A Treatise Against the New Priesthood
~A kick against the fundamentalist pricks~
Every time you tell me about God doing some great work and a soul getting saved, I will tell you about the 10 families I know being displaced because of Popish pastors! Every time you tell me about the rare soul saved on the street, I will point out to you the hundreds and thousands of seeds ripped out of good ground, for the sake of “our call to preach!”
Every time you point out the exceptional bus conversion or VBS conversion, I will point out the hundreds of young people who are being manipulated for numbers to report, and confused from the many different presentations they get from all the varied, but yet zealous workers.
Every time you tell me some grand missionary story or missions endeavor, I will bring up the flip side of missions, the controlling mission boards, the gambit of deputation, the separation, the division, the business side of the missions minded men, the white families living like kings with attack dogs, razor wire fences, and servants among poor natives. I will tell you about the loss of innocence and youth of children who grow up on a mission field, the destroying of families, the ripping apart of families, the church splitting, the Westernization of other cultures, and the monetary-hedge-fund-like corruption done by those who say they are “the called” on a foreign field. Every time you read some good prayer letter, I well tell you about hundreds of defrauders and con-men that write good prayer letters too.
Every time you tell me about the one wonderful, teacher and pastor, I will tell you about the 100 others who are pastoral authority, rage ruling lunatics. Who control with fear, manipulation, resentment, and anger trying to pass it off as righteous indignation. Every time you cry to me about being faithful to the man off God and not forsaking the assembling, I will point out to you the thousands of good Christians who read the book, talk with the Lord, have a relationship with God, and are imprisoned in their churches in traditions, under a popish Baptist pastor! What are they to do, be faithful to error, get out of church, start their own? What? You tell me oh great knowing pastors out there. You have the answers for everything!
Every time you tell me about the 10 street preachers that do it right, I will tell you about the army of ministries that now exist solely to confront, do battle, scream, rail, yell and tell people to quit their sodomy, drinking, dancing, fornicating, adultery, idolatry, completely devoid of any gospel presentation, of his death, his burial, his resurrection, his grace and his blood. Horribly and incomprehensibly damaging the message we are supposed the be preaching for any hearers within the sound of our voices.
Keep telling me about all the souls that get saved in the ministries we advocate and push and solicit funds for, and I will ask you, where are they, where are these grand conversions. You ask me to present fruit to you, so why souldn;t you have this question also posed to you? Why aren’t they sitting under you learning from the word of God as you labor in the word and doctrine, so you can feed the sheep. Are you not apt to teach? Do you know anything of longsuffering and doctrine? Was your grand preaching just to hard and straight for them that they could not endure it’s scathing effects? Were they just a bunch of sissy compromising that just never got what you got. Why didn’t they grow pastors? They say, “Oh they just loved their sin”. Where are your fruit you keep talking of? I could care less about another mans fruit, but they keep throwing all their evidence of fruit in my face.
But I only see the same families, the same people around you that keep buying into your bull! Where are the souls you impact on Saturday on the streets and going door to door? Where are those from the monthly tract blitzes and flier hand outs? Where are the souls we are impacting? The problem couldn’t be us right? You couldn’t be the problem pastors, preachers, railers? No not you guys! It’s always the unlearned, the stupid ignorant heathen, the lost and confused, the wicked ungodly world, but never you!
Keep spinning it for me. Keep rattling off all the examples and evidences you look for to justify your actions. Why don’t you look to the scripture, and see if your actions, your ways, our methods, our over all system is all together backwards. Why don’t you consider that you may be the brother who is in need of correction! Pastor, preacher, street performer, you need some help. You need my help. You need our help. You need the help from the body of Christ that you never get because of your self proclaimed, manufactured preeminent position you have made for yourself. So why can’t you “submit yourselves unto others”?
You can keep telling me to see the light, and hoping I will come around, while you keep lying to yourself to protect your kingdoms that you have built. Keep praying for us to get right with the Lord, and be faithful to the house of God in worship and getting a “blessing from the preaching!” Keep admonishing us to just “get in there” and be a part of the local church, when I doubt if you even know what the local “church” is!
We have only made new Temples, new structure, and built upon those foundations of men before us, ignoring a “more excellent way”. Something unknown to any of us, because of our own conversions, and where are lots feel upon our own conversions. Do we not think learning stops with the sort we were saved among? We think we can’t grow beyond the stunted apostate ranks of Independent Baptist? Do Baptist, independent or associated optimize spirituality? Can we not find truth anywhere else? We act like a battered wife in a abusive relationship. Some of you know you are among the things I will discuss, but you won’t leave. You’ll keep telling yourself, it will will all work out, “the pastor loves me!”
They will never change some of them. I know that now! All the debating, all the discussions, all the scoffing, all the mocking, all the logic, all the conflict and the struggling. It’s better to just be a dumb fly on the wall because no one cares what anyone else has to say! Even if you find some rare pastor or preachers that may listen, may actually see some hint of what you are trying to explain to them, there will NEVER be time for any real, in depth discussions into anything due to the needs and time constraints of the ministry!
“Brother, I have just been so busy!” I understand! You have responsibilities pastors, but should it not be first, to labor in the word and doctrine above all else. There is no such thing as bad students, only bad teachers. If you are not even teaching the people properly, and are just giving them manufactured fundamentalist hog slop, you are not being responsible to your flock. The pastorate is running the show, with traditions and colleges behind them. All the posturing, the performing, the manipulating,
Believers! You have to see these men for what they are! They think you are stupid! Seriously. They think if you come to them with anything different from their accepted operating procedures, that you just read it wrong, got it wrong, are stuck in a rut, just can’t see clearly, got muddled up along the way, someone messed you up, your reading it to thin, your cutting it to close, your just reading way to much into brother. Well? Aren’t we as preachers of the word and gospel supposed to be the ones to read THAT much into it? “Labor in word and doctrine!”
Facts are, men in churches today, all over the world, they can lie, they can steal. They can be your friend for years. They can do no wrong before you. But they have just manipulated the system like all the good priest and reverends out there. We just call them other names in our camps! They can cheat, they can defraud. They can hide sin. They can hide agendas and secret visions of their own predetermined futures. You trust them to easily in an age of wolves! They can support 50 missionaries, talk about a perfect book, have the greatest church atmosphere, and it can all be operated with private agendas and traditions of men devoid of any real scripture. We are just as denominational as the whole lot of em.
They are lying, they are distorting, they are cheating, they are stealing, they are using, they are defrauding, they are soliciting, they are looking to their gains, they are telling great woeful lies to keep the machine rolling. Some don’t have to say a word, because the religious minded are so set in motion to continue buying into the game of “this is church!” When it is not!
Now, Jesus Christ, our Lord, was harder on a group of people then he was with any other. He did single them out. He did call them what they were. He was bringing a righteous judgment! And they were the ruling clans of the religious structure that was standing in Jerusalem's day, the Temple.
We have other structures standing today. We must make sure, they have not become Temples. Are they assemblies? Are they the congregations of the body of Christ, or are they the den of thieves, extortioners and defrauders?
What follows is a description of the scribes and Pharisee’s from Matthew 23 spoken by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And also, some other general descriptions and comments of my own describing what I refer to as, the “New Priesthood” of men, a specific sort, that has been operating long before any of us were ever born.
They are roots and offspring of Fundamentalism, and it comes in all shapes and sizes, independent or associated, with many different names, from big churches, to small churches, through the big cities, and in the small towns. You can spot them! They have distinguishing marks. Beware men! Jesus Christ said “Do Not After Their Works”. We are to do not after their works! Pay close attention to detail!
1. They bid you observe (3) They want you to observe them, in “following the man of God”, and do as they. They also want you to observe, days, weeks, and months. Things like church attendance records, memberships, multitudes of special services. Let me pause and say, don’t we adore our uncanny ability to practically apply every scripture! Now I understand what “church” should be, but I also understand what “church” was meant to be. What if there are Christians out there who do not have a decent one to go to, should they just subject themselves to error and traditions in open defiance of the word of God because one verses in Hebrews says, “Forsake not the assembling”. I tro NOT! The issue is this, as one might say, if they do not observe they did not give, and that was a problem for the Temple pharisee. It always comes back to lucre. Then the issue of missing a service! The Pharisee might say “how could they have received anything from the Lord if they do not observe these spiritual holy days?” The issue never will APPEAR to be money. Just their care for your “spiritual well being. The Temple going pharisee has feast days for this and that. We have special services to pump us up, to give more, and to provide place for men to facilitate the current methods of “church”! Observances, attendance records, church attendance, yada yada yada… Make application however you like. I am a member of HIS body, not yours! I attend unto HIM, and his words, not you! I submit to men who are submitted to God. And you can’t be submitted to God without being submitted to that book! You have to be willing to change at the behest of God’s book, not ones religious interpretation of things. And when you lay law and regulations down on the members because all the others do, and it’s just the way of doing things, that my friend is not in submission to God or his book, that is your fear of man, that we all have in us, every one of us. It is largely the culprit in all our grievous errors and ways. We all fear what the other will think or say of us if we truly start discussing these issues and stop playing the denominational traditional games we play.
2. They bind heavy burdens and lay them on mens shoulders (4) Wasteful, invented ministries of men, instituting commissions, decrees, and requiring assimilation therein. It has to have a working motion, that seems busy about. NT Judaism was very legalistic and active at it’s core. They knew the law inside and out, but they could not see Christ in the scriptures. Preachers today, know the bible inside and out, yet they are found many times hanging around in commissions, some deluded gospel of repentance, the prophets, and trying to mix it all together with a gospel of grace as some new fangled orthodoxy is wicked and devious in its deception. You can’t bind other gospel’s on men! It can’t be done, they are entirely different and distinct ministries. You can’t lay the LAW on me, or your twisted view of standards derived from it, from dress to tithes, you can keep it all! Fundamentalism, and fanaticism is becoming the orthodoxy among us now. Men lording over the ship, in their pastoral authority, puffed up in their ego, laying heavy requirements on the ministry staff and subservient church members.
3. They love to have all their works to be seen of men (5) Very public ministries, making sure they were noticed. Often loud and boisterous, to attract attention. They like the esteem that it gives, that they are on the winning side, winning the minds of the proselytes, as they do the service of the Lord, however they mistakenly define it and interpret it. And those beneath them are just simple minions who should bow to their whims, their traditions, and their take on modern Christianity. They were most definitely attracting attention to condescend, tell others to repent of all their sins, judge incorrectly, and scorn, not to preach any gospel of grace. So they can have a chance to bait, with questions that only lead to chances to display supreme biblical prowess and deride in their own self righteousness. You know the sort! You see them today. They mooch on to assemblies here and there, defrauding the body with their well disguised unorthodoxy, as if God had spoken to them to go to the dregs of society and tell them, “Thus saith the Lord Repent”!
4. They love the uppermost rooms and the chief seats (6) They secretly concern themselves with preeminence, authority, lordship, power, pride, podiums, elevation. “Oh not me! Look at all I do. What have you done brother? Where are your scars? What have you sacrificed? How many souls have you lead to God? How many tracts a day to you pass out? Where are your fruits? I have been in the ministry for 20 years, what have you been doing? They compare themselves among themselves. This is unwise. Ahh the Pharisee. They must always retain the “one up!”. The chief seats! The Pharisee was a master at not seeming like a stuck up righteous jerk! They knew how to appear righteous! They were wolves in sheep’s clothing! They were dead mens bones in whited sepulchers. They had appearances of the Temple ministry in life, but the fact remains is they were living off of the Temple offerings, defrauding the Jews. The Temple had in fact become a den of thieves, not just the tables and money changers, but the inward working of the ministry itself. They knew how to appear to all men around them to insinuate godliness. They knew how to live good while still “abstaining from all appearance of evil” to a near perfection. They worked the piousness to perfection. They always know how to impress the people to give to urgent commissions or mission endeavors. They could manufacture the tears with earnest looks of concern on their faces, but it was just masked religion, playing the part. These men lived nice. And their modern day counterparts are no different. They had minions and servants beneath them. And speaking of chief seats, I will never understand why men sit up behind the podium why others are preaching, and then sometimes remains there through the remainder of the service knowing what this verse is implying. Why do we do all this nonsense that is void of any scripture. Do you feel that the people must always know you are above them? You won’t even sit with your family when a visiting evangelist is preaching? It’s just weird to me. Maybe I haven’t been enlightened yet.
5. They love to be called of men and to have the greetings in the markets” (7) The feel as people should know who they are, because of their position in the Temple. They have earned their titles. They have the peoples respect in the neighborhoods. Appearances are great. Today in the body of Christ is no different. I chuckle here because I understand respect and commendation, but I also remember getting the third degree from my parents when I failed to recognize the DR in a preachers name when I discussed him. Like the guy would have even cared! These men alive today running the show require or desire the respect of the title, Dr, pastor, reverend, father, etc. Now I have a lot of friends in the “ministry” so I am not stepping on any toes here, but seriously people. We are all brethren. This inordinate affection we have for titles is sick. Knock knock, “I am pastor Peter, and this is assistant pastor Rick and one of our staff workers, Eddie the treasurer”, “this is evangelist Earl”, “Missionary Mike”, and the resident street preachers, “cry aloud Kurt” and “James the Preacher!” Yes, we love be called don’t we? It’s just elitism cloaked! They like to be known as THAT when they are in the restaurants, everyone must know the preacher was there. Some are even so arrogant, that when addressed, and inquired as to their name, they pridefully answer, “my name is the Preacher!”. Arrogance and boldness sometimes look alike! They stand in the stores, and on the streets, oh, and on youtube...sigh! It’s just self professed nicknames of glory!?! What ego! What oozing pride! We do the same things as Rome, we just word it differently. Pastoring is what you do, not what you are. Preaching is what you do it’s not what you are. Ministering is what you do it is not what you are. Teaching is what you do, it is not what you are. We are brothers, and the leaders in the church in the NT are always referred to as elders. Hate to rain on your “proper parade”, it’s just the way it actually is in God’s word. And furthermore, they are to be addressed as Brother! And remember, the only NT reference for “abomination” is found in Luke when Jesus Christ is referencing things “highly esteemed” among men! They love to be called of men.
6. They shut up the kingdom of heaven against men (13) This one right here frustrates me to no end. Men, who through their disorder, preach a unattainable gospel message. They drive and wedge, push for decision, when there has been no watering. They do these pride seeking acts on stoney ground on purpose, to get the desired effect, the confrontation, the notice, and ultimately, the rejection of the message due to it being tainted down with law and anthems of repent ye, devoid of any gospel of grace. They SHUT UP THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN AGAINST MEN! Yeah, I know , tell me all about it. It is worth it to you to offend 99 to win 1, your so spiritual and holy! Legalism, pragmatism, logic, traditions, fundamentalism and 100 other “isms” have been long operating in the body of Christ. I mean c’mon, how much time can I take here? Our efforts to win the lost at the exclusion of everything else are deceptively the same hinderances we have before us in defrauding the body of Christ and perverting the gospel of Christ. We have left off teaching, and sound doctrine and replaced it with urgencies and calls to perpetuate ministries that have appearances of dutiful, faithful service, but they are nothing more then thought up techniques and ideas of which “we” (those in the ministry) can get offerings for. We have created our own stumbling blocks! These sorts of things are the very traditional things that will make the word of God of no effect. You can preach a mingled message of works all you want, but the Bibles stand on things is a gospel of grace. That is what we are to preach, and the ones you yahoo’s keep going to, in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and even Acts, are devoid of any message of grace. Learn to read and compare scriptures with the scriptures, forsake the traditions!
7. They devour widows houses (14) Devour means to waste, or to consume wealth and substance by fraud. Boy oh boy! Can this have application today? We all understand, that money has to be a part of the ministry. It has to provide “necessary uses” to the body of Christ, but where do we get off thinking God commanded us to solicit funds like we do, from grand new Temples, to assimilating bookstores. In Jesus’s day, it was as simple as the pharisee taking their money, food or anything else they wanted in the name of God, and for the service of God. This is a massive problem today in the church, how we go about receiving funds. Many companion verses deal with this act of wasting the church, and making the preaching of the gospel WITH charge. “But we are doing so much!” Are you? You may be sending out much funds, but what are they actually doing. Are they perpetuating other traditional establishments and false gospels within it’s own system? Do you hear the doctrine of these men, spewing their error-full doctrines with great boldness? Wake up pastors. Any man of flesh can act like a mad prophet. Men can manufacture passion, and zeal. Men can be great performers, and orators, and have no spirit of God driving them, just their ambition, and secret lust for notoriety, and standing among men. What do you think Hollywood does. Men can put on a show, whether in the church, or the world. Any man of flesh, can act like a God fearing, soul loving missionary, while finding ways to manipulate the system for the “sake of the ministry.” Men with the word, can justify anything they want to, as long as they think God is speaking to them, or has called them, or has laid it on their heart to ask the body for money. It can always be justified, and it can always have a appearances of urgency and needfulness. Beware men, Jesus said! Our houses, our churches are being devoured for the sake of commissions, tithes and customs of a law, missions endeavors that produce waste, and fake westernized Christianity, chalked full of all our most beloved traditions and sacred cows of the West.
8. They make long prayers for pretense (14) Pretense, A holding out or offering to others something false or feigned; a presenting to others, either in words or actions, a false or hypocritical appearance, usually with a view to conceal what is real, and thus to deceive. Always praying to be seen. Calling the fire down from heaven, to have some resemblance of Moses or elijah, really hamming it up. You know they type. Always having the appearance of being in constant prayer. People can play the game here too and say, “this is a good testimony”, as a cottage prayer meeting, or a street preaching blitz where all the men gather around in the King Arthur type circle before the battle ensues. They want to be seen! They call it conflict! They are trying to be seen! A good testimony? Maybe. Perhaps there could be other motives, I mean, we are flesh. Have you ever been in the meetings where the offerings weren’t enough to specifications, and there was more praying to be done, ya know, for pretense, for show, and the offerings, were passed again. The prayer warriors.
9. They compass sea and land making proselytes (15) They always seem very busy going about converting others to their ideals. Now I may step on some toes here, and come across as anti missions, so be it. I view it differently then you. One of us is wrong in our interpretation of many coveted favored, fundamentalist passages! But who cares, if it is never discussed right! Just suppress the rebellion! You are the ones that view us questioning, weak brothers as revolutionaries and rebels, so when do you ask yourself if you are truly on the right side? No one today is allowed to even question modern missions and what it has become. You seem like a narrow minded Christian who has no interest in the salvation of souls if you question any missions endeavors. The thought vein is, “Why would you question these people who sacrifice so much, give up so much, move so far away, left family behind, who are in the ministry, doing the work of the Lord? Shame on You! How could you? What are you doing?” Compass sea and land making proselytes! Traveling every where they can, making converts. It I is what the pharisee did, long before Rome, long before Buddhists, and long before any anglo saxon fundamentalist ever began using terms like missions and missionaries. Look, this missions theology, or mission mindedness, or whatever we are spinning it these days. Research it! It is basically a 200 year old tradition among Christians that was derived from “mission minded” men. Is a secret code of world missions in the bible? Some say they see it clear as day and it usually corresponds with talks of great commissions, a little mixing of two different gospels, and viola! And lets not forget the old time illustrations of ages past, and great men of character and passion from the 1500’s to the 1800’s, men who did so, so we do so! I just stopped lying to myself about it. I see a much vaguer description of “missions” in the word of God! Towards the close of Acts, with the apostolic gifts dying down, men were going were they wanted. Of course they were asking God for guidance, as we do today. But there was no factory plant manufactured soldier frontline ministerial clans, just men going where men feel like going, devoid of a call of God, but prompted by the constraint that is the gospel. Some were told to go places by other men! Regardless, there was no defrauding of the brethren to do such things, nor was there a charge for the preaching of the gospel, as is today. Foolish dialogue, rooted in logic and business principles, things like deputation, mission boards, faith promise and many such like things. They are all designed and accepted as norm, because it funnels lucre into the perpetuating systems. But in the NT, just men, compelled and constrained by conviction and desire to preach the gospel of the grace of God. Sometimes it was talking, reasoning, debating, and preaching, but mostly, it was teaching. You see the same pattern in Christ. He taught! He was a great teacher. Regardless, missions has been made into a business that has a ring of ministerial endgames. I can’t deny that there are many decent men in positions of leadership who live honorably within this system, but I just wonder why these men continue mixing their logic and traditions with God’s holy word? It makes me always speculative of mens true agendas at in their heart. I hear all to often, missions philosophy just read in or placed into a passage, where it did not exist! This is a error, to distort God’s holy Book in such manners! Let it speak plainly! If some elements of missions are there, so be it, but down derive your doctrine from traditions of men, mix some Paul in it, call it missions, mesh some philosophies and implement law for all! That is where you are a stumblingblock to your own body! We are all members of HIS body inparticular! Not your body, pastors! Not your agendas directors! Not your plans, traveling performers! Put your money where your mouth is, and compass sea and land, instead of encouraging others too, instead of hiding behind a army of men fighting battles you suggest are God’s will!
10. They swear by the gold of the temple (16) Ah, the gold of the Temple. Oh, the praise of pastors when the people give well and the blistering reproaches when a faith promise or funded goal falls short of the mark! Their ways of receiving money, they swore by them. The gold of the Temple was their livelihood, and it had come along way from the Levitical setup of reverence and worship, actually conducting the ceremonial laws, to men focused on the their clothing attire, and purse. Men were misusing the Temple offerings! They were swearing by it only no room for error. Have you ever challenged, or God forbid, question the monetary soliciting systems that are setup in churches? You are dealt with by the exposed pharisee rashly? They were putting the funds towards things of which they were not meant. How many times I have seen it personally, men simply taking, whatever funds they need, because God led them to use it for such! It’s more horrendous and duplicitous then we think or even notice. The system has blinded us to our mill-grinding! The pharisee was taking the gold, leading the people to assume it was going towards something most vital, but they were playing god with it, justifying in their minds where the truer, more urgent needs lie. There is always some new ground to be broke. There is always a school to build. There is always a structure that is in need of. There is always a slush fund, whether in big government, big politics, or big religion. Don’t let the smaller churches fool you either. They are fool of some of the worst apostates around, who fly under the radar with their low numbers, and simpleton congregations. It truly is amazing to watch. They tell their people to read the word of God to check their preaching, but the people most time never call the preachers bluff and actually do it. So the preacher gets by, and can easily garner funds for any “new ministry” that seems in need of producing. These men today, the new priesthood, live and die by tithes and offerings, and faith promise. They live and die by it, in other words, they swear by the gold of the Temple! They will never change, or even look into the possibility that they are wrong. You can show them 100 scriptures, and they will just show you 101! They don;t change because it works for them and they are stuck in their own webs of deceit. They are actually ensnared by their traditions. Imprison in their independent fundamentalism mind traps! Of course they can’t stop preaching this way, tithes, faith promise, and all our ways we go about it today with out KFC chicken bucket offerings at the camp meetings and the earnest teary eye pleas to help the poor struggling moochinary! I’m just telling you how it is today. Don;t get mad at me.
11. They swear by the altar (20) Their ways of conducting the holy services were incorrect. But they swear by it anyways. The altar was a place of sacrifice, much like our altars today. Jesus was pointing out that they were holding to their animal sacrifices, their old ways, the old law. Jesus was about to be that sacrifice, and they could not see in in the prophets or the law. Much like in the OT, they were bringing the sacrifices, but not according to the commandment of the Lord. We have church today, but how are we conducting it? Have you ever question some vain tradition, with some bible verse, and watched the pastor squirm. They aren’t doing things because they are biblical, they are doing things because they have been trained by their spiritual forefathers, the leaders of these camps and clicks within fundamentalism. On it may have ring of commandments and commissions. Our mode of a few songs, some intros, some jokes, some showmanshippy preaching, with all the ooze of seminary homiletics! No meat. No strong doctrine. No correct gospel preaching. Easy believism hog slop on one end the line, and this strange repentance theology, a works salvation presentation on the other end of it. Balance anyone? Ever heard of it? You swear by the prophets, the law, and Moses, you swore by your creeds and statements, your confessions, and a bold stance with angry words. You make vows you can’t keep yourself, and you hold the people to standards and laws of which you have no business holding them too. You play the game like any con! You have your noble following to protect you like any organized de capo! You prey un weary, downtrodden Christians, and lure them in with calls of valor and law! You make them swear by your alter. You ask us to join your membership, your club. Shame on you Pharisee! You call yourself a pastor! You are a jaded, blinded, love to be seen of man, hypocrite, the worst of the religious sort, who use deceit, guile, misguided loyalty for manipulation, and a appearance of being BIBLICAL. You will have your reward. You can;t make me swear by your altar. I will sign no pledge of allegiance! You are meant to appear noble, it is your craft, you are meant to seem to be full of integrity. It is how you easily come off, to the unlearned. You pharisee. You that swear by the altar! You that let men make you make vows to God of which you are not bond to keep. You that will not repent of your own traditions while telling others to repent of their sinning! It’s why they scoff you and chide you on the streets! Not because you bring Thou hypocrite. You present a gospel of fear. You preach submission and your slanted pastoral authority with such subtleness the devil himself would be impressed if he witnessed the guru independent Baptist pope!
12. They pay tithes and omit the weightier matters of the law (24) It just keeps hitting on the money side of things doesn’t it. It’s not me, it’s just the scriptures pointing things out so precisely as usual! Yeah, you pharisee. You pay your tithes don’t you. You give to missions, above and beyond, you put your faith promise to work with others who perpetuate the system, you always point out the money, and the tithes, but oh the multitudes of topics, subjects, characters, studies, and much needful teaching and preaching from the word of God that are stifled for the same contrived, save the world, go ye everywhere, preach to everyone, much is to be done before it is to late, leave your family, forsake your job and friends, and go to some far away land, leave mother and children behind for months, years at a time, subject them to things, that they just must be ready for, because of our epic calls. I know! The sacrifices of the ministry and all. Blah blah blah, bitterness sarcasm, whatever! People, there is always a flip side. And there is a large part, weightier matters, that are disregarded, for the sake of the ministry. Look, all I’m saying is, there is always a flip side, and a reaction to every action, no matter the nobility and the delusional rants of audible voices from God. The Pharisee of Matthew, held to specific, OT giving principles that are devoid of any resemblance to cheerful giving that Paul spoke of. Passages of been misinterpreted for years in Corinthians, about the structure of giving. Beware the leaven of the Pharisee! They cannot be meshed. Paul’s instructions, and the law’s tithe are distinct and separate. You don’t even know what these tithes were do you? Before you spill to me all your “Well, before the law was given…” preplanned responses, study some basic history and customs of the world. Every single passage that is used to justify tithes or other methods of giving such as Faith promise are absolutely foreign to any new testament, or covenant, or conduct.
13. They make clean the outside (25) They always appeared to be righteous to those who have no discernment. The have their stuff together. They are well organized. They have many evidences of fruit! But not the fruits of the spirit that a believing Christian is supposed to seek. They look as to “abstain from all appearances of evil”, but within, they are religious, traditional, and corrupt because it. There outside is clean. Their ducks are in a row. They look and act the part! Are churches today are so beautifu;. The people, so well dressed and well behaved in society. We are so faithful in our services. They make clean the outside. They work at it. Men can reference a good testimony all they want, much of what we do is to be seen of men. Are outside is meant to be clean so no accusations can be cast, like a good pharisee. We have our missions funds, our Saturday visitation, or programs, and such.
14. They are full of extortion and excess (25) Extortion, ever see this one, To draw from by force or compulsion; to wrest or wring from by physical force, by menace, duress, violence, authority, or by an illegal means. Or to gain by violence or oppression. They use guile, trickery, to defraud, to their own excess. Excess! Again, comes back to money and possessions. They have excess of funds, and they are never much in want of anything. This goes back to the ways of receiving money. They were extorting the people. Drawing people by force, by compulsion, by wresting, by authority. All these things we say to get the sheep to by into our laws and mandates. It’s just shameful to me now. People are just being told lies with apparent scriptural backing, and no one is the wiser. Pure old school coercion better suited for 1920 Atlantic City crime bosses!
15. They are full of hypocrisy and iniquity (28) They are no different from us in our own iniquity. There is no preeminence in Christ’s body! We are members of his body not your body! These pharisees we sometimes hold up to high and worship because of their great preaching prowess, they are still sinners, even though they may hold a position of leadership among the people. They are full of hypocrisy and iniquity as all man is. This was more to the fact in them parading their supposed spirituality as to them just being hypocrites. It is the greater condemnation to arrogantly, and boastfully appear godly when you are not. This is the point Jesus was making. Of course we are all hypocrites and full of iniquity. It’s why we must have the blood of Christ to cleanse us of our sins so we can approach his holiness.
16. They build the tombs of prophets (29) They are always building something, to have the appearance of holiness and devotion. “They build the tombs of prophets”. They wouldn’t ask for so much, if the need wasn’t so great! They stress urgency, and imploring tactics. The prophets need a tomb to be garnished, so the people need to give so we can begin to break ground. Preachers and so called pastors need a place to exercise their powerful calling of teaching and preaching the word of God, so a church must be build, this is the status quo. There is always a reason to get the people to give. Why do you think the only time the Lord displayed violence was in the Temple around this sort? Remember, they “swore by the altar”. They were solely relying on the sacrifices and not God! The temple Pharisee pushes the idea of GOD ONLY MEETS YOU AT THE TEMPLE. This was true of the Temple and it is why there was the priesthood and the high priest. But Christ now resides in ALL believers. We are an spiritual priesthood. We are the temple of the holy Ghost. We don’t build tombs for our prophets, we build them grand structures. Can’t build without having the funds to break ground, and construct!
17. They say we would have not have been with them (30) They are always comparing themselves among themselves. The new priesthood today is always quit to point out others he is not with. They are very anti-cultic. In a way where all there time is spent in apologetics, i.e. Proving the other wrong. In politics, this is called negative campaigning. There entire campaign is putting the other campaigns out there in a negative light. There are entire fundamental ministries today, that is all they are, they are built upon putting the other down! Look around. You’ll start seeing what I am saying soon! Preaching and teaching is always geared towards what the others are teaching and preaching wrong, so they never have to spend real time on what the BIBLE actually teaches. “We would not have been like the prophets!” “We are not as they!” We believe the bible, and preach it with boldness, everyone else is just God denying, compromising, deceived heathen. The pharisaical Jew believed this way about the scriptures he read as well. No quarter, no reasoning, no aptitude for learning, just holding to what they have always held to, the law, which bringeth death! Having the authority in the scriptures, the 1611, does not MAKE US the authority. We all have so MUCH to learn!
18. They persecute from city to city (34) Persecute -In a general sense, to pursue in a manner to injure, vex or afflict; to harass with unjust punishment or penalties for supposed offenses; to inflict pain from hatred or malignity. Appropriately, to afflict, harass, or destroy for adherence to a particular creed or system of religious principles, or to a mode of worship. They lay waste to the heretics they see wherever they go. In the text, Christ was foretelling the death, torture and imprisonment of the disciples and apostles of the Lord, not the Christian living in America under freedom. Things may get worse in these late years, but we are not having our heads cut off for preaching Christ yet, so quit with the persecution complex about being a Christian. And quit persecuting wherever you go on every occasion you feel the call to preach! The new priesthood of the fundamental mind will pursue in a manner... to harass for supposed offenses… with hatred and malignity...for adherence to creed or system of religious principles. “They persecute from city to city”
Obviously today, this new priesthood is not going to kill us or torture us for dissenting or questioning the Lord’s anointed, but they can drive others out of cities, by way of character assassinations, shunning, excommunicating, gossip, ridicule, and slander. They can drive away families that threaten the status quote and the trade craft of todays ministerial professionals.
Or they can just ignore them, and only make them feel like they are part of the body at the appointed times of services. By holding to absolutes, and never actually communicating with the so called “heretics”, what other option do others have who differ but to leave?
The pastors view today of communication is God placed them there, in the said position, so they have the word of God for you. It’s always about what they can give to help you and never what they can learn from others. You pastors need help from us! You may be blinded by the unseen pressure of traditions. You need to understand what it all has become! You may have to have many witnesses keep pointing these things out to you guys, but eventually, I believe some will see it. Its a process of acceptance.
When men are first approached with something that goes against the grain, it’s almost as if they have to suspend their disbelief. They just can’t believe so many could have it so wrong, and this state of mind can become permanent if not dealt with early. God will let man go on his merry little way. And we all know to well how many can talk himself into anything. Man will just keep lying to himself, making new stuff up, when God gave us a book!
Just pay more attention to what you think you believe next time you read through your bible, particuarly the NT, more specifically, the Pauline epistles. When you read pastors and preachers, instead of looking for what you can get to give to us, accept what the word has to give to you, on behalf of us, the body of Christ!
Watch your pastors. I mean really, aside from being a nice guy, coming over a few times, and the expected stuff of todays view of a pastor, what does he teach, preach and really believe. Listen to him, listen to how he uses the book, and how we para phrases the Lord. You will begin to see how men simply read anything into any text in that Bible to perpetuate what ever they think they should. Our thinking, and adopted mindset has blinded us to a lot of this in the scriptures. God will remove the scales from your eyes! You have to be willing to open your eyes, and let them get anointed with eye slave. You have to make your self vulnerable to others. You have to able to see the error in your self! You will see how lost in our ways we are.
In fact, you will go through the same process as an addict goes though. It is that difficult. It is so entrenched in our psyche, the way of doings things today, we are oblivious to it. It’s obvious to those who are no longer “addicted to the ministry”! We had to see it from a different perspective, and I discovered that a great many things are simply not supported in the scriptures that we do today.
I think a lot of you out there just refuse to come to grips with reality, that though we claim to be believers, and true it may be, can we really say we practice the things we say we believe? You all know the passages, the ones you just don’t get, because its so different from what we are doing. Who is dividing the body, and keeping who under bondage? Many things in the Pauline epistles that are flat out ignored in place of some more kingdom laced, gospel messages producing retreads and converts that are two fold more the child of hell.
The spirit of a pharisee has never died off. It is to remain constant until the end of all things. We are exactly where we are supposed to be. The church is shot, America is becoming an afterthought, and the entire global structure is decaying around us. The world hasn’t changed, it has always been wicked, and grows more wicked. The church has been in a negative-campaign for years against the world, pointing out all the error of society and the worldly, when our own, within our walls, were changing and un-confirming certain evident truths of the NT!
Judgment must begin at the house of God, and it is not the local church on the corner somewhere, it’s US, the body of Christ, believers all over the world, who have let these defrauders and charlatans institute mandates, law and commissions on us for so many years. We gave them their authority and place! We let them orate and entertain with their pre-fabbed, nice-guy persona while they issue forth evangelical fodder! But we don’t have to stay among those openly in error!
Why should it shock us at our current state. Paul said along these lines, “Why do ye suffer these men?” What we see happening with these pharisee-like traits in the body of Christ today, along with the spirit of error, has only heralded the expectant, rampant apostasy that we are now in. Examine your men among you, I don’t care who their names are, or how honest you think they may be. Hold them to their own book they say they believe! SHOW them the error of their way if it is warranted! Like actually make them look at the text! It may not be premeditated deceit on their part, but just ignorance of the scriptures and following their spiritual college professor forefathers! See how THEY respond to correction from another brother! Is the pastor not flesh, is the preacher not above reproach. Is he not accountable to us as well us us to him?
A lot of these guys don’t have any mind to take any correction, they just do not have a teachable spirit. They are the teaching! If you stay among them, it may take years. You are conveying to them that they have ben led astray. It is a struggle. It is tough! They may never see. It depends on their response to the seed! They may immediately detest! They may mock, deride, and scorn with great ferocity of which you have never seen. Some may be open to the challenge of their accepted beliefs and doctrines, but most, while just set the defensive perimeters up.
I’m telling you people, a lot of these young men in the ministry, these young pups today, they have grown fangs, and they have figured out the ins and outs from their fathers before them. Far be it from us to take their word for it when we have HIS word! In these last days, as they grow longer and darker, we should be vigilant, and not accepting and naive to every wind of doctrine. We, not just them, are held accountable to his word to make sure we are around those that are not handling the word of God deceitfully. Don’t be naive believers! It’s a lot worse than all of you think!
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