You’ve been Played
Bible
Matters 447 You’ve been Played
1 Timothy 5:19 – Against an elder receive not
an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.
In addition, Paul tells you to judge the truth
from the testimony of two or three prophets.
1 Corinthians 14:29 – Let the prophets speak
two or three, and let the other judge.
Paul tells Timothy to study scripture; you then
compare verses for reproof and correction.
2 Timothy 3:16 – All scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Paul was trained as a leader of the Jewish
religion as a Pharisee. Paul was not
an apostle of Jesus. He did not spend
any time with Jesus to learn God’s gospel.
Following his conversion to Christianity on the way to Damascus, Paul
only spent 15 days with Peter and James, Jesus’s brother, learning of Jesus’s
Walk on this earth. Paul was responsible
for the persecution of Christians and the stoning of the apostle Stephen, so he
heard the stories of Jesus’s Walk on this earth. Paul had several one witness testimonies that
did not align with the teachings of the Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James
and Jude. That is exactly why Paul told
Timothy to study scripture!
Galatians 1:18-19 – Then after three years I
went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. But other
of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.
Paul was the only witness that said women
should be silent in church. God does not
women silent in church. If you are a
woman and have a desire to serve God as a leader is his church, then do
it! Make God proud.
1 Corinthians 14:34 – Let your women keep
silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they
are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
Paul was also the only witness that declared
Jesus as the head of the church. (See Ephesians 1:18,22, Ephesians 2:20, Ephesians
5:23, Colossians 1:18). You all know
that God is the judge and head of his people, in the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 5:23 – For the husband is the head
of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of
the body.
And you guessed it. Paul is the only one that said the husband is
the head of the wife. Without
understanding the truth in God’s word, you’ll want to judge your
self-righteousness against how others are living their life in sin. God does not want you to judge anyone. God just wants you to live his gospel of
Love. So, as you look at your service
to God, your job function is clear. Be a
witness for God and manage your daily activities serving God and man in mind
and spirit! Your life of love is your
witness.
Churches love to pick and choose verses from
the Old and New Testament and come up with doctrine for you to live by and in
so doing you have favor with God and eternal life is yours. A Hindu man asked me this question when I
gave him a nondenominational jail ministry lesson on love. He said, “You worship one God and follow the
teachings of Jesus. Why is it that I can
only go to heaven if I go to your church? “
Some denominations believe that Jesus is
God. Others believe that Jesus is a
prophet. Using the preponderance of
evidence from the testimony of two or three witnesses, you know that Jesus was
a prophet sent by God. Jesus as the son
of God was not God the Father. (See Matthew 21:11-13, Luke 4:24, Luke 7:16,
Luke 13:33, Luke 24:19, Mark 6:4, John 4:19,44, John 6:14)
Matthew 21:11-13 – And the multitude said,
This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.
Mark 6:4 – But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country,
and among his own kin, and in his own house.
Jesus made it clear in his parables that a
rich man will have trouble entering the kingdom of God. God made it clear in
these three verses that it is impossible for man to save anyone and it is only
possible with God. God is the
judge! (See verses Luke 18:25-27, Mark
10:25-27, Matthew 19:24-26)
Luke 18:25-27 – For
it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to
enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Who then
can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible
with God.
Jesus was clear in his testimony. Jesus couldn’t save that young man. The young man followed the religious laws, but
didn’t have love for the things of God in his heart. Jesus didn’t offer water baptism to save the
young man. Jesus didn’t say, “believe in
me and you will be saved.” Jesus made
it clear that salvation is a gift from God.
If you want a relationship with
God, then “follow me.” To do as
Jesus did. (See verses Matthew 19:16-21,26, Mark
10:17-21, Luke 18:18-22)
Matthew 19:16-21,26 – And, behold, one came
and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have
eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest
thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter
into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus
said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not
commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself. The young man saith unto
him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said
unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell
that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven:
and come and follow me. But Jesus beheld them, and said unto
them, With men this is impossible;
but with God all things are possible.
All eight witnesses have testified the
commandments of the New Testament. Using the preponderance of evidence from
their testimonies, the commandments are simply these for the New Testament
believer: Do not commit adultery; Do not
kill; Do not steal; Do not bear false witness; Honor thy father and thy mother;
Love God; Love neighbor. If you break
one of these, you break them all. You
are told to walk in the light doing the will of God with a pure heart and not
serving the lusts of the flesh.
Not once in the New Testament did Jesus tell
you to keep the Sabbath holy. God
destroyed the man-made churches when the temple veil was rent in two during the
death of Jesus on the cross. God wants
you to serve him seven days a week in his kingdom of God. Jesus overthrew the tables and chastised them
that turned the church into a den of thieves. (See Mark 11:17, Matthew 21:11-13)
Matthew 21:11-13 – And the multitude said,
This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and
cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables
of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of
prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Not once does Jesus tell you to give a tithe
or 10% of your earnings to the church.
God knew that man would use the church as a money grab and fail to teach
the truth out of his word. God doesn’t
need your money. God wants your
heart.
Revelation 17:17 – For God hath put in their
hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast,
until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
Performing works of religion does not make you
righteous in the eyes of God. God wants
your heart. Circumcision was a religious
work of the Jewish religion. Paul made
it clear in Corinthians that circumcision means nothing. He is telling you that religious works men’s
nothing. James warns you that man’s
religion is vain.
1 Corinthians 7:19 – Circumcision is nothing,
and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.
James 1:26 – If any man among you seem to be
religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s
religion is vain.
Baptism by water means nothing. John the Baptist said that one would come
after him that baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire! Your testimony will be
your fire! (See Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33, Acts 1:5, Acts
11:16-18). God had John the Baptist
thrown in jail when Jesus began his ministry.
God does not want works of religion to confuse your walk with God.
Luke 3:16 – John answered, saying unto them
all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the
latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with
the Holy Ghost and with fire:
By faith and with a converted heart, believe
that when you live a life serving the things of God that God will welcome you
into his kingdom. Put your past behind you and from this point forward, turn
from sin and follow the teachings of the witnesses.
Romans 10:8-10 – But what saith it? The word
is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith,
which we preach; That if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
God will judge you in the end. Man can never take away your sins. Only God knows your heart.
Hebrews 10:11 – And every priest standeth
daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never
take away sins:
Do all you can do from this point forward to
please God and live his gospel of Love. God’s
Gospel of Love brought to the earth by Jesus is simple. The truth starts with the understanding
God’s word from the New Testament and the testimony of the eight witnesses.
• Believe
in one God
• Repent
of your sins and surrender to God.
• Judge
no one
• Love
God
• Love
your Neighbor
• Keep
yourself in the love of God, unto eternal life.
Jude 1:21 – Keep yourselves in the love of
God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
To God be the glory in all you do, Amen.