LFBM

Mark 7:7- "Howbeit in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men". Many modern Pastors have adopted the same strategy for their sermons. If it sounds good and it meets their purpose they preach it!

Jesus was ask why he didn't follow the rituals of secular religion which had removed God from the worship centers of the day!
Matthew 15:2- "Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread".
The Greek word for Transgress is PAR-AD'-AH-EE-NO which means to overstep authority.
The Greek word for Tradition is PAR-AD'-OS-IS which means a substance of a teaching.
The Greek word for Elders is PRES-BOO'-TER-OS which is the word from which we get Pastor. It literally means; one who presides over an assembly.

When Jesus began his earthly ministry the Jewish religion had degenerated to nothing more than a ritual of man made rules and practices that were mere folly in the sight of God.

We are very near that point with religion in our day with a secular humanistic approach! The attitude today is; "Don't hurt anyone's feelings" by preaching negative things like the ten commandments where Thou shall not is mentioned numerous times. I want to touch on several traditions often preached as gospel fact when they are actually no more than the rules of man!

I want to mention some traditions that are commonly administered from pulpits that I believe God is not pleased with!

1- GOD IS NOT PLEASED WITH SERMONS THAT BRING NO CONVICTION.
Feel good sermons adopted by many church pastors leave out things that convict a person of sin.
2 Timothy 4:2- "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine".
The word reprove comes from the Greek word; el- eng'-kho which means to reprhend severly!
God instructed his Preachers to speak in a fashion that brings conviction but that is often overlooked!

FEEL GOOD PREACHERS SAY THE 10 COMMANDMENTS ARE TOO NEGATIVE FOR SERMON MATERIAL.
(1)- Thou shall not commit adultery. (That might hurt some one's feelings)!
(2)- Thou shall not steal. (That might make you hate the poor if they take something that doesn't belong to them)!
(3)- Thou shall not bear false witness (To frame a person you don't like seems ok if it gives you a rush of authority)!
(4)- Thou shall have no other God before me. (False religion seems ok if it doesn't hurt us)!
(5)- Thou shall not covet that which is your neighbors. (Trying to get what others have is ok even if it is by fraud)!
(6)- Thou shall not kill. (Murder seems like nothing to be ashamed of lately)!
(7)- Thou shall not make any carnal thing an item of worship. (Houses. Land. Possessions)!
(8)- Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. (Loose talking seems ok if it gets your point across)!

2- GOD IS NOT PLEASED WITH COMPROMISERS.
Compromising is adopted by most preachers of crowd gathering super churches.

Joel Osteen in Texas is just one of many with a congregation of 20,000 or more members but when you listen to one of the Pastor's sermons you soon find out that it is all about making everyone feel good! What about sin? God said in His word to, "Preach the whole council of God". Mrs. Osteen likewise preaches from the pulpit to further corrupt God's word when specific instructions from God are for a woman to keep silent in the church and to not urshup authority over a man in the ministry or otherwise.

Pastors have set themselves into motion with man made doctrines that make their ministries for the most part, "The tradition of the Elders". Most of you pastors don't see it like missionaries see it because pastors don't often travel outside their domain. This doesn't mean that there are not a few good Pastors left who follow God's instructions and those are experiencing the blessings of the Lord! This message is kind of lengthy but it will bring a truthful insight to where we have drifted in today's modern Christian Churches if you will carefully study the contents.
Psalms 127:1- "except the Lord build the house, they that labor, labor in vain". Another place Jesus told Peter to "Feed my sheep"; not rule over them! John 21:16.

3-GOD IS NOT PLEASED WITH MAN MADE DOCTRINE.
Matthew 15:9- "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men". The word of God convicts of sin and the Holy Spirit acts on God's word to bring salvation to sinners. When the Word is watered down or error is brought in, sinners perish!

(1)- Most Non Baptist thrive on error.

The so called church of Christ, preach baptismal regeneration which is a doctrine of works and offers no hope. Others like the Methodist denomination preach the Armenian approach to theology which allows a person to back slide and lose their salvation. Their mode of baptism is selective with sprinkling as an option which is also contrary to the biblical teaching of immersion. Methodist believe that Christians have to hold out to the end in order to go to heaven and believe in a general resurrection where the saved will be separated from the lost and no one will know who is going to make it until judgment day. The doctrines of man seem to worsen the further away from the Baptist faith you go.

(2)- Even some Baptist have drifted into error.
Leaving out a convicting message has brought many Baptist congregations into carnality.

(3)- Leaving off the mission outreach while building fellowship facilites has become a Spiritless tradition.

(4)- Evangelizing the world through financial support from established Churches is the only remedy for overcoming tradition.
Biblical principals for evangelizing the world are described by The apostle Paul while speaking to one of his established missionary churches in- 2 Cor. 11:8- "I robber other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service". The new testament body of believers should be actively gathering finances for the propagation of the gospel as this verse implies.

2 Corinthians 11:8- We want to do a word study to show how mission work should be paid for.

(A)- HOW DID THE APOSTLE PAUL FINANCE MISSION WORK?
ROBBED- SOO-LAH'-O - To strip. It literally means to strip them of their finances.

(B)- WHERE DID THE MONEY TO SUPPORT THE WORK COME FROM?
CHURCHES- EK-KLAY-SEE'-AH - An assembly of Christians gathered for worship.

(C)- WHAT METHOD DID THEY USE TO SECURE FINANCES FOR THE WORK?
TAKING- LAM-BAN'-O - To receive, to take with the hand.

(D)- WHAT WAS GOD'S PLAN FOR FINANCING HIS MISSIONARIES?
WAGES- OP-SO'-NEE-ON - A soldier's allowance, money in which he is paid.

(E)- TO - PROS- Towards.

(F)- DO- DEE-AK-ON-EE'-AH - Of those who by the command of God proclaim and promote religion among men.

(G)- YOU- HOO-MONE' - Your.

(H)- SERVICE- DEE-AK-ON-EE'-AH - Same word as Do, it literally means Mission work.

I have heard many ill stated remarks about Missionaries being beggars or other un-called for remarks but this scripture proves beyond any doubt that Missions is far more important in the mind of God than fancy buildings and social events that many Churches spend their finances on while letting Missionaries and mission work suffer. It is absurd for a Missionary family to have to travel three hundred thousand miles while putting on a show to a carnal audience while trying to get them to do what God already asked them to do! Many of us missionaries have gotten numerous broken promises with a bidding of good luck from churches. I think the Judgment seat of Christ might be an embarrassment to many Pastors and church members who make beggars out of missionaries.

5- GOD IS NOT PLEASED WITH HUMAN REASONING WHILE LEAVING OUT BIBLICAL PRINCIPALS.

If it is the Pastors plan and not God's plan for sending missionary Personnel; it is the tradition of the pastor, (Elder). I don't care if you are a member of a board and you all voted on a plan! If it is not from scripture it does not have approval from the Lord. Every congregation has a right to make choices about how they spend their finances but God needs to set the guidelines from his word!

CONCLUSION:

Pastors please get away from Religious Tradition and let Scripture designate your actions through the leadership of the Holy Spirit and see how the Lord will bless your ministry.
The solution to the problem is found in 2-Chronicles 7:14- "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

By James T. Tyson Sr.