Lets start with a definition here:
THE CHURCH The word church has nothing to do with a building made of construction materials. It does not have walls or a roof. It is not an incorporated state entity* which 99+% of "churches" are. The Church are the people of God as a group period. It can be made up of numbers of millions or just one. We have, in our language made the building and now "organized or incorporated" group of people with a building, "the church". It might be the Church's building but it is not the Church. The Church in God's eyes is a proper name not a noun. It would be like saying I am an American. The Church is alive. Yet it has "dead " members that still live , just not on this planet at this time. It is you and I. It doesn't need a building, it doesn't have to have a pastor or elders it doesn't even have to have regularly scheduled meetings. If I am wrong show it to me, not by Webster's Dictionary or by doctrines of men or tradition but by the Word. I will bet you can't. If someone says to me "Lets go to church". They degrade me, because I am the Church! That would be like saying "Lets go to Steve". That's stupid I am Steve and unless I am schizophrenic there is no need for it.
Mark 7:13 actually says that we can nullify the Word of God just by following traditions!
"thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that."New American Standard Bible (©1995)
You and I can invalidate and make weak the Word of God (that is described as "quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword" or we might say today "quick and powerful more explosive than an atom bomb") by just living like we always have or accepting the traditions that were handed down to us. There are people and ideas that we need "come out from and be ye separate".
Why is this important you ask? Next time....
* A group that is incorporated is an entity of the state that it has its incorporation in lets say it is Kentucky. By doing the incorporation the organized group of believers is asking for protection from the state in which it resides. The protection comes to the organization and its officers. The last time I checked God was to be our protector! I seem to remember a time in Israel's history when they asked for Egypt's protection and God was not to pleased with them. My how our actions can show where our trust really is. This incorporation also leaves the organized group open to judgments and interference for the judiciary branch of our government. There are several judges opinions and verdicts which bears this out.
