Religion is not the Answer

[HammerRock]

Did Jesus hang out with the 'religious' people of his day, or was it the religious people who crucified him? They who have ears let them hear.

The world is crying out for love, not religion. Religion is about man trying to please and reach out to God. Christianity is about God reaching out to man.

This is not the place for me to go into this, but I've been reading some off topic posts here... this is mine (altho small).

Religion didn't save me. A new set of laws (touch not, taste not, do not) didn't save me or change me. The power of God Almighty living inside of me... that saved and changed me.

Tell people how to live OR show them love. Don't make the mistake of taking God's free gift, which you've received, and making it into something that it's not.... a new or rules to follow.

As musicians it's our privledge to bring people into the presence of God, who is living inside of us.

Maybe I'll start a blog on this. Please don't take this as an attack... I LOVE YOU ALL!!! God is moving... mightily.... jump in the River and FLOW my brothers and sisters!

[HammerRock]

When I said:

Don't make the mistake of taking God's free gift, which you've received, and making it into something that it's not.... a new or rules to follow.

I meant:

Don't make the mistake of taking God's free gift, which you've received, and making it into something that it's not.... a new set of rules to follow.

The original vent was in response to the issue of the female drummer leaving church because the religous people were giving her a hard time about what she was wearing while playing drums (give me a break!)

[JoyCH]

Since you went there - self righteous people never use scripture to support their cause.

In addition, the bible is a believers' instruction manuel.  Either you are going to follow it or not. You won't find anywhere in the bible where it tells you to be religious. Hebrews 12:14 tells us to "live holy and without it, no man will see the Lord".

Final thought, if someone came in your house and disrespected you - you would ask them to leave. Unless you know, ...... The bible gives clear instructions for us to follow when we are in the church, at home, on our jobs, etc. But again, sence you didn't supply any scriptures, you must have never read it.

I would never let a "religious" person tell me what the bible says.  The devil already applied for that position and got it.  :? Its the devil's job to be the author of confusion. We go to church to fellowship and worship God. It has nothing to do with us. We're not there to be seen by people or got get their approval. Nor to disrespect one another or our churches. If you feel that's okay, why go? Why go to church looking for a fight? Be for real! That's what the world wants, real believers. Who are not coming to church with a bunch of junk in their trunks.

Joy

[drummerboy25]

hammer... please be clear on the point u're trying 2 get across?....
anyways as Joy stated, there are rules/guidelines when following Christ and in order to make heaven we must follow them. for the BIBLE instructs us to be in the world , but not of the world. basically saying be an example don't do, think, act, say , or live like the world. so, again please verify what u're trying 2 say.  :?

[HammerRock]

First of all, as the topic title says, I'm sorry I brought this up here. There's not enough room to fully explain everything. This will be my last post here on this. If I get my Blog going I'll send the link! Bottom line? God is Alive and Moving!

drummerboy25... confusion is not from God. Ask God and He will reveal Himself to you. God has given you the Holy Spirit. He is your Teacher. Pray and ask Him for Truth. He will point you to Jesus. Thank God my relationship with God is based on Christ and not my own righteousness (or past lack thereof!) Christ poured out His blood to free and forgive us. What can we ever do to add to that?

Am I saying that we should continue in sin? God forbid! I am saying that in him we have victory over sin. Complete victory. Without Him we cannot truly have complete victory over sin; without Him we can become self-righteous and show the world "Look what I have done" instead of "Look what He has done."

John 14:26 (NIV)
26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

JoyCH... here are some of the scriptures that I found life in. God has you where you are for a reason, and I do not seek to remove you from the place you are in.

Romans 8:1-2 (KJ)

1. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,2. because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Acts 15:28-29 (NIV)

28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

[drummerboy25]

again, this isn't making any sense. what's u're point? i am a minister so i'm trying 2 get clarity on what u're saying thats all. now it seems u're just babbling on anything. :?

[Pinaro]

got me sCraChin my head maing...wa r u tryin 2 say??

[musiq16]

You see the bible tells us that there will be people to come and translate the word for there on satisfactory.  I'm not fully understandin what you are sayin also.

Drummerboy said:

hammer... please be clear on the point u're trying 2 get across?....
anyways as Joy stated, there are rules/guidelines when following Christ and in order to make heaven we must follow them. for the BIBLE instructs us to be in the world , but not of the world. basically saying be an example don't do, think, act, say , or live like the world. so, again please verify what u're trying 2 say.  

Hammer said:
drummerboy25... confusion is not from God. Ask God and He will reveal Himself to you. God has given you the Holy Spirit. He is your Teacher. Pray and ask Him for Truth. He will point you to Jesus. Thank God my relationship with God is based on Christ and not my own righteousness (or past lack thereof!) Christ poured out His blood to free and forgive us. What can we ever do to add to that?

He asked you to speak clearer Hammer, and you gave him that response.  Why is it you can't break it down, do you really know what you talking about?  Now I am not trying to be rude, but I don't listen to just anybody.  And to me it seems like you are a lilttle confused yourself.  


Lord don't move the mountain but give me the strength to climb

[HammerRock]

You asked for a clear answer, so what I am saying is this. We need to examine the order of things in their importance. This whole topic started because I had read about a girl drummer who was trying to serve God with her gifts/talents/abilities and was running into a lot of problems because she was trying to wear pants when she was playing the drums.

From what I read, she ended up leaving that church. I don't personally know her. I don't know what happened to her. But I can tell you that I don't like what happened to her.

Truth be told, the Lord has freed me from the chains of slavery. I am not the man I once was and I continue to grow into who He created me to be. I was once in chains, but now I'm free. Free to love and to live and to be the father and husband (and everything else) He created me to be. I am finally free.

Now that I have my freedom, there are things that want to come into my life to put chains on me again, things that on the surface don't appear to be wrong. Things that were actually told to me that are supposed to help me. Things that were told to me that are actually thicker and stronger chains then I had before, and these chains are harder to see. These chains have the word RELIGION stamped on them.

Religion is a set of rules that we think we have to follow in order for God to accept us. We have to follow this set of rules to get on God's good side. We have to make sure we follow them TO THE DOT, or we're on a straight and quick slide straight into the pit of hell.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying to I use my freedom to sin (then I really wouldn't be free anymore).

I am saying this, plain and simple, to ALL.

To the adulterer... God loves you. To the drunkard... God loves you. To the drug dealer... God loves you. To the homosexual... God loves you. To the fatherless... God loves you (He's my Dad!). To the religious... God loves you!

Matthew 11:28-30

28“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

To the religious... Enter into His rest. Ask Him what His rest is. He is faithful. He will teach you.

To me His rest is a rest from doing. I don't have to run around trying to get God to accept me anymore because I know that in Christ I am already accepted. Knowing this gives me the freedom I need to become who He created me to be without worrying about crossing the T's and dotting the I's.

If that's how you live, and you can honestly say that you're happy and experiencing 'life more abundantly', then good for you! Go for it.

As for me, I would rather walk in the fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and selfcontrol. Against such things there is no law.

You see, religion is about everyone else. He's a drunk, he's an adulterer, she's a fornicator, he's a homosexual. Christianity isn't about everyone else. It's about me and Christ.