After we have accepted Jesus Christ’s gift of salvation and are enjoying the freedom of the redeemed, we would be wise to do a little checkup to make sure we haven’t unconsciously slipped in any way from redemption into religion.
The following are 5 differences between Redemption and Religion:
- RELIGION is a “got to” way of life; REDEMPTION is a “get to” way of life.
- RELIGION is a door you must pass through in order to get into God’s presence;
REDEMPTION is an open door that is held open by Jesus, and no man can
shut it.
- RELIGION is man’s attempt to satisfy a holy God; REDEMPTION is God’s
attempt to make us holy by the sacrifice of a holy substitute.
- RELIGION is a shadow of the things to come without substance or power;
REDEMPTION is the reality of things to come through the substance of our
flesh and our words.
- RELIGION is form, a ritual, a tradition that acts like an empty shell, containing
no life or revelation within itself; REDEMPTION is an inner realization of the
Kingdom of God in the temple of our bodies that needs no form, ritual, or
tradition, because the King Himself resides within us!
“I am the vine and you are the branches” is a familiar bible quote to those in Christian circles. The grapevine elicits warm thoughts for many. For the French it is the taste of the wine that is important. For many it is the taste of the grape whether it is red, green or purple. For others, it is savoring the taste of the juicy, yellow and red raisins that come from this most luscious of fruits.
For the Christian, this statement “I am the vine you are the branches,” speaks of an intimate relationship with God that produces a marvelous fruit for tasting by those who are near and those who are dear. The fruit that flows from the branch is either a sweet tasting savor of Christ, or a bitter flavor of a life devoid of good fruit. Regardless, the reality is that Christ tells us that this relationship of vine and branch produces a connection of such power that we can ask anything we desire of the Lord and He will grant it.
I encourage you today to spend time abiding in the Word of God. Let it infuse your life with energy and vision that will produce fruit worthy of the tasting!
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:5-8 NIV
“We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose” (Rom 8:28 AMP).
WOW! I get excited when I read this passage. God is a partner in our labor working things together for us! What a pleasure it is to trust in HIM knowing that he is working behind the scenes on our behalf. Today in prayer, I heard myself saying, “God, YOU are my partner and I have total confidence that you are bringing in the resources, people and establishing the plans in your time frame!”
Each one of are continually surrounded by change due to difficulties in this natural world; however, in this time of transition we use our faith and our passion to latch on to God’s will and the wealth that is available for transfer into the hands of those in the kingdom of God! We are not down, defeated without hope or alternatives BUT WE ARE UP, EXPECTANT AND DREAMING OF NEW POSSIBILITES IN CHANGING TIMES!
Thank you Lord for bringing in the people and resources and blessing all of our partners!
As a minister, when I walk up to the pulpit I think and believe that I am going to change the world. I know that what is real to me will be real to you. The reality is that what stimulates you will stimulate others. What awakens your creative impulse will awaken and enlighten the spirit of mankind.
Who wants another dead preacher? The truth is that pulpits are putting people to sleep. What excites you? What makes you happy? What puts a spark under you and a briskness in your step? This is what the world is hungering for. They want a purpose greater than themselves that they can throw themselves into, and come alive in the pursuit of something greater than themselves. Jesus is offering it!
People are designed by God to be happy. Even those who carry the burden of leadership are called to do it with joy. Anybody can see the problems of life, it takes people of faith to see and rejoice in the answers!
The apostle Paul took on the mantle of leading the early church with all of its weaknesses and miscalculations, yet he said he planned to keep everything in a perspective that would cause him to finish his course with joy.
Acts 20:24
“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
Don’t let life make you bitter, but better!
Regardless of the state of the economy, I look to a different news report, one that is not tied to the stock market. It is God’s economy—one of listening and obeying.
Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written… so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go… (1 Kings 2:3 paraphrased).
First, we must walk. This indicates that regardless of how difficult the crisis is that you may be facing, continue! God will guide you in your everyday affairs. He is committed to you more than you could ever commit to Him!
Have you considered recently that He gave His Son to die on a cross so that you might be justified just as if you never sinned? This is amazing love.
Second, remember that you must keep His ways. God’s way is the LOVE way! What does love say? It does not remember a wrongful hurt. It does not seek its own. It is not easily provoked. It speaks no evil. Love does not envy. Love is kind. Love endures all things. Love is the force from which faith flows! No LOVE = no FAITH!
My faith works today because I have love. I do not have love because I have faith… I have faith because I love. I love because He first loved me!
How do you picture God? Do you envision Him as distant? Angry? Vengeful? Cruel? In truth, He is none of these. God is good. Our God is a God of joy, a God of love. He wants all people to know that He is alive and desires to heal everyone.
We have hosted tent festivals in many cities of Eurasia and Africa and have seen thousands of people being healed. God wants all people to be healthy and that is why He not only desires but also is ready to heal any sickness. God’s Word says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, God delivers you from sins and sickness. God loves all people equally and He does not have favorites. The Scriptures tell us that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that each person would be saved (John 3:16). This applies to every one of us.
No matter what your problem is or what it is that you need, God sent His Son Jesus so that you and I could receive life!
Jesus gave a Roman centurion—a man who had no covenant with God—a higher compliment than He gave to any of God’s covenant people. Jesus told His disciples that He had not seen greater faith in all of Israel than what He saw in this man (Matt. 8:10). What caused this centurion to receive such a compliment from God? He had evaluated the similarity of authority that He and Jesus carried, and told Jesus to speak the Word only and his servant would be healed.
This soldier’s understanding of how his own word of authority operated in the natural realm gave him perfect understanding of how Jesus’ words operated in the spiritual realm. This centurion had a revelation that words controlled both realms! If that is the case—and Jesus has given us the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 16:19)—then what we say is the road map to our future. We are our own prophet; we declare our own future.
Can this power be abused? Yes. But it was intended to be used by people with a new, God-filled heart to bring about the desires of that heart.
Just who is Yahweh, our salvation? Listen to these titles for Yahweh, or Jehovah:
The first name is Jehovah Jireh, translated “the Lord will provide.” So even in man’s desperation and separation because of Satan’s deception, we see that God reveals Himself as the Lord who will provide. In other words, He wants us to remember that He is our source and that He provides a covenant sacrifice that will pay the atonement for our sins. He paints a picture of it for us. We have a hope, a future, and an expectation that God will do something for us.
Next we discover that He is Jehovah Nisi. This name means “the Lord our banner.” Remember this is in the context of those eight hundred pages where we are living under the power of Satan’s deception. And we do not yet have an encounter with the living Jesus, who brings us to the reality of this new life. But during this time when we are without God, He reveals Himself as our salvation, as our banner. He is our victory. Even when sin separated us, God had a plan, and this plan connects us to the victory He desires for our lives.
We also see Him as Jehovah Shalom. Jehovah Shalom means “the Lord is our peace.” This word shalom literally has the essence of nothing broken, everything fixed, everything being repaired. Shalom is total restoration and total peace for all that we need. So again, in those eight hundred pages of God reaching out to us, He reveals Himself as Jehovah Shalom, our peace. This is God extending Himself to humanity saying “I love you.”
Then we see Jehovah Shamah, or “the Lord who is present.” When sin entered in and mankind was banished from the garden (because of Adam and Eve’s original sin), we were also banished from the presence of God. Why? Because sin cannot stand in the presence of a holy God. Here again God reaches out to us and reveals Himself as the God who is among His people, the Lord who is there. As you read these words I want you to connect with the reality of how God has reached out to you. Even though sin created a wall of separation, God still had you on His heart.
Look at these other titles; it’s fascinating for us to discover this God who so loves us: Jehovah Tsidkenu, “the Lord our righteousness”; Jehovah Rohi, which means “the Lord our shepherd.” In Psalm 23 we discover that He leads us beside the still waters; He causes us to lie down in green pastures because He is our shepherd and He is with us. We know that He is Jehovah Rapha, or God our healer, the one who repairs that which is broken.
It’s exciting to think that when we were still separated from God because of sin, He still had you and me on His mind!
The devil is not able to come into your room in the middle of the night and destroy you or your family. He is limited because he is a loser. So why do we read on the internet and on the front pages of newspapers about foolish, destructive behavior from successful businessmen, politicians, and ministers? The devil didn’t make them do it; they entertained and yielded to devilish thoughts.
Solomon penned that above all we should guard our hearts, for out of them flow the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). Life comes from the inside. Nothing changes on the outside until we change on the inside!
People spend their lives offended at what other people did to them, instead of concentrating on the real wealth inside them that could change the world. Paul told us, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is” (Romans 12:2 NLT 1996).
Why does God tell you to do this? Because eventually, whatever goes into your inside will affect your outside. Physically, you may have the desire to look like someone on the front page of a glamour magazine, but you also might have the desire to eat 10 hamburgers and a pound of french fries a day! What you put inside of you will eventually show up on the outside and override any higher goal you might have had.
Libraries are full of books that are rarely read after the month of their printing. But God’s Word carries His very life in it and speaks in a fresh way to every generation. He has given us something to say that we can believe in.
Our attitude toward His written Word really determines how much of Him we will experience in our everyday lives. His written Word is a treasure beyond all the riches of this earth. It is designed by God to take the place of Jesus in His absence. It connects us with His thought process. It never sleeps, nor does it ever change its message.
