what they wish to believe. They act more like atheists than they do followers of Christ.
Atheism is much like a son standing in front of his mother who bore him and claiming she is not his mother. She is standing right in front of him while he is saying, "You do not exist."
Or perhaps facing his father while standing in front of him, claiming the father has no purpose or influence in his life.
Psalm 53:1 "The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their ways are vile. There is no one who does good."
Romans 1:21-23 "For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles."
In our culture, most people who would say they are Christians never say there is no God, but act and speak as though they do not know Him. Their god is not the God of the Bible; it is their own idea of a god to fit their cultural appetites.
These people believe they are going to heaven because they follow the rules they like, which appear to elevate them as special but have no concern about the other principles of God's Word that they violate every day without conscience. Their fate is frightening unless they realize it before they die and repent of it.
Matthew 7:21-23 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
The pride and smugness of how good they think they are based on their own idea of righteousness will lead them to a place they do not want to go, and they will not realize it until it is too late.
Saturday, October 17, 2026
Why They Poke at Us
We must keep in mind that unregenerate people poke at us to make us act ungodly so they can report to others how bad we are. There is no better reason than this to remain calm and silent, and to remove ourselves.
Proverbs 22:24 "Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man,"
Proverbs 13:20 "He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."
Proverbs 26:21 "Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife."
1 Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character."
Proverbs 22:24 "Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man,"
Proverbs 13:20 "He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."
Proverbs 26:21 "Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife."
1 Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character."
Do not Pray to see Only Good or Only Bad, Pray to See the Truth
We all love thinking good thoughts about people. We do not look for the bad as though we are navigating a treasure hunt to expose someone. We do not count the good we see in people as a testimony of salvation. Many unsaved people do good things; they enjoy being seen as good, but have no interest in trusting in Christ.
God revealed to me some years ago that we are to: Philippians 4:8
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
However, this instruction to dwell on the principles of God does not mean we completely ignore the evil going on in the world when it crosses our path.
Focusing on the goodness and superior principles of God is not the same as focusing on good in people. Often the good in people is an act and a smoke screen because they cannot be truly good without Christ.
If we refuse to see the evil and call it what it is, then the evil will never get fixed. We are to desire truth above everything. We do not look for the evil, nor do we look for the good; we look for the truth.
In our world today, ungodly people think there is some virtue in choosing to only see good in everything. Sadly, those who do this begin to lose sight of what is good and tend to embrace things that God calls bad.
Isaiah 5:20 "20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
If we are afraid to face the evil and call it by its name, it is an indication we are more afraid of displeasing those who love evil. It is also an indication that a part of us enjoys the evil.
Fear of displeasing evil people demonstrates a heart that is just like theirs. We only care about being accepted by people when they are our focus and not Christ.
When Christ is our focus, we don't concern ourselves with being liked or accepted by wicked people; we only care about pleasing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Years ago I watched an Andy Griffith show when the sheriff was attempting to get a criminal to like him so he could manipulate the criminal to say or do something. Andy's son Opie asked his father, "Why would I want a criminal to like me?" This was insightful, since if a criminal likes me, then he thinks I am just like him.
Isaiah 5:21: "21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight."
Some people use the excuse that if we are nice to criminals, then we can get them to like God. This is fantasy thinking! Yes, we are to treat everyone with respect, but we are not to make wicked people close companions. It has been blatantly evident that when we are c companions with fools, we become like them.
Proverbs 13:20 "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."
The need to be accepted by wicked people is an indication that we want to be seen as wise in the presence of those who are full of themselves and have no regard for Jesus Christ. Who, then, is our allegiance to: man or Christ?
If you are not willing to let go of wicked companions who attempt to draw us away from Christ and His principles, and who despise wisdom from Him, then you love them more than you love God. It is time to evaluate whether or not you have become born again.
Loss of unsaved companions is common and expected when we walk with Christ. Do not be disturbed by this. God said it would happen; we can expect it and even sense our peace return to us when those who do not love Christ work to accuse and offend us, have left.
Matthew 10:36 "36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household."
Matthew 10:22 "22 And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved."
All those who have trusted Christ and been transformed into a new creation by Him will endure to the end. Those who do not endure and walk away from Him because of the trials and wicked companions were never born again. They didn't have the strength of the Holy Spirit to sustain them.
When we have Christ, He is enough!!!!
I have not been saddened by family who rejected me because of Christ; I have only been saddened that they have rejected Christ. My prayer is not that they will return to embrace me, but that they will at some point become born again. If I never see them in this life again, I am alright with that, but I do hope that one day I will see them in heaven when they have trusted in Christ.
Pray for the unsaved to repent as much as you wish, but if you become weary from the begging, stop until the Holy Spirit tells you to begin again. God heard all the hundreds of prayers before the last one, and they still count.
Hallelujah!!!!
God revealed to me some years ago that we are to: Philippians 4:8
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
However, this instruction to dwell on the principles of God does not mean we completely ignore the evil going on in the world when it crosses our path.
Focusing on the goodness and superior principles of God is not the same as focusing on good in people. Often the good in people is an act and a smoke screen because they cannot be truly good without Christ.
If we refuse to see the evil and call it what it is, then the evil will never get fixed. We are to desire truth above everything. We do not look for the evil, nor do we look for the good; we look for the truth.
In our world today, ungodly people think there is some virtue in choosing to only see good in everything. Sadly, those who do this begin to lose sight of what is good and tend to embrace things that God calls bad.
Isaiah 5:20 "20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
If we are afraid to face the evil and call it by its name, it is an indication we are more afraid of displeasing those who love evil. It is also an indication that a part of us enjoys the evil.
Fear of displeasing evil people demonstrates a heart that is just like theirs. We only care about being accepted by people when they are our focus and not Christ.
When Christ is our focus, we don't concern ourselves with being liked or accepted by wicked people; we only care about pleasing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Years ago I watched an Andy Griffith show when the sheriff was attempting to get a criminal to like him so he could manipulate the criminal to say or do something. Andy's son Opie asked his father, "Why would I want a criminal to like me?" This was insightful, since if a criminal likes me, then he thinks I am just like him.
Isaiah 5:21: "21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight."
Some people use the excuse that if we are nice to criminals, then we can get them to like God. This is fantasy thinking! Yes, we are to treat everyone with respect, but we are not to make wicked people close companions. It has been blatantly evident that when we are c companions with fools, we become like them.
Proverbs 13:20 "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."
The need to be accepted by wicked people is an indication that we want to be seen as wise in the presence of those who are full of themselves and have no regard for Jesus Christ. Who, then, is our allegiance to: man or Christ?
If you are not willing to let go of wicked companions who attempt to draw us away from Christ and His principles, and who despise wisdom from Him, then you love them more than you love God. It is time to evaluate whether or not you have become born again.
Loss of unsaved companions is common and expected when we walk with Christ. Do not be disturbed by this. God said it would happen; we can expect it and even sense our peace return to us when those who do not love Christ work to accuse and offend us, have left.
Matthew 10:36 "36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household."
Matthew 10:22 "22 And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved."
All those who have trusted Christ and been transformed into a new creation by Him will endure to the end. Those who do not endure and walk away from Him because of the trials and wicked companions were never born again. They didn't have the strength of the Holy Spirit to sustain them.
When we have Christ, He is enough!!!!
I have not been saddened by family who rejected me because of Christ; I have only been saddened that they have rejected Christ. My prayer is not that they will return to embrace me, but that they will at some point become born again. If I never see them in this life again, I am alright with that, but I do hope that one day I will see them in heaven when they have trusted in Christ.
Pray for the unsaved to repent as much as you wish, but if you become weary from the begging, stop until the Holy Spirit tells you to begin again. God heard all the hundreds of prayers before the last one, and they still count.
Hallelujah!!!!
Friday, October 16, 2026
Just Like in the Days of Noah
Remember, too, that many, many people in the waters below the ark were relatives of Noah. I find it interesting that God did not tell Noah to close the door of the ark; God closed it. I have to believe it was because God did not want Noah to go the rest of his life feeling he was the one who would not let them in to save them. He trusted in God and God did it.
Most of our relatives will reject Christ. Some will claim they have Him but do not obey Him.
Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Matthew 7:13-15 "13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it. 15 Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves."
The Lazy Cleaning Lady is Easier to Spot than the Phony Christian
I knew a woman who hired cleaning ladies, and each time the job was finished, she was pleased. The cleaners were pleasant, did a good job (or so she thought), and worked quickly (Maybe too quickly.
Then one day the woman's husband dropped some water on the kitchen floor; he bent down to wipe it up with a paper towel, and on the towel was a lot of dirt. The cleaners had been there just two days earlier.
The cleaning ladies had neglected to clean the floors well because they didn't look dirty. It was the kind of flooring that hid the dirt. There were other things she noticed, tables that were undusted and other things, but she passed them off as small matters.
This reminded me of the Christian life. Some people act pious and full of pride about how good they think they are while displaying false humility to others around them.
These people look clean on the outside, but on the inside they are basically lazy and counterfeit, pretending on the outside while full of anger and disrespect on the inside.
Notice that the floor didn't LOOK as dirty as it was in the case of the false cleaning ladies. The woman who hired the cleaners thought the floors had been mopped. When she discovered just the opposite was true, the floors had not been mopped; they had been spritzed a little to make it look like they had been cleaned.
Many false Christians have learned how to appear righteous; they don't do the big bad things people can point to, but they use covert and subtle tactics to harm others. One of those tactics is deliberate misinterpretation of things they observe about others.
These covert, mean-spirited, and disrespectful people would look wonderful to those who had not been the target of their covert operations.
The world is full of these types of people who play a long game of religiosity, special and pious in front of those they wish to impress while harming those they do not respect in private.
Their respect is not based on character; it is based on personal worldly accomplishments everyone can see. Those of character are despised by the covert actors; they hate the honesty and integrity of those who refuse to be manipulated into reactions that do not please God.
God spoke of these types of people in His Word, and sadly those who were the worst of all were the religious leaders of that day. We have these kinds of people in our day too, religious to the core with all their rules and man-made standards that God never commanded while acting superior to those they think are beneath them.
Matthew 23:1-28 "1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,
2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.
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.
5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,
6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues
7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.
8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.
9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.
11 The greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.
15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves."
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?
18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’
19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it.
22 And whoever swears by heaven swears 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 matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!"
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean."
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.
28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."
We have modern-day Pharisees in our time, many seminary graduates who take positions in the churches demanding allegiance to them while perverting the Scriptures for their own gain. The love and admiration of the people they lead is of greater importance to them than pleasing God through obedience to Him.
These people follow the culture, not Christ.
It is vitally important that we trust Christ, not men. When we trust Christ, we will feel compelled to correct those who think they are superior to God through their negating of the Scriptures to further their own agenda.
Mark 7:13
"13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
This is the end times world we are living in; sadly, it is so familiar to us that we overlook what should be corrected. It seems as though correction is needed so constantly that we give up, realizing very few will listen. This is when we trust in the Holy Spirit on when to speak, when to remain silent, and when to just walk away so that we obey God in not throwing our pearls before swine.
We don't remain silent because we are cowardly; we do so because we know the one who defies Christ will deliberately cause a fight to be able to lie against us. We must not fight with those who want us to fight.
1 Corinthians 5:11 "But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one."
I think it is wise to also stay away from Christians who support those who claim to be Christian but violate more of God's Word than they obey. Those who support the violators are the same as those who disobey God. They are one in the spirit of rebellion.
Praise God, the time is short, and soon God will come and make things right.
Then one day the woman's husband dropped some water on the kitchen floor; he bent down to wipe it up with a paper towel, and on the towel was a lot of dirt. The cleaners had been there just two days earlier.
The cleaning ladies had neglected to clean the floors well because they didn't look dirty. It was the kind of flooring that hid the dirt. There were other things she noticed, tables that were undusted and other things, but she passed them off as small matters.
This reminded me of the Christian life. Some people act pious and full of pride about how good they think they are while displaying false humility to others around them.
These people look clean on the outside, but on the inside they are basically lazy and counterfeit, pretending on the outside while full of anger and disrespect on the inside.
Notice that the floor didn't LOOK as dirty as it was in the case of the false cleaning ladies. The woman who hired the cleaners thought the floors had been mopped. When she discovered just the opposite was true, the floors had not been mopped; they had been spritzed a little to make it look like they had been cleaned.
Many false Christians have learned how to appear righteous; they don't do the big bad things people can point to, but they use covert and subtle tactics to harm others. One of those tactics is deliberate misinterpretation of things they observe about others.
These covert, mean-spirited, and disrespectful people would look wonderful to those who had not been the target of their covert operations.
The world is full of these types of people who play a long game of religiosity, special and pious in front of those they wish to impress while harming those they do not respect in private.
Their respect is not based on character; it is based on personal worldly accomplishments everyone can see. Those of character are despised by the covert actors; they hate the honesty and integrity of those who refuse to be manipulated into reactions that do not please God.
God spoke of these types of people in His Word, and sadly those who were the worst of all were the religious leaders of that day. We have these kinds of people in our day too, religious to the core with all their rules and man-made standards that God never commanded while acting superior to those they think are beneath them.
Matthew 23:1-28 "1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,
2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.
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.
5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,
6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues
7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.
8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.
9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.
11 The greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.
15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves."
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?
18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’
19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it.
22 And whoever swears by heaven swears 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 matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!"
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean."
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.
28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."
We have modern-day Pharisees in our time, many seminary graduates who take positions in the churches demanding allegiance to them while perverting the Scriptures for their own gain. The love and admiration of the people they lead is of greater importance to them than pleasing God through obedience to Him.
These people follow the culture, not Christ.
It is vitally important that we trust Christ, not men. When we trust Christ, we will feel compelled to correct those who think they are superior to God through their negating of the Scriptures to further their own agenda.
Mark 7:13
"13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
This is the end times world we are living in; sadly, it is so familiar to us that we overlook what should be corrected. It seems as though correction is needed so constantly that we give up, realizing very few will listen. This is when we trust in the Holy Spirit on when to speak, when to remain silent, and when to just walk away so that we obey God in not throwing our pearls before swine.
We don't remain silent because we are cowardly; we do so because we know the one who defies Christ will deliberately cause a fight to be able to lie against us. We must not fight with those who want us to fight.
1 Corinthians 5:11 "But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one."
I think it is wise to also stay away from Christians who support those who claim to be Christian but violate more of God's Word than they obey. Those who support the violators are the same as those who disobey God. They are one in the spirit of rebellion.
Praise God, the time is short, and soon God will come and make things right.
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