How do Christendom's Religious leaders fail their flocks?
Of course there are a variety of Religions on our earth today, all claiming to be teachers of God's Word, and appointed to do such. According to them! There are, at, last count, 2. 1 Billion Christians, as well as 1.1 Billion Catholics. The leaders of the Cahtholic Church, being the Pope's who claim to be the Vicar or representatives of the Christ. Along with those, a variety of others, of one faith or another, all claiming special appointments too numerous to mention. The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses though, exalting themselves over all of the stated aforementioned. In opposition to all others, by thier high and lofty claims. Of being "God's Organization." "God's Channel of Communication." "The Spirit Directed Organization of Jehovah God." "The Faithful Slave." "The anointed Brothers of Christ." "The Temple Class." Lifting themselves high above all of the others, by telling their converts, "To listen to us as though you were listening to the voice of God." "To them only the Bible is not a sealed Book." "No one can understand the Bible apart from them." "They are the only place of safety." Their "Watchtower Magazine is Jehovah's Principle teaching instrument." While in contrast to that the Bible tells us, that it is Jehovah's Holy Spirit that is his principle teaching instrument in the hands of the Christ. What is it though that all of these self appointed ones are missing? While claiming to be the only way of approach to the Father? Obviously there is something very seriously wrong with their claims. They all, although it shouldn't be too hard to comprehend, are overlooking something of a very serious nature.
All of them, either knowingly, or unknowingly are in actuality taking over the seat that belongs only to the Christ. You may be wondering, just how that could be? I'll go to explain. Or rather Paul will:
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all—[this is] what is to be witnessed to at its own particular times."{1 Timothy 2:5-7 NWT}
Does it not make sense that if we wish to approach the Father, we must do that through his appointed mediator? Did Jesus himself tell us anything about that? We'll see, he certainly did, as John will show, writing the words of Jesus:
Jesus said to him: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." {John14:6 NWT}
Now, we may think that we can go into one of Christendom's Churchs, either Catholic, Protestant or any other denomination and approach the Father through those means. If you think that you're sadly mistaken. Why? Because we must first gain approach to the Christ, ever before we can approach the Father. That cannot be done through any of the Churchs of Christendom, Watchtower Society included. There's no other way, but ONE! Who would know how to do that better than Jesus would? Look what he has to tell us about this:
"No man can come to me
unless the Father, who sent me, draws him; and I will resurrect him in the last day." {John 6:44 NWT}
Jesus has here told us, that there's only one way of approach to him, and that way is, the Father must draw us to the Son, if for any reason the Father does not do this drawing,we are eternally lost, and doomed, because there is no other way than the way Jehovah chooses it to be done. We may try to climb up some other way, but it simply cannot be done, no matter how hard we may try. Jesus made this very clear with the following words of his:
"Most truly I say to YOU, He that does not enter into the sheepfold through the door but climbs up some other place, that one is a thief and a plunderer. 2 But he that enters through the door is shepherd of the sheep. 3 The doorkeeper opens to this one, and the sheep listen to his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has got all his own out, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will by no means follow but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers." 6 Jesus spoke this comparison to them; but they did not know what the things meant that he was speaking to them.
7 Therefore Jesus said again: "Most truly I say to YOU, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All those that have come in place of me are thieves and plunderers; but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the door; whoever enters through me will be saved, and he will go in and out and find pasturage. 10 The thief does not come unless it is to steal and slay and destroy. I have come that they might have life and might have it in abundance. 11 I am the fine shepherd; the fine shepherd surrenders his soul in behalf of the sheep. 12 The hired man, who is no shepherd and to whom the sheep do not belong as his own, beholds the wolf coming and abandons the sheep and flees—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them— 13 because he is a hired man and does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the fine shepherd, and I know my sheep and my sheep know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I surrender my soul in behalf of the sheep.
Aside from being the ONE Mediator, Jesus is also the Door of the Sheepfold. It is he is the Fine Shepherd, and all of the Sheep belong to only him because he laid down his very life for all of them. All of Christendom's Church Leaders are thieves and plunderers, who really do not care for the sheep. If danger threatened any of them, they would flee, as Jesus said they would do because they do not really care about the Sheep.
Just as Jesus knows his sheep, his Father also knows those that belong to him; only these ones will be drawn to his Son thereby giving them free access to him:
"For all that, the solid foundation of God stays standing, having this seal: "Jehovah knows those who belong to him," and: "Let everyone naming the name of Jehovah renounce unrighteousness." {2 Timothy 2:19 NWT}
We all have choices to make! Do we follow the fine Sheherd, entering through the Door of the sheepfold, or do we try to climb up some other way, by associating ourselves with the self appointed Religious Leaders of Christendom's vast array of Churches, whose leaders are nothing more than thieves and plunderers, who themselves don't understand the Book they claim to teach? They don't understand the words of Jesus at Matthew 11:28-30 Which words are:
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28 Come to me, all YOU who are toiling and loaded down, and I will refresh YOU. 29 Take my yoke upon YOU and learn from me, for I am mild-tempered and lowly in heart, and YOU will find refreshment for YOUR souls. 30 For my yoke is kindly and my load is light." {Matthew 11:28-30 NWT}
Are we to imagine Jesus uttered those words for nothing, to no purpose? He meant what he said: "Come to Me!" "Learn from me." "I am the Fine Shepherd!" I am the Door to the sheepfold." "I am the one who laid down my life for you all." Yet over him, you will choose to follow theives and plunderers?
How do we learn from him today, since he's not on this earth? How do we follow the fine shepherd, and learn from him?
The same way that Paul and all the Apostles did after his acsension; Paul will tell us how to do that:
11 "For I put YOU on notice, brothers, that the good news which was declared by me as good news is not something human; 12 for neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught [it], except through revelation by Jesus Christ." {Galatians 1:11,12 NWT
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"YOU have heard about the stewardship of the undeserved kindness of God that was given me with YOU in view, 3 that by way of a revelation the sacred secret was made known to me, just as I wrote previously in brief." {Ephesians 3:3 NWT}
33 "Therefore because he was exalted to the right hand of God and received the promised holy spirit from the Father, he has poured out this which YOU see and hear."{Acts 2:33 NWT} {Revelation 1:1,2} {John 14:15-17,26;15:26,27:16:13} {1 John 2:27}
Paul as well as all of the other Apostles never received their teaching from any human source, after the ascension of the Christ they received them by means of Revelations from the invisible Spirit realm. What Jesus did then he can do now, if we follow the fine shepherd, and enter through the door of the sheepfold. "One Mediator between man and God," means just what it says, we go through the one mediator, or we don't go!
All of the preceding is what Christendom's Religious Leaders do not teach their Flocks. They do not teach it because they do not know it to teach it; but even if they did, would they teach it? Absolutely Not! That would mean the end of their free ride, and their luxurious lifestyles, living off the backs of their flocks.
They don't go, in and they do not allow their flocks to go in. These final words of Jesus can be laid on the doorstep of the entire empire of Religion on this earth today:
13 "Woe to YOU, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because YOU shut up the kingdom of the heavens before men; for YOU yourselves do not go in, neither do YOU permit those on their way in to go in." {Matthew 23:13,14 NWT} What is their eventual fate? note the following:
15 "Woe to YOU, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because YOU traverse sea and dry land to make one proselyte, and when he becomes one YOU make him a subject for Ge·hen´na twice as much so as yourselves." {Matthew 23:15 NWT}
Both Religious teacher and student are slated for Ge-hen'na! {Matthew 25:41} The Religious Leaders have failed to teach the Truth, because they didn't know the Truth, their adherents didn't care, that they didn't know the Truth, because they couldn't stand to listen to the Truth, anyway. {John 8:43,45} Wannabe