I remember when I was 5 years old, life was one big game of ‘follow-the-leader’. I was the youngest person for about 4 blocks. The other kids were 2 to 10 years older than me. That age gap had some serious advantages and, yes, it also had major drawbacks. I was an only child but they treated me like I was their baby brother, even to this day we’re like family. They made me feel like I belonged and I was happy to be with them. Having big brothers and sisters was GREAT! What they did, I did or at least tried. I followed them blindly without question. (Thanks be to God they were good people! Don’t try that today!) Everything they did looked cool! But still sometimes I followed them to my own hurt. We had a neighbor who had a Mulberry Tree. Those mulberries were sweeter than candy. My friends would jump the fence and get them. They wouldn’t let me go because they said I was too small and too slow. I wanted those berries when they weren’t around, so I climbed the fence only to find out why I was too small and too slow! The owner of the house caught me. He considered my berry picking as a crime. But I was just following everybody else. They didn’t want me to get in trouble but that’s what happens when follow the leader, if the leader goes into a ditch, you know what happens to the followers.
Now I am an adult and I have put away those childish things. You know follow the leader, or trying to do things just because someone else did it. But have I? It wasn’t until 13 years ago that I stopped playing ‘Follow-The-Leader’ in my spiritual life and started Following the Leader. But I didn’t even know I was following people. The sad part is I sincerely believed I was following God.
FYI a person be sincere and be in error.
It’s amazing how people can twist the scripture! Make it mean whatever they want it to mean. In Psalm 56 the writer tells us they twist his words. Now I ask myself and others the simple questions, “What’s the plain meaning of the text and does any complex meaning agree or disagree with the plain meaning?”
Did you know ‘Rapture’ is nowhere in the Bible? So, they have pre-rapture, mid-rapture, post-rapture doctrines all based on the word ‘rapture’ that’s nowhere in the Bible. Did you know going to heaven when you die is not in the Bible either? Yet I knew so many people who do believe that death people ‘join the heavenly choir’ and ‘get wings’. Neither teachings are supported by Scripture. These two teachings are nowhere in the Bible based on original languages Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. I remember celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, in the 7th month of the year! That’s not what the Bible says. It’s The Seventh Month! So no, it’s not just Christianity.
The prophet Isaiah warned us but we always think he’s talking about those other people.
For the leaders of this people cause [them] to err; and [they that are] led of them [are] destroyed. Isaiah 9:16
The palmist said they made a ditch for others but fell in it themselves, Psalm 7:15 Jesus rephrased it with more detail blind leaders leading blind people all go in a ditch Matthew 15:14. By the way the ditch is a grave. It’s a mass grave in most cases.
The New Testament writer Paul told the people of Corinth to ‘Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith…’ 1 Corinthians 13:5
So often this is read Examine yourselves, whether you are in the ‘denomination’. And if you disagree with a denomination, well we all know what that means to not follow a denomination… ex-communication! Heathen!
Sha’ul, Paul’s Hebrew name, (by the way he never changed his name, see Acts 13:9) is not telling us to see if we are following the Sadducees, the Essenes, or the Pharisees, and Paul was a Pharisee (he never converted, see Acts 23:6, 26:5 and Philippians 3:5). Remember the Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant, Jehovah Witness, Mormon Church’s didn’t exist, nor did Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Hebrew Roots, or Messianic religions. The faith he is telling us to examine is the same as what Isaiah warned that we had strayed from in Isaiah 9:16. Yeshua said, ‘Search the scriptures…’ John 5:39.
Yeshua or Jesus didn’t come to bring a new religion. In the book of Acts, Stephen and Jesus are both accused of turning people away from the instruction God gave to Moses. The accusations were false. The people didn’t want to hear truth. Their attitude was, “We’re gonna give you a fair trial, Boy. Then we go’n stone ya’!” See Acts 6 and 7. Stephen was willing to follow The Leader all the way to the grave.
How do you know if you are following the Leader or playing follow-the-denomination? Jesus said that his sheep know his voice and a stranger they won’t follow see John 10. He always points to Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.
What were Yeshua’s customs and traditions? What were His teachings? Let’s examine ourselves and see if we’re walking according to the Bible or a denomination.
“Come to Me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I shall give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your beings. For My yoke is gentle and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:22-30 Words of Yeshua Hamashiach (Jesus the Anointed One or the Christ).
When we come to Him as he said then we are staying with Him. We are living like Him. We are following Him. He said, “all you who labour and are burdened, and I shall give you rest” Well guess what, if you aren’t those “who labour and are burdened” the rest is for you as well.
Consider your faith. What is it based in? The teachings of men which change with the times. (The teachings of men are changed more often than a pamper on newborn.) However, the Word of God does not change.
Every word of God is tried; He is a shield unto them that take refuge in Him.
Add thou not unto His words, Lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Proverbs 30:5-6
Coming out of Egypt, we had to follow the Cloud. Where the Cloud went, the people went. One God, One People, One Torah.
Whose leading do you follow? What is the proof?
Torah Road 