Denominations and Religous Control

John 17:20-22
Jesus Prays for All Believers "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:

Jesus prayed that this Church would be one and it is but religous people don't want to be in his Church but in their own.

They love their doctrines and denominations more than Jesus and it is their doctrines and denominations that they serve.

In Acts chapter 3 peter and John Healed a Crippled Beggar A man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" so the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong.

This was an amazing miricle but the denominational religous people didn't like it at all.

The man jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Were the religous people pleased?

Far from it!

The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day.

Religoin wants to lock people up. Religion is bondage.

What did they find disturbing?

Peter and John proclaimed Jesus instead of them!

If a miricle happens in a church that is not of a denominationalists denomination the denominationalist is disturbed greatly by it.

The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?"

Now if Peter had said that they were dioing it in the name of the priests they would probably be delighted and then tell them to ask for permission first and then not give them permission again. Like all religous people are, they were control freaks.

When they said "By what power or what name did you do this?" they meant "How dare you! We are in control round here and we say what God can do and not you." Religous people are such control freaks they actually try to control God himself.

But Peter didn't bottle out. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is " 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.' Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

They were most annoyed by this. Peter and john were not from their denomination and such an act was a threat to their denomination.

When God moves amongst his people in another Church that isn't a denominationalists denomination they get very annoyed. They may even claim it is of The Devil. Religous people are full of bitter envy and selfish ambition. They are men pleasers rather than God pleasers.

When The Charismatic move came, a lot of Penticostals were up in arms about it. "How dare God bless The Anglicans! How are we going to stop him?"

Eventually after much debate (Religous people love debate) To stop God doing anything and to stop the advancement of Gods Kingdom they warned them to speak no longer to anyone in the name of Jesus.

It didn't work!

But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

These people were expert politicians and so after further threats they let them go. Religous people love to use threats like "You are in great danger." and "Be like us or go to Hell" and "your soul could be lost if you don't turn around" quite often they will reel you in and make you feel secure and then they'll laty it on once they have you in their grasp. They are power crazy decievers out for themselves.

They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened.

In John chapter 9 Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind.

The blind mans neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" Some claimed that he was. Others said, "No, he only looks like him." But he himself insisted, "I am the man." "How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded. He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see." "Where is this man?" they asked him. "I don't know," he said.

Were the denominationalist happy?

Of course not!

The Pharisees Investigated the Healing. how religous people love to investigate matters. They love to be busy doing nothing.

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. Isn't that naughty? Well nowadays the same type of people wouldn't want people healed any time but a sabbath!

This healing wasn't in a Church or a synagogue either! It needed investigating!

Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see."
Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath."

Religous people are always critical.

Were they interested in the miricle?

No they were interested in some religous legalism that they made into a long wiinded dogma.

What they meant was "He not of our denomination. We never sent hiim. He is wrong and were right."

But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided.

Denominationalists quite often turn on each other. They love their stuopid pet doctrines to much to love other Christians.

Finally they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened." The man replied, "He is a prophet."
The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. "Is this your son?" they asked. "Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?"
"We know he is our son," the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. (The control freaks religous peoplem always are) That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God, they said. "We know this man is a sinner."
He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"

Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"

He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?"

Hallaluyah!

I like asking denominationalists who ask lots of sstupid questions if they want to come to my Church too.

I get the same reply the blind man got.

Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from."

They told him that he was of the wrong denomination.

The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."

What a glorious reply!

To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out.

They love to control.

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
"Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him."
Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."
Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.
Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."

Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?"
Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

Religous people are blind and denominationalist are the most blind of them all.