Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
He said this rock, He didn't say upon you Peter. What rock was He speaking of? Nu 20:8 Take the rod, and
gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their
eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt
give the congregation and their beasts drink. 1Co 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they
drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
Those who want to lord it over others claim that Jesus was appointing Peter the head or chief apostle.
Jesus said: Matthew 7:13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to
destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which
leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Jesus said that only a few would find the way to life. He was speaking of those who live in this age. When He
speaks here of life, He is talking about eternal life. What we call life here on this earth is only a chemical
existence that only lasts a certain number of years.
We look out in the world and see churches with millions of members. The Catholic Church for one, and the
Protestant Church with it's many denominations. We know by what Jesus said, that the way is narrow, and
only a few would find it, that these churches are not the way. Satan has deceived the whole world:
Re 12: 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the
whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Jesus also said this: Mt 24:5 "For many will come in My name, saying, I am the Christ, and will deceive many.
They won't say, like many think, that they themselves are the Christ, but will say that Jesus is the Christ.
Jesus was speaking in the first person. If I were telling you that someone was going to come to your house
and tell you that I am a thief, you wouldn't think he would tell you that he was a thief.
Should we be wary of those who come preaching Jesus Christ? According to Jesus, we should be. He said:
Mt 24:4 ¶ And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Most are easily deceived. If someone comes with a show of piety, using the name of our Savior, many will
show him respect. It reminds me of a song that used to go around. It went something like this:
People coming up to yuh
Saying "Glory Hallelujah
And trying to sock it to yuh
In the name of the Lord."
Only these deceivers are not only socking it to yuh, but are used by Satan to try and deprive you of eternal
life. Satan is called the adversary of God. He tries to thwart everything that God is doing. But his efforts are
in vain. He can do nothing unless God allows him to do it. God is Almighty. He has all power. He allows
Satan to do certain things because it furthers his purpose. He allows him to deceive the whole world, and
then The Father calls out of deception those whom He chooses to be in the first resurrection.
He even allows deceivers to be among those He draws to Jesus Christ. There are those who want to lord it
over others. They rise to leadership positions among God's called out ones and deceive them into accepting
their dictatorial role over them. They point to the scripture that quotes Christ as saying that He would found
His church on a rock, and claim that He was appointing Peter the chief or head apostle. That Jesus was
establishing a hierarchy to rule over His church.
They ignore or twist the scripture in Matthew 20:25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that
the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 "Yet it
shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27
"And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- 28 "just as the Son of Man did not come
to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
Most claim they are servants, that they are serving the brethren while at the same time they dictate who will
be in the hierarchy over them. They choose and pick the deacons and elders and set them over the
brethren. The hierarchy becomes the elite. One man is at the head over the hierarchy, the dictator of the
church. He usually refers to the hierarchy as the church.
The Catholic church is dominated by a hierarchy, the Pope being the head. Under him the cardinals,
bishops, and priests in that order. Many of the protestant churches have copied this order, only the names
are different. Instead of Pope they may designate the one at the top as the Pastor General or Leading
Evangelist and those under him as evangelists, elders, etc. , or they use other titles.
Many of them teach that one must be a member of their group or church in order to receive salvation. They
all claim that they have and teach the truth. Nearly all of them teach that one should tithe (pay a tenth of
their income) to them. They claim they are doing the work of God and lay a guilt trip on those who don't
support them saying they are robbing God.
We have already seen where Yahshua (Jesus) said that few would find and enter the narrow gate to eternal
life. He also cautioned that one should be very careful not to be deceived. That many (not just a few) but
many would come in His name (preaching Jesus Christ) and deceive many. Most of the deceivers are
deceived themselves. 2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being
deceived.
The Rock that Jesus built His church on was not Peter, but Himself. He is the Rock of our salvation, not an
organization or corporation established by some man. Jesus said that He was the Way, not some
organization of men. Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto
the Father, but by me.
It is true that Yahshua (Jesus) established His church and it still exists today. Matthew 16:18 I will build my
church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. . The gates of hell refers to the grave. Mt 28:20
"teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the
end of the age."
His church is not a visible organization. It is a spiritual entity. It is composed of those who have been drawn
by the Father, who have repented and turned from disobedience to the ten commandments, and the words of
Jesus Christ. They no longer care just for themselves, but care equally for others. They continually struggle
to overcome their selfish nature, of thinking and acting in their own self interests, but treat all others as they
would like to be treated.
They do not need to be governed by a vicar of Christ, but are governed by Christ Himself because they
practice the teaching of The Father and The Messiah.
These members of the body of the Messiah are scattered. They may be found in little groups, or they may
assemble on the Sabbath with some of the organizations. There are some in the organizations who have
been misled concerning who they look to. In His time God will open their minds to where the true church is
and how it functions.
These teachers who set themselves up as Vicars of The Messiah are treading on dangerous ground. They
put stumbling blocks in front of those whom The Father is drawing to Jesus Christ. They set doctrine and
demand that they adhere to it. If one, after studying the scriptures concludes that a doctrine is in error and
openly disagrees with it, he is accused of preaching heresy and causing division. He may be warned not to
discuss the subject with any of the brethren and he is expected to walk meekly among the brethren with his
mouth shut, only talking about secular things. He is permitted to talk about spiritual things as long as they
don't contradict what the Vicar has set as doctrine.
He isn't allowed to speak from the pulpit and present his view of the scriptures concerning a doctrine, and let
the brethren decide for themselves if there is any merit to it. The spin on this is that it would cause division
among the brethren and the church would start disintegrating, This is probably true, but what is the true
reason that the Vicar and those elite whom he has appointed, do not want this to happen? Could it be that
they can foresee themselves looking for employment elsewhere.
According to what I can gather from reading the epistles of Paul and the others, this was not practiced in the
early church. Paul writes: 16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more
ungodliness. 17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 18 Who
concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
Paul named two men, whom he said had erred, yet we don't read anywhere that he urged them to shun these
men, but to shun (ignore) their vain speculation, and of others like them. Some of the Vicars take the
scripture quoted below as a mandate to expel anyone who openly disagrees with them. Ro 16:17 ¶ Now I
beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have
learned; and avoid them.
The word "mark" according to Strong can mean several different things.
skopeo, skop-eh'-o from 4649; to take aim at (spy), i.e. (figuratively) regard:--consider, take heed, look at
(on), mark. Compare 3700.
None of these words mean expel, or dis-fellowship. They simply mean to be aware of them and avoid
engaging in a dialog with them and being taken in by their wrong doctrines, or doctrines contrary to what the
apostles had taught them.
The Vicars of some of these church organizations, that they themselves have set up, decide what doctrines
were originally learned by those Paul was writing to. The ministers that the Vicar has ordained, or permitted
to be ordained, all assume that the doctrine that they have learned from the Vicar or previous Vicars is the
true doctrine, and if anyone does his own research and arrives at a conclusion that some Vicar had set a
false doctrine in the organization, and starts practicing what he is convinced is the true biblical one, then the
minister bemoans the fact that the poor unlearned and gullible member has gone off the deep end.
God tells us in the scriptures not to put our trust in men.
Jer 9:4 "Everyone take heed to his neighbor, And do not trust any brother; For every brother will utterly
supplant, And every neighbor will walk with slanderers. Mic 7:5 Do not trust in a friend; Do not put your
confidence in a companion; Guard the doors of your mouth From her who lies in your bosom. 8 It is better to
trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. 9 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in
princes (or Vicars).
Jesus did not put his trust in any man. John 2:24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he
knew all men, 25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.
Those who follow men and allow them to tell them what to believe and practice, do not absolve themselves
from responsibility. Every man is responsible for what he does. If a person is convinced that the scriptures
say something different from what he has been taught by some organization (church) and still practices what
that church decrees, instead of following his convictions, he is held more responsible than if he had just
blindly followed the teaching of a church.
Luke 12:47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his
will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall
be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom
men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
Some of these organizations (churches) do teach the basic doctrines and many have studied and proved to
themselves that these doctrines are according to scripture and have repented and been baptized, therefore
making a commitment to follow the way of God. What they do then is that they stop proving to themselves
what is being taught, but just accept what they are taught and only the scriptures that are quoted to them to
support what is being taught. Instead of studying and researching all the scriptures as the bible tells us to do
they accept the reasoning of the teacher.
1Th 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Also, 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to
God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
When one first comes into contact with one of these organizations and begins to study its doctrines, he may
be very diligent in researching and studying to see if what is being taught is true. After a while they come to
the conclusion that what they are being taught is the truth. They may disagree with a few things, but consider
that perhaps they are mistaken about their own understanding . After making a commitment and they begin
attending services, they are taught that they now are under the government of God, which is administered by
the church, or the hierarchy, for they are usually hierarchical organizations. They are also taught that this
organization is the one and only true church of God.
They quit researching, trying to arrive at the truth of what the scriptures are really teaching, but only study to
prove what is being taught, and only by those scriptures being used by the "church" to support their teaching.
They dismiss any scriptures that seem to contradict what they are taught.
The truth is they find it much easier to just accept what the church teaches than to do like the Bereans did,
that is to search the scriptures to find out whether these things are true. They cease trying to prove all things,
really trying to prove them, because they have accepted that God has set the doctrines in this "church" by
revealing them to the founder. Perhaps He had, but God also allows anyone, including the founder, to
believe what he wants to believe. He allows him to reject what he doesn't really want to accept. God tells us
in Jeremiah:
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? And so they find it
much easier to shirk the responsibility of making their own decisions of whether the things they are being
taught is really the truth, and fooling themselves that they will not be held accountable by accepting what is
being taught. After all, haven't they proved that this organization is God's church?
They only think they have proved it. It may be an organization that God uses to open ones mind to the truth.
It is an organization that a man has formed and God is using it to bring men and women into His church. His
church is spiritual. It is not a visible organization of men. As said before, it is composed of those who have
truly repented and changed their lives and are striving to put into practice every word of God. There are
many attracted to these organizations who have never repented, do not truly believe in Jesus The Messiah,
and do not strive to change, to control their thoughts, their envy, their jealousy. They think that if they just
attend services on the Sabbath that it will please God.
What does it take to please Him? The Father was pleased with the Messiah Yahshua (Jesus). Mt 3:17 And
lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Jesus never committed a sin (transgressed a law of God). God is pleased when we obey Him with our whole
heart. Jesus had this to say: Mt 7:21 ¶ Not every one that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Joh 14:21 He that has my
commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves me: and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father,
and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man
love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode
with him.
We can see that God loves those who practice righteousness, keep the law of God and obey the
commandments. What commandments? Many like to pick and choose which ones, but if one keeps two of
them he pleases God. Jesus cited these two to a lawyer when he asked Him which of the commandments
was greatest. They are, "To love your God with all your heart, soul, and mind which is the greatest, the other
is like it: To love your neighbor as yourself. When these two commandments are expanded they cover all of
the ten commandments. We read this: Ro 13:9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery,"
"You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if
there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as
yourself."
Ga 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." So if
we don't steal we are loving our neighbor. If one loves another he won't steal from him, nor commit adultery
with his spouse, or break any other of the commandments. If He loves God he will keep all of God's
commandments, and God is pleased with him. God being pleased, will give him the gift of eternal life. Eternal
life is such a great blessing that there is nothing that one can do to earn it. God will not give it to anyone with
whom he is not pleased.
It is similar to a wealthy man who makes a will. He does not leave an inheritance to a relative with whom he is
displeased, with one he knows will just squander what he worked hard to accumulate. The relative he leaves
it to hasn't earned the inheritance, he has developed the kind of character that shows the wealthy man that
he won't misuse the inheritance, and so it is with God. If a person practices keeping the law of God, he
develops the character of God and God knows that he won't take the gift (inheritance) of eternal life, with the
power that it gives him, and misuse it.
The church that Jesus built is composed of those who please God, and they will inherit the promises of
eternal life in the kingdom of God.
