When God cams in the flesh He was honored by Magi and Shepherds. When He was of age He did not choose the most scholarly, but the most spiritually open. The Pharisees and Sadducces saw our Savior as a threat. They feared He would change everything and they were right. The Hebrews had been robbed of everything by Rome but their religion. They had fought and died for it. When the Roman Emperor wanted to place an idol in the Temple the Jews fought and rioted until it was gone. They who had every vistage of their life trampled on by the sandals of Rome, had but one constant, synagogue and the Law. The Mosaic Law was precious to them, and they awaited the Messiah to restore their fortunes and favor in the world. To their surprise they had misread the Prophets, failed to see The Suffering Savior in Isaiah 53, and were surprised that the same God who had given them the Law came now to fulfill it and finish it and replace it with Grace and Faith. The religious elite were befuddled as they learned that their hopes and dreams weren’t God’s plan and instead He said unto them, “if you hold on to this life you will lose it, but if you give up your life for my sake you shall have it.” (Matthew 16:25):
Right now I believe the Church is suffering from the same stubborn pride. Like the Pharisees churches want to hold on to their dreams of greatness, prosperity (riches), and that Jesus will make them favored when He said we shall be hated, “Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved,” (Mark 13:13), do not store up treasures: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal,” (Matthew 6:19-20), and we will be hunted, “Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation,” (Revelation 13:7), though we be saved (Matthew 24:-3, John 3:16, John 6:40, Romans 10:9-10). I fear that our churches will not accept the next chapter of our Lord Jesus Christ’s Book. They who like the Pharisees cling to altars, palacteries, buildings, and services may be surprised to learn that Constantine The Great Antichrist has had more influence on Church Tradition for the past thousand and eight hundred years than Christ. It took sixteen centuries to set loose the Gospel as seen in The Holy Bible, and only since that last century has the Holy Spirit and His gifts returned as seen in Acts. How long tell the Body of Christ realizes we are the building and temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16) and that every Christian is a royal priest (1 Peter 2:9); and that we have no need of seminaries, altars, and titles which Christ forbade (Matthew 23:7-11): How long until we lose our life for His sake so that we may have it? When will we stop being Pharisees and become Fisherman?
The Lord Jesus chose a band of misfits. Among His Twelve disciples were common fishermen, loathed tax collectors (hated by all), political insurrectionists such as zealots and a thief named Judas Iscariot. God who made the Hebrews and all things chose this rag tag bunch instead of the scholar, scribe, seminarian, and religious elite. Why? Because these common men had something uncommon, they were open in their hearts to let the Lord remold them and show them the True Way, they weren’t gripping to the establishment religion, they had simple hearts that could listen to the Truth, the New Covenant. Even when Paul the most scholarly Apostle got down to it He considered Himself stripped of his former ways, “though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law,[c] blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” (Phillipians 3:3-8).
I believe Christ is calling to the Church to be ready for another shaking (Hebrews 12:18-29); one that is contained in the New Testament and is spelled out in red and black letters but somehow eludes the smartest schools of theology. This coming reform isn’t extra biblical, it is biblical and soon we will discover the religious giants of our day will be Pharisees and the humble and anonymous pilgrims and disciples of Christ will be honored. For our Lord said, “the first shall be last and the last shall be first.” (Matthew 20:16). When the sickle of the end of days passes over, many will be found naked and angry like the Pharisees having been content to hold fast to a “form of godliness was,” while “denying its power.” (2 Timothy 3:5). Soon the proud scholar will find the unknown fisherman and garbage collector who was open to a close relationship with Christ and let the Lord mold them standing in judgement of the Augustines and Luthers of our day. For a open and loving heart is better than brains, eloquence and all wisdom, for even the most intellectual of apostles said this, “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2-3). Wisdom and being scholarly isn’t an evil, I am merely saying I think many seminaries and top brass brothers and sisters in Christ in the media will discover that Jesus is choosing the meek and lowly, the unseen and hidden pilgrims to bring Him glory while the temple builders and religious elite of our times will be humbled and sit at a lower seat at the table, “When someone invites you to a wedding feast (Revelation 19:4-11), do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this person your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests.” (Luke 14:8-10). This ism’t about false humility and self deprivation (Colossians 2:23), but rather being moldsble clay as the Disicples where rather than Pharisaical steel that is so hardened it cannot be molded by the Maker.
I fear that if we do not adopt this attitude, “It is no longer I live but Christ lives in me,” (Galatians 2:20) “He (Jesus) must increase and I must decrease,” (John 3:30) and “preach the gospel, die, and be forgotten,” (Zinzendorf); that egos will lead many into the dead ship of religious pride, the white washed tombs of the Pharisees (Matthew 23:27) that failed to see what God was doing in 30-33 A.D. The Church is in danger of missing what the Lord Trinity is doing in these last days because they are clinging to long ago triumphs like The Reformation and failing to bring forth the new reforms that lead us back to full Bible and Spirit filled Christianity. Is it possible the Pharisees and blind religious elite is now pastors and religious ministries that fail to see the heart of God and live a pure and simple devotion to Christ? (2 Corinthians 11:2). Are we clinging to cathedrals and church buildings like the Jews did the Temple when a second Titus, the Antichrist, is coming to crush them? (2 Thessalonians 2:2-7, Revelation 13:7, Revelation 14:12).
I worry that when Jesus Christ sets in motion major pieces of the end of days and even returns many will not be receptive, but like the Pharisees safeguarding an old Constantine system and victories while missing the final chapter, Christ’s Appearing.
Will we be ready when Jesus shakes up all world systems, of which the Constantine church buildings and church traditions is one of those world systems. “26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—sowhat cannot be shaken may remain.Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:26-28). What can’t be shaken is contained in the New Testament. A simple and pure devotion to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2), count all lost but knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8) and loving the Lord Trinity with all your being (Matthew 22:36-41). Amen.
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