Jeremiah
32:27 -
"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of
all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?"
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To start with, Christianity is not so much a religion as it is the “lack of religion”. Meaning, with his death on the cross, Christ nullified the 613 laws of Moses. Where there is no law, there is no violation. Romans 4:14 - For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified;Romans 4:15 - for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of religion: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices. The key word above is "institutionalized". Christianity should "not" be considered an institution, it is a "relationship". Although Jesus never condemned even one sinner while here on earth, he repeatedly condemned the religious leaders. (and will again) When Jesus set us free, he set us free from all of that. However, letting go of laws and tradition, and replacing them with faith, was very hard to do then, just as it is today. Ask any preacher standing behind any pulpit and they will tell you that "God is their Father". When the Pharisees told Jesus the same thing, this was Jesus` reply to them. John 8:44 - "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.John 8:45 - "But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. (I know exactly what he meant)What Jesus offered in place of the law, was a personal relationship with him and with the father, through him. People don't seem to notice, or care, that today in 2009, one can barely distinguish the difference between the internal structure of the modern day Christian Church, and that of the Temple in 33 AD. Complete with it's hierarchy, traditions and laws. The same things Jesus continuously reprimanded. The difference is, we had never referred to God as "our father" in a personal way, until Jesus made that possible, starting only since the new covenant in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, they might have said metaphorically, that God is like a Father, but they never called God “Father” in the very personal way that Jesus instructed us to do so. Before, we could only worship God, and try to please him through the strict keeping of laws and rules. Now, his son Jesus has adopted us as a literal "part of the family". So much so, that we now refer to God as "our father". It is now a "personal relationship" with God. Your personal relationship with God is “everything”, but, there are numerous branches and offshoots of religion that tend to lead people astray by the tens of thousands. They do this by teaching the same things the Pharisees did when Jesus walked the earth. These teachings separated men from God then, and still do today. Matthew 23:28 - "So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.You can easily recognize these teachings if you look for them. If you receive any message apart from the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ, it is not from Christ! If the message is laced with laws, rules and formulas that "You" must do, or not do, to be saved, then find someone preaching the "True" gospel. Putting your faith in the law and a set of rules, takes salvation out of Christ's hands and puts it in yours! Salvation is "Not" in your hands! Nothing you do, will gain you entrance into heaven. You are saved by the grace of God, believing in his son, and accepting him, PERIOD! For this reason above all else, you should love him! Although the Christian Church came from very humble beginnings, many branches of it have evolved more to resemble a clone of the Temple of 33 AD, complete with priests in flowing robes, people getting rich selling the word of God, and laws and rules to follow or be forever damned. (Tithe or God will curse you, don't drink or smoke or you'll go to hell etc...) When Jesus said: “The gate is narrow and only a few will enter” (heaven) I believe that statement was meant literally. Having a personal relationship with God, literally “is” the most important thing you can do, but preachers don't preach it and people don't seek it.
Jesus made this
incredibly easy for us, but man has made this incredibly hard! How do you have
a personal relationship with God? Simply by talking to him and talking to him
allot. I'm not talking about praying on your knees for hours until they bleed, using allot of
fancy eloquent words, I mean simply talking to him. WHICH DO YOU CHOOSE? CHRIST, OR RELIGION?
How has the devil stolen your relationship with God? By placing false burdens on you! Every time you've been told that you must tithe to be acceptable to God, the thief just left your house! Every time you are told that a religious ceremony is necessary for you to enter heaven, the thief just left your door! (these are only two of many, many examples) Matthew 23:13 - "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.A good example is: "Communion". We have been taught throughout our lives that to partake in communion, we must have a Styrofoam wafer, or store purchased mini cracker, placed in our mouth by a priest in flowing robes. At the least, communion is a serious and formal affair in most Churches, and "YOU DARNED WELL BETTER BE WORTHY TO PARTAKE, BEFORE YOU DO IT" Once again, Satan has taken something beautiful that Christ gave us, then twisted it into a religious, formal ceremony. Or turned it into a tool with which to judge you by. Jesus was simply telling us to remember him and the sacrifice he made for us, whenever we sat down to eat and drink. 1 Corinthians 11:24 - and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."1 Corinthians 11:25 - In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."Jesus, and the father, want a personal relationship with you. Communion was just "one" of the ways Christ provided, so that we could include him in every area of our life, even when we eat. The devil has turned this into a religious ceremony, complete with judgment where some people are actually excluded from communing with Christ. (with the help of well meaning Christians) Read Matthew 23:13 again. (above) This time, substitute the words "Scribes and Pharisees" with the words "Preachers and Pastors". In 2009, we even make an issue out of whether the wine Jesus drank, was real or grape juice. Again this is Satan making something complicated out of something Jesus intended to be simple and beautiful. (again, with plenty of help from well meaning Christians) The similarities are staggering! In 33 AD there were scribes. "Transcribers of the Law" (in other words - lawyers) In 2009, thanks to much Satanic influence, (and much support from well meaning pastors and preachers) we almost need an attorney to interpret the strait forward words Jesus spoke to us. You can avoid all this by having the personal relationship that God intended to have with you.
Don't get involved in the technicalities. The wine was
real, but it was also symbolic. If all you have handy at dinner time is Coca Cola,
or even water, then, proceed by
all means. On the other hand, eat or drink whatever you have as long as you do
it to honor Christ and remember him. For help, read my article:
"The truth about
drinking" THE ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH CONVENIENCE
So, if I want to talk to someone, why in the world would I get out the pen and paper, fill out an envelope, hunt up a stamp and make a trip to the post office, when I can just call or text message them? Similarly, for that matter, if you have the money and can afford it, why clean house when you can hire a maid to do it for you? God wants a personal relationship with you. It's what he's always wanted. Just as he walked and talked with Adam in the garden, he desires to walk and talk with you. But, why go through all that effort when you can hire a preacher to walk and talk with God for you? Does this sound silly? Not really. That is exactly what many of the Christian Churches and religion have been reduced to. Salvation and God's free gift have been made to resemble a club in which you "buy a membership", then have access to the "executive wash room". Everyone is looking for the right preacher and the right Church, but only a few are actually seeking Christ. In this age of instant gratification, membership is easy! You just show up for the meetings, pay your dues, follow the rules and don't act inappropriately where the other members can see you. Fulfill these requirements and you will have full member privileges, and the peace of mind that comes with knowing that the "head guy" will take care of everything for you. Nothing more is required on your part. Jesus said: "Follow Me". Thousands of self proclaimed "Holy Men", are out there repeating those two words, but the problem is, they're not telling you to follow Christ, they're telling you to "follow them". Every day, we see very famous and rich preachers on TV surrounded by clamoring fans, all wanting to be healed, blessed, or just to touch the hem of their garment. (or their $ 2,000.00 suit) Many of these people have been falsely led to believe that they can't be healed or even saved, unless it is through a particular ministry or person. One ministry even put on their website, that unless you tithed to "that" ministry, you would go to hell. This same so called man of God said on national TV, that a prophet told him that Jesus was going to appear on the very same stage with him, but didn't know at which stop or city during his tour. (Hmm - I guess if you want to see Jesus, you have to bring your purse or wallet to every single stop in the tour) On a local level, Satan works equally as hard. Many good people seeking God, attend Church once and sometimes twice a week. They are quickly indoctrinated. They are led to believe, If they act in a satisfactory way and obey their particular Church doctrine, (laws) follow the rules and they pay their tithes, they get the approval of the pastor and other well to do members of the congregation. "That's it". They get a pat on the head as they're heading off to heaven. I would warn that, having the approval of the pastor and congregation, is not at all the same as having the approval of God. So, how do you know what is right? What do you do? (does the words "personal relationship" ring a bell?) In either case, these people have no special power to heal you, but you however, "do" have access to the power. You can not pay anyone (preacher or otherwise) to have a personal relationship with God, for you. If you want to be healed, get a miracle, get out of debt or just be blessed, then "SKIP THE MIDDLE MAN - AND TALK TO GOD" A personal relationship is exactly what it says it is - "Personal!" Until you realize that there just isn't enough room for your pastor or anyone else, in your personal relationship with God, you won't see God move wondrously in your life. Just like marriage is a personal relationship. It ceases to be personal the minute you bring another man or woman into it. A good sermon is wonderful and helpful to listen too, but the person giving the sermon was "never" ordained by God to rule or control your life. That position has already been taken. Matthew 23:10 - "Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ.Matthew 23:11 - "But the greatest among you shall be your servant. HOW TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD Don't let Satan or anyone else steal your blessing. Having a personal relationship with God is as easy as having one with anyone else. You start by talking. Try to remember that God is not Santa Claus. Although God tells us to call on him when we are in need, don't make every single conversation with him about what you want. A relationship is a "two way" street. Talk to God about your day. Don't just talk to him about the earth shaking things going on in your life, talk to him about the little things too. Talk to him just like you would talk to your best friend in the same room, the same way. You can talk to him while waiting for the washer to fill up, or while waiting at a stop light. When it's not appropriate to talk to him out loud in public, God knows your thoughts. If you haven't been getting answers to your prayers, it's because you've skipped the most important thing. "The Relationship". Start one now and see if things don't completely turn around for you. Psalms 37:4 - Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.Psalms 37:5 - Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. I challenge whoever reads this, to skip the nit picking legal formalities (that Christ nullified on the cross) and simply have an honest to goodness strait forward conversation with God. Don't let trivial issues like, "did Jesus drink wine or grape juice?" be a stumbling block that prevents you from having a personal relationship with him. The laws no longer hover over our heads in a threatening manor. Instead, we keep them safely in our hearts. The title and content of this article/webpage, "The Church of Christ", is "not" intended to refer or relate to any particular Christian denomination or organization, but only to what we perceive to be, the modern day "Body of Christ" as a whole, that we commonly refer to as "A Church". (Right or wrong) God Bless You Dan Douglass
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