For thousands of years everyone on earth “knew” that the earth was flat. It wasn’t. For some 1900 years billions of church people have “known” that they were saved. They were not. Those same people “knew” that they would go to heaven when they died and that those who did not belong to “the church” would go to hell when they died. The did not. They also “knew” that Jesus died on Friday and arose on Sunday. He did neither. They also “knew” that the Law was nailed to the cross. It was not. Another church “fact” that “everyone knows” is that the Old Testament has no part to play in the New Testament Church. The Truth of the matter is that the teachings of the prophets, along with the writings of the apostles forms the foundation upon which God’s New Covenant church rests (Eph. 2:20). In summary, church people have been deceived by Satan into embracing numerous heathen doctrines, customs and practices. This in spite of God’s command not to “learn the ways of the heathen,” following which He specifically mentioned Christmas as an abomination (Jer. 10:2-5). Since the foundation of Catholicism what Satan has passed off as “the church” has become whatever men have wanted it to be. Men have wanted the church to be a heathen institution. It is. Let us examine a few Scriptures that speak to this Biblical fact.

In Matthew 15:7-9 Jesus is talking to people who proclaim that He is the Son of God Who speaks His Truth which will lead them to salvation. Here He quotes Isaiah who dealt with the same type of religious people: “You hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips but their heart is far from Me. In vain do they worship Me, teaching for My doctrines the commandments of men.'” He continues in verses 13 & 14: “Every plant (professing believer) which My heavenly father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them (false believers) alone for they are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind (leaders) lead the blind (followers), both will fall into the ditch.” The people Jesus referred to had several things in common: they WORSHIPED JESUS CHRIST, SPOKE GLOWINGLY ABOUT HIM AND PAID HOMAGE TO HIM. But they did it IN VAIN because their hearts were not right with Him.

The people of Isaiah’s day reacted to God’s Truth in the same way people did in Jesus’ day. They believed in Him, they prayed, they attended religious services, they tithed, they praised Him and spoke highly of Him. But their religiosity was in vain because THEY REJECTED HIS WORDS AND OBEYED THE WORDS OF MEN. Following Adam and Eve, they chose Satan’s way over God’s way, and for the same reason–they thought they could get away with it because they had a locked-in relationship with Him. Nothing has changed.

These attitudes and actions were not limited to everyday Jews during the time Jesus was on earth. One night a Pharisee came to Him, saying: “Rabbi” (master/teacher), WE KNOW that you are a (truth) TEACHER SENT FROM GOD … and that no man can do what you do except GOD BE WITH HIM.” The Pharisees “knew” that He had come from God and that God remained with Him spiritually. What greater identity could a man have? What greater homage could one human pay to another? Yet those same people had Him nailed to a cross because they rejected 1) the One God had sent, 2) the Words God had given Him to speak, and 3) the One Who sent Him with those Words. In Luke 10:16 Jesus speaks to the God-Jesus-Word connection while addressing His disciples: “He who hears you (speak), hears Me (speak). He that despises you (for what you say) despises Me (for what I said). He who despises Me despises My Father also.” Note the focal point of the passage–GOD’S WORD. Because religious people despise God’s Word, they despise God, Christ, the original disciples and God’s disciples today BECAUSE THEY SPEAK AND WRITE THOSE SAME WORDS. Church people are not despised for what they say, God’s people are. Church people say what scratches the ear; God’s people say what attacks it–His Truth.

Jesus asks those of Catholicism/Protestantism: “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not what I say?” (Lk. 6:46). Why do people put on a religious act, go through all the religious motions, then refuse to obey the very religion laid out in God’s Word? The answer is both simple and devastating: CHURCH PEOPLE HATE GOD’S WORD, GOD HIMSELF AND HIS SON (Lk. 10:16). Why is this so? Because the Word–God’s light–reveals their rebellion against it–their darkness.

The moral of this short series is that no amount of religiosity–not faith, not prayer, not fasting, not tithing, not witnessing, not preaching, etc. can take the place of obedience to God’s Word. This is the fruit by which we are now known by Him will all be judged by Him. This website, along with my YouTube site, is dedicated to this Truth. L.J.