The difference between the Pharisees and the Sadducees were the Pharisees believed in a resurrection, they believed in angels appearing, The Sadducees didn't believe in any thing! In comparison, I want to draw from these and the denominational church is how the Bible teachings varies from one church to another.One teaches that once a person gets saved that person is saved, regardless of how sinful they live. One teaches that you are basically born saved or born lost, you really have no say so what so ever. Another teaches that shaking the Preacher's hand and joining the Church, puts one in a right relationship with God. How can people read the same King James Version of the Bible and come up with teachings that are opposites from each other? The Pharisees in their believing allowed for several of them to become Christians.Examples such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, Saul of Tarsus were converted to Jesus Christ. The Sadducee's were harder to reach, because of their not believing in anything much like many of today's denominational churches.
Many of today's churches refuse to believe that the Bible is God breathed or God's inspired word for modern man. Many refuse healing and the baptism of the Holy Ghost with evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. To those that do believe have their forms you must fit to receive the gifts of God. Getting the people of God to come together in one accord is the biggest task, before us that desire an end time move of God. I sincerely believe that only hard trying times will bring us together in Christ Jesus. Only during persecutions will it not matter, if one's is this or if one's that! The time must come when there is a need for Christ-like people to have all things common. What if it was against the law to be a professing Christian? What if the Bible becomes outlawed, because of it's content? Jesus is returning for a Church without spots or wrinkles there must be some cleaning and pressing to get the Church ready for the coming of Jesus Christ.The hardest people to deal with in Jesus time and in our times are the religious people.
There is no wonder that Jesus warned against the leaven of the Pharisee's and the Sadducce's. Jesus taught the people to beware of their doctrines, they taught that you must be as we are, see as we see, believe as we believe. This is the very teaching of many modern day denominations, you must fit our molds to become a child of God. Jesus said, Whosoever will let him come unto me, yet today's Pharisee's and Sadducee's are saying not so. You must be born again as we teach, you must be filled with the Holy Ghost the way we teach, you must be baptized with our baptism. What ever happened to taking up the cross and following Jesus? Matthew 16: 6, Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisee's and of the Sadducee's. Verses 11-12, How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
According to Webster's dictionary, Truth is the real state of things; fact. But to others, especially to those of some religious persuasion, it seems truth is as they feel or teach. I have for the past several years, become very defensive toward those who teach they hold to all the truth. Why does there seems to be too many defectors from these teaching? Why would someone leave the Truth? I can't help but feel that people are seeing thru this veil that many are masquerading behind. You don't have to spend much time with these truth bearers to find the human element present. In writing this article, I don't want to appear an outsider to these organizations that teach being under their total control,for I too was one of their ministers for eight years of my life. I believe that I have heard just about most of the common teachings on the truth. I would like to share with you some of these so-called truths.
First one is this truth that teaches for one to become a child of God, one must repent of their sins, then be water baptized according to their water baptism formula. Before one is fully born of the water and the spirit, one must speak in other tongues as the Spirit gives them utterance. The sad part about this fellowship is that they are convinced they are the only ones right and that everybody else must fall in line with what they teach to know the truth.Another group teaches repentance with much to do of being baptized, especially by one of their gospel preachers. The truth of this fellowship is they don't allow any music to be played in their services, take communion every Sunday as part of their worship. They spend much time desiring to debate anyone who would openly disagree with them. They also feel that they alone have the truth, no one on the outside of this fellowship is called a Brother or Sister .
Another teaching of the truth is by a small group that follow the teachings of the Apostle Paul. Nothing is taught about repentance, water baptism, or even living a life consistent with the teachings of Paul. This group also believes they alone have the truth of God's word, they love to teach on the "mystery" as being something no one but them understands. Still yet others who claim to have the truth, have passed on into the realm of the spirit. The truth behind this fellowship is, that they no longer will be in submission to any organization.And everything scripturally has taken on some spiritual significances, that if I understand them correctly what they are teaching is that they have already put on glorified bodies and become little jesus's. The purpose of writing this article is not to find fault in what others believe. My purpose is to say that the truth is the real state of things for me, is in accepting Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour.
I feel the truth for my life is allowing the example of Christ to become my pattern for living. "I must decrease and He must increase within me".I believe the truth is that I should not fit people into my mold, I must allow folks to find the Lord the way he would have them come unto him. Please understand I don't disagree with repentance for Jesus commanded us to repent. I don't disagree with baptizing or speaking in tongues, these are scriptural teachings. I'm tire of trying to make me anything less than what Jesus would have me be, it matters not what man would have me to be. Jesus said, let no man or his teachings deceive you by any means. In searching for the truth, I realize that most hold to the teaching of Jesus to some degree or another. It would appear that some feel they are further along than others in their quest for God. In searching for the truth, I realize that I don't know everything, I also realize that I'm not alone. It seems all that teach a truth seem to have some reservations about having the complete truth. The mathematical equation of knowing God has been reduced to the lowest common denominator, that being receive Jesus the Christ and have eternal life. Or accepting the teachings of man and be deceived, Jesus said, "My sheep will hear my voice".