Rightly Dividing the Old and New Covenants

Chapter 4 RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE OLD AND NEW COVENANT

Where are we, the Church, in God’s plan? What is the Holy Ghost saying to the Body of Christ right now? These are the questions that must be answered if we are to move with the Spirit. We, the Body of Christ, must be made aware of the mind of the Father. We must know His heart if we are to ever feel the great compassion needed to reach the world.

Time is coming to an end. The Body of Christ does not have long to work the works of Christ. We will soon enter into the seven trumpet judgments. Therefore, we must reach as many souls as possible, while the world conditions are such that we can work.

The Christian home is the target of the enemy. Satan is out to destroy the Christian family structure. He has been extremely successful in the world, and is now rapidly breaking down the estate of holy matrimony.

Though we have heard this discussed many times in the past, I want to deal here with some of the tools the enemy uses against the sacredness of marriage. Because this book is written with the hope of bringing love and unity back into the home, I will need the liberty of being able to freely discuss the behavior of both the man and the woman, without either taking offense.

All of the scenarios used throughout this publication are factual and are used solely for the purpose of conveying the extremities to which sin will take those of us who are born of God.

MAINTAINING POWER, AUTHORITY AND LORDSHIP THROUGH THE TRADITIONS OF MEN

The main objective of the enemy is to destroy the unity and the God-given principles that should govern marriage. Divorce is extremely fashionable now, not only for the world, but for the Church as well. The key is to separate the husband from the wife, and the children will become most vulnerable to the wiles of the devil.

The devil will use whatever he deems necessary to destroy the love and harmony in the Christian home. Many saints are falling prey to the devices of the enemy.

After having fled tradition long ago, the Lord placed me back in a position to observe and document its handiwork in the household of faith. I was and still am shocked at the strongholds Satan has fortified in the Body of Christ.

I truly believe that the traditions and doctrines of men are running a winning race with lust, as it relates to the most successful weapon Satan is using against the institution of marriage.

Brothers, I do not mean to sound biased, but the facts are staring us in the face. The effect of tradition on marriage can easily be seen in the vast number of bastard babies and abandoned offspring in the church. We have to be honest here. The traditions of men and their doctrines have destroyed many households and left innocent children to cope with divorce, abandonment and a loveless existence. Women are left to make it the best way they can, while the men move on to the next conquest.

Brothers, you have to bear this because the weight of the sin falls on you. Why? Well, think on this. Men were the first to minister _________________

Tradition –

1. Transmittal of elements of a culture from one generation to another, esp. by oral communication.
2. a. A mode of thought or behavior passed from one generation to another. b. Customs and usages transmitted from one generation to another and viewed as a coherent body of precedents influencing the present: HERITAGE.
3. A body of unwritten religious precepts.
4. A time-honored practice or a set of such practices. (Webster’s Dictionary)

Tradition – Man’s interpretation of God’s Law. (Banks’ Expository)

to the people of God. Even in the days of old, men were made the guardians of the faith. Men managed and kept the house of God, offered His sacrifices and governed His people. Women had virtually no part in the matter. Therefore, men perverted the laws of God to maintain their positions of power, authority and lordship over the people of God. Men used their influence in the lives of the people to satisfy their own lustful desires for greed and sex.

Beloved, nothing has changed. Men are still doing the same thing today as they did before the coming of Christ and the construction of the apostolic church in the days of Peter and Paul.

But who were these men? They were leaders. They were the men at the very root of influence. They were the ones respected and trusted to convey the mind and heart of God to the people. They, however, perverted the truth and fed the people lies and hypocrisies.

How could these, who carried the Word for so long, be so evil? How could they remain in evil year after year, while preaching and teaching the Word of God? Well, Jesus answered that question for us.

In the scriptures to follow, listen to the concerns of the religious leaders of Christ’s day. They were offended because the disciples did not wash their hands before eating. They were not concerned about the devout lifestyle or the level of commitment the disciples had. Neither were they concerned about the gift the disciples brought with them. The gift of God was standing before them, ministering daily, and all they could think about was “those men with Jesus make the church look bad because they did not wash their hands before eating a piece of bread.”