Self-righteousness Vs. Spirituality
by Rev. Jimmie Warren
How many times have you heard some Christian preacher say that everyone in his church is good except for a few who are bad, and all of them are going to burn in hell?
How many times have you heard preachers tell you that if you don't change your life and be like them (judgmental,) that you are on your way to hell? They tell you that if you don't quit smoking, then you are going to hell. They tell you that you must quit cursing, or drinking, or stop listening to that satanic music you like, or you are going to hell!
Then they tell you that if you don't come to their church, you will be in the hands of Satan. What a bunch of garbage.
These ministers are just like the pharisees of Jesus' time. They are always judging others and not doing the right things that they are preaching for you to do. These guys are so full of it that their eyes should be brown; you know what I mean!
They must not read their Bibles about "FORGIVENESS." God is THE God of forgiveness. (Jeremiah 31:34) says: "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."
God also expects us to forgive others. ( Ephesians 4:32 says:) "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
Read scriptures like these
"Thou shall not judge" "As you judge ,so shall you be judged" "Judge not less you be judged"
(Matthew 7:1 ) ( Matthew 7:2 ) ( Luke 6:37)
My dear friends, read about the spirit of the law and how Jesus himself preached nothing about condemning anyone, but He preached repentance and to be forgiven of all your sins.
GOD HATES self- righteousness. GOD also hates VANITIES
(Deuteronomy 32:21,) and GOD absolutely hates hypocrites. (Matthew 23:14, Luke 11:44)
These are the things that Our GOD loves so much--- Humbleness, meekness, kindness, and most of all, LOVE, for HE is Love! I John 4:8 says: " He that loveth not knoweth not God: for God is love." Jesus told his disciples, above all, that love covers a multitude of sins.
Paul states in (1 Corinthians 13:1-8) that you can keep every law and every holy day and give all your money for show, but if you don't have love then it is all in vain.You can go to church seven days a week and give away everything you own; you can even read your Bible for the umpteenth time, but if you don't have love for all peoples, then you are doing all of it for nothing.
You can say long prayers and wish everyone well, and you are still not going to be SAVED! Yes doing all these types of things still doesn't cut it with God. He wants you to do all these things simply because you like doing them. God wants to know that in your heart you do really love others; that's what it is all about my fellow Christians.
I understand now, when we read in the Bible, that in the end time Jesus will say, "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."(Matthew 7:21-23) (Luke 13:27, Matthew 25:41- 46) See in these scripture some of the people are saying, "But Jesus, we have healed in your name,we have kept all the laws, we have fasted and prayed day and night, we have cared for the homeless and taught about clean and unclean meats and other health laws, we taught about new moons and holy days and Sabbaths."
But Jesus still turns them away. WHY? Because they did it all for show; they did it to be big men among others for show! Some big ministers still today go around the country with big tents and rent big auditoriums for show and fame---Vanity. May God have mercy on their souls for they will be judged on what they are doing to hurt the little ones in Christ.
I talk to young people every day about religion, and most all of them are turned off to most churches and their preaching. They have seen the guys with their big limos and those TV MINISTERS that have fallen from grace on TV. They have had it with all the false doctrines of today's religions, like ever burning hell , or becoming an angel sitting on a cloud plunking on a harp.
This stuff is not even in your Holy Bible. Look for it yourselves, it's not there.
You see, when we sit around and worry about what others think of us or what they think we are doing , then we are not pleasing God. God wants us all to be happy and do what is right because we love doing what's right. Ask yourself, are you more afraid of what some minister or church might say about you or how they might judge you? Worry more about what God thinks of you, you will be a lot better off.
Beloved,in this life we can't do enough good to ever make up for all the wrongs we do. Right now you are thinking, if that's the case then I might as well quit trying because I'm not ever going to make it to the kingdom of God.
Let me tell you brethren that that kind of attitude is exactly what Satan wants you to think. Remember we are not, repeat, not fighting a physical battle here on this world.
( Ephesians 6:12 says), "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,against spiritual wickedness in high places."
We are fighting a spiritual battle and angels are fighting our battles with us to help us make it into God's kingdom.
It is all about being in His kingdom, where we are heirs and sons to Him and brothers to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what Satan hates the most, that we humans are going to be with God the Father forever!
If we repent and will turn from our old worldly ways, then we will be the sons of God and live forever in His kingdom. Amen! We become His true children and are saved from the grasp of death and Satan the devil.
If you are in a church (doesn't matter the name on the building,) pray always for help because God's true church is spiritual. This church (you and me) is the one and only church which even the gates of hell can't touch. (Matthew 16:18)
This is God's real church through Jesus of Nazareth. Yes beloved, Jesus is the rock which the church was built on,
(we are this spiritual church) worshipped in and by the Holy Spirit.
Do you have this spirit in you? If not, NOW WOULD BE the time to repent and to ask Jesus Christ into your life.
Some church leaders really think that they can contain God Almighty in their own little religion and buildings. What a laugh this must be to God! It is so sad to think this way, to be so narrow minded. These kinds of churches who teach that they are the ONLY TRUE CHURCH are so little-minded that they can't see the real freedom of Christ.
Well brothers and sisters, I have been in some of these special churches, and the only differences was SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS, judging and finger pointing. They have too much back biting and law keeping,
with no GRACE--- death teaching attitudes, that they cannot see the truth!!
JESUS CAME TO FORGIVE MAN (YOU AND ME) OF ALL OUR SINS!!!!!
He bought you and me with his blood, to be saved and to be with Him and Our Heavenly Father.
After you have repented (changed your old ways)and become baptized in water, you will receive the Holy Spirit; then you are saved from Satan and Death. This is the greatest gift you or Iwill ever receive from our all loving Father in Heaven. Amen!
Yes,JESUS' BLOOD covers all our sins; then we become spiritual brothers to Jesus and can come personally in front of the Father in Heaven.
It is all about the spirit of the law.It is about the spiritual church of God. It is all about the spiritual caring that Jesus has for you and me. Some of you ministers out there are preaching nothing but condemnation. You should come down off your high horses and repent yourselves. Try to Preach more about what Jesus himself preached, FORGIVENESS and LOVING.
I HOPE YOU CAN SEE THAT I AM TRYING TO TEACH WHAT MY SAVIOR JESUS PREACHED.
Which one of you who has not sinned cast the first stone. You will have to forgive me as to being so bold as to preach the real Jesus and the real church of GOD!
IT'S ABOUT THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW more than making sure a man is trying to keep a law, the law that will lead to death. It's about really caring for others and going out of your way to help them make it. Not to condemn them and discourage them or make them fall. That's Satan's job,and he is doing really well at it, don't you think?.
Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 22:36-40. A Pharisee, who was a lawyer, asked him, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
By the spirit of our God I say, don't condemn anyone or anything anymore.Instead, love all and forgive all as your Father has forgiven you. If we do this, then we shall hear these wonderful words, "Well done my good and faithful servant, enter into MY kingdom."
In Jesus mighty name," Amen and Amen.
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The ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
Amy,
