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Religious Leaders The Pharisees and the Sadducees were the religious leaders in Jesus' time. They were in charge of the religion of which Jesus belonged and trusted: Judaism. Jesus knew that Judaism was to be a religion of man's relationship with God, based on God's terms and covenant. The religious leaders changed the religion to be religion of man's relationship with God based on man's terms and covenant. Jesus condemned the religious leaders of his day with strong words. We have the same problem with religious leaders today. There are religious leaders in every denomination who do the same thing that Jesus accused His leaders of doing. Therefore, Jesus' Words are as need and relevant today as they are to those in His day. Please read Jesus' Word below. Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples: "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees … they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Burdens; ("Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28) "Everything they do is done for men to see: … they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats … they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.' "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and He is in heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. (By not following Jesus Christ themselves, the religious leaders keep others away from God, too!) You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. e. (False Teaching) "Woe to you, blind guides! "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. (Clean your soul by confession and repenting of your sin before God. Cleanse your soul by accepting Jesus Christ, the Atonement, for your personal sins. - Clean your soul daily with God, and stay in a relationship with God based on His Son's Work on the cross.) "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. (Only God deserves honor and praise!! - do not seek it of men!) And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers! "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" Psalm 118:26; Matt 23:1-39 Is your church giving you the message: Pay more attention to accomplishing the rules, rituals and traditions rather than reading and ingesting the Word of God? Do your church leaders seem to desire more attention to themselves and being served by others rather than being busy serving other peoples needs and not seeking attention to themselves? If your answer is "YES", then you have a church in error, according to God's Word. Read again Jesus' warnings above to seek God's Wisdom on your situation. If you answered "NO", then you can check this list as well > Your Religion or False Teachings. If you are in a Bible reading, trusting and growing church, praise the Almighty Father for His Provision! If you are not, then ask God to provide your needs. God's Message to two churches. The Church is made up of people who have been born of the Holy Spirit, and thus each member is God's child. The church is NOT the building or location of worship. Does this message from God speak to you, do the words fit you and how you are? Then do the remedy that the Lord Jesus Christ tells you to do. "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: … I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. … He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Rev 2:1-7 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Rev 3:14-22 And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19 I need God to supply my spiritual needs. Bring me to provide your needs. Bring me to My Religion is Good. |
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