DRAWING THE LINE BETWEEN CHRISTIANITY

[Apostle Steven Moffett]

“The world loves God but is confused by its PEOPLE”
We have to remove the POISON from the Church (superiority; cynicism;
Judgmentalism)


(Matt. 5:17-18) “17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill (pleroo—to replete or put life into). 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, ONE JOT OR ONE TITTLE shall in no wise pass from the law, till ALL BE FULFILLED.

(Luke 24:44) “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that ALL THINGS MUST BE FULFILLED, which were written in THE LAW OF MOSES, and in THE PROPHETS, and in THE PSALMS, concerning me” (Luke 16:17)

(Col. 2:14-17) “14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are A SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME; but THE BODY IS OF CHRIST.


"Religion" could only offer their brand of religion which "tied" people to a belief-system and "bound" them to moralistic rules and regulations in "attachment" to the ecclesiastical institution and NOT HOLDING FAST TO THE HEAD.

(Luke 9:58) “And Jesus said unto him, FOXES HAVE HOLES, and BIRDS OF THE AIR HAVE NESTS; but the Son of man hath not where TO LAY HIS HEAD” (HEADSHIP vs. MEMBERSHIP)

So many have replaced His Headship with idolatry (false worship—styles of preaching; pet doctrines; seating arrangements; church tenures; titles; who can sing the loudest; etc.). What is the interpretation of idols—anything that captures the attention of your heart; be it a person, a position, a possession, etc. For Christ alone must be the Centre of our life.

(Micah 5:13). “Thy GRAVEN IMAGES also will I cut off, and thy STANDING IMAGES out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt NO MORE worship the work of thy hands”

(Hos. 8:4) “They have SET UP KINGS, but not by me: they HAVE MADE PRINCES, and I KNEW IT NOT: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off”

“APPOINTMENT vs. ANOINTMENT”

Men worship their man-made formations and structures ¬ their ideological idols formed in the concrete of inflexible minds. When the apostle Paul came to Athens (Acts 17:22), he observed their idols and exclaimed, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very (superstitious) religious in all respects." The Greek word that Paul used for "religious" literally means "to have great respect for demons."
The need of this hour is to distinguish and differentiate between "religion" and Christianity. Judaism was fulfilled and when Grace was introduced Christianity became institutionalized style of worship. Thank God, now we stand in the totality of Kingdom being manifested in our lives. I ask you, what will you do with CHRIST?

(Heb. 9:28 amp.) “Even so it is that Christ, having been offered to take upon Himself and bear as a burden the sins of many once and once for all, will appear a second time, not to CARRY ANY BURDEN OF SIN nor TO DEAL WITH SIN, but to BRING TO FULL SALVATION those who are [eagerly, constantly, and patiently] waiting for and EXPECTING HIM.”

One theologian says, “Christianity without Christ is a chest without a treasure, a frame without a portrait, a corpse without breath” Now is the time to unashamedly affirm that "Christianity is Christ," and to witness such personally by allowing the resurrection-life of the living Lord Jesus to be "manifested in our mortal bodies" (II Cor. 4:10, 11) by the grace of God unto the glory of God!

Karl Barth (moved away from the age of Enlightenment and stood on the shoulders of the Reformers), who was without a doubt the greatest theologian of the twentieth century says, “the revelation of God is the abolition of religion”

Have we not sufficiently understood that Jesus Christ is the singular essence and expression of the gospel, of the revelation of God, of Christianity, of the Church? Everything "Christian" is derived from the Being and activity of Jesus. All of Christianity is contingent and dependent on Him, and expressive of Him. Christianity is Christ!

American Episcopalian priest, Robert Capon, puts it this way; "The gospel of grace is the end of religion, the final posting of the CLOSED sign on the sweatshop of the human race's perpetual struggle to think well of itself. For that, at bottom, is what religion is: man's well-meant but dim-witted attempt to approve of his unapprovable condition by doing odd jobs he thinks some important something will thank him for. Religion, therefore, is a loser, a strictly fallen activity. It has a failed past and a bankrupt future. There was no religion in Eden and there won't be any in heaven; and in the meantime Jesus has died and risen to persuade us to knock it all off right now."

Christianity is not morality. We have not been called to be a moral people; we have been apprehended to be a Christ-like people! This Christian journey is not about right and wrong, or good and evil; this pursuit of godly destiny is about life and death! The real question to ask with regard to any thought or action is, “Is it ‘good’ or is it God”?

The Christian life is not human and religious attempts to implement a theory for living a good and moral life by conformity to behavioral rules and regulations. It is not even the attempt to put into practice the moral teachings of Jesus. Christianity is the reception of a Person, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God Himself, into one's being and behavior. The indwelling Christ-life is to be dynamically expressed in the behavior of a Christian.

C.S. Lewis explains, "The Christian thinks any good he does comes from the Christ-life inside him. He does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us." "...when Christians say the Christ-life is in them, they do not mean simply something mental or moral. When they speak of being 'in Christ' or of Christ being 'in them,' this is not simply a way of saying that they are thinking about Christ or copying Him. They mean that Christ is actually operating through them.

HOW DID WE GET IN THIS DITCH

The origin of our English word religion; The Latin word religo meant "to tie or fasten." A similar word, religio, was used to refer to "respect, devotion or superstition." Religio was recognition that men are often tied or bound to God in reverence or devotion. It can also convey the meaning of being bound or tied to a set of rules and regulations, to rituals of devotion, to a creedal belief-system, or to a cause, ideology, or routine. Some have suggested that "religion" may be derived from the Latin word relegere, which refers to re-reading. There is no doubt that "religion" is often associated with repetitious rites of liturgy and litany, and the reproduction of creedal formulas and expressions. "Ligature," referring to "something that is used to bind “and” ligament" which "binds things together," evidence the same root in the Latin word ligare. The Latin word religare, from which our English word "religion" is most likely derived, meant "to tie back" or "to bind!!!!!

Religion was what Jesus attacked during his ministry here on earth. He attacked religious ideas and religious leaders. His message was to forsake religion and look for the truth of who God is (and who you are) within your own being - for God...Spirit speaks to the hearts of mankind. However, religion is creating a greater chasm (builds walls of separation to divide man from Spirit) between God and mankind which must be healed by falsely creating separation.

(II Thessalonians 2:4) "who is opposing and raising himself up above all called God or is worshipped, so that he in the sanctuary of God, as God, has sat down, showing himself off that he is God."

Jesus did not say, "I came that you might have religion, and practice it more faithfully," or "I came that you might have religion, and adhere to it more commitedly," or "I came that you might have religion, and define it more dogmatically," or "I came that you might have religion, and defend it more vehemently," or "I came that you might have religion, and thus behave more morally." What Jesus said was, "I came that you might have life, and have it more abundantly."

(John 10:10) “The life that He came to bring and express within us and through us is His life”

I CAN HEAR THE CALL OF HEAVEN—LET MY PEOPLE GO

Apostle Steven F. Moffett

[A.W. Bowman]

ROFLOL It brings pleasure to my heart and tears to my eyes.

Brother Moffett, I have waited long to hear this sentiment expressed (and done so well)! Thank you.

[Apostle Steven Moffett]

Man of God you can use it......Just include my website www.rimministries.org and my name as the author. No other request is needed. Kingdom blessings to you.