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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue 734 February 16, 2003 - Please, No More Christianity He said to me "I tried Christianity, it didn't work." That was some years ago and I didn't know how to respond. Now I would have a better answer. You see Christianity doesn’t work for me either. I have absolutely no faith in Christianity. Christianity will disappoint you at some point, it will let you down, and it may cause bad feelings. There is no power in Christianity. There is however tremendous power in Christ. I have faith in Christ. I have seen Him perform miracles, and transform lives. I know He has raised the dead and died Himself for our sins. Christianity is people doing their best to follow Christ. Since it is made up of people, there are bound to be mistakes made and sins committed. It still has its place and is very valuable, but we need to be very careful that our faith is in Christ not the earthly expression of religion. Many church traditions are contrary to the teachings of Christ. Christ must be foremost. I attend a Moravian Church, but I am first and foremost a disciple of Christ. If the Moravian Church moves in a direction contrary to what the Bible teaches, I must take the side of Christ every time. The same is true for you, regardless of what denomination, sect or non-denominational church you belong to. As disciples our first loyalty must be to Jesus. How do we know the difference between Christ and Christianity? We search and study His Word diligently. Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11 NIV We need to search our Christianity and do away with the things that are not of Christ. He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: " `These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions Mark 7:6-9 NIV Many things have been done in the "name of Christianity" few of which would hold up to the truth and teachings of Jesus. The Crusades were carried out in the name of Christ, but I find no reference to that kind of barbarism in the teaching of Jesus. Anti-Semitism is often practised in the name of Christ, yet Jesus was to His death and resurrection a Jew. When we let our denominational distinctives and traditions get in the way of our ministry to a lost and hurting world or worse yet take us into things that are clearly not of Christ, we are operating in powerless Christianity. Churches are full of people who have faith in their denomination and have never accepted Christ. They'll tell you they're Moravians, Catholics, Pentecostals, Baptists or a hundred other things, but they have never discovered the power of Jesus. Instead of a saving personal relationship with the risen Lord they walk in the shadow of religion. Religion can be a good thing. It can teach morals, contribute to the social welfare of the community and give people a sense of community, but without Christ it is empty. Christianity is a good thing. We simply need to remember that it isn't a perfect reflection of Jesus (Yashua) the Christ. When Christianity disappoints, forgive and look to Jesus. If you've been trying to live Christianity, give it up and live for Christ instead. Until next time, may you discover (or rediscover) the power and blessing of a life lived for Christ. May your faith be in the power of the Risen Lord, not in the earthly expression of it. Be blessed Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you are an heir to eternal life. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4-7 NIV Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. You have value in the eyes of God so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. Did you give Christianity a try only to find out that it wasn't for you? Try Jesus instead! If you want to know how that's possible simply email us and we'll send you some Bible verses that will explain it to you You can simply begin the relationship by honestly and completely opening your heart, admitting you need God's help, and saying a prayer along the lines of: Jesus: I have made many mistakes in my life and done things I am not proud of. I have sinned. I need your love and forgiveness. I believe that you came into this world and gave your life on a cross to pay for my sins and that you defeated death and rose again. Please forgive me, and be the Lord of my life. I give my life to you Lord. Amen If you pray this prayer for the first time let me know so I can rejoice with you. Did you know that at Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential? Your comments, your questions and your joys are shared with the prayer team, to keep me accountable as the head of the ministry and to encourage them as they see God at work in your life. As with prayer all these things are kept confidential within the Gleanings team. To share your questions, comments, thoughts, prayer concerns and praise reports email us If you enjoyed this issue of Gleanings From The Word, email it, in its entirety, to a friend. For information on use of Gleanings in your church newsletter or other situations please visit the permissions page . You can write to us at Gleanings From The Word Ministries International 114 Oak St Sherwood Park, AB Canada T8A 0V8 © 2003 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin Gleanings From The Word Ministisries International - All Rights Reserved
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