Relationship is better than Religion Part 2

Yesterday someone replied to my statement "relationship is better than religion."  Their reply was: 

"We have to be careful not to confuse being 'saved from religion' with 'freedom to please ourselves' above pleasing God. God's people need more time in His house, not less time."

I couldnt agree more with this statement!  The bible clearly says that we cannot let Gods grace and mercy be a free ticket to do what we want. Romans 6:15 We can never get to the point where we cause ourselves harm, or cause ourselves to be weakened by sin and the world.  The bible says we are in the world, but not OF the world. John 17:14-19  But the fact that we are here means that there will always be something attacking us, and or something tempting us to do wrong, to please ourselves.  Being a christian = denying ourselves things that are not good for us.

With that being said, what is not good for you might be okay for me, and what is okay for me might be no good for you.  This is where RELIGION ties in.  THIS is where it begins to come in and choke out the creativeness and freedom that Gods grace, mercy, and salvation gives.  Why would God save you from the world, just to bind you up and tie you down to rules and regulations that make you feel inadequate and unworthy?  YES, we ARE unworthy of his grace and mercy, but God doesnt want us to live with that mindset.  This idea of "well if this is sin for me then it must be for you too"  is religion at its purest.  Forcing convictions of your own onto other people is spiritual death for them!  When this happens they try to be someone they are not, living with convictions that are not their own.  When you, churches, denominations, organizations do that, its asking the person to carry a weight that they were never meant to carry.  God says that HE would never place anything on us more than we could bear. 1 Corinthians 10:13  He never told us to do it, because when WE place weights on ourselves, then they burden us down and discourage.

Christianity was never ment to be HARD, or discouraging.  It was never ment to be a constant battle.  Its really quite simple.  WE make it hard, we get discouraged, we pick battles to fight that were never ment to even be out on the battlefield.  Yes, the word says that the way to heaven is narrow and few be the ones who find it, but the word also says my yoke is easy and my burden is light! Matthew 7:13-14, Matthew 11:30

God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit, Faith, Miracles were never ment to be hoarded up and kept inside the church walls.  WE are the church!  John Mark McMillan has a song that says I am a Temple:

Deep inside me
There's this burning
That just won't let me go
You are my fire
You are my righteousness
You are my rock in roll

I wish I could fit you
Down inside my chest God
I wish I could swallow you whole
I'd wrap you up
In a blanket of my skin
And you could call my body home

I am a temple
My body is a temple
I am a temple

So what if I'm not worthy
You make me clean

I can't get over how quickly you recover
The pieces of my heart as they shatter
Cause in your hands I am
More than just a brand new man
And all my falling down now
Its just don't matter

I am a temple
My body is a temple
I am a temple

So what if I'm not worthy
You make me clean

WE are the church, we are a living, breathing, moving, LIVING testimony for Jesus Christ.  People see you everyday and when they see you, they are seeing a small sample of the church, of Jesus, of God.  They see how he restores you!  They see how he lives and breaths in you.  Religion KILLS this!  When people look into a religious life, all they see are rules!  You cant do this, you cant do that, you cant say this, you cant wear that, you cant go here, you cant be seen with them.

These people with Religious mindsets are the same people who wanted JESUS dead!  Because he came and did things that were against the grain.  He proved them wrong, he said no its doenst have to be done like that, watch me do it like THIS!  Luke 15:2, Matthew 12:14

GOD IS A CREATIVE GOD!  Dont hinder his creativity in you by thinking you have to follow at set of MAN MADE RULES!  Follow his WORD, THE BIBLE.  What it says, do it!  Its that simple!

Following the word/Jesus is relationship, following man is religion.