The Modern Church is a Mess

John 15: 13-14 "12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you.…"

Most of us have never been in a situation when we must give up our physical life for another human being but we have had many situations in which we could deny our own desires and needs for the sake of another person, a spiritual and emotional death to self to be available for another person.

There are those who want us to give up our devotion to Christ in order to advance their own pleasures, this is not the self-sacrifice God describes in His Word.

Most "self-sacrifice" today is done with fan-fair and media attention to promote self, it also is not the self sacrifice God speaks of in His Word.

Matthew 6:1-2 "1“Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.…"

Matthew 23:1-32 "23 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples,

2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses.

3 Therefore, whatever they tell you, do and comply with it all, but do not do as they do; for they say things and do not do them.

4 And they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as their finger.

5 And they do all their deeds to be noticed by other people; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.

6 And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the seats of honor in the synagogues,

7 and personal greetings in the marketplaces, and being called Rabbi by the people.

8 But as for you, do not be called Rabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters.

9 And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only One is your Father, He who is in heaven.

10 And do not be called leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ.

11 But the greatest of you shall be your servant.

12 Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Eight Woes

13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’

17 You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold?

18 And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering that is on it is obligated.’

19 You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering?

20 Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it.

21 And the one who swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells in it.

22 And the one who swears by heaven, swears both 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 provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.

26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may also become clean.

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.

28 So you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,

30 and you say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’

31 So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

32 Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?'"

Those men who insist on being called "Pastor" or "Priest" or "Father: as their official title are acting no differently from the attitude of the Pharisees.

They are expecting special treatment above others in the gathering of believers as well as believing those in the pews cannot know as much as they know.

These self-righteous ones negate the work of the Holy Spirit by the lack of encouragement for all believers to be led by the Holy Spirit. Everything is done according to the mandates of that "specially educated person" who dominates over others rather than serving them.

Every born-again believer in a Christian gathering has gifts and talents given to them by God. No one is above another.

In the modern gathering, the people who sit in the pews remain stoic and unresponsive while the person up front known as the "pastor" dictates to them. This is the opposite of what God ordered for His church.

We have made lifeless dead spectators out of the people of God by our human rules that only the "pastor" speaks. The word "pastor" has become a title and a position rather than what God meant for it to be, that is a gift and calling without hierarchy status.

Since the church has been off track for so long now it is impossible for most church attendees to wrap their mind around the way God commanded it to be.

Every person participated in the worship around the Lord's supper and every man participated in the teaching.

If you wish to know the order of the meeting when believers come together read 1 Corinthians 14, to see that the only One in authority is the Holy Spirit and the men speak as they are led.

The Holy Spirit does not lead in the gatherings anymore, the men lead and tell the Holy Spirit to bless what they have chosen. I call this arrogance and I also call it out for what it is, that is placing man as the authority above God.

No wonder those who love God with all their heart are leaving the gatherings to remain at home with those who agree with God.

Simplicity of Admitting Flaws and Failures to Mend Relationships

Simplicity is not in minimization but in focusing on the important matter God has before us, self-reflecting to see if we are in His will and confessing our failures to be able to grow emotionally and Spiritually is the key to the Christian life.

Those who do not confess anything but pay attention to external appearances only without regard to the inner person will never grow.

This is why we see so many people who are hypersensitive to criticism or correction. They cannot admit a flaw because it damages the desired belief of perfection about themselves. They are in essence hypocrites as they walk the walk of pretending the slightest challenge unhinges them.

Wise and humble people are not threatened by criticism, they are calm while evaluating if the criticism has merit. If it does not then they dismiss it, if it does then they make adjustments. They do not fall apart in a heap on the floor when challenged about anything. They know the truth and have no need of validation from others for what they believe or what actions they take.

When a person's focus is on appearing perfect or special they remain infantile in their thinking. Every thought, action and reaction is based on the tedious chore of pretending to be above everyone else.

The most joyful people I have known were those who could quickly admit a flaw to improve themselves. There is no improvement without the confession of sins and flaws.

1 John 1:8-10 "…8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us."

James 5:16

"16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much."

The only quality relationship is built on mutual transparency and authentic and humble knowledge about ourselves as well as a desire to know our friend.

Those who are playing the game of perfect will never have close relationships. In fact, those who want to be seen as perfect will continually lose relationships as soon as a disagreement arises. When there is no desire to understand the thinking, the hurts, and joys of a friend there can be no closeness. In fact, these relationships are fraught with continual drama.

When a relationship is foundationally superficial without depth or love for one another there is nothing to keep it afloat when something unpleasant happens. A leaky boat will not remain afloat without something to plug the hole.

James 5:16 "16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

If we are to grow in holiness we must be willing to admit the things about ourselves that need work. If we do not admit them to God or anyone else then we remain in our emotional and spiritual weakness.

Adrian Rogers: Obstacles That Hinder Fellowship with Jesus

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Ask the Important Questions to Become Wise

I am always happy to meet another brother or sister in Christ. One day we will all gather at the marriage supper of the Lamb and see face to face those we enjoyed on Facebook.

What an amazing reunion we are going to experience as we look into the face of Jesus Christ, touching the nail scars in His hands as we worship Him in gratefulness for what He did for us.

John 20:24-25

24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, who was called

Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

John 20:26-29 "26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

People have called Thomas "doubting Thomas" but I think it was smart and reasonable to challenge anyone who claims to be Christ. Remember that Thomas didn't have the Holy Spirit yet to guide him, all he had was his senses.

When Christ said "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believer", I don't think he was chastising Thomas, I believe he was showing us that one day we will believe because the Holy Spirit reveals Himself to us and we choose to follow. That Holy Spirit lives in every born-again believer.

I ask this question to all of you; "if a man stood in front of you claiming to be Christ would you just believe without questioning?" I wouldn't I would want to be shown so that I don't fall into the end times deceptions.

Now we have the Holy Spirit Who tells us the truth all the time without having to see, therefore we are blessed because we have been born-again and we have the knowledge and wisdom given to us by Christ Who lives in us.

I will no longer call "Thomas the doubter", I will call him wise and accepting as soon as Christ revealed Himself. After all, Thomas was raised in a culture that was taught not to speak to the dead. It was forbidden to communicate with the dead, there was nothing unusual about a man making sure a Spirit being was who He said He was.

Of course, we would want proof from anyone claiming to be the Christ Who died for us, it is a reasonable and rational request.

Once again there is a teaching that has been floating around out there that something was wrong with Thomas because he required proof that is not accurate.

Nowhere in the Bible does God chastise Thomas for His questions.

Once Jesus Christ proved Himself Thomas became a loyal follower of Christ.

This is one of the reasons I am so adamant that we question all the things that we were taught and seek the Holy Spirit. So much that has come down through the centuries as traditions were not true but people didn't study or pray so they hung onto them without proof.

It reminds me of the story of a woman who cut off the ends of her ham before putting it in the oven. As her daughter grew up and became a wife she too cut of the ends of her ham. Then later the granddaughter learned to do the same thing. All the women cut off the ends of the ham before placing it in the oven.

One day the granddaughter asked her mother why she cut off the ends of the ham before cooking. The mother said she didn't know but would ask her grandmother. They went to the grandmother and asked why she cut off the ends and the ham, grandmothers reply was laughable. The grandmother said; "I had to cut off the ends of the ham because my pan was too small.

My question might be to ask if the daughter and granddaughter changed their practice after hearing the reason for the practice of cutting off the ends of the ham?

Very often we tend to hang onto what is familiar and comfortable even if it doesn't make sense. My prayer is that we pay attention to what God said in His word and ask Him if our practices have been traditional or truth.

Mankind has a way of interpreting God in the way they wish to think rather than what He actually said. We live in the Western world without a good understanding of the Jewish mindset as well as have only translations from men who interpreted their understanding in terms of that Western mindset.

We need to pray earnestly for the understanding when we read the Bible willing to lay aside everything we were taught by men to hear from the Holy Spirit. It is surprising how many things we believe that God never said. And, even worse, how many things we defend that are not true.

Let the Holy Spirit be your guide, not any man, any tradition or any fear that might drive us to do what others expect.

The Conspiracy Theories are a Distraction

All these conspiracy theories Christians are obsessing over are satan's deception to distract us from the gospel and distract us from encouraging other believers in the word.

The best thing to do is ignore them all. Keep your focus on Christ alone.

Romans 12:2 "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."