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VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE
INTRODUCTION Did
You Know - - - Human beings in their natural
state are not interested in God. They are really
not interested in learning about deeper spiritual
matters. They
are not inclined to follow Godly ways or to
seek after Him! HOW
THEN CAN ANYONE BEGIN TO DRAW CLOSE TO THE
ALMIGHTY, HOLY, GOD OF HEAVEN? HOW CAN WE DARE
TO TO SAY THAT WE PERSONALLY KNOW HIM? HOW
CAN WE HAVE PERSONAL FELLOWSHIP OR INTIMACY
WITH HIM? Traditional
forms of Christianity have been the sustaining
moral backbone of American history. For generations
the values system of Christian teachings and
beliefs have provided a positive moral framework
and influence to the the nations. It is apparent
that the Christian Religion, even despite its
detriments, has provided a social foundation
for millions. Children are nurtured in a home
where traditions of church life are practiced.
But now more than ever, the social foundations
of Christian values are rapidly dissolving.
The secular media offers imagery and stories
that omit any Spiritual truths of Christianity.
Fewer and fewer every passing year, will be
able to say I am a Christian believer and understand
what that means. That knowledge will be absent
unless we have personally tasted of the Grace
and goodness of God through Jesus Christ the
Messiah. Today, tens of millions of nominal "religious" Christians might be called 'faithful church goers,' but how many are really passionately interested in God. No one seeks to know God unless God personally draws us by His Spirit. (underscored links for video commentary on youtube.com. I
will offer in the following pages a history
of God's working to transform my life. Many
have a history similar to mine. I found God
or should I say God allowed me to find Him
- at a time in my life when I was experiencing
a spiritual emptiness, a hunger, a desperate
need. It is at such times that we make our
first serious
effort to seek after God desperately,
to ask, and to knock! The quickening of this
inner desire to know God may well be the result
of another believer's prayers on our behalf.
The Grace of God is set in motion by these
prayers. It is this Divine Grace (an enabling
gift) from God which brings us to a new human
state of awakening.
It only takes a moment for God to answer our
heart's cry and bring us from darkness into
light; but it may takes years to prepare your
soul to be ready for this transaction. Pride
and idolatry in its many forms must be first
addressed. God
has always loved us. He loves us all. He grieves
humanity's loss of understanding and weakness.
He has made a way of rectifying this fallen
and alienated state. The way is through the
Messiah. The measure
of faith is given to help those
who seek to find the answer to their spiritual
hunger. A supernatural transformation occurs
once a person believes in the "Gift of
God" with assurance. The gift is eternal
life and a new spirit. If you believe in the
Son of God sent to redeem mankind from their
fallen state, he will open your eyes. He will
speak to you. His name is Yeshua, Jesus. It
is through him and him only that you will partake
in the wonders of the world to come. Through
the Grace of God we experience that supernatural
event, the miraculous change in our spirits
called "the new man, the regenerated spirit
or the new creation." So re-quickened
by Almighty God, we are inwardly compelled
to grow in the knowledge of this life giver
and lover of our souls. We seize the life ring
thrown to us. This is the beginning of the
Spiritual life. We have opened the door of
the Kingdom of heaven and gradually begin discovering
our status as a Son or Daughter of God. From
this supernatural beginning we new believers,
as tender saplings can be bent many ways: We
can be taken prisoner by those who preach other
gospels. We can be snared by an incomplete
"Gospel" and incomplete form of Godliness;
or we can follow the spirit of Christ with
the spirit of liberty accessing the Word of
Truth with proper mentors, there is a whole
new spiritual world OF LIFE to discover. There
is a life of blessing and hope to access. (2
Corinthians 11:3) The
true Gospel hasn't changed but it has been
dangerously distorted or in some cases nearly
lost by religious tradition. The Gospel of
the Kingdom of
God remains that which was first revealed to
the disciples by Jesus Christ. What I will
share here is offered in humbleness and simplicity
and without motive of gain. It may be too
simple
for some, lacking intellectual rationality. The teachings I share on these pages are didactic, meaning that it presented to be accurate and factual. It is shared not from intellectual knowledge accrued from second hand accounts or through religious institutions, but from serious study of scripture as well and experiences that bear witness to the realities of Christ and the "Kingdom" he rules. Study of Scripture can illuminate the believer as the Holy Spirit brings light and understanding. There are experiences which follow those who act upon the Word of God. These
commentaries are not the product of religious
indoctrination, nor of any denominational slant.
The writer's understanding reflect the truths
written of and spoken of by the apostles and
prophets of Israel who proclaimed the True
and Living Way. For
my part, these writings, though certainly incomplete
are presented as valid and experienced as truth
and validated by the Word
of
Truth. (First
delivered to the saints Jude 3) Today,
modern societies have grown to reject facts
in favor of a cornucopia of opinions. Facts
in living black and white are rejected. The
Gospel is nevertheless born out by first hand
experience but more importantly is verified
by reliable witnesses. These witnesses are
the holy and long standing voices of the Christian
faith, recorded in Scripture. These voices
are a more sure testimony and become the litmus
test of any doctrine or experience that one
might promote. The truth of God is known, in varying degrees, by many but far fewer by most who profess to be Christians. These masses remain in the grip of a religious paradigm that have become ingrained over the past 17 centuries. Christian theology today is becoming less a verification of Apostolic doctrine than a repudiation of Apostolic doctrine. The
religious paradigm even now, is being challenged
and is slowly passing away. There is more hunger
and more thirst for more fellowship, more liberty,
more simplicity and more power in the place
of fellowship. Traditions are being replaced
by the living presence of God. Being a spectator
in a church service (program) is being replaced
by a yearning to participate in the life of
God. What
I write here may well be challenged by religious
experts, theologians. academicians,
and those who can embrace only the doctrines
and dogma they were taught. From the beginning
a population of religious people respond to
this message to any attack on their religious
paradigm, by killing the messenger. Remember
this Gospel fact, shared by the apostle called
Paul, in his first letter to Corinth, "Man
through knowledge can not know God." But
the Spirit of God can turn ordinary people
into instruments of His Glory! PREFACE to THE GOSPEL WITHOUT RELIGION What do you think it means to be a Christian? Are you one? Perhaps you are among those who has rejected Christianity because of empty forms and rituals of the institutional church? Are you searching for proof that God is real? Where will that search take you? What will be the end of all of this? What will be the ultimate destiny of your soul? There
are probably millions of writings that have
been produced under the already glutted archive
of RELIGION. There needs to be the breaking
up of some new ground. That new ground, I believe
is viewing the " spiritual life"
as something that can only exist and flourish
outside of religion. In the pages following we will examine some of the topics below:
What is A Christian Searching For God What Are Features of the True Gospel?
Dawning
- - Faith and Belief Is
God an interesting subject? Yes, Infinitely.
Do questions about the reality of God affect
us or impact our lives? Yes, absolutely and
eternally! Is the subject one that we should
resolve within ourselves? Yes, absolutely!
Religion abounds in the societies of the world.
It is inextricable in the cultures of every
nation. It is a full time concern to many who
see religion as a life style or a career path.
My definition of Religion is a codified belief
system. It is the platform from which debates
and disagreements launch with the result too
often being from vehement disagreement to genocide. Thousands
of books continue to be written about God in
an attempt to offer spiritual answers to those
who are seeking a spiritual life. Subjects
might range from World Religions, Comparative
Theology, Biblical Study or Analysis, and of
course prescribed pathways to enlightenment
by self promoting gurus. THE GOSPEL WITHOUT
RELIGION is not a book about theology. I am
not a theologian, I have none of the required
credentials, nor do I have any desire to become
one, to seek certification or to be validated
or approved by theologians. I am, therefore,
a very small voice in the marketplace of ideas
- another voice, crying out in the wilderness.
I give thanks to God the Father for allowing
me to experience His living presence and guiding
hand. This is a testimony confirming God's
interaction with the human race we call 'grace.'
Moreover, his love and grace have
empowered me and others to both seek
him and to know
him and draw wisdom from His Word.
Moreover, I believe that this message can encourage
and aid those thousands who, like myself, were
never given answers to deep spiritual questions
but who remain hungry, asking, "Is there
is a God, and if He is, how can I get Him to
notice me." Reared
in dead religious tradition My
questions and spiritual curiosity were not
answered by denominational churches that I
attended from my youth through my adulthood.
The services or ceremonies that were offered
programatically on meeting days revealed nothing
of God's reality or demonstrated his 'presumed'
love and power. It was however, God whom I
ultimately met and who impacted my life, outside
of religion, personally and
powerfully. I hope sharing these experiences
bring hope and assurance to others. Receiving
this message Readers might have various responses: Some who are perfectly happy with who they are what they believe may register mere disinterest, indifference; Others who have established their own theological conclusions, particularly through formal theological training may register disdain (such persons believing that what I say here is un-scholarly, presumptuous, misleading or even dangerous); But there may be some who have been looking for a spiritual life without the flimflam of religion who will receive this account with gratitude. Inevitable criticism of this writing, will no doubt be harsher from those ensconced in institutional religion or institutional Christianity than from any other quarter. And of course, there is always that population of unbelieving secularists (most political quarters) who are disinclined to read anything of this topic in the first place. The heart of this Jesus Gospel (good news) has always been predicated on being gentle and peaceable, but none the less, it always meets with resistance and "offense" because of its spiritual nature.Ingrained in human nature is the instinct to fight to defend one's own beliefs. People have been fighting and dying over what they consider to be "right and true" for thousands of years. Belief
systems do not yield without a fight. Our highly
charged human egos are born and nurtured within
the domain of materialism, worldliness, and
self-serving, within the status-quo of its
institutions. Religious institutions today,
are imbued with most attributes
of worldliness, worldly power,
worldly recognition, earthly rewards. The world's
religious systems have their own vested interests.
To be blunt, religion as we know it represents
a significant economic and political power.
This
book is written principally for believers who
do not realize to what extent they have been
blinded by orthodoxy. For unbelief is the enemy
of God's people as much as for 'unbelievers.'
Unbelief is not just limited to the un-churched
but also remains a constant foe in walking
out the Christian life. For church house Christians,
both laity and clergy it is a terrible thing
to know only religion and not God! For the
Lord has declared, "Many
will say in that day, Lord, Lord -, but I will
say, "Depart from me I do not know you."
Matt.
25 Among
all the billions of people upon the face of
the earth, it is ultimately a matter of knowing
God. Everyone will eventually be confronted
by this reality as every knee will bow before
Him, the “Lord of all life.” But
millions this knowledge will come too late
and the door of life will have been closed.
Part of the purview of this book is to point
out the difference between knowing about God
and knowing God. The
Confusing World of Christian Religion There
is still great ignorance and confusion about
Christianity. Christianity is something that
has come to be viewed within the limiting frame
of institutional religion not its true spiritual
aspect which is both simple and profound. The
world knows Christianity as a system of belief
but more than that as traditions and lifestyles
which surround particular churches. America
was founded as a Christian nation as our founding
fathers made clear testimony. The United States
has a history of goodness founded on the belief
in, and standards of, Biblical truth. But at
the present time, if the truth were known,
I believe that we would have far fewer who
would qualify as Christians than census documentation
reveals. Those who are called Christians in
polls and surveys most often reflect an involvement
with church organizations through membership
and activities. This, I assert, is quite irrelevant
to the nature of being or not being a Christian.
Among those who profess to believe in Christianity
I denote three distinct breeds: Kinds
of Christians Political Christians: This category designates to distinguish them from other ethnic or cultural sects. We see these referred to frequently in the media to designate the sects within countries or political regions. Most of the time these are contrasted with contrary ideologies; often at war, or embroiled in strife with other groups. Typical of political religious rivalry is that of the current conflict
in the former Yugoslavia, which dates back
to the factional disputes of the 15th century.
Here are three ethnic factions, Muslims, Serbs
and Croats, religious- political groups seemingly
without any knowledge of a spiritual life and
peace. In Ireland divisions remain after generations
of religious and political strife, Irish Catholics
in hatred and strife continue to war against
Irish Protestants and Protestants against Catholics.
In the decade prior to World War 2, so-called
German Christians began to commit outrages
against German Jews in the name of racial purity.
For over 2 centuries 'Christian' crusaders
waged Holy Wars against the Muslim Turks in
the Holy Land and at the same time thought
it was pleasing to God to torture and destroy
any called Jews. Religious
Christians are
actively involved with some form of institutional
Christianity. Within
this group are tens of millions of churchgoers
who fill the pews in myriads of church congregations
each week. Each of these religious 'churches'
or denominations follows long-held traditions
of their respective denomination. Christian
denominations have extensive power and interests
both social and economic. The business
of
religion founded in an orthodoxy that is morally
well founded and righteous. These traditions
are rarely questioned within the established
tradition. The
clergy, religious leadership, has long been
esteemed has a high and noble calling, although
an occasional skeleton may turn up in the closet
of some clergy person now and then. The lands
and real estate assets of churches are immense.
Each denomination builds great
buildings
as centers of worship and strictly supervise
and train their clergy to act as
priests or overseers of the faith.
The sad reality is that the denominations of
today are little different from any ancient
priesthood, the Scribes, and Pharisees of Jesus'
day, of whom the Lord Jesus had little good
to say. Today I believe that traditional forms of religious Christianity are the single greatest hindrance to effectively experiencing God in this nation as well as in all the nations where that institutional Christianity has been exported. Immunized by Religion: It seems as though religious Christians have been injected with something, call it religious formalism, which seems to make them immune to experiencing the authentic Spiritual Life of the Kingdom of God. Let me hasten to say however, that there are believers among the denominations, these men, women and children have received the knowledge of God through the Lord Jesus Christ in a profound and intimate way, not because of their religious affiliations necessarily, but in spite of that affiliation. The kingdom and the power of God are not the privy to any brand of religion but work around and through it. Third Category: True Christians, What is A Christian? Are we born Christians, Are we Christians because we were not born Buddhist or Muslim? Are we Christians because our parents were Christians? Are we Christians because of a religious rite? The Bible reveals that we become Christians not by a religious rite, but by a spiritual encounter with God. God receives us in "friendship" and extends fellowship to us. This fellowship is granted in the name of the only begotten son of God, Jesus, Yeshua of Nazareth. This knowledge is one thing but the actualizing power of Grace is quite another. The
Gospel is a gospel not only conceptual fact
but actualized in power. It is a life-changing,
spirit-renewing power, that sets on fire the
love and life of God within a believer. This
life-changing encounter is central to what
I hope to present in this writing, and I will
cover it broadly if the following pages. A
believer, in actuality, has no religious rites
or obligations or rules to follow in order
to win God's approval. A believer's job is
to believe. Faith is choked by unbelief! Through
faith we gain access to the scriptural promises
of God. These promises are awesome and spectacular
and when apprehended can lead us to experiencing
the kindnesses of God and entering into our
divine inheritance. That is the long and the
short of it. Religion in any of its many aspects
has entered in obtrusively to complicate or
confound the simple way and truth that Christ
has declared and made known for all; that each
man, woman, and child can know God and experience
wholeness through Him. My
hope and prayer is that those seeking truth,
both religious and non religious, Christian
and non Christian, will continue in the Word
which can open the door to the Kingdom of God,
with its power and glory. May the God of all
creation reveal Himself to you, draw you into
His family, and bring forth his kingdom, his
love, his life and liberty in your life. Reconstruction of the Human Spirit Spiritual
Christians are created and established only
by Divine will and action. Those who constitute
the membership of the Kingdom of God, without
regard to any earthly institutional affiliation.
The true church is a spiritual body, it is
called the "Body of Christ. " This
body is universal, apart from any designation
of race, creed or nationality, it is without
any denominational labels and without sectarian
or geographical boundaries. The Bible reveals
that we become Christians not by a religious
rite, but by a Spiritual encounter with the
person of God. God receives us in "friendship"
and extends the fellowship of his family to
us. This fellowship is granted in the name
of the Begotten son of God, namely Jesus, Yeshua
of Nazareth, the Messiah. Acknowledging this
doctrine is one thing, the actualizing power
of it is
quite another.
The Gospel is a gospel not only of historical
fact but of power.
It is a life changing, spirit-renewing power,
that sets on fire the life of God within a
believer. Religion is an troublesome admixture that infuses the gospel that confounds the simple truth that Jesus Christ has made a way for each man, woman, and child to know God and experience wholeness in Him; to experience peace, joy and liberty in a meaningful life with Him. My hope and prayer is that those seeking truth, both Christian and non Christian will continue in the life giving word which opens the door to the Kingdom of God. May the God of all creation reveal Himself to you in order for you to continue to bring forth His kingdom. Searching For God Highways
and Byways in the Quest For others the search is to find personal healing or inner contentment to salve the aching of their souls. In Him we find solace, peace, love and wholeness. There are numerous motivations which lend themselves to religious choices. While we say we search for God are we really sincere or insincere? In the final analysis it is we who must conform to God's book and acknowledge His rules and plan for ourselves and not visa-versa. Beginning a Spiritual Search While
we are shopping this smorgasbord of religion
there are many choices. How will you
choose?
What are your resources and criteria to make
these choices? Can we choose using our own
intellectual equipment? Those who are proud
of their intellectual achievements will
probably
choose wrongly; since they will choose to remain
in control of their own lives through the exalted
faculty of reason. The wise of this world say,
"Only a fool denies reason." Some religions make no demands upon us to give up anything. When we are well satisfied with who we are; when we are pleased with ourselves, with our name, rank, and achievements; When we are puffed up with our own sense of superiority, looks, talents or strengths; How can we choose to believe something which asks us to, "deny yourself, take up a cross and follow me?" How do we choose a belief system which states, "In myself, I can do nothing;" or " - unless a seed falls and dies it abides alone, but if dies it brings forth much?" Is there any beauty in sacrificing our selves? How can we as 20th, soon to be 21st Century beings, choose to decrease to ourselves and choose that which is meek and lowly of heart, not arrayed the outward trappings of finery; not displaying intellectual cleverness, nor personal flamboyance. "He had no beauty that we should desire Him." (Isaiah 53:3) So we seek. We shop and we look and we ask about. During this time we continue to have as much power and self control, self satisfaction, and personal liberty as any other human seeker. When does the seeking come to an end? Is their a priceless pearl to be found? What is the nature of this pearl which beyond price? How do I begin my quest for God? Scripture
asks this question, "What
does a profit someone to gain the whole world
but lose his or her soul?"
There
is a risk associated with a search thwarted
or the search incomplete. There is a risk associated
with substituting the true with the counterfeit
and the living with something tainted with
corruption and death. There is indeed a true
Gospel, having the right Jesus, the right Gospel
and the right Spirit.
(2Cor 11:3) There is a counterfeit gospel,
awaiting any who choose an alternative to the
previous 3 criteria. Among these alternatives
lies the way to deception or possible destruction.
In
this process of seeking, some who hear the
message, come to believe in the Lord Jesus,
Yeshua of Nazareth called the Messiah or Christ.)
The Word of God declares, "Those who seek
will find." Those who seek and continue
seeking, will find that pearl of inestimable
value. It remains hidden to those who are lost.
Great hunger is rewarded with satisfying 'manna'
from God and great thirst is rewarded
with a satisfying drink that Jesus called 'living
water.' Many
others never come to believe in (profess) biblical
Christianity but another belief system. The
way of the Christian life once discovered provides
a feast for the body, soul and spirit, a feast
that brings eternal satisfaction, the knowledge
of the friendship of Jesus is thirst satisfying
indeed. The
Way, however, remains a narrow one, it is self
limiting. It does not accommodate those who
wish to take their own intellectual baggage
in, this burden of extraneous stuff must be
unloaded. Who among the seekers is willing
to do this? Who are really sincere and not
looking on a superficial curiosity level. Jesus
has counseled to walk the crucified life. Daily
carrying our cross, dying to self, turning
from the raucous cries that would distract
us in this world. I
am reminded of the interview which King Herod
of Judea attempted to have with Jesus on the
occasion of Jesus' trial and Pilate's disposition
of this matter of legality. What possible need
or interest could this powerful, worldly, self
indulgent, sensuous monarch have in questioning
Jesus, the Messiah of the Jews? Herod had indeed
heard of Jesus. He had heard of his influence
upon the people and heard of the signs and
wonders worked by his hand. Herod probably
was reminded of John the Baptist whose head
was the price paid for his stepdaughter Salome's
sensuous dance performance. Vain curiosity
was probably the motivating factor. Herod may
have had some guilt or even fears associated
with destroying the non conformist, unyielding,
cooperative prophet, John the Baptist. Herod
interviews Jesus: The world against the spirit
It
was time for a confrontation, though perhaps
not yet a showdown, It was a face-off between
worldliness, sensual opulence, and temporal
power and the veiled spiritual wonders of the
Kingdom of God; it was flesh against the Spirit.
What happened in this confrontation of flesh
and spirit? How did Jesus respond to the queries
of the coarse and curious Herod, did they share
an intellectual discourse? Yeshua remained
silent not a word was offered. What place has
the kingdom of God with worldliness or idolatry?
Jesus had not one word to share. There was
no dialogue. There was no effort made to plead
the case for a religious or political agenda.
No. Jesus answered not a word! The kingdom
of God and Herod's world were irreconcilable,
worlds apart, kingdoms apart. You see, Jesus
will not respond to those whose lives are filled
with surfeiting, with self importance or with
insincere curiosity. Jesus answered the worldly
Herod, not a word! A
doorway opens unto repentance In
my case, I had reached a crossroad in my middle
years that led to 'an end of myself:' When
my need was greatest, ground down to nothing,
I finally believed, and was willing to take
the next step to cry out, "Jesus,
son of David, have mercy on me!"
So? Let us see where the inquiry will take
you. Will it be into the wilderness (outside
of the distractions of worldly distractions,
where intimacy with God is finally revealed?
Or will you be lured into the another wilderness
imbued with worldly values having no intimacy
with God, having no power to fulfill Christ's
hope and calling. THE
GOSPEL WITHOUT RELIGION
is
a series of commentaries compiled from this
believer's study of the "Word of God"
and his personal spiritual insights and experiences
thereafter. I was not always a believer. What
was I before I became a believer, before becoming
a Christian? I was the same as many of you
are. Before becoming a believer I practiced
a form
of
Godliness; I was religious.
I was actively involved in institutional forms
of Christianity with its many traditions, forms,
and flavors and yet without knowing
Christ.
Before becoming believers, we called ourselves
by any of hundreds of denominational names,
not realizing that Christ is One and can not
be divided. If this state, we had no true witness
of the reality of God; we had no true witness
of our own spiritual nature and destiny.
We may not
have known that God is real or
that He rewards those who seek him with wonderful
gifts. Before becoming a partakers in the "gift
of God",
we called
ourselves Christians. Meantime,
not knowing that being a Christian meant more
than just attending church, more than learning
a catechism, more than going through a rite
of membership. Being
a Christian is not an intellectual assent to
a doctrine or belief where you
can say, "Yes that sounds like it might
be true, I guess I join up and become one of
those. "You don't join an institution
or a church to become a Christian,
rather, you are "translated"
into becoming a son or daughter of God. You
are translated into a different kingdom and
a different reality; You become a new order
of being. You are translated from death into
life, from darkness into light. We who once
cared nothing for the life and properties of
God now share in that life and are consumed
by it. It is a work that God does in us and
not one that we do on our own. The World of Religion What
a world! Almost everyone is in their own particular
place regarding a search for a personal belief
system. How would we graph our place as a believer
or an unbeliever? Do you know what you believe?
Do you know why you hold these beliefs? Some
have a belief in a God
of
some description, others may not. Some pray,
some believe in an afterlife, while others
have no faith in any God nor any life following
this one. There are so many religions inside
and outside of Christianity. There are so many
named Gods and paths to appeasing them. Within
these myriad forms of belief or worship some
have developed a set of moral values in accord
with these beliefs. Indeed many of these values
promote peace and brotherhood toward the greater
community. Meanwhile, other religious beliefs
may generate hatred and intolerance toward
those outside of that faith. Now some religions
compel its followers to convert the world to
their viewpoint and to, in a word, cause the
whole world to believe according to that religion.
Religion
is an intellectual study for some, a mandatory
career indoctrination for others. From an anthropologist's
point of view, religion simply revolves around
the belief in "spirits" as defined
by Margaret Mead. Religions lead to wars and
conflict The crusades were a demonstration
of wrong
Christian beliefs. The inhumanities
done were executed through a form of religion
and not in conformity to the Gospel of Christ.
The crusades and the inquisition were chapters
in Catholicism that further demonstrated an
abuse of power
that is presumed
when the rule
of God on
earth is already manifest in a political
church
on earth. Christianity in the age of grace presents a message of love, acceptance and forgiveness. Destruction and judgment against unbelievers is not to be exercised by believers in the true Gospel. In the Gospel of Grace, there is an invitation to come freely and receive, partaking in the power of Jesus' love, and forgiveness. There is no sword to convert the unbeliever, but rather the demonstration of the supernatural power of God motivated by Love, that converts the heart and persuades each that there is a loving God in heaven. This is the loving Father who desires that no one dies under condemnation. "God so loved the world - - ," John 3:16 is the often quoted basic text. Discernment
(revealed by the Spirit of Truth) is given
so we can know those whom we can pray for.
Condemnation never comes from the hand of a
believer who is commanded to walk in the same
love and forgiveness that Jesus modeled to
all. Discerning the True Gospel, 3 factors determine its authenticity: The right Jesus: Jesus the Messiah is not an angel, not a mere prophet; not a great man, not merely a teacher of moral excellence; Not a highly evolved illuminate; but The only begotten Son of God, the Jewish Messiah. The right gospel; The Gospel is a gospel of good news; that humanity may come to the giver of life to receive a supernatural gift; eternal life and forgiveness without cost, without the mediation of a priest; It is not a gospel of works, nor is it a gospel of faith and good works; the door is open to any who call upon the name of the Lord. The source of truth and understanding of this gospel is the Holy Bible. The right Spirit; There are many spirits in the world, some of God, others demonic. Spirits abound in the atmosphere in individuals, in communities, of every nation. The church houses of religions can nurture or teach a doctrine which has a wrong, (un-Christlike) This
sort of subtle spiritual influence has existed
for thousands of years to lead people away
from the God-life. Demonic spirits are a reality
now and in ancient times, when Jesus and his
disciples dealt with them. They are present
to seduce, impede, and steal from the life,
liberty and spiritual potential of every human
being. The
kingdom of darkness has this agenda; to steal,
to kill and to destroy, especially
a believer. The spirit of the world
is a spirit of self exaltation and pride. Of
course modern thought and psychology discredits
belief in spirits as a primitive and obsolete
belief system. However, it is to be noted that
Jesus the Messiah came to "destroy
the works of the devil," Satan,
the ruler of all fallen beings. It is God's
ultimate purpose to restore the proper line
of earthly rule under the dominion of Jesus
Christ. In due time, nations will recognize
him as the Holy One of God, appointed Lord
of all things. Evil or wrong spirits include,
pride, rebellion, witchcraft, defilement, sensuality,
gluttony, drunkenness, etc. One
god equals any other? The
Gospel, is denoted as the
power of God,
(1Corinthians 1;2.5) powerfully persuades us
to believe, in a God of love and a God who
can impact human lives in remarkable life-changing
ways that exist out of the realm of church
life. This Gospel is not a shallow, tradition-ruled
religion. Rather it teaches knowing God who
reveals himself as Savior and sovereign of
the universe. Even more amazingly, the Bible
proves itself to be entirely believable and
consistent in spite of its progressive
detractors.
Theologians who work continuously to discredit
any belief in Biblical accuracy or consistency.
Today when I hear of a God who walked with
man in a spiritually perfect world, called
Eden. I believe it; when I hear of a God who
did wonders in the days of Moses or the prophets
I do not doubt that fact for one moment; when
I read the infallible prophecies of appointed
men of God who declare the end from the beginning
I have no doubt in the veracity of any of those
words. God spoke through prophets with inerrant accuracy to declare the Messiah and his mission to redeem fallen humanity and all these prophecies came to pass. Jesus as the lamb of God came to close the divide between God and humanity. The resurrection of Yeshua, as irrational scientifically unsound it sounds on the surface, remains the foundation of Christianity. Resurrection establishes the "Power of the Gospel" and enables any believer to partake in His divine nature. Religions of the world may vary in name and beliefs but all seek to establish a worldly kingdom. They aspire to have a launching pad to promulgate those beliefs and in many cases, beliefs that are contrary to the Gospel. Christian religions sects, including, Catholicism, LDS Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and most of the protestant denominations distort the simple Gospel. They bring forth errant doctrines, formalism, and human authority. (See the characteristics of Religion in book two. "The attributes of Religion" Churches (buildings with congregations) are what people usually think of when we imagine Christian practices. When ceremony and ritual are the practiced, and where obligations or extraneous demands are taught, these are contrary to the original Gospel, e.g. the Apostolic epistles found in the New Testament. 1 Online
Books by Charles Pinkney E Book 2: E Book 3: Index to all Charles Pinkney Christian Titles Resources and Understanding Home Church Fellowships http://churchinthehouse.org/ Frank
Viola Blog Casts Many Commentaries Rediscovering
the New Testament Forms of Worship THESE MP3s ARE FREE TO LISTEN TO
Interview
2/20/2006
http://www.sidroth.org also
see: Sid
Roth Guest,
George Barna
http://www.sidroth.org/radio.htm
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