Matt 15:8 "This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart stays far away from Me; (9) But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings the commandments of men." (11) It is not that which enters into the mouth that defiles the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.
The Lord does not care for outward rituals or regulations; He cares only for inward reality. Because the Lord cares for inward reality, we are not concerned about the outward way of having our meetings. It means very little whether the meeting is loud or quiet. We care only for the inward experience of Christ, for inward reality. It is an insignificant matter whether our hands are dirty [Matt. 15:2] ; it is the condition of our inward parts that is important. Those who follow the traditions may honor the Lord outwardly with their lips, but their heart is far away from God. The outward practice of the traditions seemingly is for God. Actually, however, the inward being of so many who follow the traditions is not for God. Do you believe the majority of Christians observe Christmas for God? Apparently they may be; actually, in the practice of Christmas, the heart of many is not for the Lord. Tradition is a matter of utterance from the lips without reality in the heart. Verse 9 says, "But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings the commandments of men." This reveals that some worship to God may be in vain. The main cause of this is the teaching of the commandments of men. We must worship God according to His word, which is the truth.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Matthew, pp. 538-539. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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