Hello, friends how are you? I hope you and yours are well, I am so glad for your visit. So let’s get to the rub. More than two billion people claim to worship the God of the Bible and to follow Jesus Christ. I’m referring to the real biblical Christ, not the one they worship in separate, competing churches, religious organizations, denominations, sects, and movements with differing views, governance, and traditions.
Let’s hit the road to spread some knowledge—with “Christ’s Soldiers,” we prefer to put the rubber on the road. To get started, you have to get going!
Vain Worship:
The term “vain worship” is often associated with insincere or empty worship—actions and rituals performed without genuine devotion or understanding. In the King James Version of the Bible, the word “vain” is used in different contexts, and its meaning can vary slightly. Let’s explore the concept of vain worship in both Old and New Testament contexts.
Old Testament Perspective: (Isaiah 1:13-15):
“Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.”
In this passage, God rebukes the people for their empty rituals and sacrifices. The external acts of worship were divorced from genuine righteousness and justice, rendering them “vain oblations.”
Friends, even today’s professing Christians are divided by doctrine, which is why they do not -and cannot – walk together (Amos 3:3). How can so many churches and their adherents say they are Christians, yet teach opposing beliefs and traditions of men? Why are so few willing to ask what is wrong?
New Testament Perspective : (Matthew 15:8-9):
“This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain, they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Jesus echoes the sentiment found in Isaiah, emphasizing the importance of a sincere heart in worship. External acts of worship, detached from true devotion, are deemed vain.
Yet, friends Christ said His Church would be a “little flock” (Luke 12:32)-undivided, “perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10)-in “one accord” (Acts 2:46). Continuing “steadfastly in the apostles” doctrine {teaching} and fellowship”(vs. 42) all speaking the same thing, just as the first-century Church had done.
He, says in (Colossians 2:20-23): “Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.”
Brothers and sisters, even without a fractured common sense we can center on that something is wrong with a lot of the gospel taught. I believe because of not being picked-or-chosen by God to preach and teach, but in today’s so called modern academias pursuit of research, education, and scholarships, led from Gods real Church to His purse $.
This is what came from them teaching God to them (Theology school supposedly equipping you for your calling). Churches on about every corner like 7/11 stores, the calling they answered was the sound of God’s money not His real gospel. The truth to most is about the money not the message sent by God through Jesus. So Sad!
The apostle Paul warns against adherence to mere human traditions and rituals, emphasizing the emptiness of “will-worship” that lacks a genuine connection with God.
Another Jesus: The concept of “another Jesus” typically refers to distorted or false representations of Jesus Christ. The New Testament, especially in the letters of Paul, warns about the danger of accepting teachings that present a different Jesus than the one revealed in Scripture.
(2 Corinthians 11:3-4):
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”
Apostle Paul expresses concern that false teachers might present a distorted version of Jesus, leading believers away from the true Gospel.
My friends, I warn you that there are entire television channels devoted to popular religious leaders who preach boldly, as though they carry authority, who claim to heal the sick and cast out demons, who say they are preaching the gospel-but in reality they are preaching dry bones with no life in it. Of such people, God states, “Her priests have violated My law, and have profaned My holy things; they have put no difference between the holy and profane.
Neither have they shown the difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them” (Ezek. 22:26). The so-called ministers and lay members of modern Christendom make a dazzling show of parlor tricks and so-called the worshipping of God, but do it in vain.
Paul strongly condemns the preaching of any “other gospel,” emphasizing the severity of deviating from the true message of Christ.
Understanding Vain Worship and Another Jesus:
1. Heart vs. Rituals:
- The essence of worship lies in the condition of the heart. Vain worship occurs when external rituals and observances lack a sincere, devoted heart.
2. Human Traditions vs. God’s Commands:
- Vain worship often involves adherence to human traditions that replace or overshadow God’s commandments, as seen in the rebukes by Isaiah and Jesus.
3. False Representations of Christ:
- “Another Jesus” warns against accepting distorted views of Christ. It could involve misrepresenting His nature, teachings, or the significance of His work on the cross.
4. Discernment and Adherence to Scripture:
- Discernment is crucial to identify false teachings. The consistent theme in the Bible is adherence to the revealed Word of God as the standard for worship and understanding Christ.
In summary: Friends,I try to get to you all I can to equip you on your journey, the scriptures provided insights into the dangers of vain worship and the preaching of another Jesus. They call believers to examine the authenticity of their worship and teachings, emphasizing the centrality of a genuine relationship with God and adherence to the unchanging truth revealed in the Bible. “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matt. 10:16).
By: Norman G. Roy III
END TIME CHURCH 2: Another Gospel, Another Jesus | David Wilkerson, Voddie Baucham, Paul Washer:
Contemporary Versions Of Another ‘Jesus’ | Derek Prince