WHO do you follow?

I'm asking this question during the Feast of Unleavened Bread 2012.

It is a time to examine....ourselves....and our ideas.

There are MILLIONS of people around the world who belong to the Seventh Day Adventist church.
A MAJORITY of them follow the teaching of what they call "God's end time apostle" - one of the leading founding members of the SDA church back in the middle 19th century or so. It is claimed she had "visions" from God and was "inspired" by God. Ellen White was her name. She wrote 50 plus books. Many things in them are good, hence the deception is that much harder to see by millions of SDA people.

The deception is there, but you have to do your homework as the saying goes. You have to be reading the Bible and checking up on the verses used by Ellen White. You have to be doing what the Bareans did with Paul when he came preaching to them - they SEARCHED the Scriptures DAILY to see if those things he taught were according to God's word. Now that takes some time and some effort, which far too many people will not do, especially in this fast living world we are in. Even on the Sabbath, that the Adventists observe, they will not take the time to study if Ellen White taught according to the Scriptures.

It's the old deception of, "Well we have so much truth....we must be fine and okay."

The Roman Catholics in the world are OVER ONE BILLION! Are they checking up in their Bible to see if what the Catholic church teaches, is according to the Scriptures? NOPE, not at all. They say, "We are the true church, look at how many members we have around the world." Or "The Pope is God on earth, so we are, even with sexual sins of the clergy, God's church." Most of the Roman Catholics are quite happy where they are: "Don't rock the boat. Leave me alone." They either do not question or they disagree with some of the church's teaching but they would never think of leaving the Roman Catholic church.

You have tens of THOUSANDS in the world who are "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" or using the simple word - Mormons. Now it looks like a Mormon will lead the Republican Party against Obama in the 2012 President election. Oh the Mormons have the Bible BUT they have another book that they hold up as on the same level as the Bible, called "The Book of Mormon." If those young well-dressed two by two men come knocking on your door, they will give you a book of Mormon to go with your Bible. They have the dead Joseph Smith as their "end time apostle." And do they check up to see if Smith and the book of Mormon is in accord with the Bible. Well no, they are quite content go "go along" with all that is the "Mormon religion."

Then there is the Jehovah Witnesses. They are also tens of thousands around the world. Yes they have an end time apostle also - William Russell. And they believe THEY are the end time latter day saints. Do they look to see if their religion is Biblical? Not many if any.

Oh yes, not to forget, there is the tens of thousands, could be a million or two, of "fundamental Christians" who today more and more have fancy services, with glitter and lights, big choirs, or rock-religion bands, and "let's raise the roof" or raise the sound to the rafters. Add to that the "Pentecostal" fundamental groups and you can have a wild party service - just blow your mind with everything.
Do the fundamentals look, search the Scriptures to see if their Christian religion squares with the Bible. Nope, hardly any. They are also just too busy in this fast life of the 21st space-age world.

Hummmm.....then you have many groups, some with thousands, some with hundreds, who have come out of the Worldwide Church of God, under Herbert W. Armstrong. For most of these groups it was HWA that was the end time apostle of God. Oh, join the band-wagon of groups with "end time apostles" that get you pinned against the wall, driven into your mind, brain-washed so deeply in your head that you cannot think for yourself any more.

It's a good time to examine yourself and who you believe. Do you believe God's Word or someone who claims he or she is the spokesperson for God's word? It can be VERY DIFFICULT for many to let go of "personalities" and people they have looked to with "religious fervor" and to go back to just clearing their mind and searching the Scriptures for themselves. We live in a fast world, where it is much easier to let someone else do the thinking for you. I mean it takes time and energy and effort to check up on what people teach and preach; time and effort most will not take the time and effort to do.

So it is that as Jesus said His flock would be the "little flock" and in the Greek it is a double diminutive, meaning "little little flock" or "very little flock." Jesus said His disciples would be the salt of the earth - just sprinkled here and there - not ever very large.
But Jesus would be the head of His church - not a man, nor a board of men, and there would be an open door they would have to proclaim the Gospel around the world. Today that open door is just about FREE - the Internet and Youtube. What an open door, so great that even a relatively small number of the true disciples of the Lord can use to proclaim the truths of God's word.

But yes, you have all kinds of Christian "religious" people on the Internet and Youtube.

So it still comes down to YOU having to do some work - searching the Scriptures, reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, soaking it in, looking back and forth, here and there, working on getting ALL Scripture verses on any Bible topic.

Yes it takes some WORK..... but oh how lovely to find the truth of God. And when you have found it, it is like the lady in the parable Jesus gave.....searching and finding that one pearl. Think of it this way, someone tells you there is a gold nugget or diamond somewhere in a three story house, the value of which is more than you'd make in tens years at your job. You have to put some work and effort into finding it, it may take weeks, but you know it is there and you do eventually find it. The THRILL of finding that precious gold nugget or diamond.....well just think about it....yes now you know what the thrill is in finding the truth of God.

You are to have a PERSONAL relationship with the Father and Christ in heaven. That means you are to have a PERSONAL relationship with the Bible.

So yes check up on me, what I teach, what I write, on my website, what I preach on my Youtube.

And the blessing you have today, is that you never have to meet me in person; you never have to write to me unless you want to; you never have to send me any money - do NOT, I do not need it, give it to the poor and needy.

Yes, it is true, the New Testament does teach it, the Church of Jesus Christ still has ministers, teaching and preaching His truth. But you still have to search the Scriptures to find who they are, you still have work you personally must do. Jesus said blessed are those who HUNGER AND THIRST AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS, for they SHALL be filled.
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