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I had to think a few seconds, not that I didn't know how to answer but I realized there are still many people who link "Jesus" to a religion. In fact I am, as I told this person, one of the most nonreligious persons you would have the pleasure of meeting. I don't have a "religion", I have a "relationship".
God never intended to send religion on man. When you look in the Bible, starting with Adam, you will see how God intended nothing but the best for His man. But it was Adam who chose to take upon himself the knowledge of evil. Even after this we see God working with His man, taking care of him, nurturing him. We see where God made a covenant with Abraham and poured out blessings on him. Then we see where because of the covenant with Abraham, God lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. He lead them out and blessed them with health, wealth and provided for them all their needs while in the wilderness. All the while they murmured and complained. Finally, to make a long story short, God gave them the Law (The Ten Commandments) to live by.
God used the Law to show man there was no way he could live up to the standard God has set down in the Law. Down through the years laws were added by God through His prophets. Then we see the Law being corrupted by the religious leaders in the days of Jesus ministry on earth. Even today religious leaders are taking the Law and using it to promote their gain or have control over their flock. Most of the religious teaching we see today has come from taking scripture out of context and not teaching the whole text, only the part that justifies their doctrine. This is why it is most important to study the Bible for yourself, 2 Tim 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Side note: There was a preacher by the name of Jones not to long ago. He started out as one of the top tele-vangalist in the country. His following grew and he was teaching the Word but somewhere he started teaching a different gospel, not the Word. He moved his church to an area in South America. After the US Government investigated and was about to bring some legal action, this Jones guy had the Government representatives killed. Then he had his congregation drink poison and they all died. You might have heard of the Jones Town Massacre.
My point is this, when the government officials showed up to investigate this tragedy, they did not find one Bible in the whole camp. You see, these hundreds of people trusted this man as he lead them to destruction.
Never just suck up what someone is telling you, even if he is a neat guy. Always prove scripture with scripture. I myself have attended churches that if I had not known the Truth in the Word would have been lead down the wrong road. Praise God for the Word of Truth.
I'm not here to bash the religious people, it's just a sore subject and I've seen too many people walking around sick, wondering "what purpose does God have in them being sick". Or "what is God teaching me through this problem He gave me"? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND, READ THE WORD.
They obviously do not know God. They know about God through their church doctrine but they don't know God.
1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Matt 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: 17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
These were just a few of the scriptures you can find in the Bible that shows how much God loves you and wants you well.
Do you want to know what kind of relationship you can have with God;
Rom 8:15 For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father! AMP
The spirit of bondage He is talking about is the bondage of the Law, we are free from that. Now we can boldly call God Father. Abba is a word that is intimate, the more literal meaning would be what ever you would call the father you love. What do you call your own earthly father; dad, daddy, poppa, etc? God called Abraham friend and we are the seed of Abraham and joint heirs with him. He has called us into Son-ship. Do you know that under the Jewish Law, an adopted son has the same rights as the first born son. That's why the bible says we are joint heirs with Jesus.
God wants to have fellowship with us more than our old fleshly self does. He wants to talk with us, not from a far off but up close and personal. He talks to us through His word, or when we shut the world off and just listen. Try that; just shut the tv off, shut off the cell phone, start to praise Him and then listen. That's the other half to prayer; listening. We get so wrapped up in all the things that distract; didn't someone say how the cares of this world will choke out the word/seed.
Matt 13:23....but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. NIV
Shut the world off, shut religion off and listen...Larry
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