One nation under God
While our Pledge of Allegiance says, “One nation under God”, this nation and many of its citizens do not act like they are submitted to God or His ways. This is demonstrated by open acts of violence, rampant sin of all kinds and the blatant disregard for life or godliness.
Many Americans today believe they are christians and they believe America is a christian nation but the evidence does not support such claims.
While many of our founding fathers lived by christian principles, we cannot say the same about our leaders today. While there are exceptions to this statement, their numbers rare few .
Many people believe they are christians because they “go to church”, “believe in God” or were baptized when they were babies but being a christian in not about ritual or passing thought. Chritians are those individuals who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Religion versus Relationship
After praying for my aunt before her recent surgery, I apologized to the nurse anesthetist for delaying her in taking my aunt into the OR… She said it was okay because “she was very religious”.
The word religious is defined as “relating to, or devoted to religious beliefs or observances”. While saying “I am religious” sounds nice, GOD wants more than beliefs and observances, God wants a relationship with each of us.
I have been called “religious” by many people over the years which gives me the opportunity to explain, “I am not religious, I have a relationship with Jesus Christ”. My relationship with Christ is based on faith in Jesus and the work accomplished by His death on the cross for me. My faith is built on bible centered teachings but I do not hold to repetitive observances or rituals.
A Relationship requires active participation from those in the relationship. Understanding our role and our willingness to communicate is necessary to make a relationship work in our everyday lives. While we have figured out how to relate to friends and with family, many still run from a relationship with God.
When asked about having a relationship with God and Jesus, many have have said-
“Why would God want me? I am not good enough.”
“I need to clean myself up first.”
“What do I have to offer?”
“I know I cannot be forgiven.”
“Why should I follow Jesus?”
While this list can go on and on, it reveals the reality that many DO NOT KNOW much about God, His word or His will. This leads to the most important question “why does the common man not know that God loves them and wants to be active in their lives?”
Another thought to consider is this, a person’s religion of choice could be keeping them ignorant (in the dark) about having an active relationship with God.
“I need to clean up my act first.”
Many “feel” or believe they must “clean up their act” before God will have a relationship with them. This is FAR FROM THE TRUTH for two reasons:
- Man will never be able to “clean up their act’ enough on their own to be able to have a relationship with God.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (Amp) says, “For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; 9 not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].”
- It was God’s plan, from the beginning of time, to have a relationship with man.
Ephesians 1:3-10 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”
“I have nothing of value to offer”
Another claim which has zero reality in it is “I have nothing to offer”. Every one of us has a skill or talent which can be used to further the Kingdom of God. The real truth is that as a member of the body of Christ, you are important no matter how big or small you think you are.
1Cor 12;12-20 says, ”For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.”
Your ability to serve in the body of Christ is only limited by your own imagination. While you come to the body with “natural skills”, your spiritual understanding or ”skills” are developed by mentoring and discipleship (teaching the ways of Christ). These new skills are honed over the span of a lifetime.
Throughout time God has spoken to man.
- God’s relationship with Adam was such that Adam knew the sound God made walking through the garden(Gen 3:8).
- God spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to a friend. (Exodus 33:11).
- God spoke to Abraham directing him to a new land (Genesis 12:1).
- God spoke to Noah to build the ark to save his family and the animals from the flood (Genesis 6:13-22).
In addition to these men, God has spoken to prophets, kings and shepherds in order for his plan to be revealed and moved forward.
During the time of Christ’s ministry, Jesus said, “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.” (John 12:49-50) Jesus spent time communicating (praying) with the Father in heaven and he was told what to say.
Additionally, Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing as well. John 5:19 says,” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.”
God continued to speak to man after Jesus ascended into Heaven. Jesus spoke to Saul, aka Paul, on the road to Damascus.
Acts 9:3-5 says, “Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
God went on to speak with Ananias saying, “And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.” (Acts 9:13-16)
God is the same yesterday, today and forever, God does not change. That being said, if God spoke to all these men, and many others, He will speak to you as well. God speaks to this writer in an audible voice, in prayer, through music and through the Word of God on a regular basis.
For a relationship with God and Jesus to be successful, it is paramount that the child of God is taught to listen for God’s voice. John 10:27-28 says, “ My sheep [believers] listen to my [Jesus] voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
“I cannot be forgiven for what I have done.”
This is truly one of the biggest lies of the devil and it is time to STOP CHOOSING TO BELIEVE THIS LIE!!
Isaiah 43:25 (Amp) says, ”I, only I, am He who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.”
1 John 1:9 (Amp) says,” If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].”
Ephesians 1:7-8a (Amp) says, “ In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.
“Why should I follow Jesus?”
The word “follow” is defined as “to engage in as a calling, way of life or be guided by”.
The real question that is being asked by many is “why should I lead a life guided by Jesus?”
I can only answer this question with a question… Is your current life, a life focused on your wants and needs, so great that you are willing to live a life separate from the love of God and all that He has prepared for you?
Truth be told YOU were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) so that God could have an individual relationship with you. Not a relationship that requires works of penance, in the hopes you will be looked upon favorably, but one of a father and child. The God of Christianity is the only one that was executed in the place of His creation so that we would be forgiven of all the evil we will do or have done. The God of creation has made forgiveness possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus, which is there for the asking. Do not allow “religion” to keep you from a relationship with The Father or Jesus.
Man’s abuse of Power
Throughout church history we have seen how “religion” has been used to control people. From chaining bible to pulpits and doing the services in latin (which is not spoken as a first language by any culture or people, all for the purpose of limiting man’s interactions with God while maintaining control.
Throughout church history we have seen God raise up men to reveal the truth in the face of religious tyranny, men like Jan Hus, Martin Luther, Jonathan Wycliffe and Jonathan Tyndale, just to name a few.
Martin Luther was a catholic priest, who was hunted by the Catholic church as a heretic for teaching that man can do nothing to achieve salvation but salvation from sin is by divine grace and through faith.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (Amp) says, “For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].”
Unlike some, Luther was not burned at the stake because the German government would not permit it. He did end up dying peacefully in the town of birth on February 18, 1546. Luther did acquire enemies in the church of his day because of his teaching.
From the account by Justus Jonas it states:
“Jonas wished to give a detailed account of Luther’s passing in order to counter false rumors that he knew would be spread (and indeed later were!) by Luther’s Roman Catholic opponents. Among these rumors was that Luther had died suddenly or in his sleep. In the sixteenth century it was believed that if a person was wicked then they would die suddenly. This meant that the person would not have time to confess their sins because the Devil would suddenly come upon him and drag his soul to hell. Likewise, Roman Catholics also later circulated the claim that Luther had died in a state of terror, believing he would be eternally condemned. On the contrary, Jonas recorded that Luther’s last hours were lucid and conscious. He confessed his sins and affirmed his faith in Christ, along with everything else that he had taught”.
Jan Hus, a priest who spoke against purgatory, indulgences (traditions not supported by scripture) and rampant sin, after being promised of safe passage to and from the Council of Constance, was burned at the stake as a heretic on July 6, 1415 by the church authorities.
“John Wycliffe was the most famous priest of his day. His learning was immense. He had been a leading scholar at Oxford and a chaplain to the King of England. More to the point, he spoke out boldly against the errors of the popes, the organizational hierarchy of the Roman Church, and the corruption of the clergy in his day. He criticized not only the organization of the medieval church but its theology as well and argued for a return to the Scriptures. Pastors should live lives of simplicity and holiness, he taught, shepherding their flocks (people)–not plundering them.
Wycliffe reasoned that they must have the Word of God in their own language. Under his direction, the Bible was translated into English for the first time, although the job was not completed by his associates until 1395, eleven years after his death. Repeatedly condemned and burned by church authorities, copies of Wycliffe’s Bible continued in use for over a century, until printed Bibles took their place. This work greatly influenced William Tyndale who made the first printed translation of the New Testament into English.”
Jonathan Wycliffe died on December 31, 1384 after suffering a stroke that left him paralysed and unable to speak. The church of his day, out of fear of the people, did not excommunicate but buried him on holy ground.
30 years after Wycliffe’s death, the Council of Constance, those who condemned and burned Jan Hus at the stake, in their ongoing anger towards Wycliffe, exhumed his body and burned the bones.
Jonathan Tyndale, born in 1494, received his Master’s from Oxford University and was ordained. Tyndale witnessed church corruption, like was committed by the Sadducees and Pharisees during the times of Christ, when rules were used to extract money from the members in the church. One example was the selling of “indulgences” by clergy with claims that the purchased “document” would be required to get a lost family soul out of purgatory.
Tyndale believed that every man should have a bible in his own language just like Wycliffe. Throughout Europe it was illegal to read a bible in their own native language. The English law called “The Constitutions of Oxford” forbid the reading or translation of the bible into english.
Tyndale began teaching the gospel of Christ, preaching salvation by faith and translating the New Testament into English despite what the law stated. Additionally he frequently spoke out against the errors in the as well as calling out the Pope.
In the summer of 1536, after spending 18 month in prison, he was charged with Heresy. He was defrocked and excommunicated from the church after testimony by three well paid witnesses who were “doctors of theology”
On October 6, 1536, Tyndale was strangled and burned at the stake, condemned as a heretic.
These types of abuses have been seen by leaders like the Pharisees in Jesus time as well as by priests, pastors and Popes all the way to today. Teachings and “promises” borne out of cherry picking the word of God for financial gain and control continue to bring error in the church.
It is not the intent of the writer, who was raised in the Roman Catholic faith, to focus only on one denomination. It is his intent to focus on how man will use “religion” to control people.
We have seen denominations teach “women are to remain silent” while others teach that women can’t wear pants. Some go so far to say music must be sung acapella because Jesus did not talk about musical instruments. We have seen some teach “if you give your $1000 seed offerings God will________” while leaving many in the church penniless wondering why God did not answer their prayers. One last example of erroneous teaching is the teaching about the three levels of heaven where entering into this highest level requires specific experiences.
An example of how man will use the church for power and personal gain was witnessed in July of 2022 when a New York pastor was robbed of a MILLION DOLLARS worth of jewelry while livestreaming a church service.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/25/us/brooklyn-pastor-robbery/index.html
No one church or church leader should have this level of authority or power over people. No denomination, old or new, has a corner on the market of truth and no denomination is above another because of gifts, miracles or money.
Some may ask “how this all could possibly have happened?”, all the mentioned teachings or rules came from improper instruction, poor understanding or selfish motives.
Pastors and priests, since the days of Peter, have had one requirement to fulfill. John 21:15-17 says “When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
“Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”
It is time for church leaders, whether pastor or priest, to start “feeding the sheep” and stop “feeding on the sheep.”
Cast off the chains
Within God’s word you will see a standard and a way of behavior that all christains are to follow: to be imitators of His son Jesus, to love your neighbor as yourself to forgive as you have been forgiven, to go into the world and share the story of Jesus’s life changing love.
Throw off the chains of “religion” and seek God while he may be found. Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses[ believes past and present as our example in life], let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Paul tells us “Copy me, my brothers, as I copy Christ himself”. (1 Corinthians 11:1 JBP)
Find a man of God that will promote YOUR faith and growth which is the way Jesus meant it to be. In Ephesian 4:11-14 it says, “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
Learn to read and study God’s word, do not just believe because someone said it was true. Truth does not contradict the word of God and God, through His Spirit, will reveal the truth to you.
Jesus says this about the Holy spirit of God, “But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth]. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He [Holy Spirit] will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son], and He [Holy Spirit] will disclose to you what is to come [in the future]. 14 He will glorify and honor Me, because He (the Holy Spirit) will take from what is Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Because of this I said that He [the Spirit] will take from what is Mine and will reveal it to you.
In Act 17:10-11 says, “As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
2 Tim 2:15 (Amp) says,” Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.
As you read, study and are mentored, you will become what Paul called himself and his fellow workers.
1 Thes 2:3-5 says, “For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness.
Seek out God while He may still be found!
Call on the name of Jesus!
Be found walking the life of Christ, taking the message of His sacrifice and saving grace, wherever you go.
Forgive as you have been forgiven!
Love as you have been loved by the Father.
Cling to a relationship with the Father who loves you and throw off the chains that enslave you to “religion”.
Fellowship Of Christ Ministries 
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