Posts Tagged ‘pharisees’

Do you think you will escape?

// June 19th, 2009 // 4 Comments » // My God, My Thoughts

The Pharisees were harsh and judgmental of anything that did not fit their ideology of righteousness. Yet Jesus Continually rebuked them and warned them that they would be judged accordingly.  Isn’t is strange that so many Christians still insist on acting more like Pharisees and less like the Jesus that we claim to follow?

Someone very wise once said that  cynicism, skepticism, and criticism are the opposites of  faith, hope and love.

Harsh, Angry, Judgmental behavior is often more of an indicator of fear and lack of truth than anything else…If you are familiar with discerning truth you probably already know,  Truth can stand up to challenging… without anger, without resentment, without fear.

It seems that I do not go very long these days without hearing fresh news of Christians who forget the Jesus that they follow and begin acting like the very brood of vipers that Jesus rebuked.  Some would seem to believe that a position of leadership entitles them to such behavior, I would beg to differ and I beleive that I can safely say that regardless of your status as a leader, if you deal with your own brothers and sisters in Christ harshly, critizising, accusing,  causing them pain, then you are a fool and you do not understand the message of the Gospel at all!

I say this very seriously and with great love in my heart for every person that reads this.

If you deal with others in a harsh, critical, judgmental manner,  do you think that you will escape the judgment of God?   Do not deceive yourself, such things bring shame on the church and the people of God.

My life is filled with people who have been hurt by religion and Christians in particular, and it fully angers me that these hurting people were never the ones that sat in their pews doing nothing, they were once passionate, and christlike, and hungry to serve.  But some egotist made it their business to shut down the work of God.  Again I tell you …. do you expect to escape his wrath?

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 1 Corinthians 10:12

PEOPLE!   Give grace!  love each other,  be gentle with each other…  LEADERS!  Be kind, be compassionate, be merciful and nurturing!

If you insist on acting like a brood of vipers get out of the Church business!!! Wall Street needs you!!!DSC_9863_127
photo credit: nsaplayer

Tags: anger, Art, beleive, brother, christian, christians, cynicism, egotist, Faith, faith hope, fear, God, jesus, judgment, Love, pain, pews, pharisees, Religion, resentment, righteousness, shame, sin, skepticism, truth, wrath

Related posts

About Religion and Relationship…

// February 21st, 2009 // 3 Comments » // My God

<this is an entry that I recently posted on a forum discussing the question : religion= happiness? I thought I would share it here also>

I have to say that religion in general is very frustrating and confusing!

all those rules! and exceptions!.. and they are always changing!

to give perspective in Antioch people that acted like Jesus “Christ” were called Christians…. Now… Christians do not act like Jesus “Christ” They most often act like the Pharisees and the Sadducees did. Ironically Jesus really gave those guys a hard time…

My experience… I was hopelessly addicted to pornography… It nearly destroyed my life in several ways… I was addicted to the point of seriously destructive behavior… I went 19 years struggling with this… I joined peer groups, accountability programs, bought software, confessed to others… everything that “Religion” teaches you to do. Finally I gave up trying to quit, I came to grips with the fact that I could not do it and being thoroughly convinced of that fact begged “GOD” to free me from the addiction. Today I have been addiction free for 3 years and have no compulsion whatsoever.. my marriage is improved, My mind is pure, and my heart is peacefull… because of unexplainable incidents such as this… the entire remainder of my existence is devoted to finding out more about the “Being” that can change things so drastically in an instant. I call Him “God”.. and I believe in Jesus because I identify with his nature that is described in history. Everything that he taught resonates within me and speaks of freedom, freedom from hate, dispair, anger, futility, sarcasm, cynicism, and all of the things that I want to be free from… and one by one they disappear as I learn more and more about this “Jesus”

Seek truth my friends… not to disprove it, but for the sake of knowing it… and you will find freedom.

Tags: anger, Art, christian, christians, cynicism, friends, God, jesus, peace, perspective, pharisees, porn, pornography, Religion, religion vs. relationship, sin, truth

Related posts

Politics…

// October 16th, 2008 // 2 Comments » // My Life

almost everyone is really worked up about our soon to be next president… this year is all about history!… I have always avoided serious politics because of a conflict of interest. there is one very serious conflict that really bothers me.

Most christians I know are very staunch supporters of the politicians with “values” they are extremely supportive of new laws that support a “christian” world view and attempt to liberally apply their morality to the laws that govern our lives.
MY problem is that I don’t expect the “world” (the masses of un-saved) to act like christians. I expect them to act like people that are lost- (as in hey! where’s the map!)
anyways…. My struggle is that God has never insisted that ANYONE!!! act like a “christian” or even civilized!
so… why would christians… attempt to force their morality on people that God himself has not asked this of?
the result … in my opinion has been only increased hostility to christians… a very unproductive method of  gaining new believers!
I know and  fully expect to be flamed after this post… But I see lots of christians being politically active and spiritually inactive!  if they would throw their energy into the relationships around them. the result would far exceed what they can accomplish politically.
I find it absolutely frustrating that many christians have done such a great job at becoming the very Pharisees that Jesus shook his finger at over and over!
The whole concept of christianity – of accepting Jesus-  is completely based on free will. How can  you say that you represent christianity if you deny someone the rights that God does not deny them?? ( to be as evil as they choose)
Now I am not so naive as to believe that government will not make some decisions that will legislate morality, it is a necessity for the world to work. But to even assume that America is a “christian” nation anymore thus the legislation of morality is necessary, is the very definition of naivete!
OK it is 1 am and I could rant for a while but need the sleep. More on this later…  Hey! who knows I may disagree with myself in the morning…
Tags: christian, Christianity, christians, decisions, God, jesus, pharisees, politician, politics, President, relationships, spirit, the lost

Related posts