| Topic: |
Religions > Bible |
| User: |
"Beelzebull" |
| Date: |
08 Jun 2005 05:00:04 AM |
| Object: |
Guide to God, part 27/41: Ecclesiasticism |
Guide to God, part 27/41: Ecclesiasticism
-----
Ecclesiasticism
Denominationalism: Denominationalism is folly. There
are only two types of people on the earth: Good and evil.
Those who keep the laws, ordinances, and commandments of
God are good; those who do not keep the laws, ordinances,
and commandments of God are evil. There is only one God;
only one heaven; and only one path which leads to heaven:
Moral integrety as defined by the Ten Commandments. In
the Day of Judgement, you will be judged by the Standard
of God -- not by the beliefs of your denomination. Beliefs
and ceremonies are irrelevant; the keeping of the Ten
Commandments is all that matters. He who keeps the Ten
Commandments shall inherit life eternal; he who refuses
to keep the Ten Commandments shall inherit death eternal;
he who is ignorant of the Ten Commandments will be judged.
"Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may
have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through
the gates into the city." [Revelation 22:14]
Church Hierarchy: Churches have greatly erred in their
construction of hierarchical systems of administration,
for Jesus commanded His disciples to shun lordship: "But
there was also rivalry among them (His disciples), as to
which of them should be considered the greatest. And He
(Jesus) said to them, 'The kings of the Gentiles (nations)
exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise
authority over them are called "benefactors". But not so
among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you,
let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who
serves.'" [Luke 22:24-26] And again, "And He (Jesus) sat
down, called the twelve (disciples), and said to them,
'If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all
and servant of all.'" [Mark 9:35] Why this stern warning
against hierarchies? Because a hierarchy will inevitably
be infiltrated and hijacked by the children of the devil.
On the other hand, an unorganized scattering of "lowly"
servants cannot easily be exploited to deceive and oppress
the masses. The lure of the hierarchical system is, of
course, power -- one of man's greatest weaknesses.
Administration: If hierarchies are to be avoided, how
should the gifts of God be administered? When members of
a church are gathered together, let them share their gifts
in an orderly manner: "How is it then, brethren?
Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has
a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an
interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.
If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the
most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. But if
there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and
let him speak to himself and to God. Let two or three
prophets speak, and let the others judge. But if anything
is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep
silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may
learn and all may be encouraged." [1 Corinthians 14:26-31]
A church is a gathering of believers who seek to edify each
other in accordance with the commandments of God. Be wary
of the heavy-handed church leader who refuses to be
publicly questioned. As forewarned, Satan and his children
have infiltrated the church, sowing discord in their quest
to destroy it from within. How do I know if my church has
been hijacked by Satan? Simple: If your church teaches
the Ten Commandments as the one and only path to life
eternal, then your church is faithful to God.
Sainthood And The Father: It is not for the church to
assign sainthood to any man; it is the office of God to
call the saints, for only God alone can make such a
judgement, for God alone knows the contents of the hearts
of men. In assigning sainthood to men, the church shows
great arrogance and disrespect for the office and authority
of God. Furthermore, there are those in the church who
would be addressed as "Father", contrary to the commandment
of Jesus: "But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is
your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not
call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father,
He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for
One is your Teacher, the Christ." [Matthew 23:8-10] The
church was intended to be a brotherhood of equals. See
how far the hierarchical church has strayed from its
foundation, and overstepped its authority?
Servants Of God: Who is qualified to be a priest to God?
Only sons of Aaron are qualified to be priests to God; and
only sons of Levi are qualified to be servants in the temple
of God: This refers to the Jewish faith. What about the
Christian faith? There is only one Priest in the Christian
faith -- Jesus the Christ, who is the head of His Church;
the church or "body" of the Christ is composed of "brethren"
or "brothers". A brother is either male or female; all
brothers are equal; if a brother receives a gift from God,
he is to share it with the other members, then he is to
take his place among them; no brother is permitted to be
exalted above the rest, and no brother should be debased.
Are homosexuals permitted to be priests unto God? Consider
the following Scripture: "If a man lies with a male as he
lies with a woman, both of them have committed an
abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their
blood shall be upon them." [Leviticus 20:13] Obviously,
a dead man cannot render service to God.
Called To Teach: The word of God should only be taught by
those whom God has called to do so. How do I know if God
has called me to teach His word? If there is any doubt in
your heart, you can be certain that God has not called you:
"Then I said, 'I will not make mention of Him, nor speak
anymore in His name.' But His word was in my heart like a
burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it
back, and I could not." [Jeremiah 20:9] If God calls you
to teach His word, you cannot choose but do so.
Teachers: Those who take it upon themselves to teach the
word of God put themselves under severe judgement: Not
only must they answer for their own life, but they must
also answer for those whom they have taught. Ezekiel gives
a brilliant illustration of the relationship between the
teacher and his student: "Now it came to pass at the end
of seven days that the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
'Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of
Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them
warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, "You shall
surely die," and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn
the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same
wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will
require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he
does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way,
he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your
soul. Again, when a righteous man turns from his
righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling
block before him, he shall die; because you did not give
him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness
which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I
will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the
righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he
does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning;
also you will have delivered your soul.'" [Ezekiel 3:16-21]
Consider the following Scripture: "But whoever causes one
of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be
better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck,
and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
[Matthew 18:6] As you can see, teachers will be most
severely judged; but if they have taught faithfully, they
will be most richly rewarded. There is no greater
responsibility a man can undertake on the earth than to
take it upon himself to teach the word of God.
True And False Teachers: There are two types of teachers
on the earth: True and faithful ones; and false and
deceitful ones. True teachers are from God; false teachers
are from the devil. How do I distinguish between the two?
Simple: The word of God is a sharp two-edged sword which
divides the living from the dead; good from evil; light from
darkness; wheat from tares; sheep from goats. True teachers
teach the absolute black-and-white principles of God; false
teachers obfuscate the word of God through relativism and
human understanding. Therefore, study, understand, and keep
the word of God that you may be properly equipped to judge
between true and false teachers. If you do not know the
word of God, you will be deceived by false teachers, since
they are clever and cunning, possessing the craftiness of
their father the devil. If you are a false teacher, you
will surely die: "These two (the beast and the false
prophet) were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with
brimstone." [Revelation 19:20] Thus, we see the fate of
false teachers, here referred to as "the false prophet";
remember that the "lake of fire" signifies death eternal.
If you are a false teacher, and would like to change, follow
God's advice: Repent. What does "re-pent" mean? "Re"
means "return"; "pent" means "the highest level". Thus,
"repent" means "return to the highest level". The highest
level is the Ten Commandments. In summary, "repent" means
"return to the Ten Commandments". The best illustration
of repentance was given by Jesus, when he said to the
adulteress, "Go and sin no more." [John 8:11]
Women Teachers: Are women permitted to teach the word of
God? Yes. But bear in mind the following Scripture: "My
brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that
we shall receive a stricter judgement." [James 3:1] Due
to abuse suffered at the hands of men, some women are more
likely to listen to the words spoken by the mouth of a woman
than by the mouth of a man -- even though the words are the
same. Therefore, God raises up women to speak His word, for
He is not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance. In any case, be wary of false
teachers -- even among women. As a cautionary note, women
should refrain from teaching men, since that would be a
perversion of God's arrangement for mankind: "But I want
you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head
of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God."
[1 Corinthians 11:3]
False Teachers: False teachers are those, wittingly or not,
under the control of their father the devil; false teachers
seek to destroy the works of God; they strive to climb the
"corporate ladder" at any cost, that they may receive the
world's applause -- rather than the approval of God. False
teachers receive their reward (the applause of men) in the
temporal world; they will receive nothing from God. In
fact, in the Day of Judgement, God will sentence the false
teachers to death, saying, "Get away from Me, you workers of
iniquity; I never knew you!" [Matthew 7:23, paraphrased]
I have considered the teachers in the world, and I have
observed that the majority of them are false teachers; and
I pity those who choose to follow the teachings of men --
rather than study the word of God for themselves. After
all, God gave His word to man; He did not give it to a
particular "type" of men to be taught to another particular
"type" of men. God gave His word to you. If you do not
study it, you display contempt for Him who gave it.
Playing Church: God says to the church of the last days
(before the coming of the Christ/Messiah): "Behold, I
stand at the door and knock." [Revelation 3:20] Notice
that God is outside the church -- not inside. Why is God
not inside the church? Because God cannot stand in the
face of evil; in other words, Satan is inside the church.
Does your church teach you how to use the sharp two-edged
sword (the absolute word of God) to conquer the world, the
flesh, and the devil? Or does your church teach smooth and
non-offensive things, that it may not lose your membership
and your financial support? "Enter by the narrow gate; for
wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to
destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because
narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to
life, and there are few who find it." [Matthew 7:13-14]
"We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of
God." [Acts 14:22] If you are not suffering unusual
trials and tribulations, your church may be ruled by Satan,
for the devil does not afflict those who already belong to
him. If you wish to serve God, yet your church approves of
abortion, adultery, homosexuality, etc., leave: For why
should you pay your own fare to hell? You would be better
served by using your time and money to eat, drink, and be
merry, for tomorrow you will die: "Do you not know that
the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do
not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves,
nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners
will inherit the kingdom of God." [1 Corinthians 6:9-10]
The Trinity: There is only one God, not three: "For there
are three who bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word,
and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one." [1 John 5:7]
Man is made in the image of God: His brain is akin to the
Father; his body is akin to the Word/Son; his blood is akin
to the Holy Spirit. One by itself can do nothing; two by
themselves can do nothing; only when all three come together
in harmony can work be accomplished.
The Virgin Mary: Those who worship Mary, the mother of
Jesus, are guilty of idolatry, which is the transgression
of the first and greatest commandment: "You shall have no
other gods besides Me." [Exodus 20:3] Mary is a dead
woman; the dead can do nothing. If you wish to inherit
life eternal, serve the living God by keeping His Ten
Commandments.
-----
The above is an excerpt from a currently-available book
which can be purchased at:
www.amazon.com
www.amazon.co.uk
www.amazon.ca
Search "Books" for:
TITLE: "The Teenager's Guide to the Awesome God"
AUTHOR: "Arrant Knave"
ISBN: "1413755003"
-----
Excerpt from "The Teenager's Guide To The Awesome God"
Copyright 2000 Arrant Knave. All rights reserved.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are
taken from the New King James Version (R). Copyright (C)
1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
.
|
|
|
Related Articles |
Guide to God, part 01/41: Back Cover, Contents, Preface
Guide to God, part 02/41: Introduction
Guide to God, part 03/41: The Big Picture
Guide to God, part 07/41: Work: The Key To Success And Life
Guide to God, part 08/41: Masters And Servants
Guide to God, part 09/41: The Field
Guide to God, part 10/41: Words
Guide to God, part 11/41: The Standard And The Test
| Guide to God, part 14/41: Failure Of Man
Guide to God, part 16/41: Male And Female
Guide to God, part 17/41: Social Issues
Guide to God, part 18/41: Multiplication And Overpopulation
Guide to God, part 19/41: Racism
Guide to God, part 20/41: The System
Guide to God, part 21/41: A New System
|
|
|
