Traditions of Men vs the Simplicity of God

When God provokes a person to speak against the worldly traditions of men that add to, take away from or even attempt to displace the principles in God's word.....that person is NOT attacking the people who do them.

He is merely addressing the extra-Biblical or anti-Biblical PRACTICES they promote which, in some way, ALWAYS hurt people.

When these things are brought to their awareness, those who practice such things (and we ALL do and some time and to some degree) have the choice to either repent (agree with God) and change what they are doing or to continue to do these things because "we've always doing it this way" or "the people like it" or....well...there are thousands of bogus reasons to disobey God.

Sadly, they will often consider THEMSELVES personally attacked when, really, it is just their unbiblical PRACTICES and TRADITIONS which are being addressed.

This is because they see themselves more in terms of their earthly practices than they do in terms of being the Children of God.

"For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." (Romans 8:13-14)

Many of us worship what we like and what we claim to be ours to the degree that we are willing to hurt our brothers and sisters....for merely speaking the truth in love or for simply worshiping God and Gathering without all the man-made additives we see in the modern ONE yet hopelessly divided and scattered Church.

When Christians hold onto earthly, man-made beliefs, traditions, and practices we remain the Children of God but we are not living as the Children of God, rather...we are living as the children of mere men.

As God, directly and through other Christians, confronts the extra-biblical beliefs I have and bogus practices and traditions I value, I hope to cast those down and replace them with the simple, pure principles in Scripture.

I have within me a hunger to see the Body of Christ return to its original simplicity, glory and effectiveness.

I believe Jesus put that there.

I would love to see Christians be ONE again.

Jesus speaking to Father God:

"Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, THAT THEY MAY BE ONE as We are." (John 17:11)

"...THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; THAT THEY MAY ALSO BE ONE in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, THAT THEY MAY BE ONE just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; THAT THEY MAY BE PERFECT IN ONE, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me." (John 17:21-23)

Have you ever considered that so many don’t believe in God and/or believe that He doesn’t love people because the Church practices so many different practices, each of which makes each part distinctly DIFFERENT from the rest of the ONE CHURCH?

We look like a schizophrenic bride to the world.

I would love to see Christians be ONE again.

How about you?

Pastor Mike McInerney

Mike McInerney Ministries, Inc.

Decatur, TX

© January 16, 2017

For use with permission