Religion vs Relationship
What is the major reason why I hate religion? It is because religion has lost its true meaning, that which was once intended. Religious people were people who lived with high mortality guidelines instituted by our Holy GOD. That pointed them to JESUS. Many who attend Saturday or Sunday worship do not apply the freedom lifestyle in GOD’s word for their lives. And, those that will apply the Word of GOD in the bondage of legalism. Not acknowledging that the law kills because that which Moses instituted and what GOD allowed to be written and exercised was a very difficult life during the ancient times. Now, we have allowed sin to come in and twist what it truly means to live our lives as CHRIST JESUS intended us to live according to religion. True religion has nothing to do with rituals and traditions that continually expand at the hand of man. True religion leads us into a life in and with CHRIST JESUS in freedom allowing the Holy Spirit to direct our lives for the betterment instead of being bitter.
Religious people who are a part of the fault-finding police brigade but never see their wrongs will keep pointing the finger and condemning another but never at themselves. They are quick to say that the pastor said this but cannot tell you what JESUS said. They are miserably living according to their man-made church doctrines which have just enough scripture attached to cause them to think that it is okay. Their rock is not our Rock. They live to serve their false image of their god thinking all the while that they are serving the FATHER who points to the Rock which is JESUS by the testimony of the scriptures. They are unknowingly heathens because they truly believe that their life of piety and doing without is the right thing to be, calling themselves spiritual. JESUS is abundant in grace and mercy, HE has given us promises that we must go after. Everything that we desire with the right motives is found within HIS Word, all we need do is stand on the promises until the manifestation becomes visible. In JESUS there are few do-not and so many do’s that it takes a lifetime to fulfill them, yet each of them is easy when we do them with the help of the Holy Spirit. Difficult when we try to live them through works, this is what religious people do.
The vine that religious people grow into is that which is much like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. They had animalistic appetites for the flesh, all they wanted to do was to please themselves. Religious people will focus on the teaching of homosexuality but never take notice of the big picture of all sexual sins and what happens when we give in to the appetite of the sinful flesh having our hearts warped which are our minds. The grapes that this vine produces are poisonous they have bitter clusters. Their wine is venomous [anger, hot displeasure, indignation, poison, rage, wrath] they are like serpents, deadly no different than that of a cobra. We witness this often in religious people with how they speak and live their lives. They are unhappy most miserable people. Religion when not influenced by CHRIST is simply idolatry; intolerance; taught by false teachers delivering false teachings. Unfortunately, religious people do not have the Word of GOD living within them because JESUS was sent to all mankind and though they believe that they believe in JESUS it is clear that they do not which is revealed in how they speak, their attitude, and how they think of people.
But the person who is in a relationship with JESUS wakes up with HIM in their hearts which is the mind. They want to be in communication with HIM. Their lives are reliant on HIM. And when they think that what they are doing is okay with JESUS they are quick to find out that the voice that they thought they were listening to or moving too fast to fulfill or obtain something was a mistake because it comes with displeasure [heart ache, headache, trials, and tribulations]. We apply the Word of GOD to our lives not by trying to accomplish everything at once but by taking what we believe that we can handle and asking the FATHER to help shape us accordingly through CHRIST JESUS and then the Holy Spirit will begin to work so that we will take on the character and integrity of the CHRIST.
It fascinated me when I read the words that JESUS spoke regarding reading the scriptures and how religious people believe that this gains them eternal life with HIM. Sure we are to read the scriptures but we must first recognize that the scriptures are the Living Word of GOD. The scriptures are not just words on a page that we may or may not highlight and scribble notes beside. No, these words have life anointing within. We are to direct people to JESUS through the scriptures because they testify of HIM from Genesis to Revelation. We must discipline ourselves to study not just read the scriptures and apply them to our lives. We may need to write down a scripture verse and put it somewhere in your home where we spend the most time, post it at eye level in dark or bright ink that will gain your attention and remind yourself who you are in CHRIST JESUS, what you can do and have in CHRIST JESUS. This is how people who are in a relationship with the FATHER live out their lives in JESUS.
We are to listen to JESUS The CHRIST because the LORD our GOD is the ONE who raised JESUS and sent HIM to mankind. Not to be religious in the unknowingly false sense but the truth through relationship to the FATHER through JESUS. JESUS is our PROPHET the Word of the FATHER is on HIS tongue. HIS Word fills HIS mouth and HE only speaks the words that HE hears from the FATHER.
Here is the final proof that I will share with you today. In Luke 24:27; JESUS interprets [explained, expounded] HIMself. This is what the scriptures are still doing as we read them we should hear JESUS explaining and expounding HIMself to us and how we are to be in HIM. JESUS used then what had already been written about HIMself. Though HE could have spoken what had not yet been written about HIMself. What had not yet been written were the eye and earwitness accounts that Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul will write about JESUS. Then later we have the letters written to different churches, people, and regions, but also they are written to us. These letters are the revelations of knowledge and the experience of lives lived in CHRIST JESUS, not the law. These scriptures should lead us to JESUS not to the writer, man-made doctrines, man’s rules of how we are to be according to a denominational doctrine, rules, laws, and such. These scriptures are not to lead us to our pastors either or anyone in ecclesiastic leadership because when we veer off into that lane we become idolaters. Living and practicing false religion instead of living JESUS The CHRIST.
AMFBeM © TM
John 5:38-39
Reference Scripture: Deut. 32:31-33; Is. 8:20; Lk. 16:15-16, 19-25; Acts 17:11; Deut. 18-15, 18