1Cor 14:20 Brethren, Be Not Children in Understanding 9/12/2010 §ˆ
#1. In the Law It Is Written (1Cor 14:21, Isa 28:9-11, Hos 5:11, Gal 3:21)
#2. GodÕs Testing Program (1Cor 14:22-25, Rev 22:18-19, Hos 4:6, Amos 8:11-12)
#3. Order in the Churches (1Cor 14:26-33, 1John 4:1)
Please turn in your Bibles to the First Epistle to the Corinthians, 1Cor 14:20 (2X). Last week we have already seen from 1Cor 14:5 that the phenomenon of tongues was strongly discouraged by God, for if a message from God in a tongue was translated, it became as highly valued as the Bible itself. Therefore the phenomenon of tongues was only legitimate in the first century AD, before the Bible was completed. Today we shall see that this was the message all along in the OT. Therefore the title of this sermon is ÒBrethren, Be Not Children in UnderstandingÓ (2X). Understand the warnings God has given us throughout the OT time. We read in 1Cor 14:20,
1Co 14:20 Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe. If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth. How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. 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. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order.
Verse 20 begins with ÒBrethrenÓ. It means that this passage is addressed to those who are our brethren in Christ not to those who are outside the church, but to those who are within the legitimate church of the Lord Jesus Christ. To those within the church God says, ÒBrethren, be not children in understandingÓ. Understand to see that this verse is a pivotal verse, or the hinge that connects the first half of this chapter to the second half. Understand GodÕs disapproval of the phenomenon of tongues from the first half of this chapter. Understand those three critical words in 1Cor 14:5, Òexcept he interpretÓ, and understand that these three words dominate the impact of the first half of this chapter on the concept of tongues. And understand that the second half of this chapter enforces the disapproval of God with the unauthorized use of this practice. There is a legitimate use of this phenomenon of tongues, but much of it has been abused by impostors and liars to puff up their own pride. Paraphrased God says, ÒDo not be like children playing with fire, but be like adults and acquire understanding in this matter of speaking in tongues.Ó It is not to be taken lightly. It is a deadly serious matter. Then God applies a prophecy from the prophet Isaiah.
#1. In the Law It Is Written (1Cor 14:21, Isa 28:9-11, Hos 5:11, Gal 3:21)
1Co 14:21 ¦ In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people;
We will look at verse 21 in two parts, therefore we will study the reference also in two parts. Where in the OT do we find these words? We find them in the Prophecy of Isaiah. Put a sticker here in 1Cor 14 and please turn to the prophecy of Isaiah, Isa 28:9 (2X). In this passage God comes to the nation of Israel, the drunkards of Ephraim (in verse 1), with a message that is not understood because it is given in another tongue, and God recorded this event to show their rebellion against Him. This is one of the earliest messages from God given in another language. Obviously it was given in a time that messages in a tongue were still legitimate. God shows us this event, because the rebellious NT church receives those messages from God in the same way. We read in Isa 28:9-11
Isa 28:9-11 Whom shall He teach knowledge? and whom shall He make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people.
Whom shall God teach knowledge here among the drunkards of Ephraim? And who from among them shall He teach doctrine? It is as if they have just been weaned from the milk of the Gospel, and some are such babies in the faith as if they seem to have been drawn from the breasts. They are immature and infants in their understanding of GodÕs Word. Moreover, they are drunk with the wine of false gospels (verse 1). How did they receive this message from God? They did not understand it. In their ears it was like Òprecept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a littleÓ, but it was not one coherent message. They misunderstood it as if it was broken in pieces, like Òprecept upon precept; line upon lineÓ, and they did not understand these as precepts from God. These were not the precepts that God has taught them in the past.
We often hear people say that we have to study the Word of God Òprecept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon lineÓ, which is the expression borrowed from Isa 28:10. But that is false information, for God is not at all in favor of us learning His Word Òprecept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon lineÓ. God wants us to learn His Word as one coherent whole. Let me prove it to you. The Hebrew word ÒpreceptÓ occurs 8 times in this passage, and it is the word with StrongÕs Concordance number <06673>. The only other place in the Bible where this word appears is in Hos 5:11. Hold one finger in Isa 28 and please turn in your Bibles to Hos 5:11 (2X). You find Hosea right after the prophets Ezekiel and Daniel. In this chapter of Hosea God is speaking to the priests and to the leaders of the northern kingdom of Israel. Then God says in Hos 5:11,
Ho 5:11 Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.
Why would Ephraim be broken in judgment if he walked after the commandment of God? You see, this is proof that it was not a commandment from God. Ephraim was broken in judgment because he walked after a commandment from Satan, where Satan has twisted a commandment from God to a doctrine of Satan.. And this word ÒcommandmentÓ in Hos 5Ó11 is exactly the same word with StrongÕs Concordance number <06673> which was translated ÒpreceptÓ in Isa 28. There are no other places in the Bible where this word <06673> appears. With this information the word ÒpreceptÓ in Isa 28 has become a very bad word; it has received a meaning which is satanic, and it is a commandment that is contrary to the true Gospel. God did not disclose what commandment this was. There are many possibilities. For example, the commandment could have been: ÒIf you do not obey the fourth commandment, you cannot be saved.Ó We know that this is contrary to the true Gospel, for God says in Gal 3:21,
ÒIf there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.Ó In other words, if there would exist a law we would have to obey to be saved, then God would have made salvation dependant on obedience to that law, and Christ would not have to come to die on a cross. But God knows that this would be an unsuccessful plan of salvation, for no one would be saved. Therefore, let us now turn back to Isa 28:10 (2X). Now we can understand the entire reference. God came to Isaiah with a message in a foreign language for the northern kingdom of Israel. The core of the message was, ÒThis is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing.Ó Whatever this rest was is not disclosed in the Word of God. But now we can take all the pieces of the puzzle and connect it to the whole reference in Isaiah, and Isaiah was the interpreter.
1Cor 14:21, In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
In spite of the miracle of speaking to them in another tongue, they will still not listen to me, says the Lord. What was God referring to? We read in Isa 28:9-13,
Isa 28:9-11 ÒWhom shall He teach knowledge? and whom shall He make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people. To whom He said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.Ó
They did not understand the message from God. Instead they imitated the procedure of speaking in tongues, with the result Òthat they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.Ó What does this mean? It is a series of prophecies which have been fulfilled in the 20th and the 21st century AD. #1. ÒThat they might goÓ refers to that they might go their own way, which is another way than the way of the Lord. #2.ÒAnd fall backwardÓ refers to the practice of the charismatics of being ÒSlain in the SpiritÓ. They are indeed spiritually being killed by the Holy Spirit. #3. ÒAnd be brokenÓ refers to Hos 5:11 again, where ÒEphraim is broken in judgment.Ó When will this occur that they will be broken in judgment? At the end of time they will, like Ephraim, be broken in judgment. #4. ÒAnd be snaredÓ refers to the excitement of being used by God to speak in a tongue. They have so much joy that they are snared into believing that God is still bringing divine messages today. #5. ÒAnd be takenÓ refers to the act of Satan to take them to be among his ambassadors, his antichrists, to spread the false gospels far and wide. Notice that the tongue speakers are an army whose tongue the church does not understand. It is an army whose objective it is to overtake the church. But if the OT is to be our example, then the army whose tongue they do not understand is the army that does destroy the church. This is how the church will be overtaken by Babylon, and then the church itself becomes Babylon, and then Babylon is destroyed.
Many times has God throughout the OT warned the nation of Israel of these dangers, and many times has the nation of Israel ignored these warnings. God has warned them of:
Please turn to the Prophecy of Deuteronomy, Deut 28:49 (2X). Deut 28 is a chapter filled with blessings from God in response to obedience, and curses for disobedience. Actually we should not take these verses out of context but we should understand these blessings and curses with greater discernment, for we have to harmonize these things with the rest of the Bible, for God cannot contradict Himself. We have learned from the Revelation of Jesus Christ that the same effects do not produce the same results. Therefore, for the non-elect the curses are truly curses but for the elect they are chastenings which work toward their spiritual growth. Likewise the blessings are not necessarily blessings for the non-elect, but they only increase their condemnation, for the non-elect do not give God thanks for all that He has given them. Deut 28:48 speaks of the enemy God will send to the rebellious house of Israel, an enemy whose tongue thou shalt not understand. We read in Deut 28:49-51,
De 28:49 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young: And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.
Notice in verse 49, Òa nation whose tongue thou shalt not understandÓ. This is referring to tongue-speakers invading the congregation. Please turn now to the Prophecy of Jeremiah, Jer 5:15 (2X). This prophecy in Deut 28 came near its fulfillment when the nation of Babylon was about to overtake the nation of Judah. The nation of Judah had drifted away from God, and God brought severe chastening by sending the Babylonians to destroy the nation and bring the people as captives to Babylon. This was how the OT church became Babylon. Jer 5:15-17,
Jer 5:15-17 Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say. Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men. And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword.
What is God teaching us with these OT passages? He is teaching us that if we let the tongue-speakers into the church it will be an unstoppable army that will overtake the church and it will destroy the church. That is what we can expect in the NT era near the end of time. Has God been very clear on this? Yes He has. God has laid down the rules in the Bible. In Rev 22:18 God said that we may not add to the words of the prophecy of this Book, the Bible, for God has finished dictating the words of the Bible to His servants the prophets. The Bible is the image of Christ, for Christ says of Himself that He is the Word of God. Therefore, if we add even one word to the Word of God we have created another god, and we are engaging in idolatry, which shall bring the wrath of God upon the entire congregation. Please turn to chapter 23 of this Prophecy of Jeremiah, Jer 23:25 (2X). God follows up His threat which He stated earlier. If the congregation that is called by His name, His name is Israel, blasphemes and abuses the name that they are supposed to hold high, then God will bring a nation from afar, a nation of tongue-speakers whose tongue we do not understand, and He will destroy us using that nation of tongue-speakers, who are also engaging in prophesying from dreams, and visions, and angel-visitations. We read in Jer 23:25-32,
Jer 23:25-32 I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.
Therefore, God says, Òthey are prophets of the deceit of their own heart.Ó God says, ÒI am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded themÓ. And when God adds, Òtherefore they shall not profit this people at allÓ, God is hereby indicating that none of the prophecies of these false prophets shall be of any use to us. Thou shalt not be afraid of them. Let us now return to the First Epistle to the Corinthians, 1Cor 14:22 (2X). We have dwelt long enough on verse 21; time to move. If you have placed a sticker in 1Cor 14 you can quickly find it.
#2. GodÕs Testing Program (1Cor 14:22-25, Rev 22:18-19, Hos 4:6, Amos 8:11-12)
1Cor 14:22-25, Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe. If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all.
Now, is this not a surprise? ÒTongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not.Ó And it is worse now after the Bible has been completed. But this was written in a period of time when the Bible was not yet completed. This was written in a period of time when the phenomenon of tongues was still legitimate. But even then God was not in favor of the practice, although God did send some messages in another language every now and then. Why did God do that? The only reason we can come up with is that God was setting up a testing program for the end time church. According to GodÕs program as outlined in Rev 17 and 18, the end time church would fail the test, and was to be swallowed up by Babylon, so that the end time church itself became Babylon. But do not blame God for it. God only set the stage, but people sin voluntarily. To speak with tongues today is a grievous sin, for that is declaring that God is still bringing additional messages. Why will the end time church fail the test? They will fail the test because they will not study the Bible. For example, when our church proclaims that Rev 22:18-19 declares that the Bible is complete, and God is finished speaking, and therefore all the speaking in tongues produces is idolatry and blasphemy, all the denominations scoff at these statements, for they were pronounced by a man who did not go to their seminary. They show by their actions that they are unteachable. They have forgotten that God said in Hos 4:6, ÒMy people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.Ó These are terrifying words to those who forgot how to study the Bible. But this is the character of the end time church. This is why many pastors in todayÕs churches have cut down their sermons to 15 minutes. And they are mainly preaching from the NT, because the OT is a closed book to them. They forgot how to study the OT. We are rapidly approaching the condition described in Amos 8:11-12, where God says,
Amos 8:11-12 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
You see, there will be enough Bibles, for the Bible has been a best seller for hundreds of years, but no one preaches the true Gospel any more. The preaching of the true Gospel will be so scarce that they shall not find it. What they do find are messages spoken in tongues, and miracles of healing, and gospels that elevate the material prosperity of the church over everything else. Let us now return to 1Cor 14:22-25 (2X).
1Cor 14:22-25, Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe. If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all. And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
And so, Òtongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not.Ó People can twist these words around so that the verse says something else than God is stating here. But when we carefully look at the context we can see what God is saying here. We are speaking of a period in time when speaking in tongues was not a sin, because the Bible was not completed. Who are those who believe, and who are those who do not believe? First of all, let us answer the question: is it necessary that someone must be saved if he receives a message from God in a strange language? The answer is NO! If God could open the mouth of a donkey, which was a servant of the false prophet Balaam, then certainly God could open the mouth of any unsaved person. God opened the mouth of the high priest Caiaphas to utter a true prophecy, and Caiaphas was definitely unsaved. Now let us enter the church at Corinth, which was most likely a large living room of one of the members of that church. Now look at verse 22. It starts with the word ÒWhereforeÓ. What is the ÒWhereforeÓ there for? It refers to the previous verse. Verse 21 tells us that God came to the congregation of Israel with the miracle of bringing His message in another language, of which the prophet Isaiah had to be the interpreter. But even though God brought His message in a peculiar and miraculous way, Israel was not able to listen or to understand God, for Israel was not saved. Now God organizes two opposite scenarios in this living room in Corinth. First, the whole church is coming together in that living room, and all the members are speaking in tongues, which means all the members are speaking different foreign languages. Are they all saved? Not necessarily; most are probably unsaved for God says that Òtongues are for a sign to them that believe notÓ. At this point in time they receive visitors who have not yet heard the Gospel, and who are unbelievers. What will be the reaction of the visitors? They will say that all of you are crazy. Secondly, the whole church is coming together in that living room, and all the members are prophesying, which means that they speak the Word of God in an understandable language, and they edify one another what the true Gospel of Christ crucified is. Then they receive one visitor who has not heard the Gospel and who is an unbeliever. What will be the response of the visitor? God says in verses 24-25, ÒHe is convinced of all and he is judged of all; and thus he is converted, and will worship the only true God, and he will declare that God is in that congregation.Ó In other words, prophesying makes a far greater impact on evangelizing the unsaved than speaking in tongues ever does. And since evangelizing the unsaved is our primary function on this earth, we should spend our time become experts on prophesying, for this is pleasing to the Lord. We always want to do those things that are pleasing in His sight. But today, after the Bible has been completed, speaking in tongues is an evil practice. Those who use this practice are declaring that they worship another god than the God of the Bible. Let us now look at:
#3. Order in the Churches (1Cor 14:26-33, 1John 4:1)
Now God speaks of a time ÒWhen ye come together for worship.Ó Now God sets forth a series of rules He wants us to obey. First of all, let only one person speak at a time, for this is the atmosphere unto edifying. Several people want to speak, and thus a schedule is set up for each one to speak in turn. If any man has a message in a foreign language, let him first find out if there is someone who can interpret this message. In other words, before the worship service he goes to a person whom he suspects can translate the message, he tells him the message in that strange language, and finds out if the other person knows how to translate this message. Only then do they put the tongue-speaker and his translator on the schedule. If the tongue speaker could not find anyone who can translate his message, he should keep silence. An interpreter is a translator of a foreign language. He is not a person who at the spur of the moment gives a translation, for that opens the way for deceivers to come in and proclaim lies. There must be checks and balances. The same rule of order applies to those who bring a prophecy. If there are two or three who prophesy let each one wait his turn. Then we read in verses 32-33,
1Co 14:32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
1Co 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
What is the meaning of these two verses? God has a commentary about this in 1John 4:1. There we read,
1Jo 4:1 ¦ Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
In other words, try the spirits whether they indeed are from God, for in these days many false prophets have gone out into the world. That is why the doctrines of the prophets are subject to the prophets, for the prophets have tested them. For God is not the author of confusion. Now we read about something that can cause confusion.
Let us keep the context in mind. We are speaking about order in the worship service. Elders and deacons can speak in the order in which they are on the schedule. But can there be women on the schedule? The answer is NO! As you all know, the function of elders and deacons are described in 1Tim 3: verses 3 and 12. There the function of an elder is stipulated as: Òa bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife.Ó And the function of a deacon is also stipulated as: ÒLet the deacons be the husbands of one wife.Ó And thus God ordained that church offices should be filled by men only, and they must be men who have not been divorced and remarried; they must be the husbands of one wife. This rule also applies to the pastor, for the pastor is a preaching elder. Most churches today have violated this rule left and right, because they are not studying the Bible. That is why we read in 1Cor 14
1Co 14:34-35 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. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
This refers to the worship service in the church. Women are permitted to speak in a Bible study, for that is in a discussion setting. Why does God have this rule about no women in church office? God says in 1Tim 2:12-14,
1Ti 2:12-14 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
In the church God does not allow women to have authority over the men. There are two reasons for this: Adam was first formed and Eve came out of Adam. Secondly, Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived. Adam sinned with eyes open. But the woman was easier deceived than the man; that is why Satan chose to deceive the woman rather than the man. Satan is no dummy.
Now the last two verses seem to raise a contradiction:
1Co 14:39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
1Co 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
Why did God now introduce this constraint, ÒForbid not to speak with tonguesÓ? We need to keep in mind that this Epistle to the Corinthians was written at a time when the Bible was not yet completed, and at that time God was still bringing messages in a tongue. Secondly, God was setting up a testing program for the end time church. These words of verse 39 would be sufficient to set up this testing program. And sure enough, the end time churches are so wrapped up in their own miniscule problems that they could not discern that they were violating Rev 22:18-19, which is a far greater error than any of the errors they have ever made. It is true that they have succeeded in having their worship services decently and in order, but by allowing women to preach, and by allowing homosexuals to preach, and by allowing children to preach, they have thrown the Bible out the window, and have invited the world to come into the pulpit.
We are living in the period of the end time church. We are living in the Final Tribulation Period. The church has made herself busy with external ceremonies and external hoopla. The church has forgotten that God is Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. We must train our minds to obtain a good understanding in Biblical matters. We must not allow the facts become unconnected items in our mind. That is why we must distinguish between what is done outside the body, and what is done inside the soul, our Spirit. We must distinguish between external ceremony and reality within our soul. These are two different things, and most of the time they are not synchronized. To believe that they are synchronized will lead into works gospels. But if we keep in mind what miracle God has done within our soul we shall not fear what man can do to us, for God is our helper, and He will never leave us nor forsake us.
AMEN. Let us turn to the Lord in prayer.