"My sheep are hearing My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me"
Johns Account 10: 27, Concordant New Testament
Growing up in the church, I was convinced that I was following Jesus. Whatever the pastor claimed, and whatever he said, I was following Jesus. After all, wasn't he the Lords representative here on earth? Wasn't he chosen to speak the gospel of Christ to the Lords children? Yeah, that's what I thought too. After all, I had been taught to listen and learn from the words of the pastor. The other night, I was listening to a radio sermon where the pastor made the comment after the opening prayer to "Follow me." I turned off the radio then and there. For I have learned enough of the truth of the gospel that there is but One I will follow, and that is Jesus. Yet many in the mainstream church have blurred the lines and have come to accept that to follow religion is to follow Jesus. Let me be clear, the church is where one goes to hear and to learn of Jesus. In my opinion, religion and Jesus go together like oil and water. For Jesus never in His ministry told His followers to adhere to and to follow a man created religion. What He DID do is to encourage them to "Follow Me" {Johns Account 10:27, Mathews Account 9:9, Marks Account 8:34}. One does not come to know Jesus intimately through following the traditions and requirements of religion. This is not how I came to know Him. I came to know Jesus through the conversations with a good friend, not from a Sunday sermon. What I discovered was that the Jesus that I was coming to know was radically different from that which I had learned of in the mainstream church. The Jesus I was discovering was not a savior prone to condemnation. The Jesus I was discovering was not a savior demanding that I adhere to the ancient traditions of the church. The Jesus I was coming to know is One Who covers me in His love, not requirements {First Epistle of John 4:8}. In fact, it is Jesus who invites us to follow Him. His is an invitation, not a requirement. It's an invitation which I have accepted.
Erasing the handwriting of the decrees against us, which was hostile to us, and has taken it away out of the midst, nailing it to the cross
Paul to the Colossians 2: 14, Concordant New Testament
I've recently been reminded of who I formerly thought Jesus was through a few conversations with church going friends. I made the comment to another friend that more often than not I have come away from these conversations feeling convicted but not encouraged. These conversations are more about pointing out what I've been commanded to do in His name. Of course, they sprinkle cherry picked pieces of scripture in to make themselves seem relevant. Of course, Jesus often referred to the word as well, but not in the way that modern day Christian soldiers do. For these followers of religion, it's all about convincing people to follow their religion, not Jesus. This is not the Jesus that I have come to know in my heart. The Jesus that I know spoke of the love and forgiveness of the Father. He proclaimed that the way to the Father was through Him, not following a church or religion {Johns Account 14:6}. In fact, I believe that if you are following a religion that proclaims that it is the way to the Father, you're being lied to. For Jesus has spoken that it is only through Him that any will come to God. Know Jesus, and you will know the Father as well {Johns Account 10:30}. The mainstream church has tried to convince people of the false theology that we are separated by sin from God. Nothing could be further from the truth. The apostle Paul speaks to the truth of the sin issue when he proclaims that Christ has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}. For it is through the innocent blood shed by Christ that we have been freed from the condemnation and shame so often preached within the church {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}. It is not sin which separates us, but Jesus Who accepts us wherever we're at in life. This is the Jesus I know.
~Scott~
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