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But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and
gentleness.
(1 Timothy 6:11)
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A.
Righteousness in our personal life (Lesson
20)
1.
By faith, we have been made righteous in Christ
2.
As righteous sons of God, we are commanded by God to walk in
righteousness
B.
Area of personal righteousness (Lesson
20)
1.
Dying to self and following after Jesus (Lesson
20)
(a)
We belong to God
(b)
We are therefore honor God with our body
(c)
In other words, we are to die to self and live only for God
(d)
We must always be sensitive to the specific leading of the Holy Spirit
in order to die to self and follow Christ.
2.
Loving God will all our being (Lesson
20)
(a)
Put God above all relationship
(b)
Put God above all comfort and luxuries
(c)
Put God first above all traditions
Traditions
are rules made by men to regulate social behavior of a group of
people.
Traditions are good if they are in line with God's word and if they
help us to obey God and follow after the Spirit.
However, most of the time, man has used traditions to
nullify the word of God, in and outside the church.
Man has elevated tradition above the requirement of God's word.
Because of this, Jesus condemned the traditions, even the religious
traditions, of the Jews and their leaders (Matthews
15:3-9).
Jesus replied, "And why do you break the
commands of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, 'Honor
your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother
must be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father
or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me
is a gift devoted to God,' he is not to 'honor his father' with it.
Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You
hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
'These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by
men.'"
(Matthew 15:3-9)
All of us, because we are social beings, will be
confronted with traditions in our society, both within and outside the
church.
We will be expected, as good members of our society, to observe the
traditions handed down by our ancestors and by our church.
And society, both religious and secular, puts great pressure on
everyone to conform to its traditions.
If we reject the traditions of a group, we will be
ostracized and be rejected by the group.
If we put God first above our religious and social traditions, we will
be out of the favor of the family and the established religious
powers.
Rejection by our fellowmen, especially within the body of Christ, is
very painful.
You will be branded an extremist, a fanatic, or even a cult,
just because you chose to follow after Jesus, and not after man's
traditional practices.
These is a costly price to pay for honoring God above
tradition.
Nevertheless, whenever religious traditions contradict the word of
God, we must reject them.
We must put God above all traditions.
It is better to please God than to please men.
It is better to be wrongly branded a fanatic by men rather than to be
condemned as a hypocrite by Jess.
And we are hypocrites, if we claim the Bible-believing
evangelicals who honor God's word, but nullify it by our traditions.
Established religious leaders of today, like the Pharisees of Jesus'
day, need to critically and honestly examine all their practices and
traditions in the light of God's word.
Otherwise, in trying to preserve the status quo in the
name of defending our "evangelical heritage," we will be
found resisting the move of the Holy Spirit to bring the church to its
full maturity in Christ.
Like every other established society or body, the church has
accumulated many tradition which weigh her down and keep her from her
full obedience to Christ.
Such traditions will therefore keep her from her rightful destiny as
the "glorious bride" of Jesus.
Let us examine our traditions now in the light of
God's word:
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SOCIAL
TRADITIONS
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When a disciple of Jesus requested that
he be allowed to first go and bury his father before he
followed Jesus, Jesus declared in effect that God
comes first before all traditions.
Another man, one of His disciples,
said to Him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my
father."
But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead
bury the dead."
(Matthew 8:21-22)
This is a shocking declaration, for it
goes against all our cultural and social expectations and
obligations.
Children are expected to give their decreased parent an
"honorable burial," that is, with children and
grandchildren all around, memorial services, eulogies,
advertisements in newspapers, show of sadness, etc.
Nevertheless, when traditions hinder us
from following after Jesus, Jesus tells us:
"Forget about the traditions.
You follow me and serve me. I want you here.
Let others without my calling follow these traditions, not
you."
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Other social traditions you need to
examine:
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Celebrating cultural festivals.
Does this clash with God's command for us to flee
from idolatry? (1 Corinthians
10:14-22)
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Attending wedding, birthday
celebrations (for grandma, grandpa, royals' son,
etc), reunions, Company dinners, funerals, when God
has entrusted to you His ministry obligations at the
same time? (Matthew 8:21-22).
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Introducing your boss' foreign
clients to the local bar, so that they may entertain
themselves immorally?
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FAMILY
TRADITIONS
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Many parents say: "Our family goes
on a vacation every year during the end of the year school
holidays."
"It is a rule we will follow, no matter what.
It is good for the family, for it bring us together."
Will you follow your tradition even if God wants your
children to attend Christian Camps instead during the
holiday?
Do you know that your family can come together if you as
parents love your children and show interest in them, and
encourage them throughout the year?
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Many parents say: "I want the best
for my children. I do not want to deprive them of
opportunities of developing their potential."
"Therefore, I want them to have music lessons,
singing lessons, dancing lessons, swimming lessons,
computer classes, and tuition for every subject,
etc."
"I want to give my children the best that I can give.
This will be the rule for all my children, talented or
untalented."
However, if your plans for you children's improvement
clash with God's plans for them (e.g. attending the Youth
Fellowship, Mission Trips, Youth Camps, Youth Evangelistic
Outings), whose plans would you follow?
If your priority for your children's well-being focuses
only on their intellectual and physical development, then
you will neglect their spiritual development.
In the end, you will reap what you sow (Galatians
6:7-8).
And you and your children will regret your wrong priority.
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Many parents say: "I want my
children to be good children. Therefore, they must always
be home by 11:30 PM if they were to go out with their
friends."
"If they come back later than what I have
determined is good for them, I will give them a piece of
my mind."
Would you scold your children if they are late after an
evening out with their friends or church youths?
Will you tell them off if they had a late supper after
attending a Christian Concert or after a Youth Outing in
town?
Will you take the trouble to find out the reasons for the
late return of your children or will you simply let go and
lash them with your tongue because they broke your rules?
Although your intentions may be good, your inflexible
tradition, rules and regulations for your children will
bring bondage to yourself.
Such rigid rules will also hurt your children's feelings
deeply and can provoke bitterness and rebellion in them.
Always look at the heart and intentions of your children
and do not be bound by fixed rules and regulations when
dealing with them.
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CHURCH
TRADITIONS
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Many pastor say: "Monday is my day
off. Sunday is my busiest day."
"Therefore, I do not want anyone to call me or
disturb me on Monday.
I want this day for my recreation.
I want this day only for my family."
Such reasoning is untenable and fallacious.
A lot of church members are also busy on Sunday, some even
busier than the pastor.
Yet to them, Sunday is a day off - a day of Sabbath rest -
a day holy to the Lord - a day to worship and serve the
Lord, according to God's word (Exodus
20:8-11).
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping
it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.
(Exodus 20:8-10)
Thus the pastor should set an example to
the congregation by treating Sunday as a day of rest - a
day holy to the Lord - a day to worship and serve God.
He should no longer demand Monday as another day off.
If he were to do so, what about his sheep's day of rest?
If all his sheep also regarded Sunday as a day of busy
work and not of rest in God (a wrong attitude indeed),
then when is the day of Sabbath rest for the sheep?
Pastor must realize that when God wants us
to set aside a day of Sabbath rest, God does not have in
mind a day of inactivity, lying down in front of the TV,
or playing our favorite games throughout the day.
God's day of Sabbath rest for us is a day holy unto the
Lord, in other words, a day to be spent for the glory of
God.
It is to be a day of rest in God's presence - a day to
worship Him and serve him, together with all God's people.
Moreover, demanding that Monday is a day
of rest for himself and his family exposes the heart of
such pastor - a pastor without a shepherd's heart.
The sheep needs care, and problem of the sheep do not
cease to arise when it is Monday.
A good shepherd must therefore be prepared to care for the
sheep every day of the week, including Monday, and rest
with his sheep on Sunday - the Sabbath day of rest.
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Church tradition says: "You must
honor your church leaders by addressing them by the proper
titles, e.g. Pastor James, Reverend Ronald, Right
Reverend Daniel, Bishop Abraham, Archbishop Samuel,
etc."
However, Jesus has told us in His words to address one
another as brothers, and not give one another
titles (Matthew 23:8-10).
But you are not be called 'Rabbi',
for you have only one Master and you are all BROTHERS.
And do not call anyone on earth 'father', for you have
one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be
called 'teacher,' for you have one teacher, the Christ.
(Matthew 23:8-10)
Thus the early church obeyed the Lord's
command and never gave themselves or each other titles. (Read
the book of Acts and Paul's and Peter's letters).
Thus Paul writes of himself as "Paul, an apostle,"
and NOT as "Apostle Paul."
Thus Peter addresses Paul as "our dear brother
Paul," and NOT as "our dear Apostle Peter"
(E.g. 2 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Peter 3:15).
Why can't we evangelicals with our
scholarship be like the early Church and obey such a
simple command of our Lord, and not indulge in giving
honors and positions to one another?
Is it because we are actually no different from the
Pharisees, who seek honor from one another and demand such
"honor and respect" from the people of God?
If this is our mother, then we will be
condemned by our Lord as He condemned the Pharisees, when
He said:
"Everything they do is done for
men to see. They make their phylacteries wide and the
tassels of their prayer shawls long; they love the place
of HONOR at banquets and the most important seats in the
synagogues; they loved to be greeted in the market
places, and to have men call them 'Rabbi'."
(Matthew 23:5-7)
"How can you believe if you
accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to
obtain the praise that comes from the only God?"
(John 5:44)
We must realize that our ministry or
calling (apostle, prophet, pastor, teacher, evangelist,
worship leader, usher, driver, etc) is not to be used as a
title before our names in order to elevate ourselves
before our fellow believers.
Neither are we to demand that others "honor and
respect" us, by insisting that they call us by
designated titles and honorifics.
It is true that Paul has commanded the
church to honor its leaders when he said:
"The elder who direct the
affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor,
especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.
For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while
it is treading out the grain," and "The worker
deserves his wages."
(1 Timothy 5:17-18)
In the above passage, Paul wants the
church to honor its leader by paying them reasonable
wages, and not treat them unfairly.
We can also honor our leaders in other ways (e.g. give
them a vacation, a decent car, etc), but we definitely
must not give them honorifics before their names.
This would be in direct rebellion against the
command of Jesus.
Therefore, those in the church leadership
should never arrogate titles to themselves or give one
another special designations before their names in order
to elevate themselves before God's people.
Those who indulge in such open rebellion against such a
plain and simple command of Jesus are in no position to
teach others about the things of the kingdom of God.
In these last days, those who exalt themselves, God will
humble (Luke 18:14).
For everyone who exalts himself will
be humble, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
(Luke 18:14)
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The Church says: "If you are not
ordained, you cannot conduct the Lord's Supper. You need to
call an "ordained" leader from another church to
conduct the Lord's Supper for you."
"Even though you may be the church leader and you
are giving the sermons every Sunday, you must submit to
this church regulation/tradition."
The Lord's Supper is just a celebration in remembrance of
the Lord's death on the cross, so why have we restrained
our people from this celebration just because there are no
"ordained" leader present? (1
Corinthians 11:23-26).
Why have we made the grace of God available through the
celebration of the Lord's Supper so inaccessible to God's
people, by setting unbiblical rules and regulations?
If a brother is present to lead the church in worship, and
to bring the word of God to the congregation, why is he
deemed "unsuitable, unqualified, or unacceptable"
to conduct the Lord's supper?
Or is the church hierarchy afraid of losing its unique
"superior" functions (and jobs) if the ordinary
"unordained" leadership begins to serve as
"priests and kings" to our God (Revelation
1:6; 5:10).
Or is the Lord's Supper such a profound mystery that only
"ordained ministers" can fathom its depth and
are therefore qualified to conduct it for the
"unlearned" people?
Why are evangelical scholars and proponents forever
talking about the "priesthood of all believers,"
but forever never seems to have the courage to apply it in
any practical ways to the people of God?
Instead, they always side with tradition and the religious
establishment whenever they are challenged with making a
critical, though unpopular choice, in the practices of the
church.
There was no such regulation or tradition concerning the
Lord's Supper in th early church, as found in the word of
God.
In the book of Acts, the people of God, more than 3,000 of
them, were said to have celebrated the Lord's Supper from house
to house everyday (Acts 2:41-47 NKJ).
They definitely do not have to wait for an "ordained
minister" to come from 40 miles away before they
celebrated the Lord's Supper.
May God cause the end-time church to return to its
biblical practice of celebrating the Lord's Supper
everyday whenever believers are gathered.
May every Christian home be a place where the death of our
Lord Jesus is proclaimed everyday in this celebration, so
that all God's children will daily examine their lives in
the light of the cross.
The modern day practice of only having the Lord's Supper
when there is an "ordained minister" around is
thus a mockery of the grace that God has desired to impart
to His people through this celebration.
And those "evangelical scholars" who side with
tradition against the grace of God have disqualified
themselves from teaching others.
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Your thought
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Have you ever put social, family and church
traditions above the call of God for your own life? (Ask God to
remind you of the times you have put Him second to your traditions
and social obligations).
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What were the reasons that caused you to put
tradition above the will of God for your life? (Was it to save
face? To please men? Was it because you fear being criticized? You
did not want to rock the boat and risk being unpopular?).
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What should be your attitude to the traditions of
men?
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