Now that God has opened my eyes to the Order of Adam I read the teachings of Jesus differently.
I see that Jesus came teaching people how to return to the Father. He taught them to seek God directly, to pray to the Father, to do the will of the Father, and to bear fruit in their own lives. He did not teach that an institution would bring people back to God. He taught that a person must hear His words and do them (Matthew 7:24-27).
Jesus Pointed People to the Father
Jesus said the first commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself. He said all the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. That is the Order of Adam in its simplest form, loving God, loving your fellowman, living rightly, and doing what God asks (Matthew 22:37-40, Mark 12:29-31).
Jesus taught people to pray to the Father directly. He did not say they had to go through a priestly institution to speak with God. He said to go into the secret place and pray to the Father, and the Father who sees in secret would reward openly. Then He gave the prayer, "Our Father," teaching His disciples to speak to God themselves (Matthew 6:6-13).
Jesus said true worship was not centered in one mountain or one religious place, but that true worshippers would worship the Father in spirit and in truth. This is a very important teaching because it takes worship back to the direct relationship between God and His children (John 4:21-24).
Jesus continually pointed to the Father. He said He did nothing of Himself, but only what He saw the Father do. He said the words He spoke were not His own, but the Father's. So the Messiah Himself showed the pattern of worshiping God directly and living by revelation from the Father (John 5:19, John 7:16-17, John 8:28-29, John 12:49-50).
Jesus Taught the Older Order
Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God had come near. He did not make the center of His message a church organization. He taught the Kingdom of God, repentance, righteousness, mercy, forgiveness, and return to the Father (Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:14-15, Luke 17:20-21).
Jesus connected His teaching to Abraham. When men claimed Abraham as their father, Jesus said, "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham." That is a wonderful key. If we want the blessings of Abraham, we must do the works of Abraham. Abraham worshiped God directly, received revelation, built altars, governed his house, and taught his children after him (John 8:39, Genesis 18:19).
Jesus also taught that many would come from the east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom. That tells me the work of the Messiah is tied to the fathers. It is not a new institutional religion cut off from Adam and the patriarchs. It is the return to the family order God gave from the beginning (Matthew 8:11, Luke 13:28-29).
Jesus taught marriage and family by going back before Moses, back to the beginning. When He was asked about divorce, He did not begin with later religious rulings. He said, "from the beginning it was not so." That is how the Messiah taught. He took people back to the original order God gave (Matthew 19:3-8, Mark 10:2-9).
Jesus blessed children and said the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. He did not push children away into a religious system. He placed them in the middle and blessed them. The family is always close to the heart of His teaching (Matthew 19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16, Luke 18:15-17).
Jesus taught that truth is known by fruit. He said a good tree brings forth good fruit and a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. This is how I see the miracle of the Bible also. Even though institutions compiled, translated, and preserved the writings, truth still came through, and when a person lives the teachings God confirms them by the fruit (Matthew 7:15-20, Luke 6:43-45).
Jesus Sent Witnesses, Not Rulers
Jesus called disciples from ordinary life. He called fishermen, tax collectors, and others who were willing to follow Him. He did not require formal religious education before they could become His disciples. He said, "Follow me," and those who were willing left what they were doing and followed (Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 9:9, Mark 1:16-20).
Jesus sent the apostles out as messengers. The word apostle means one who is sent. He sent them to preach, heal, cast out evil, baptize, and teach people to keep what He had commanded. I do not see Him setting up an institution in the way men later built institutions. I see Him sending witnesses to carry the teaching to families and nations (Matthew 10:1-8, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-16, Luke 10:1-9, John 20:21).
Jesus taught that leadership among His followers was to be the opposite of worldly rule. He said the rulers of the Gentiles exercise authority over people, but it must not be that way among His disciples. Whoever would be great must be a servant. That is not the spirit of institutional power. That is the spirit of family, service, and love (Matthew 20:25-28, Mark 10:42-45, Luke 22:24-27).
Jesus warned against religious titles and men setting themselves above others. He said not to be called Rabbi, for one is your teacher and you are all brethren. He said not to call any man your father on the earth in that religious ruling sense, for one is your Father, who is in heaven. He said the greatest among you shall be your servant (Matthew 23:8-12).
The Messiah and Remembrance
Jesus taught His disciples to remember Him with bread and wine. This was a simple sacred meal, given among those close to Him, pointing to His body and blood. It was not presented as an institutional ceremony owned by a church, but as remembrance of Him and His redeeming work (Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:14-20).
Jesus said His sheep hear His voice. This is very important. He did not say His sheep only know Him because an institution tells them. He said they hear His voice and follow Him. That is direct communication. That is God teaching His children (John 10:3-5, John 10:14-16, John 10:27).
So when I read the teachings of Jesus now, I see the Order of Adam everywhere. I see the Messiah calling people back to the Father, back to direct worship, back to family, back to the works of Abraham, and back to the fruit that comes when a person actually does what God asks.
Gratitude for Sincere People
I also want to say very clearly that I am grateful for the good people inside institutions. I am grateful for those who sacrificed, suffered, translated, preserved, printed, carried, and taught the Bible. Without the Bible the world would have lost so much light. It is a miracle to me that so much truth came through.
I am also grateful that I was born into one religion, because through it I was introduced to God and to the teachings of the Messiah. After that I spent over forty years in another religion, and during those years I associated with many people who sincerely sought God and received blessings from Him and brought about much good. I felt the direction and presence of God many times. I cannot deny that. God worked with me there, as He works with sincere people everywhere.
So I am not writing this to condemn the sincere people in churches, or to deny the good that has come through them. Institutions were not the plan from the beginning, but God has still used them to introduce many people to Him, and I am grateful for that. They have blessed people, and at times they have also limited them. Both things are true. The lovely thing is that God keeps reaching for His children wherever they are.
Many people will reject this. I understand that. I am not trying to force anyone to see what I see. I only want to share what God has opened to me, and if others have been seeking Him with all their heart, maybe they will recognize the same voice in the teachings of Jesus.