The LAWLESS Road – Avoiding LAWLESS Christian Ministries
‘The Bible speaks not only about doing the right thing but also about doing it rightly as this is how we understand God’s Will in His Way as Holy Scriptures Reveal’ – Anonymous
If any Christian ministry is done according to the verses quoted, then bravo to them!
(i) His Rules and NOT sacrifice
Christian Ministry MUST be done according to “His Rules” = “His Commands”:
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.” (1 Corinthians 9:24, NASB)
A Christian ONLY wins a prize for the race he runs if it is according to God’s “Rules” (Commands, e.g. 1 Corinthians 14:37)
“Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does NOT WIN the PRIZE unless he competes ACCORDING to the RULES.” (2 Timothy 2:5, NASB)
(ii) Cold Love
The root of our lack of Love (‘cold love’) toward Christ in ‘keeping His Commands’ (John 14:15) or toward the perfect ‘loving of our enemies too’ (instead of protesting & scheming and praying against them) is due to LAWLESSNESS in us too as ‘it is written’:
“Because LAWLESSNESS is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.” – Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:12, NASB)
(iii) Missed Spiritual Blessings
Satan robs us of this Great Spiritual Blessing(in verse below) when he seduces us to ‘disobey His Rules & Teaching (doctrine) too’:
“Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make Our Home with them.” (John 14:23, NIV)
(iv) An Allowed Way – Money collection across Christian Ministries too
God ‘allowed’ the ‘preachers of the Gospel’ (e.g. pastors, Christian ministries) to get ‘their living’ from it (e.g. collect money) but this is NOT a way to attain ‘luxury and riches’, wrong!
“So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:14, NASB)
Getting ‘their living’ is to ‘provide for their needs’ and NOT taking ‘anything more as even the Levites of the past practiced too’ (Numbers 18:20, 32 & Malachi 3:10, 1 Corinthians 9:13). One will answer before God as to whether they took ‘too much money’ or ‘made too much wealth’ through ‘money collected in His Name’ as such a thing is NOT found in Holy Scripture!
In other words, there was NO such thing as a RICH Levite priest in the earlier Covenant who served the LORD! (Where is an example from Scripture proving the existence of a ‘rich Levite priest’ if such modern day Christians insist on collecting the illegal tithe to make their pastor’s rich? No verse, no proof, no truth).
In fact, rich believers of the past (e.g. Abraham or Job or even the government position of Joseph & Daniel too) who made their “wealth or money” from “their SECULAR WORK” (as God BLESSED that) and NOT from ‘money collections in His Name’ (NOT one verse exists to prove this though this dangerous Mammon-ERROR is prevalent across Christianity, Matthew 6:24) and ’causes the wandering from the faith’ (1 Timothy 6:10).
(v) Does it mean that Christians cannot be rich?
No! Christians “may” be rich or poor. God does NOT put this as an emphasis regarding anyone’s spiritual life at all (1 Timothy 6:17 & James 2:5).
John 10:10 & Matthew 6:33 refers to ‘an abundant spiritual life’ and NOT material life (yes, NOT in “all” aspects as the Context of Luke 12:15 in Christ’s OWN Blessed Words Define His Meaning). It is ‘not all’ mentioned in Matthew 6:33 but “all these things” referring to the ‘things which Christ promised’ which NEVER included monetary wealth as God’s Will for EVERY believer.
To prove ‘otherwise’, ‘prosperity Gospel preachers’ MUST prove from Christ’s OWN Words that ‘He also refers to abundant MONEY or MATERIAL blessings’ (Where is this NON-Existent Verse?)
Being ‘rich’ must NOT be an ambition for a Christian for he ought to be ‘content’ in whatever circumstances he is in (Hebrews 13:5, Philippians 4:11). The ‘desire’ to get rich must be avoided as it is a ‘trap’ (1 Timothy 6:9) but if we ‘do what we do and get rich, it is permitted’ in Scripture (1 Timothy 6:17 – 18) . Being ‘content’ & ‘satisfied’ regardless of the ‘circumstances’ we are facing accounts for ‘great gain’ spiritually (1 Timothy 6:6).
(vi) His Perfect Way in Money collection across Christian Ministries too
The hard road to PERFECTION (I cannot do it but I have great respect for the Christian saints who have done it, e.g. Sadhu Sundar Singh) is quite the ‘opposite’ to ‘getting rich monetarily’ as the verse below clearly says:
“Jesus was saying to him, “If you desire to be PERFECT, go, sell what you are possessing, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in the heavens; and come, follow Me.” (Matthew 19:21, BLB)
Now, if a pastor ‘needs more money’ or ‘wants to be rich’, the ‘proper way’ as apostle Paul demonstrated is to ‘go to SECULAR work’ —–> simply because even the ‘apostle of the Gentiles’ (apostle Paul) worked a SECULAR job as a ‘tentmaker’ (Acts 18:3) and NEVER had any ‘rush’ NOR used the ‘full time excuse’.
“I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the Words the Lord Jesus Himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” (Acts 20:33 – 35, NASB)
Apostle Paul himself declares that though God permits one to ‘make a living from the Gospel’ (1 Corinthians 9:14) but yet he NEVER used it even ONCE though some preachers FALSELY claim that he did it too as the ‘verse’ below clearly ‘proves’:
“So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.
But I have USED NONE of THESE things. And I am NOT writing these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be BETTER for me to DIE than have any man make my boast an empty one.” (1 Corinthians 9:14 – 15, NASB)
(vii) Two ways of Preaching the Gospel
1) Preaching the Gospel by ‘making a living out of it’ too
“Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?
Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working?
Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock?
I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things?
For it is written in the Law of Moses, “you shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.” God is not concerned about oxen, is He?
Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. ” (1 Corinthians 9:5 – 10, NASB)
“Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar? So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:13 – 14, NASB)
“For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:16, NASB)
2) Preaching the Gospel ‘free’ of Charge with NO money collection of any type at all & doing SECULAR work for our OWN living as apostle Paul did
“If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?
If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did NOT USE this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause NO hindrance to the Gospel of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 9:11 – 12, NASB)
“So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the Gospel to get their living from the gospel.
But I have used NONE of these things. And I am NOT writing these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one.” (1 Corinthians 9:14 – 15, NASB)
“For if I do this VOLUNTARILY, I have a REWARD; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.
What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the Gospel WITHOUT charge, so as NOT to make full use of my right in the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:17 – 18, NASB)
This the ‘Context’ for Winning His Prize in the ‘way’ which we ‘Preach the Gospel’ too as few verses later after writing all these things (included), apostle Paul reveals beautifully:
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only ONE receives the PRIZE? Run in SUCH a WAY that you may WIN.
Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 9:24 – 25, NASB)
(viii) Being Rich in the Right Way
A warning to the Rich from apostle James for them to have the ‘right attitude’:
“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.
Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire.
It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!
Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.” (James 5:1 – 6, NASB)
Please note the word “again” in verse below:
“Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” – Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 19:24, NASB)
(ix) Fruits & Lawlessness
When our Blessed Saviour talked about ‘bad fruits’, He referred to it in the context of ‘Lawlessness’ & the ‘Will of God’ (His Way, His Rules) as the consecutive verses below clearly imply ‘despite’ their ‘Great Christian Ministry Works’ in ‘His Name’ which included ‘prophesying, casting out of demons & even other great miracles’, [Christ the Lord doesn’t seem ‘impressed’ & ‘denies them’, “Judgment”]:
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
So every good tree bears good fruits, but the rotten tree bears bad fruits. A good tree is not able to bear bad fruits, nor a bad tree to bear good fruits.
Every tree not bearing good fruit is cut down and is thrown into fire. Then surely by their fruits you will recognize them.
Not everyone saying to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of My Father in the heavens.
Many will say to Me in that the day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
And then I will declare unto them, ‘I never knew you; depart you from Me, those working LAWLESSNESS.’” (Matthew 7: 15 – 23)
In fact, in ‘consecutive verses’ prior, Christ Reveals that this is how we ‘differentiate’ the Narrow Path to Life vs the Broad Path of Destruction too:
““Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” – Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:13 – 14, NASB)
(x) Judgment
Judgment for Forgetting “His LAWS” (His Rules, His Ways, His Commands):
Priests —-> rejected for rejecting God’s KNOWLEDGE (His Word, doing ‘their OWN ways which is NOT found in Holy Scripture)
you —-> forgot God’s Laws (don’t want to follow or obey the New Testament Laws, our children get forgotten by God too as we lead them in such errors (our irresponsible parenting in the spiritual sense too, implied).
Where is it written or implied thus?
As the verse below mentions (in Principle too, Judgment):
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” (Hosea 4:6, NASB)
*EMPHASIS mine throughout
Conclusion
‘Let the Verses Speak His Words’ – Unknown
P/S:
“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” – Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 6:46, NASB)
.
.
