Can you get to God by DOING?
The mindset of religion is that you can get to God by doing something.
Your good standing with your particular brand of religion and with God
depends on what you do. Obey the rules and adhere to the regulations,
perform religious duties, attend the meetings, pay your tithes, etc. Is
that the entrance we are called to to find life? NO! They are wolves in
sheep’s clothing leading people down the wrong path. Jesus plus anything equals nothing!
Included in Jesus’ mission to earth was to expose the religious system as to its hindering a intimate loving relationship with Father God and the Body of Christ the family of Father God. This is borne out by who and the why of His confrontations. (1) His confrontations were with those who saw themselves as God’s official spokesperson...the most religious...the best performers, they attended church, gave money, and set the religious standard for the people by them believing they were the pipeline that God spoke to His Body. (2) Jesus confronted those in authority out loud and in front of people because their exclusional legalistic religious system was not conducive to intimate relational family life, by doing this he broke the religious rules. (3) Like today in exposing the religious system, He was treated as the problem because He said there was a problem. (4) People flocked to Him because He offered a message of hope and rest free from religious obligation.
Anytime religion neglects the real needs of people in favor of the needs of “self preservation,” “denominational constitutions,” or the needs of the “hierarchy;” legalism replaces rest in God with demands for religious performance and is responsible for people having a relationship with people about God rather than an intimate relationship with God.
“Who gave religion the authority?” This is the dynamic that Jesus confronted with the religious systems during His earthly ministry. He was not backward in letting the “spiritual leadership” of His day know that it was wrong. Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying. “the scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the seat of Moses.” (Mat. 23:1) The seat of Moses does not refer to a literal chair, it speaks of a “seat of authority” a position given only by God, yet these men had taken it for themselves.
Included in Jesus’ mission to earth was to expose the religious system as to its hindering a intimate loving relationship with Father God and the Body of Christ the family of Father God. This is borne out by who and the why of His confrontations. (1) His confrontations were with those who saw themselves as God’s official spokesperson...the most religious...the best performers, they attended church, gave money, and set the religious standard for the people by them believing they were the pipeline that God spoke to His Body. (2) Jesus confronted those in authority out loud and in front of people because their exclusional legalistic religious system was not conducive to intimate relational family life, by doing this he broke the religious rules. (3) Like today in exposing the religious system, He was treated as the problem because He said there was a problem. (4) People flocked to Him because He offered a message of hope and rest free from religious obligation.
Anytime religion neglects the real needs of people in favor of the needs of “self preservation,” “denominational constitutions,” or the needs of the “hierarchy;” legalism replaces rest in God with demands for religious performance and is responsible for people having a relationship with people about God rather than an intimate relationship with God.
“Who gave religion the authority?” This is the dynamic that Jesus confronted with the religious systems during His earthly ministry. He was not backward in letting the “spiritual leadership” of His day know that it was wrong. Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying. “the scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the seat of Moses.” (Mat. 23:1) The seat of Moses does not refer to a literal chair, it speaks of a “seat of authority” a position given only by God, yet these men had taken it for themselves.
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