May 15 2021...
Was listening to a podcast very early this morning about conformity in universities. Seems the 2 pastors...one older and one youth pastor.... just keeps choosing people with high intellect aka university degrees and 'the well to do' recognized known people only. Basically the well known people of the community only...yet G_d picks the nobodies of this world to confound the eise. These 2 pastors elevate the famed ...which in turn reveals their pride and favoritism to certain well known and popular people of the community only. Also they were both depending on their seminary and uniniversity degrees as considering themselves being superior over the flock since they had these seminary and higher education degrees.. They also referred via acedemic world viewpoint and philodophies and christisnese 'word speak' and that everyone else had to conform to their dialectic and christian terminology ....aka using worldly human intellect only...definitely not the Spirit of G_d wisdom here!!! So very opposite to what jesus taught infact! Jesus called out the words..churchiality and not authentic christianity... and was about comfornity to the traditions of men ,academic church speak and terminology....not the real deal here aka genuine. Even paul said ..to a jew I become a jew, to a gentile I become a gentile, I become all things to all people so that I may win some to Christ (jesus) Also paul considered all his knowledge and jewish training to be totally garbage/totally useless but knowing Christ. Paul was a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee. .so he was versed in the jewish Law and comparable to that of being a lawyer in regards to the Law as well. Paul was extremely well educated and so extremely knowable/well versed in the Law..yet paul found it all futile/useless after being revealed who jesus is on the road to Damascus. Also i found hat these 2 pastors were totally out of touch with the present reality of things atvpresent which are very dire globally and many people are financially hurting,stressed, their small nuclear family's in chaos and conflict etc. I noticed quite a few churches in my town are way off base and completely out of touch to the present reality of things... and are not preparing their congregations to prepare them for very hard times presently and ahead! Anyhoos.... it's churchiality there..not the real authentic christianity...big difference!
Next remembering about a dream...I'm in bed sleeping and a person's face shows up and 'in my face' sort of thing. The face is one I know very well. It's the face of a family member infact. Can't recall the face now tho. I think it's my sister valerie's face., my baby sister's face who is just a poor person working a loow end paying job, her health is eorsening as is getting up in age now, and struggling in her faith...as is her hubby as well...basically 'not all her ducks were not in a row' yet!!!..she's the type who strives to seek the face of G_d and jesus...and is genuine in nature. She represents the common joe, the average working person who is presently struggling.
The second face is one of a church person all pious, virtuous and in their sunday best...but they are fake and not the real deal/not genuine...more so a pseudo christian wannabe type aka a wolf in sheep's clothing and jesus is frowning about that bigtime!
Lastly.... was my friend Doug's face up close and personal. He appeared as a young military soldier type as His face was all done up in camouflage war paint that military guys wear...and he was in military fatigues as well...denoting a war scenerio or war time....protector of tge country sort of thing too. Behind his camouflage aka mask...he was a genuine seeker. On the outside he looked like very bad news, a trouble maker and totally a non christian in looks... but inside he was the real deal as well. All in all outter appearances can be very decieving..it's the inside that counts only....not just the outer physical facade!
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This came to mind just now...
Matt 22...The Parable of the Banquet (Luke 14:15–24)
1Once again, Jesus spoke to them in parables: 2“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come.
4Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
5But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, another to his business. 6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.
7The king was enraged, and he sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city. 8Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited were not worthy. 9Go therefore to the crossroads and invite to the banquet as many as you can find.’
10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11But when the king came in to see the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes. 12‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’
But the man was speechless.
13Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14For many are called, but few are chosen.”
(Wedding cloths are the new nature aka the Spirit of G_d within aka the new creation/inner man. The old clothes is the un regenerated man of flesh aka old sin nature/old clothes only aka one who is not born from hwaven, born from above, born again via the Spirit of G_d!)
And in regards to 'churchiality' and the leaders ...the upmanship/superiority complex over their laity/congregations etc..here are some verses for you as well! As jesus said...to be a true leader is to be the servant of all! The pride of most of these so called church leaders has no bounds! Pride/ego and upmanship is all they know...they are more hirelings and their god in essence is money/mammon!!
Matt 15....
The Tradition of the Elders (Mark 7:1–13)
1Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2“Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.”
3Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother' and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ 5But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ 6he need not honor his father or mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you:
8‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 9They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”
What Defiles a Man (Mark 7:14–23)
10Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen and understand. 11A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”
12Then the disciples came to Him and said, “Are You aware that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
13But Jesus replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots. 14Disregard them! They are blind guides.e If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
15Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”
16“Do you still not understand?” Jesus asked. 17“Do you not yet realize that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is eliminated? 18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. 20These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”
Matt 23....
Jesus Condemns the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law of Moses(Mark 12.38-40; Luke 11.37-52; 20.45-47)
1Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
2The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law are experts in the Law of Moses. 3So obey everything they teach you, but don't do as they do. After all, they say one thing and do something else.
4They pile heavy burdens on people's shoulders and won't lift a finger to help. 5 Everything they do is just to show off in front of others. They even make a big show of wearing Scripture verses on their foreheads and arms, and they wear big tassels for everyone to see. 6They love the best seats at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues. 7And when they are in the market, they like to have people greet them as their teachers.
8But none of you should be called a teacher. You have only one teacher, and all of you are like brothers and sisters. 9Don't call anyone on earth your father. All of you have the same Father in heaven. 10None of you should be called the leader. The Messiah is your only leader. 11 Whoever is the greatest should be the servant of the others. 12 If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored.
***13-14You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble! You're nothing but show- offs. You lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. You won't go in yourselves, and you keep others from going in.
15You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You travel over land and sea to win one follower. And when you have done so, you make that person twice as fit for hell as you are.***
16You are in for trouble! You are supposed to lead others, but you are blind. You teach that it doesn't matter if a person swears by the temple. But you say it does matter if someone swears by the gold in the temple. 17You blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
18You also teach that it doesn't matter if a person swears by the altar. But you say it does matter if someone swears by the gift on the altar. 19Are you blind? Which is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20Anyone who swears by the altar also swears by everything on it. 21And anyone who swears by the temple also swears by God, who lives there. 22 To swear by heaven is the same as swearing by God's throne and by the one who sits on that throne.
23 You Pharisees and teachers are show-offs, and you're in for trouble! You give God a tenth of the spices from your garden, such as mint, dill, and cumin.
***Yet you neglect the more important matters of the Law, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the important things you should have done, though you should not have left the others undone either. 24You blind leaders! You strain out a small fly but swallow a camel.***
25You Pharisees and teachers are show-offs, and you're in for trouble! You wash the outside of your cups and dishes, while inside there is nothing but greed and selfishness. 26You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of a cup, and then the outside will also be clean.
27 You Pharisees and teachers are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You're like tombs that have been whitewashed. On the outside they are beautiful, but inside they are full of bones and filth. 28That's what you are like. Outside you look good, but inside you are evil and only pretend to be good.
29You Pharisees and teachers are nothing but show- offs, and you're in for trouble! You build monuments for the prophets and decorate the tombs of good people. 30And you claim you would not have taken part with your ancestors in killing the prophets. 31But you prove you really are the relatives of the ones who killed the prophets. 32So keep on doing everything they did. 33 You are nothing but snakes and the children of snakes! How can you escape going to hell?
34I will send to you prophets and wise people and experts in the Law of Moses. You will kill them or nail them to a cross or beat them in your synagogues or chase them from town to town. 35 That's why you will be held guilty for the murder of every good person, beginning with the good man Abel. This also includes Barachiah's son Zechariah,+ the man you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36I can promise that you people living today will be punished for all these things! Snip... ....
Alot of these modern day churches leaders are very much like the Pharisees in essence..,especially in the mega churches! The odd small church maybe not so...but the majority today are and swindle the congregations left abd right and twist the scriptures bigtime.
Read the 7 churches in the book of revelations peoples...Jesus corrected alot of them for wrong teachings/thoughts and errors...I only recall 2 of the church's getting a good report. One church was also threatened to gave it's candle stick removed if they did not clean up their act! G_d and jesus sees all and one can not pull the wool over their eyes in the deeds/actions of darkness! 7 means completion and so the 7 church's signify the whole of christiandom. Each of the 7 churches reflects the differ types of people who make up the whole of christianity/christiandom...outter appearances is not everything..only the inner regenerated nature via the Spirit of G_d is aka inner man/new creation type are genuine.
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