Lately, while reading information about Denominational churches other than those which are Word of Faith, I have noticed very large amounts of traditions and rituals in their beliefs highly contradictory to the Word of God. Tradition is a huge problem in the Body of Christ, even if it lines up with the Scripture. The reason is that people have a tendency to (1) get too comfortable doing things a certain way and close themselves off to doing anything else, and (2) they get so accustomed to it, even if it is right, that they do it for the sole reason that that’s “what they do”. This can be especially true with going to church every Sunday morning. That isn’t wrong in and of itself, but people can get into the flow of going to Sunday church because they feel like they have to, not because they want to receive anything from the Lord. If you don’t do something with a willing heart, you would have been better off not having done it at all. Only the willing and obedient eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19).
However, I do NOT wish to give the impression that doing something right when you don’t want to do it is wrong. Do you think that our troops want to go out and fight in a war every time they are called? Absolutely not! Are they doing it with an unwilling heart? No. There is a difference between not wanting to do something and doing something with an unwilling heart. Doing right with a willing heart means putting aside your desires and realizing that, in the end, what you are doing has value. Doing right with an unwilling heart means complaining and pouting and feeling sorry for yourself.
Another thing I have been extremely irritated by is all the commotion about titles, especially the calling of a peer “Father”. This is directly disobedient to the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 23:8, 9, and 10-”But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your master, even Christ.” That is why pastors in the Word of Faith doctrine are almost always called “Brother so-and-so”. Are they pastors? Yes. Are they “Pastor so-and-so”? No (Rabbi was the equivalent of a pastor in the older times). In some other churches today, you see people being called “Father so-and-so” or “Pastor so-and-so”, and it grieves me quite heavily because of it’s complete and utter disobedience to the Master. We have only one Father and one Master, God Himself.
