STILL ON RELIGION

Acts 21:33-36

Then the commander arrested him and ordered him bound with two chains. He asked the crowd who he was and what he had done.

Some shouted one thing and some another. Since he couldn’t find out the truth in all the uproar and confusion, he ordered that Paul be taken to the fortress.

As Paul reached the stairs, the mob grew so violent the soldiers had to lift him to their shoulders to protect him.

And the crowd followed behind, shouting, “Kill him, kill him!”

Still on religion, that evil that follows it is the killing of a fellow human being for the sake of a religion. That thing that takes away the value of a life of another human and makes one think that they have the liberty to kill another for no reason. There is no war, and you have no clear idea what they person has done wrong, but you are informed that the person erred against your religion then you feel you can go ahead to mob and even kill that individual.

Some would say I did not participate in the killing. Hello, but you consented to it, it is the same.

Saul consented to the death of Stephen, he watched over their cloaks thus he was culpable.

The truth is that religion gives man a false sense of who the Heavenly Father is. 

Now pause, the Heavenly Father actually is the only one who has the right over the life of any human, for He gave it, so He can take it back. Let me go further, we are His creation, thus He has full right over who He allows to be and who He removes, the fact that He gave us the power of choice should not make us take Him for granted.

Hebrews 10:31

It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

That said, let us go on with the issue of religion.

Now, the problem with religion is that it is man-made, people sit down in committees and council's to make certain decisions (hello, are you aware of other secret meetings, that are not brought to light, if only you knew . . .) 

Religion is supposed to be people coming together under one believe, having a deity as the central figure. It was in existence from the time man began to form colonies, that void in man caused by Adam's separation from the Heavenly Father is what every human tries to fill, thus we see objects placed in sight to be reverend by humans. Some get it so bad that they use innate things. Some reference dead people, angels and worse still animals and trees. Whatever the case they can never be a route to the Heavenly Father.

Worse still people worship men!!!

Thus Paul told the people of Athens:

Acts 17:29-31

And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.

“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.

For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”

Now listen, only the Word could show the world who the Heavenly Father is. Listen:

John 8:4,7,9

“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery.

They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”

When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman.

Religion has no idea who the Heavenly Father is.

Listen again:

Luke 9:53-55 

And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.

And when his disciples James and John saw [this], they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

Only Christ Jesus revealed the person of the Father:

John 1:18 

No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].

John 6:46 

Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

No one can represent God, but God Himself so He had to come to earth as a mere man to bring man out of His predicament. He made Himself, yes His Word, begotten in the flesh, very man, perfect, that man can be made perfect.

John 1:1-4,14

In the beginning the Word already existed. 

The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He existed in the beginning with God.

God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

This is the summary of salvation and God's purpose and plan, it is not a religion, it is not laws, ordinances, cultures or sacraments, it is God bringing man back to Himself. If you do not get this you keep going round in circles and you keep asking this and that question of what concerns you and what does not concern you. 

For God's salvation for man was embedded in LOVE, thus we serve Him in love and live in love. Not a religious type of love but love because of LOVE Himself for. . . .

1 John 4:8

But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Yes,

John 3:16

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

So I will follow the Heavenly Father and not man-made religion. For who really loved me? He did.

He calls us blessed.

Love

@the watcher