And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead
the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?
— Luke 6:39 —
Christian or Nicolaitan
What has historically been called Christianity isn't
biblical Christianity. It is Nicolaism. Whenever you have a "mediator"
between you and God, other than Jesus, you are Nicolaitan. Whether that
be your local pastor, priest, rabbi, or whomever, anyone you defer to
is your mediator. You may listen to a preacher, but he isn't the Holy
Spirit to you. It is your responsibility to go to the source and find
out if he is telling you truth.
Revelation 2:6 But this thou hast, that
thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
nico - to conquer
laos - the laity, the people, the congregation
Revelation 6:2 And I saw, and behold a white
horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto
him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
Matthew 24:4-5 And Jesus answered and said
unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For
many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Matthew 20:25-28 But Jesus called them unto
him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles
exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority
upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great
among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among
you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for
many.
Matthew 23:8-12 But be
not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye
are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is
your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one
is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall
be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased;
and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those
in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of
mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved,
as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more
in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
I Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and
one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself
a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
I Corinthians 3:11-15 For other foundation
can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any
man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood,
hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall
declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall
try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which
he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work
shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved;
yet so as by fire.
I Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren,
by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing,
and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined
together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
John 8:31-32 Then said Jesus to those Jews
which believed on him, If ye continue in my
word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:36 If the
Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Hypocrisy
Luke 12:1 In the mean time, when there were
gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that
they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first
of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Taking God's name in vain doesn't mean using it as
profanity. When you do something in vain it means faked, or feigned,
or in hypocrisy. It means it is worthless or pointless. To take God's
name in vain means to pretend to represent Him, but in actuality you are
a hypocrite, or a false prophet, or faking it. You are giving God a bad
name by your bad example. This is taking the name of the Lord thy God
in vain. This was the sin of the Pharisees, Sadducees, priests, lawyers,
and the Levites. They were taking God's name in vain.
Mark 7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship
me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Hypocrisy may be the most egregious sin to God. I think this
is why God made such an example of Annanias and Saphira. A non-believer
using the word "god" as profanity cannot take the Lord's name in vain,
because they are a non-believer. Only someone who professes to believe
can take God's name in vain. If you deny God, you are not taking his
name at all. Unbelief has its own condemnation.
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not
condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he
hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
II Peter 2:1-3 But there were false prophets
also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you,
who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord
that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many
shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth
shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned
words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth
not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils?
and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
When you come in someone's name, you are presumed to represent them, not presumed to be them.
