What we don't seem to realize is - the Church and Israel are mirror images of each other - all that happened to Israel in the natural, has happened to the Church spiritually. Israel represents God's dealings with mankind in the natural realm, after the flesh, while the Church represents God's dealings with mankind in the spirit realm, after the spirit - which is why He declares of them "He hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us, for to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace", for the destiny of Israel and the destiny of the Church are one and the same, forever intertwined, with both together making up His bride - and we see that they are indeed reflected in each other, so much so that we see that as Israel was taken away out of her promised land and led into captivity in Babylon (except for a small remnant) so has the Church spiritually been brought into captivity to the spirit of Babylon (except for a small remnant). We all agree - Jesus came to save the lost, but when gentiles hear this they arrogantly assume He meant He came to save them, when Jesus Himself said "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (MT:15:24). Even when He sent forth His Apostles he commanded them - "Go not in the way of the gentiles, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel".
Now we know through Paul that the gospel of the Christ is to the Jew first and also to the Greek. We know God has always had it in His heart to save gentiles by inviting them into the house of Israel - to become spiritual Jews alongside natural Jews but for this discussion I wish to point out this fact - Israel, His people, "The people of the Book", from Genesis onward, were lost, lost sheep, and Jesus' first priority was His brethren after the flesh - the ones He entrusted with His sacred, holy Word and the ones He chose to become a part of when He was born of the flesh. Yes, His very people had become totally lost, estranged from Him - and so it is today. Today, His people after his Spirit, born of His Spirit, primarily gentiles, have become as lost to God as Israel was when Jesus first appeared. They've been lost to a religion called "Christianity" as surely as the Jews were lost to a religion called "Judaism". Just as the religious leaders of Jesus' day, the Pharisees, used the Word of God and knew His name, so do "Christian" leaders of today use His Word and His name - both then and now "they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind both shall fall into the ditch". If you choose to follow Christ you must take His advice to "let them alone" (MT:15:14)
In His day, Jesus' disciples were concerned about the religious leaders of their world - they did not want to offend them. They were concerned because Jesus didn't seem to care at all that He was offending them - Jesus' disciples came to Him saying "knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended?", after they'd heard what Jesus said. The Pharisees teachings were far from what God intended the scriptures to mean. The Pharisees had not the "wisdom that is from above", which is "first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy". No, of the Pharisees, Jesus said "do not ye after their works: for they say and do not". Our churches today are full of leaders who "say and do not", who teach all about the gifts of the Spirit but never operate in them, who preach sermons they've never obeyed themselves - these come from the spirit of the age, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil....these are hearers only, who use knowledge for selfish gain, who make commerce out of the precious word of God, who desire only to speak about wisdom, never actually becoming wise. These words of Jesus' about the Pharisees hold true for today's religious leadership - "They bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all of they works they do for to be seen of men"....."and love the uppermost rooms at feasts and the chief seats in the Synagogues (churches) and greetings in the markets and to be called of men Rabbi, Rabbi" (Pastor, Pastor). He ascribed woe to them and I ascribe woe to the religious leaders of our present day who walk in the same arrogant, prideful spirit the Pharisees walked in. Just as they were offended with Jesus' words, so too are today's religious leadership offended with Jesus' words, offended by His Spirit and offended with all who are born of Him who follow Him and not them.
Part two coming soon.....
Now we know through Paul that the gospel of the Christ is to the Jew first and also to the Greek. We know God has always had it in His heart to save gentiles by inviting them into the house of Israel - to become spiritual Jews alongside natural Jews but for this discussion I wish to point out this fact - Israel, His people, "The people of the Book", from Genesis onward, were lost, lost sheep, and Jesus' first priority was His brethren after the flesh - the ones He entrusted with His sacred, holy Word and the ones He chose to become a part of when He was born of the flesh. Yes, His very people had become totally lost, estranged from Him - and so it is today. Today, His people after his Spirit, born of His Spirit, primarily gentiles, have become as lost to God as Israel was when Jesus first appeared. They've been lost to a religion called "Christianity" as surely as the Jews were lost to a religion called "Judaism". Just as the religious leaders of Jesus' day, the Pharisees, used the Word of God and knew His name, so do "Christian" leaders of today use His Word and His name - both then and now "they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind both shall fall into the ditch". If you choose to follow Christ you must take His advice to "let them alone" (MT:15:14)
In His day, Jesus' disciples were concerned about the religious leaders of their world - they did not want to offend them. They were concerned because Jesus didn't seem to care at all that He was offending them - Jesus' disciples came to Him saying "knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended?", after they'd heard what Jesus said. The Pharisees teachings were far from what God intended the scriptures to mean. The Pharisees had not the "wisdom that is from above", which is "first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy". No, of the Pharisees, Jesus said "do not ye after their works: for they say and do not". Our churches today are full of leaders who "say and do not", who teach all about the gifts of the Spirit but never operate in them, who preach sermons they've never obeyed themselves - these come from the spirit of the age, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil....these are hearers only, who use knowledge for selfish gain, who make commerce out of the precious word of God, who desire only to speak about wisdom, never actually becoming wise. These words of Jesus' about the Pharisees hold true for today's religious leadership - "They bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all of they works they do for to be seen of men"....."and love the uppermost rooms at feasts and the chief seats in the Synagogues (churches) and greetings in the markets and to be called of men Rabbi, Rabbi" (Pastor, Pastor). He ascribed woe to them and I ascribe woe to the religious leaders of our present day who walk in the same arrogant, prideful spirit the Pharisees walked in. Just as they were offended with Jesus' words, so too are today's religious leadership offended with Jesus' words, offended by His Spirit and offended with all who are born of Him who follow Him and not them.
Part two coming soon.....
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