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"A guidebook to
accessing the life of God
Without
being sidetracked by religious tradition."
It
takes a time and study to understand
the Scriptures, we call The Holy Bible. Is it history or fable? Is it the
word of God and relevant to life
in the 21st Century? Is it inviolate
truth or not? It is only after
we have studied the Bible carefully
with the intent to understand
that we begin to glimpse its
consistency and simplicity.
It has been called many things,
such as the "Makers users manual,"
"A love letter from God," "A
book that prophetically foretells
things to come." Theologians
dig into the study of Scripture
from a variety of motives and
at times leave with a lot of
knowledge but little understanding.
The apostle Paul who was highly
educated and religiously situated
proclaimed that scholarship,
philosophy and theology are a
pathway that does not lead to
knowing God. Human knowlege is
not Spiritual knowledge. Truth
and wisdom is a Spiritually derived
gift. Spiritual life is outside
of religion. For it is only God
himself who through the revelation
of the Holy Spirit to impart
to human beings the necessary
understanding and revelation
of the Mysteries
of God.
(Read
1Corinthians Ch.1&2)
WHAT
ARE SOME RELIGIOUS ATTRIBUTES
WHICH HINDER FULFILLMENT IN A
LIFE OF GOD?
**Schisms and division in the body of Christ
from denominational boundaries
**Schism and division
result from the designation of
clergy and the subordinate laity
** Some form of priesthood
remains as the controlling voice
in fellowship
**Human headship a heirarchy
of authority controls and imposes
obligations
**Formalistic rituals
or orders of service prohibit
God's interacting
**Religious services become
a form of performance or entertainment
**Congregations (the laity) undervalued and serve mostly to support
the institution
**The members of congregations
are identified as "sheep"
to be exploited
**the institution church
is focused primarily on maintenance; continuance
and growth
**Religious traditions
borrow worldly values and methodology
**The doctrines of institutional
Christianity may be at variance
with scripture
**All individual believers are not expected to grow,
mature and assume leadership
**Traditional religious
practices lack a demonstration
of the power of the Holy Spirit.
**Although Christianity is the outgrowth and
fulfillment of
Judaic roots there is little acknowledgment
of these foundations
Attributes
of Religion
"The
Leaven of Pharisees
"
" - - the
rulers of the Gentiles lord it over
them, and their great ones exercise
authority over them. It shall not be
so among you, but whosoever would become
great among you shall be your minister;
and whosoever would be first among you
shall be your servant: 28) even as the
song of man came not to be ministered
to but to minister, and to give his
life a ransom for many. Matthew
20:25-28
By
Charles Pinkney
Pharisees
judge things which are from God to be
evil and devilish.
Pharisees
judge things which are from God to be
evil and devilish.
"But
the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils
through the prince of the devils." (Matthew
9:34) "But when the Pharisees heard
it, they said, This fellow doth not
cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the
prince of the devils." (Matthew
12:24)
There
is a class of religious people who know
only the ritual, the letter and the
doctrine of their institution. These
individuals are quick to react to the
person who comes with a doctrine or
revelation that does not coincide with
their own. They do not recognize the
revelation of the Spirit of God and
in fact do not even know God or his
attributes. In the case of Jesus, they
ascribed his anointed works to that
of Lucifer.
Pharisees
follow codes of legalism
"But
when the Pharisees saw it, they said
unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that
which is not lawful to do upon the Sabbath
day." (Matthew 12:2) "And the
Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees
make clean the outside of the cup and
the platter; but your inward part is
full of ravening and wickedness."
(Luke
11:39) "But woe unto you, Pharisees!
for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner
of herbs, and pass over judgment and
the love of God: these ought ye to have
done, and not to leave the other undone."
(Luke 11:42)
Conformity
to religious rules or "legalism" marks
the religious behavior of the Pharisees.
Doctrines are judged right and correct
because they follow "the way of the
fathers." It is the tradition. Tradition
is sacrosanct and can not be violated.
Jesus saw past the tradition into the
moral and spiritual foundations of God.
Pharisees
violently oppose those who they perceive
to be contrary to their doctrine. Pharisees
set themselves to destroy those who
differ with them. "And the
Pharisees went forth, and straightway
took counsel with the Herodians against
him, how they might destroy him."
(Mark 3:6)
"Then
the Pharisees went out, and held a council
against him, how they might destroy
him." (Matthew 12:14)
Tolerance
for another viewpoint not evident in
the doctrine of Pharisees. We see the
immediate response to opposition which
threatened their power-base is that
of reprisals, sanctions, or worse. It
is dangerous to confront a religiously
grounded person especially one who has
a vested interest in the status quo.
No congregation wishes to be threatened
in way which impacts the base of power
or the economic interests of their congregation.
The
Pharisee's behavior is contagious
"Then
Jesus said unto them, Take heed and
beware of the leaven of the Pharisees
and of the Sadducees." (Matthew
16:6)
When
their is no spiritual center to religious
life everything that is done is based
upon going along with the status quo
or replicating traditional behavior.
Once so conditioned it is very hard
to break free. Such bound religious
people are called "children of hell"
by Jesus. (Matthew 23:15)
Pharisees
hinder or prevent the acquisition of
true faith
Mat
23:13 "But woe unto you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up
the kingdom of heaven against men: for
ye neither go in yourselves, neither
suffer ye them that are entering to
go in."
Mat
23:15 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land
to make one proselyte, and when he is
made, ye make him twofold more the child
of hell than yourselves."
Pharisees
present themselves with pomp, pretense
and self exaltation.
Mat
23:14 "Woe unto you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour
widows' houses, and for a pretense make
long prayer: therefore ye shall receive
the greater damnation."
Pharisees
miss the spiritual meaning of the word
and the law.
"Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and
cumin, and have omitted the weightier
matters of the law, judgment, mercy,
and faith: these ought ye to have done,
and not to leave the other undone."
(Matthew 23:23) "And the Lord said
unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean
the outside of the cup and the platter;
but your inward part is full of ravening
and wickedness." (Luke 11:39)
Those
who are of the world and those who are
connected with the vine of religion
fail to hear Jesus' words and they fail
to believe. Jesus told these religious
persons that if they belonged to God
they would hear and recognize that Jesus
spoke for God. Jesus concluded that
they did not belong to God but to their
father the devil.
Pharisees
teaching and practice do not equate;
hypocrisy.
"
- he began to say unto his disciples
first of all, Beware ye of the leaven
of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."
(Luke 12:1)
"Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
for ye make clean the outside of the
cup and of the platter, but within they
are full of extortion and excess."
(Matthew 23:25) "Woe unto you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are
like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed
appear beautiful outward, but are within
full of dead men's bones, and of all
uncleanness."
(Matthew
23:27) "All therefore whatsoever
they bid you observe, that observe and
do; but do not ye after their works:
for they say, and do not." (Matthew
23:3)
Pharisees
separate themselves from common people
and sinners.
"And
when the scribes and Pharisees saw him
eat with publicans and sinners, they
said unto his disciples, How is it that
he eateth and drinketh with publicans
and sinners?" (Mark 2:16)
"But
their scribes and Pharisees murmured
against his disciples, saying, Why do
ye eat and drink with publicans and
sinners?" (Luke 5:30) "And the
Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying,
This man receiveth sinners, and eateth
with them." (Luke 15:2)
Pharisees
turn what should be a spiritual life
into burdensome tasks.
"For
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." (Matthew
23:4)
There
are still religions today who bind their
people with obligations and burdensome
tasks. To fail at the task is to risk
spiritual repercussion of God's wrath.
Pharisees
see God formally and far off from man;
have no knowledge nor experience of
the intimacy of "son ship."
"And
the scribes and the Pharisees began
to reason, saying, Who is this which
speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive
sins, but God alone?" (Luke 5:21)
To
Pharisees the "status" of their ecclesiastical
position is a source of pride.
"Woe
unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the
uppermost seats in the synagogues, and
greetings in the markets." (Luke
11:43)
"And
the Pharisees also, who were covetous,
heard all these things: and they derided
him." (Luke 16:14)
"But
all their works they do for to be seen
of men: they make broad their phylacteries,
and enlarge the borders of their garments,"
(Matthew 23:5)
"Pharisees
judge the externals, see only the outward
forms and appearance of things, therefore
they do not judge with righteous judgment
(Isaiah Chapter 11)
"And
when he was demanded of the Pharisees,
when the kingdom of God should come,
he answered them and said, The kingdom
of God cometh not with observation:"
(Luke 17:20)
Righteous
judgment is described in Isaiah Chapter
11. It states that Lord, the righteous
Judge will not judge by the external
evidence of the things which are seen
by things revealed in the Spirit.
Pharisees
do not recognize the anointing, they
contend and compete with the anointing,
using any available argument to stop
it.
"The
Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou
bearest record of thyself; thy record
is not true." (John 8:13)
"Now
both the chief priests and the Pharisees
had given a commandment, that, if any
man knew where he were, he should show
it, that they might take him." (John
11:57)
Any
person who is spiritual in the midst
of religious non spiritual people is
at once suspect and accused of many
kinds of evil. Whether by reason of
jealousy or of fear that they might
be exposed as spiritually deficient
charlatans. In such situations, the
true man or woman of God is singled
out for persecution and eventually suffers
legalistic reprisals from the priestly
leadership.
Pharisees
flaunt the status of their religious
titles, which are used to "lord
it over" the simple.
"And
greetings in the markets, and to be
called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi." (read
Matthew 23:7-10)
From
these scriptures it can be interpreted
that any names which exalt clergy or
human leadership is unscriptural. Whether
"Rabbi," "Master," "Father," "Excellence,"
"Eminence," "Your Grace," "Reverend"
or "Pastor, " or any other.
The
apostles forbid such obsequious fawning
and we should not become so phony and
egoistic as to require it. These kinds
of men may be our brothers if they are
believers but they are no more than
a brother who shares the same testimony
that ,"We have nothing that was not
given to us".
Pharisees
expect privilege, power, status, and
gain through their titles and leadership.
"And
love the uppermost rooms at feasts,
and the chief seats in the synagogues,"
"But be not ye called Rabbi: for one
is your Master, even Christ; and all
ye are brethren." "And call no man your
father upon the earth: for one is your
Father, which is in heaven."
"And
whosoever shall exalt himself shall
be abased; and he that shall humble
himself shall be exalted." (Matthew
23:6,8,9,12)
Clergy
as a privileged class is assumed widely
within contemporary tradition. Leadership,
some presume, has the privilege of living
in a kind of exalted manner, with lavish
attention to their every need. Of course
there are some poor churches who barely
support their pastors and might well
do more, many of the clergy class "lord
it over" the parishioners essentially
expecting a high standard of comfortable
living to be supplied by the gratuities
of others.
There
is something about the picture of a
fat, self indulgent preacher that the
world does not trust. The Broadway musical
production "Cabaret" typifies this view
as it features one song which was called
"Money." In it there is just such a
reference to a fat money-grabbing preacher.
While fat and affluent business men
seem perfectly Okay by worldly standards
the world does not really want to see
Christians among the materialistic and
self indulgent. While I do not normally
see the world as having much spiritual
enlightenment, this is an interesting
insight.
Pharisees
forget the true nature of ministry:
mercy, sharing and helping others.
"And
whosoever shall exalt himself shall
be abased; and he that shall humble
himself shall be exalted." "But he that
is greatest among you shall be your
servant." (Matthew 23:11,12)
The
Kingdom of God is not about ourselves.
The Kingdom of God is not about wealth
or comfort though it would be good if
want and suffering were banished. The
Kingdom of God is about realizing a
life where God is a reality and his
presence is a continual comfort and
strength to any of us in this world,
regardless of our status or situation.
God is a reality and his blessings are
real and new each day. Those who know
God are aware of this reality, those
who know only religion are still waiting
to connect to the real thing.
"Knowledge
makes arrogant, love edifies."
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