Post by pitbull on Oct 23, 2008 7:43:51 GMT -5
DAILY WISDOM
“Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:” [Proverbs 23:10]
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
DENOMINATIONALISM
Revelation 2:6
Nicolaitans means to conquer the laity or otherwise control the church. Denominations do this. While denominations are wrong and unbiblical, this does not mean that denominations do no good at all nor does it mean that there are not good people who are part of denominations. With this in mind, consider the following:
I. Denominationalism is a sin of idolatry. [Colossians1:18]
A. Jesus is the head of the church.
B. Anything in His place is an idol.
C. There is no such thing as a good denomination.
D. When an outside influence controls any segment of a church, it becomes an idol.
1. Literature – whoever writes the literature [e.g. Sunday School] for a church controls it
2. Accreditation – nobody has the right to accredit an institution that Jesus heads
3. Government – once you submit to outside influence, you are in trouble and the church ceases to be a local, individual, autonomous, indigenous body
4. Missionaries – no one has the right to tell a church which missionaries to support and how much to support them
5. Ordination – it is the responsibility of a local church to ordain preachers
II. Denominationalism removes your promise of divine perpetuity. [Matthew 16:18]
III. Denominationalism causes the sin of muzzling the ox. [1 Timothy 5:17-19]
IV. Denominationalism cannot be of God because the church did not build it.
Most people involved in a denominational church do not realize that it is a sin and unbiblical. We need to lovingly and kindly try to help them out it every chance God gives us. Likewise, we need to make sure that we protect ourselves. Too often today there are independent Baptist churches that are linking together to form denominations. They are placing themselves in an unnecessary form of slavery and they will attack you for not wanting to go along with them. We need to keep our distinction and Biblical pattern.
RELIGIOUS AWARENESS
Yazdânism
Yazdânism collectively denotes a group of native Kurdish monotheistic religions: Alevism, Yarsan and Yazidism. The Yazdani faiths were the primary religion of the Kurds until their Islamisation in the 16th century. Yazdanism continues to be primarily practiced in relatively isolated communities. The adherents of Yazdanism are estimated to constitute about 1/3 of the Kurds. Yazdanism has however strongly influenced the Kurdish form of Islam.