9/15/2016           Michael Hodges

 Matthew 15: 8The people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. Many wept and bowed down around a physical altar at the Church I was attending those many years ago. The soft music gave way to a certain mood, the Pastor seem somewhat annoyed by this out pouring of the flesh; after all he had a bigger show in the flesh to preach. John 4:24  God is a spirit: and they that worship him must him must worship him in spirit and in truth. When we are in our own worldly carnal- minded interpretation of scriptures: we are in a spirit of error and their is no truth coming from our lips. The Pastors for years had only taught his own wisdom[doctrines] concerning the scriptures: that's all he knew. Matthew 15:9 ​But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. The commandments of men is just how our how the carnal minded sees the scriptures. Thus the Pastor[God never hired him he hired himself] was still conformed to his worldly ways of seeing the scriptures and so we danced while he walked went to and fro on the stage. Romans 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. The chorus sang ever so slowly: ''O how I love Jesus'' that day and many seem sincere in their heart that they had come to worship Jesus. Oh that heart! Jeremiah 17: 9The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know know it. All that bowing down and weeping when our heart is not right with God is a show at the foot of an unseen crossing, mocking Jesus. Mark 15:30Save thyself, and come down from the cross. Like modern roman soldiers we want God to come down from the cross to our carnal level of thinking. The purpose of the cross is to destroy the carnal mind or thinking. Romans 7:24 O wretched man that ! am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death. The wretched is the old man: the first born and is not talking about a physical birth. 1 Corinthians 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The natural man can't can praise God because his praise isn't based on truth. John 4:24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the father in Spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God revealed word is truth: everything else is lie. Matthew 16:17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. Today at this hour God's hidden word still must be revealed from heaven. Because when it not his Spirit: then it’s from the carnal mind or man's spirit of error.1 Corinthians 2:11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of a man which is in him? even so things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. When we savourest or speak the things of a wretched carnal minded man and claim it is from GOD: we are a devils. That's why Jesus called Peter Satan. When God's has not been revealed to us then we are worshiping an images of ourselves: a creature. Romans 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the created, who is blessed forever. Amen. Do men and women hate God and don't even know it? Job 8:22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.  One meaning of the word;'' Shame'' in the Bible means no knowledge of God as told in the verse below. 1 Corinthians 15:34Awake to righteousness, and sin not;for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame. But still many danced spiritually naked that day, as the Pastor shows signs of becoming more inpatient. He had a burden to release; his iniquities. His carnal message he was about to preach had become burden to his mind. Psalms 38:4 For mine iniquities are gone over my head: as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. But still the band or chores played on to the creatures delight as we danced before the beast or that foolish Pastor. Psalms 73:22 So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. The British rock band wrote a tune a some years ago about some kind of, ''beast of burden''. Which showed a little spiritual insight; to show man without spiritual understanding is liken unto a beast. Job the old testament prophet had a confrontation with his three friend and I know there were four. One of job friend Bildad let Job know he wasn't as some vile beasts. Job 18:3Where for are we counted as beasts, and reputed vile in your sight. Still the vile beasts danced and bowed as the Pastor walked to and fro on his stage and the band played on. Job 1:17 And the Lord said unto the Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. There is no physical devil only man's carnal thoughts about the Bible. And right then and there, man's carnal thoughts about the Bible were walking to and fro in that Pastor vile[mind] temple. Job knew in the end of all his fleshly thinking how vile the carnal mind of man was.  Job 40:4  Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. A last the pastor had a chance to release his burden thus this vile Pastor spoke. Not knowing he was speaking against himself. Isaiah 32:6For the vile person will speak villainy, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice hypocrisy, and to utter against the Lord, to make make empty the soul of the hungry, and he cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. When the Pastor finished preaching we all left spiritual hungry, yet the music was pretty good! Had it been another time and place I would have out-danced them all. But now I was self-righteous! I wouldn't dance that day, so I would look and wonder. AMENDED 5/21/2021/ amended 3/7/2022

LET'S DANCE