Doctrinally centered or Christ centered?

Another clear result of belonging to Babylon, of abiding therein, is that our hearts become hardened to God and His Spirit, therefore our "Christianity" becomes purely an intellectual excercise. We don't go on to "know him", that is, become deeply intimate with him, we only know about him. We can even seek him with tears (emotionally) and not know him in our hearts (spiritually). We can ever seek him and not find him. We can be ever learning but never arriving at the Truth, the person of Jesus himself.
Churches and fellowships that know God only with the mind and not the heart become doctrinally centered and not Christ centered. They meet and camp around a set of doctrines, eventually exalting their doctrines (knowledge about him) over Christ himself, just as the Pharisees did. When confronted with the "Word made Flesh", they denied him and chose their doctrines instead, because they were walking in pride, for pride is the root of exalting self over God.
According to the Pharisees, Jesus broke the Law, not of God but of man, laws they had added to the Word over the centuries by misinterpreting, by misunderstanding the Word of God. Jesus would not submit to or be controlled by them in any way. The same voice that challenged Jesus - "who is he that gave thee this authority?" (Luke 20:2) is still challenging true authority in the Body today. They are really accusing Jesus of not being submitted to them, under their authority and control and they really believed they were God's representatives on earth. To them he was a "loose cannon" in rebellion because he was in rebellion to them. They could not accept anyone with true authority from God because they had none.
Likewise, many leaders today are intimidated by anyone who shows up who has been given true authority by God, who raises up whom he wills and sends them forth. These leaders behave just like Saul when David shows up, they get jealous and envious and end up trying to kill the David's of the Body. Leadership set in place by man will always try to kill those sent by God, as Herod did when Jesus was born. "But as then he that was born of the flesh persecuted he that was born of the Sprit, EVEN SO IT IS NOW" (Gal:4:20).
Jesus said of His apostles, "He that heareth you, heareth me: and he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me" (Luke 10:16). This is still true today. Leadership that seeks to please men, that seeks honor from man, that is set in place by man, will despise and reject those who seek only to please God. Jesus said "I receive not honor from men. How can ye believe which receive honor one of another and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?" (John 5:41&44).
The Pharisees had not the Word abiding in their hearts, only in their minds. Today, many churches focus so much on doctrine and teaching because they are unable to do the Word, to simply love one another. Many times what people really need is a good hug and a listening ear and all the church can do is preach to them. Correct doctrine becomes the focus of their fellowship and sadly, because they are not in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, the very thing they pride themselves on, correct doctrine, is often missing for the Holy Spirit is the only one who can correctly interpret the Word and teach the doctrines of Christ.

to be continued...