Part four

 

In the New Living Translation 2 Cor:1:24 is expressed this way - "BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN WE WANT TO TELL YOU EXACTLY HOW TO PUT YOUR FAITH INTO PRACTICE"  - yet denominational churches (and all churches submitted to the spirit of religion which Babylon promotes) do the exact opposite of this verse. The religious spirit men submit to, anchored by pride, wants to constantly control us by telling us what we can and cannot do, as well as what we can and cannot believe.  Remember: those of us born of the Spirit, born of God's will and not man's - are like the wind - which will never submit to man's will - only God's! Churches are full of men wanting you to submit to their will - not caring at all what God's will is for you. Flee! 

You know, i really love and appreciate the Pharisees. Without them, along with the Sadducees, we would not have some of the greatest scriptures in all the Bible. Much of what Jesus preached and taught was in response to them! His response to their hypocrisy is so enlightening to our own hearts so prone to hypocrisy.  His response to their stubbornness and pride - their refusal to receive Him - can really bless us. Even their acceptance of Christ reveals so much - remember,  Nicodemus was a Pharisee. He confessed to Jesus that they, the Pharisees, knew He was of God, yet they still resisted Him and slandered Him at every turn. Why? Why would men who purportedly were of God refuse to follow God Himself when He showed up? Their hearts were not right with God. They did not belong to Him. They did not love Him with all their hearts. They wanted to maintain and continue to build the kingdom they had built and were ruling - a kingdom that exalted them, not God, where their will was done, not God's  - indeed, God was worshipped and honored because in their system He exalted them (man), not the other way around.  Today, their spirit is alive and well in churches across the world. If you are free of their influence and control,  they will treat you the way they treated Jesus - bet on it. "BUT AS THEN, HE THAT WAS BORN AFTER THE FLESH PERSECUTED HIM THAT WAS BORN AFTER THE SPIRIT, EVEN SO IT IS NOW".

So we see, God uses both the good and the bad to bless us, both the bond slave and the free. He uses hypocrites to cause us to examine our own hearts and to seek Him for the truth regarding them. We gain so much wisdom from encounters with our enemies. We really do need them. "THEY THAT WILL LIVE GODLY IN CHRIST JESUS SHALL SUFFER PERSECUTION." "THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS ENTERED INTO THROUGH MUCH TRIBULATION". Our enemies are used by God to bless us. The suffering and persecution they bless us with help to purify our souls. "THAT THE TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH, BEING MUCH MORE PRECIOUS THAN OF GOLD THAT PERISHES (why are so many seeking the gold that perishes - and not the incorruptible riches of Heaven?) THOUGH IT BE TRIED WITH FIRE (fiery darts of the wicked, fire of hell in the hearts and on the tongues of the wicked) MIGHT BE FOUND UNTO PRAISE AND HONOR AND GLORY AT THE APPEARING OF JESUS CHRIST" - Remember,  your enemies are God's enemies and His are yours. Jesus testified: "HE THAT RECEIVES WHOEVER I SEND RECEIVES ME, AND HE THAT RECEIVES ME RECEIVES HIM THAT SENT ME" and "HE THAT HEARS YOU, HEARS ME, AND HE THAT DESPISES YOU DESPISES ME, AND HE THAT DESPISES ME DESPISES HIM THAT SENT ME". So don't take it personally when men SHALL REVILE YOU, AND PERSECUTE YOU, AND SHALL SAY ALL MANNER OF EVIL AGAINST YOU FALSELY, FOR MY SAKE. REJOICE AND BE EXCEEDING GLAD: FOR GREAT IS YOUR REWARD IN HEAVEN: FOR SO PERSECUTED THEY THE PROPHETS WHICH WERE BEFORE YOU. Jesus is saying blessed are those who are persecuted! So yes, thank God for your modern day Pharisees,  causing you to press in closer to the One who truly loves you, the One who suffers every unkind word or false accusation with you. Press on and in, I say, to find truth and seperate fact from fiction. Do not follow their lead or example, follow the example of Christ!