This is part of a letter I wrote. I'm posting it here because it's true:
Act 21:24 taking them, be purified with them, and be at expense for them, so that they may shave their heads. And all may know that what they have been told about you is nothing, but you yourself also walk orderly and keep the Law.
(shows Paul observed the Law of Moses)
I don't want to rain on your parade but I see things differently. Here are a few questions:
What did Jesus teach?
What was the original faith of the Apostles?
The more I study the more I'm sure of the following:
I think the rabbi is wrong. I also think you are wrong. Do you not understand that Jesus Christ is the Passover Lamb? Jesus Christ gave the Law! Neither "Christian" nor "rabbi" seems to care to actually see what the Bible says:
(Mat 5:19 MKJV) Therefore whoever shall relax one of these commandments, the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.
(Mat 7:23 MKJV) And then I will say to them I never knew you! Depart from Me, those working lawlessness!
(Mat 15:9 MKJV) But in vain they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
(Mat 19:17 MKJV) And He said to him, Why do you call Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.
(Mar 7:7 MKJV) However, they worship Me in vain, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
(Luk 4:4 MKJV) And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written that "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God."
(Luk 6:46 MKJV) And why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?
(Joh 14:15 MKJV) If you love Me, keep My commandments.
(Joh 14:21 MKJV) He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.
(Joh 15:10 MKJV) If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
(2Co 6:14 MKJV) Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship does righteousness have with lawlessness? And what partnership does light have with darkness?
(Gal 2:20 MKJV) I have been crucified with Christ, and I live; yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me. And that life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith toward the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself on my behalf. (We will live as Jesus lived. We will not live in lawlessness!)
(2Th 2:7 MKJV) For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only he is now holding back until it comes out of the midst. (Then the mystery of lawlessness came into its fullness in Rome. This same lawlessness was continued in the Protestant reformation.)
(1Jo 2:4 MKJV) He who says, I have known Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
(1Jo 3:4 MKJV) Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness.
(1Jo 3:22 MKJV) And whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
(1Jo 5:2 MKJV) By this we know that we love the children of God, whenever we love God and keep His commandments.
(1Jo 5:3 MKJV) For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. (The commandments written in the Old Testament and NOT the laws Mr. Rabbi and his ancestors's made up.)
(2Jo 1:6 MKJV) And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, as you heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.
(Rev 12:17 MKJV) And the dragon was enraged over the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (There's the answer.)
(Rev 14:12 MKJV) Here is the patience of the saints. Here are the ones who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
(Rev 22:14 MKJV) Blessed are they who do His commandments, that their authority will be over the Tree of Life, and they may enter in by the gates into the city.
And finally let's see what Jesus had to say about it:
Mat 7:21 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.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to Me in that day, Lord! Lord! Did we not prophesy in Your name, and through Your name throw out demons, and through Your name do many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then I will say to them I never knew you! Depart from Me, those working lawlessness!
Mat 7:24 Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock.
The True Christ is revealed in the Bible. Paul wrote about false Christs and false gospels. Which one are you following?
Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever.
The actual Law in the Scriptures was given by Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ set an example in the Bible. Yes He died for our sins. But as Paul says we are not to sin, we are to uphold the law. Let's learn what Jesus actually taught:
Luk 6:46 And why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?
Mat 5:17 Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill.
Mat 5:18 For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass from the Law until all is fulfilled. (have heaven and earth passed away? NO!)
Mat 5:19 Therefore whoever shall relax one of these commandments, the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven. (Why do "Christians" frown on the teaching of the commandments then? They aren't following the Christ of the Bible!)
But wait! Paul did away with the law right? Wrong! Why doesn't anyone want to try to follow what He actually taught? But I must be wrong right? I actually read the Bible instead of just making things up and asking for tithes. Look at these verses at the end of Revelation again. Revelation documents the end. Think about it. If the law was done away with why would this read as it does?
(Rev 12:17 MKJV) And the dragon was enraged over the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
(Rev 14:12 MKJV) Here is the patience of the saints. Here are the ones who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
(Rev 22:14 MKJV) Blessed are they who do His commandments, that their authority will be over the Tree of Life, and they may enter in by the gates into the city.
We've both been deceived. I'm not going to be deceived anymore. I love Jesus. I love the Father. I love the Holy Spirit. I WILL NOT LISTEN TO THESE DECEIVING TITHE HUNGRY CHURCHMEN ANYMORE! Christ gives the strength to keep the law. Not perfectly but overall. A true Christian is fully surrendered to God. We've got to learn to do this with the help of the Holy Spirit before it's too late.
Mat 19:17 And He said to him, Why do you call Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.
Luk 14:26 If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
He is saying here that we must love our family and our own lives less than we love Him. Well I love Him more than anyone. I'm willing to be ridiculed. I'm willing to be despised. In doing so I'll carry my own cross (or gallows, death, not religious symbol). This is true Christianity. This is really letting Jesus Christ live in us. This is TRUE CHRISTIANITY. This is the message that no one wants to preach and very very few will accept. It's written throughout the entire Bible. I'm not going to ignore it anymore. You can work against me or you can join with me. Either way my path is set. You can be a blessing to me or you can be a curse. Read these verses. Think about it. This is what the Bible says. Not some man in a suit. The Bible. These words above are the words of Jesus Christ. If we really love Him we'll obey Him. Otherwise we call out "Lord Lord" in vain. That's what Jesus said, not me, these are His own words. I'm praying for you. Remember this verse from Revelation. There are two things we must have to enter into life:
(Rev 14:12 MKJV) Here is the patience of the saints. Here are the ones who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
I don't enjoy having to say all of this, but I don't have any choice. This is the truth. If you hate me it's only because you hate Christ. I'm only repeating what He said. He promises a blessing if we teach others to keep His commandments. The problem with Judaism is that they make up their own (the commandments of men) and hated the Messiah because He pointed it out to them. The problem with modern day Christianity is that it totally ignores the law that Christ taught men to observe: The law that is actually laid out in the Old Testament and not the traditions of Judaism. Just read about the church of Laodicea in Revelation. Think about it.
Don't you see now? Grace and law complement each other. By observing the law we obey Christ, our King. Is Christ's Kingdom a Kingdom of Lawlessness? NO! The King creates the Law and His subjects obey. The scriptures prove this and say it over and over again. But you'll never hear a sermon on any of these scriptures. Instead we're taught to feel sentimental about Jesus dying on the cross and then fork over our money. As Elvis would say,"Not me baby."
What was the first thing John the Baptist said in his ministry? Repent.
What was the first thing Jesus said in his ministry? Repent.
What was the first thing Peter said in his ministry? Repent.
The Jews missed it because they were unwilling to repent of their made up laws that they put above the Laws of God.
The vast majority of us are missing it because we're not willing to repent of our lawlessness.
I've been to many churches and they all claim to hold Scripture in the highest regard, but none of them will teach this. None of them teach what Christ or the Apostles taught. Yes Christ died for our sins. But to reject His commands is to reject Him. If I asked you to marry me and you told me,"No", but still claimed to love me wouldn't that be crazy? That's what we do. We say we love God, but no one is willing to do what He asked. His law is not burdensome and it is not hard. Yet we think by going to church we're doing better, doing more for Him with a false show of obedience. If you still aren't convinced read the scriptures above again. Read them over and over. How can you serve Christ by rejecting His teachings? It's obvious to me that the Apostles weren't dispensationalists. Dispensationalism was invented much later by men. Dispensationalism is ridiculous. It claims that the Old Testament and the teachings of Christ don't apply to us. It is a lie. So what are you left with? The Epistles and Revelation? And of course according to a dispensationalist when the epistles and Revelation says we should obey the commandments it isn't written to us but to the Jews? Can't you see it's a lie? Is it not written that man will live by EVERY Word of God? Not just Jews but ALL MEN AND WOMEN.
(quotation from email)Chaplain Rogers' final point was that if you have a problem with Jesus, you have a problem with God the Father. You can't have the Father and not have the Son...IT WILL NOT WORK!
I agree. The reverse is also true. You can't have the Son without the Father. Jesus said that if they wouldn't believe Moses then they wouldn't believe even if someone was to rise from the dead. To reject Christ's commands (the Law) is to reject Him. That is what the Bible teaches. But if we will repent (not just believe on His name. The demons believe and tremble), believe, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. If we "keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" then we're saved. He said it Himself that if we believe Him then we'll do what He said:
Luk 6:46 And why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?
Otherwise we're no better than the demons who believe and tremble. The scriptures cannot contradict each other. Only when understood in this way is there no contradiction. It explains why the church is so weak and why it has no spiritual strength these days. We will struggle. We will make mistakes. The Bible does say that if we say we have no sin we are liars. But that (trying to observe the Law) is infinitely better than rejecting Christ.