Luke 14-11 “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” I’ve been in churches where the worship leaders refused applause on the grounds of their humility, and they were quite proud of their open humility! So was the congregation. This is not true humility. To be a true follower of Jesus we must recognize that we really aren’t that awesome or smart or talented. God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and what is weak in the world to shame the strong. We must ask our Father in Heaven for wisdom and understanding. Confess to him that we really don’t know anything and need Jesus to teach us as he taught his disciples. We need to stop thinking that we know everything and humble ourselves before our Creator! The greatest among you should be the servant of the others. Jesus gave us rules to live by, and with pride running rampant today, we need to honor our Savior.

Exodus 20:4-5 “You shall not make for yourself an idol of anykind or an image of anything in the heavens above, on the earth beneath, or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them.” Have you ever seen a statue of buddha, or the virgin Mary. Maybe you’ve seen a rosary or the silhouette of a soldier with a gun in his hand bowing down to a cross. Many christians today don’t think there is a problem with this and teach that we acquire salvation through the cross. We obtain salvation through Jesus Christ. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples,if you have love for one another.” John 13:35. Jesus never endorsed his disciples to wear a cross around their neck, or put a fish on their car, or place a cross in their sanctuary and worship before it. The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. The cross isn’t a good luck charm like a rabbits foot!

Matthew 5:38-40 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you,Do not resist the one who is evil. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Many mainstream churches teach that Jesus wasn’t saying that we should literally turn the other cheek, we are not to be doormats. Jesus goes on to say, If anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. I’m sure the lawyers in your congregation would disagree with this teaching and tell you not to be taken advantage of. Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. The rewards given by Jesus far outweigh the courts decision. Many will still say, It’s only fair, or, you would do the same! I would have to question if they were a true follower of Jesus or a counterfeit christian. Instead of following the direct command of Jesus, they are adhering to ‘An eye for an eye’. To be a disciple of Jesus we need to follow the rules and turn the other cheek!

Matthew 13:24-26 “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept,his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop,then the tares also appeared.” Tares are weeds that resemble wheat. Most churhes teach that these tares are the evildoers of the world. The problem is that the obviously evil person doesn’t resemble the good. These tares that Jesus is teaching us about are the people in the pulpits today. They have a form of godliness but deny it’s power. Jesus warns us to beware of false teachers who would be in abundance in the last days. Jesus said “A disciple is not above his teacher,nor a servant above his master.” Pastors today live in luxury, travel the world, drive new cars, and bank a lot of tax free money! If they followed the rules Jesus taught, they would teach for free. Matthew 10:8 “Heal the sick,raise the dead,cleanse lepers,cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.”

Mark 12:30-31 “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no greater commandment greater than these.” Jesus said we are to,” Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Most Christians today give to their church and neglect those in need around them. The church will help with food and maybe money,if you attend their sunday service and check in at least twice a month. If you are counting on your church to do what Jesus commissioned you to do, you missed his point. James 2:16 states, If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? Jesus said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make him twice as much a child of hell as you are.” We should be loving our friends and family first! I know, who is going to pat you on your back, or put up a plaque in your name. You can have the respect from men, I choose to respect Jesus and his rules.

Matthew 4:17 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. Most Christians today think this refers to those heathen sinners who don’t attend their church and celebrate their holy days. Jesus said “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain they do worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. You leave the commandment of God and hold the tradition of men” (Matthew 15:8). Christmas-saturnalia is so easy to expose as a pagan holiday it’s almost impossible to not see it. Claiming this pagan festival in Jesus name is blasphemous. Or how about Easter-Ishtar the pagan goddess of fertility and sex. Jesus warns people to repent and turn from following pagan gods and follow him. Repentance is the first rule Jesus taught after his baptism and I don’t think he was talking about smoking. It’s said that these are Christian holy days and no doubt their biggest money makers, but I would question which Jesus they worship, the real savior or the counterfeit. “Little children, keep yourselves from idols”.

Matthew 23:8-11 “You are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant”. Jesus is teaching us not to take a title for ourselves. He is our teacher. Why would we listen to anyone who claims a title like Doctor, Pastor, Reverend, Father, or any other title when Jesus says not to take a title and we are all brothers. If they are so smart, how is it they missed this teaching. They love to be called by their titles and I wouldn’t trust them. Jesus is our great physician and spiritual teacher and they are mere men. Jesus said “why do you call me good, no one is good except God alone”. I don’t think he received a paycheck either. That’s a teacher you can respect! And a Doctor you can trust! Follow his rules and live, side effects may include joy and happiness.

Matthew 6:5,6 “When you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you,they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you”. Why do so many Christians pray publicly in restaurants, closing their eyes and bowing their heads, or finding opportunity to pray out loud to be heard by others when Jesus plainly teaches against it. Other religions do this too, but we are to be set apart from them. If Jesus is our teacher, and we are his students, we would be failing the class with this action. Some people don’t like following the rules.

Mark 12:29. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”. Jesus knows this to be the first commandment and his Father in Heaven to be the creator and only God to be worshipped. Jesus never said there are 3 Gods in one. I’m not as smart as pastors today, and I don’t have a degree in theology, but that seems easy enough for a child to comprehend. If you need a degree to understand scriptures, we have no hope. Jesus is the teacher here and I think he is clear on this subject. There are many scriptures like 1 Corinthians 8:6, Isaiah 42:8, Psalm 83:18, that back this statement up, but I’m focusing on what Jesus says. In the end, JESUS RULES!