Isa. 55:11 π Mt. 4:4 π Mt. 7:23 π Mt. 13:33 π Mt. 24:12 π Mk. 7:13 π Jn. 7:17 π Jn. 17:21 π Rom. 8:7 π 1 Cor. 2:14 π 2 Cor. 6:14 π Gal. 5:9 π Col. 1:18 π 1 Tim. 4:1; 2nd π 2 Tim. 2:15
Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of wheat till it was all leavened." ( Mt. 13:33; top )
Tune in to any Bible-based radio or TV broadcast, listen to any sermon, search the internet on any Bible topic or even talk to anyone who claims to be a follower of Christ, and soon enough you will find where that person or ministry is tainted with error or misunderstanding or misapplication of one Scripture or another - at least in our own opinion.
One person believes the King James version is the only pure and acceptable version of the Bible as he teaches what's wrong with "church." Another guy has a slick marketing presentation of how apostles and prophets can work together to bring about the kingdom of God in our time. Then there are all the other distinctive sects who have long ago settled into their own peculiar interpretations, creeds and doctrines and who are quite comfortable in their abominable divisiveness. The intellectually deceived have even come up with terms by which they condone, excuse and practice their divisiveness: "So long as the misbeliefs are not kerygmatic (inconsistent with the preaching of the original apostles and believers) or Christocentric (core, essential), anyone who criticizes that man or ministry for their 'slight' errors will come under condemnation from God." What a deception!
Jesus, when praying for all those who would believe and follow Him through the work of His original disciples, said, "...that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me." ( Jn. 17:21; top )
Jesus also said, "If anyone wants to do His (God's) will, he shall know concerning the teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority." ( Jn. 7:17; top )
Taking up a wrong doctrine, belief or other error, even though it may not be what some intellectual Bible scholars would find objectionable, is an offense against God. Let us take note of what just these two verses show us:
- Practicing sectarian divisiveness is contradictory to the oneness to which we were called. It is to embrace a nature that is different than the nature of Christ and the Father. A different "God" is still a different "God."
- The world will believe Jesus came from the Father when we demonstrate true spiritual unity. The doctrinal, denominational, sectarian divisiveness of the "church" of today only clearly demonstrates that the "church" is largely the work of someone other than Jesus and the Father and it leaves the world with absolutely no reason to believe that Jesus is any different from any other false god.
- Only those people who desire God's will are capable of rightly discerning the spiritual accuracy of any given teaching. Those who are pursuing what is right in their own eyes (lawlessness, a primary characteristic of the end times - Mt. 24:12 ) have nothing in common with true righteousness ( 2 Cor. 6:14 ) and are completely incapable of rightly dividing the word of truth. ( 2 Tim. 2:15 ) One may be the most brilliant Bible researcher and scholar or the most eloquent and gifted expositor of Scriptures or the most learned author of Christian books - but if that one is not totally surrendered to attaining to God's will for his life, there will always remain an element of carnality (enmity against God - Rom. 8:7 ) that will leaven the whole lump of his teaching and practice of following Christ. ( Gal. 5:9 ) This unsurrendered will (leaven) can also open doors for demonic control and influence. ( 1 Tim. 4:1; top )
Enmity against God - that sounds a whole lot more serious than infringing upon doctrines that are not kerygmatic. It is indeed most serious. It is only the patience of God in allowing the wheat and the tares to mature simultaneously that has allowed scholars to drift so far off course and promote so many differing opinions about the Scriptures. Those who would follow Christ in these end times must return to His will and His way and forsake the ways of the divisive scholars and teachers who promote their own interpretations above the intent of the Spirit of truth.
The whole premise of kerygmatic or Christocentric as the basis of acceptability is flawed at the roots. Any teaching that does not come from the Father - that is, it was concocted in some man's head or heart or placed into some man's heart from some other source of enmity against God (also see 1 Tim. 4:1 ) - cannot possibly be Christ centered. It did not originate with Christ, it will not lead anyone to Christ and it will actually war against the word of God that is sent out to accomplish a certain purpose. (See Mk. 7:13 ; Isa. 55:11; top )
Jesus, quoting the Old Testament and rebuking the devil for tempting Him to depart from the will of God, also said, "Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." ( Mt. 4:4; top ) Any teaching that comes from any other mouth than the mouth of God can only minister death and destruction. As such it must be rejected and those who cling to their pet doctrines that have not come from the mouth of God are to be rejected also.
Every category of titled clergy (whether they admit to being clergy or whether or not they agree with clergyism even as they practice it is immaterial) will object to this teaching because it removes them from the place of control and visibility and places these things back in the hands of Him who is the Head of His body. ( Col. 1:18 ) Anyone who refuses to submit everything - especially his understanding of spiritual things - to the Headship of the Lord Jesus Christ runs the risk of being rejected for his lawlessness on the last day. (See Mt. 7:23 ; 1 Cor. 2:14; top )
Let he who has ears hear.
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