Jesus’ teachings on the kingdom are just the opposite of human common sense. “Call no man leader, teacher, or father. You have one and it’s the Christ and you are all brothers.” Humans naturally want to gain advantage over one another. Jesus said that he didn’t come to be served, but to serve – something you hear from very few church leaders, including TLWF. They all have special plans for your submission to them, not how they are going to serve you. “If you want to be great in the kingdom, be the servant of all.” Jesus’ teachings, including those in the Sermon on the Mount, were addressed to common people and contained simple instructions for those who actually wanted to take steps in the direction of God, and not just be religious so they could look down on others from the new higher level they just broke into by screaming at God. You may have a rough time ruling and reigning with Christ when you find out he actually loves to serve – it may get quite uncomfortable for the selfish!
The problem with groups like TLWF, is that they teach that what Jesus taught is incomplete without them, and then they spin his words to say the exact opposite of what Jesus intended. Jesus didn’t say that his teaching would only work after it was twisted by a Door Opener or Lamp of Israel. The kingdom is a hierarchy – only you are on the bottom, not the top. You are falsely led to believe that you can’t read and obey Jesus’ words on your own without them. How can you be a good thief or robber if people figure out they don’t need you? “Nobody comes to the Father except through me”. “You have one teacher and it is the Christ” – what if that is really true in spite of what your teacher (who you were not supposed to let take the place of God) says?
Of course there is going to be problems when you do the opposite of what Jesus taught – that’s actually a blessing in disguise. The reason Jesus’ teaching doesn’t appear to work is that we don’t actually put it into practice – the lesson of building on the rock instead of the sand. It’s not something you have to study, it’s something you have to obey. You don’t even have to do it perfectly to get great results – just start moving in that direction.
Maybe you can’t love or forgive someone perfectly who has violated you the way Jesus has done for you, but you can take a small step in that direction. When we take a step of faith in obedience towards Him, something of His Spirit begins to empower us to do what we could never do in our own ability. There’s a reason that when Jesus sent out his disciples, he told them to teach what he had commanded them – not some new revelation they came up with on their own. Jesus’ teaching was not even his own, but the Father’s. “Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Maybe he actually meant that!
The doctrine of salvation is not an excuse to disobey what Jesus taught. The Sermon on the Mount is not an ideal that can be accomplished by human will, it’s a picture of what the new nature looks like. We, of all people, are the most surprised when we genuinely start loving people we never cared for in the past. Jesus’ words were given to us to apply while we are on this earth. Hopefully, we will not have enemies to practice on in the next life.
The problem with groups like TLWF, is that they teach that what Jesus taught is incomplete without them, and then they spin his words to say the exact opposite of what Jesus intended. Jesus didn’t say that his teaching would only work after it was twisted by a Door Opener or Lamp of Israel. The kingdom is a hierarchy – only you are on the bottom, not the top. You are falsely led to believe that you can’t read and obey Jesus’ words on your own without them. How can you be a good thief or robber if people figure out they don’t need you? “Nobody comes to the Father except through me”. “You have one teacher and it is the Christ” – what if that is really true in spite of what your teacher (who you were not supposed to let take the place of God) says?
Of course there is going to be problems when you do the opposite of what Jesus taught – that’s actually a blessing in disguise. The reason Jesus’ teaching doesn’t appear to work is that we don’t actually put it into practice – the lesson of building on the rock instead of the sand. It’s not something you have to study, it’s something you have to obey. You don’t even have to do it perfectly to get great results – just start moving in that direction.
Maybe you can’t love or forgive someone perfectly who has violated you the way Jesus has done for you, but you can take a small step in that direction. When we take a step of faith in obedience towards Him, something of His Spirit begins to empower us to do what we could never do in our own ability. There’s a reason that when Jesus sent out his disciples, he told them to teach what he had commanded them – not some new revelation they came up with on their own. Jesus’ teaching was not even his own, but the Father’s. “Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Maybe he actually meant that!
The doctrine of salvation is not an excuse to disobey what Jesus taught. The Sermon on the Mount is not an ideal that can be accomplished by human will, it’s a picture of what the new nature looks like. We, of all people, are the most surprised when we genuinely start loving people we never cared for in the past. Jesus’ words were given to us to apply while we are on this earth. Hopefully, we will not have enemies to practice on in the next life.
