The Gathering of Believers Part 8
Since Caine slew Abel, there has been a violent reaction from the religious toward those who walk in the truth. Jesus said, "from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation'" (Luke 11:51).
There are anti-Christian religions, to be sure. However, division within the true faith is also a reality. The true faith at the time of Christ was that one set forth by Moses. He brought the law and the sacrificial system that pointed to Christ. He also led Israel from the land of slavery to the promised land. It was the religious elites who sought Christ's death. In the same way, the Middle Ages are littered with the blood of the martyrs of the so-called Church.
Paul loved and Rejected Israel Because They Rejected the LORD'S Christ
The Apostle Paul was, by his own words, a Hebrew of Hebrews. He had nothing to be ashamed of by fulfilling the law of Moses. Nevertheless, he wrote, "Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead)..." (Galatians 1:1). Paul rejected the leaders of Israel because they rejected their Messiah. Following Paul's rejection of man's agencies in Galatians 1:1, he said, "The Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age," verses 3 & 4. Our world is always in an evil age. Paul told Timothy that difficult times would come, and what makes them difficult is what he prophesied: men "...hold to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these." Unfortunately, the form of godliness is not only anti-Christian but Christian, though in name only.
Paul Loved and Rejected Israel and Maintained a Clear Conscience Before Them
"Nor can they prove to you the charges of which they now accuse me. "But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. "In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men" (Acts 24:13-16).
Is it not strange that Paul's accusers, according to Paul, also cherished the resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked and taught the law of Moses? At this point in Paul's defense, he was defending himself. He knew he was going to die, though he did not know when. Prophecies had been made, and he was set not only to go to Rome but also to die for Christ. Why defend himself? His reason can be seen in his statement, "I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men." He was not seeking the favor of men, or else he would not be persecuted, but he would be a stumbling block by living before men less than a faithful life to Christ.
Paul loved and Rejected Israel, But He had to Appeal to Rome
Paul said, "I am standing before Caesar's tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. "If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar." Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, "You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go" (Acts 25:10-12). Is it not odd that Rome never sought Christ or His follower's death until Rome took over the Church; instead, it was first Israel and then the "Church" of Rome.
In Acts 25, Festus recounts to King Agrippa the circumstances surrounding accusations made against the Apostle Paul. "When the accusers stood up, they began bringing charges against him not of such crimes as I was expecting, but they simply had some points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive" (Acts 25:18-19). How does "Christianity" today assert that God, in the person of Jesus Christ, is Lord of the Church and always disagree among itself?
Paul Loved and Rejected Israel as Believers Will Love and Reject the Church.
According to 2 Thessalonians 2, the Day of the Lord will not come until the great falling away comes first and the Man of Lawlessness is revealed. The great falling away is the false Church that seeks to save their lives by denying Christ. It will be in opposition to authentic believers who find martyrdom the highest Way of exalting their Lord and Savior.
Paul Loved and Rejected Israel as He and the other Apostles Loved and Chastized the Church
After the four Gospels (Biographical Accounts of Christ) and the Book of Acts (All that Christ Continued to Do and Teach) were written, the remainder were letters to bring back into line the Church. As the revival of Pentecost began to be lifted as God became more distant, rebuke and severe reprimand became necessary.
After three hundred years, the Roman Empire absorbed the Church family. The Roman Catholic Church assumed the place of the weak, ignorant, less noble slaves and peasants and replaced them with an agency, hierarchy, and Pope (the vigor, incarnate Christ). At the Reformation, the Gospel was recovered and revealed; however, there has been further corruption since then.
Today, major denominations of the Protestant Church warn people against home churches. Does a person who received the Holy Spirit, let's say, like George Whitefield, the Lightening Rod of the Great Awakening, who God gathered to him multitudes to hear the Gospel proclaimed with power, like the Apostle Paul, need a denomination's approval? Whitefield was thrown out of England's Churches because he preached that men needed to be born again.
Furthermore, denominational believers defend the Church as having rights to their interpretations of scripture. The only one with a right to his interpretation of scripture is the author. Defense in this way is made for divisions within the body of Christ, something indefensible before Christ (1 Corinthians 1:10-17). As Paul Loved and Rejected Israel, may we love and reject the Church.
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