Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 07/28/07 10:22:12 AM |
Age 37, MN |
It is a matter of conscience and the heart. Something I think the article painfully left out. Many people will be led astray without considering the following:
This is a something that every Christian should evaluate often: Who or what is my god? Is it truly God or am I living for something else? Am I putting anything in my life ahead of my affection for God/Jesus Christ. These are hard questions. One's I don't like asking myself and tend to ignore when I want to live my life for me and not in surrendered obedience to God. God does ask us to surrender all of ourselves, to die to self (selfish desires). He wants to know if we will give things up for Him. Sometimes he asks us for specific things that are controlling our lives ahead of Him. This is a struggle for us. But, he wants to know, where is your love, where is your affection? Do you love this THING more than ME. Then we give it up in obedience. Sometimes he says, ok, you can have it back, I was just testing you, now you don't treasure it more than me anymore, now you understand. And, then sometimes he doesn't give it back. Or sometimes you take it back because you don't want to keep fighting that thing that you love more than God.
This is personal for each Christian (not "personal" as in "private", but "personal" as in "different, unique"), in my life I have personally had to wrestle with TV taking over my affection for God, men as in relationships( I am a woman!), my time (I like to hord it instead of give it away, hence "MY" time. Every second of breath I take is a gift from God, not MINE, but to be used for HIS purposes). These are things I still wrestle with. It is said, look at what you spend the most time on in your day and that will show you where your priority/affection is. Or you can say money, or you can say the most time thinking about. Is God first in your life? This is a tough question. Obviously you can't spend 8 hours a day in bible study, this is ridiculous, not reasonable, but, where is your heart, where is your affection. Is there anything in your life that is your god, that you would fall apart if you lost? What do you want control of most in your life. These are probably things you love more than God. Things not being surrendered to God.
Is their anything you are wrestling with? If not, are you really fighting against any other affections or just happily surrounded by your own "gods". For the Christian it is a lifelong battle, not necessarily against the same affection (if it is, you are holding on to that one pretty strongly and God may not grow you in other areas too), but different affections as he peels off the layers. You give up one and think phew, that was hard, I am glad that's over with, and then He goes about working on another one.
So, who or what is your God? Where is your affection? On the day of judgement will he say he never knew you? Again, this can be different for each person, we cannot judge others for doing things that our conscience doesn't let us do as it takes over affection from God. But, we can as Christians in love gently point out to our Christian brothers and sisters where something appears to be taking over their affection. (And, hopefully welcome it and beg for it ourselves.) How that Christian responds is usually very telling as to how hard they are holding on to it. Isn't it, the one that yelps is the one that got hit?
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Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/15/07 10:29:26 PM |
Age 48, FL |
Absolutely and in worse ways. Perfect example is what happened to Paris Hilton this week. Everyone is criticizing her, even though she is trying to straighten up. She said that she found God. It's amazing how everyone is just judging her and saying that it is impossible to find God. So, you have people like Nancy Grace, AJ Hammer and Brooke Anderson gloating over her demise. I pray that Paris did trust Christ as her Saviour.
BTW if you'd like to see my article on Paris and interviews with the cast of her show the Simple Life, you can read this:
http://www.positive-entertainment.com/mediatreatmentofparis
And some celebrities are some of the worst pharisees. Pharisees used to want others to see the good things they did. Celebrities want everyone to see the good things they do and then on top of it, they end up getting paid for it. (Maybe they are smarter than Pharisees, but many are definitely worse.)
Kees
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Re: Re: Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/11/07 03:20:05 PM |
Age 42, FL |
Paul didn't need to go to the Roman 'theater' to get an education on culture in order to 'win' some. What Paul did was became a 'fool for Christ', not 'Cultured for Christ'.
Paul knew all too well what WE were (past tense).
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
9Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
What I find interesting is Christians LIKE movies about all those things, and some hide under there liking of them as a little , err um: 'EDUCATION'... well you know, so that WE might win some after knowing what they LIKE to do.
Seems like allot of "Christians" weren't really washed. The 'washed' seem to LIKE the old man, and his sinful desires played out before there eyes most weekends.
Next time you run out for a weekend movie 'education', ask yourself this, "Can I thank the Lord of lords, the King of kings, the One our sin pierced for this movie and the privledge of watching it?
The list of Christ our Lord approved 'movies' will (should) get smaller.
I don't know about you, but I don't need Hollywood to 'help' me win Hollywood to Christ. I need the Gospel of the Lord to be proclaimed in it's entirety, not just John 3:16 but on down through verse 21.
Seems like allot of current, 'more modern' and 'relevant' Christians need to HELP the greatest Good News to ever touch man's dead ears.
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Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/11/07 01:27:57 PM |
Age 45, TX |
Pastor Steve - you rock brother! I thank God for your faithfulness to His truth. Great rewards lie ahead for you blessed brother! Heb. 6:10 thanks, todd t.
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Re: Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/10/07 08:42:27 PM |
Age 30, MI |
There may be another reason to see movies not related to entertainment. Don't get me wrong, movies can (and do, let's face it) entertain. But movies also instruct about the culture we live in. I view this as comparable to Paul, who quoted from "your own poets." Did these poets share Paul's worldview? Ah, no. Yet Paul was comfortable reading, memorizing and quoting from their poetry so as to explain the gospel.
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Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/10/07 10:11:42 AM |
Age 54, LA |
I am standing on a beach, and my family is standing with me "in the Spirit", seeking Him for His will concerning specific decisions in our individual lives. As we are one in the Spirit, (hearing His voice and responding to it) He is telling us the same things independently of one another. Overtime and being influenced by man and getting bored on the beach, one-by-one they decide to go swimming. I didn't hear the Spirit tell me to go, in fact, I heard Him say "don't go," and am wondering why they didn't hear the same thing. We had fellowship at one time because we all were independtly hearing Him say the same things.
Anyway, before I know it, all my adult, saved and once extremely consecrated children and their families, get into the undertow, and don't even know or see the extent to which they've drifted. Their blindness has been brought about by their justifications, and in calling me a "legalist." The truth is that they just couldn't bare up under the pressure to go swimming. The world was beckoning them to "Come in and join us; the water is fine." They succumbed and even spiritualized their swimming by saying that those who wouldn't swim were legalists and had a religious spirit. They claimed "freedom."
My heart grows concerned as they drift away further and further from where they entered the water and where I stand undeterred. Yes, I have tried to call for them desperately wanting them to be rescued from the sharks and dangerous sea animals which desire to rob them of that once glorious relationship they had in the Son. Although they are still in that relationship, and most would think the things they are doing are "no big deal", I can see the frog in the pot getting "cooked."
This compromising is so subtle; certaintly the enemies ploy to destroy a God-honoring relationship of respect and love. It is this relationship alone which should determine what to do and what not to do and it should be inquired of to God. With each "decision" we should ask the potter, as His clay, "Lord, what would you have me do?" If we are one with His Spirit, I don't believe He will tell us different things. He is not schizophrenic. Not seeking His Spirit for "our decisions" I think, is one of the biggest problems for our "differences." Many just want to do what they want to do, and so they do it. They have not really surrendered their wills. Then they justify it by naming it freedom in Christ, and try to make the ones on the beach feel guilty by calling them legalists or judgemental. (And I know there are truly those who glory in their self-righteousness, but I'm talking about refusing our fleshly desires because we love the Lord and want to honor Him with our lives.)
As my children drift slowly, I watch but feel confident that if their heart's true desire is to honor the Lord with their lives, that He, as their Shepherd, will call them back and do what needs to be done in them, to deny themselves and follow Him. It may be that they needed to go swimming in the deep to realize the futility of that, so that they could experience the consequences of an unsatisfied life, so God could, once again, bring them back to His side to live in that unrequited trust in His Will alone for their lives. Maybe the root in Him wasn't deep enough for them to stand against the pull of the world, and He allowed them to go, so that when the sharks do come, they will call out to Him for help, realizing the force of that undertow, and their inability to fight it on their own.
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Re: Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/09/07 10:08:18 AM |
Age 36, TX |
I believe we should tread VERY carefully in that touchy-feely realm of "it's what's in your heart that counts". Believers cannot condone sin because a person had good motives or good intentions. "Well, yes, we had sex before marriage but I intended to marry her." "Yes, I shot and killed that man in cold blood but I [incorrectly] thought he was a child predator and wanted to protect the children in the neighborhood." Sin is sin regardless of our feelings.
Let's ditch the Madison Avenue/Hollywood understanding of "the heart" (i.e. our feelings and emotions) and instead use the Biblical understanding of the term. For example, when Jesus said "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Matt 5:8) or when He said "but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt 5:28) or when He said "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matt 6:21) what did He mean by "heart"?
The "heart" to the men of the Bible is the place where we do our thinking (see Gen 6:5, 1 Chr 28:9, Ps 139:23, Deut 15:9, Matt 15:19 for examples). To 21st century Americans we see the "head" as the place where we do our thinking. To the men of the Bible the head was the source of life. (This gives a clearer understanding to Eph 5:23... "For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head [i.e. the source of life] of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.") To the men of the Bible the "guts" (literally kidneys) are the seat of emotion.
When Paul tells us to take "every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" he is, in a sense, reiterating what Jesus said was the greatest commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Mark 12:30 quoting Deut 6:5). In every thing we think about we should have God at the center of it. Our thoughts become our actions and our character... our very lives offered up as a sacrifice before God (Rom 12:1).
Does it matter to God if we sin but we FEEL OK about it? I believe God wants to change our thinking (our hearts) about what sin is. He gave us the promise that He would write his commandments upon our hearts (Heb 8:10 quoting Jeremiah 31:33). Proverbs 7:3 tells us that we should write God's commandments and teachings "upon the tablet of your heart". I strive for that day when I can say to my God, "Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You." (Psalm 119:11).
Peace be upon you.
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Re: Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/08/07 03:32:22 PM |
Age 46, PA |
for the record, as I wrote, believers are responsible to apply ALL of scripture (commands and principles, etc...) to all the details of their lives (Romans 14:5). Sometimes even institutions: Churches, schools, esp. families) MUST establish "house rules" for purposes related to their function. These house rules can cover areas not explicitly addressed in the bible but should be distinguished from those things God requires vs. the rules we are asking for the purposes we are fulfilling.
BUT, having acknowledged this, believers are clearly NOT permitted to judge others as spiritual or unspiritual; godly or ungodly, based on their applications of general principles or commands (Romans 14:3).
For a more detailed study my book: "When Christians Disagree" http://www.millersvillebiblechurch.org/pages/index.php?pID=2588
can be ordered from our Church office.
Steve Cornell
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Re: Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/07/07 10:10:50 PM |
Age 17, PA |
Hey,I just wanted to tell you that your reply is RIGHT on !!! Way to go !!! I was reading this article and I couldn't place it but something was just not sitting right with me. The ignoring of obeying Biblical principles in this article was it. Excellent post !!! RIGHT ON !!!!
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Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/07/07 07:26:32 PM |
Age 56, MN |
I have to keep this short, but ONE the churches that want you to keep rituals and traditions are legalists.
TO want one to ( NOT) be like this world, is a Christian belief, by the LORD himself.
Paul said there is LIBERTY in Christ.
HE didnt mean there is TO be ABUSE of that LIBERTY.
I see so many saying they are saved, that act so much like like this world, if they needed evidence to convict them, they would be hard pressed.
CHristians telling, me they watch secular shows like AMERICAN IDOL, makes me think, how does that GLORIFY the LORD.
THen they have no power to overcome sin, why dont they stay in the word and OUT Of the WORLD.
THEY LOOK ACT and TALK, JUST Like the unsaved, they get angry when asked "ARE YOU SAVED?
ONE should NEVER have to wonder should they.
SO lets not push the legalist thing all out of whack.
BE in this WORLD BUT Not of it.
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Re: Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/07/07 07:03:35 PM |
Age 36, TX |
Just to clarify for folks who may not be familiar with the term, "melachah" is roughly the equivalent term for "work" in English. G-d forbade "work" on the Sabbath (Ex 20:10). The Hebrew word in Scripture that is translated "work" is "melachah" (H4399 plural melachot). G-d commanded "on it [the Sabbath] you shall do no WORK". OK... so what is "work"? In defining what melachot was for his disciples, the Master was telling them what was and what was not permitted in the context of "work on the Sabbath". Clearly healing on the Sabbath was permitted. I definitely agree that Sabbath abolition was not the Master's intent. If it was He would have been a false prophet (Deut 13)and disqualified himself for being the sinless Messiah. I find it interesting that Scripture says the Master is the Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:5), the seventh day Sabbath (Ex 20:9-10), and that there remains a Sabbath day for believers (Heb 4:9). Doesn't "remains" indicate that it was there before and continues to be there after? Anyway... modern day Pharisees continue to require obedience to this, that, and the other in order to be saved. Paul RAILS against salvation by works all throughout Galatians and other passages of his letters. Works are the fruit and evidence of salvation... not the currency with which one merits or earns salvation. James tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:17) and he implies that faith without works cannot save a person (James 2:14) (because it is not truly faith or because it is by itself?). The Master condemns self righteousness in the Pharisees and we must guard ourselves against the same self righteousness from both within ourselves and from those who wish to impose their self-righteous standards upon ourselves. The Master gave a command to those who were caught in sin. May we receive that message in our own lives and encourage and exhort one another with it in humility, gentleness, and patience: "go and sin no more".
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Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/07/07 04:52:21 PM |
Age 43, NC |
Good article. Your question is answered in some of the posts already. It seems we want more than a framework, we want an enclosed box that we can get into and gather other like minded followers in there with us. Then we convince ourselves that if others are not doing things just like we are then they are backsliders at best and forerunners of the anti-christ, if not the beast himeslf, at worst. There is no distinction between necessary doctrines such as the virgin birth, the trinity, substitutionary death; and the traditions of men, no dancing, facial hair, wire rimmed glasses, drinking coffee,tea and colas.
We have lost the ability to think, and make a rational defense of our faith and boldly present our convictions. I mean I don't need to think in church, that is why we pay that preacher, so he can study scripture and tell us what it says. Just give me my membership card, my reserved pew space, and the list of rules and I'll be good to go. (unless I don't like your rules... then I'll try another church down the road, or I'll just start my own...)
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Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/07/07 03:28:34 PM |
Age 45, MN |
Excellent article, however, I would like to clarify the definition of the word Liberty. The word liberty (or freedom) (G1657) occurs 10 times in the Greek Scriptures, translated either as liberty or freedom, depending on the translation. Strong's defines liberty as follows: liberty to do or to omit things having no relationship to salvation. This contrasted with "fancied liberty" which is defined as: license, the liberty to do as one pleases. True liberty is living as we should, not as we please. If we are to live as we should and not as we please, by whose standards do we then live?
Romans 8:21 states: "That the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God."
James 1:25: "But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does."
And 1 John 3:4: "Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness."
Slavery to corruption is slavery to sin; liberty abides in the carrying out of God's written stipulations found in His Torah (literally-teaching or instruction, otherwise known as God's Word, and also translated as Law), which results in the sanction of blessing. From personal experience I have found that many Christians have confused liberty with fancied liberty. We as believers have the freedom in Christ to abide by His Father's Word, not succumb to the slavery of fancied liberty, which is sin.
Secondly, the author does not mention the weight of God's commandments. Further study on this topic will reveal that some commandments are weightier than others. We see the Master asked this question more than once, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Torah?" (Matthew 22:36) The Master then expounds on the two weightiest commandments, declaring that all of the rest "hang" on these two (22:40). This weight, as illustrated by the healing of the paralytic on the Sabbath, is not static. The commandments given by God regulating what is not permissible to do on the Sabbath are supersede by His illustration of healing on it. The preservation of life, even those activities that could wait until another day of the week to perform, according to the Master, carry more weight at that time, than the Sabbath commandments. (We need to remember that the Master is most probably engaging His detractors regarding one of the establish melachah of His day which violated the Torah, and not the abolition of the Sabbath as some propose.)
Many believers are unaware of the importance of knowing the gravity of honest weights and measures (Deuteronomy 25:15), both in commerce and judicially. The Master is the consummate Lawyer regarding the weights and measures of Sabbath observance, He even says so (Matt. 12:8). My guess is He will one day be again. We would do good to busy ourselves with searching the Gospels to validate how the Master observed His Father's Word, and be imitators of Him (Ephesians 5:1).
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Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/07/07 12:17:55 PM |
Age 43, MS |
Heb. 5:12-14 says that dintinguishing between good and evil requires discernment, which in turn comes from "exercising" our senses, and practicing it. Isn't it legitimate for a pastor -- at least with regard to his own congregation (as opposed to the Body of Christ as a whole) - to teach his people discernment by providing examples of how to apply general principles by actually applying them within their own church? If learning comes by doing it, then a pastor ought to lead his own congregation in doing it, i.e. in actually applying principles in specific ways (instead of leaving immature believers on their on to figure it out for themselves.) As long as a pastor does this in a right spirit, what is wrong with a particular assembly of believers agreeing to abide by a set of applications of principle? (Unless, of course, you insist upon a simple reductionist approach where all churches look exactly alike - because they all have the same, bare minimum standards based only upon those sins undeniably mentioned by name in Scripture - and no diversity is allowed wherein local churches can set for themselves higher standards without being labeled "Pharisaical.")
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Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/07/07 12:16:41 PM |
Age 43, MS |
The article seems to imply that failure to obey a direct Biblical command is a sin, but that it is NOT a sin to disobey a general Bible principle. But doesn't God expect believers to obey & apply His principles as much as His commands? I cannot simply excuse such disobedience on the basis that it involves a "principle" as opposed to a "command." While good believers may disagree about what is the appropriate application of a timeless, general principle to a specific culture, we must agree that -- at a minimum -- a believer is bound to make a serious, good-faith attempt at applying it. As "my brother's keeper," shouldn't I be concerned when I see a brother totally disregarding a principle - not making any attempt at all to apply it to his life? In our "chapter & verse" approach to the Bible - which commonly leads to "proof-texting" - I find believers often challenging, "Show me where the Bible names such-and-such activity by name and condemns it." If they don't have a direct command prohibiting the activity by name, then they automatically assume it must by okay. They never go on to consider whether - instead of by direct command - the Bible might address the activity by means of a general principle that begs to be applied to this case. When such a believer pretends that his life choices are to be circumscribed ONLY by commands - and never by principles -then he is willfully disobeying Biblical principles (not merely applying them differently), and that, too, constitutes willful sin. Yet, the article suggests that as long as the activity in question is not prohibited by name in Scripture, I can never challenge another believer about his life choices. How then, do we deal with a brother who NEVER makes a serious attempt to apply general principles, because he bases his life solely upon proof-texts that name specific activities by name? Bottom line: once you suggest that we can never hold people accountable for applying general principles to their lives, then we suggest to them that those principles don't really matter, and that refusal to apply them to life does not constitute a sin per se. In practice, therefore, the approach of the article leads to the very mentality it condemns: instead of a responsible but diverse Christianity, we end up with a simple black & white reductionist approach: if the Bible names a particular activity by name as sin, then we can condemn it. If it does not specifically name the activity, then under no circumstances can I condemn it. Sorry, but that's too simplistic! Example: nowhere does the Bible specifically condemn abortion by name as a sin. Does this make the choice of abortion a "grey area" of Christian liberty that I cannot make any pronouncements upon? NO! I will condemn abortion as a sin based upon Biblical principles about "the sanctitiy of life" and "the equality of a fetus to an adult" (the "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" principle applies with regard to harm done to a fetus, implying its equality)(By the way, the prohibition against murder begs the question with regard to abortion: the abortion question is: is the fetus a human being at all, with full rights as a human being? After all, if it's not a human being, then it's not murder! So, we establish the status and value of a fetus from Biblical principles, not from direct legislation).
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Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/07/07 11:48:55 AM |
Age 25, WA |
Amen!! May I suggest "Holiness, Legalism, and the Sufficiency of Scripture" by Jeff Pollard, you can get it on Amazon or Vision Forum. Keep encouraging brother, and holding us accountable!
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Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/07/07 11:10:43 AM |
Age 65, WA |
Dear Steve, My bible tells me that Judgement starts in the church. I have been to some who have Pharisees in their church. But we all know right from wrong because G-d wrote it on our hearts. Many will be destroyed from lack of knowledge. Most people these days will listen to men, but the bible says seek me and you will find me..The Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth. He doesn't change , no shadow of turning. We all were warned to depart ourselves from the world and for the church in apostasy, He declared, come out of her my people ! The churches today are full of the world , even to throw out the gospel and sorrowful repentance. Most of them have signed up under the Catholic Church and many call our G-d, the same as Allah. After all the warning for Paul..about the false teachers and wolves, and there are many in the churches today. It is not about the heart, its about the gospel. Instead of being blessed by His Word, they are all looking for intertainment and have let in the wolves and false teachers which I call new age,replacement religion or the Rick Warren gospel. My bible tells me those who do not stand with Israel, gen 12 or even take her lightly are cursed..But man listens to man and the devil is going around to steal, kill and to destroy and the church is letting him. All the warning in the Word is being ignored. We are NOT to learn the ways of the heathen or mention another G-d's name in His House. they will be the church who hands their power to antichrist, Rev 12. true believers will be hated ! Jesus told us they hated him too. but the world loves the replacement church. Changing one letter or dot in the word, to all sorts of bibles,, they are cursed too. and bowing to Mary and other dead..all we can do is pray for them and some are waking up ! Apostasy is the last thing before the rapture and they are falling...
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Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/07/07 10:58:32 AM |
Age 46, MO |
Now this friend is a realevent awesome article! I cannot contain my excitement after reading this! Instead of expousing religious doctrine that people are likely to do for various reasons, you revealed scripture as relevant to a culture within the church. Excellent!
Here is a challenge, there is another culture within the church that is irreligious. Instead of fearing and honoring God they view God as loving, tolerant, friend, accepting, etc. My premise is that if the Bible were written today for the culture today, it would tell us to be more religious because corporate religion is the oposite of self. I am not addressing religious doctrine, but rather religious in our reverance for God and dying to self.
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Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/07/07 10:10:56 AM |
Age 42, FL |
Steve,
To keep it simple, if we take each topic of the modern day Pharasee 'list' you have numbered, and determine what the motive is for each one of the actions or dress or attendance to any one of those items is how we will find out if it is a type of Pharasee.
If a true born again beleiver for instance:
wears a "two piece bathing suit" (hopefully this will be a female, or the 'effemanent' scripture will need to be expounded upon, :)
What is the personal motive for doing so, and is she "walking circumspectfully", considering the outcome of her actions and the effect they would have on others (believers and un-beleivers).
Also making a 'list' and then placing that list in front of the 'Called Out Ones' that might be considered if you don't participate in certain things on that list then you might be a possible Pharisee could be a Pharisee type action also.
If I take and plug in a guitar and stand in front of the congregation of beleivers and from my washed heart, play a song 'as unto the Lord' then so be it. If I take the same guitar and un-plug it from the electric current, play it in any fashion, and beleive that I am more relevant than the 'elders' and their type music, then the intent was to pridefully play, and possibly irritate the 'older', "Called Out Ones'.
The list is irrelevant, it is what the heart does with it while participating in any one of the items mentioned.
If I go to Rave Motion Picture and see a movie filled with the use of the Lord's name in vain, violence, sexual content, adultry themed, or fornication themed content, then my INTENT is to be entertained by the depiction of the very sin that our Lord didn't particpate in, and came that we might be set free from it. Gave His life for those same sins we might be a Holy people, Called Out and chosen. If I see another 'brother' going to them, I can know that this most likely isn't for an education, but strictly for entertainment. I can then rightly judge that this isn't God's plan for His children. I certainly don't see anything in the Word admonishing us to be entertained by the world's creation of movies, and violent assaults on others in arenas for entertainment. Paul the apostle, didn't take breaks from his ministry to attend the Roman entertainment of the day. He also never 'specifically' mentioned not to go to 'the collisium' to the Christians, but it does not make it 'okay' to go and be entertained by the world with the very subject of sin and the actions of it.
I have seen a movie on cable that was profitable to me. I have watched television shows (few) that are profitable to me. I have 'liberty' to go to the beach, but I don't get to forget:
Ephesians 5:14-16
"Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
I can tell you the worst effect going on on the face of the earth in the Body of Christ isn't from some 'Pharisee', and a 'list' it is from Christians that have been taught that the 'grace of God' is for freedom TO DO anything, rather than the freedom FROM the reign of sin over them.
What is the intent of the beleiver in any of this? God knows, and sometimes we can know.
If I, like to watch sexual movies, then ANY beleiver can judge that my movie attendance to those things while (if I'm a true beleiver) bringing the HOLY SPIRIT of God into the show, is a SIN.
Thanks for the read, it is thought provoking and profitable to all things mentioned.
(Please endure the spelling)
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Re: Are the Pharisees still among us?
| Posted On: 06/07/07 10:08:13 AM |
Age 54, SD |
Very much appreciated what you had to say.
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