When
Jesus started His public ministry, He did not call the learned Rabbis.
He called fishermen, tax collectors, shepherds, farmers, shopkeepers...
the common man. The Gospel of the Kingdom is foolishness to the high and mighty intellectuals. ~ 1 Corinthians 1:17-18.
In Matthew 16:19 Jesus tells His disciples (who later became apostles): "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will
be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in
heaven.” Then in Matthew 19:28, Jesus promised the apostles: “Assuredly I say to you, that in the
regeneration*, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you
who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve
tribes of Israel.
*Regeneration
refers to the future renewal of the heavens and the earth when Christ
returns. It is synonymous with the "restoration of all things" (Acts 3:21) and the ultimate creation of the New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation 21:1).
The new Jerusalem comes down from heaven as the permanent capitol city
of the Kingdom of God. ~ Revelation 21:2. We don't go to heaven, heaven
comes to us. That's the Gospel (Good News) that Jesus preached. What
does your Church teach?
Jesus does not call the trained in organized religion, He trains the called. You learn nothing from Jesus Christ if you think you are right all the time. Jesus came to rescue people from religious organizations and announce the Kingdom of God.
What About People Who Are Not Members of a Church?
The
Roman centurion came to Jesus asking Him to heal his paralyzed,
suffering servant. When Jesus offered to go to his house, the centurion
replied that he was not worthy of a visit. Instead, he acknowledged
Jesus' ultimate authority, saying, "But only say the word, and my servant will be healed." (Matthew 8:8). He compared Jesus' spiritual authority to his own military command: when he gives an order, it is instantly obeyed.
Another Mention of "Great Faith"
There is only one other person in the Gospels whose faith Jesus explicitly calls "great": the Canaanite (Syrophoenician) woman in Matthew 15:28. She begged Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter and refused to be discouraged, prompting Jesus to say, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." (Matthew 15:28).
Great
faith does not come from Church membership. Neither the Roman Centurion
nor the Canaanite women were members of a church. They heard about
Jesus and had faith that He could work miracles. When anyone, regardless
of Church affiliation, acknowledges Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior,
their faith is always rewarded.
Jesus never promised His followers a "mansion in heaven", He promised a Kingdom on earth. One
reason people have a hard time believing the Gospel (Good News) is
because it seems too good to be true. A man named Jesus/Yahshua claims to
be the Son of God, comes down from heaven and is birthed of a virgin,
grows up like any other human, takes all the sins of the world on
Himself, dies on a cross, rises from the grave, promises to resurrect
all people from the dead, and offers them eternal life in the Kingdom of God!? Yeah, right...
that's too good to be true.
So, organized religion created a "reasonable" Jesus. He loves you, but will send you to an ever-burning hell if you mess up. He will not resurrect you, He will "rapture" you. You must belong to the "right"
church or you will burn in hell forever. You must go through
certain rituals, wear your collar backwards, pray, light candles, give
10% of your income to a Church, celebrate His birthday, and hunt Easter
eggs to honor Him. Now that makes sense to the carnal mind. We can
handle that "truth."
Churchianity
says if you are not a member of our "one and only true church," you
have no hope of salvation. Jesus says in Mark 9:38-41..."if they are not
against us, they are on our side." Was Cornelius a member of any church? Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation (or denomination) whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him."
~ Acts 10:34-35
To
organized religion it seems right to incorporate a Church name, have an
earthly headquarters, put up building, hire a preacher, and go into
business, but what seems right may not be right. ~ Proverbs 14:12
Jesus told Peter, "Feed my Sheep," not feed my shepherds. You don't need
money to feed Sheep the Word. As it is written: "Freely you have
received, freely give." ~
Matthew 10:8
Jesus did not incorporate His Church and hire men to preach. As it is written: The general assembly of God and church of the
first-born are registered in heaven (not a corporation registered on
earth) ~ Hebrews 12:23. Jesus
did not build a "church" building, have altar calls, teach the
"sinner's prayer," have a "praise and worship team," teach earthly
riches, or observe pagan holidays. God is not confined to Temples or Church buildings. He chose the human
heart as His dwelling place. As it is written: "Do you not know that you
are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" ~ 1 Corinthians
3:16
Jesus teaches that the Sabbath Day and the Feasts Days are part of the New Covenant.
In the Kingdom of God (both current and future),
the
Sabbath is an eternal ordinance instituted at creation, while Feast Days, particularly those described in prophetic texts like
Ezekiel 45-46 and Zechariah 14, are observed as memorials of salvation
and times of worship. The weekly seventh-day Sabbath represents a
perpetual rest, while the Feasts, such as Tabernacles, signify the
fulfillment of God’s dwelling with humanity. The difference between a Church member and a Disciple of Christ is: a
Church member follows the doctrines of their denomination, a Disciple
follows Jesus Christ. ~ 1 John 2:3-6
Have
you ever heard your Pastor teach these things? When was the last time
you examined what you believe and why you believe it? Are You a Truth Seeker?
You are cordially invited to share your Christian experience with Renew Your Strength Bible Study Group
The purpose of this post is to get people to think about what they believe and why they believe it, not debate who's right or wrong. To learn the revealed truth of God we must know and understand the true meaning of the words God inspired to be written. Use Strong's Concordance to check the original word before it was translated. Do your own research, make up your own mind, rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you.
