Beware Of The Leaven Of The Pharisees

       Religiosity is not Christianity. The only times that Jesus was angry, in fact furious, is when He addressed the religious Pharisees (Mt 23:13-28). He exposed their hypocrisy, their money-making schemes off of religion, as well as their self-righteous adherence to the letter of the law, while omitting mercy and love, He said, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?” (Mt 15:3).

Jesus exposed how far they were from the righteousness of God by only reading and talking about the Word of God, and imposing laws on people, but not being DOERS and examples of the Word themselves. He said, “The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore, whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do NOT do. But all their works they do to be seen by men” (Mt 23:2, 3,5a).

Religious doctrines have done so much to divide the body of Christ and bring in rules and regulations that are simply not biblically scriptural and thereby lead God’s people away from obeying the Word of God. Jesus said that the doctrines and traditions of man take out the life of God’s powerful Word. He said “you’re making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye (Mark 7:13). And He added, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” (Mt 15:8).

To know all the right lines, and to pretend to observe them and be good and lord your goodness over someone else’s is what Jesus exposed.

He said, when comparing the prayers of the Pharisee and the tax collector, “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men: extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’” (Lk 18:11-12). That’s also exposing how in our religiosity, we can easily “judge” and discriminate against the “tattooed”, the “emos”, the “sinners”… whether they are LGBTQ or gamers, or what have you… God loves them all.

The religionists just could not even see that they were wrong. “Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?”  Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘we see’ therefore your sin remains.” (Jn 9:40-41). Meaning, because you pretend to be righteous, your sin remains.

I was raised in religiosity, with long repetitive prayers, mandatory rituals, a “fear” of God as if He was ready to damn me to hell at any moment if I sinned, or cause me all sorts of troubles and sickness if I disobeyed. And I too became rigorously religious. So, please know that I’ve done all those things I’m telling you NOT to do. It’s only in recent years that I’ve come to understand the FREEDOM that Christ gives when we DO the works. “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you FREE” (Jn 8:32).

This last week, my wife and I were praying for someone who was battling anxiety and fear. And when we first started to pray for her, it took a while to convince her that God was not the One afflicting her since that is what she was taught in her church. I told her that “God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love” and also told her what James said “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:” (James 1:3). It took a while to correct all the false teachings with the actual Words of Jesus, and help her understand the new agreement between God and man, since Jesus came and paid for all our sins and reconciled us in full relationship with the Father.

We prayed for her and then told her that she would have to change the pattern of her mind by thinking on the things of God, and refuse to focus on the enemy’s thoughts. She got delivered, and felt so much better. We also sent her a YouTube teaching of a real DOER of the Word who has genuine fruits of healing, delívrance and discipling, and this teacher explains clearly the importance and the POWER in keeping your mind in captivity to the obedience of Christ.

But the next day, she came back to us saying “Oh no, I can’t listen to this teacher, my church doesn’t agree with his teachings, I would rather listen to these 2 other teachers”. And I said, it’s not all that a teacher be a “theologian”, he must have fruit. You can know the whole Bible by heart, but if you’re not DOING it, Jesus said, “your house will fall”.  (See Mt7:16)

If a pastor or evangelist doesn’t have any testimonies of salvation, healing, casting out demons or discipling new converts, then it’s just teaching. Jesus made it clear who you should listen to. He said, “by their fruit you shall know them“. Are they DOING it and are they bearing good fruit? If so, these are the teachers you must follow online. “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them” (Mat 7:15-20). A gardener can talk all year about growing vegetables but when comes the harvest, if he has no results, or his harvest is all small and meager, you’d be best to learn farming from one who’s got a plentiful harvest of awesome fruits.

The problem we all have is we love hearing preachers deliver teachings to us. But if the truth is not OBEYed, it has no POWER in our lives. Paul said, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions“ (2 Timothy 4:3).

One of the most sobering passages in the Bible is when Jesus said, “but he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. But woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in” (Mt 23:11-13) . “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many“ (Mk 10:45). John goes on to say, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1Jn 3:16).

Jesus was basically rebuking all those who pretend to be followers but are not DOERS. He said, “Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch” (Mt 15:14). James also put it very bluntly, “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (Jam 1:22).

The Word of God doesn’t work simply by hearing it or hearing about it; it works if you work it by fully basing your faith in it and working your faith according to what it says. Faith has no Plan B. “Faith without works is dead” (Jam 2: 20). Jesus insisted over and over on not only hearing but doing what His Word commands.

You can’t prove it works unless you do it. Jesus said, “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority” (John 7:17). Paul said, “Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge” (1Tim 6:20)

Christians should not be stuck on denominations, but focus on Christ’s teachings and get results from OBEYING. True Christianity has results. It applies the teachings and emulates the example of Jesus. Christians are to be DOERS and not hearers ONLY. –To love others, to die to ourselves, and to bring the good news of the reconciliation of man to God and to destroy the works of Satan as we go. He lives in us and wants to live through us.  The works that He did, He wants us to do ALSO.

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Here are a few more convicting verses….

Mt 7:21-23 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Mk 8:38 Whoever is ashamed of Me and (of living) My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.

Jn 4:23-24 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth.

Acts 7:48 However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says.

1Cor 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

1Cor 2:4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

Gal 1:6-7 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

Gal 1:9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Phil 4:9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these DO, and the God of peace will be with you.

1Pt 5:2-3 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;  nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Galatians 1:6-9  I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such [are] false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;