Let's say you're lonely. Let's say you're starving for human affection. Let's say you've gone through life unwanted, alone, rejected. A member of a cult comes up to you, smiling a big, warm, smile. They take the time to greet you. They take the time to speak to you and most importantly - they listen to you! You are so touched that when they invite you to a meeting, you think, why not? What else do I have to do? No one's invited me to join them in anything for so long. You accept. You're excited! Could someone in this world actually care for me? Dare I think, even love me? You go to a meeting. Everyone is so friendly. Everyone seems to genuinely care about you. It's a dream come true! And they care for your eternal soul! They've discovered how you can live forever in paradise - it's all right there in the Bible! How could God's Holy Word be wrong? They know how to please God! By pleasing Him you'll go to heaven with them, where you can all be together forever! All you have to do to please God and reap eternal rewards is join them. They are, after all, the only ones on earth who know the truth, whose revelation of God is pure. This is because their leader is a true Prophet of God, or, as some claim, Jesus himself returned to earth in the flesh again. Why not? It happened before, can't it happen again? Now you have friends! Now you have a family that loves you, unlike your family after the flesh. And now, your soul is lost to God forever.
"Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, behold I have told you before. For is they shall say to you, behold, he is in the desert, go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers, believe it not."
According to Christ, you don't need to go to them, to any group or person, to find and know God. Where is God? Where can he be found? "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles; which is CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY." (Col:1:27). You don't need to go to a church to find him or hear him or meet with him, if you've invited him to live in you - in your heart and your body is his temple. It's him you're following and when he leads you into fellowship with other believers like you, rejoice! But, if they do not extend their friendship with their fellowship....
Celebrate Christ in you, and in them but do not submit to anyone who uses Christ to control or replace your personal relationship with Jesus - telling you what you can and cannot do and leading you to believe they are essential to you if you want to make it to Heaven - you cannot please God without them! Submission to them equals submission to God. This, children, is to be avoided at all cost. Fellowship with Christ in one another. Serve one another the bread of life in you and the wine of his blood, full of forgiveness and hope of a better world yet to come. Serve one another - only submit to and serve those who are submitted to and serving you. No man is to be exalted over another. (cue John Reuben's "God is love").
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Churches today are full of the commandments and doctrines of men which indeed appear to be wise to the immature and soulish. Their worship seems sincere but is designed to be seen by men, to show how much they love God and adore him. They appear to have humility but it's all for their glory, not God's. Jesus pointed out hypocrites, how they love to pray standing in churches and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. They love to be seen giving money. They make a great show of their giving of their money, creating elaborate ceremonies and spending an inordinate amount of time taking up their offerings, all so they may have glory in the eyes of men. Jesus told us to pray in secret. He told us to give our money to the poor secretly, yet churches make all of this - praying and giving and fasting, a public spectacle. Why? To be seen of men. To impress each other, to prove to each other how godly and holy and humble they are. Do it not, my children. Seek to impress Our Father, who alone sees what you do in secret, hears what you pray in private. Teach your heart to seek to glory in God, not in man's attention or praise. Selah.
"Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, behold I have told you before. For is they shall say to you, behold, he is in the desert, go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers, believe it not."
According to Christ, you don't need to go to them, to any group or person, to find and know God. Where is God? Where can he be found? "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles; which is CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY." (Col:1:27). You don't need to go to a church to find him or hear him or meet with him, if you've invited him to live in you - in your heart and your body is his temple. It's him you're following and when he leads you into fellowship with other believers like you, rejoice! But, if they do not extend their friendship with their fellowship....
Celebrate Christ in you, and in them but do not submit to anyone who uses Christ to control or replace your personal relationship with Jesus - telling you what you can and cannot do and leading you to believe they are essential to you if you want to make it to Heaven - you cannot please God without them! Submission to them equals submission to God. This, children, is to be avoided at all cost. Fellowship with Christ in one another. Serve one another the bread of life in you and the wine of his blood, full of forgiveness and hope of a better world yet to come. Serve one another - only submit to and serve those who are submitted to and serving you. No man is to be exalted over another. (cue John Reuben's "God is love").
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Churches today are full of the commandments and doctrines of men which indeed appear to be wise to the immature and soulish. Their worship seems sincere but is designed to be seen by men, to show how much they love God and adore him. They appear to have humility but it's all for their glory, not God's. Jesus pointed out hypocrites, how they love to pray standing in churches and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. They love to be seen giving money. They make a great show of their giving of their money, creating elaborate ceremonies and spending an inordinate amount of time taking up their offerings, all so they may have glory in the eyes of men. Jesus told us to pray in secret. He told us to give our money to the poor secretly, yet churches make all of this - praying and giving and fasting, a public spectacle. Why? To be seen of men. To impress each other, to prove to each other how godly and holy and humble they are. Do it not, my children. Seek to impress Our Father, who alone sees what you do in secret, hears what you pray in private. Teach your heart to seek to glory in God, not in man's attention or praise. Selah.
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