.
"beware of more diversions and obstacles"
. or
. "any other gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be accursed"
Did
you know that the New Testament specifically tells you to remain where
you are after being saved? Go on, look it up ... 1 Cor. 7: 17-24! Thiz
means you don't have to join anything religious including any try hard
"bless me" club or signing yourself over (literally) to 'officaldom".
As they say, if it
works then why fix it? Or, if itz simple then why complicate it? After all, is not every gift from God good
and perfect anyway? I guess, if there has been so much emphasis in
joining things and getting deeply involved, these 'basics' get drowned in a
midst of religious flury and institutional activity. Here it is ...Religion is mans interference or alternative to what God gives to us
and requires of us. It is the Devil's counterfeit (yes, he still exists) replacing a true
relationship with the living God with a pseudo version, coming in many
forms and varieties, to suit the occasion and fool the recipient.
It is usually always based on false obligation and guilt no matter how
justified or plausible it comes across. Thiz'iz a reason the Bible
warns and makes it very plain ... LET NO
MAN (noman that'iz - whether friend or foe, qualified or unqualified, well meaning or
devious)! Let no man DECEIVE YOU!!! Religious
professionals (Jesus called them hirelings) and the culture or
tradition built around them, are usually the main barrier of the
individual
entering into all God has for you (thatz the kingdom). Jesus said
to these religionists, "For ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer
ye them that are entering to go in."
They (religious care providers - whether in a traditonal gown, a slick suit, or the latest trendy garb) don't want you to enter
because they would be without a job. They wont enter themselves
because they would have to admit that Jesus was the door and only
way after all, and that all human proxies were redundant. Therefore,
they are compelled, along with their associates and followers, and cronies, to bring
another version of the truth and play down the narrow way.
Another obstacle for blocking out the true message of the gospel is the
trap of political assimilation and involvement, along with itz fun and
gamesmanship of all kinds. From the Bible we
know that man (everyone born) has been corrupted by sin after
conception and that mans system is based on mans values (some good,
some bad) and not on God's perfect values ... his word! We
also know from God's word that war and conflict were nailed to the
cross (along with every type of sin) 2,000 years ago and should have no
bearing
in the believers life if he is walking in the Lord. Because Jesus
said that his kingdom is not of this present world but found within our
lives, as we abide in him; we no longer have to conform to this present
world. We also do not have to go out and promote breaking down
walls either (leave that to the ecumenicalists) as Jesus also tore down
the wall of separation at the cross. More so, instead of being
part of the problem (sin) we offer a way
out through him. The only way out, as a mater of fact! Thatz
God's solution ... the good news in a
nutshell!
Therefore, we don't try and patch up the holes on this
doomed ship called Planet or Mother Earth. Nor get side-tracked squabbling
with
its crew or
passengers; but offer the only way off ... the life boat
called Christ! There is a great urgency, and dialoguing the truth
with the so-called "trained" or the 'lofty headed' professional will only waist time
being diverted away from those who are hungry to hear the truth and
not explain it away. The truth is nonnegotiable by the way, and
is always
based on
God's terms, who commands all men, everywhere, to repent!
In finishing, there is one other
master counterfeit the Devil has set up
in order to deceive many. It is called Christendom and is akin to Babylon the Great in scripture (the wide gate of accommodation and
confusion)
or the Harlot (the false bride or false church), who is
always ready
to hop into bed with the world, along with her lovers akin to false
religion
and political association. Christendom
comes in many forms from
'high church' Catholicism and Anglicism in the west, to the Orthodox
varieties in the east, to the more common middle-ground assortment of
liberal and evangelical trendy churches of our time. This system
operates behind
many faces. It can be
seen as being very traditional or very
flexible, from the importance of relics and rituals, to less formality,
to less rank and structure. It works as a very effective
hook for new converts or for those who initially adhere to the gospel,
to find themselves sucked in and trapped later, by something that
resembles Christ's
functioning Body on earth, but in reality is nothing but a major
diversion from the
kingdom of God. By then it is usually too late for the novice to
muster enough strength to challenge the system even in part, all on his
or her own, at a great cost to their repeutaion or being ostracized.
The trappings that go with Christendom are the universal acceptances of
Christmas and Easter (christianized paganism), to being caught up in
social and political campaigns or struggles, to joining "moral" or
"just" crusades and causes. Not too forget to mention,
maintaining the religious machinery of a church or denomination you got
sucked into and are obliged to attend and participate for life.
Or until you find greener (spiritual) pastures as a lifetime
alternative at mutual consent.
At the end of the day this is the subtle way of keeping families apart
by compartmentalizing in age, and by intense
"church" activities and 'Sunday service', based on the invented concept
of "praise and worship" or "having church". This must be the most
effective ploy in isolating
true fellowship one to another, with devotion to a man of the cloth
dictating (with pleasantries or severity) at the front on an elevated
platform. Moreover, with little room for the saints (the true
believers) to intermingle with each other (fellowship) apart from after
"the service" while departing through "the church" foyer or brushing past outside in the carpark (car lot). How
unreal is this in contrast to Acts and "breaking bread from house to
house"? As well as verses like 1 Corinthians 14:26 and 2 Timothy
2:22 (go on - look'em up)? Just
encase you don't know ... Sunday or Sabbath culture
(routine is a more accurate word) is the unbiblical term called
"going to" or "attending church", or "church membership". It is
the clever
substitute for true interrelations
and family participation in normal and natural surroundings. It
is the difference between the New Testament emphasis in God saving
families and keeping them together by true fellowship around the word,
in intimate home situations and homely enviouments, than being
separated and kept occupied and
busy by the demands of the manmade institution down the road.
These are those who
notion full and complete devotion to the system in order to validate it
as "biblical" or "Christian", while its mechanisms are kept in motion,
and its adherents don't get time to really question, put things to the
test,
and maybe even break-out. Or resisting fear and condemation, or
false devtion and obligation, in order to really find out that God is
not like this and the truth of his word is able to set one free. In
other words ... 'control' is the name
of the game, no matter how pleasant or how tyrannical it cloaks
itself. The great news is that you are
obligated to no one but God. Who in turn points you to normal
responsibilities, sound relartionships and true freindship with
others. As well as respectful attitudes to those in authority,
and to
remain where you are, as a witness for him and
his gospel, without the fanfare and drama of redtape and religious
bureaucracy. To when? Until he calls you home, for eternity.