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Praise the Lord!! Dedicated to inspiring others to return to the teachings of Jesus Christ; without all the additions and deletions of 'denominational dogma'. Jesus is the founder, head and teacher of the true Chrisitian Church. |
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God’s plan for salvation is not very complex. You must believe there is a God; accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior; be born again through baptism; and follow the “Ten Commandments”. However, mankind in its arrogance refuses to believe it is as simple as that. Since before Jesus’ birth, we have always had those who would interpret what God said, or what He meant. It would seem to many that God is not capable of expressing Himself clearly, or that He likes to play word games and hide the meaning of His word.
We have always had those who are more than willing to tell us just what God meant, and to interpret His word. “Why is it?” we can not accept that God is capable of expressing Himself in a manner which His children can understand. There has always been those who feel that they must tell us what God said, or meant. It is thanks to this class of people that the Church founded by Jesus Christ has become so fragmented that, as a force for good, in this world of darkness, it has been rendered almost ineffectual. These people are responsible for driving people away from their God, in the guise of leading them to Him. The spiritually mature have the responsibility to guide the immature in their daily walk with their Heavenly Father. Yet, too many have taken this as an opportunity to spread additions, and/or distortions, of God’s word. Today, you would think that God published an amendment to the original “Ten Commandments”. The list of commandments has well surpassed ten, and it is still climbing. The list of the new ‘Thou shalt nots’ is wide ranging. How could this happen? Jesus founded the church and is its head. He said, “If you love me, keep my commandments!” Why have we added things like: thou shalt not disobey the pope; thou shalt not believe that the Bible applies to every situation in today’s world; thou shalt not dance; thou shalt not drink alcohol; thou shalt not believe that Jesus was God in the flesh. These are only a few of the new ‘thou shalt nots’, the list goes on and on. The “deceiver” has been, and still is, hard at work. |
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To the non-Christian, it doesn’t make any sense to join a group of people that can not agree on what their All Powerful, All Knowing God said, or did not say. The apostle Paul cautioned us not to believe any word of preaching that did not agree with what Jesus taught.
Brothers and sisters, I strongly urge you to deeply consider before you express any ‘thou shalt nots’. Consider the end result, will it lead others closer to God, or will it drive them away. Basically, will it serve God or Satan? Cast aside all denominational dogma and with the Holy Spirit’s guidance determine what God’s word actually says; not what you were taught it says; or what you want it to say. Don’t let the “deceiver” cause you to mislead others. God’s word stands without the need for man’s clarification, or interpretation. In your zeal to help others lead a more holy life, be very sure that you don’t lead them into thinking that these refinements are really ‘thou shalt nots’. Jesus clearly expressed His feelings about the Scribes and Pharisees of His day. The new breed of Scribes and Pharisees of our day will again face Jesus and have to answer to Him. Please, don’t end up among them. Immanuel |
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chamart@bellsouth.net If you have questions, comments, or would like to establish a dialogue on this subject, feel free to e-mail me at the above address.
Please stop by my other web page at "members.tripod.com/Charolls/index-2.html" There you may sign my guestbook. May you come closer to the Lord each day. |
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