Jesus Christ Blog

Lee Bacon




In Hebrew culture every boy, from childhood, was trained to be a Rabbi – a long the way they were culled, kind of like we see with rugby teams, or football teams in Australia.

Those who didn’t measure up were sent to work in the family business, at each different level.

With our football only the best of the best get to play at a national level. Well its sort of like that for the Hebrew boys, they all longed to go to the next level. You were someone special if you went to the next level.

(A scene was set in and through this cultural mindset – not to remain in it – but to prepare some Hebrew boys for something unique in history)

Now we don’t know at what stage of this development in the Hebrew traditions, the disciples of Jesus failed or were rejected by the establishment but some of this preperation they certainly would have done, and they also would have yearned as all Hebrew boys did, to be considered good enough for the next level.

Look at some of the training they went through to try to get picked for “the next level in the institutional framework that was then ministry”. We’ve all seen the adds “pick me pick me” it was like this in their minds.

By age 6 all Hebrew boys must be able to recite word for word the book of Leviticus. By age 12 they were supposed to recite the entire Torah – then they were examined on their knowledge of the Torah, based on how well you questioned the teachers of the law.

If you wowed the teachers of the law with good questions you went on to the Bel Talmud level. This is the cultural setting when we read these scriptures about Jesus …..

Luke 2:42 – “And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. “

Luke 2:46 to 49 – “Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.”

The Bel Talmud lasted 18 years from the age of 12 to 30 – A Rabbi would go to the Bel Talmud and choose from those graduated from the Betsapha and say “FOLLOW ME”.

This was the ritual of choosing, and the words that every Hebrew boy from 12 years of age longed to hear from a respected Rabbi, if they were ever to be trained for the ministry.

For those who make it to stage 5 at 30 years old there is a baptism, a water baptism. Any change of status was sealed with a water baptism ceremony. Adoption required a water baptism.

When someone went through the waters of baptism after hearing the words, “Follow me” from the rabbi they were chosen to be discipled by, it was such a thorough change that like the adoption process you were no longer your own, or related the same to your family, – you were now the family of the Rabbi, and he was your father your master your all.

Stage 5 Schmeach – means a person has reached a level of recognised authority -. exousia is the greek equivalent.

To graduate there needed to be 2 or more witnesses who were recognised already to be Schmeach graduates, to say that this person had Authority.

A Rabbi with Authority was allowed to develop his own yoke. The Yoke to a hebrew means “the interpretation of scripture”, or doctrin derived from scripture.

If you did not have, or had not been recognised and declared to have reached this level of Authority, you had to follow the yoke of your Rabbi.

The most amazing thing about the Yoke of Jesus, that was so very different from the other Rabbi’s, was His revealing of the character of God – the gentleness and humility of God, He said God is love.

Some of the scriptures refering to His yoke were prophesied….

Isa 9:4 – 7 For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian. For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

The yoke of the past has to go, only the yoke of Jesus can be taken on board if you truly want to live in the Kingdom of God.

Isa 10:27b And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

When I see people going into transition, the Lord often has me pray for them annoint them with oil and speak release and sanctification, that they be set apart and sanctified for the purposes of the King Jesus, and His Kingdom.

It has been a very powerful dynamic in God and only the start of restorative miracles that we see take place time and time again as people just co-operate with King Jesus and allow His Spirit to lead them into all truth. Jesus is the truth.

“Oh Lord sanctify us to your yoke, your truth, your will and your Kingdom come. Break every blindness that we may see your glory.”

Isa 58:6 – 8 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. “

Back to the Hebrews boys….

Some of the times where Authority was discussed, recognised, challenged and questioned – are easily recognised even in English or Greek in spite of language differences the tone is there.

“By what authority do you teach?” (exhousia or authority)

“By what authority did John the Baptist teach?”

Once Baptised, the Rabbi went to get disciples. Most Rabbis went to the Bel Talmud to pick out of the students the best for their Disciples.

A Rabbi would want to pick students that could be better than him.

Jesus says, “My Yoke chose fishermen – workers – those who had been rejected by the Bel Talmud”.

Jesus disciples came from either those rejected by the dominating religious system, or some were actually disciples of John the Baptist.

Jesus’ First Disciples

John 1:35 – 40 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.”

Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. When Jesus came on the scene and His time for rising up to accomplish the will of God was evident, John the Baptist had the appropriate response – “John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

“Oh Lord help us not only do what we are called to do in the preparing of others to bring your Kingdom to manifest in the earth, help us when we must decrease so the next layer of your building can increase. Help us see it, help us to make way for it and help us to praise You for that which You are doing”

When Jesus came to the fishermen and said “follow me”, He came as a Rabbi with authority to train them for ministry. Think about it these men had longed to be chosen as young men, they had been disqualified from ministry and sent home to learn the trade of their fathers.

That’s why when a Rabbi came by who obviously spoke with schmeagh, and said “Follow me”, it was such an opportunity that they dropped everything for the opportunity to be taught for the ministry.

Just a thought……..

What is Jesus saying here?

Mat 23:8 – 13 “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.

“Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.

“And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Jesus is saying He is the last Rabbi with Schmeagh, there will be no one after him that can create another yoke. His yoke will forever be the yoke of the Kingdom. – The yoke of the ministry. The teaching and perspective of the word of God that we are all to adhere to.

Mat 11:25 -30 At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to *****. “Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

These Hebrew men knew exactly what Jesus was talking about when He invited people to take His yoke. That is why these could say with conviction -

Acts 15:10 -12 “Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. “

and

Gal 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of *******.”

2 Pet 1:17 -20 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation.

(Emphasis mine)

Here Peter is declaring that Jesus authority to interpret scripture was not only recognised, as was custom, by two or three earthly witnesses, Peter is refering back to the mount of transfiguration where Moses and Elijah, the most recognised authorities regarding the word of God, who would know if someone was misrepresenting the way God intended His word to be used, and Father God Himself declared “this is my Son hear you Him.” The words declared when a Rabbi was reconised and graduated with authority to interpret scripture.

Jesus Yoke teaches the Kingdom of God,.

When I first came into the things of God and was baptised in the Holy Spirit, I could not understand that no one in the church was talking about or teaching about the Kingdom of God, everyone was talking about lots of other things. Holy Spirit was constantly showing me in the word the things of the Kindgdom. My first sermon in Bible College, a mostly male Bible College I preached to the other students the importance of teaching about the Kingdom of God.

Many of them thought I meant Kingdom verses church or something and that had nothing to do with it. An honest open reading of scripture shows Jesus preaching and teaching about the Kingdom of God, the disciples and Apostles talking and preaching the Kingdom of God.

The church is not where you go on a Sunday even though all that is good, the Church is you and you are also the Kingdom of God on legs , Jesus wants to release His Kingdom everywhere you go.

Jesus considers it a very important subject – Gods Kingdom and King are central to understanding scripture properly.

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.” …

was said to people who taught and recited scripture. What is Jesus saying here.?

I’ve heard it said that scriipture says “in the last days there will be a famin of the word of God”. Derived from Amos 8:11

I beleive what is being expressed here, in the heart of the pastors who are carrying it, is simply that like what happened with Israel, that the word of God was taken so far from what He originally intended for it, that there will once again be so little of the word of God as it is connected to His thoughts in writing it.

When Jesus said “when the son of man comes will He find faith in the earth? – that is speaking of “pistis” – persuasion credence conviction of truthfullness of God – total and utter reliance on Jesus Christ. That is not speaking of a doctrin of faith, it is speaking of “will He find persuasion, credence, conviction of His own truthfullness in our hearts, total trust and reliance on Him.” In other words His yoke.

Are we not once again living amongst those who hold fast to their traditions and in so doing, make of no effect the very word of God they so vehemenently speak about – simply because its filtered through private interpretation or tradition.

John the Baptist had Authority – at the baptism of Jesus he recognised the Authority and it was confirmed by the Holy Spirit, and the Father.

- Again at the mount of transfiguration – God’s recognition of Jesus as His Son in whome He is well pleased, “HEAR HIM” – is a declaration or witness by the Father Himself, of His authority to correctly interpret the scripture, and the application of it, or create a yoke to be followed. Jesus was recognised and declared by the witness of Father Holy Spirit priestly order (John), to be the authorative son of the living God who alone had the level of relationship, with the Father, to be able to declare truthfully what God’s intention of His written word, His will and testament, is. What purpose it has and what God is wanting to accomplish in the earth.

The foundation of Jesus Christ – His declaration of the Character of God – His interpretation and application of scripture, the law of God, the eternal principles of God, the commandments to be adhered to, in the covenant He and the Father were establishing, the better covenant. These are the authorative teaching or yoke, that disciples of Jesus Christ, or those who call themselves Christians, are to adhere to – practise – and preach.

God’s love, His gentleness with His people, His unfailing commitment to fulfil covenant with those who He makes covenant with, His patience. Why does Jesus declare, “The Kingdom of God is peace love and joy in the Holy Ghost”. Because this is His yoke, it is one that will have the word of God accomplish what it is sent forth to do, and will ensure it does not return to Him void.

It is a more powerful and explosive yoke than anything man had ever seen in their tradition and interpretation of scripture that very often declared God’s judgement as a harsh and cruel thing.

Jesus said that, “the goodness of God leads a man to repentance”. What a strange yoke or treatment of scripture it must have been to the Hebrew mind.

If you had no Authority – you had to follow teach preach the yoke of your Rabbi. You could not interpret scripture for yourself.

If Jesus has called you to the ministry guess what? You are called to teach and preach His Yoke.

Pastor Les Wallen when I shared this with him looked up the word “burden” from where scripture says “my burden is light”, he said it means “The price I will charge you for using”. Hmm some are paying a high price to be in ministry could this be a key as to why.

Are we really disciples of Jesus? Do we wear His yoke and teach it?

If not can we call ourselves Disciples of Jesus Christ?

Love and blessings

Lee

Thomas A. McLoughlin




This week, the Vatican officially forgave John Lennon for his comment in 1966 to a London newspaper about the Beatles being more famous than Jesus Christ. Recognizing that this was a youthful boast of a young man who had suddenly come into enormous popularity and fame, the Vatican’s newspaper went on to praise the band and their contribution to music and culture.

This was 42 years ago and Christians all over the world reacted with great indignation, having “Beatles burning parties” where albums and Beatles paraphernalia were tossed into the fire in protest. These bonfires were especially popular in the United States, especially in the southern states, where some young evangelist would denounce the band as a “tool of Satan” to encourage their young people to join in the event. I remember watching those bonfires on the nightly news in Houston, Texas, when I was seven years old. And I actually remember, when I was stationed in England in the Air Force, a friend telling me that the Beatles were all demon-possessed. I did not believe it then and I do not believe it today. I was then, and am still, a big Beatles fan.

The real problem with all the hype then is that John Lennon was absolutely correct. Not only were the Beatles more famous, they were also more popular than Jesus Christ. At least the real Jesus Christ. The real Jesus Christ makes demands on people. He is not a “live and let live” type of God. And He is not okay with a lot of the stuff we do because a lot of the stuff we do is called “sin”. John Lennon said, “All you need is love”. Jesus made, and still makes, tougher demands on us. Jesus even defines what constitutes true, sincere love. Loving your neighbor as yourself, getting up in the middle of the night to give our neighbor a loaf of bread, protecting those least able to protect themselves, giving your life away and living a life where “whether you eat, or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Those little things called the Ten Commandments? Jesus kind of meant them. But you say, “Wait a minute. Jesus wasn’t even born then.” Well, if Jesus is called the Son of God (Luke 1:35, 1 Corinthians 1:9), was crucified because he made himself equal with God (John 5:18, Philippians 2:6), and without Him nothing was made that was made (John 1:3), I guess you could say that Jesus was God incarnate (John 1:1), or God in human flesh. So, Jesus, being God, gave Moses the Ten Commandments. After all, God said in the beginning. “”Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26) He was not speaking in the “royal ” vernacular. Basic theology teaches God in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three are separate, individual personalities. And all three are completely, 100% God.

Notice that they are not called the “Ten Suggestions for a Happy, Healthy Life”, even though if you follow them that will probably be the result. Do not lie. Do not steal. Do not overtly desire your neighbor’s stuff. Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Treat you parents with honor and respect. Honor God and the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. Not exactly about feelings and happiness, is it?

Jesus not only makes demands on our actions in life, He gets audacious to take it a bit further to make it about our thoughts and motives. Why we do something is equally important as to doing the deed itself. He equates lust with the actual act of adultery. Feelings were not exactly a high priority on what Jesus spoke about. And He never once said, “If you feel like it…”

John Lennon only made it about what we did and felt. He even said “Imagine there’s no heaven, It’s easy if you try, No hell below us, Above us only sky, Imagine all the people, Living for today”. He said, “All you need is love”. He said, “All we are saying is give peace a chance.” Those directions are easy to follow. Especially since there are no commands to actually do anything. Live however you like as long as you have good, positive feelings towards those around you.

As Christians, we get our dander up pretty easily about some of the dumbest things. I recall another friend telling me about a time when he was struggling with his relationship with God and he went to his pastor to complain about God. In the conversation, he made some comment about the people in the church, and although his pastor would not defend God’s honor (not that God’s honor ever needs to be defended), he rose up quickly to defend his people’s honor. He thought that was a bit strange.

The Christians in the United States back in 1966 were a large part of the Beatlemania crowd and did not want one part of their society (John Lennon) talking down about another part of their society (Jesus). It’s kind of like family. I can talk about my family, but you better not. They just got their feeling hurt. And they reacted like hurt people rather than look inside and see if what was being said contained at least a particle of truth.

 

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RELIGION

Religion gives man his greatest asset-FAITH IN GOD!

Faith in God provides a sense of connection to a much greater whole that satisfies the deeper longings of the soul and makes man complete.

Religion satisfies the need for a direction, meaning and a reason to life and helps people understand themselves and their place in the world.

Every culture throughout history has been convinced that there is a Higher Power. Throughout the world people know Him by different names, yet, we are all children of the same loving God and members of the same family.

Religion is a way of life that helps to shape character and life. Religious principles emphasize the importance of moral values and the dignity of human life.

They help man to distinguish good from bad, right from wrong and provides a way of life enriched by selfless service to others through good works and good deeds.

We turn to God when the burdens of life are heavy, when we are conscious of sin or are depressed in spirit.

True religion, true faith transcends limitations through spiritual strength and inspiration that can heal the mind and body and help the individual to find the light of hope.

When we believe, we walk with faith in our daily “walk in the world” that sets us firmly on the path toward the KINGDOM OF GOD!

THAT SPECIAL SUNDAY

Every Sunday, Christian churches celebrate their most important service, The Divine Liturgy. This service is seen as a re-enactment of the Birth, Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus rose from the dead early on a Sunday morning. Every Sunday, the faithful dedicate this day to Him by putting aside their duties to go to church.

Dave Smith




The Xmas season is over! We’ve wished each other a Merry Xmas AND a Happy New Year, and now the festive season is PAST. The time for singing carols and wishing peace and goodwill to all is finished. The champagne has been consumed. The New Year resolutions have all been made. The decorations are all coming down. The trees have been dismantled. The checkout ****** are no longer wearing the plush red hats as they process your groceries, and they are processing those groceries with a little less cheer. Santa is noticeably absent.

In the tradition of the church there are 12 days of Christmas, being the 12 days after Christmas, and this week we struck that 12th day, which means that we have reached Epiphany – the celebration of the coming of the wise men who follow the star to Bethlehem to find Jesus. This means that, ecclesiastically speaking, we are really at the climax of our Christmas season, despite the fact that this is not how our department stores interpret it. There everything seems to be coming down even faster than it went up.

I note that my household stands in dogmatic opposition to this trend. Our wreath is still on the door, our tree is still up, and there is still Christmas pud in the fridge! This is our way of making a stand and bringing our family properly into sync with the ecclesiastical calendar (either that or it’s just laziness).

Either way, I do find it frankly disappointing that Christmas has to die so quickly after December 25. Santa surely doesn’t have to disappear so quickly? It’s not a fixed part of the mythology, as far as I know, that as soon as Santa drops off the last present, he has to high tail it back to the North Pole, without even resting the reindeer? Perhaps he could just hang around the stores for another week or so asking kids: “how did you like the presents? Did I get it right this year?” That would certainly put an end to the sort of problems you hear about, where the kid’s first encounter with Santa includes a solid kick in the shins, with an accompanying “that’s for last year, you hopeless *******!” No… catch the kid while he’s still full of Christmas cheer and in a good mood, and maybe we can all make a smoother transition into the next Christmas period.

The other group that normally vanishes from sight at about this time of year are the extras who fill the pews on Christmas day. ‘C&E’s’ we call them – ‘Christmas & Easters’. We had a decent number this year! Mind you, they never put much in the offertory plate though, do they? Perhaps it’s the way I sneer at them at communion and farewell them with a “see ya’ll next year!”

No, I don’t really do that. Indeed, I quite frankly enjoy anticipating who might be joining us this year? And there are always a few surprises. The converse is also true, of course – that by the time we reach Epiphany, there are generally no surprises as to who turns up to church on the Sunday. It’s just us really serious church-goers – just us, the true believers, and the baby Jesus – our baby Jesus!

Yes, the rest of Australia might pay Him some sort of well-intentioned homage at Christmas time, when the tinsel is out and carols are playing and the booze is flowing freely. But we know who will be left at the little Nativity scene after all the singing dies down, after the angels go back into heaven, the shepherds return to their fields, and the little drummer boy goes back to his band – just Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus, and US … and the three wise men of course.

Of course they’re not technically a part of the nativity scene as such, but we like to include them there anyway. The wise men came later – probably about a year later – by which time we assume the family had moved beyond the stable. The normal estimates are that the baby Jesus was between six and twenty months old when the wise men appeared on the scene – hence Herod’s targetting of all children two years old and under.

The other mistake we regularly make is to assume that they were kings. The kings tradition goes back to the early church father Tertullian (who died 225). Old Testament passages said that ‘kings would come and worship him’ (eg. Isaiah 49:7), hence the tradition. By the end of 6th century, the kings all had names: Melkon (later Melchior), Balthasar, and Gasper.

In truth, we don’t know that they were kings. Indeed there’s lots we don’t know about these guys:

We don’t really know that they were wise.

We can’t be completely sure that they were men.

And we’ve really got no idea of where there were three of them or not!

We are told they brought three gifts, so we assume that there were three givers, but the gifts might have distributed between a group of 20 for all we know.

It is possible that the three wise men were actually a dozen silly women! We will never know for sure. To say that we don’t know this and that about them though is not to say that we don’t know anything about them. For what we are told is that they are ‘magi’, and this tells us plenty!

Magi is the word from which we get our word ‘magic’. These people were magicians! They were not simple conjurers though, but magicians who used their magical abilities to advise kings and queens on matters of state.

Magi filled the courts of pagan nations, and had a place in European tradition as well. You will have heard of Merlin the magician, who was supposedly advisor to King Arthur of Camelot. The wizard of Id is another (perhaps more familiar) member of the class of magi.

Daniel, in the Old Testament, was a magus (nb. I think ‘magus’ is the singular form of ‘magi’). Daniel and his three friends, who we read of in the book of Daniel, were certainly magi – employed to foretell the future, interpret dreams, and so advise the king on matters of state. Daniel and his mates though, you will remember, distinguished themselves from their fellow magi by refusing to follow all the practices of their peers, and by relying solely on their God for their prophetic powers.

This was clearly not the norm, and your average magus, so far as I can work out, was not normally a god-fearing man of prayer, but a figure much closer to the astrologers and psychics we see advertising on late-night TV and who always have prominent columns in women’s magazines!

Yeap Chee Seng




When I was in my religious church, I used to wonder like my fellow christians on why has Christmas become a celebration of Santa Clause. Isn’t Christmas supposed to be the birthday for Jesus Christ? How did this Santa Clause manage to sneak in? No matter now hard we tried to tell the public that Christmas is about Jesus and not Santa, no one bothers. Why? In this article, I will seek to explain this phenomena.

Please note that I use the term “Religious Jesus” to mark it as a separate entity form the true Jesus of the Bible. The Religious Jesus is the Jesus preached by the religious churches and this person is the exact opposite of the true Jesus of the Bible.

“How do you know that?”

I was once a member of a religious church. Please go to the following link for information on my past:

http://cheee.wordpress.com/about/

Let us start from Santa Clause. What type of a man is he? He is happy. He is kind and generous. He always laughs. He gives out presents unconditionally out of love. He only has one law: Be good and you will get presents. Be naughty and you won’t get any.

Even then, he is very forgiving. Even if you are naughty for the whole year and be good only in the last few days prior to Christmas, you will still be qualified for presents. Whenever he talks to you, he used kind words. Children love him. He doesn’t condemn you nor put you down. He doesn’t lay burdens nor guilt on you.

His favourite words: Ho ho ho. Laughter. He loves to laugh. He creates happy mood. He lifts up your spirit. His only weakness is he only works once a year.

How about the Religious Jesus?

In my view, he is the worst person ever existed. He is a hypocrite, sadist, liar and evil. Whatever evil you can think of, he can do exceeding abundantly worst than that. For some unknown reasons, religious churches love him and promote him.

Here is how he operates:

If you are not a christian, he will tell you how much he loves you. He loves you so much that he is willing to die for your sins. His love is selfless and unconditional. He wants you to accept his love and be a christian.

Once you have become a christian, the evil face appears. Now that you belong to him, you are to obey his every instruction. He wants you to read the Bible, pray, go to church, give him money, serve in church and go for missions. He doesn’t like disobedient children and he will not hesitate to punish anyone who dares to disobey him.

Whenever you pray, he will tell you all your faults. If you sin, he will condemn you for sinning. If you do good, he will tell you it is not enough. No matter what you do, he will find ways to put you down.

If you disobey him, beware! He can give you or your family accidents, sickness or any other disaster. Ironically even if you tried your best to obey his every command he can still give you or your family accidents, sickness or any other disaster. In a nutshell, nothing is beneath him. He can sink to any level, any perversion.

When that happens, you are required to praise him for his goodness.

He also loves your money. It does not matter to him how poor or needy you are. He wants you to give him money. It is his glory to see you poor and sick.

Do you dare to ask him for prosperity? I don’t think so.

Based on the above comparison, who will you choose to spend time with? Santa Clause or Religious Jesus? I go for Santa Clause anytime.

However, I have a good news and a bad news for you.

The bad news is: Santa Clause does not exist.

The good news is: neither does the Religious Jesus.

The Jesus of the Bible is exactly opposite from the Religious Jesus that is preached in the religious churches.

Here is some simple comparison:

Religious Jesus: I want you to stop sinning. I will not hesitate to take stern action to punish you if you still sin.

Jesus of the Bible: I paid for the penalty of your sins. Sin has no power over you now. You are free. Come to me. Together we are going to beat this sin of yours. Remember, I am always on your side against your sins.

Religious Jesus: Sometimes I will give you sickness for any reason I choose. After all I am God. I can do anything I like. I can be as ********* as I want to be. Even then, I expect you to praise me and tell others what a good God I am.

Jesus of the Bible: At the Cross, I took away all your sickness. By my stripes you are healed. Sickness and disease has no right to oppress you. Stand up to your right. I paid dearly for you healing. It pleases me to see you healed. Start believing in me and claim your right of healing.

Religious Jesus: Give me all your money. I love your money. It does not matter to me how poor you are. If you are poor then continue to be poor for my glory.

Jesus of the Bible: At the Cross, I was poor in order to make you rich. It does not matter how bad your situation is right now. As long as you keep believing, you will receive my prosperity. Even if you are very rich now, I can still give you more. It is my glory to see you rich.

Religious Jesus: I want you to do things for me like serving in the church and going for mission. I don’t care how much you need to sacrifice. I am God. If you think you are in a bad shape right now, I can make it worse if you dare to disobey me.

Jesus of the Bible: I appreciate any intention of yours to do things for me but I want you to remember this: You are the one I love. My love for you is not dependent on the things you do for me. Even if you stop doing those things, I still love you.

Conclusion

I hope this simple article is able to help you to tell the difference between the true Jesus and the Jesus invented by the religious churches.

Renga Nathan




In my opinion, religion is indeed important in our life. I believe in god and I always sense the presence of someone superior to me. There are many religions in this world; it is just the practices, the way people worship and , -name of the gods differ. Otherwise, they are all heading towards the same direction.

Whatever said and done, being religious does have some merits, which are:

a. We always follow a set of rules, which we would have learned from an epic which would have been followed since our ancestor period. Precisely speaking, there are predefined rules of what is right and what s is wrong, and all we have to do is to simply follow those rules.

b. Apparently, we can also feel a sense of belonging. If we are religious, we always feel that we belong to a particular community.

However, I cannot tolerate certain superstitious beliefs people have. For instance, if one considers Hinduism, many deities are being worshiped. Different people claim that their deity is more powerful than the other ones. They follow many practices such as walking on fire, shaving their hair off their heads and a few other silly things.

As far as I am concerned, it is always good to go to the temple and, – do some sort of meditation. Such exercises will have a soothing effect on our minds. This will make us feel energetic and fresh as well, and this is definitely much better than doing the above-mentioned silly things in the name of religion.

Kevin Ellens




Ah yeah, here we are again at Christmas time.  People are out shopping for gifts, Holiday parties are everywhere, plenty of good food and good company.  While Santa Claus is becoming more and more popular, the true meaning of Christmas has nothing to do with him.

Jesus Christ is the true reason for the season.  Notice if you will CHRISTmas.  More and more in the United States, people are offended by that wonderful name…Jesus Christ.   So much so, that stores are refusing to allow the Red Kettles of the Salvation Army to be parked outside their doors.  You see, the Salvation Army is a christian organization and the world no longer is tolerating Christians.

Yes, Christmas is gift giving time.  How Santa Claus got in on the act is beyond me.  When baby Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem, Judea, Wise men brought Him gifts as a celebration of the birth of the Savior.  Today, Christians give gifts and receive them with Jesus in mind.  It is common for Believers to include a Bible tract with the gift, letting others know about why we celebrate Christmas and why Jesus came here.

The story in itself is so remarkable.  Jesus Christ left heaven’s glory, to be born of a virgin, to take on the flesh of humanity, in order to one day die on the cross for our sins.  Yes, Jesus is the reason for the season.  But we as Christians should not expect non christians to hold to our beliefs.  It is natural for them to believe otherwise or even in Santa.  Sad but true.

As Christians we are held accountable to getting the word out about our faith.  Tell others about Jesus Christ.  That’s called planting seeds.  Then another Christian will come along and water the seeds planted.  And eventually, God Himself would give the increase or better put save that person from his or her sins.  If you don’t know Jesus Christ as Savior, you can by going to This Powerful Website.

Whether you’re a Christian or not, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy 2010.  God bless you.

Paul Davis




“Who created religion God or man?” This was the question of the night as many people out partying on a Friday night gathered around for a spiritual discussion. The fury and frenzy this intelligent and enlightening question caused was fun to behold. Instead of speaking up to give the answer, I preferred to enjoy the responses and listen to the comments. In so doing I was better able to further get a grasp on where most people were spiritually.

Jesus also asked questions to assess the understanding and discover the spiritual level of people. Knowing that many had differing opinions about Him, Jesus boldly asked: “Who do men say that I am?” (Matthew 16:13) Upon getting feedback from a few honest and forthright folks, Jesus proceeded to ask a more probing and revealing question. “Who do you say that I am?” (v. 15)

Unlike most religious leaders and figure heads, Jesus was not the least bit intimidated or upset by honest answers. In fact Jesus preferred candid comments and honest answers. That is how Jesus answered people Himself, even if it meant offending them.

Another question we must ask ourselves is if faced with the choice of knowledge or life, which one do we want? There were two trees in the garden of Eden – the tree of knowledge and the tree of life (Genesis 2:9). The very fact that Adam chose the wrong tree is why our lives are limited in years and not eternal to this day.

Why is it we are prone to seek knowledge over experiencing life? Could it be our personal pride and tendency toward self-sufficiency that causes us to run after that which fills the head but leaves the heart empty within? Religiosity has its origins in the tree of knowledge and therein also are its limitations.

I shall never forget a Russian Orthodox priest who kept hissing at us in Moscow, Russia while we viewed a cathedral and the beautiful spiritual paintings within it. I was with a group of young adults from America on a mission trip to Russia in 1992. We bumped into this Russian priest, an artifact of religion himself for sure.

The moment we began to excitedly express ourselves and happily remark about the various Christian pieces of art, the priest began telling us to hush and be quiet. We could not understand why. It is rather hard to keep Americans (who come from a free country historically) quiet. Shortly after the priest’s first rebuke we were celebrating again. A harsh ‘Shhhhhhhh!’ suddenly reverberated across the cathedral as the priest with a stern look on his face gave us the evil eye.

I in my great boldness and disrespect for religion got in the priest’s face and asked him ‘Why? Why do we have to be quiet?’ His reply shocked and alarmed me. ‘Because there are dead people buried in here beneath the church.’

Isn’t that interesting? The priest was more concerned about dead people rather than the living. And that precisely defines the matter of religion. Religion defends the dead before it celebrates the living. Religion can never celebrate the living because it is dead. The liveliness of the living is an indictment against dead religion and further attests to its death and lack of life. Religion would rather hush the happy than awake the dead.

The voice of religion says: “Shhhhhh!” The voice of God says: “Lift up your voice!” (Acts 4:24,29-31) “Speak on!” (Acts 4:19-20) “Be bold and very courageous!” (Joshua 1:6) “Let the dead bury and care for the dead. You go and preach the gospel.” (Matthew 8:22)

God goes up with a shout (Psalm 47:5). Religion brings you down with a pout. When Jesus returns to the earth, He will descend from heaven with a joyful and triumphant shout (1Thessalonians 4:16). When religion returns it comes with a scowling look of legalism and accusation. Thankfully God is greater as He has a heart and prefers affection and expression.

Danielle Hollister




Review your religious beliefs with these revealing quotations all about religion…

“Ethical religion can be real only to those who are engaged in ceaseless efforts at moral improvement. By moving upward we acquire faith in an upward movement, without limit.” — Felix Adler (1851-1933)American educator “The true meaning of religion is thus not simply morality, but morality touched by emotion.” — Matthew Arnold (1822-88)British poet, critic “Religion is what keeps the poor man from murdering the rich.” — Napolean Bonaparte (1769-1821) “To die for a religion is easier than to live it absolutely.” — Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986)Argentinean writer “In the matter of religion, people eagerly fasten their eyes on the difference between their own creed and yours; whilst the charm of the study is in finding the agreements and identities in all the religions of humanity.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-82) American writer, philosopher, poet, essayist “Religion is not what you will get after reading all the scriptures of the world. It is not really what is grasped by the grain. It is a heart grasp.” — Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) [Mahatma] India nationalist, spiritual leader “Calling Atheism a religion is like calling bald a hair color.” — Don Hirschberg “People need religion. It’s a vehicle for a moral tradition. A crucial role. Nothing can take its place.” — Irving Kristol “Matters of religion should never be matters of controversy. We neither argue with a lover about his taste, nor condemn him, if we are just, for knowing so human a passion.” — George Santayana (1863-1952) Spanish-born American philosopher, writer “Religion consists of a set of things which the average man thinks he believes and wishes he was certain.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910) [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] American author, humorist

Patrick Roberts




We Americans love our religion because it allows us to pick and choose God’s goals for us. The substance of our religion is an infatuation with control, which is also the case for all lovers of religion.

We suppose that we’re clever for finding new religious standards against which to measure ourselves. These measurements are easy to understand and they make us feel good about ourselves for a while because they tell us what we want to hear.

We are following something that looks vaguely like faith down ever-darkening alleys of religious presumption. With our actions say we say, “We’re striving ahead even if we have to run out ahead of God!” Yet such overbearing insecurity is spiritually self-defeating. This is the opposite of Christ-centered surrender. We love our plans and our plans love us back and on and on until we become utterly clueless about true spiritual usefulness.

Our American minds cannot comprehend the fact that God is disregarding our best laid plans. We want some kind of guarantee for tomorrow but God keeps telling us not to worry about it. Therefore, because God fails to give us the credit we deserve, we shrug our shoulders at His heavenly wisdom while we continue using His name to label our man-made methods. Christ’s command to take up our crosses seems unreasonable to us, so we dismiss it as such.

However, even more dependable than our inclination to make plans is God’s inclination to explode our plans. God dismantles our manly construction with shocking persistence. Evidently, we have a God who is much fonder of surprises than we might have hoped.

God’s lack of respect for our plans is purposeful. We assume that we’ll live long enough to accomplish our silly little plans, but this will not necessarily be the case.

A savvy businessman might plan for and successfully builds twenty skyscrapers during his earthly sojourn. However, if that man fails to take care of business with God, then, by neglecting the Main Thing, that man loses everything forever. Therefore it works out for that man’s eternal wellbeing that God demolishes his plans. He is blessed to be swallowed up, plans and all, by God’s devastatingly merciful grace. Not that looking ahead is a bad thing, but if we follow Christ then we are called to take care of business with God before everything else.

So what remains for us after God has taken away all that our flesh holds dear? Only a life-consuming dependence on Christ remains. In God’s estimation this is the highest honor any person could hope for.

Our goal as Christ’s followers is to be so reduced in Him that we are completely dead to our old selves. This is strategic. At the point that we are so thoroughly humbled, there will be nothing left to shield us from the truth about ourselves in relation to God’s kingdom.

After we are reduced to the point that we boast in nothing but Christ and our crucifixion in Him, then He will move us beyond ourselves and therefore also beyond our miserable failures and shortcomings.

That Christ is All and we are nothing is great news! We should embrace the chance to become nothing because this makes room for Christ to be our All in all. We will learn from experience that God bounces people who are even as bad as us back onto the right spiritual track.

So here is American churchgoers’ first order of business: Stop using religion to resist God. If we want to hear from the Lord again, then one little thing remains: We must relinquish everything we hold dear. We have to give up the right to even understand God and His Way of doing things.

Now is the best time to start embracing the superiority of God’s Way over the American way. We have abundant reason to weep, maybe even bitterly at first. But this is a joyful weeping because it proves God’s faithfulness to keep our consciences alive.