Unfortunately, the essence of our churches today is not what God requires. The churches of today, assimilating the pagan-Jewish system of the Catholic Church, are about control. “You must sit and be quiet and listen to me, your pastor, tell you what you need to know.” However, the original concept of the Ekklesia was not to put yourself under another human, but to gather for the purpose of helping each other to stop sinning. They were under Jesus and not man.
In our churches today we think we are helping others to stop sinning when we point fingers and yell and scream at them. But helping people to stop sinning requires that we first have stopped sinning. Hypocrisy does nothing to help anyone.
Galatians 6:1 to Galatians 6:18
Brothers, if a person is caught doing something wrong, those of you who are spiritual should restore that person gently. Watch out for yourself so that you are not tempted as well.
“Spiritual” is a code word in the Bible which designates those who are living the perfect, sinless and commandment keeping life. They are the ones qualified to help restore sinners back to the “spiritual” state. They are humble. They are constantly watching out for themselves to make sure they do not fall and participate in the person’s sins.
Practice carrying each other’s burdens. In this way you will fulfill the law of the Messiah.
Of course! If we are living the life of the Ten Commandments, we will not steal, withholding help from those who need our help and love. We will not covet our own selfish time and pleasure above helping another to carry their burdens. Jesus came to bear our burdens. He did not come to please Himself. I think we have come a very far way from fulfilling the law of the Messiah. Jesus said, “I came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.” Are we fulfilling the Law as Jesus did?
For if anyone thinks he is something when he is really nothing, he is only fooling himself.
I think there are a lot of fools in our churches today. Especially those who stand up on the podium; those standing in front of a TV camera or blog camera. There are too many church members who think they are something because they belong to a certain church. They are “only fooling” themselves.
And of course, the children are taught to be proud, arrogant and self-promoting. Children have to get up on stage and bang on a drum to show how important they are. Children get up and perform to get applause. Children are caudled and praised. Everyone wants to think their child is “somebody”.
Each person must examine his own actions, and then he can boast about his own accomplishments and not about someone else.
We love to quote Paul when we think he is telling us we don’t have to keep the Ten Commandments. We love to quote Paul when we think he is telling us we are saved eternally by grace so we can go on sinning and still be saved. But we don’t like Paul when he tells us to examine our own actions. Or when we are told to “test ourselves”. No, it is much better to point fingers and puff our chests out in pride.
For everyone must carry his own load.
I’ll be honest with you, I am having a hard enough time carrying my own load. But then I got to thinking, as Christians we are to give our load to Jesus who is our Burden Bearer. In that way, we can help others carry their load. I’m learning how to put that into practice.
The person who is taught the word should share all his goods with his teacher.
Why are we to share all we have with our teacher? In order for the teacher to live while teaching others. We are to judge the quality of our teaching by what we get in return. God has blessed this ministry with an abundance of harvests through the number of people we reach online and the number of inmates requesting the book, “Change Your Life Biblically” and by those who support this little ministry. But most importantly, by the quality of the lives who are involved with this ministry. It isn’t about quantity, but quality.
Stop being deceived; God is not to be ridiculed. A person harvests whatever he plants:
Those who plant weeds cannot expect to harvest wheat. Those who teach disobedience to the Ten Commandments are harvesting what they have planted. The churches have been planting weeds of disobedience to the Ten Commandments for almost a hundred years now, and the nation is now harvesting the results. We cannot do away with the Ten Commandments, the rule of a righteous life, and expect society to live righteously.
The person who sows through human means will harvest decay from human means, but the person who sows in the Spirit will harvest eternal life from the Spirit.
Those who plant the Ten Commandments deep within the heart will harvest eternal life. But those who sow through their churches, denominations and religious organizations will harvest decay. Nothing good will come. When Jesus comes He will ask a simple question: “Did you live as I commanded you?”
Let’s not get tired of doing what is good, for at the right time we will reap a harvest—if we do not give up.
Throughout this medical condition of mine, I have been tempted to give up. It is very tiring fighting the pain and carrying the burden of the work. It is taking so much out of me. However, with the help of God I keep going.
So then, whenever we have the opportunity, let’s practice doing good to everyone, especially to the family of faith.
It is amazing how many little opportunities we let slip by for doing good. That word “practice” is the key. It isn’t just about doing “a” good to someone, but continuing to “practice doing good”. Every day, looking around to see what “good” needs to be done for others. The only way this can happen is when we get our minds off of ourselves.
Look at how large these letters are because I am writing with my own hand!
It is thought that Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was bad eyesight. I suppose that is why he had to make his letters large in order to see them. I suppose that is why most of his letters were written by scribes. I realize that as I get older my letters also get larger. I suppose he humbly shared that about himself in order to let us know he is human. Yet through all his problems he continued to practice doing good.
These people who want to impress others by their external appearance are trying to force you to be circumcised, simply to avoid being persecuted for the cross of the Messiah.
Here again Paul is bringing us back to what was no longer needed in a godly life. All that church nonsense was to impress other church members and to keep from being persecuted. “What! You are not circumcised!” They wanted to go to the temple and participate in temple rituals, rites, services, feast days and traditions to make themselves look good. But it had nothing to do with eternal life.
Why, not even those who are circumcised obey the Law! They simply want you to be circumcised so that they can boast about your external appearance.
And there it is! All those church activities had nothing to do with living the perfect, sinless and Ten Commandment life. All show. Today it is about boasting over people being baptized and belonging to a church. Won’t get you into heaven, so go home and be with Jesus.
But may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world!
People go around carrying the cross hung around their necks, pinned to their clothing, hung up on the wall of their home or dangling from the rear view mirror of the car. Churches have crosses large and small decorating their facilities. Yep, they boast about having the cross. They just forgot about the most important part: being crucified with Jesus to the world. They refuse to live as Jesus commands.
For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
And there it is again. Paul continually makes the argument that all those church rituals, rites, services, traditions and feast days have nothing to do with eternal life. The only thing that counts is a new “you”. Not the old sinful person, but the new perfect, sinless and Commandment keeping person.
Now may peace be on all those who live by this principle, and may mercy be on the Israel of God.
How do we receive peace? By living according to “this principle”. Church won’t bring you peace. All the externals won’t bring you peace or happiness. Only being dedicated and living the perfect, sinless and Commandment keeping life will bring you the peace, joy and happiness God offers.
Let no one make any more trouble for me, because I carry the scars of Jesus on my own body.
How many “scars of Jesus” do you carry? Do you make trouble for those who are working for Jesus? Do you make fun of those who want to live the perfect, sinless and Commandment keeping life?
May the grace of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, be with your spirit, brothers! Amen.