Modern Church Practices Not Found in the Teachings of Jesus Christ in the Four Gospels

by Van Robison

1. Altar calls.
2. Taking up money offerings in church.
3. Advertising in news sources for "qualified" pastors.
4. Advertising for "youth" pastors.
5. Tithing to your local church.
6. Ordaining deacons.
7. Controlling the followers of Jesus Christ with church lordship.
8. The word "church" is not found in the original New Testament language, but is universal in "Christianity".
9. Jesus said "call no man master", yet pastors are practically worshiped as masters by Christians.
10. Believing that leaders who have titles such as pastors, senior pastors, reverend pastors, and doctor pastors are "experts" of truth, and thought of by many church goers as almost "infallible", yet in the world of churches, the divisions are endless.
11. That our purpose on earth and the best God has to offer human beings is to "go to church".
12. Wearing special clothing for Sunday church services.
13. Wearing priestly garb and neck collars by preachers, to make them appear to be in a "special" class of people.
14. Placing soft cushioned seats on the stage for the church elite rulers, because they are "first" class, while all the sheep sit in pews.
15. Reserving special parking spots for the church clergy to park in.
16. Giving pastors financial compensation plans to "serve" as pastor, including medical, dental, retirement, housing, autos, and more.
17. Financing the building of physical church buildings.
18. Marketing books, cd's, videos, t-shirts, and other paraphernalia in the church houses, at camp meetings, and at "revivals", and "crusades".
19. Enlisting in government control of churches through 501c3 non-profit status. (Hint--you cannot serve God and mammon, and either Jesus Christ is the Head of the Body, or human government is the head).
20. Making people live in fear of so called "prophets", "prophetesses", "apostles", and leaders with exalted titles.
21. Saying "God said", or "God told me", or "The Holy Spirit just told me", and using phrases like these, to make people think that they cannot question, or discern spirits, or test spirits, or challenge what leaders say, and; whether they be of God, even though we are told to "prove all things", "search the scriptures", and to "beware of false prophets", and that "MANY will come in my name (Jesus Christ), saying I am Christ, but deceive many".

The list of church traditions which are universal in the world of churches, clergy, church organizations, church schools and colleges, and church related organizations is endless. This particular listing of church traditions is common in the world of "Christianity", but NONE of which were ever taught by Jesus Christ Himself, in the four Gospels. The teachings of the apostle Paul are a different subject matter to this article. Virtually all church institutions justify their beliefs, their actions, their works, and their existence with supposed evidence from God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, the apostle Paul, revelation, "prophecy", dreams, visions, or some supernatural Jesus Christ or God ordained calling.

The name of Jesus Christ is used by countless pastors, priests, Christians, organizations, schools, and human beings to justify whatever they do, whatever they teach, whatever they believe, even when many of those doings, teachings, and beliefs, are not found in any of the teachings of Jesus Christ in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John of the New Testament.