We cannot fix the wrong things people believe, even those things in ourselves. Each of us needs to want to know the truth above all else. Above relationships, above traditions, and above cultural mandates God never made. In other words, God needs to be so first in our lives that we are willing to be set aside by others to follow Him.
Until we want the truth more than anything or anyone else, we will be stuck in a merry-go-round of false traditions and assumptions that make us feel safe and connected to the rest of the culture.
Those who seek Christ with their whole heart, willing to discard every false belief in favor of God's meaning in His Word, will be rejected, dismissed, and even disrespected by those who love their traditions.
Matthew 10:21-22 "…21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. "
For most people, safety in friends and family is more important than the truth of God's Word.
We cannot fix people who love their traditions; they choose what they want based on how they think, that is, with the mind of the world instead of the mind of Christ.
I really hate the saying, "God gave us a brain", as though our brain is as good as God's heart. I answered someone with this once when I heard that phrase: "Yes, and look what we did with our own brain, we became prideful and dismissed God in favor of our own thoughts."
That phrase, "God gave us a brain," is an excuse to think the way we want to think without God's help. It is born out of arrogance and self-will.
When people show us who they are through their reactions to the truth, believe them and move on to others who love the Word of God enough to reject all wrong teaching they received from those who love traditions of men.
We can love and be tolerant of those who have not yet discovered the truth, but if they refuse it or disrespect us because of what we have learned, then it is time to move along and become friends with those who are interested more in the truth than they are in maintaining their cultural connections.
Mark 7:13 "13 Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”
We are living in the apostate age of the church, in which there is a form of religion, but with more man-made rules and expectations than there are the principles of God being taught.
Psychology is firmly planted in the thinking of the church attendees, so much so that they have twisted the Bible to fit their ideas rather than believing what God said.
Much of our teaching today is based on the Western mindset, not what God said with a Jewish mindset. And worse, now in our day many people are interpreting what they read in the Bible the way they think rather than the way God thinks. There is a lot of Scripture twisting occurring because it fits with what people want to believe, but it is not what God said.
And, I have to add this to make this thought complete: much of what people believe is based on ignoring some scriptures while using others out of context, providing them with the desired choice of beliefs. The sort of cut-and-paste mentality has caused much wrong teaching to enter the church system that forbids the person in the pew from challenging anything said by the paid leader.
If you find it difficult to attend those gatherings based on human traditions, it is understandable, as you are watching many errors in the teaching and the formula for the gathering.
There is a sense of discontent, a frustration that you are silenced, and a disregard for the move of the Holy Spirit so that men may rule over the people.
John 14:26 " 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you. "
John 16:13
"However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come."
John 15:26
"When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me."
1 John 2:27
"And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught."
Luke 12:12
"For at that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say.”
I have to ask, how often do we consult with the Holy Spirit for our answers? How often do people go to other men instead of the Holy Spirit? These are good questions to ask if we want to walk with Christ in fullness!!!!
