Do you want to watch an amazing movie that will bring tears to your eyes and conviction to your heart? I recommend a movie called "Sheffey." The story of a man who dedicated His life as an itinerant preacher in the late 1800's until 1902.
He made a very good point about the state of the organized church, even in his time.
Our freedom to practice our Christian faith has not been taken away from us, we have given it away, little by little as we ignored the principles of Christ in favor of modern methods and liturgical man made mantras.
Pride has caused us to figure things out according to our own desires and the acceptance of the culture around us. We have integrated psychology along with manipulative technique, to engage the populous, making popular opinion the focus of our attentions much more than the principles of Christ.
Rather than being attentive to God's heart and depending on His provision, we have pushed Him out of our thinking replacing Him, with what others have pressured us to promote.
Psalm 143:10
"Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness."
Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
The problem with the mainstream gatherings today is that they do not seek God for His Will, but they do persist in having their own way and tacking God's name onto the end of their activities as though He endorses them.
John 16:13
"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."
Psalm 119:105
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."
Isaiah 30:21
"And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left."
John 14:26
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."
Did we see any protests in the organized church when the leaders deviated from the Word of God in their methods or preaching? The answer to this question is that there may have been one or two in a gathering who protested the errors, but the leadership would not listen to those who would correct, but rather they were disciplined for causing division. The congregations regularly decided to follow the preachers instead of God, thinking they were God's "Vicors" on earth.
Yes, even the "evangelical" churches were and are acting this way thinking they are different than the Catholics in this respect, but they really are not .
1 Timothy 2:5
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;"
The errors increased in increments so small and insidious that barely anyone noticed. The leaders got away with this because the congregations were not reading their Bibles or praying in their homes. Those who were ignored, when they challenge others to get back to the Bible, could no longer stand the rebellion and narcissism in the church, and left. Now the errors are monstrous and still no one notices.
We are left with so few people who care about Scriptural integrity and obedience to God's principles, that those who do care are leaving these "ego inflated" gatherings to either worship in home groups or are not attending a gathering at all.
When error in the body is not challenged it grows. Nothing that is fed stays small. When we feed the body with the pure milk of the word, paying close attention to God's heart, then we will see spiritual growth. If we ignore God's Word, effectively negating it by making it seem unimportant, the only thing that grows is the sin of self will.
Most people I meet who claim to be believers are embarrassed at attention to the detail of God's word. They call it legalism, not realizing that legalism is obeying man's rules, while obedience is obeying God's principles, desiring to know the heart of God.
Interestingly enough, those who cry legalism the loudest are in bondage to the whims of the culture, obeying what everyone else is saying and doing at the same time negating God's Word entirely, the ultimate legalists, declaring that we should do things man's way.
One of the devils tactics is to accuse the believer of things they are not doing but he is doing.
Never listen to those who claim "legalism" when we obey God, Satan is using their mouth, just as he did with Peter when Christ said to him, "get thee behind me satan." Men's hearts and minds are being controlled by satan in these last days, they will quote scripture out of context to make it say the opposite of what is actually written. They will torment the believers who love God's Word and the integrity of obedience to it.
Romans 12:1-2
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
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