Saturday, January 25, 2025

No Rituals Just Christ

No "ritual" of worship happens with the new testament born again believer because Christ lives in us, we are His temple, this is why He said; "we worship in Spirit and in truth."
We don't see outward ritual here except what He gave in the Bible, the Lord's supper, baptism as a display of our newfound salvation, the head covering on women as an expression of the church and the lack of head covering on men as an expression of Christ as the head of the church.
Christ is the head of the church no man is the head. There is no hierarchy in Christ's church because He is the head.
Any gathering who has appointed a man as the head is in violation of the Scriptures.
1 Corinthians 14:26 "26What 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."
Ephesians 5:19
"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord,"
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."
All those in the body share to edify one another as we are built up i the faith to go into the world and preach the gospel to the lost.
The gospel is not for believers.
To encourage people to bring their unsaved friends to the gathering of believers is a violation of the Word of God. It is man's idea because those in the gathering are lazy, rather than speaking to the lost outside of the gathering they are letting someone else do it through preaching that belongs in the world not in the church.
We are told to go out and make converts, we are not told to bring the unsaved into the gathering where the edification of the saints would be neglected by the continual preaching of the gospel. The saints do not need the gospel they need edification in the Word and support from one another. It is the lost who need the gospel.
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."
There is not one scripture that tells us to bring the unsaved into the gathering. However, if one happens to wander in out of curiosity that is different, we love them and allow them, this is far different from inviting every unsaved person in the community to come. This matter of welcoming the unsaved who happen to wander in has been used as a lazy excuse to invite all unbelievers in to avoid the embarrassment of speaking to the unsaved one-on-one in the streets on their turf.
When we deviate from God's plan for His church we run into many problems that do not have to be there. The edification of the church is the purpose of the gathering, so that they are equipped to go in to the world living out their faith and sharing Christ with others.
And, the building is not the church, it is not holy and has not been commanded by God, it is man's idea and has led to much error and deception.
Doing things God's way brings Spiritual and emotional maturity for those who gather in His Name. The Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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