Come Unto Me

[JohnD]

20 hours ago, Flowersun said:

I believe a lot of People are saved through clergymen,pastor ,etc....God uses them as his vessel....

There is a lot more deception than most realize or are willing to admit... or even face.

We hope for vast numbers, but the Lord himself said that narrow is the path to life and few there are that find it.

Many is the time that Christians seek the commonality of other "believers" and even to center it on Christ which

is the only thing we have in common (Christ is indeed the most important of all, but he prayed several times in John 17 

that we be ONE AS THE FATHER AND HE ARE ONE).

There isn't that kind of unity even in a single denomination.

And no I am not preaching the Unity Church (which raises a similar point).

I am saying there is a lot of deception out there which we are warned about in scripture

by the Lord himself (Matthew 24:15ff).

Satan is named the deceiver...

...who makes himself and his ministers appear as angels of light...

and the wolves in sheeps clothing...

There is a way that seems right to mankind... 

the right path to God... the genuine Jesus...

but its end is the way of death and hell and the Lake of Fire...

God's Gospel is most simple. In fact one is continuing to be lost if they

attempt to complicate it through works etc.

But we must believe in the genuine Jesus, the genuine Gospel, the genuine Holy Spirit:

2 Corinthians 11:3–4 (AV)
3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him*.

Galatians 1:8–9 (AV)
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

* ridicule not praise

How many traditional denominations teach the pure Gospel (with no other attachments)?

It's not about keeping the Be attitudes.

It's not about water baptism.

It's not about praying the sinner's prayer.

It's not about "joining" the Church.

It's not about the long laundry list of Roman Catholic qualifiers (in hopes of [maybe] being saved)...

It is about belief in the genuine Jesus. That's the genuine Gospel that the genuine Holy Spirit reveals.

And the way to authenticate all this is to use the keys the Bible teaches / commands us to use to authenticate

all things.

2 Peter 1:20–21 (KJV)
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

This one point (that we are to know first) is overlooked by most.  The Holy Spirit wrote the Bible, he Holy Spirit interprets the Bible. It matters not how far up the theological ladder one climbs if it is the wrong ladder.

Matthew 7:21–23 (AV)
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

If there is anything in this life we must be absolutely certain about, it's that we believe in the genuine Jesus. Jesus himself warned of false Christs and false prophets (Matthew 24:24). But I fear the most damning passage is:

Mark 7:7–13 (AV)
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:
11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.
12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;
13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

Believing in the genuine Jesus does matter. A false Jesus cannot save.

1 John 4:1 (NASB)

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Great. How do we do that? The scriptures:

Acts 17:11 (NIV)
11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

The Thessalonians have the recorded admonition of Paul:

1 Thessalonians 5:21 (AV)
21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

But, it was the Bereans that apparently applied this.

Further keys in scripture to unlocking God's Word are:

Proverbs 25:2 (NIV)
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

Deuteronomy 29:29 (NIV)
29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

Isaiah 28:9–13 (AV)
9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Almost no churches or denominations teach this. They almost all hold to some traditional version of Roman Catholic congregationalism as if that is the actual Church organism. The true Church Organism is all who believe in the Genuine Jesus Christ making all of us priests before God who are chosen and called to ministry (our individualized part in the over all evangelization of the world)...

Matthew 28:19–20 (AV)
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Don't take my word for it!  Acts 17:11 / 1 Thessalonians 5:21 / 1 John 4:1 / 2 Timothy 2:15. 

But FIRST... 2 Peter 1:20-21 seek the Holy Spirit's interpretation and opening up of the scriptures (and test him as well by the scriptures as we are told to by the scriptures).

The observe for yourself how the things we have been mostly told are true are not.

How tradition and authority ascribed to traditionalists are what most subscribe to... rather than Christ himself, rather than the Holy Spirit himself. 

[JohnD]

I know this runs the risk of sounding like others who have rocked the boat

most want to believe is the SS Ecumenical or the Good Ship Can We All Get Along... 

People like  Charles Russell, Joseph Smith Jr. who pointed out some legitimate errors

in the traditional Church... but they did so to develop followings after them and their

even worse errors.

My only hope is to aim all to the Holy Spirit and his interpretation of the Bible he wrote

(which we all verify by the Bible he wrote).  Then we all become the salt and light to get

the Church Organization back on course.

Otherwise we risk (if not completely are) preaching a false Jesus a false Gospel a False Spirit.

It would be like writing in the margin by this text: 

John 3:16–18 (AV)
16 For God* so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son†, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God* sent not his Son† into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son† of God*.

* put whatever god you believe in here...

† put which ever jesus you like here

 

[JohnD]

Is that it, then?

Figured there would be lots of controversy from this.

???