Matthew 15 1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, 2Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? 3But he answered and said unto them,Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
These religious leaders had audacity to ask Jesus, why do his disciples not follow the traditions of men. Religious leaders today are doing the same. I have personally experienced it. There is nothing new under the sun.
Mark 7 8For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
We go through our life brought up from childhood observing traditions we have no idea from generations why we do it. We just accept it as it always was and continue without ever asking why. This is a sort of brain washing. We should question everything. To just do things without a reason is shear stupidity at its height!
People are like sheep, or cattle being prodded along. You prod one and the others follow for no reason other than some kind of feeling or basic instinct that there is safety in numbers. Get them running and you can get them to all run off a cliff. Stupid animals! Don’t be like that. Open your eyes! This has been happening for generations. You can’t see it because you cannot see in the spirit. The other sheep have run off over the cliff to their death and you don’t see it because they are not where you are now; alive and on earth. You do not know where they are. The preachers at the funeral services are telling us that all our loved ones are with Jesus. This not true. We don’t know. Don’t go somewhere you know not the end thereof.
There is no safety in numbers where eternal salvation is concerned. Jesus said that.
Matthew 7 13Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wideisthe gate, and broadisthe way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14Because straitisthe gate, and narrowisthe way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
You may say, “So what, I mean no harm or insult to God.” Ignorance is no excuse for complacency. Seek God, and his will. Do not continue in your ignorance. Observance of a holiday is a form of worship to that idea. You have broken the very first commandment. These are the first three commandments from God.
Exodus 20 3Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourthgeneration of them that hate me;
Matthew 5 17Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teachthem,the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Biblically Unsupported Traditions of Men:
1. Church Service on Sunday 2. A Preacher as Head of the Church 3. The Church Sermon as a one-way speech 4. Singing of the same songs each week in church 5. Tithing to the Church 6. The Church Building 7. The Pagan Holidays: Christmas, New Year, Easter, Halloween, Birthdays 8. The Secular Holidays: Thanksgiving, Valentines Day, Independence Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc. 9. The King James Version of the Bible 10. The 66 book Canon of the Bible
I challenge anyone to prove any of the above wrong, or add to this list what I have left out. Prove them with the Word of God, forgetting your traditions. I can recognize a mean spirited rebuttal as being from the position of self, and not God, and in so not worth listening to, so no personal attacks or personal judgments will be tolerated. If anyone truly has the love of God in them, they will let me know where I have gone wrong, where I have. If you are not open to God’s teaching, you are not called by God to teach others. In other words, if you do not come to listen, you neither have permission to speak.
Christians many times take the verse “stay steadfast in the truth” to mean, “stay stiff-necked against any truth that does line up with previous understanding, and church teaching.” Hebrew 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 2 Thessalonians 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
This verse does not say to stand fast on false teaching. It says to stand fast on the word. None of the false traditions of men are routed in the Word of God.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
Matthew 18 3And said,Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Mark 10:15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
This means don’t come to me thinking you are an adult Christian, knowing everything, even if you are a preacher. I would say even more so if you are a preacher, most of you have been more deeply indoctrinated by bible colleges into the traditions of men. God says, come to me with a teachable spirit.
I realize this is going to be especially hard for preachers to swallow. Believe me, Satan has got a greater grasp on you than others. First of all he has got a hold on you with pride. You are in a position of authority that appeals to pride whether you realize it or not. And this is your livelihood. How can you turn away from these traditions, giving up your means of support to follow Jesus? If you teach against the pagan holidays, you may loose half your congregation, and half of the churches money. And you may enjoy secretly, or unwittingly, your position behind the pulpit every Sunday morning, giving an authoritive speech, where rebuttal is not allowed. If you preach against traditional tithing, you will have to get a job, like everyone else.
Matthew 20:16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
Matthew 6 24No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven,shall henot much moreclotheyou, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the dayisthe evil thereof.
Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Romans 3 3For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? 4God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. 5But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)