I have been writing about the church for quite some time now, and I want to say how much I appreciate those who have stayed with me and considered the things I have written, though I must believe they are hard to read, especially if you disagree. Let me now speak from the heart something that came out of my prayer time yesterday, that speaks to the heart of why I see things as I do.
Religion That Jesus Rejects
In Luke 21:1-4, "And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a certain poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on." Nowhere in the preceding verses or those that follow does Jesus commend this woman for what she gave. Quite to the contrary, the following verses say the opposite.
Verses 5-6, "And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts, He said, "As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down." The poor woman gave all she had to a man-made religion that Christ, 70 A.D., was going to tear down. Why would Jesus commend her for that?
Jesus, in this chapter, as in Matthew 23, tells why the buildings were coming down. Luke 20:45-47. "And while all the people were listening, He said to the disciples, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows' houses, and for appearance's sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation." The religion begun through Moses and handed to him by God was so corrupted that those who lived by pretense would rob widows when no one was looking.
Religion That Makes Jesus Angry
Days earlier, Jesus entered the buildings the disciples were praising and reacted angrily. I guess they forgot; I'm being facetious. Why did Jesus become angry? Luke 19:45-46, "Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling, saying to them, "It is written, 'AND MY HOUSE SHALL BE A HOUSE OF PRAYER,' but you have made it a DEN OF THIEVES."
Religion That Jesus Exalts
In Matthew 24:45-47, Jesus tells us, "Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. "Truly, I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions." What are the possessions that Jesus puts in charge of the faithful? We are told in verses 28-30, "You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
Just in case you are deceived over the misguided teaching that the tribes of Israel are the church, consider Jesus' following statement from Luke 22:14-16, "When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. And He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." How "on earth" does Jesus eat the supper in the kingdom when He is not present? He will be present when the twelve Apostles judge the twelve tribes of Israel, fulfilling His promises to Abraham. God always keeps His promises, including Abraham's seed and not just spiritual ones.
Religion That Jesus Judges
Following Jesus' statement of tearing down the religion that corrupted what God gave to Moses, the disciples asked him when these things would be. They didn't ask why; Jesus had been answering that in Matthew 23, emptying the temple, and in Luke. Here, He gives a rundown of things that would happen during the church age. Here is how He concludes the church age. Matthew 24:48-51, "But if that evil slave says in his heart, 'My master is not coming for a long time,' and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Without the sifting process of Matthew 18, the church has become impure, corrupted, and contaminated. Many are partaking with the church and saying within themselves my master is not coming, and they live however they want and would never consider planting a church and laboring to do what all are called to do - Make disciples.
Some churches have faithful believers, but do we want to compromise even a bit when considering what our salvation cost Jesus Christ? Many are the compromises of today's church. Would you drink a gallon of Gatorade that you knew contained a teaspoon of Strychnine?
Please consider these things prayerfully.
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