Those who Practice Variance will not Inherit the Kingdom of God

Talk about something that really scared me in 2019. I've been writing a book on the Pharisees and About a hundred and sixty something pages into it. I haven't worked on it for a long time, but variants the Pharisees practiced variants they were full of it and The Apostle Paul says in Galatians chapter 5 verses 19 through 21 That those who practice variance will not inherit the kingdom of God It's the King James word variance A lot of people don't know what variance is. I didn't know what variance was until 2019 when I was writing it about it in the Pharisees book but This is my definition of variance I looked up all these different definitions and like I saw how that Greek word was used throughout the New Testament and I kind of Came up with this right here that it's Variance is an unnecessary difference that people make It's an unnecessary spiritual difference that people make to distinguish themselves from other people that often are Void of the mind of God or any true spiritual meat It's often a gnat and not a camel or a gnat did not the weightier matters of the law Like if you have to search through a haystack to find this truth Then it's probably not a camel There's probably not much weight to it The things that are just feel the Old and New Testaments That just constantly repeat themselves like caring for the poor the orphans the widow of the strangers Loving your neighbors yourself doing into others as you would have them doing to you These are the way your matters these things are that that the prophets and the law and Christ taught on constantly our way to your matters, but variance is an unnecessary spiritual difference that people make To distinguish themselves from others That are often void of any true spiritual meat the mind of God like let this mind be in you which is also in Christ Jesus It's often doesn't contain the weightier matters of the law and it generates strife And we'll see in 1st Corinthians chapter 3 1st Corinthians chapter 3 is perhaps one of the most Misunderstood chapters of the Bible we read in there that Paul talks about being saved as Through fire and people think in the whole context and they read it. They think that you can live a carnal life That you can be carnally minded and still be saved So as through fire like you'll barely make it into heaven you might smell like smoke When you pass through the fire and you enter the kingdom of God You still made it in and that's what a lot of people believe that's what a lot of people teach but a lot of people who teach it and a lot of people who believe that only Do so because they really haven't been able to make sense of it, but I believe the Lord's taught me He's given me a word about this and it's very clear and I believe that it'll be very clear to you also by the end of this message So Variance again an unnecessary spiritual difference that people make to distinguish themselves from other people That's often void of any true spiritual meat the mind of Christ It doesn't contain the weightier matters of the law and it often generates generates strife or divisions and Puffs people up and sets them above everyone else But what they're using to set themselves up above other people or to exalt themselves It's something that Jesus Doesn't really care that much about There's a lot of variance in the church. There's a lot of variance in so many conservative groups I would say like the more strict the more conservative the more serious you are about obeying Jesus which Every true church is serious about obeying Jesus because Jesus said if you love me You will keep my commandments John 14 15. He said he that has my words and obeys them. He it is that loves me And my father will love him and I will love him and I will manifest myself to him He that has my words and does not obey them he it is that doesn't love me John 14 24, do you love Jesus? Obedience is a serious issue but Obedience is born in the heart of a new creature. That's been washed by the blood of Christ That's like the joy of the new creation is that we get to express our love for our Savior By obeying them doing those things that please them the most but There's a lot of things that have been added to Christ a Lot of things have been taken away, but a lot of things have been added and Variance it's often variance. It's often something that doesn't have the mind of Christ something that generates strife and division It's something people used to distinguish themselves from others. They they condemn Those who don't practice whatever it is that they're teaching But the thing is Jesus isn't standing on their side. I Think some of these things I'll get into some of these things later, but I think some of these things will surprise you as far as what variances but I'm gonna read 1st Corinthians chapter 3 because Again this is very misunderstood a lot of people really don't know how to make sense of this but Variance is what Paul was addressing here And he says in verse 1 and I brethren could not speak unto you as unto spiritual But as unto carnal even as unto babes in Christ I have fed you with milk and not with meat for hitherto you were not able to bear it neither yet. Now are you able? For you are yet carnal For whereas there is among you in being and strife and divisions. Are you not carnal and walk as men? For while one says I am of Paul and another I am of Apollos. Are you not carnal? Who then is Paul and who is Apollos but ministers by whom he believed even as the Lord gave to every man I Have planted Apollos watered, but God gave the increase So that neither is he that plants anything neither he that waters But God gives the increase now he that plants and he that waters are one and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor For we are laborers together with God you are God's husbandry you are God's building So this variance it doesn't use the word variance in 1st Corinthians chapter 3 verse 3 in the King James Version But if you look at the Greek word for variance in Galatians chapter 5 It's in verse 20 This isn't in verse 19 It says now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these adultery fornication and cleanness lasciviousness idolatry witchcraft hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies in beings murders drunkenness revelings and such like of The witch I tell you before as I have also told you in time past that they which do such things Shall not inherit the kingdom of God Variance that Greek word Is Eris and It's used here in 1st Corinthians chapter 3 Paul says For you are yet carnal for whereas there is among you in being and strife And that Greek word for strife is Eris the same Greek word used for variance so Paul is saying that for you are carnal for where it as there is among you in being and variance in divisions Are you not carnal and walk as men? And the next verse explains what that variance is For while one says I am of Paul and another I am of Apollos. Are you not carnal? We are of Christ Jesus said I am the light of the world He that follows me shall not be in darkness, but shall have the light of life But you know Like Paul told the Church of Corinth. He said that you have a thousand instructors in Christ You have you not many fathers for in Christ Jesus have I begotten you through the gospel? There's this natural affection we have For people that have helped us become established in the grace and truth of Jesus Christ we may look up to him as like an elder or spiritual father or a mother in the faith or mother in Israel or or just somebody that we esteem and we highly appreciate them and and We've studied their life and their their their manner of conduct like Paul explained Timothy what you see in me Do follow me is it even as I follow Christ? But we begin to appreciate these things we begin to exalt men We begin to exalt their personalities we begin to exalt The things that they emphasize we begin to exalt their mannerisms how they carry themselves how they behave things that they enjoy things that they don't and we begin to follow them and emulate them But it we sometimes we take it so far and this is like where we get the word denomination from like It's Christ divided Absolutely not But today there's thousands and thousands and thousands of denominations some because of the truth and grace of Jesus Christ But much of it is variance variance It's an unnecessary difference that people make to distinguish themselves from other people that's often void of any true spiritual meet the mind of Christ or the weightier matters of the law that often generates strife and divisions and exalts oneself above the rest Jesus hates variance He hates it Those who practice variance will not inherit the kingdom of God Now the variance that they were practicing that the Paul is rebuking them for is for exalting him or Apollos or Peter Above Christ Because my Paul had a certain way of living a certain way of carrying himself a certain opinion Maybe that he had and so did Apollos and so did Peter and so did the other Apostles But the Church of Corinth began to you they there are divisions among them Like well, Paul said this or Paul does things this way and Peter, you know he kind of does it this way, you know, and but we really like the way Peter does it and There is these divisions, you know, they they took these mannerisms these personalities these opinions way too far There it's I'm gonna continue on here and I'm gonna get to this part where a lot of people misunderstand They think that you can live a car only Christian life just a carnal Christian life and still make it into heaven by the skin of your teeth You're with the smoke, you know, like you'll be saved as so about like as by fire You'll still have the stench of like whatever just Got consumed around you, but somehow you survived even though you were carnal and you can enter into the kingdom of God That's not what Paul's saying here Paul said in Romans chapter 8 to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace and Then he went on to say for if you live according to the flesh You will die But if you through the Spirit put to death the deeds of the body you shall live Paul Nowhere taught that you can live a carnal Christian life And expect to hear well done now good and faithful servant and there into the joy of your Lord He knew the power of the grace of God. He knew the grace that saved he said sin shall not have dominion over you He said awake to righteousness and stop sinning Okay, he talked about the liberty that we have in Christ is not only freedom from sin but freedom to follow in the steps of Christ freedom to have like our bowels ripped out our head chopped off or hands nailed to a cross and To be roasted alive and thrown to wild beasts to be ripped apart from limb to limb and still consider it all joy because in This suffering we have fellowship with Christ. He knew the power of the grace of God that saves So here in first Corinthians chapter 3 will continue here in verse 10 He says according to the grace of God which is given unto me as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation and another Builds their own, but let every man take heed how he builds thereupon For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ. It's Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is the foundation You don't need to add to Jesus Christ and you better not take anything away he is perfect just the way that he is right There's not is there anything about Jesus that you would want to change? Really? We're talking about the creator of the universe all things were made through him and without him was not anything Maybe that was made. This is the true God and eternal life. I don't want to change Jesus He's perfect, there's no other foundation that any man can lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ Then Paul goes on to say now if any man builds upon this foundation gold silver precious stones wood hay stubble every man's work Shall be made manifest For the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire And the fire shall try every man's work of what sword it is If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon he shall receive a reward If any man's work shall be burnt he shall suffer loss But he himself shall be saved Yet, so is by fire Then he goes on know ye not that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you if any Man defiles the temple of God him shall God destroy For the temple of God is holy which temple you are let no man deceive himself so Obviously Paul's not saying you can live a carnal life and Be saved what the fire is gonna do. It's gonna try every man's work of what sort it is We either it's gold silver or precious stones or wood hay and stubble What does that work? That work is me that work is you that work was the church Church of Corinth that he was writing to And what he's saying is is that I Planted and Apollos watered. He says in verse 6 I planted Apollos watered now those Like whenever Paul planted there's probably some people that really had a an affinity for the Apostle Paul And they they they just caught it kind of thought that maybe everybody else should feel that way But maybe some others didn't quite feel that way. They didn't really have that connection But when Apollos came and he watered the flock Then it was like oh No, no, no, no, no, no, no Apollos. We need to there's we we really have an affinity for him There's things that we appreciate that appreciated by him or Apollos doesn't Perhaps Taunt very much. Maybe Apollos doesn't really laugh a lot Maybe he doesn't laugh very loud maybe he just Kind of just is like this all the time And you know Paul, you know, he's this emotional apostle. He's weeping. He's rejoicing. He's so affectionate, you know But maybe he's too caught up in his emotions We need to kind of stay away from that You know, there's people in churches today that actually think that that equals godliness That's to just Walk around like this sober Having no joy, you know just these people that are crying lifting up their hands Worshiping Jesus and crying and they're smiling and they're excited about the cross of Christ in the service. You hear him saying amen No, it shouldn't be like that That's not sober True spirituality and godliness is just being quiet and and having these feelings in your heart, but not really expressing it perhaps variance That's variance It's also variance to thank everybody else needs to be rejoicing and smiling and all it is very expressive But not everybody's the same way so Paul is saying that the fire I'm gonna get back to this here Paul is saying that the fire is gonna try every man's work of what sort it is And he says in verse 10 He says according to the grace of God which is given unto me as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation and another man builds thereon So Paul laid the foundation other people are building on it But what are they building? Are they adding to Christ or taking away? Do they have variance are they like adding these personality traits or or maybe you know? I'm gonna get a little specific here now What about the holidays? What about Christmas? What about the Passover? What about? Birthdays You know if you really think about it like there's a lot of condemnation from other people People are condemning people to hell If they celebrate Christmas They celebrate birthdays Then for example, let us give you a briefie and briefie on here on Birthdays for instance, you know, it's like people have this type, you know, these they find these things in the Bible, you know and it becomes Very convincing to them and it makes this impression on them and and they try to compel others To just to believe the same things and if they don't they need to repent If they don't repent they're doomed Because like Herod and Pharaoh are the only two people that you find in the Bible celebrating the birthday They say these were two notorious wicked wicked men But the birthday of Jesus was celebrated in fact all of heaven was rejoicing They said glory to God in the highest peace on earth goodwill towards men I Mean that's a celebration if heaven is rejoicing. Why aren't you? Are you caught up in variance? There's a lot of speculation as to the the day of Jesus's birth a lot of speculation And I want you to know that I've read like thousands and thousands of pages of early church history This Literally, I'm not exaggerating thousands of pages. I saw I found the early Christian writings for the first time in 2009 and I've read just so much that it just like And there's a lot of people they devote their entire life To studying the early Christian writings and emulating that and it becomes a point of variance Then if anybody doesn't live just like they did in the early church For like the first two or three hundred years Then they're off They're not a part of the kingdom of God. They're not the true church or they're a second-class citizen of the church You're just they're just beneath they're below and the others are above it's variance friends variance It's early church Idolatry, it's variance if you're practicing that you will monitor the kingdom of God if you exalt The man like the early Christian like some of the early Christians they baptized Three times they dip three times once in the name of the Father once in the name of the Son Once in the name of the Holy Spirit, they did it backwards or forwards and running water still water or sprinkling whatever was available and It becomes a variance, you know, there's churches today that believe that you don't your baptism is not legitimate If you're not immersed three times they call it thrice immersion That your baptism is illegitimate or that your baptism was like kind of second-class or it wasn't like the real thing or maybe you don't receive the Holy Spirit unless You're thrice emerged You're dipped once in the name of the Father once in the name of the Son once in the name of the Holy Spirit you're like they pull all these scriptures together and early Christian writings and they build the doctrine of variance an unnecessary difference to distinguish themselves from others To distinguish themselves from others just that's key there and I think that a lot of like Well intentioned brothers and sisters do this. I was one but I was one I did the same thing on accident I I didn't know it so 2019 Maybe I can get into that some other time but it's like well intentioned brothers, you know, they they take the early church writings and it becomes this point of division the set of a blessing Variance is an unnecessary difference that people make to distinguish themselves from others That's often void of any true meat or the mind of Christ or the way your matters of the law That often generates strife strife and division Variance, that's what it is. I'll give you some early Christian examples. This is thrice immersion and it's also There's one person that I know that would not have communion with somebody Unless the wine what unless the actual wine was mixed with water Because from the side of Jesus an early Christian by the name of Rennius Testified that that's how they took communion This early Christian took communion They they they they took the wine and they water and they mixed it together because blood and water flowed out from the side of Jesus when that Roman soldier pierced his side and This person took it so serious Like if this is the way that the early church did it they were the closest to the Apostles and this is the real way To do it. I only want a fellowship with those that are doing like following Jesus the real way And they take all these little scriptures and they put it together. They build this doctrine of variance This is serious and as some of you to some of you this may sound absolutely nuts and crazy But this is real life like the more serious you are about Jesus You're just looking for the print of his steps throughout the pages of Scripture History, whatever you can find that you may be able to follow hard after him because you want to be close to him, right? I don't fault these brothers and sisters But they're sinning they're sinning It's sin Even like Paul. He was really good. He really understood that variance was, you know He said one man esteems a day above another and the others, you know steam every day alike. So I meet meet some eaters That's what he said some people condemn others for not celebrating certain days Some people condemn others for celebrating certain days Paul says if you esteem every day alike, you're neither better the work neither better nor the worse Let it be a blessing if somebody assumes one day above another don't let it try you don't don't let it provoke you Don't don't feel like you have to like compete doctrinally with them and like expose their error It's not a sin issue It's not a weighty matter It's not the mind of it's not like into their mind It might be part of the mind of God, but that's that's up to their conscience Let every man be persuaded in his own mind variance So again, every man's work shall be tested by fire like the fire is gonna try the man's work And Paul goes on to say here in verse 10 again He says but let every man take heed how he builds thereupon Upon what upon the foundation? Because if you're building Apollos like things of that like opinions of Apollos If you're building opinions of Apollos you're building opinions of the Apostle Paul you're building opinions of Peter or just their mannerism Personalities are how they did things or the early church or the early Anabaptist or the early the Waldensians or The Methodists or the Baptists or the Lutherans or the Roman Catholics or the Orthodox or whoever it is Everybody has a way of doing things but when you over it's over emphasizing When you over emphasize things that are void of any true spiritual meat the mind of Christ It's not a sin, it's just just a tradition for an opinion you're caught up in variance And those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God so the fire is going to trust test every man's work Whatever people build like people like people heard the Apostle Paul they became born again They became engrafted into the body like part of the body of Christ partakers of the divine nature new creatures, right and They began to build upon the foundation but they took a little bit of this and a little bit a little bit of this brother a little bit of this brother a Little bit of this sister perhaps they started building, right? These are good things, you know, perhaps that are good You know, there's some good things that God does and brothers and sisters some good personalities some good opinions some good ideas But if it's generating strife and division Like everywhere Jesus went there there were divisions like so many times There was division even when the Apostle Paul preached in the synagogues on the streets There was a division among them It says there is division among the people division among the Jews division among the synagogue in all these different places, right? That's not variance because the foundation is being preached Paul said whom we preach warning every man Christ Jesus I Know nothing, but Christ and him crucified and You know Paul said it circumcision is nothing either uncircumcision but keeping the commandments of God in 1st Corinthians chapter 7 The ones that the commandments that Christ delivered to his disciples So for other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid which is Jesus Christ Now if any man builds upon this foundation gold silver precious stones wood hay stubble So I think the gold silver and precious stones are like humility charity the fruits of the Spirit care and also like what that looks like practically and caring for orphans and widows the fatherless the strangers the Turning the other cheek when reviled when cursed when slandered we bless and return we pray for our enemies That's building on the foundation that is gold silver and precious stones But I believe the wood hay and stubble is this right here I believe it's condemning people For celebrating the birthday and I understand there was all this pagan stuff, right? Yeah, God says several times like in the prophet through the prophet Jeremiah through the prophets Do not be Do not conform do not fashion your life. Even Paul said be not conformed to the world But be transformed by the Rena by the renewing of your mind John said if any man loves the world Which is the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life The love of the father is not in him. And so it's not about Like there's paganism. Yeah, there's there's there's sinful celebrations There's sinful traditions. There's things that are actual sin sins unto death Like bowing before idols or offering your children as a sacrifice in the fire as Worship to God. That's sin That is horrible sin. Okay in the Prophet said don't do like the heathen that are around you don't padding yourselves after then don't Don't conform yourself to them and Paul was saying the same thing. Don't don't conform yourself to the world But it's not conforming yourself to the world to celebrate a birthday Even Jesus's birthday was celebrated. It's not it's not can it's not conforming yourself to this world to To celebrate Jesus's birthday or any birthday or or to if you want to like celebrate the Jewish feast go ahead If you want to call the Lord Yahweh or Yahuwah or whatever Go ahead. I personally like the name Yahweh the eternal self-existent one the I am But it's not a point of variance. It's not a doctrine in my life I'm either better nor the worse if I call the Lord Yahweh. I Appreciate the meaning of that Hebrew name But it's variance friends whenever we Take it to the point of division whenever we're constantly like Posting about it or confront like as if it's something where we actually need to confront somebody Hey, I'm really concerned for you because You're not praying in the name of Yahuwah or Yeshua Or y'all or y'all they or y'all way I I Fear for your soul, you know, because there's no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved so it's like This is a point of variance like you're becoming a stumbling block here. You're gonna create division and strife. You're imposing Something upon others that Jesus himself is not opposing And I understand you're convinced about it because like Acts chapter 4 verse 12, you know There's no other name under heaven even among men by where men must be saved other than Jesus Christ, but that Greek word there is Isis Variance It's a work of the flesh. It's nasty It's hard. It's really hard to get washed from this. It's really hard to change this because We're talking about truth. We're talking about eternity. We're talking about heaven and hell We're talking about walking by faith and not by sight there's it becomes very complicated and we're talking about the conscience and It becomes very it's a very delicate issue and I think this is why Paul followed first followed of Romans chapter 14 chapter 14 with Romans chapter 15 verse 1 he says He then that are strong ought to bear with the infirmities of the flesh and not to please yourself The weakness of the flesh the infirmities of the flesh like those that have a weak conscience They think it's a sin to eat meat or they think it's a sin not to esteem a certain day but Paul says It's not let every man be persuaded in his own mind If you feel like it's like it, you know, it's okay To not just to esteem everyday alike and not to have any holy days in your life If you feel like it's okay to eat meat bear with those that don't Then he goes on to say in verse 3 even Christ pleased not himself Like Jesus says I am meek and I'm lowly I think meekness is it's The strength or the power to bear with the infirmities or the weaknesses of others That's what Jesus did for us. He Came from glory to this dusty earth the sin infested earth and He bore with our weaknesses And I I think that's how we need to be, you know, just so people have a sensitive conscience bear with them love them Don't seek to please yourself But going on here first Corinthians 13 Paul says if any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon he shall receive a reward so like Paul His work was that he planted Apollos. His work was that he watered and Paul says if any man's work shall be burnt. I Mean, he says if any man's work abide abide the fire Which he has built thereupon that is upon the foundation which is Christ He shall receive a reward by Paul the Apostle will receive a reward for planting the church of Corinth if His work which is the church of Corinth Abides the fire if it comes out as gold or silver silver precious stones Paul will receive he will receive a reward for that and So will Apollos for watering then he goes on in verse 15. He says if any man's work shall be burnt He shall suffer loss But he himself shall be saved yet. So is my fire You see Paul is saying if if my work or if Peter's worker for the work of Apollos Shall be burnt he shall suffer loss All my work is destroyed. Why do you think Paul was like weeping like he said in Philippians chapter 3 You know Jeremiah in the Old Testament, he's called the weeping Apostle I'm in the weeping prophet and I I think Paul could be called the weeping Apostle He said I to the Church of Ephesus, you know in Acts chapter 20 I cease not to to warn you with tears night and day that Grievous wolves shall enter among you not sparing the flock to draw people after themselves and they often do that using variance Wolves They they harp upon certain scriptures and maybe certain aspects of history of church history and and they They begin to to compel others to follow them as they follow this point or this doctrine And it generates strife This says discord among brethren and it draws people after themselves because people are sincere. You know, it's the oh the scripture says that Yeah, you know, they're not really established in grace But like they're eating meats that haven't profited with all as it says in Hebrews 13 But when our hearts are established in grace, we won't be tossed to and fro. Well, and we'll throw out that meat man That's variance. I don't want to eat that That ends in death so Paul says right here in Philippians chapter 3. He says brethren No, hold on. He says it. Yeah, he says Brethren be followers together of me and mark them which walk so as you have for us an example He's talking about being an example He doesn't say if you don't follow me, you're gonna go to hell because he knew it was possible to follow Christ Without following him, but he still believes he's following Christ. He's an example He's not saying you're condemned if you don't He's just saying that Mark and mark them which walk so as you have from us an example of what it means to follow Christ There's nothing wrong with that. That's not variance But in verse 18 He says for many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ Whose end is destruction whose God is their belly and whose glory is in their shame who mind earthly things? You see Paul did not want his work to be destroyed. He said in Galatians chapter 3 He says I I truth they'll or I I labor it with birth pains until Christ is formed in you He said Oh foolish Galatians who have bewitched you having begun in the spirit. Shall you now be made perfect in the flesh? You see Paul did not want his work to be lost to be burnt to be destroyed because that is Like it says, you know, there's these Moravians They said may the lamb that is that was slain receive the reward of a suffering Paul wanted the Lamb of God that took away the sins of the world to receive the reward of his suffering he didn't want his work to be burnt by that fire and That work was the Church of Corinth here in 1st Corinthians chapter 3 His work was the Church of Galatians the Church of Ephesus and so forth. And so he's like pleading with the churches in these letters Especially here in 1st Corinthians chapter 3 says For you are carnal Whereas there is among you ending and strife or variance and divisions You know that we just that's what people have done with denominations like Lutheran say they follow Luther and and the Baptists and Presbyterians they follow Calvin and like the The the Roman Catholics they follow the Pope and the Greek Orthodox. They follow these elders or these bishops these higher and these Some bishops. I forget what they're called. But And you have that with like the Methodists, you know They follow John Wesley and like they follow all these different people and they they exalt these people like they're building on the foundation, right a Foundation was laid which is Christ, but they're building other things on it off times and they divide from the body of Christ And so it's not not in every point, you know some things, you know, we got to separate ourselves, you know But we got to separate ourselves from sin so if any man's work Shall be burnt. He shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved So again, Paul is saying that that work is the church He's saying I planted you the Church of Corinth Apollos watered you the Church of Corinth and if our work shall be burnt we shall suffer loss we shall suffer loss, but We'll be saved yet, so it's their fire And so Anyways, I hope this clears some things up. There's a it's a lot to get out but Paul Again, you know in Romans chapter 8 He said to be calmly minded his death but to be spiritually minded his life and peace He said in Romans chapter 8 verse 13 for if we live after the flesh we shall die But if we through the spirit put the death and deeds of the body we shall live Paul was not saying in first Corinthians chapter 3 that We can just you know, if our works are sin We'll suffer loss we'll lose our work, but we'll be safe that's not what he's saying That work is what's being built upon the foundation There were others in the Church of Corinth that were building upon the foundation things that they appreciated about Apollos Peter and Paul and it became a point of division and That is variance and that is a work of the flesh and those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God There's all kinds of variants one of the I'll share this Now I I didn't mean for this but like I used to wear a long robe because I believed in modesty I Believed in modesty and so I was out in the streets witnessing and telling women that they need to be modest and I defined it For them, right? I Defined it for them. So they looked right back at me and they said because I was telling them they should wear dress and you know and and I I Knew a dress was modest, but deep down in my heart. I didn't feel like it was the only thing that you can wear to be modest, but nevertheless, I was teaching this men made an impression upon me and I Those women looked me right back in the face and said if I have to dress how they did in Bible days and you need to also and so to be consistent I began to wear a Long robe and I wore that robe for years like maybe six years Actually started wearing it 2009 and then I stopped because it was causing some division but then that church split and anyways a few years later and I began wearing a tunic again a robe and I Began teaching about it about modesty and the the double standard There's so many conservative churches they harp on modesty for women. There's so many street preachers They harp on modesty for women, but they themselves are wearing whatever they want. That's hypocrisy and I stand behind that that's hypocrisy You need to repent you need to get the log out of your eye if that's what you're doing. Okay? But The Lord has to persuade us all the Lord has to lead us all you know The Spirit of God will guide us into all truth. He'll define modesty. He'll write it upon our hearts And he'll do that for every single one of us I believe if we're truly willing but um So that it became this Modesty male modesty became a point of variance in my life. I didn't say that people would go to hell for not wearing the tunic or robe and I never I would always take communion with people that didn't but The way that they probably felt around me was a little condemned And it's part my fault and part their fault and I've repented from that and by the grace of God I've been saved and washed There's forgiveness in Jesus Christ I am wearing clothes that I think are modest, but don't follow me follow Spirit of God on the inside of you leading you even how to dress because How we dress, you know often reflects like what's inside of our heart, you know, like there's the attire of a harlot the Bible says And there's the attire of base men and so forth. And so anyways, just the Spirit of God has to lead you and Just glean what you can from the scriptures, but just Let it be a blessing and not a curse. Let it be out of love for Jesus and not for doctrine or for variance I'm Trying to think of anything else about variance I'm sure you guys have a lot of ideas or have a lot of experience with Variance, you could probably name a lot. I can normally name a lot. But for some reason right now, it's I Don't have a whole lot coming to my mind but um Yeah, just how to be baptized what name to pray in what name to be baptized in What days are holy what days aren't or if there's any such thing as that maybe like how to keep the Sabbath or what the Sabbath is or There's a certain modes of dress like there's some churches you know that you you have to you can only drive a black car or you can only drive a white car or there's certain standards that become imposed and Fellowship is only extended those who hold to the standard Instead of the Spirit of God living on the inside of them. They have to keep a standard that is man-made There's just a lot of points of variance Shiny buttons, you know or like maybe these buttons like this right here My wife got this shirt for a really good price, but it's a really modest shirt. I like it. It's warm But some people might Condemn me because it's like a pearl button. It's a little snap, you know, these things snap like this But it's got metal and some people think it's wrong to have that it sounds crazy, you know, but It's all over the place some people feel like you can't use electricity some people feel like you can use Power tools battery power tools, but you can't have like electricity wired to your home some people just they They have a certain style of preaching, you know, some people think that you can't tell anybody that Jesus loves them some people think you should never say repent or perish or Friend Fear for your soul, you know, you're you're walking the broad path of destruction. You're on your way to hell Some people think that it's wrong to mention Hill Some people Exalt one method of preaching above the other and you know Those that don't quite get it get this style of preaching They're just kind of like a second-class or maybe they're just off or maybe they're not really Eliminated yet You know variants variants. It's a it's a horrible doctrine. It's it's it's a it's a horrible sin It's an honest again. It's an unnecessary difference unnecessary difference That we make that's often been void of the mind of Christ The weightier matters of the law it generates strife division competition People feel condemned they they feel excluded or just whatever for no reason whatsoever when Jesus accepts them Anyways Other points of variance Boy If women have it can say anything in the church a lot of people feel like because the scripture says first Timothy chapter 2 let a woman keep silence or first Corinthians 14 that let your women keep silence in the churches for it's not predicted for them to speak and first Timothy chapter 2 They don't feel like oh, he's getting into the good stuff. Now. This is what I'm waiting for. It's not a good attitude just It's a serious people, you know, they're They're damning others to hell and damning themselves Because of variance, but it says in first Timothy chapter 2 it says Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection it says in first Corinthians 14 that Well, your women keep silence in the churches. I believe it's verse 33 Verse 34 it says let your women keep silence in the churches for it is not permitted under them to speak But they are commanded to be under obedience as also say it's a law Some people take that so far that like if you if your women are speaking to the churches They're sitting against God And if you agree with that and support that then you're on your way to hell because these are the commandments of the Lord But I got a question for you Do the commandments of God or the commandments of Christ and the Spirit of God disagree Of course not the Spirit that inspired what I just read 1st Corinthians 14 34 and 1st Timothy chapter 2 They agree But as Paul said, you know, we have to rightly divide it like on the Day of Pentecost Do you know what happened on the Day of Pentecost? Peter says this is that which was prophesied by the Prophet Joel This what you're seeing and hearing was prophesied hundreds of years Beforehand by the Prophet Joel. He says I will pour out of my spirit says God upon all flesh Upon the men and the women the men servants the maidservants. Okay, my sons and daughters shall prophesy That's what was happening in the church. So I I Got a question for you Would you condemn those women and those men in that upper room? That were prophesying and the inspiration of the Spirit of God Anyways, just think about it. I don't believe you know, you know, we just got to be careful, you know, because like Deborah was a prophetess and People say oh well the world was a prophetess She she she was a prophetess because there weren't any righteous men in Israel They don't all apostatize from the faith and worship. They are and that May be true in that instance, but you know King Josiah was a righteous man King Josiah and He wanted to inquire of a prophetess I Think her name was holder or held a If you read about it in second Kings, you'll find her name there, but she prophesied And she was a prophetess But you know everything needs to be done a decency in an order and what's important is that a woman doesn't usurp the authority Of the man like first Corinthians chapter 11 verse 3 It says the head of every man is Christ. They had a woman as man and the head of Christ is God That's the divine order So there is an order that were to hold to I believe that Let the Spirit of God lead you let the Spirit of God teach you another point of variance is coming to my mind is that There's churches like the Church of Christ or in a Baptist churches or other conservative churches And I'm not trying to condemn them But it's variance friends. I fear fear souls. It's variance That not to use instruments in worship or in the church meeting Not to use instruments and there's some early Christian writings again this early church idolatry About using instruments like emotionalism and all they say Paul was emotional he was crying and laughing and rejoicing all the time And so was everyone else in the New Testament Come on No, but they weren't using instruments. Well, we don't know that and if they weren't they were persecuted Okay, they were persecuted But it all throughout the Psalms Under the inspiration of the Spirit of God There They were commanded let everything that has breath praise the Lord someone 50 Let him praise him on the heart pray him on the symbols pray him on the loud symbols, right? There's he's worthy to be celebrated. He's worthy of rejoicing Instruments and song and with all the passion and feeling that you have to just lift him up on high and Worship him right and praise him Yes People divide over instruments they will condemn me to hell or make you feel condemned to hell If you allow instruments in your worship or in your church meetings It's really serious Nowhere in the scripture does it say you shall not listen to instruments or you shall not worship me with instruments It says the opposite in the scriptures Trying to think of something else here Y'all feel free to leave comments if you're watching this you got other points of in variance, you know just List them, you know, it's good. It's good. You know, let's get free from variance I've been free, you know, just getting purged from variance in my heart of my life. I just There's grace for that but uh, I am You know some people take Cleanly, they say cleanliness is godliness you know that like They'll judge somebody based upon How clean their car is or how clean their home is or how clean their lawn is they'll judge somebody based upon that I Think it's wise if you feel like somebody's a glutton or they're overeating or they're just slothful and lazy I think it's wise, you know Like if you have love in your heart and in a meekness you you want to go to them Well first pray for them pray Lord like hear from God if he should even like trouble their conscience at all whatsoever about it Maybe they're sleeping because they don't hardly sleep or or they got some condition or whatever it is Maybe they're eating, you know a little more because that's just all you're seeing at that time Thank you sister Tasha. That's a good point there. That's a good good one to mention there But yeah, it's like You know just be careful You know, like we read about all these holy men we read about these revivalist You know where these powerful movements of God happened throughout the earth and we want to imitate it And so what we do we study their lives. Well this person, you know, they did they dedicated the first two hours four hours of their lives to pray They would lock themselves in the closet and so somebody reads that and you know being zealous and sincere You know and out of love for Jesus, you know, they start doing that and they lock themselves in the closet They have some experience perhaps or a breakthrough they start compelling everybody to do it as if it's the way to holiness as if it's the nearer way that leads to life as If like you don't do this, you're outside the kingdom. You're just lukewarm Yeah, a lot of people. That's a good one brother Sean KJV only Tosh to sister Tasha Mentioned speaking in tongues. I'll move on to this and the speaking in tongues, you know Some people say that if you don't speak in tongues, you're going to hell or that you're not born again The Paul said do all speak in tongues not everybody spoke in tongues and Jesus said in in in my name believers shall cast out devils. They shall the hands of the sick. They shall recover They say they shall speak with new tongues. That's true that that that's what believer. That's the believers life Believers experience these things the the life of the believer ought to be miraculous It ought to be miraculous. You know, there's salvation is a miracle faith is a miracle I I was addicted to drugs horribly and I was safe from it, you know I was a slave to sin. I did every drug through a needle every drug my teenagers will actually till 20 years old In 2001 God powerfully saved me another other story here but um speaking in tongues one There's a I forgot what the name of that movement was. It's a really really popular movement It's they said of English some guy in England. I forgot what it was. He's Really popular, but I met some of these people they were saying that if you don't speak in tongues that you're not really saved You're not really born again It's dangerous very dangerous Another thing is the brother Sean was saying I'm gonna get to it. Oh, there it is Oh KJV only yeah some people, you know They're KJV only they believe that if you read for many of their Bible you preach from other Bible or Something other than the King James Version You're damned you're lost or you're a second-class citizen of the kingdom of God or you're not yet illuminated yet Or are you reading the nearly inspired version as they call the NIV, but I remember when I was born again in 2001 my sister gave me an NIV Bible and when I read it it was life to me When I read the book of Acts for the first time my heart was so on fire I just wanted to live that way. I wanted to give myself completely sacrificially for the love of Jesus So like yeah, it's serious People condemn others to hell for reading and preaching from other Bibles or from not Taking the position that the King James Version is the inspired Word of God and all others are counterfeits That's I have a problem with that. I think Jesus has a problem with that. I think that's very I think that those who practice such things want to inherit the kingdom of God But if you want to suggest that the King James Version Is a more accurate or whatever, you know, and you've done your research You got to do your research You don't want to spend your life just researching things like this because we want to be sitting at the feet of Jesus That's what we want to do. We want to hear from him on a daily basis That's what we need man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God We just get tossed to and fro by all these winds of doctrine but all this variance people compelling us with this scripture and that scripture this movement or this Historical thing or whatever it is and we just out of fear and sincerity of heart or just you know Give our lives to just researching all this information Rather than sitting at the feet of Jesus and hearing from our Lord the word that we need to hear from him today Another point of variance. I can't see who it is, but They say if you don't believe in the preacher of rapture Yeah, there's a lot of people that damn others about the end time doctrines. There's many divisions. There's Preterism, there's partial preterism full preterism. There's pre trip post trip all these different things But like John said in 1st John chapter 3, he said behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us He's calling the church to behold that What manner of love that the Father has bestowed upon us that we shall be called children of God? And he says brethren it has not yet been revealed what we shall be but we know that when he is Revealed we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is and every man that has this hope Inside of him purifies himself as he is pure. That's the blessed. Hope friends. Jesus is returning someday That's what I believe If you're a preterist, you don't believe that But I'm not a preterist and I don't care if you are I mean I Some people may not like me for this. I'll probably lose some friends but man, I just I try to like listen to what people say and And really try to like lay aside my preconceived notions and I tried to like You know and it's kind of like the doctrine of the Godhead, you know that there's an Arianism, you know The Jesus is only the Son of God He's not God. He's just the Son of God and then there's The Athanasius Creed or the Nicene Creed where Jesus is God a very God true light of true light and all these things and then there's the other one at Sabelian ism or Oneness where Jesus is the father. He is a son. He is a spirit modalism Whatever you want to call it, but like I've researched into that also and it's like man It's just like all these scriptures, you know, you have like Jesus is called the Everlasting Father the wonderful counselor You know all these different things. He's called the Everlasting Father, right? Okay, he's called that way What does it matter? Okay, can you call him that can you call Jesus the Everlasting Father? Can you say what the Prophet Isaiah? Call and call it. Can you call him the Everlasting Father? I can But he's not the father. He's a son Yeah, he's the Son of God. I agree with that. Also, I Agree with what the scripture says, I believe that Jesus had a real relationship with his father he said He said in John chapter 8 verse 29 He said he who sent me is with me the father the father has not left me alone So it was possible for the father to leave him alone Otherwise Jesus makes no sense when he says that So it's like the father has not left me alone for I always do those things that please him not myself So I accept that I don't accept all these other views I believe it's variance variance variance. It's a work of the flesh people have been excommunicated for hundreds of years from for millennia's for nearly two millenniums over this issue And I think the heart of Jesus is broken and grieved because there's all the strife and division When the church could be unified in Christ In whom dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily, what does that mean? The Spirit of God teach just accept what the scripture says accept that the Bible is the inspired Word of God that that these men and And that wrote these scriptures were moved by the Spirit of God as Peter said, you know and to write what they wrote And just accept it as the truth, even if you don't understand it You don't you don't have to tell people that yeah. Yeah. Yeah. This is the way it is and people It's kind of like this right here, you know This right here is oneness There's no white in this is there this is this is this metal ring here. It's metal But if you know if somebody said they look at all the scriptures and they say Jesus is the Father the Son of the Holy Spirit but other people say now there's some white in there Jesus there's a difference between the Father and the Son there's a distinction Jesus is not the Father the Father is not the Son and the Son is not the Father or the Spirit and so forth But people divide over this stuff just such to accept all the scriptures if you can't call Jesus the Everlasting Father I think something's wrong If you can't call Jesus the Son of God or say that he had a real relationship with his father somebody that was distinct from himself I think something's wrong We should let the scriptures be the scriptures Even if we don't have to figure it all out We know what's written on our heart and that's what's important is that there's something there that Jesus himself was put If we don't have that we have nothing, you know Paul says circumcision avails nothing either uncircumcision but a new creature Are you a new creature? That's what's important. I think that's good. Oh the atonement here. Okay, so somebody brings it with the atonement I don't know who that is. Okay, so There's different views of the atonement You know, the atonement is there's the the ransom model of the atonement. There's a satisfaction model of the atonement it would take so long to cover all these points of variance and stuff, but just What's important is that we really accept the scriptures? What they say we don't try to change it to make it fit our doctrine because that's variance We're varying ever so much by degrees from what is the truth by adding to it or taking away? It's an unnecessary difference. And so I think there's stuff in the atonement that must be clarified I have a really strong opinion about it So when it comes to the doctrine of the atonement, it's like one of these things I think we got to be really careful Because we don't want to put words in the mouth of God we don't want to put words in the mouth of Scripture I agree with everything the Bible says about the atonement what it says But I don't agree with what men teach about it because there's a lot of words a lot of stuff. That's been added to it So now that maybe maybe we could do that another time so it's like The atonement let the Spirit of God lead you Just stop following all these men, you know, that's what Paul's saying, you know, like I I'm nothing Apollos is nothing and we're just God's servants. You are God's husband. You're your God's building Stop following men Just Allow the Spirit of God to teach you if somebody's teaching a man take from that if God is teaching a man Take from that man what God has taught him Let's stop following men And so with the atonement, that's that's just there's so much that could be said about that We'd have to examine all these different scriptures. But what's important is that we don't add to it or take it away Lord bless you all. Thank you for participating Grace and peace to you Love you