1. God-Centered
Today, numerous pastors and priests claim to be God-centered while rationalizing and teaching the doctrines and central beliefs of their religions. In other words, they profess God-centeredness in words and titles alone, but in reality, they believe in and teach only the traditions, customs, commandments, doctrines, and ideologies created by humans. The true shepherds and churches of God should, according to God’s holy will, feed, provide for, and care for the poor and pitiful sheep through acts of relief and service, practicing the love of the cross by considering, cherishing, and serving one another, thus becoming an example and model across the earth. However, today, there is no church that acts and practices according to God’s holy will and word.
It is said, “Isaiah hath prophesied well of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men.” And He said again, “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition” (Mark 7:6-9).
The Lord said, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Isaiah 29:13-14).
They merely put forth traditions and customs of hypocrisy and pretense, acting as though they are true churches following God’s holy will, pretending that their religion is a traditional faith handed down from the disciples of Peter and Paul, as if it were the root and foundation of tradition. Yet, in reality, modern Christianity is a religion derived from a variant of the abominable Catholic Church (Roman Church), which killed Paul and Peter, established a religion in their names, and exploited it as a means of religious governance to amass power and wealth for themselves. Christianity calls Catholicism a heresy that deviates from the Word, but the center of Christianity, which branched off from that heresy, is itself nothing more than another heretical religion that has strayed from the Word.
In the past, when Rome’s rule as a military regime reached its limits, it imitated the thieving worship of Judaism to create a powerful regime and influence, using the unique characteristics of religion—absolute power and absolute obedience—to establish a nominal religion that has persisted to this day as Catholicism (Roman Church). In other words, since its origin and roots were a religion rationalizing thieving worship created for selfish desires and power, all manner of evil, lawlessness, murder, corruption, and depravity inevitably arose. Christianity, which emerged to oppose such corruption and depravity, has merely created another faction exploiting thieving worship and is by no means the church of Christ.
Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel(Matthew 23:16-24).
Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these. For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour; If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever. Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord(Jeremiah 7:4-11).
I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews (Christians), and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan(Revelation 2:9).
Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews (Christians), and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee(Revelation 3:9).
Because Christianity has wholly imitated the traditions, customs, and heritage of Catholicism, exploiting them as tools to expand its own faction, corruption upon corruption, depravity upon depravity, and all sorts of evil, lawlessness, and degradation have been inherited and developed through countless distortions. As a result, it has become one of the religions in the world that has given birth to the most heresies upon heresies. Consequently, it is a Christianity filled with filth, ugliness, corruption, lawlessness, and falsehood, inevitably pointed at by the people of the world, and most of its churches, shepherds, and saints are headed toward judgment and destruction. Thus, it is said that all churches and temples will be cast down on that day.
The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, I have caused it to go forth, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof(Zechariah 5:4).
And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down(Luke 21:5-6).
How is it that ye have robbed me, saith the Lord? But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation(Malachi 3:8-10).
And he said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves(Matthew 21:13) (Mark 11:17) (Luke 19:46).
While claiming to be God-centered, they put forth churches of brick, masquerading as the eternal throne and temple of God’s glory, to establish and rationalize their religion, creating ideologies, theories, and doctrines through traditions, customs, and heritage for their own wealth and honor, which inevitably become adversaries and enemies of the Word of God. These are the religions and churches of today. Churches that engage in lawlessness, falsehood, corruption, and depravity most prominently use the excuse of being God-centered, putting forth acts of pretense and hypocrisy as if they were the love of the cross, calling themselves the church of Christ. Based on architectural churches built for their own selfish desires and power, they endlessly exploit their own traditions, customs, and heritage to fuel greater greed, developing and passing down these as means to satisfy their selfish desires. Among such religions today are Catholicism and Christianity. Shepherds who should use tithes and offerings to feed, provide for, and share with the poor and pitiful sheep, making known the example and model of God’s love across the earth, instead rationalize and justify thieving worship and traditions under the pretext of being God-centered, using tithes and offerings to satisfy their own greed, deceiving the sheep to fill their insatiable selfish desires. They abandon the example and practice of the sacrificial love of the cross, even unto death, and instead put forth only words and theories, preaching doctrines and ideologies that teach only the traditions, customs, commandments (doctrines), ideologies, and worldly teachings and inspirations of an abominable religion. As a result, countless saints uniformly seek only their own gain, believing in God as a tool to achieve their dreams, hopes, and ideals, listening only to pleasing sermons that offer comfort and consolation, turning their faith and belief into a vain belief. Thus, they become slaves to abominable figures masquerading as God’s shepherds, not knowing the path worthy of true salvation. There are many Christians who call upon the name of God, but most of the beliefs in Christianity today are faiths that believe in God in vain. Lifelong conditioning to sermons that prioritize words and theories, instead of the example of practice and action, means that no matter how much they repent and regret, their sins—jealousy, envy, strife, hatred, falsehood, pride, and lust—inevitably repeat according to their self-interest, yet they remain unable to escape the path of sinners. Despite this, they cling to a forced assurance of being born again and teach a false salvation, creating a pretext of “God-centeredness” born from a conscienceless, forced center. However, God-centeredness never follows the world or the flesh; it does not steal the food (tithes and offerings) meant to feed the poor and pitiful sheep to satisfy selfish desires, nor does it build architectural churches under the pretext of God’s temple with the sweat and tears of the saints, nor does it seek the hopes, ideals, and desires of the world and flesh, which have no relation to salvation—these are the centers of those who belong to the world and flesh. The joy, happiness, and love that humans pursue in the world and flesh are never God-centered. Only by loving even enemies as God does, obtaining a beautiful heart capable of loving all, following God’s holy will and commandments, and gaining a heart united in sacrificial love for poor and pitiful brothers and neighbors is true God-centeredness achieved. This is building a temple of the heart with a loving heart, a merciful heart, a joyful heart, a meek heart, a kind heart, a peaceful heart, a patient heart, a temperate heart, and an obedient heart.
God is the source of love. Therefore, God showed and sent the love of the cross to this earth through Christ to create perfect children who embody the source of love. Thus, the love of the cross is the sign of salvation and resurrection, building a divine nature (a temple of the heart) worthy of leading to salvation. Accordingly, the love of the cross is our perfect covenant and the greatest commandment we must keep. The fundamental reason God created humans and the world is to make them children of God, the source of love. Therefore, without possessing the love of the cross, which is God’s nature, one can never become a perfect child of God, the source of love. However, today’s churches and pastors teach that merely believing in the claims, theories, and doctrines of their religion and church leads to salvation, thereby dishonoring God’s Word and even His deep grace and holy will, creating a world where such people teach and learn.
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world(1 John 4:16-17).
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another(1 John 4:7-11).
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law(Romans 13:8-10).
The reason God’s will is most holy, exalted, and great is that He continually bestows love and mercy, not inflicting the punishment deserved for human sins, but refining us in our sins so that we may become His perfect children and truly enjoy eternal life in glory. From the creation to the endless tomorrow, He has given us blessings and grace. Yet, humans, even to this day, commit numerous sins of murder (Romans 1:28-32) dozens of times a day, treating them lightly or rationalizing emotional sins committed in the heart based on worldly standards and laws, which is commonplace. Thus, no matter how much all saints repent and regret, they inevitably repeat a vicious cycle of strife, hatred, cursing, mocking, and jealousy according to their self-interest. Most claim to be born again despite endlessly repeating this cycle of sin, asserting they have received the Holy Spirit or obtained salvation, making God’s Holy Spirit, rebirth, and salvation a laughingstock to unbelievers—this is the reality of Christianity today.
They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us. Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest(Micah 3:10-12).
But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law(Romans 2:8-12).
Since the habit of sinning despite regret has been ingrained from childhood, the standard of sin for all humans emphasizes only the outwardly visible lawbreaking acts arising from worldly values, while they fail to honestly recognize—or even have faith to be vigilant about—sins that should be viewed from the internal standard worthy of becoming God’s children. As they increasingly rationalize sins stemming from evil habits that kill their conscience, centering and standardizing their own cunning, they rationalize and distort even God’s holy Word and will according to their self-centered standards. Most teach their own interpretations, thoughts, and claims as God-centered, no different from the people of the world, pursuing worldly desires and satisfaction even more, pretending it to follow the sacrificial love of the cross unto death—this is all of Christianity today, and its churches, pastors, and saints have come to regard this as utterly normal.
God-centeredness is following the love of the cross, worthy of becoming true children of God, by forsaking all one’s ideals, values, and hopes and pursuing God’s holy grace and will to build a divine nature (a temple of the heart). This is the highest decree and the highest law. It speaks of a love that sacrifices, cherishing and serving others above oneself, which cannot be achieved without forsaking all one’s ideals, worldly values, and hopes—a divine nature and the love of the cross. Because they teach and practice the routine and customary relief and service that even worldly people do, or the relief and service of worldly corporations for boasting and hypocrisy, as if it were the sacrificial love of the cross unto death, the name of Christ and the love of the cross have become a laughingstock and scorn to idolaters and unbelievers.
There is no word that one reaches salvation through the church. Attending a church of superficial value does not lead to salvation; only those who build a temple of the heart with internal value reach salvation. Christ came to this earth to show love unto death, dying on the cross for us, establishing a covenant that those who fulfill love will rise with Him. Through Christ, He showed us a perfect covenant and law worthy of leading to salvation on this earth and opened the path to salvation through Him—this is God’s great grace. Therefore, the love of the cross is the way, the truth, and the life of salvation across the earth. I hope you recall the Word of God that says not to follow the traditions, customs, and heritage of churches and shepherds. All ideologies, theories, and doctrines that oppose the Word are merely human claims, never God-centered, but only human-centered standards, forced assertions, and beliefs. Because the human heart in the flesh is imperfect and inherently produces sin and evil, human thoughts are said to be enemies of God.
2. Human-Centered
Those who pursue happiness, success, and hopes belonging to the world and flesh, teaching theories and sermons as if they were God-centered words, are never God-centered. This is because God-centeredness contains God’s deep grace and holy will, encompassing the fundamental reason and purpose for which God created this earth and humanity. A center that lacks this is never God’s center. God-centeredness is pursuing the love of the cross to resemble God, the source of love, building a divine nature (a temple of the heart) to obtain God’s holy glory worthy of becoming His perfect children. Thus, the love of the cross, resembling God’s nature, is our perfect covenant, the eternal way of salvation, the truth, and the life. Therefore, teachings and learnings that pursue the world and flesh—success, hopes, and ideals—only produce more sin and greed. These belong to humans in a perishable world and flesh, are human-centered, and those who pursue ideals, hopes, success, happiness, and satisfaction of the world and flesh only accumulate more sin and greed, never able to change or be reborn. However, because they try to believe in God while seeking and pursuing worldly and fleshly things, they become increasingly distorted with forced rationalizations, claims, and theories—this is the reality of Christianity today. Teachings and learnings that rationalize success, hopes, and desires of the world and flesh as if they were God’s providence and reason, or as if they were God-centered Christians, merely by using God’s name as a pretext, are nothing but self-centeredness colluding with the world, a worldly ideology stemming from greed to align with material things, taught as if it were God-centered or Christ-centered. Instead of teaching according to the original meaning of the Word, they interpret and explain the Word to suit their tastes, using it as a pretext to rationalize their worldly greed and desires—this forms the majority of Christianity today. The most dangerous heresy, the most cunning work of Satan, and the greatest pride come from claims, theories, and ideologies that use the Word as a pretext—interpreted and explained to suit one’s taste, masquerading as God’s Word. However, most believers neither realize nor recognize that their standards are heretical or satanic, because they absolutely trust their own judgment and standards. In other words, because they compare and believe the Word according to their own standards and judgment, the Word inevitably becomes rationalized according to their tastes and self-interest—this is the contradiction of Christianity today. They say they act according to the Word, but in reality, hardly anyone lives a life of faith by forsaking all their thoughts, judgments, and standards, centering and standardizing the Word.
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect(1 Corinthians 1:17-21).
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled(2 Corinthians 10:5-6).
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned (Hebrews 6:4-8).
The Word is used merely as a tool to establish self-centered standards and claims by interpreting it freely according to one’s thoughts, or as a tool to comfort the weariness and hardship of worldly life—this has become the purpose and standard by which Christians view the Word today. Rather than being an example of acting and practicing according to the Word, most beliefs are for worldly and fleshly hopes, ideals, and desires that inevitably produce only sin and greed according to self-interest. Thus, both those who teach and those who learn rationalize distortion to serve God alongside the world and material things with forced claims and assertions, failing to build a divine nature (a temple of the heart) with the love of the cross worthy of leading to salvation, pursuing eternal glory as God’s perfect children. Instead of the path of a Christian, most saints pursue worldly and fleshly ideals, hopes, desires, and needs that only accumulate sin and greed. They bring in perishable worldly success, happiness, hopes, ideals, and aspirations—teaching worldly lessons and emotional inspirations that are nothing more than ‘sweetness after bitterness,’ the mere overcoming of adversity, as if such things were God-centered, as if they were God’s grace and inspiration, as if they were God’s holy Word and comfort. To do this, they put forth the adversities, biographies, words, theories, and ideologies of successful worldly figures, grafting them onto or rationalizing them with God’s name and Christ’s gospel. Most churches are led by those who teach with such words and theories. They merely inflate the vain hopes and desires unrelated to salvation, arising from the saints’ worldly aspirations, puffing up pride and zeal like yeast. Even the pastors of Christianity, who have conditioned saints with such worldly lessons and inspirations for a lifetime, do not know that they are heretics and priests of Satan. Thus, saints endlessly repeat convictions, resolutions, and determinations, pursuing perishable worldly hopes, desires, and expectations, considering this cycle as faith. This cycle is called Satan’s schemes unable to escape due to human limitations.
What does pursuing one’s success, happiness, and hopes have to do with the life of a Christian walking the path of suffering worthy of leading to salvation by forsaking all ideals and values to follow only the love of the cross? The happiness, hope, and success of the world and flesh, which are a mire of sin that only accumulates more sin and greed, a vain glory that perishes—what do they have to do with the love of the cross, which builds a divine nature (a temple of the heart) worthy of becoming a perfect child of God by following His holy will, the source of love?
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever(1 John 2:15-17).
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God(James 4:3-4).
Does success in the world mean one can go to heaven? Does becoming rich and successful mean one follows the life of Christ? Are worldly lessons, inspirations, comforts, and proverbs that lead to accumulating more sin and greed according to self-interest truly God’s Word? The evil hearts and consciences of saints, who sin and regret yet inevitably sin again according to self-interest, gradually disappear, proving that though they believe, they are no different from worldly people. Though they regret, awaken, and repent, they cannot escape the path of the wicked—jealousy, envy, hatred, strife, falsehood, slander, pride, and lust—according to their self-interest, yet they teach and learn a forced salvation and Holy Spirit, claiming to be born again. Instead of being an example and model, most churches and saints prioritize wealth and material ability. Rather than teaching to build a beautiful heart following the love of the cross by cherishing, caring for, and serving one another, they put forth words and theories, inciting the saints’ worldly ideals, hopes, and desires, teaching worldly success, ideals, and values as if they were God’s grace, glory, and power. Thus, saints inevitably differ in words and actions inside and outside the church, in appearance and heart, in speech and behavior. This is the greatest evidence that Christianity is not the church of Christ.
While claiming to be God-centered and Word-centered, following Christ’s path, they merely use it as a means and tool to rationalize teachings devoid of practice, putting forth only their words and theories. Thus, instead of establishing an example of saints cherishing, caring for, and serving one another according to the Word, feeding, providing for, and caring for the poor and pitiful sheep through acts and practices to make known the love of the cross across the earth, they put forth religious traditions, customs, and heritage they created to wholly distort, pervert, and ignore the Word, using tithes and offerings solely to satisfy and achieve their selfish desires. This is the reality of Christianity and Catholicism today—churches governed by false human ideologies, theories, and claims.
By exploiting the duty of shepherds—existing to make known the example of love across the earth through feeding, providing for, and caring for the poor and pitiful sheep with relief and service, cherishing, caring for, and serving one another—they use it as a means of absolute domination and obedience to satisfy their selfish desires. Putting forth the customs, traditions, doctrines, and heritage of religions, they completely mock and scorn the Word, crossing the line into becoming adversaries through distortion and depravity, dishonoring God’s holy name, the sacrifice of the cross, and love with all sorts of corruption and evil to worldly people through their teachings and learnings. Such ignorant and unknowing faith in today’s Christianity is, without exception, not a true Word-centered or God-centered faith that judges right and wrong by comparing oneself to the content of the Word and setting the Word as the standard for thought and judgment. Rather, it is a corrupted foundation and standard of faith that tries to serve God while also clinging to the world and material things. Instead of a true Word-centered and God-centered approach, they live a distorted faith with a center and standard that seeks to serve God alongside the world and material things. Thus, there are many pastors swayed by selfish desires belonging to the world, but none can be found or followed who truly offer all their wealth, ideals, and even their lives as an example and model for the sheep. Therefore, the day of judgment exists to separate the wheat from the chaff. Conditioned to listen only to words, theories, and sermons that comfort and strengthen their worldly hopes, desires, and successes, they cannot find true shepherds centered on the Word, know the true path of salvation, or see and hear God’s true wisdom and mysteries. This is the Christianity and Catholicism of today, where the blind lead the blind.
And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye. For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh(Luke 6:39-45).
The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: yet his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still(Isaiah 9:15-17).
They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand. And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?(Isaiah 44:18-20).
They have not known the way of peace, neither is there judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace. Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noon day as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men. We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter(Isaiah 59:8-14,).
These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire(2 Peter 2:17-22).
God is the Lord of all creation. Therefore, religion exists within God, but God does not exist within religion. Religion is merely a human creation; neither God nor any of Christ’s apostles ever created a religion. However, it was created by those who exploited it to satisfy their selfish desires. God is perfect and the eternal glory, but religions created by humans cannot be perfect, inevitably falling into corruption, depravity, and lawlessness, perishing and collapsing because they belong to the world. Thus, God, the eternal glory, cannot reside in architectural churches on this earth that cannot be eternal, must perish, and must collapse. Therefore, religion is never God-centered; it is merely a tool and means created by humans to establish power and satisfy their selfish desires under the pretext of God’s name. The clearest evidence that churches claiming to be God-centered are human-centered lies in their offices. The world and human-centeredness are based on physical ability, where those with superior intellect or physical prowess are treated and recognized accordingly. Those skilled with hands and feet become athletes, earning great wealth and becoming stars and heroes, while those with intellect become celebrities and entrepreneurs. Likewise, worldly and human-centeredness always evaluates based on physical ability. However, God-centeredness does not look at human physical ability. It looks only at a beautiful heart that follows the love of the cross, resembling God’s nature, the source of love, as the fundamental reason God created humans. Thus, all pastors, elders, and officeholders in Christianity today uniformly testify that they are established not by God-centered standards but by worldly and human-centered standards. If they were God-centered, they would consist of those with God’s wisdom, heavenly mysteries, and prophecy. Yet, churches that teach God-centeredness at every turn uniformly aim to establish worldly success, happiness, and wealth based on worldly education, degrees, abilities, and knowledge, putting forth worldly lessons and inspirations akin to overcoming adversity, unrelated to salvation. This clearly testifies that they are human-centered and worldly-centered. Thus, most offices and titles are established based on wealth, material, ability, and education.
God’s officeholders are those who have received God’s Spirit, possessing heavenly wisdom and power as spiritual beings. Churches governed by false religions and interpretations passed down for thousands of years, forced rebirth, false salvation, and an abominable Holy Spirit that anyone can casually give and receive, are increasingly distorted and corrupted by numerous instances of depravity and falsehood—this is the Christianity of today. God is love. Therefore, faith that does not walk the path of the cross to resemble God, pursuing only worldly and fleshly ideals, desires, and needs, is merely an abominable and vain human-centered and self-centered faith. Without the love of the cross that sacrifices all ideals and even life, they cannot attain the true faith of a Christian, merely imitating and mimicking—a faith of tares. With forced rebirth, false salvation theories, and a vain Holy Spirit, they dishonor God’s holy name to worldly people. Therefore, faith, belief, gifts, rebirth, Holy Spirit, and prophecy without the sacrificial love of the cross are all dead in a word.
And if a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?(James 2:15-20).
And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness(Ezekiel 33:31-32).
Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts. Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert. Because they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up(Psalm 28:3-5).
Shepherds who teach only with words and theories do not sell their wealth and possessions to feed, provide for, and share with the poor and pitiful sheep as an example. They teach only with fine-sounding words. Thus, saints uniformly become mere talkers, conditioned to hypocrisy with short-term service and relief lasting a few hours or days for show and pride. They inflate zeal with momentary sweet feelings, as if all their hopes, goals, and happiness will soon be fulfilled, putting forth worldly lessons and inspirations. They deceive saints with teachings akin to dough puffed up with yeast, which deflates and disappears when turned away—teachings of human affairs and worldly adversities unrelated to salvation, merely inciting vain hopes, desires, and needs, leading them into a mire that accumulates more sin and greed. Yet, uniformly blinded by greed and sin-clouded consciences, most have faith conditioned to the sweet-seeming, inspiring sermons of pastors that lead them deeper into the mire of sin.
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen(Romans 16:17-20).
God that made the world from the beginning hath heard, (Selah,) and changeth not, and will recompense them that fear him not. He hath lifted up his hand against them with whom he was at peace, and hath broken his covenant. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee(Psalm 55:19-23).
For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them(Proverbs 5:3-6).
With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks(Proverbs 7:21-22).
Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not; The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots. The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses: Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts(Nahum 3:1-4).
For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end! How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up? For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter: Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps. Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures? To me belongeth vengeance and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste(Deuteronomy 32:28-35).
Lessons and inspirations of overcoming adversity based on worldly affairs are never salvation, Word, wisdom, or teachings derived from God-centeredness. They are merely worldly lessons and inspirations that only further incite sin and greed. The worldly hope and desire that one will become rich, successful, and happy after hardship are neither the hope, life, nor path of a true Christian building a beautiful divine nature (a temple of the heart) with the love of the cross worthy of leading to salvation. However, Christians today uniformly pursue worldly desires, needs, and satisfaction to achieve their dreams, ideals, and greed through faith in God. Thus, they constantly regret yet repeat sin, differing in behavior inside and outside the church, in words and actions, in appearance and heart, possessing a faith of duplicity and double-mindedness. Because they serve God alongside the world and material things, their reasons and purposes for believing in God are uniformly for human-centered happiness, love, joy, and satisfaction based on a prosperous life. As recorded in the Word, rather than feeding, providing for, and caring for poor and pitiful brothers and neighbors, cherishing, caring for, and serving one another, sacrificing themselves on the path of the cross, they teach and learn that attending church, praying while seeking their greed, or knowing theories, doctrines, ideologies, and commandments leads to salvation and makes one a Christian. Such faith and belief are never God-centered, Christ’s gospel, a Christian life, or the Word. Christ’s gospel lies not in words and theories but in practicing the sacrifice and love of the cross. Likewise, God’s center exists in those who keep and practice as recorded in the Word.
Without basing and grounding themselves in the Word, they base themselves on worldly affairs, forsaking the practice and example of the love and sacrifice of the cross, interpreting and distorting the meaning of the Word according to their thoughts and tastes to suit their greedy desires, needs, and satisfaction—this is the world, churches, shepherds, and saints today. By exploiting the Word as an excuse and pretext to rationalize their pursuit of worldly and fleshly greed, their faith and belief inevitably lead to depravity and lawlessness, growing distant from the Word that follows God’s holy will and Christ’s sacrifice and love—this is the only reality of religions, churches, shepherds, and saints today. To them, God, Christ, the Word, prayer, and faith are merely tools to achieve their worldly happiness, ideals, desires, prosperity, success, and ability. Thus, the beautiful fruit (divine nature) resembling God, the source of love, cannot exist in them. As the Word states, one cannot serve God and mammon together, nor follow the sacrifice of the cross alongside the world, for being a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God.
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God(James 4:3-4).
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever(1 John 2:15-17).
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen(Romans 1:21-25).
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon(Matthew 6:24).
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you(Matthew 6:31-33).
And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things(Luke 12:29-30).
Hearken, ye rich men; weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days(James 5:1-3).
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows(1 Timothy 6:9-10).
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands(Psalm 115:4)(Psalm 135:15).
Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed(John 6:26-27).
Numerous pastors begin their sermons or use a few verses of the Word as a pretext, teaching worldly and fleshly lessons and inspirations as if they were God’s Word. In reality, these are merely human words and interpretations unrelated to salvation, never heavenly wisdom or God’s lessons and inspirations. Hearing this, an elder asked me, “Then what is it when I shed tears listening to our pastor’s lessons and inspirations?” I replied, “Are the tears you shed at a movie theater or watching a drama also God’s grace and inspiration?” He could not answer. Shedding tears and feeling momentary overwhelming inspiration does not necessarily mean it is God’s inspiration and lesson. It may offer temporary comfort and consolation to a weary and troubled heart, motivating renewed zeal, but it is merely human teaching and inspiration—nothing more than the values of ‘sweetness after bitterness’—packaged as God’s Word and truth, grafted onto the emotional lessons of worldly adversity dramas: sermons, inspirations, and teachings entirely unrelated to salvation. However, most churches and shepherds teach such sermons of success and adversity dramas, and saints, conditioned to these without hesitation or doubt, only increase their greed for worldly desires, ideals, and happiness. Pursuing this greed, puffed up with zeal, resolutions, and convictions like dough with yeast, they inevitably head toward judgment and destruction. Conditioned to sermons of leavened lessons and inspirations masquerading as God’s Word, countless saints follow vain faith that becomes an enemy of God, loving and sympathizing with the world, existing to achieve worldly things, not ashamed of their faith but unable to recognize their error, their eyes and ears blinded to reflect on their misguided faith. Thus, it is said, the blind lead the blind, and both fall into the ditch.
Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch(Matthew 15:14).
Teachings and sermons today that pursue worldly and fleshly values, ideals, common sense, and wisdom as if they were the perfect and complete wisdom and Word of God are uniformly human teachings like sweet poison, leading saints to accumulate more sin and greed with worldly lessons and inspirations. They merely induce the saints’ hopes, greed, achievements, and satisfaction, leading them to follow vain faith and belief, unrelated to salvation, merely worldly lessons and inspirations masquerading as God’s Word and wisdom. Thus, most saints’ religious lives are conditioned to listening to sermons of words and theories, leaving no true Christians walking the path of salvation, building an example and model worthy of leading to salvation by following the love of the cross, nor anyone teaching this—the world today. Shepherds put forth sermons and claims skewed to their tastes, centered on their traditions and customs to satisfy their selfish desires, distorting and perverting the Word’s content. Following this, saints, conditioned to worldly lessons and inspirations that incite their worldly desires, ideals, and needs, increasing greed, pursue only hollow faith without practice. The hope, ideals, and values of Christ following the love of the cross lie in serving brothers and neighbors as oneself, like the highest law and decree, in the sacrifice of forsaking all one’s ideals, values, and hopes for the poor and pitiful. In such acts and practices, we can build a nature resembling God, worthy of becoming His children. In other words, it is building a beautiful heart by following the love of the cross, a divine nature worthy of becoming God’s children. This begins with forsaking all worldly and fleshly ideals, desires, and needs that inevitably repeat sin and greed—the hope of Christ. Forsaking the practice and example of a Christian sacrificing all to follow the love of the cross, the faith and belief in God as a tool to achieve their greedy desires are the reality of all religions, churches, shepherds, and saints today.
Putting forth superficial values like the Trinity, the Apostles’ Creed, or the Hail Mary prayer is also created to rationalize thieving worship that steals tithes and offerings meant to feed, provide for, and care for the poor and pitiful sheep, building a heart resembling God (the love of the cross) through relief and service, cherishing, caring for, and serving one another. Instead of the internal value of a temple of the heart (divine nature) following the love of the cross, they deceive the saints’ eyes and ears with superficial values, commandments (ideologies), traditions, worship, customs, and heritage created to rationalize and justify stealing tithes and offerings meant to feed, care for, and relieve the sheep. Teaching interpretations and explanations forced to fit their abominable traditions, customs, and heritage as if they were God’s Word, they lead to vain faith that becomes an enemy of God—this is the current state of Christianity today. Rather than God-centeredness building the example and practice of the love and sacrifice of the cross following the will of God, the source of love, they use God’s name as a pretext, teaching and leading with superficial values as a facade, human-centered theories, claims, and sermons as if they were God’s Word, rationalizing humanistic ideologies aiming for worldly things with teachings of superficial value unrelated to salvation.
1. Due to pursuing worldly things, these are faiths that cannot escape the limitation and vicious cycle of sinning again despite regret and repentance. Though they claim to believe in God, their hopes merely call upon God’s name, no different from unbelievers, uniformly pursuing worldly desires and needs, seeking worldly wealth, success, and happiness—a vain hope belonging to the world. Whether they belong to the world or to God is evidenced by their sins, which they constantly repeat according to self-interest despite regret and repentance. Thus, it is said that whoever sins belongs not to Christ but to the devil, is a child of Satan, and a slave to sin. Their sins—jealousy, envy, hatred, strife, falsehood, lust, pride, contention, slander, scheming, and division—testify to this, evidence that they are not reborn in Christ’s love but possess a forced rebirth, a false Holy Spirit, and a vain faith. Due to serving God alongside the world and material things, their faith, tainted with duplicity, inevitably becomes distorted, repeating a vicious cycle of sin despite regret and repentance. In other words, these are vain faiths with double-mindedness, outwardly speaking of God’s love, salvation, and rebirth with smiling faces, yet inwardly pursuing greed, constantly committing hatred, jealousy, and envy.
2. These are abominable faiths and beliefs that cry out and pray vainly under the pretext of talents and callings to satisfy their desires and greed, using the Word only as an introduction and pretext to rationalize a faith that seeks values, hopes, ideals, and success no different from worldly people. They deceive the saints’ eyes and ears with vain sermons putting forth words and theories, teaching worldly lessons and inspirations as if they were God’s holy Word, grace, calling, talents, lessons, and inspirations—unrelated to salvation. These are merely teachings and learnings of talkers who do not practice the love of the cross to build a temple of the heart with God’s nature worthy of leading to salvation. Thus, their hidden intentions differ from their pulpit sermons, their behavior differs inside and outside the church, and their outward holy, kind, and smiling appearance belies their inner intentions—evidence of duplicitous behavior and a faith of cunning, armed with shallow tactics and deceitful conduct to hide their crafty hearts. Considering their claims—rationalizing their greed and needs by exploiting God and distorting the Word—as Word-centered and God’s Word, as if they were true Christians, these are the religious people who teach and learn today. Believing their pride, zeal, and convictions to be faith, they increasingly treat sin lightly or grow bolder toward it, ravaging their consciences that could lead them the right path. With excuses and pretexts born from their desires and greed, they turn these into their Word, their God, and their faith—swaying with their emotions, desires, and pride..
3. Their claims, rationalizing and excusing their insatiable desires and greed by tailoring the Word to their tastes and demands as if it were Christ’s gospel and Word, put forth the proverbs (commandments), claims, forced assertions, and falsehoods of worldly successful people instead of centering on the Word. They distort even the standard and center of the Word, making God’s holy will, grace, the sacrificial love of the cross, and blood a laughingstock and scorn to worldly people, producing only such results—pastors and saints today. Believing their absolute pride, convictions, and resolutions born from arrogant zeal that consider their greedy desires, happiness, and success as God’s talents and calling, their faith inevitably sways. As their consciences die in forced pride and convictions, they grow bolder toward sin, losing guilt, becoming hardened and obstinate. Thus, being overly radical, rash, and shallow, they are talkers, debaters, and contentious, putting forth only words, theories, and superficial values. Convictions, resolutions, zeal, and pride born from human passion swayed by circumstances can never build a temple of the heart with love, mercy, meekness, patience, temperance, peace, kindness, joy, and obedience. Thus, their Holy Spirit, rebirth, faith, hope, love, service, talents, and calling are all dead in a word, becoming enemies of God, accumulating only sin and greed as slaves to sin. Rather than unbelievers, they are bolder and more unhindered in sinning with rationalizing excuses and pretexts, making their sins graver than those of unbelievers.
4. One of the religions producing the most heresies on earth today is Christianity. A good tree bears good fruit, and an evil tree bears evil fruit; thus, it is entirely natural that heresies bear heretical fruit. Thus, the fruit of Christianity testifies to this: instead of fulfilling the purpose for which tithes and offerings exist—to build the love of the cross worthy of leading to salvation through acts of charity and service that feed, give, and care for the sheep, fostering mutual care, compassion, and service—they have created and inherited their own traditions, customs, and ordinances in order to steal them. In doing so, they continuously produce ideologies and commandments that completely distort and corrupt the true standard and center of the Word, giving birth to heresy upon heresy. As the Word says, you will know them by their fruit. Neither religion nor church leads to salvation or rebirth; only faith growing and obtained through keeping, practicing, and acting according to the Word with the love of the cross bears fruit, rebirth, and salvation.