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In the Now

July 19, 2011 by DoneWithReligion

Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen…..

A pastor friend of mine talked about this verse once and I liked what he said. The word Now isn’t just to start a sentence but to mean ‘Now faith’. Our faith is always in the now. The past is done, the future isn’t promised. We are to live our faith in the now, in the present.

NowFaith

Our faith is in our God and we are assured that He has our best in mind and will provide what we need when we need it. It is not always easy in our world today, but we know that God will come through and take care of us, provide our needs and walk with us daily in the now.

Are you feeling guilty over past mistakes? Are you fearful of the future? The past is gone, the future is not here. God is with us….now. He will provide and bring to reality what He knows is best for us.

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The Vine

July 19, 2011 by DoneWithReligion

The problem with the religious church mindset is that it assumes non-attachment to an organization means isolation from the body of Christ. The religious church mindset assumes that not being under the covering of a pastor and part of a dedicated denominational fellowship means that you are outside of fellowship and that the only hope you have is to be led to depression, doctrinal error, and a fruitless life.

The reality is that anyone who is connected to the Vine (Jesus) cannot help but bear fruit! Furthermore, by virtue of our connection to the Vine, we understand that there are also other branches connected to that same Vine. All of us together IN CHRIST are part of the same plant that is being nurtured by God Himself! I should not have to reiterate the fact that the Vine is not a church building or organization. It’s not an institution. It’s not a weekly gathering. It’s not a Bible study, Sunday School class, or membership in a Christian College. The Vine is JESUS CHRIST! Yes, HE is ALL you need!!!!

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Abide in Love

July 19, 2011 by DoneWithReligion

John 15:7 NASB

To abide means to reside with, to remain with, to submit to. When we reside with Jesus and submit to His words, we can ask whatever we wish. Why is this? When we abide in Him and He is us, we fulfill His command, which is love.

When we love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind and love others the same way Jesus loves them, we aren’t going to be asking selfishly or with wrong motives. When Jesus prayed to the Father, it was always in perfect line with the Father’s will.

When we come to truly abide in Him and ask Him to abide in us, we will live in love and in complete agreement with the will of the Father.

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Love

July 19, 2011 by DoneWithReligion

1 John 4:7 NASB
For us Christ followers, love is the name of the game so to speak. God is love. If we know God and are born again, we live in love. We will love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind and we will love others as ourselves. This is how they will know we are disciples of Christ, by our love for one another.

In the Old Testament the law was given as a standard to measure up to, a way to earn salvation. Basically to fulfill the law we had to be perfect. Of course, none of us could or can be perfect so the law was given to lead us to Christ. When Christ came, died and rose again, He conquered the law, sin and death and bought our salvation for us through His grace.

Now we no longer have to live trying to fulfill the law. This isn’t to say that we necessarily have to ignore what is written in the Old Testament, but we no longer have to try to live up to the law to earn God’s love and our salvation. We are no longer obligated to obey the law because we now live in love.

Just as a husband stays faithful to his wife because he loves her, not because it is wrong to commit adultery, so now we live our lives pleasing to God because we love Him and He loves us, not because we are afraid of the consequences if we break a law.

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God is Going to Get You for That

July 19, 2011 by DoneWithReligion

Talking recently with a friend of mine, I heard that he was upset because he wasn’t able to tithe to his church. I’m not sure if he was worried that God was going to punish him or not but it got me to thinking.

Many of us feel like we need to do something, such as tithing, church attendance, Bible reading, praying, helping the homeless, witnessing, being active in some type activity that makes us feel like we are doing something to earn God’s favor.

Thing is, God loves us just as a parent loves their children. Would a mother or father withhold their love from their son or daughter because they were not doing some particular act to earn that love? Of course not.

Am I saying that we do not have to go to church, we do not have to read our Bible, we do not have to tithe, we do not have to be in some kind of activity helping others……yes, that’s exactly what I am saying.

FatherChild

We cannot do anything to earn God’s love and we cannot do anything to cause God to stop loving us. God is love. We don’t earn His love by doing things or being a part of something. We accept His love through what Jesus did when He died for us. We he arose from the dead He conquered sin, death and the law and restored our fellowship with the Father.

The law was made to show us that we were unable to earn salvation on our own. Just as the Bible tells us that a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives, but when he dies she is loose from that union, so we as humans were bound by the law. The law showed us what we had to do to be perfect and also to prove to us that we were unable to live that way. When Jesus died and rose again, the law, the old testament way, was fulfilled and the new testament way of love and grace began.

We no longer have to live by the law. We now are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind and love our neighbor (others) as ourselves. In this you fulfill the law. See Matthew 22:37-40.

Now of course obeying God and following after the way He leads you is important. We are to obey rather than sacrifice. The thing is we obey out of love, we don’t do things to earn our salvation or to keep from God’s punishment. God will watch over us and discipline us when needed just as a parent watches over their child and directs them in the way they should go for their own good and safety. But the parents, and God, do not sit around just waiting on their child to mess up, do something wrong just to punish them and make them pay.

We are now living in the freedom that Christ purchased for us through His death and resurrection. We no longer HAVE to perform and do things. He loves us. He will guide us and lead us in the way He wants us to go. I’m not saying we can be lazy and just sit around waiting on the day we die and go to be with God. Our faith and love for God will produce works but they will be works that God leads us into, and they are done out of love. What we now do is love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, and love others as ourselves. Love, God’s love, is the fulfillment of the law.

Do what God leads you to do….out of love not out of duty. Seek His guidance and do not worry about what everyone else is doing. God will work in and through you in His own way and not the same way He works in someone else. God IS love. Live in love and enjoy the freedom we have in Christ.

Posted in christian living, Kingdom of God, Lifestyles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , |

Modern Day church

February 1, 2011 by DoneWithReligion

As I become more inclined to follow my feeling that the church of today is way off base of what God intended, the organized, man-made denomination, the ‘religious’ church, I continue to come across books and websites that confirm my thoughts.

Take for instance, the teaching of the church on tithing. We are constantly told we need to give our 10% to the church or we are robbing God. Wait a minute, wasn’t that in the Old Testament? Didn’t Jesus come to fulfill the law and provide grace for us?

Am I saying it is wrong to tithe? Not necessarily, although I prefer to call it freely giving. If you attend an organized church and you feel they are doing what God wants for them, yes, support it. But don’t feel you ‘have’ to tithe. Don’t let a pastor guilt you into giving because he uses some Old Testament verse to tell you that you’re robbing from God. Give because you love God and want to give. Give 1%, 5%, 10%, 50%, whatever you determine in your heart to give. We are free to give the amount we determine and are no longer under law and required to tithe.

nomoretithe

Why get so caught up on being in a building each week, listening to one man (or woman) telling us what God is saying or what the Bible says. Doesn’t God’s word say that we now have the Holy Spirit to teach us?

Am I saying it is wrong to go to church? Of course not. I do believe the modern-day organized church is not in line with what God intended, and I do believe we do not have to attend any organized church. Some will say the Bible says don’t forsake the assembling of yourselves together. That is true, but it does not say you have to assemble together anywhere in particular. Meet up with other believers in a restaurant, or invite them to your home for a meal and a time of fellowship. That is what I feel the Bible is talking about.

In our day and age, it is time to get over the man-made religion and the church building being the center of our Christian life and realize there is more. Most churches today are more of a social meeting place or a big business than anything. We should focus on Jesus and build our relationship with him and realize that WE are the Church and the Holy Spirit lives within us, making us the dwelling place of God. We are the temple of God. We need to build our fellowship with God and with one another. This doesn’t need to be done in a building with an organized service, but in spending time with our brothers and sisters in Christ, helping one another and talking about God and His love for us. Others should be able to know that we are Christians because of the love we have for one another.

Posted in christian living, Community, Ekklesia, Scoop.it, The church | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Frustrated with Christianity

May 25, 2010 by DoneWithReligion

Have you ever felt frustrated with the Christian world today? Obviously the church today isn’t what God intended and in America, the church has become a big corporation more than anything.

On the other hand, no matter what church or Christian group you belong to, it seems we just can’t accept each other as we are. We always have groups that say one thing and then along comes someone else who says something completely different. Then one group gets mad and argues their point and it just seems fruitless to continue debating one another. One groups says this is the way to do it, the other says no, your way is wrong but our way is the way to do it.

I’m at a point where I’m pretty well frustrated with Christianity as a whole and just ready to say forget it. God loves me. There is nothing I have to do or stop doing to receive God’s love. I am saved through faith in Jesus Christ and I have the Holy Spirit living within me. I don’t have to listen to this group or that group, this speaker or that preacher. God can guide me in the way He wants me to go and I no longer have to worry about my reputation or what others think. Does anyone else feel this way too?relyonGod

I really think if we accept God’s love for us the way we are, follow Him and be willing to do what He wants us to do, then listen to the guiding of the Holy Spirit within us, we will be OK no matter what others say. We no longer have to be tossed to and fro by listening to all the different voices in Christianity today. We just need to listen and trust God and enjoy the fellowship we have with Him through Christ.

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Televangelists

May 24, 2010 by DoneWithReligion

I have seen some emails talking about a bill that would remove pastors and Christian programming from TV and radio. I’m not sure if there is any truth to the emails, but it does bring a thought to my mind. Now I don’t want to sound like I’m against the Gospel message, but just maybe this is a good thing. Before you get the wrong idea, let me explain what I mean.

The majority of non-Christians won’t turn on a TV Gospel program. Taking these pastors off of TV and radio might cause more Christians to have personal one on one fellowship with both believers and non-believers. Can you image 4, 6 or 10 people in a living room, or a small group meeting at a restaurant for fellowship and getting to know one another in a more intimate way?

In the US, we tend to think our pastors are the only ones to carry the Gospel to the world, when in reality the true ‘Church’ ( us ) are to allow God to work through us to spread His love to a hurting world on a one on one basis with those we come in contact with every day.

Taking the pastors off TV may just cause Christians to find the fellowship they need with other Christians, and to take the gospel message to people who would not turn on a gospel program or attend a religious meeting. Again I don’t mean to step on the toes of the elderly and shut-ins, but maybe that is another area where the ‘Church’ could go out and minister to those who are unable to get out.

televangelists

Speaking in financial terms, we all know that TV and radio programs require a lot of money to stay on the air waves. What we usually see on these programs are the pastors begging for more and more money to build up their ministries with multi-million dollar facilities and private jets. What is wrong with this picture?

Why not use this money to help feed and take care of the poor, the homeless and the needy.

The way I see it, taking the televangelists off the air waves may be the best thing that could happen to the Christian world today.

Posted in christian living, Missions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Homeless

May 24, 2010 by DoneWithReligion

Recently my wife, a daughter, son-in-law, two granddaughters, in-law, friend and I did something new. The girls all cooked food, then all of us went out to several homeless camps and gave the food out and spent a little time with some of the homeless people.

I wasn’t sure I was going to like doing this, but after the day was over, I have to admit I had a good time. We all felt a sense of accomplishment in doing something that helped someone else out.

The people were all friendly and seemed to enjoy talking with us. I found it interesting talking with them and finding out where they were from, how they came to the camp, what they used to do and what their plans were for the future.

I was glad a couple of my granddaughters went along to see what life was like from a homeless perspective. Our kids today have never known hardship or doing without. I think it really opened their eyes and made them more thankful for what they have.

It is hard to believe the conditions these people live in, but due to those conditions, we found a sincere sense of concern for each other and a willingness to enjoy a time of fellowship with us.

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Politics

May 24, 2010 by DoneWithReligion

Each time election time comes around, I get aggravated seeing churches endorse candidates and allow politicians to come to their service and talk or be recognized. This is just another sign to me that the modern-day Christian church is off base and involved in things they shouldn’t be.

I’m not saying we as individuals shouldn’t be informed and that we shouldn’t vote. Each person should take the time to know what the candidates stand for, and then get out and vote for the ones they feel would do the best job. That doesn’t mean churches need to be the ones to endorse candidates and issues.

The Church (“Church” meaning each individual believer) is here to love one another and show the love of God to all we come in contact with. The church (church: organized religion/building) is just another big business today. Its time the church stops allowing politicians to come in and be recognized as another way to get their name in front of voters. The church needs to stop being just another big corporation in America, and time for the “Church” to start being what God intended.

Denominations and organized religion is NOT what God intended. Fellowship among believers, love for God and for one another is what we need more of today.

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